#glad i finally got to use it for something

[bvidzsoo]

The blue and pink of your skin

ᨒCherry Blossom, March Eventᨒ

Author: bvidzsoo

Pairing: sunshine!Jeong Yunho x grumpy!reader

ᨒ Warning: cursing ᨒ Word count: 7.3k ᨒ Rating: sfw ᨒ Genre: fluff, soulmates: a touch from your soulmate will leave an imprint there, road trip, stuck together/roommates, sunshine & grumpy, one friend group, slight enemies to lovers ᨒ Summary: If there's one person you never understood, and stopped trying to, it was Jeong Yunho. Upon your first meeting back in college, you just knew he'd be a pain in the ass...and you were right. His vibrant personality matched with the constant smile on his face and sickening positivity always made you stay away from him. But much to your dismay, your friend groups mashed quite well, and years after college, you were still going strong and hanging out at any given opportunity. Much to your horror, your best friend makes you share a room and a bed with Yunho for the weekend, and that's when things change...but not for the reasons you'd first think of.

A/N: Helloo, my loves! And so, we've reached the penultimate drabble of this event, it feels kind of bittersweet, but I am so glad I could share these stories with you, Mina and I had a blast planning this event and writing all the little stories. Posting this drabble today was strategic since I wanted it to be the closest to Yunho's birthday, hehe, so happy belated birthday to our Yunho! ^^ Out of all the stories, this was the first one I got an idea for, so I'm really excited to finally post it. It turned out shorter than I expected (and I'm glad for that ahahaha). I hope you enjoy, I'd like to thank everyone who have shared their thoughts on all of our stories, we appreciate your feedback lots! That being said, let me know what you thought of this one, and I hope to see you around for my other stories! ^^ divider @cromernet

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@mintsugarr93

            You groaned as you stretched your numb muscles, massaging your calf as you waited for your best friend’s boyfriend to unload your luggage. The drive had taken you three hours, but the longer you stared at the visage, the more you realised it was worth being stuffed inside a car next to Jeong Yunho. You scowled to yourself as your eyes shifted onto the tall man, who was—unsurprisingly—laughing about something he was watching on his phone. His bony knee had been digging into your thigh the whole ride because the tallest and largest man had decided to take the middle seat for some obscure reason. You rolled your eyes and faced Seungcheol as he finally grabbed your duffel bag, hauling it out of the trunk of his car.

“Damn,” He muttered, one eyebrow raised teasingly, “Did you only pack dumbbells, or why is this so heavy?”

You were about to retort something just as Jeonghan slid up next to you, smirking mischievously, “Nah, this lovely lady wouldn’t leave the house without all that face paint she uses. Had to make sure everything was packed.”

“You assholes.” You snapped, shrugging off Jeonghan’s arm and ripping your duffle bag out of Seungcheol’s hands, flipping them off as you stormed off towards the lovely-looking beach house. It looked rather spacious, and judging based on the pictures your best friend had shown you of the interior, it had a Greek theme going on. You sighed as you walked up the front steps, still able to hear Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s amused cackles, making you shake your head. At times, you couldn’t believe you were friends with such idiots, and for such a long time, at that. Has it been five—no, maybe six years—since your friend group formed, all thanks to one drunken night when all of you just so happened to attend the same frat party, teaming up randomly for a game that you couldn’t even recall anymore? You remembered those days fondly, even called it the Golden Times since you’ve never had as much fun in your life as then. And now, with college over and everyone having busy lives, things were a lot calmer and more complicated. It was a miracle everyone was able to make it this weekend, your little get-together was much expected and welcomed.

The wood creaked under your feet as you took to the second floor, following your best friend’s instructions from this morning. The rooms had already been assigned to everyone, and who your roommate would be was still a mystery. You were just about to guess who it could be when you heard footsteps following after you on the stairs, making you turn your head back. Your heart dropped when your eyes fell on Jeong Yunho, who—once again—was unsurprisingly grinning and looking as happy as if he had won the lottery. He nodded at you in a small greeting as if you hadn’t already seen each other—hell, you were even forced to breathe the same air for three hours—and out of instinct, your feet carried you up the stairs faster. Yunho looked amused as he jogged up after you, and as if you were a little kid, you found yourself basically running for your assigned room, heart beating fast. Your duffle bag was getting in the way of your legs, forcing you to be a lot slower than you usually were, so you chanced a look back over your shoulder, only to see Yunho still following you. Your heart lurched in your chest as he laughed—as if this was amusing to him—and you finally made it inside your room, whirling around as you stared at Yunho wide-eyed. Why was he following you?! Wasn’t it enough you had to endure his laughter and stupid stories for two hours? And then, you had to sit there stiffly as his head lolled to the side, landing on your shoulder as soft snores left his mouth?! God, everything about Jeong Yunho was so damn irritating—you wanted to scream. Instead, you slammed the door in his face before he could reach the threshold of your assigned room, heart racing in your chest.

You’d be ashamed to admit your age if anyone were to see you right now, but as the doorknob started twisting, your hand shot out and grabbed it, keeping it from turning. Your eyebrows furrowed as the person on the other side wouldn’t give up—Yunho, the person was Yunho—and you yelped when the door started rattling. Your fingers flexed and your muscles tensed as you dropped your duffle bag, holding the door with both hands, cursing when even the doorframe started shaking.

“What the fuck,” You heard a confused mutter on the other side, “Is this stuck?”

God, why did your best friend hate you? There was no way in hell your best friend willingly made Yunho your roommate—she must’ve been held at gunpoint by Seungcheol when she made the arrangements.

“Hey, Y/N? You good in there?!” And God, you hated the slight concern lacing Yunho’s tone as your hands started aching from your vice-like grip on the doorknob, “The door’s stuck!”

“No, it’s not, you idiot.” You hissed under your breath, accepting your fate as you closed your eyes and took a deep breath. Then, on the next push, you twisted the doorknob suddenly and yanked it open, making Yunho stumble forward with an alarmed yelp. His eyes widened as he barrelled inside your shared room, hands out in front of himself to brace him in case he fell. He looked like a clown, a tall and idiotic one, as he found his footing—legs in a wide stance and mouth open in a silent scream. He slowly turned his body, ears burning red, an unsure smile on his lips.

“Oh my God, that was scary.” He muttered as he looked around the room, his eyes falling on you as he grabbed his backpack off his shoulder, “Well, hi there, roomie!”

And God, how much you hated that cheerful—full of life and happiness and the desire to live—smile on his handsome face, you wanted to both scream and punch him.

“Roomie, my ass.” You huffed before turning around and storming outside, leaving a confused Yunho looking after you. His head had tilted to the side as he rubbed his nape with an awkward chuckle leaving his lips, and he shrugged before he grabbed your duffle bag to place it on the left side of your shared queen bed since he knew you preferred sleeping on that side. Meanwhile, with your blood boiling and your cheeks red from both anger and embarrassment, you stormed out onto the back deck, instantly finding your best friend. She was already sipping a cocktail out of a fake coconut, and you wondered when she had made that since you had just arrived.

“Kang Seulgi!” You snapped, arms crossing over your chest as you blocked the sun from your best friend’s face. Yeosang, her brother, jumped in the seat next to her when he heard their surname being called, placing a hand over his heart.

“Lord, I’m still not used to you shouting at us.” He muttered under his breath, going back to his magazine when you threw him a dirty look, “And I’ve been listening to it for at least ten years.”

Seulgi’s laughter drowned out her brother’s muttering, and you tried to channel your anger into your issue with Seulgi only. Yeosang was a lovely man, and you sometimes preferred him over his twin sister, but his snarky comments could make you climb walls and hang upside down like a female Spiderman.

“What’s the matter, my dear—”

But Seulgi wasn’t even finished asking when you were already speaking, fast, and throwing an accusing finger in her face, “You made me and Yunho room together?! Are you insane?!”

You felt Yeosang look over his magazine, amusement dancing on his features as Seulgi and he shared a look. Oh, so this wasn’t just Seulgi’s idea—sometimes you wondered why you decided to be friends with such devils.

“Honey, I thought we were over this.” Seulgi raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her cocktail nonchalantly, “It’s only for two nights, for God’s sake. And it’s literally Yunho, the sweetest guy you could ever meet. Do you want me to switch him up with Jeonghan? Or Soonyoung?”

You shuddered hearing those two names and quickly shook your head, realizing that rooming with one evil person or one that would never shut up was perhaps worse than rooming with the guy who’s been getting on your nerves since the moment you met him. Which was…five or six years ago, at that college party that changed your lives for the better and an eternity.

“Don’t be mad at me, my dear,” Seulgi pouted, reaching out to hold your hand, “Only you and Yunho aren’t a couple; I think it was expected you two end up rooming together. And because I knew you’d hate me for it, as compensation, I gave you the only room with an ocean view.”

Your flare died out at the mention of being able to see the water from your room, and you pouted as you intertwined your fingers with Seulgi’s. She chuckled, shaking her head at you as she offered you her cocktail. Leaning down, you took a sip and instantly regretted it as the potent alcohol burned your throat, the taste of coconut almost making you gag. Yeosang chuckled as he hid behind his magazine, eyes peeking out when you shuddered.

“I hope yours isn’t as atrocious as hers.” You pointed at the cocktail sitting on the coffee table next to Yeosang, and he shook his head, grinning proudly.

“Jongho’s bartender days had paid off well.” Right, you forgot for a second that Jongho had flown into the country just to go on this get-together with the whole of you. You couldn’t wait to catch up with him, eager to hear all of his stories and the places he’s visited lately. As a rising opera singer, you could confidently say Jongho was the smartest one in your bunch when it came to building a good future for himself. You let go of Seulgi’s hand as you hummed, shuffling on your feet now that you had nothing else to say. You had to room with Yunho whether you liked it or not. Breaking up the couples would’ve been an asshole move, and it would’ve also made you feel uncomfortable—unless Yeri, bless her the angel she was—would end up fighting with Soonyoung over some game, their fight leading her to ditch Soonyoung and room with you instead. One could pray, and you did as you headed back to your room, wanting to unpack your things.

You dragged your feet as you entered the house, the smell of something delicious cooking making your stomach growl. Jeonghan and Seungcheol were already in the kitchen, seasoning the meat and boiling water for ramen, the caramelized onion promising a delicious lunch in just a few hours. As you went up the stairs, you weren’t even surprised to find Soonyoung blasting his music loudly, the door to his and Yeri’s room opened as he was doing push-ups, Yeri nowhere in sight.

“Have a little consideration for some of us, yeah?” You knew Jongho was probably trying to catch up on much-needed sleep, but Soonyoung just pouted before he pushed the door open in your face, not before sticking his tongue out. You rolled your eyes and headed for your room, dread filling your body. Yunho was in there, probably still happy as if he had no worries in this damn world, either smiling or laughing at something on his goddamn phone. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, bracing yourself for the next two days that were to come, then pushed the door open.

Somehow, you weren’t surprised to see Yunho perched up on the edge of the bed, shoes kicked off and his hoodie disregarded as he was playing on his PlayStation Portal, his bottom lip between his teeth and his eyebrows furrowed. The guy was obsessed with gaming throughout college, and you see he hadn’t let go of the bad habit just yet. You didn’t understand what was so entertaining or even pleasurable about wasting your time and life away in front of a console, playing stupid games that either had you mad or screaming at your teammates. Yunho tsked quietly as you walked further inside, shutting the door behind you and stepping out of your shoes, not knowing what to do next. The curtains were undrawn and your eyes settled on the pretty visage for a second, taking in the brightness of the ocean, the waves that crashed against the golden sand not too far from your vacation house. You felt eyes on you, and you turned your head to see Yunho looking up at you with a smile on his lips, the game loading on his console. God, did he have to resemble a damn excited dog? You couldn’t even look at a dog anymore without remembering Yunho, he ruined everything for you.

Looking at your duffle bag on the left side of the bed, realizing that Yunho had already unpacked his things on the right side of the room, made something snap in your chest as your heart started racing again. And what better way than to take your frustration out on Yunho? You gritted your teeth and stormed towards the bed, making Yunho’s eyes widen as you were headed straight for him. He sat up a bit taller when you stopped inches away from him, hands on your hips as you frowned, gnawing on your bottom lip for a second. He opened his mouth, and before he could say something to piss you off even more, your loud voice was clear in the room, “We need rules.”

Yunho didn’t say anything as he looked at you confused, tilting his head as his eyebrows slightly furrowed, “Uhm, what for?”

“Did you think I would just let you in my personal space?” You raised your eyebrows at Yunho and he pouted, the game on his console dinging that it was about to start. He looked down to pause it, then faced you again.

“I mean, we are adults, so I just didn’t expect for us to have…rules.” For someone who was a philosophy professor, he sure as hell looked and sounded dumb right now. You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms in front of your chest instead, tapping your foot against the floor impatiently.

“That’s exactly why we need rules.” You huffed, then cleared your throat to make yourself understood, “Don’t turn on the overhead lights once I’ve gone to bed; if you snore, you’re instantly out. Clean the sink and toilet after you use it, it’s literally not that hard to close the lid. If I find pubic hair in the shower, you’re never using our bathroom ever again. If you have to fart, fine, but if it’s loud and smelly—for the love of God, Yunho, just use the damn terrace, I don’t want to partake in it. Keep your things on your side of the room, don’t touch my stuff and don’t steal my charger. And most importantly, don’t touch me—not even accidentally—while we are in bed. The pillows I’ll put between us are not to be moved, yeah?!”

Yunho just blinked at you, mouth slightly open as he seemed to be processing the information. As you stared at each other, you realized his black hair had gotten a bit longer since the last time you’d seen him, getting in his eyes. Eyes which were round and a pretty brown colour, staring up at you innocently as if you had accused him of a murder he had never committed. A murder that you would commit if he didn’t respect your boundaries.

“I mean, okay.” His voice was unsure as he pouted, looking around the room, “Can I at least have a little section of the wardrobe for my clothes?”

Great, and now you were the tyrant. You huffed and went to grab your duffle bag, hauling it up on the bed to start unpacking, “You act as if I just stripped you of all of your rights.”

“Might as well have done that, would’ve felt less stingy.” You froze, eyebrows furrowing as you gave Yunho a questioning look. He was still watching you, his cheerful expression finally gone—and the triumph you had expected to feel at being the cause of it never came, leaving you confused. Before you could question what he had meant, Yunho looked down and pressed play on his console, a loud and long sigh leaving his lips as he scooted further up on the bed, leaning his back against the headboard. You gave his body a longer glance than necessary, then went back to the task at hand while also trying to locate all the available pillows in the room to put between the two of you on the bed.

            It was as if no time had passed, as if you were all just naïve and unassuming young adults in your early twenties again, doing the stupidest things that came to mind, sharing stories that certainly were laced with white lies to make them sound cooler, and life felt good for now. As you had dinner this evening, you came to realise that your life had become too monotonous, too frigid. You did the same things daily, getting up and going to work, only to return tired in the afternoon to a household that was empty and bland, waiting for you to fill it with life…which rarely happened since you couldn’t be bothered to pour your time into insignificant things. Most people that you knew were already paired up with their soulmates, having long found them. Your friend group—something that still shocked anyone you told them about—was formed by couples who were soulmates. You knew the Universe had a plan for everyone, stringing them together in mysterious ways, but this one was downright bizarre. Nobody would’ve thought on the night of your first meeting that you’d end up so tight-knit and important to each other, slowly but gradually each one of you discovering their soulmates. Well, except for you and Yunho.

It's not that you weren’t trying to find them; it’s that you were mostly too busy to bother with that, and you also weren’t fond of physical closeness. In a world which requires a touch from your soulmate to leave a mark, thus discovering your match, the thought made you shudder as you rarely let anyone close enough to touch you. Seulgi and Yeosang were exceptions, as were Jeonghan and Seungcheol since they never listened and only did it to annoy you. Sometimes, you wondered if the Universe accidentally mismatched their soulmates for someone else instead of each other, but whenever you voiced that thought, Seulgi would whine, and Jihyo would threaten to beat you up if you repeated that sentence. You knew better than anyone else what it felt like to be surrounded by unconditional love and adoration-filled looks passed between soulmates, and yet you wondered if Yunho ever felt the envy you did as you watched him across the table, head tipped back as he laughed loudly at whatever story Soonyoung was animatedly telling him.

He had always seemed so content, so confident in his aloneness; it made you wonder whether Yunho simply didn’t care about the existence of soulmates. Maybe he had a partner he wasn’t telling you all about, not that you were interested enough to know. The dinner table had been loud as everyone talked over each other, conversations flying around the table without stopping, the friend group eager to catch up and be nostalgic over the past. It felt nice to step away and relax a little, to be surrounded by people who had known you at your lowest and highest. You were thankful for having them, even if you rarely showed it to them, and as your eyes got glassy, you forced yourself to blink the tears away and blame it on the wine. Listening to Jongho, watching the happiness and excitement on his face, made something coil in your stomach, so proud of him for achieving his dream. It was now that you realised you wouldn’t change anything if you were allowed to go back in time—even if that meant meeting Yunho, too.

You don’t know when this displeasure for him started, but you were suspicious it had something to do with the fact that he had laughed in your face after you started crying over a failed grade. You were a perfectionist and worked hard for everything in life; failing at something felt like you were the biggest failure, and you did not appreciate Yunho’s cheery disposition as he told you that the world wouldn’t end if you weren’t good at everything. He wouldn’t get it, he barely cared about anything, he was nonchalant and allowed life to take him to whatever places. You weren’t like that and you hated the envy that consumed your veins when you watched how carefree he was, with how much ease he navigated his life. Happiness was a feeling everyone chased—yearned to feel—and it had never sat well with you that Yunho just so easily achieved it. There was no way he could be that happy all the time, always smiling and laughing, joking with everyone and making others laugh—something wasn’t right about him, and you hated him for it. You sighed before you took another sip of your wine, looking at Yeri as she sneakily pushed her mushrooms filled with cheese on your plate. Soonyoung and her had been dating for the longest, and yet, Soonyoung still hadn’t memorized the fact that Yeri hated mushrooms and carrots.

Once you were done with dinner, you weren’t surprised to find the boys proposing ridiculous games to play as the girls tried to do damage control. You’ve had a long day and you were sure everyone would want to head to bed earlier today compared to yesterday. Your morning was quiet, much to your surprise, Yunho had respected all of your rules and even aired the bathroom after using it. By the time you had come back inside your shared room, he was gone, the scent of his cologne strong as the pleasant breeze brushed inside through the open terrace door. He had also kept to his side of the bed, and you had woken up during the night because you had to pee, finding him clutching a pillow to his chest as he intangibly muttered to himself, his cheeks puffy and hair mused up. Before you could stare at him and become creepy, you went to the bathroom and groaned as you realized Yunho looked adorable. You spent the rest of your day out on the beach, enjoying the warm weather and the refreshing water. Then you had gone to town and hit up pubs and some stores before you returned to your beach house, everyone prettying up so you’d head out at night to have some fun. Getting ready with Yunho was rather domestic and left you feeling weird as you shared a mirror in the bathroom, you doing your makeup and him shaving. No words were exchanged as you were both focused, but you couldn’t help but stare at Yunho from time to time. He’d smile at you softly before finishing up, even asking you questions about what moisturizer he should use to soothe his face after shaving.

It felt oddly normal, right, even, which messed with your head and heart since you hated Jeong Yunho more than anything on this Earth. And now, forced to partake in a game that made no sense, you could feel your heart racing as your arm brushed against Yunho’s, your naked skins hot against each other. Nobody wanted to do the dishes since there were many, so the boys had decided that the slowest couple that would reach the finish line with their ankles tied together would be the ones doing the dishes. It was stupid—and hilarious at the same time—but you refused to admit it when you realized just how excited Yunho was over this stupid idea. And even like that, you couldn’t hide your competitiveness as you focused on the red ribbon tied to a little stick Jongho had pressed into the sand. The moon was above the ocean, shining its calming light over the water and your friend group, as the porch light didn’t reach this far. Your flashlights from your phones helped with better lighting as you made sure you weren’t stepping on crabs, seashells, any small rocks or anything else that could cut your bare feet. You felt goosebumps erupt on your exposed arms due to the chilly breeze, having to grip your long skirt as you were afraid it would get in the way of your success. You raised it above your knees as you stared ahead, tsking when you felt Yunho tugging on your ankle.

“Sorry.” He muttered, looking down at you as Yeri screamed as she and Soonyoung finally passed the finish line. Jihyo was laughing loudly as she showed them the time, the slowest couple so far, and Jongho cheered with malice as he was draped over Yeosang’s back, the couple currently in first place. You chuckled as you watched the two men, their cheeks flushed from the cocktails they’d been having throughout the night, and you jumped when you felt Yunho tenderly pat your wrist, “We are up next.”

Right, it was your turn. You bit your lower lip and clumsily hopped to the start line, feeling perspiration break out on your forehead despite the colder weather. Your heart was racing in anticipation and adrenaline as you realized you and Yunho might not make it to the finish line without faceplanting since you both seemed to be klutzy about this.

“Ready?” Jongho asked, his words slightly slurred, and you wondered how he and Yeosang finished so quickly without tumbling even once, “Start!”

Jeonghan’s loud clap made you jump even though you knew it was coming, and your eyes widened when you felt your tied ankle being dragged by Yunho as he took twice the length of a footstep you would’ve called normal. You yelped as you realized Yunho was practically dragging you after himself, your left hand curling into his bicep as you felt him hold you by the waist to stabilize you when he felt you stagger.

“Come on!” Yunho called out, looking down at you with dark eyes, determined not to lose this. You huffed but had to agree with him; you were not going to wash the monstrous amount of dishes in the kitchen, so you locked in, “That’s it! One—two—three—”

And Yunho continued to count as your steps synched up, finding the perfect rhythm as you were suddenly power walking down the sand, headed for the finish line. You didn’t even realise it at first, but you had started laughing at some point, as did Yunho, who started giggling, jarred on by the booing and cheering of your friends. Jeonghan tried to sabotage you by throwing a pebble in front of you, making Jihyo chastise him for it, but thanks to the long strides Yunho was forcing you to take—not everyone had legs for days like him—you thankfully missed hurting your foot.

“Come on, Y/N, Yunho!” Yeosang cheered you on as he watched the timer in his hands. His face lit up with excitement as he started jumping up and down, “Oh my God! They are going to beat our time, Joong—”

“Bullshit!” Jongho called loudly just as you crossed the finish line, making you cheer loudly as your chest moved up and down quickly as you tried to catch your breath, your heart racing in your chest. Yunho seemed to be glowing under the moonlight, his hair tussled by the wind and the top buttons of his shirt undone and exposing his collarbones and a wink of his chest and—shit, Yunho was gorgeous, and you weren’t laughing anymore as you had stopped to stare at his breathtaking smile.

Someone screamed in delight and you flinched, turning your head in time to watch Jongho falling to the ground dramatically as Yeosang grinned, “You two beat our time! You are in the first place!”

A gasp left your lips, and forgetting your ankle was still tied to Yunho’s, you made to jump up, only to be violently brought back down to the earth by the rope. You gasped again, more in fright, as you felt your right leg give out underneath you, but before you could hit the sand or, worse, sprain your ankle, you felt a strong hand wrap around your left bicep, holding you up. Long fingers pressed into your skin as you found anchor in Yunho’s wrist with your right hand, your own fingers curling into his skin painfully. Your heart was racing as you stared up at Yunho, who looked concerned until his eyebrows furrowed. You winced as you felt your skin burning under his grip, and the two of you released each other at the same time. As Seulgi came to help you untie the rope around your ankles, you dared to glance at your bicep, only to find it bruising into a dark spot right where Yunho’s fingertips had dug into your skin. You gulped nervously, something like dread filling the pit of your stomach as you watched Yunho rub his wrist, chewing on his bottom lip as his skin was blooming with black bruise marks as well.

No, this couldn’t be it. He couldn’t be the one. Anyone but Jeong Yunho, please, Universe.

            The second your eyes flew open the next morning, you had one thought and one only in your mind. Check the bruising. If it was gone by now, you almost had a panic attack over nothing last night. If it was still there, then you’d never want to see Jeong Yunho ever again. You exhaled slowly as you gulped, turning your head to the left to check whether Yunho was still asleep or not. He was softly snoring, facing you as his arm was draped over the pillows you had placed between the two of you, and you came to the alarming realization that the hand which was resting over your stomach was brushing against Yunho’s warm skin. Your fingers seemed to be lazily intertwined and your cheeks burned in both shame and anger as you slowly pulled your hand back, staring up at the ceiling. You were leaving back home in just a few hours, and you hoped the moment you’d unlock your front door would come sooner. Sure, seeing your friends was everything you needed, but possibly being Jeong Yunho’s soulmate was everything you didn’t need.

Taking a quiet, deep breath, you slowly sat up, trying to keep the rustling of sheets minimal so as not to wake Yunho. Then, you said a quiet prayer and dared a peek at your left bicep—only for your world to come crashing down. Your body froze, your limbs going numb as you gaped at your pink and blueish skin, Yunho’s fingertips forever etched into your skin. It was there, nothing could take it away or modify it. The mark left by Yunho was permanent. And he was your soulmate, and you couldn’t do anything about it. Your heart started racing as you swiftly got out of bed, forgetting about Yunho’s presence as you felt tears gather in your eyes. Yunho was an amazing man, you’d be dumb to deny that fact, but you’ve spent your whole life hating him ever since you had gotten to know him. Why did it have to be him? And how come it took you two so long to figure it out? To find each other? You realized it was because you had never touched before, not like this, at least. Yunho knew you hated physical closeness, and unless a game or circumstance forced you together, you couldn’t remember a time when he willingly hovered over you or touched you.

You exhaled a shuddering breath as you continued pacing in your room, still dark inside since Yunho had drawn the blackout curtains together after you complained last morning about the sun falling on your face and waking you up unnecessarily early. You didn’t notice Yunho stirring awake as you bit through your nails, destroying the pretty manicure your friend had given you, and you could swear you still felt Yunho’s firm grip on your skin, his palm warm and smooth, gentle despite the way he held you up. Twisting your arm and looking down at the colourful bruise once again, you wished it would’ve stayed black…then your soul wouldn’t be tied to Jeong Yunho’s. Movement in your peripheral made you freeze again, body tense as you turned around to face Yunho. He had sat up in the bed, hair tousled in all directions, his cheeks chubby and flushed, his eyes puffy, and his lips swollen as he rubbed a large hand over his face, sighing loudly as he leaned against the headboard. It seemed like he hadn’t noticed your distress yet, and you chewed on your bottom lip, instinctively hiding the mark he had left on your bicep last night.

It took him a few more seconds of staring at you to notice the way your fingernails dug into your skin, and his eyes widened minusculely, gulping loudly as his eyes slowly travelled to his right wrist. You didn’t have to look at his skin to know, his quiet gasp was enough to tell you that, yes, this wasn’t a dream nor a sick joke. You and Yunho were soulmates.

“Y/N.” His voice was deep and laced with sleep as he scrambled forward on the bed, his legs getting tangled in the sheets, and something tugged at your heart. God, you hated this. You hated that Seulgi and Yeosang had been right about finding your soulmate…once they were yours, there was no going back, no blissful ignorance, no freedom whatsoever as all you wanted to do was curl up in Yunho’s lap and inhale his strong cologne, run your fingers through his hair and feel his bodily heat, “I’m—we are—”

“I’m hungry.” Was all you said as you grabbed your hoodie—it was Yunho’s, but in your haste to leave, you failed to notice. And then, you were out the door before Yunho could say anything else, his mouth open and his heart racing as he watched you slip away with thundering footsteps. Just how would he mend your already rocky bond?

            Going radio silent on all of your friends was nasty of you, but you needed space and peace. You needed air to clear your thoughts, and you certainly didn’t need a second person’s opinion trying to convince you that finding your soulmate was the best thing in the world. So, what if it was? What if you didn’t want to have a soulmate? Who were you kidding? You’ve always wondered who it’d be and what they’d be like, but now that you knew, you had no idea what to do with yourself. Despite the warm day you had ahead of yourself, you wore a long-sleeved blouse to work, getting curious glances from your co-workers. It was cold in the mornings, so you had grabbed the hoodie you had worn to sleep last night after wearing it the whole day, only to realise in horror that it was Yunho’s and that you had taken it at the vacation house right in front of him. Everything felt mortifying today, even brewing your coffee in the late afternoon, but nothing could’ve prepared you for the visceral reaction you had when someone knocked on your door, and you opened it without checking the peephole first.

Your hands trembled as your grip tightened around the door handle, eyes drinking in Yunho’s tall form as he stood outside your doorstep, smiling sheepishly. His shorts reached just below his knees, a white t-shirt tucked inside with a brown belt hooked around his hips, the colour matching his Vans. Your heart stopped beating when your eyes fell on the flowers in his right hand, the bruise bright and obvious against his pale skin. You gulped, nervous, angry, and unsure at the same time as you stepped back, opening the door wider to let Yunho inside.

“Hi.” His tone was tentative as if he didn’t know how to approach you, and you felt like an asshole that Yunho had to tiptoe around you. He had no idea what attitude you’d have towards him now, and you couldn’t blame him. You’ve always made it obvious that you didn’t like him, and despite his efforts to get on your good side, he only managed to piss you off more each time.

“Hi.” You greeted back, tone impassive as he followed you to your kitchen after he left his shoes in the doorway. He was nervously fidgeting with his fingers, rubbing his chin, and you could see the beginning of a stubble growing out. You faced Yunho, the counter between your bodies as you eyed the flowers in his hand, quirking an eyebrow. Yunho blushed, then chuckled awkwardly before he placed the flowers on the counter, pushing them tentatively towards you.

“These are for you.” He said quietly, avoiding eye contact as you reached your hand out to take the flowers. Your hands brushed together accidentally, and you felt electricity coursing through your fingers. Yunho’s head snapped up as his eyes widened, and you knew he had felt it, too. You sighed, leaning against the counter in defeat as you grabbed the flowers, looking down at them with a tired smile.

“Thank you, this is a sweet gesture.” You muttered, tracing the petals as you heard a surprised sound leaving Yunho’s mouth. You chuckled, looking up at him in defeat, “I’m sorry for the way I reacted yesterday. I was…in shock.”

“It’s okay, I understand.” Yunho shrugged, pulling out a stool to sit on. You grabbed a vase and filled it with water as Yunho watched you tinker around in your kitchen, placing the pretty flowers in the vase, “How are you feeling now?”

You chuckled humourlessly, “I’m still shocked, but I’m not in denial anymore.”

“Yeah, that’s good.” Yunho averted his eyes, tracing the pattern of the marble of your countertop, “Is it…so horrible that I am your soulmate?”

Your eyebrows furrowed as you felt a lump in your throat. Gone was the happy and assured Yunho, replaced with someone sad-sounding and sceptical, “What? No, I just—I’m a horrible person. I’m sorry for making you feel unwanted, Yunho. I just…I spent my whole life ignoring you and disliking you, and now we’re…supposed to spend our lives together, it’s just so weird.”

You could’ve worded that better, and you only realized that when Yunho flinched, avoiding eye contact, “Wait! I—fine, I might as well be honest now. I was put off by your confidence at first; I didn’t understand how one could smile so much, laugh all the time and have no hardships. Then, as our friend group grew closer together, I realized it’s just who you were. A happy, cheerful, positive person with a bright outlook on life, and I just—that was so foreign to me. I thought you were fake for never showing how you truly felt, for smiling even when you were sad or angry. I realise it sounds really shitty of me now that I’m saying it out loud, but I genuinely don’t hate you, Yunho. I just find you…enigmatic?”

You didn’t expect Yunho to smile, but then again, you shouldn’t have been surprised that it was his first reaction. He chuckled and lowered his head, eyebrows furrowed before he looked up into your eyes, “I hope you’ll learn to be less grumpy by my side, then, Y/N, I can’t have you chasing the sunshine away.”

“You are the sunshine.” You slapped a hand over your mouth in terror when you realized you had said that out loud, making Yunho’s head fall back as he started laughing loudly. God, this was so utterly embarrassing. Were you always so cringy?

“That was rather sweet of you, thank you.” He said once he had calmed down, a faint blush painting his cheeks, “It’s a little hilarious you literally hate me for being a cheerful person, but I get it…I suppose. We are different in many ways, but you know what they say…opposites attract.”

“Right, that.” You muttered under your breath, pursing your lips, “What now?”

“Well,” Yunho seemed to think for a second, his forehead lightly creasing as he hummed lowly, “I say we slowly get to know each other.”

“But we already know each other.” You quickly said, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Yes, but you have a prejudice over me, and I also have my own beliefs about your personality, so…I say we take it from zero and rediscover each other. If that’s alright with you.” As an afterthought, Yunho added with a mutter, “After all, there’s plenty of ways we don’t know each other yet.”

Your cheeks flushed as your mind conjured up an image of Yunho you’d rather not fantasize about while the man was right in front of you, so you cleared your throat and squared your shoulders, trying to look serious despite the knowing glint in Yunho’s eyes with which he was looking at you, “Right, sure. That sounds…okay, I can work with that.”

Yunho stood, grinning widely at you, “Can I hug you, then?”

You gnawed on your bottom lip for a second before you nodded, walking around the counter to approach Yunho. He was beaming at you as he opened his arms, and your heart lurched all the way up into your throat before it settled into a frenzied rhythm, making you almost stagger into your soulmate. Yunho’s t-shirt was soft as your cheek landed on his shoulder, nose faintly brushing against the warm skin of his neck, and your eyes fluttered closed when Yunho’s arms secured around you, pulling you flush against himself. You exhaled quietly and circled his waist, feeling your cheeks burn as Yunho hummed in contentment, nuzzling his nose against the top of your head. He held you firmly like he knew you had all the time in the world, and you’ve never felt as safe as in this moment. Your muscles were lax, your mind quiet as you lost yourself in Yunho’s warmth and familiar cologne, cheeks burning brighter when you remembered that you hadn’t stopped wearing his hoodie ever since you accidentally took it. Thank the Universe you had changed out of it when you got home, or else you’d be beyond embarrassed about it.

“Oh, I cannot wait to get used to this,” Yunho whispered into the crown of your head, and you swore you felt your legs turn into a puddle as you turned your head into his neck, trying to refrain from giggling as you bit your bottom lip. You didn’t fight the feeling and pressed a swift kiss against his pulse point, making Yunho’s arms tighten around your torso. You would’ve never thought you’d do a one-eighty when it came to Yunho, but as your soulmate mark buzzed with warmth and electricity, you realized you were safe and looking ahead to a bright future.

Quite literally, since your soulmate was like the sun.

© HONGJOONGSPOETRY & BVIDZSOO 2025 - All rights reserved. Copying, editing, reposting or translating our work is not allowed.

[baji-side-sideblog]

Clipped Bird Chapter 1

Batfam & neglected reader fic

‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚

You were adopted right after Tim at the age of eight, and from there your life was in the shadows. Bruce spent all his time on being a vigilante, being with his sons, and being a Wayne. You did your best to engaged with your family though, but nothing seemed to work. Your siblings never gave you the time of day too taken up with responsibilities. The only time they did was when you first arrived to the mansion, they called you little bird. But after that it was nothing. And when Damian came into the picture you excitedly tried to bond with him, but after he pulled a sword on you..yeah you kept away since. You even got very good at sneaking around and disappearing just to avoid his wrath. In a blink of an eye you would be gone and no one would be able to find you till you let them. Expect one person, Alfred. He was the only person you could rely on and soon he became your whole world.

Whenever you weren’t doing school work you were following him around like a duckling. Helping him any way possible with cleaning, cooking, or just being goofy to make him smile. It hurt a lot to be left behind by the others, but being with Alfred made the pain less. Especially after you accidentally called him dad and he smiled letting you continue calling him that. He knew he shouldn’t, that Bruce was your legal guardian, but he felt responsible over you more than the others seeing as you were his shadow, his child. No matter how much he tried telling you that you didn’t have to help him, you did cause you loved being with him. You felt safe around him alone. And he was quite glad you didn’t listen to him, having you around was always the best part of his day.

But as you grew up you started to be a bit happy about the fact that you got no attention from your other family members. Especially when you found out their secret identities, which was easy for you to do with your sneaking abilities. You didn’t want to risk being a target for villains, hell no, you wanted a peaceful life with your dad. Plus it honestly seemed so terrifying having to protect a whole city, you couldn’t handle that pressure. And the more you weren’t acknowledged, the safer you’d be in your eyes. Though Alfred did have you study self defense, in his words ‘You may not be noticed, but you never know who knows you.’ You took the lessons seriously mostly to make sure your dad was less stressed, and for your own anxiety too. You couldn’t protect a city, but you could protect your dad and you.

‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚

Before you know it you just turned 19 yesterday and are getting ready to officially move into your college dorms. Ten years of being a ghost to everyone besides your dad is over, you plan on being someone to others, besides your family. But something feels off waking up this morning, like the air shifted. Maybe it’s anxiety of finally moving out and being on your own, but it feels more out there and not just you. Getting up quickly you walk out of your room only to bump into Alfred.

“Oh sorry dad, what’s up?”

“It’s ok my dear. But…I would like us to go out for one last grocery trip before you move out later today.”

“Of course, I’d like that a lot. I’m excited to leave, but I’m honestly still nervous about leaving you.”

“Oh dear, I’ll always still be here and you can come to me whenever you have troubles or even when you just want to talk. I’ll make time for you always.”

You tear up and hug him tightly, he returns the hug just as tight if not tighter. Before letting you go to get ready, he does his best to keep his composure but you can tell he’s feeling very emotional. Soon the two of you are walking around the grocery store together shopping and having fun. Though you can’t help but wonder if the others will notice when you’re gone, especially Bruce. You don’t really care about him, but the thought of him being upset you left is so satisfying in a way. Probably because he’ll feel something about you then, though it also feels wrong to think like that. To have hang ups about your legal guardian when you have your prefect father figure besides you. Even when you think about your siblings feeling bad about your departure, it still feels off to want that. Cause why should you care about them when they haven’t cared about you. After all these years, why do you still want them to look at you in the eye and say they love you. Say they want to hang out, to get to know you, to just notice you…it still makes your gut twist and turn.

Feeling a hand on your shoulder you look seeing Alfred holding up his hand to signal you to be quiet. Looking around you see a gang of thugs holding up the cashier with a shotgun. Taking a deep breath you go to grab Alfred to sneak away, before one of the bigger thugs looks over and whistles to the two others. Alfred quickly pushes you behind him letting you disappear.

“Look what we have here, if it isn’t Wayne’s butler. He must have tons of money on him.”

“Yeah, yeah! Come on and give us all you have now!”

The one holding the shotgun aims it towards Alfred, you feel your stomach drop. You can’t let them touch your dad, you can’t, you can’t lose another one. Your body moves automatically, grabbing a nearby broom with a metal handle you move behind the thugs with ease. Raising it up, your arms swing the handle without thinking hitting it right in the shotgun owner’s neck. He gasp struggling to catch his breath falling to the ground, his gun sliding away. The two other men turn around only to see nothing, they feel their hearts racing. The bigger man gasp sucking in his breath when he gets jab in the neck. The last man remaining just runs away screaming. Leaving you alone panting as you stare down at the two thieves. Your face forms into a scowl, your grip tightens on the broom, your instincts telling you to beat them down for good.

Alfred pulls you away holding you protectively, as the police storm in quickly. Being in a more ritzy part of Gotham had the benefit of fast response time from the police. They take away the perps before interviewing Alfred and you. You could feel your nerves go wild, but since it is a clear case of self defense you two are left alone quickly. From the police at least, but not the press who try to swarm you. At first you’re confused on why, but quickly remember you’re technically a Wayne. A Wayne that fought off criminals in front of a whole store. You can feel your body shake, your breathing get faster, your mind running wild. You are not use to this level of attention. Alfred grabs your things and you, hurrying you into the car and away from everyone.

“Take deep breathes for me.”

You do, your breathing slowly but steadily calms down. Though you still cling onto yourself and curl up from comfort, keeping your face away from the window.

“Are you ok? I know that was very scary for you.”

“I’m fine I guess…but how can you be so calm, dad?”

“I’ve seen my fair share of things with my age. I knew we’d be ok. Though I’m proud of you for handling things, but never do it again I can’t risk you being in danger.”

“Of course, but I didn’t really have any control it just happened.”

“I understand fight or flight takes over.”

“Can we keep what happened between us?”

“..Yes we can. Though I’m sure master Bruce will find out seeing as it will be in the news.”

“Right…least I’ll be in the dorms by then. But if it’s not too much to ask can you try to hide it? For as long as possible..”

Alfred nods as he pulls up the car to the mansion. He ushers you inside to rest and finish packing, refusing to let you grab any groceries. You deserve to relax after that stressful encounter. Walking inside the mansion you stay close to the shadows for cover and listen closely for anyone. Pausing you hear the most quietest of footsteps to most of not all people they wouldn’t hear it. Quickly and silently you make a right into a separate hallway and watch Damian walk by, you can tell he’s upset about something with how tense his shoulders are. Guessing from his body language and his usual patterns Jason must have ate one of his snacks again. Ugh, you don’t want to deal with staying hidden from an angry Damian especially when your nerves are still everywhere. Your attention goes back to Damian when you hear Dick’s footsteps chasing after him.

“It’s ok Damian, Jason was just teasing you he didn’t mean any harm by it.”

“He’ll pay that was the last bread roll and he took it. It was rightfully mine”

Bread rolls? You don’t recall Alfred and you getting any recently…the only ones were the ones you made! These jerks have been eating your bake goods you hid. Those mother fu- ugh! The least they can do is pay attention to you, if they’re going to steal your shit.

“You can ask Alfred to make you more.”

“I did, apparently he isn’t the one that bakes them.”

“Hm, well maybe Babara made them when she was here, ask her. You can’t just fight Jason.”

“Tch whatever.”

Sighing you back away carefully, it’s weird thinking about them interacting with your things and not you. You huff quietly, well they can just suffer without your bake goods then when you leave. You’re not losing anything after all… Shaking your head you disappear further down the hall and rush to your room. You grab all your boxes and things hurrying allowed to the car. No rest, you’re leaving now.

‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚

Alfred stares down the driveway as you drive away, his heart aching as he seeings his little bird flying off. He tries his best not to cry, but a few slip out of his eyes. The house already feels so lonely. Taking a deep breath he goes back inside to work on dinner when he couldn’t see you anymore. He tries to keep his mind straight, this is for the best you need this, but he needs you. He needs you to be safe, what if you don’t eat properly? Or something happens, or you get caught up in a villain attack. The uncertainty is going to make him crazy. Looking at the time he sees it was already 6 pm, the news should be starting by now…

“This is how the others will see you. I’m sorry, but I can’t risk you getting hurt, not when everyone in Gotham will see you on tv.”

Walking into the living room he turns on the television before going back to set the food on the table. They’ll have to hear the tv when they come to the dinning room, patients was the key.

Jason rubs his arms where Damian had punched him grumbling to himself. As he walks past the living room his ears pick up ‘something something Wayne stops robbery.’ Pausing he looks up at the tv and sees a photo of you hitting the robber in his throat. He walks over to the screen confuse. When did you get so big? Why were you there? He feels his mouth go dry, looking at the time of the photo he sighs seeing it was hours ago and not currently happening. Wait then where are you? Walking out of the room with a quick pace he starts to look around the manor calling out your name. He almost bumps into Dick durning his search.

“Woah, Jason what’s wrong?”

“Where’s our little sibling?”

“Which one?”

“Little bird! Who else?!”

“No, no I haven’t. What’s wrong?”

“Check the news, I don’t have time.”

Jason walks away leaving Dick in the dust, he sighs and pulls out his phone anxiously. Quickly he finds the article, once he reads it Dick runs towards where he believes your room is. Opening the door and seeing your room empty worry fills his whole body. Bruce, Damian, and Tim walk over confused about all the ruckus. Jason runs over shoving Dick out of the way to take a look himself. Bruce puts his hands on the two eldest’s shoulders giving them an expecting look. Jason huffs pulling away and elbows Dick to respond.

“Little bird stopped a robbery at a store this morning, and now we can’t find them.”

Bruce tries to keep a stone face, but inside his feelings are a mess. Reality hits him that his second youngest child was in danger and he didn’t know it till now. What else does he not know? Their friends, school life, relationships, nothing. He keeps them away to protect them since they aren’t a vigilante, but now he knows nothing about them at all. He should have done better, he’s going to do better.

“I looked at the photos from the robbery, Alfred was there,” Tim chimes up as he looks at his phone. His hands shake a bit from the caffeine and from nerves.

As soon as the words hit Damian’s ears, he turns on his heels walking to the dinning room. He is going to get answers. Especially when he feels so upset you’re gone he doesn’t know what to do.

‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚ ཐི⋆𓆩ᗢ𓆪⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ ‧₊˚

[domxmarvel]

Mine 💚

Masterlist

Pairing: Billie eilish x Female!Reader

After years of work you got signed to a major horror movie studio,throwing your name into the spotlight. And quickly tossing you into multiple interviews to promote yourself and your new movie coming out. The press tour taking you almost all across the US. Including an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The interview was mostly about your new movie,the previous roles and the new studio you were signed to. Of course because it was Jimmy Fallon he had to keep the mood light and make jokes. During the interview, the audience was shown clips of you at various Billie eilish shows from the Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour. You had been to several shows and had the time of your life. Which was embarrassing and all you could do was just laugh.

“I’m guessing you had fun?”

“She’s just incredible” You chuckled,praising Billie.

Hours later the clips were all over the internet and your phone dinged with a message.

@ billieeilish Her name popped up,seeing that she sent you a message. 

@  billieeilish: “hey just saw you on Jimmy Fallon, you’re funny and congrats on signing to the new studio”

"Well I dabble in comedy 😉,and thanks" you added a winking emoji to emphasize the joke.

@ billieelish: "Dabble in comedy and final girl roles, apparently. your screams are iconic."

"So are your songs,I mean you saw the footage of me making a fool of myself at your concert 😂😅"

@  billieeilish: "I think you spelled 'living your best life' wrong 😂” You chuckled to yourself. 

"I guess I really did spell it wrong"

@  billieeilish: "glad you cleared that up 😂 so which song is your favorite?"

"Well I have two favorites 'You should see me in a crown' and 'lunch'"

@  billieeilish: "taste 🤌🏻 you might be the first person to not say all the good girls go to hell or something in my dms 😂"

"Or bad guy 😂"

@  billieeilish: "omg yes 😂"

"You really should consider adding copycat to the set list,if you're taking suggestions that is"

@  billieeilish: "oh, I'm always open to suggestions. 👀 I'll see what I can do. "

@  billieeilish: "You seem to be a big fan. How many of my shows have you been to?”

"Honestly I've lost track,I've been to almost every show for the past three years"

@  billieeilish: "Damn, okay, hardcore. I'm impressed. have you been to the international ones too?"

"Some,when they were close to the filming locations" you explained.

@  billieeilish: "Ah, right. acting superstar, I forgot 😂 what's it like filming horror movies? I bet it's nerve-wracking"

"Not really,it wears off after a while and you lose the 'scared' part of it. You gotta learn to fake being scared really well" you explained further.

@  billieeilish: "You're a great actress then, because you looked terrified in The long night"

"Let you in on a little secret,that shot was filmed like 13 different times and they went with one of the later takes. Meaning that terrified look and scream was entirely fake,at that point I had been screaming all day but no one can tell"

@  billieeilish: "Damn, respect. all that screaming, and you still look amazing 😂 I'd be a mess. you probably have a killer throat game" You chuckled.

"So I've been told but don't expect me to sing. You heard how horribly off key I was,but if you ever need someone to scream or something like that,you know the right person 😂"

@  billieeilish: "Well, if I ever need a scream queen, I know who to call. and don't worry, off-key is the new in. You'll start a trend 😂"

"Sureeee" you spelt it in a way that showed you were being sarcastic. "Whatever you say Billie"

@  billieeilish: "don't mock me. I'm a very influential person. I can totally change trends with one flick of my pretty hand 😂"

"I don't doubt that" you smirked but she of course couldn't see it.

@  billieeilish: "good, you shouldn't doubt me. I'm always right. just ask my best friend Zoe, she'll confirm it 😂" You chuckled,before texting back.

"I don't think I need someone to confirm it,I already believe you. Unfortunately I'm gonna have to let you go,I have a premiere tomorrow and if I show up one more time with dark circles under my eyes from staying up all night the makeup team is not gonna be happy with me"

@  billieeilish: "Aww, alright. Gotta let my new fan rest. Can't have those circles under your eyes ruining that perfect look 😉  have fun at the premiere, darling. Break a leg"

"You too,and get some sleep because I know for a fact you have a show tomorrow"

@  billieeilish: "oh, so you're keeping tabs on me now? 👀 I'm honored, really. and yeah, you caught me. I have a show tomorrow. but I'll be sure to rest up so I can give my best performance for my number one fan ;)"

"Oh,I'm not gonna be there,with the premiere the time just won't work out. But I know you'll do great"

@  billieeilish: "Aww, that's a bummer. I was definitely looking forward to seeing you there. But I get it, the timing sucks. At least you'll be there in spirit 😂 and don't worry, I'll make sure to put on a show worthy of you, even if you won't be in the audience. I'll pretend you're there watching, front row, screaming for me"

"Good night,Billie 💚"

@  billieeilish: "Goodnight, darling. Sweet dreams. can't wait to chat again"

The next day you sent her a few photos as you got ready with the makeup team.

@  billieeilish: "wow, looking absolutely radiant! The makeup team works miracles. I'm jealous, all I have to do is wake up and get dressed 😂"

"You're the lucky one here,I had to be up at five am for this. I wish I could just get up,get dressed and head out 😂"

@  billieeilish: "Ugh, five in the morning? brutal. I don't envy that. I'm already exhausted just thinking about it. but hey, at least you get to wear a gorgeous dress and walk the red carpet. I just get to run around on stage for two hours 😂"

"I'd still rather be there watching you than the red carpet"

@  billieeilish: "Aww, you flatter me. but really, don't underestimate the power of a red carpet moment. I've seen those photos, your fans go absolutely crazy over you. I'm jealous of that 😉"

"I gotta go,they're calling for me. Good luck with your show 💚"

@  billieeilish: "alright, break a leg out there! I'll be thinking of you while I'm onstage.Have fun ❤️" You got to the red carpet and took photos,did some interviews which consisted of questions about the movie and filming before you headed inside.

@  billieeilish: "How's the premiere going? I bet you're absolutely killing it on the red carpet. I wish I could be there to cheer you on"  You sent her a photo from the red carpet. 

"It's going pretty well although I still wish I was at your show instead"

@  billieeilish: "Wow, you look stunning! they could totally use that photo as a movie still. And aww, I wish you were at the show too. But know that I'm thinking about you every time I sing. Maybe I'll even dedicate a song to you 😉"

"Really,which one?"

@  billieeilish: "hmmm, let's see... I'll let it be a surprise 😉 But trust me, it'll be one you'll love. You have great taste in my music, after all. I hope you're settling in for the movie now, but I gotta get ready for mine. Talk to you later, darling" As soon as everyone got into the theater to watch the movie you snuck off,changing your shoes so you weren't wearing heels. You made your way over to her show,already having a ticket that you bought months before. You walked in and heard her singing. You listen closely to see which song it was. Billie was on stage, performing with infectious energy, and the audience roared in approval. The song she chose was ‘Happier Than Ever.’ Soon you were screaming the lyrics with her,but begin cautious to not be too loud. As the song ended, Billie took a moment to catch her breath. The crowd cheered on, and she couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline from the performance. She spotted you and shot a subtle smirk your way, clearly enjoying the fact that you were there. You smiled back at her,clearly overdressed for one of her concerts. You saw her chuckling,probably at how overdressed you were. As the concert continued, Billie continued singing, her eyes occasionally darting back to you, You continued to sing along with her,knowing every single word. As the concert reached its climax, the energy reached its peak. The crowd was electric, and you were right in the middle of it all, singing and dancing like you were the biggest fan. After the final song had ended and the lights went down, the crowd erupted into applause, and Billie's adrenaline was pumping. But as the audience began to file out, she looked around for you, realizing you were gone. A mix of disappointment and curiosity filled her mind.

"Sorry about running off,I had to get back in time for the after party so they wouldn't know I snuck off. I wish I could've talked to you but I had to be fast" You were gone but you did leave a message. "And your performance was absolutely fantastic," you added. You arrived back at your hotel room, kicking off your heels and collapsing onto the bed with a sigh of exhaustion. The after-party had been fun, but all you could think about now was how much you had enjoyed Billie's concert and the stolen moment with her. You were in the middle of washing your makeup off when you noticed tweets popping up with your name, mentioning that you had been at the concert. Curiously, you started scrolling through the mentions and comments, reading what people were saying about your surprise appearance.

"I'm dying! Y/N at Billie's concert? This is the crossover we didn't know we needed."

"I still can't believe I saw Y/N in the audience at Billie's concert. She was jamming out like the biggest fan."

"Wait, was that Y/N I saw at Billie's concert? OMG, she's such a huge fan! #Y/NAtBillieConcert" Immediately these were followed by others confused as you were supposed to be at the premiere.

"Yeah,she had premiere tonight,she must really be a big fan to sneak off just for Billie"

"Isn't she supposed to be at the premiere of her new movie?"

"Gotta admit, that's pretty impressive. Who would skip a premiere for a concert? Only a true fan."

"Wait, what? She left the premiere for Billie's concert? That's some serious dedication." You couldn't help but laugh at the confusion on Twitter as people started speculating about your whereabouts. And less than an hour the news outlets had picked up on the story,swarming with headlines such as.

@ EntertainmentWeekly: "Y/N Caught at Billie Eilish Concert: A Night to Remember!"

@ E!News: "Y/N Spotted at Billie Eilish Concert Amidst Premiere: A Surprising Fan Moment"

@ CelebBuzz: "Y/N’s Surprise Appearance at Billie Eilish Concert Sparks Speculations of a Romantic Connection!"

@ GossipCentral: "Y/N Skips Movie Premiere for Billie Eilish Concert: A Secret Romance?” You filled up the bathtub just as your phone dings with a message.

@ billieelish: "Hey, I see you made quite the impression on the media tonight 👀"

"Sure did,now everyone thinks we're secretly dating"

@ billieelish: "Haha, well, you know how the media is. they'll take any opportunity to spin a story. but just so you know, I'm not complaining about being associated with you like that 😉"

"They'll take anything,huh?"

@ billieelish: "Oh, absolutely. they're like sharks, circling any piece of drama or gossip they can find. but honestly, I wouldn't mind the media thinking we're secretly dating. could be worse, right?😏"

"It's pretty funny too,maybe you should come with me to the next premiere?" You suggested.

@ billieelish: "Haha, you know what? maybe I will. it'd give the media something to really talk about, right? and I have to admit, I wouldn't mind being your date to a premiere 😉"

"In that case I'll text you the details once I get them"

@ billieelish: "Perfect, I'll be looking forward to seeing you again and giving the media even more to write about 😉”

A few days passed and you talked less,mostly because you were both busy. You doing promotions for your next movie and she was filming for a music video,but she was stumped on one thing. The music video needed a princess of sorts to tie in with the song about how someone and their life looks like a fairytale. She just couldn't figure out who should play the princess,every actress didn't give the look in her eyes that she wanted. She was quickly running out of hope,having gone through a big amount of the actresses that auditioned.

@ billieelish: "Hey, I know this might be a bit random, but I've been stuck on something and I was hoping you could help me out. Can I ask you a favor?"

"I'll see what I can do,so what do you need help with?"

@ billieelish: "Well, I'm filming a music video, and I'm having trouble finding the right actress to play this princess role. I know it's probably a long shot, but I was wondering if you'd be open to trying out for it? I think you'd be perfect for the part."

"Sure,I could give it a try"

@ billieelish: "Really? That's amazing! Honestly, I was a little worried you might think it's a crazy idea, but I'm so glad you're game for it. When would you be free to come down to the set and give it a shot?"

"I have one more interview,so send me the details and I'll be there in one hour maximum"

@ billieelish: "Awesome, I'll have my team send you the address and any other necessary details. And don't worry, the scene is pretty simple. You just need to look pretty and act like a princess."😏

"Lucky for me I'm pretty good at that" you jokingly typed back.

@ billieelish: "Haha, I have no doubt about that. I've seen your red carpet looks, you totally dress the part of a princess. can't wait to see you in action 😉"

one hour later

When you arrived at the set, you noticed that the crew were already preparing for the shoot. Billie was in the corner, looking over the scene. She noticed you and quickly walked over.

"Hey, glad you could make it. ready to give this princess thing a shot?" she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Sure,now what should I do?" You looked around,trying to deduce what the scene was about.

"Well, we're shooting a scene in the forest. We want to capture the whole fairytale vibe, so I think we're going for a soft, almost floating kind of walk. you know, like a princess walking through the woods, lost in her own world." Hours passed as you filmed,the last scene was her laying on your lap as she sang.

Days later you were back on the set of your movie when you got a notification of a money transfer from Billie with a note that said “Thanks princess” Your eyebrows raised, and a small smile played on your lips, realizing that Billie had sent payment for you appearing in her music video.

"You know that's way too much,it wasn't that many hours" you texted her.

The one thing about it was,it was too much for that few hours of filming.

@ billieelish: "lol, don't worry about it. I wanted to make sure I paid you well for your time and the amazing job you did. consider it a bonus for being the perfect princess 😉"

"Okay,sugar daddy," you joked back.

@ billieelish: "Haha, sugar daddy? I like the sound of that 😉 but seriously, I just wanted to show my appreciation, and I think you deserve it. so consider it a thank you gift from your favorite musician 😉" A few hours later you had finished filming for the day,the music video was released and you sat down to see what people were saying. You scrolled through your phone, checking social media to see how fans reacted to the video. Comments were rolling in, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. People were going nuts over your appearance and some even speculated about your relationship with Billie. Comments like 

"OMG, the princess is a literal goddess! Who is she?"

"Billie and the princess are giving us major fairytale vibes"

"The way Billie looks at her 😍" filled the comment section. Fans also took notice of the fact that the music video had a more light and cheerful tone than her usual dark and somewhat depressing tone. 

"The chemistry between Billie and the princess is off the charts!"

"I think the princess is the reason for the happier vibe. There's something about her that really brings a smile to my face."

"Is it just me or does this music video feel different than Billie's usual ones? It's so light and cheerful!"

"The princess, the lighting, the vibes—this music video is perfect. it feels like a whole new side of Billie we haven't seen before."

"I don't know what it is about the princess, but she really makes this music video. The chemistry between her and Billie is unreal."

"I've never seen Billie look at someone the way she looks at the princess. there has to be some real-life chemistry there! the tension is insane."

And the comments continued as you took her to your premiere as your plus one. The fans went wild on social media after seeing photos of you and Billie together at the premiere. The hashtag "billieandprincess" started trending, and the speculation about your relationship reached new heights.

"Omg, did you see that look in Billie's eyes when the princess walked down the red carpet? pure love. I can't handle it." 

"Billie and the princess are owning this red carpet. seriously, they're giving us goals #billieandprincess"

"I can't believe they came as each others' dates! they look so cute together.”

"The chemistry is off the charts. I can't stop staring at their pictures. this has to be more than just a friendly outing, right?" 

“The way they're posing together is everything. I'm officially on the 'billieandprincess' train. this is the ship I didn't know I needed."  It was clear the fans wanted you together and that wasn't helped by her continuing to have you in music videos,playing various characters but always close to her.

"I'm fully convinced they're secretly dating. who else gets to be in this many music videos with an artist like Billie?"

"I can't believe they're in another music video together! every time they team up, the chemistry is just unreal." The idea that you were secretly dating quickly made its way out of the fans and reached the headlines in newspapers and magazines.

@ PopCultureInsider: "The latest scoop: are Billie Eilish and her onscreen princess truly an item? read more here to find out!"

@ TrendingNow: "Billie Eilish's latest music video sparks romance rumors with mystery actress. Could this be the real deal?" With both of you not confirming or denying it,which only served to make them speculate more.

You were both at her place,she had invited you over to watch a movie. You had a couple of drinks before she started talking.

"So, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about... about us." she paused, her eyes searching yours. "You know how the media's been going crazy with all the speculation and rumors about us, right?"

"You wanna tell them that we're just friends?" You asked.

"No, that's not exactly what I was thinking." Billie shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. You moved closer to her,her hand quickly moved to your waist.

"If we do..." you couldn't think of what to say,the alcohol clouding your mind.Billie's hand on your waist sent a shiver down your spine, and the alcohol in your veins made your heart pound faster. You took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself, but the proximity was making it hard to think clearly. She leaned closer, her face just inches from yours, her eyes fixated on your lips.

"If we do..." she repeated your words, her voice barely above a whisper. You leaned closer and kissed her,your hand moving into her hair and she pulled you into her lap. With a soft moan, she deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking yours. The world around you faded away as you lost yourself in the moment, the taste of her and the intoxicating heat of her body against yours. You ran your hands through her hair, holding her close, your body trembling with anticipation. The room was filled with the sounds of your ragged breaths and soft moans, a symphony of pleasure that only fueled the fire between you. Only for the moment to be interrupted by someone's voice. 

"Well, this is... unexpected." Just as things were getting even more heated, the sound of someone clearing their throat broke the moment. You both turned to see Billie's brother, Finneas, standing at the doorway, his eyes widened with surprise. "Looks like I interrupted something." He smirked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the two of you, still cuddled closely together on the couch. His playful tone was evident as he spoke. Billie's voice was filled with embarrassment.

"Finneas, hey... um, you're home early."

"Sorry, didn't realize this was a private party." Finneas chuckled, clearly enjoying the situation.

"Oh, shut up. Don't you knock first?" she retorted.

"Oh, my bad. I'll make sure to wait for an invitation next time."

"Well, you just ruined the mood." You couldn't help but smile at their banter despite the initial embarrassment. Finneas's easy-going nature made the moment less tense as he leaned against the doorframe. He grabbed something and left,but not without some remark.

"Oh, and just remember kids, protection is important." Billie tossed a cushion towards him, which he dodged. "Thanks, we'll keep that in mind. Any more sage advice, oh wise one?"

“Hey, just lookin' out for you two lovebirds! Safety first, remember!" You and Billie exchanged a look before bursting into laughter. Finneas had a knack for lightening the mood, and his playful banter eased the embarrassment you both were feeling. She tossed another pillow his way.

"We get it, we get it! Now, can we get back to our moment, please?" Finneas ducked out of the way, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the pillow. He smirked, clearly enjoying the banter. He turned his back and you tossed a pillow his way,this one hit him.

"Hey, that was a cheap shot!"

"Maybe now you'll think twice before interrupting next time." Billie was clearly finding it fun that you stood with her,despite your moment having been ruined. He scurried off,leaving her looking up at you as her hands held your hips still.

"Where were we again?" Billie looked up at you, a mixture of desire and affection dancing in her eyes. Her hands remained on your hips, a possessive touch.

"I don't know,the shock sobered me up" you got off her and stood up. "I could use a shot of something"

"Yeah, Finneas has that effect on people. Always pops up at the most inconvenient times." You both moved to the kitchen. "As for that shot you need, what's your poison?"

"Something strong"

"How's a shot of good old whiskey sound? It'll definitely kickstart your mood." You both downed the shots,the whiskey burning on its way down. She set the empty shot glass on the counter with a soft clink, her gaze fixed on you, a mixture of desire and anticipation in her eyes.

"So we're doing this?" you gestured between you two.

"Unless you've changed your mind." She took a step closer to you, the space between you growing smaller with each moment. Her hand found your hip again, drawing you in even closer, the heat of your bodies meeting.

"I haven't" you moved closer,pressing yourself against her. You picked her up and set her down on the counter. Sitting there, she looked up at you, her gaze dark with desire and a hint of mischief. Your hands moved up her thighs to her waist as you kissed her.Her hands found their way to your hips, pulling you even closer as she deepened the kiss, a soft moan escaping her as her desires heightened.

"Maybe you should write a song about me," you teased,trailing your hand between her thighs.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Being the subject of my next hit single." She looked up at you with a playful look, biting her lower lip as your touch sent sparks of pleasure through her. Trying to keep her voice even, she responded, her tone both amused and slightly breathless. You pulled her right to the edge,right up against you.

"Doesn't your princess deserve a song?" You knew what you were doing,playing with her.

"Oh, does my princess want a song all to herself?" She wrapped her legs around your waist, her arms looping around your shoulders as she looked up at you, a mix of playfulness and lust in her eyes. She leaned in closer, her words a playful challenge. You kissed her neck.

"What do you think?" It was a sarcastic question,one that didn't demand an answer.

"Maybe I do... maybe I want a whole album."

"Really now? Tell me more" you bit her neck,making her moan. "Make that album and I promise I'll give you the best night of your life" you whispered,moving your hands underneath her oversized t-shirt.

"You'd better keep that promise." You moved to pull off her shorts,moving to whisper. 

"Oh,I will" you spread her legs,your fingers hooked her panties and pulled them off. "I'm keeping these,I hope you don't miss them too much. And if you need more 'inspiration' call me"

"Trust me, I'll remember this for future inspiration. But I think you might need to give me something in return." Her panties had a massive wet spot,clearly she was enjoying this. You unzipped your top to show your chest as you leaned closer. She bit her lip, trying to control the wave of arousal that coursed through her at the sight. 

"That's a pretty good exchange... but is it enough to inspire a whole album?"

"Then touch them" you smirked

"Giving me instructions now, are you? I should've known you'd be the bossy type." Her hands slowly traced your skin.

"You should watch that pretty mouth,it'll get you in lots of trouble" your lips glistened with your lipgloss which had somehow stayed despite everything.

"And what if I like trouble? What if I want my pretty mouth to get me into some fun situations?" Your hand brushed against the inside of her thigh,before two fingers plunged into her. Your fingers slipping in so easily. 

"God,you're so wet for me"

"Y-You have that effect on me... It's incredible..." Her body arched into your touch at your words, a soft moan escaping her lips."Really" You pulled your fingers out and licked them. She whined and whimpered the second you pulled your fingers out. "Please... I need more, don't tease me like this" You smirked,knowing you had her at your mercy. You moved her body,putting her feet on the counter which made her spread her legs wide. Letting you see her fully as you drew lines from her ankle to her inner thigh. You took her hand and placed it between her legs. 

"Now,show me how you've touched yourself." You smirked,your hand covering hers. She moved her hand,circling her clit, her breath shallow and quick. "How many times have you done this,pretended,wished it was my hand?" You whispered into her ear. She let out a shuddering exhale as your words washed over her, the sound of them sending chills down her spine. Your free hand moved to her chest,softly squeezing as you kissed her collarbones and neck. You kissed her cheek,your hand moving hers in quicker circles. Her back arched and she moaned loudly. It didn’t take long at all for her to cum with your touch,you took over and let her ride it out as long as she could. “That’s it,good girl.”

Months later she had finished the album and was working on a music video with you. This one was completely sexual and you played along perfectly. One scene was her scribbling the word 'mine' all over you. Pretty much confirming your relationship to the media. You both knew that this moment was more than just a scene for the music video. It was a statement to the world that you belonged to each other. You were covered in the word and decided to post a photo to your Instagram,with the caption 'I think they got the message 💚' and tagged her on one of the 'mine' she had written on your skin. 

[butterflys-corner]

You went too far (pt.2!)

Part one here: pt. 1!

Summary: The monster trio finally track you down and apologize for the dumb fight you had. Warnings/Tags: swearing, mention of fighting, slight violence, fluff and apologies

Note: I'm so sorry this is super late! I hope you like it!

Monkey D. Luffy

Luffy spent time on the island with the crew to figure out what was even here to no avail. It was a hunk of rock just sitting in the way of more land ahead.

He scratched his head, the feeling of something being off stirring an unfamiliar knot in his chest. He wasn't hungry so it wasn't that.

All of the crew was here, and you were watching the ship, so clearly everything was fine on that end of things too.

But, then that tightness in his chest got worse as he looked across the island to where the Sunny was supposed to be docked. The ship was gone. And you with it.

"Huh?" Luffy's eyes darted around the coast for any sign of the ship, but there was nothing but ocean.

You would have told him you were leaving- even if you were that upset with him.

Now that he thought about it.. what were you upset at him for? He called himself the captain, sure, but he always did.

The little- albeit cobwebbed- wheels start turning in his brain as he sits cross legged on the ground.

It wasn't your birthday. It wasn't your anniversary. No one recently passed away. He didn't eat your food.

The captain sighed out, instantly understanding that you were upset that he used such a serious tone toward you.

"Hey. Nami," he calls over to the redhead and she turns on her heels, arms folded over her chest as she undoubtedly searched for the ship as well.

"The ship can't be far. We would have seen it by now. Was there anything suspicious or something around here?" He was deadly serious, voice full of confidence as his eyes glanced around the desolate rock they were standing on.

"That's Monkey D. Luffy's woman!"

"Yeah? So-"

Your captors spoke, pretty loudly at that, as you leaned against the ancient cell they stuck you inside. The bars lightly dug into your forearms as you held your hands together outside of them.

"You guys are so fucked." Your voice echoed against the spacious prison, the guys jolting in place.

"You shut your damn mouth! We ain't scared of that kid-"

"He's going to break me out of here and beat the hell out of you." You were firm in your words, even through the anger you held over your boyfriend being a jerk earlier.

It was a wonder how he wasn't here yet, but you know he makes it to where he needs to be eventually. Especially when you or the crew were involved. Your captain would come through for you, just like he did every time.

And as you pressed your face against those uncomfortable bars, you heard him.

"Gum gum, pistol!" And those chumps were done. Knocked out cold on the ground in front of the cell from the impact.

"Took you long enough," you were still upset with him, he in turn just glad to see your face after the few hours apart. The door to your cell gets blown open courtesy of Usopp's exploding stars and you cough on the shaken clay dust.

You take no more than three paces out of the cell before familiar rubber limbs coil around you. You stand still and take the impact of his limber body with a few stumbles backward.

"Lu, hey, come on-" you teeter to stay upright, your goofy captain just laughing.

"I'm sorry for being a jerk and saying I didn't care. I'm just glad you're okay." He made your upset melt away with his infectious laughter, your chest rumbling with chuckles of your own.

"Yeah, okay. I forgive you. Get me out of this stuffy cave already."

Roronoa Zoro

"Oh, you'll miss me so bad, Roronoa. I'm going into the village. Stay here with your precious swords."

Those three sentences haunted his thoughts as he felt the night grow later and later.

"You'll miss me so bad-"

You never came back from the brisk adventure into the village. He knew he shouldn't blame himself for it, but he was responsible for you. He felt responsible for you.

He'd never admit it to you, but your words stung the more he waited for you to come back. Why weren't you back yet?

"Luffy," his rough voice hid his concern well, it came with practice he supposed. "I'm heading into the village. Be back soon." And he was met with a quick wave as the captain was occupied in a game of tag.

The swordsman obviously didn't know where you were, just that he needed to find you. He had that stupid mistake to apologize for. Damn, his poor sense of direction! This was the third right he'd taken into a dead end.

The village wasn't particularly a maze, but Zoro was so determined to find you in this sea of people that he'd taken to asking around now. Him! Asking for help!

Much to his misfortune, you were already walking up the gangplank with a rare bottle of sake for the idiot. You returned from the village after painstakingly picking out, haggling, and paying (less than half price, lucky you!) for it. And this was after handling those shitty pirates who bothered trying to kidnap you for a couple Beri.

The fight left you with bloody knuckles and a sore wrist, but that was all. The precious bottle of Sake was worth it. You didn't even pay with your own money. You used those morons' money.

You knew the fight was dumb, really just wanting him to apologize for it so that you could get on with your night. It wasn't fun going to sleep mad at each other.

So when you looked around the Sunny in his usual spots and found him gone, you asked around to find he left.

"Idiot," you sighed out and left the ship to retrieve the green-haired musclehead.

It took you hours to find the directionally blind man, the poor guy covered in a thin sweat from the worry he worked up. You tap his shoulder and easily avoid a sword handle to the gut.

"There you are." You smile at Mosshead and his alerted face melts into a much more relieved, ever so slight smile.

"There you are, troublemaker." He shot back, just glad he finally found you. Or you him, he didn't pay attention to the details as you receive a nearly bonecrushing hug.

"Ah! No, Z, you're all sweaty!" You squirm under his arms to no avail, but the hug was short lived anyway. He rested his left over his hip, the right on his swords as always.

"C'mon. I'm tired of being in this village."

And you left with him, eventually having his arm over your shoulder as he usually rested it.

He didn't verbally apologize until much later when you were alone in your cabin. He always did it that way, not needing the others to overhear his vulnerability with you.

Even then, it was enough for you. He apologized in his own way after by doing some extra lifting when you needed it- with much less complaints- and even scoring you an expensive bottle of your drink of choice. And of course he tended to your bruised knuckles and cleaned up your face.

You wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. He was your stubborn as a bull swordsman and you loved him that way.

Sanji Vinsmoke

Sanji had immediately jumped into action when he found that you never made it to the ship. He searched high and low, in different bars and restaurants and shops, but you were nowhere to be found.

He screwed up- he knew that. He screwed up horribly by letting his tendency to fawn over women get in the way of the most important person to him. You.

Curly brows lit a cigarette to calm himself down, his blue eyes looking around for anything that stood out.

There.

Long strides to the alleyway he hadn't spotted before and he finally found you at knife-point. Who did these bastards think they were?

"Back off." He grumbled with a puff of smoke, hands snaking into his suit pant pockets like they always did during serious fights.

"Hah, what're you gonna do, pretty boy?"

"I should fillet you for even thinking about hurting that woman right there. You're deplorable for such an atrocity. I'm teaching you a lesson, but first-" Your hopeless romantic jumps from his spot, your assailants looking around in absolute confusion. You knew better however, expecting the sweet embrace of his arms underneath your knees and behind your back.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting, Dearest. I won't ever do it again. Wait here," Sanji sets you down delicately nearby and you take the chance to lean against a wall to watch him kick ass. Literally.

Those three guys were no match for the cook's speed, being thoroughly punished by his flaming kicks in record time. You could swear it was a personal best of his now.

When the other men fell to the ground, your lover spun on his heels and checked on you intently. He circled you, held each of your arms up to his eyes to be sure, put your cheeks in his hands to tilt your head how he needed to-

Oh. He just wanted to kiss you.

"I'm so sorry, Mon tresor," he tested his forehead against yours, his soft eyes closed in shame. "I should have left with you. I just wanted to get you a few more things before we left the island. Will you ever forgive me?"

"How could I not, you silly cook?"

Credits:

Taglist: @siraxealot, @kyllium, @exoticrasin, @mrharringtonsbae, @penguinsravioli, @cousinconnie, @ellisaworld, @xcriaturex, @bluevenus19, @augghhgghhh, @silentscream2022, I hope I didn't miss anyone!!

[callsign-rogueone]

two reunions

Dain Aetos x reader (love!) words: 1.7k 🏷: no warnings here! finally getting these two to the start of fourth wing! everyone's favorite boy makes an appearance, as does everyone's least favorite, love is yet again Put In A Situation, Nadine running her mouth, one thing about my girls is that they are always going to look out for Sawyer, tysm to the person who beta read this for me! you know who you are and ily. that's all I got for tags, byeee

It turns out that another glorious perk of being in leadership is having to work on conscription day. At least it isn’t on the same day as one of your runs — but it is miserable out, pouring rain with strong winds. It’s relatively sheltered where you’re stationed, but it’s still too damn cold, especially for July. General Sorrengail must have taken the day off. That, or she’s mad about something. 

There was really no need for you to be out here this early — you and Dain have been sitting in silence for nearly half an hour, collars upturned and hands stuffed into your pockets to keep them warm.

You both perk up when you see the first cadet hop down from the bridge. You don’t need to ask what their name is — you already know them well. 

“Sawyer Henrick,” he offers anyway, his cheeks warm with a hint of embarrassment.

“I’m glad you made it,” you say softly. “And I have a good feeling about this year. So does Laurent.”

He gives you a weak smile before he continues down the line, the next cadet stepping into place behind him. You and Dain alternate checking off the names, falling into a comfortable rhythm as the rain starts to taper.  

“Hi, princess.”

“Liam!” You drop the clipboard and nearly knock him over with the force of your hug, a happy breeze swirling around the pair of you. 

He laughs, wrapping you up in the smell of sawdust and linen. “That’s new.”

“Oh, it’s so good to see you. Did you grow? I don’t remember you being this tall.”

He gives you a slick grin. “I think you might have shrunk.”

You pout up at him. “It’s these damn boots. I swear, my feet are going to be stuck perfectly flat at this rate.”

Dain clears his throat, and you break apart hastily. “Right, sorry. Dain, this is Liam Mairi — my little brother.”

Dain’s eyebrows raise at your use of little to describe Liam, searching for some family resemblance that he won’t find before he offers him an uneasy smile, checking his name off the list.

You turn back to Liam, giving him a conspiratorial grin. “Your girl already called dibs, otherwise you’d be with me.”

“She’s not my girl,” he protests, blushing.

“You’re certainly her boy,” you counter. “She made it abundantly clear to our dear brother that you were to be placed with her. But don’t tell her I told you that, she’ll skin me. Where’s your shadow?” 

“We got separated in the line. She should be here in a few minutes.”

“Okay, be good. I’ll see you later.” You give him one last squeeze before he heads off, and then it’s back to the same monotony, name after name after name.

And then there’s a shout from the parapet that has you looking up from your clipboard. Someone is running across it, another candidate hot on their heels. It’s a girl, half the size of her pursuer, but it’s her hair that catches your eye: brown and silver. 

Violet.

She takes a leap off the end, immediately whirling around to point a knife at the guy — right where it would hurt most.

You’re a little impressed, actually.

There’s a very brief moment of silent negotiation between them before she backs off, letting him step down. 

She looks like she might collapse, but to her credit, she doesn’t freak out when you steady her with a curling wisp of wind around her back, guiding her further onto the solid ground of the courtyard behind you, and keeping her upright.

“Name?” you ask the brute, silently calculating the best way to put him down if he takes another step closer to her.

“Jack Barlowe.”

You don’t bother finding him on the list — you don’t take your eye off him, even as you offer a word of warning that he doesn’t deserve. “Be glad she didn’t kill you, or cut your nuts off. Others won’t be as merciful.”

He just scoffs at you in response, heading into the courtyard. 

As soon as he’s out of eyeshot and earshot, Dain says what you’re both thinking. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Tell that to my mother.”

General Sorrengail really is heartless, then. First what she did to Xaden, and all of your parents, and now making her disabled daughter fight for her life to become a rider? She might as well have just shoved her off the side of the parapet. That would be quicker, and more humane. But she actually seems to believe that she can do this. That alone will kill her. Unless one of your friends, or that guy behind her on the parapet gets it done first.

You need to say something. “As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. It’s not too late to bail, and it would probably be for the best if you did. We can—”

“This conversation doesn’t concern you,” she interrupts, hackles raised.

“As a friend of a friend, and someone who knows exactly what it’s like to be forced to be here, I think you’ll find that it does concern me,” you say coolly. “I don’t need to tell you that this place is a death trap, and a physically demanding one, at that. If you don’t want to be here, you shouldn’t be. Enough people have died on this hill already.”

She crosses her arms over her chest in a show of intimidation that doesn’t work at all — she’s tiny. Like a little lap dog that thinks its barking will protect the house from intruders. “I’m not leaving.”

She’s clearly equally as stubborn as her brother. 

She already looks suspicious of you, and pushing further wouldn’t be a good idea right now. You’ve done all you can do, for the time being. “He can’t say I didn’t try,” you mutter, turning away, back to the group of cadets who are waiting for you to check off their names. 

Bodhi appears beside you, speaking in a whisper — even though none of these kids speak the language, except one. “Is that who I think it is? The little one, with the hair?”

“Yes.”

“We need to get her out of here.”

“I tried already, but she wasn’t having it, and it would look incredibly suspicious if any of us kept pushing. She already despises me — I can’t exactly take her hand and drag her to the library, like she’s a toddler.”

“It looks like he might do that for you,” Bodhi offers.

You turn your head to see Dain still talking with her. He doesn’t look like you’d looked when you saw Liam again — not even close. He almost looks mad at her.

The ball is in his court now, you suppose. 

“That’s it,” your friend announces, hopping down. She looks completely dry, despite having been stationed in the pouring rain on the other side of the bridge.

You shudder at the thought of having to cross it again, even with your ability to control the wind, and the progress you’ve made with your fear of heights. “Why didn’t you just go around?”

“And miss whatever needlessly-dramatic speech Xaden has planned? No way.”

You snort. “Fair enough.”

Might as well check out the crop of new recruits while you wait. Most of them don’t look too bad -- decently physically prepared, and not shaking in their boots. Some of them, however, are much too confident.

“I’m just glad we don’t have any Tyrrish,” one of the girls says, eyeing the neighboring group with disgust.

You look her up and down before you speak. “A copper’s worth of free advice, hair dye; don’t go making enemies of the people who are supposed to protect you.”

She doubles down. “They made me and the rest of this kingdom their enemies when they decided to commit treason.”

“I don’t think this is a path either of you want to go down,” Sawyer warns, looking between you.

You hold a hand up to stop him. “It’s okay, Sy. Let her keep digging. She’ll hit the bottom eventually.”

The girl stills, freezing in place like a spooked deer as she considers your words — and realizes both of your arms are covered by the sleeves of your flight jacket.

You can’t help but smile. “Oh, this is never going to get old. Well, purple? Can you fight under the command of a pair of filthy traitors?”

Her eyes snap to the section leader, scanning him for a relic that she won’t find.

“Not him. The wingleader. And your section exec, too, actually — so three.”

She’s still quiet, blinking at you in stunned silence.

“Callwell!” Dain barks. “Get over here.”

“Off to serve my kingdom,” you offer with a sly smile and a two-fingered salute. “And I’m just fucking with you. I really don’t care what you think about me. Sticks and stones, right?” You leave before she can respond, jogging over to Dain. “What do you need?” 

“Your approval for us to move squads.” he doesn’t explain why, but it’s damned obvious; to protect Violet. If she’s under his command, he can help keep her safe.

You try not to show any sign of relief — he shouldn’t know that you have any interest in helping her at all. “On one condition,” you offer. “Henrick comes with us.”

“Deal.”

Your eyebrows lift, the flash of hurt you feel catching you off guard. He didn’t even pause to consider it, or try to argue with you at all. That’s not like him. 

He must be very attached to Violet. Maybe she’ll do you a favor and take him for herself, so you’ll have a real reason to give up on the idea of you and Dain, to forget about all of those quiet, tender moments that you keep replaying in your head when you can’t sleep.

Not that the two of you would ever work anyway. Not if either of your families have anything to say about it.

“The Mender wouldn’t mind.”

True enough. Brennan had known Dain, recalled fond memories of the boy who had grown up idolizing him and followed him around with Violet like a pair of little lost ducklings. 

But that was before the war, and before they’d grown into adults who could hold complex political opinions. Your cousin-in-law probably absolutely despises you. She doesn’t know that you’re family, and even if she did, she wouldn’t care if you lived or died. But that doesn’t change the promise you’d made to Brennan, to keep her out of here — which has now been updated to just keep her alive.

[bettystonewell]

Two iced lattes later, and I’m done ❤️

Apparently, condoms are fragile little shits.

My mind went straight to Ross Geller for this one and his “they should put that on the box!” Could I find a gif? No, so you get Dean being proud of his swimmers 😂

“I’m sorry,” he says, seeming sheepish, and guilty. “I meant to say thank you. Just didn’t know any other way to say it.”

Dude! No! Don’t do that and then brush it off with such a lame ass statement. Friends don’t kiss friends on the lips (someone wise said that?)

And that's no more apparent than when Dean soon has to step out again, leading Lisa out of the room.

This whole scene annoyed me so much. I can only assume that the rules in the Stares are the same as here, and anyone stressing momma out has to leave! Girl should’ve got rid of Dean while he was playing silly buggers with Lisa, but I guess he made up for it when he ended up being supportive, however,

You meet him with a wobbly smile. “Honestly? I’m afraid. I know I have a lot of people who want to support me, and I’m grateful, but…I just have this terrible feeling that we’re going to end up alone, him and me.”

BEOKE MY HEART. Although, you don’t need a man girl. Her and Robbie could potentially be okay without Dean or anyone else, but thank god these two did in fact get their act together - five plus years too late…

You even bought a big dinosaur cake—also in a radioactive green color that you hadn’t been sure about, but your son talked you into.

It’s giving my separate vibes

“I think we should do this now,” she says. A hallmark Lisa-ism. She’s opinionated and strong-willed, something Dean’s always respected about her. Sometimes though, the timing is damn irritating. He doesn’t want to get into another argument with his girlfriend in public, especially not at his son’s birthday party.

I know you said I’d feel sorry for her, and I did at the end, but she kind of did this to herself. Why did she keep going back to him if she knew he mind was wanting someone else. You could argue she didn’t know, but come on…. I love how judgy I’m being even though I’d probably be Lisa in this exact scenario - “but I can fix him!”

I was going to ramble about the whole bike scenario, and how ridiculous Dean was being, I get it I do, I’ve just got sympathy for the single mama (being one myself)

His eyes sting just enough that he has to blink a bit harder, swallowing past a thick well of emotion in his throat. He presses another kiss to the top of Robbie’s head. Then, Dean meets Benny’s gaze.

There it is! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I’m so happy that they finally figured it out. It would seem Benny already had deep down too, I’m just glad he was so nice about it.

You allow yourself to look at him. Really look at him.

My writing brain is seeing the repetitions and I love it!

Gosh dang Alex! This was a masterpiece! Please give us more if ever you feel inclined. I’d love to know they got to do the whole baby planing together a second time right, if it were to happen for them, but this was a pleasure on its own as is, too

IF I STAY - Part 2

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Plus-Sized!Reader

Summary: Your dream is to work with kids as an elementary school teacher. Dean is well on his way to becoming a firefighter, keeping things light and “strings unattached” as he goes. After a one-night stand you never saw coming, you and Dean are forced to deal with the consequences…and figure out if the connection between you is worth fighting for.

AN: Deep breaths Are you ready for a rollercoaster of emotions? 😘❤️

Song Inspo: “I Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “It’s Now or Never” by Elvis

Word Count: 13.1K

Tags/Warnings: Angst, pregnancy feels, hurt/comfort, fluff, time jumps and flashbacks, sexual tension, mutual pining, spice~, and an ending…

❤️‍🔥 If I Stay Masterlist

Part 2: It’s Now or Never

At the doctor’s office, Dean goes in with you for the first trimester ultrasound. There you learn that you’re going to have a boy. Tears well up in your eyes and slip down your cheeks.

Dean wears a look of amazement as he sits on the edge of your bed. He takes up your hand and squeezes gently. He tries to be a strong support, even though he also tries to hide the fear that begins to churn in his gut.

For one of the first times in his life since Sam was born, he feels the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. In a good way. In a fucking scary way.

He looks at you and sees the wonder written across your face while you watch the tiny shape of your baby on the screen. His heartbeat thwaps fast and loud in the speakers.

Dean realizes something else then; the decision you're making is changing the course of your whole damn life…and it’s his fault.

With his weekly hookup rate, in the very back shelves of his mind he knew something like this could happen, even though he thought he'd been careful. (Apparently, condoms are fragile little shits.) But here, in this white wall-to-wall room that smells like hospital antiseptic, that thwap thwap thwap of a heartbeat reverberating in his ears, the reality of this is crashing hard on his shoulders and rattling down to the base of his spine.

Despite his earlier happiness, those thoughts stay with him when you two eventually get back into his car. You have the pictures of the sonogram in your hands. You smile down at them before you put them back in your purse for safekeeping.

However, you notice Dean’s sudden melancholy as he stares out at the road. He’s started the car, but he hasn’t moved to pull out of the parking lot yet.

“Hey, you okay?” you say, resting a gentle hand on his arm.

Dean shakes his head. “Look…I’m sorry for tossing a giant friggin’ monkey wrench into your life. I know this hasn’t been easy for you.”

If possible, your heart softens even more. You slide your hand down to grasp his.

“Dean, this baby wasn’t planned, but he’s not a mistake,” you say. “I don’t regret anything.”

Dean stares back at you, incredulously. He can’t believe you could really say that to him. He doesn’t know what to say. He only knows what’s in his mind, and what he feels compelled to do in that moment.

He leans over and kisses you. It’s a firm meeting of his lips to yours and achingly familiar. But ultimately, it’s chaste. He pulls away and settles back in his seat.

When you blink your eyes back open, your expression is slack in shock.

“I’m sorry,” he says, seeming sheepish, and guilty. “I meant to say thank you. Just didn’t know any other way to say it.”

After a moment, you smile at him. It’s warm and almost shy.

Dean clears his throat, trying to ignore the way his face is heating up. He doesn’t say anything more. He just takes the wheel and shifts gears, pulling the car out of the parking lot. 

You don’t know what possesses you to bake cookies. Dozens and dozens of them, all the chocolate chip cookie recipes you can find. You’re in search of the perfect one. This will be the recipe your son will grow up on, and every time he eats them, he’ll remember how much you loved him.

And then, he’ll be ruined for any other chocolate chip cookies that try to grab his taste buds. He’ll say, Blech. Chips Ahoy? These aren’t as good as Mom makes!

…Or something like that.

Yes, these cookies have to be perfect. You’ll even write the ingredients down on a notecard and hide it away, and it’ll become your family secret recipe.

Once you feel like your cookie game is strong enough, you decide to test these babies out. You bring two dozen painstakingly baked confections to Firehouse 83, where Dean works. The man is a bottomless pit, to be sure, but you also want other people’s unbiased opinions. For science.

You park your car on the side of the road, making sure you’re not blocking the driveway where two huge fire trucks are parked. You head inside the firehouse with your big container under your arm and your purse on the other. Now at seven months into your pregnancy, you’ve gotten to the embarrassing “waddle” stage.

You’re still determined to be active though! You plan to keep working until you have the baby. Your parents live a few hours away, but you’re grateful that they want to help out as much as possible.

Even though they weren’t happy to hear about how you got pregnant, by now they've met Dean and begrudgingly admitted to liking him. He's really stepped up to the responsibility of a future father, insisting on baby-proofing your apartment, helping you shop for the essentials, and going with you to as many doctor’s appointments as he can. He’s even agreed to giving you child support payments, even though you hadn’t wanted to ask for it.

You look for him now as you enter the firehouse, trying to push the heavy glass door open with one hand.

“Here, I got you,” says a familiar baritone voice.

You’re pleasantly surprised at the man who helps you inside.

“Benny! It’s good to see you.”

“Yeah, been…a while,” he chuckles, glancing down at the swell of your belly, but he squeezes your shoulder and leans in to hug you gently.

“Dean filled you in?” you ask. You hope so. Having to explain the story to one of his own friends would be embarrassing, especially since this is the man you walked in Sam’s wedding with. It reminds you of that day, and the way you told Dean that news in a glorified closet, with shaking hands and the wrong kind of butterflies.

Thankfully, Benny nods. “That he did…but come on, I’ll show you around. And I see you’ve brought somethin’ special for us?”

He gestures at the container you're holding and offers to take it off your hands. You give it to him, grateful for the help.

“Yeah, and I want you guys to give me your honest opinion.”

Benny tosses you a wink and a smile. “That I can do.”

Your cheeks begin to warm in a blush, but the way he helps you to a comfy couch in the common room earns your smile. There are still good men left in this world, and you’re glad to know that Dean works so well with one.

“You want some coffee, or water? Think we might have some lemonade,” Benny says.

“Water would be great, thank you,” you reply, as you rub your belly. The little man has decided to kick at your liver today. “I stopped drinking coffee for the baby. ”

It's your biggest challenge, to be honest. Try wrangling a group of fifteen to twenty six-year-olds while running on green tea, the fumes of sleep deprivation, reduced bladder control, and as much vim as you can muster.

“Ah, right,” Benny nods. “My sister has two kids. She cut out coffee, pain meds, some dairy stuff. But she claimed cheesecake was all right, ‘cause it’s got cake in the name.”

You giggle. “I see no flaw in her logic.”

Down the hall of the firehouse, Dean is just coming back in from going through a set of drills. He’s still the Candidate—the freshest blood in the house—so they’ve been putting him through his paces for the past several months. He’s eager to learn and to prove himself.

His ears perk up in confusion though. Did he just hear your voice?

Why does it smell like a bakery in here?

When he rounds the corner, he sees you in the common room, smiling and giggling like a teenager at something Benny said to you while he eats a soft baked cookie right out of a Tupperware container. You must’ve brought it for the firehouse.

This cozy little scene kind of annoys Dean somehow, though he doesn’t know why. He does know that it shouldn’t.

“Hey, look who’s here,” Dean says, forcing himself to smile. It becomes easier when you look his way, your eyes brightening at his arrival.

“There you are! Come ‘ere and try these,” you say, pointing at the box Benny holds. “Tell me if our son’s going to have the best PTA mom ever.”

Dean can’t help but grin after trying a big bite of one of your cookies.

“Oh, mah Gah,” he says, holding a hand under his mouth so nothing comes crumbling out.

“Good?” you ask.

“Good friggin’ cookie,” he confirms, after he swallows. “You’re gonna have the other parents frothing at the mouth. Who’s gonna be able to compete with this?”

Benny nods in agreement. When Dean squeezes your shoulder, your sweet, happy smile makes him smile too.

She’s going to be a good mom, he thinks. He can only hope against hope that he can be the man his son needs.

Two months later, the time has finally come. Your water breaks when you’re in the middle of teaching your second graders how to spell exaggerate—and no, Joey, it’s not e-g-g-zagerate.

However, the embarrassment of him pointing out the fluid beginning to stain your slacks is swiftly cut off by your shock. Your first call is to the principal, to have her send someone to cover your class. Your next call is to Dean, telling him to meet you at the hospital.

“Why the hell did he have to bring her,” you mutter to yourself, wiping sweat from your brow. Here you are, gritting your teeth through contraction after contraction in this damn hospital bed, and Dean is outside the room talking to Lisa.

You know you have no real reason to be upset. She’s been trying her best to be your friend in recent months. Hell, she helped Eileen and your mom plan your baby shower. She even brought you flowers when she got to the hospital, but you notice how less than five minutes after she got here, she and Dean became embroiled in yet another argument. It seems to you that all they do is argue, break up for a week or two, and then get back together again.

The sex must be explosive, like the fireworks at goddamn Disney World.

But Dean eventually does come back into the room alone. His support grounds you over the next few hours. He lets you basically break his hand, all while he gives you encouragement (and stands by your shoulder, so he doesn’t see anything you’d rather him not see).

And then, your son is born. Every muscle, every cell in your body is exhausted, but the pain meds have kicked in, and you’re in that blissed out state between abject reality and being entirely entranced by the bundle in your arms. His perfect face is just there, sleeping for the moment after the nurses taught you how to breastfeed.

Dean returns to sit in the chair beside you. He gives you some water and a piece of a protein bar. You’re not that hungry, but he pointed out that you haven’t eaten since before your water broke.

“Sam and Eileen are on their way up,” he says.

You nod in reply. You’re too into your son right now to think of anything else.

Dean shakes his head in wonder as he reaches out with a tentative hand, brushing his fingers over the baby’s downy head. He was born with a little tuft of brown hair.

“Okay, down to business,” Dean says, shooting you a playful look. “I vote for Zeppelin.”

You groan. “Dean, no. Veto. I’m not naming my son after a rock band.”

“Aw, come on. It’s a badass name!”

“What about Aiden?” you suggest.

“Veto,” he snorts. You two agreed to getting five “vetos” each, but this discussion has been more like a battle of wills over the last several months.

“Okay, what about Daniel? That’s strong, classic,” you pose.

Dean considers it with a tilt of his head. “All right, that one’s a maybe.”

Again, he strokes the baby’s soft cheek. You look over at Dean with a small smile.

“You’re going to be a good dad, you know,” you tell him. It earns his gaze. Although he’s trying to stay strong, you read the hidden insecurity there, the worry and fear. You rest a hand on his arm. “You are, Dean. You’re a good man, and you’ve really stepped up these past few months. This obviously isn’t how either of us thought our lives would go, but if this had to happen with someone, I’m glad it’s you.”

Dean’s expression softens. He hesitates, but he lays a hand over yours and squeezes gently.

“Thanks,” he says.

Your eyes meet, and it’s a moment charged with something you can’t even name. It’s not the first time you’ve felt this feeling with him. It both fills your heart with warmth, and makes you ache.

Then the door opens. It’s Lisa, Sam, and Eileen. Dean’s hand slips away from yours as they all pour in to congratulate you and Dean, and of course, meet the baby. There’s a lot of soft cooing and playful shushing.

In that small chaos, your parents call to tell you that they’re finally almost here. It really sucked not having your mom with you, but your parents live far enough away that they were going to take a train and stay with you for at least a week. Their train unfortunately got delayed due to mechanical failure.

It's okay though. Getting through the past several hours has made you realize that you’re stronger and more capable than you think, and even though part of you is still scared to death, you don’t need a husband to be a good mom. You’re going to give this your all, no matter who’s beside you…

And that's no more apparent than when Dean soon has to step out again, leading Lisa out of the room. He saw how her “helpful” suggestion to have a get-together at their apartment to celebrate the baby’s birth was setting you on edge. Really, you just want to sleep for the next 24-hours and not have any more pictures of you taken.

It gets loud enough outside your hospital room that Sam and Eileen feel they have to intervene. Lisa is Eileen’s best friend, and she’s the best equipped to try and deescalate the argument from that end, while Sam deals with Dean. It’s messy, it’s irritating, and it means that even today, you can’t just have a little bit of peace.

You sigh and cradle your still nameless baby close to your chest. He’s all that matters. Already, your heart is so damn full just taking him in.

“What’s your name, my little love?” you whisper. “What am I going to write on your certificate, besides Winchester?”

“How about Benjamin,” comes a Louisiana drawl.

You perk up and smile in surprise. “Benny, hey.”

He greets you with a slightly hesitant kiss on the cheek. He’s brought the baby an adorable teddy bear, and you a beautiful bouquet of white and blue roses, along with a box of chocolates.

“It’s the assorted kind, but they’ve got plenty of the caramel ones you like,” he says, then gazes down at the baby. “Aw, he’s a little charmer. Already got more of you than Dean, that’s for sure.”

You laugh lightly at his teasing. “I don’t know about that.” You hope your son inherits Dean’s strong jaw, and his green eyes.

Benny scratches the back of his head. “Also…sorry if I’m crossing some kind of boundary here. Looks like it’s a bit of a circus outside.”

You shake your head and smile through burgeoning tears. You set the chocolates on the end table where he’s placed the flowers and the teddy bear.

“No, it’s very sweet. Thank you,” you say. You glance out the window of your room to the hallway, where the arguing between Dean, Lisa, Sam, and Eileen seems to finally be calming down. You’re so damn tired, you don’t give a crap about whatever they’re hashing out now.

You look down at your son, and despite your strong thoughts earlier, insecurity begins to creep back into your mind like inky claws.  

“How are you holding up?” Benny asks. His face is kind and concerned when he notes the change in you.

You meet him with a wobbly smile. “Honestly? I’m afraid. I know I have a lot of people who want to support me, and I’m grateful, but…I just have this terrible feeling that we’re going to end up alone, him and me.”

You look down at your son, and you have to wipe away a tear from your eye before it falls on his face.

A large, warm hand rests over yours. Your gaze raises slowly, and Benny smiles at you. He’s serious though.

“Don’t you worry about that,” he says. “You’re not gonna be alone.”

FIVE YEARS LATER... 

For all that changes, there are some things that stay the same.

Dean and Lisa are still the world’s most “off again, on again” couple you’ve ever met. Sam and Eileen are still going strong as the hardworking, driven career couple. Your son is growing more and more every day and just started kindergarten this year.

(You ultimately caved on Dean’s idea to name him Robert, as in Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin.)

Oh, yeah, and the “you and Benny” thing? That’s been going well for two years now.

What can you say? The man is persistent, but respectfully so. He’s considerate, reliable, and always calls you when work at the firehouse has him running late.

You haven’t yet invited him to move in with you. That part you’re still hesitant on, mostly because of your son, but Benny helps you drop off Robbie at school and makes breakfast for you all whenever he stays over your apartment. Benny takes an interest in your son’s life and keeps up with all his energy, taking him to the park to run himself ragged before dinner, and helping you tuck him in at night.

Benny is a bit closed off though, the strong stoic type. He’s hard for you to get a read on, and sometimes you wonder if he’s just indulging you when you ramble on about your day or make silly jokes. Even now, sometimes you withhold the first thought that comes to your mind, hoping he doesn’t think you immature or…too much.

But Benny shows his caring in all those little things he does for you. They add up into the big things, and he makes you feel supported. He makes you feel safe.

He even helps you plan your son’s fifth birthday. Robbie wanted to go all out on a dinosaur theme; he’s been hooked on Jurassic Park ever since Benny “accidentally” let him watch it with him on one of your rare nights out with your friends.

So you set up a little party at the park by your apartment. You managed to reserve the biggest gazebo, where there are three picnic tables covered with dinosaur plates, and tablecloths, streamers in different shades of green. You even bought a big dinosaur cake—also in a radioactive green color that you hadn’t been sure about, but your son talked you into. Robbie thinks it’s awesome.

He’s running around on the playground with a few of his friends from school. Their parents (along with Sam, Eileen, and Lisa) are talking amongst themselves at one of the picnic tables while you try to figure out how to get the Bluetooth speaker to connect with your phone.

“Haha! Got it. If you're so smart, Alexa, why don't you connect on the first try?” You fist-pump the air triumphantly, just as Benny comes to your side. He wraps an arm around your waist and kisses your cheek, making you smile.

“How’s it going out there?” you ask, nodding at the kids. Plus Dean, who’s gamely been the one to keep them entertained with different games. Right now, it’s a thrilling game of Cowboys and Outlaws, where Robbie and his friends are the cowboys, and Dean is the outlaw. He’s been hiding under the slide, behind trees and other playground fixtures, while the kids have little squirt guns to pelt him with water every time they find him.

It's pretty damn cute, and you’ve been taking pictures. You smile at the sight of Dean leaping out at Robbie and the kids, catching them off guard.

“You’ll never take me alive, Sheriff!” Dean declares.

“Oh, it’s goin’,” Benny remarks with an amused shake of his head. “Still hard to believe that guy’s about to make it to Lieutenant.”

“Hahaaa, gotcha!!” Dean cackles. He’s grabbed up Robbie and yanked him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Robbie screeches with laughter while his dad runs around the playground, being chased by a bunch of five-year-olds with squirt guns.

Your smile threatens to make your cheeks hurt. You know your life is…unconventional, to say the least, but Dean is a good father to your son. He’s also been working hard at his job. He just took the Lieutenant’s test, and even though Benny already occupies that position at Firehouse 83, a spot at another firehouse might open up for Dean to transfer.

“Part of me doesn’t want to,” Dean admitted to you last week, while he was working on fixing your stubborn, leaky sink. “All the guys there, they’re like family, you know?” “I understand,” you nodded. “You have to do what feels best for you, whether that’s staying where you feel comfortable, or moving up in your career somewhere else. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.” He took in your advice with a slow nod. “Yeah, thanks. Guess I have to time to think about it. Lisa had other ideas.” “Of course,” you said with a smile, but it soon dropped. “Why, what did she say?” “Do what I can to move up,” he sighed. “She’s got a point. That title comes with a pay bump, one I could really use right now.” “I get that. Totally valid,” you said. “But I just think it’s important for you to be happy with it too. Especially with what you do, helping people, saving people…I’d imagine being in the right mindset for all that is important, right? Who you work with can be just as important as the money stuff.” Dean considered you with a smile. “Yeah, exactly.”

As you think about it now, you have to admit that he’s grown up a lot.

Dean has to lean against a tree to catch his breath. Am I already getting too old for this crap?

Feels kind of young to have a stitch in his side after a few rounds with these kids, but even he has his limits. Lisa comes to bring him a bottle of ice-cold water, which he appreciates. He’s tempted to dump it over his head like he does after successfully neutralizing a fire. It gets literally hot as hell under that helmet and mask and all his gear underneath.

“Need an iron lung?” Lisa teases.

“Toss in a new pair of knees, thanks,” he wheezes. He downs half the water bottle in one go, but he smiles at seeing his son keep running around with his friends. He’s just got that manic kid energy that goes on for days. But Robbie’s also smart; like Dean, he likes taking things apart and putting them back together in new and ingenious ways.

Dean hopes his son likes the new model car set that’s waiting for him on the picnic table full of presents. In fact, he’s still surprised that you didn’t go with the race car theme he suggested for the party, but apparently, Robbie’s more into dinosaurs now. Dean wishes he knew that before he bought the model car set.

He looks over and catches sight of you and Benny wrapped up in each other. He has his arm around your waist while you fiddle with something, but the way you lean over and whisper near his ear elicits a smile on Benny’s face.

Dean’s good mood diminishes.

“Well, don’t they seem cozy,” he mutters.

Lisa arches a manicured brow. “Yeah, pretty sure he’s getting ready to propose.”

That earns Dean’s attention, his head swiveling back to her in surprise.

“Really?” he asks. “Who told you that?”

“His sister,” she replies. “Meg’s in my intermediate class, remember?”

Dean nods, sipping at his water, even though he’s a bit absent in the eyes. Lisa watches him shrewdly.

“Why do you seem upset about it?” she asks. “Benny’s your friend.”

“I know,” Dean says. He doesn’t need that reminder, or the guilty twinge. It’s not like he’s done anything wrong.

“And she seems happy,” Lisa points out. “Don’t you want the mother of your kid to be with a good man who treats her right?”

He nods, trying to hide his growing annoyance. “‘Course I do. I just…I don’t know. I still don’t see them together, I guess.”

“Well, they’ve been together for like, two years.”

Again, Dean nods his acknowledgement. It’s hard for him to believe that so much time has passed already. He honestly didn’t think you and Benny would be together this long. He’d always felt a little uncomfortable with one of his best friends dating you, but you’d seemed happy about it, so he didn’t discourage it. But he’d never been very supportive, either. At least, not about your relationship.

Lisa sighs and grabs his arm, pulling him aside before he can rejoin the party.

“Listen, we need to talk about something,” she says.

Dean restrains a tired groan. “Can this wait ‘til later?”

“I think we should do this now,” she says. A hallmark Lisa-ism. She’s opinionated and strong-willed, something Dean’s always respected about her. Sometimes though, the timing is damn irritating. He doesn’t want to get into another argument with his girlfriend in public, especially not at his son’s birthday party.

“Speaking of commitment,” she says with a sigh. “I think it’s fair to say that we’ve been on a five-year rollercoaster, you and I. You know why that is?”

“I’m sure you’re gonna tell me,” Dean says, crossing his arms.

“It’s because you’re spread too thin,” she says. “Between the firehouse, construction jobs on the side…not to mention other things.”

“What? What’re you talking about?”

Lisa’s lips purse, before she pointedly gestures over at you with her eyes. “Well, for example. You’re still going to her place after your next shift to fix her fridge, right?”

“Yeah, I mean, should be pretty simple. I’ve just gotta swing by the hardware store and grab this specialty tool I ordered—”

“Dean,” Lisa deadpans. “That’s exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about.”

She heaves a deep breath, running her fingers through her long brown hair.

“I get that navigating this situation hasn’t been easy for you,” she says. “It hasn’t exactly been easy for me either, but look.”

Lisa takes his hands in hers, uncrossing his arms. “I want to get married someday. I want kids too. And I want that kind of life with you…I’m just not sure you want it with me.”

Dean expels a heavy sigh. “Lis—”

“Don’t answer me right now,” she says, but she levels him with a serious look. “You need to decide though, Dean. Five years is long enough. You should know by now if you want to be with me.”

After letting go of his hands, she softens the edges of her words with a gentle kiss on his cheek. Then she turns to join the group now gathered around the picnic table where the food is, all the kids cheering for pizza and cake.

After the party, Sam, Eileen, Lisa, and Benny pack up their cars and yours with the leftover food, party supplies, and presents. Dean helps you clean up the trash, all while keeping an eye on Robbie getting out the last of his sugar-high on the playground swing.

You shake your head tiredly, if with a fond smile. “That kid’s gonna be up all night hype on that radioactive cake.”

Dean chuckles. “You want me to take him tonight?”

“It’s okay. I think he’s going to want to play with his toys,” you reply.

“Well, he could just as easily do that at my place,” he reasons.

You consider it, but you shake your head. “Yeah, but we got him the bike. He’s probably gonna want to try it out for a few minutes before we get him cleaned up.”

“By ‘we,’ you mean you and Benny,” Dean says, his tone becoming surly. “And about that. Don’t you think a bike is something you should run by me? That’s typically a ‘dad’ kind of gift.”

You pause what you’re doing at the sound of his tone. Your brows knit together.

“Sorry, but I feel like a bike isn’t exclusively a dad thing,” you say.

“My dad got me my first bike,” Dean replies. “Spent a whole three days teaching me how to ride.”

You take a minute to think about it. You understand where Dean’s coming from, so you nod.

“Okay, I get it. You want to be there to help teach Robbie? I’m sure he’d love that.” 

Dean tosses a wadded-up ball of frosting-covered napkins and stops, letting his hands fall to his sides in frustration. He draws closer and helps you untie the balloons from the picnic table.

“Yeah, I do, but that’s not the point,” he says. “Why can’t I take him home tonight?”

You blink up at him in confusion. “Well, like I said. The bike—”

“That I should’ve gotten for him,” he snaps. “Which, let me guess, Benny picked out. Right?”

You frown at him in earnest now. “Dean, why are you getting so upset about it? It’s just a bike.”

“Well you know what, it’s not! And it’s not just the damn bike either.” He swipes a hand over his face in annoyance, a telltale sign you’ve come to read well on the man. “Look, I’m missing too much shit, all right? Like, like the dinosaur thing! And the fact that I only get him on the weekends.”

You turn toward him, trying to put a cap on your own annoyance. This isn’t the first time you two have had a conversation like this. 

“We’ve gone over this before, Dean. Your schedule at the firehouse is just too unpredictable,” you say. “Robbie needs as much stability as possible between us. But…okay, if you want to take him tonight, that’s fine. We can bring the bike over to your place and show it to him there.”

You’re trying to be as reasonable as possible, and Dean knows that. Still, anger prickles just under his skin, and he can’t help but push his luck.

“You still should’ve asked be before you got the bike in the first place,” he argues.

Your brows raise high. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Look, it’s not like we bought him a Honda Civic. Honestly, Dean, why are you picking a fight with me right now?” you ask. “Did you and Lisa get into it again or something?”

Dean looks away and crosses his arms, giving you all the confirmation you need.

“Yeah, that’s right,” you nod. “I saw you two over there on the playground, looked pretty heated. But do me a favor. Don’t come at me with that energy, because I’m too damn tired of it!”

When you walk away from him, Dean can’t help but stare after you. He knows he fucked that up, just as he knows that you don’t deserve him snapping at you. He’s just too irritated to admit it.

For the entire week that follows, Dean finds himself distracted. He sticks to his word and helps Benny teach his son how to ride a bike in between their shifts at the firehouse, but Dean comes home each night feeling even more frustrated and drained than before. It’s too much, knowing Benny’s slowly but surely carving out a father-figure role in Robbie’s life.

These thoughts follow Dean to work, even while he climbs up the firetruck ladder in the rain. It’s parallel to a busted utility pole that still sparks with electricity, even in this torrential downpour. His task is to get up to the top and grab a large branch that’s tangled in the lines.

Rung after rung, he climbs. His safety mask protects his eyes from the rain, but he wishes they had some mini windshield wipers to keep his vision clear of the droplets pelting him in the face.

He also can’t help thinking of you. If Lisa’s right, then Benny’s about to become a more permanent fixture in Robbie’s life, and yours. 

Okay fine. It’s not like Dean expected you to be single forever, but did you really have to get with one of his best friends? Does it really have to be Benny, who seems so natural with Robbie, and more patient than Dean, and more of a support to you and Robbie than Dean can ever be?

And then there’s Lisa’s little ultimatum. He understands why she’s frustrated with him. Honestly, he’s surprised she’s stuck around this long. He knows she’s not going to wait too much longer for him to get his act together. For him to decide, as she put it.

It’s not that he’s not sure about her, it’s just that…

Just that what? he wonders.

He manages to grab the wily tree branch and maneuver it out of the power lines. 

He just doesn’t realize that his glove doesn’t have quite enough friction on the metal side panel of the ladder. Not only does his hand slip, but he’s forced to let go of the branch while he loses his balance. The branch falls to the sidewalk, far, far down below.

“Dean!” Benny shouts in alarm.

Luckily, the truck itself breaks Dean's fall.

Holding Robbie’s hand tightly in yours is the only thing keeping you steady as you lead him through the hospital. After the receptionist had checked you both in and gave you the room number, you hastened down the hall and up to the right floor. 2005.

Robbie breaks into tears when he finally gets to see his dad, laid up though he is in his hospital bed. Your throat tightens at the sight of Dean hooked up to all those monitors. He has his arm wrapped up and fitted into a sling. He has a thick piece of gauze taped to the side of his face, covering a wide, angry abrasion, but he seems to be resting easy on his back. The bed is at an incline, with most of the overhead lights turned off.

Robbie rushes to the bed before you can stop him. He hesitantly touches Dean’s non-injured right hand. “Daddy?”

“Robbie, wait,” you say, keeping your voice quiet. You quickly go over to the bedside and grab ahold of Robbie’s shoulders, but Dean takes a deep breath. His eyelids crack open.

“Hey, buddy,” he says, attempting a smile. His voice is rough and weak, but at least he’s awake.

Robbie’s lower lip wobbles as tears fill his eyes again.

“Come ‘ere,” Dean says, a little stronger. When he reaches out to his son, the kid hops up onto the bed and buries his face into his father’s chest. Dean holds him as securely as he can, soothing his hand over the boy’s hair and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“It’s okay, little man. ‘M okay,” he promises. Robbie nods, but he still continues to cry.

You can’t help but do the same. Tears slip down your cheeks without your consent. Dean beckons you over too, gesturing with his chin and a slight smile. You’re more tentative in the way you sit down at the edge of his bed. You run your fingers through Robbie’s light brown hair to help reassure him. Then, you meet Dean’s gaze and lay a hand on his good shoulder. You don’t know whether you’re steadying him, or yourself.

“How do you feel?” you ask. “The hospital called me. Benny told me what happened.”

The thought reminds you to text your boyfriend. You hadn’t had a chance to tell him you made it here yet. He must be downstairs grabbing a bite to eat, because he’s the one who rode with Dean in the ambulance and has been with him for a while.

“The hospital called you?” Dean notes in slight confusion.

“Eileen told me that Sam is in court right now, so I must’ve been next on the list,” you say. He also must have taken Lisa off his emergency list the last time they broke up for almost a month. He probably forgot to update it again.

You reach out a hand to almost touch the bandage by his temple. Instead, you hesitantly hold the side of his face to see the area better. Dean closes his eyes for a moment. You can see he’s in pain. Your hand lingers on his cheek, but you know, deep down, that it shouldn’t.

Dean doesn’t stop you though. He lets out a deep breath, savoring how nice the gentle touch feels when the rest of his body feels battered to hell.

“Fell off the ladder. Was a stupid rookie move,” he explains, but when he sees that look on your face, he tries to inject a little more joking into a smile. “S’ not so bad.”

“You could’ve broken your head as well as your arm,” you say, more sharply than you mean to.

Robbie whimpers and clings tighter to Dean. You cover your mouth, as if you can trap the words back inside. You don’t want to upset your son more than he already is, so you fall silent. Another tear works its way down your cheek, but you brush it away. Dean shakes his head.

“Hey, I’m okay,” he reassures you too. He manages to smile as he pats Robbie’s back. “Right, buddy?”

The boy’s head perks up. His eyes are still shiny, but he smiles too. He’s not one to speak when he’s upset though, so he just curls up against Dean’s chest and hangs onto him. Dean rests his good arm snugly around him.

You smile and stroke Robbie’s back. Though your hand lowers, resting on Dean’s hand. You take in a deep breath to calm yourself down. Dean’s fingers curl around yours, prompting you to glance up into his eyes. The way he’s watching you is soft, grateful.

Until the door creaks open. Benny steps in with a subtle clearing of his throat. You jolt internally, and you slip your hand away from Dean’s. You offer your boyfriend a wan smile.

“Hey,” you say.

“Hey, baby.” He comes over and greets you with a kiss to the side of your head. He smiles at your son gently. “The gang’s all here.”

“Oh! Let me call Sam, and Lisa too. They still don’t know what’s going on,” you say. You get up from the bed to grab your phone out of your purse. Dean nods in agreement and thanks you, while Robbie plays with his dad's long fingers.

“How you holdin’ up, brother?” Benny asks, after you step out of the room. He settles into the chair near the foot of the bed.

“Ah, you know me. I’m like a cat. Always stick the landing,” Dean says, smiling lazily. The morphine is starting to kick in again.

Benny smirks. “Maybe you do got nine lives, the amount of close calls you like gettin’ yourself into.”

Dean’s good humor fades. He considers his son in his arms, and he shakes his head.

“Yeah, well, no more,” he says. He got a taste of what it would be like to leave his boy behind, and he’s not fucking doing it. He’s not leaving you to raise Robbie by yourself. The mere idea tears a new hole in his heart.

His eyes sting just enough that he has to blink a bit harder, swallowing past a thick well of emotion in his throat. He presses another kiss to the top of Robbie’s head. Then, Dean meets Benny’s gaze.

“Thank you,” he says, and he means it.

Benny nods.

“You got it, brother.”

When Lisa steps off the hospital elevator on the second floor, you happen to be coming out of the bathroom to fix your racoon eyes. You’ve been crying way too much. You attempt to greet Lisa with something reassuring, but she cuts you off. 

“What happened, and why didn’t the hospital call me directly?” she asks.

Her tone is cutting, and it takes you aback.

“Well, Sam and I were listed as his emergency contacts—”

“Why?” she snaps. “You’re not his wife or his girlfriend. I should’ve been listed.”

Jesus Christ. At this point, you can’t help it. You’re too tired and emotionally drained to lasso in your temper with this woman.

“Maybe if you and Dean stayed together longer than five minutes at a time, he’d put you back on the short list,” you sling back. “But the truth is, you’ve never just…been there for Dean. Not without demanding something from him.”

Lisa scoffs incredulously. “Oh, that’s fucking rich coming from you. You’re the reason he can’t commit to anything. You think your little world is the only one that matters, and you call Dean for any little thing! What, don’t you have a boyfriend to help fix your goddamn sink?” 

You open your mouth to retort, but you pause as her words seep into your mind. She might actually have a small point about that one. You realize then just how often you’ve been asking Dean for his help, not just with your apartment, but with your car, and other logistical things that usually have to with Robbie. Dean’s just such a good handyman, and you thought he genuinely liked being able to help…even though Benny did mention once or twice that he’d be just as happy to help you.

“Lisa, this is a lot more than a leaky sink. I just wanted to get here with Robbie and make sure Dean was okay,” you try to explain.

“Good. I’m glad his son was the first person Dean got to see when he woke up,” Lisa says. “But I should’ve been the second.”

She brushes past you before you can even think of what to say. You’re in a state of shock, feeling guilty, incensed, and on the verge of tears all at once.

A familiar voice calls your name, and you turn to Benny just as those tears begin to fall. He gathers you up into his arms and holds you there in the middle of the hallway.

“She shouldn’t talk to you like that, no matter how high tensions are today. I’ll talk to Dean,” Benny says. You shake your head and bury your face in his chest, clenching your fingers in his red flannel shirt. 

“No, it’s okay,” you reply, despite the sob that shudders through you. You’ve lost the will to fight.

Benny shakes his head and presses a kiss to your forehead. “It ain’t okay, baby.”

“Please, don’t bother Dean with this. Especially not right now,” you say. You take a moment to wipe your eyes and get ahold of yourself. “I’m gonna go get Robbie so Dean can rest.”

You can’t shake the feeling that Lisa is right. You do rely on Dean too much. You just don’t want to think about why that is.

Dean makes a full recovery after a few months. He never does hear about what happened in that hallway, but he knows that things need to change. 

He decides to dig out his mom’s engagement ring from a locked box of his parents’ keepsakes, though he’s still waiting on the right time for it. He and Lisa start looking at houses though, for real this time. She hires a realtor and everything. 

He’s making a firm decision, and he thinks it’s the right one. He wants to be there for his son, but he doesn’t want to keep “spreading himself too thin.” He has to figure out how to set some roots, and some boundaries with you while he’s at it. He’ll just have to come to terms with the idea that he won’t get to be there for everything. 

He has to be okay with the fact that you’ll probably marry Benny. You’ll keep making him cookies and cakes, giving him your smile and your time and your body. And Robbie will probably think of Benny as more of a father than his own Weekend Dad. 

Meanwhile, you’ve spent the past few months keeping yourself in check as well. You’ve stopped calling Dean for help whenever something breaks down in your old-ass apartment. You try to keep your conversations less about life and troubles and whatever funny thing your students did that day in class, and more focused on Robbie–strictly about his schedule and his needs.

It’s kind of painful, if you’re honest with yourself. Sam will always be one of your closest friends from college, but in the past five years, Dean has truly become your best friend. Because you’ve told him things. The things that come from sharing a child with someone, like Sunday dinners with your parents, flipping through old yearbooks and childhood pictures—and the details of day-to-day schedules and little stupid things that happen in moments between moments.

Dean also knows the deep cuts. Like being pregnant and scared and breaking down crying on the side of the road. Like sharing the deepest well of your insecurities with someone who knows your body intimately, even if just for one amazing night...a night you’ve never quite been able to put out of your mind.

However, you know that things can’t stay the same. From now on, he just needs to be your son’s father. Nothing more, nothing less. 

So today, on a crisp April 24th, you’re getting ready for a highly anticipated evening with your boyfriend. Robbie is sleeping over your parents’ house, and Benny has been planning something special for your third-year anniversary. 

You slip into your new dress, a deep emerald green, with a pair of black heels you’ve rarely worn since before you got pregnant. Come to think of it, you were wearing these the night of Sam and Eileen’s bachelor-bachelorette party. The night you…well, the night Robbie was conceived. 

You shake your head to rid yourself of those thoughts. You even consider changing. 

You’re being silly, you shake your head. They’re just shoes. 

And yet. Thinking of that time so long ago, it reminds you of a recent Sunday dinner at your parents’ house.

Two Months Ago...

Your parents live modestly, but comfortably in rural Kansas. Their ranch-style home boasts a creek in the backyard, where your dad is teaching your son how to catch minnows. Your mom is inside working on an apple pie, knowing it’s both Dean’s and Robbie’s favorite.

You and Dean have kept close to the house under the shade, sitting on a bench made more comfortable by a pair of old polyester cushions with red, faded flowers.

“How much longer do you have to wear that?” you ask Dean. He glances down at his cast-covered left arm.

“Doc says it’s about ready to come off,” he says.

You nod, allowing yourself a certain smile. “How bad are you itching to grab my mom’s garden shears and cut it off right here?”

“Woman, don’t tempt me,” he says, his lips twitching at a grin. “I’ve been eying those overgrown scissors for the past half hour.”

You laugh and take another sip of your glass. Yours holds sweet tea, while Dean’s has some of your dad’s favorite whiskey. You both raise your heads when Robbie yells across the backyard.

“I caught a minnow!”

“Good job, buddy,” Dean grins. “See if you can catch a marlin!”

“A marlin?” Robbie questions.

“Yeah, like that orange guy in Finding Nemo,” Dean calls back.

Your dad gives Dean the same wry look you do, though yours is tinged with more amusement.

“Dean, that’s a clown fish,” you say. “He’s not gonna find that in the creek.”

“Aw, shit,” he tries to quiet his laugh. “Ah well, should keep him occupied for another twenty minutes.”

You bite your lip to stifle your laughter as well. Though something else occurs to you the longer you watch your son play and explore in the creek. Your dad has the patience of a saint as he puts yet another bait worm on the hook for the kid.

“He’s starting to ask questions, you know,” you tell Dean, in a quieter voice. “‘Why aren’t you and Daddy married? Why can’t we all live together?’”

Dean's brows raise. His good humor dims when he looks over at you.

“What do you tell him?” he asks.

You take in a deep breath, considering your words now as carefully as you did with your son.

“That we care about each other a lot, as friends,” you say, meeting Dean’s eyes. “And we love Robbie very much. Nothing’s going to change that, even if you and I aren’t together like a normal mom and dad.”

Saying it like that makes your heart twinge, for more than one reason. The way Dean’s mouth twitches into a rueful smile just makes it worse, but you try your best to ignore it.

“I never thought about having to explain it to him,” he says, rubbing a hand over his mouth.

It’s that anxious tell of his again. You notice every time he does it.

“I have,” you admit. “I just didn’t know for sure what I was going to say until it was coming out of my mouth.”

Dean smirks a little. “Yeah, that sounds like you.”

You roll your eyes and sip your drink, crossing your arms as well. Dean considers you then, looking at you in a way that makes you raise a brow in question.

“What?” you ask.

“Nothing, it’s just…” He sits back against the bench and rubs his hands down his jean-clad thighs. “For the record, I did try to ask you out once.”

“What?” you scoff incredulously. “No, you’ve been with Lisa since the beginning.”

“Before Lisa,” Dean says.

He isn’t joking. He isn’t teasing. He’s serious as he stares back at you with those green eyes of his. Your brows furrow as you wrack your brain. Did he drunkenly leave you a voicemail on one of those “off again” episodes between him and Lisa? No. You know you’d remember something like that.

“It was a few weeks after the bachelor party,” Dean says. “I called you up, remember?”

Your eyes widen. Finally, that jogs your memory.

“So I just thought maybe you and I could do something again. Maybe you wanna come over my place this time.” And there it is. You deflate at his words, shoulders sagging. The "convenient booty call" proposition.

You have to laugh, shaking your head in disbelief.

“Dean, you did not ask me out,” you say. “You wanted to hook up. There’s a distinct difference.”

Dean frowns at you. “No, I was. I invited you over—”

“For essentially some Netflix and chill,” you retort.

“Hey, I offered to make you dinner,” he argues. “I didn’t say anything about hooking up.”

You pause at that. His earnest denial makes you actually think back to what you remember about that conversation on the phone.

“So I just thought maybe you and I could do something again. Maybe you wanna come over my place this time.” And there it is. You deflate at his words, shoulders sagging. The "convenient booty call" proposition. “I could make us some burgers, toss in a couple of beers and a movie night,” he adds.

You cover your lips with your fingers as you begin to realize…

“That was you asking me out?” you ask incredulously.

Dean’s brows furrow and he throws his hands up. “What? Who doesn’t like a little movie night?”

“Dean,” you huff another laugh. “You could’ve made it sound more like a date.”

“Well, ‘scuse me. Sorry I couldn’t afford the Ritz at the time,” he grumbles.

You sigh. “That’s not what I meant.”

The more you think about it, the more you just shake your head at yourself. Why did you have to overthink it, like you do everything?

“Wow,” you say, softer and more contrite. “I honestly never thought…”

“Yeah,” he says. He shifts his gaze out ahead.

You glance over at him, now more unsure of yourself. He wouldn’t have any regrets, you think. He has Lisa. As much as they go at it, they always inevitably get back together. And now you know they hired a realtor. They’re about to start making solid steps forward.

But Dean surprises you with another question.

“Do you think if…”

He doesn’t finish it, but you think you know what he’s asking. You hesitate, your fingers flexing around your glass that beads with condensation. You set the glass down beside you. 

Just as you open your mouth to reply—

“All right, pie is cooling and dinner is served!” your mom calls out. Her head pokes out of the sliding glass door to the backyard. You offer a smile, trying to hide how you jolted in your seat.

“Okay, thanks, Mom,” you nod.

You turn back to Dean, who also hesitates. His eyes meet yours, but all too soon, he locks the moment away.

Bracing his hands on his knees, he rocks to his feet and goes out to get Robbie and help your dad bring in the fishing gear.

You grab Dean’s whiskey along with your tea on your way back inside the house. You consider the amber liquid disturbed in his glass, and you down the rest yourself. The burn down your throat is a good distraction. If he asks about it, you’ll say you got the glasses confused.

You know you’ll have to leave that conversation unfinished at the foot of the bench.

Now...

Benny comes by your apartment and helps you into the passenger side of his pickup truck, like the gentleman he is. He takes you to a nice restaurant in downtown, much nicer than the usual sports bar or kid-friendly restaurant. You're very much looking forward to eating at a restaurant that doesn't feature chicken fingers or "kiddie" corn dogs.

“This is gonna be really expensive,” you whisper to him, after he hands his keys over to the valet. 

Benny squeezes your hand in his, leaning over to kiss your temple. 

“Don’t you worry about that. We both deserve a night out.” His blue eyes gleam with amusement. However, his gaze gentles, becoming more sincere. “You work hard, carin’ for everybody around you. How about you let me take care of you for once.”

Your eyes begin to water, your throat constricting with emotion. You rub his arm gratefully.

“Thank you,” you say. “You don’t know how much I appreciate that.” 

It’s always easy with Benny. Nice and simple and easy. Nice, supportive, and considerate.

Nice and safe.

That thought follows you while you and Benny walk into to the restaurant. He’s reserved great seats in the back corner, overlooking a beautiful courtyard. It’s decorated with hydrangeas and light wood dining tables, all framed with a rod iron archway as the sun begins to set just so. After holding your chair out for you before he sits himself, Benny orders a bottle of champagne to kick things off.

He turns to you with a somewhat nervous look in his eyes, like he's steeling himself. It’s uncharacteristic of Benny, who’s always so calm and charming and sure of himself. It makes a zing of anticipation run down your spine, and…a dash of fear. You don’t know why, and you don’t know how to beat the feeling down as you fidget in your seat.

He subtly clears his throat, then takes your hand. “Sweetheart, I know I’m not all that good at the words you’re supposed to say. But I can say that the past three years with you and Robbie, it’s come to mean the world to me.”

Your smile softens. He brushes his thumb over the back of your hand, encouraged by your reaction.

“So I think it’s time I made it clear where I stand, and how much I want to be the man in your life,” he says.

Your eyes begin to widen in shock, but not for the reason he thinks.

“Dean,” you gasp.

Benny’s expression slackens. “What?”

You point over his shoulder, and Benny turns to follow your line of vision. Dean and Lisa have just walked into the restaurant. They notice you pointing their way, and they both pause in surprise as well. Lisa is beautiful as usual in a slinky black dress, completely backless (something you feel you could never pull off, unless you had an invisible bra to keep the girls perked up).

Dean is…well, you’ve very rarely seen him in a suit, but charcoal gray works for him. The open collar and white buttoned-down works for him, as do the three top buttons he’s left undone, showing a tantalizing strip of tanned skin. He stares back at you like he forgot you live in the same time zone, let alone the same zip code.

“Uh, hey!” he casts out an awkward wave, before he makes his way over to you and Benny. Lisa is less than enthused.

“We shouldn’t interrupt their night,” you catch her whisper to him, but Dean doesn’t seem to hear her.

“What’s up, party people! Of all the gin joints in all the world, huh?” Dean says, a little too loudly when he thumps Benny on the back. Benny grunts, giving a bit of a forced chuckle.

“Dean,” he greets. “I think I told you about this particular gin joint. Good to see you can actually clean up once in a while.”

“Ah, you know what, this monkey suit ain’t too bad,” Dean says, pulling at his collar.

You smirk in amusement. “Yeah, I remember how much you complained about wearing a simple tie for Robbie’s Christmas pageant.”

He smirks down at you. “Hey, ties still might not be my thing, but nothing wrong with a sharp collar.”

He pops his for emphasis. You don’t know why it makes you laugh, but it does. Maybe it’s just his face and the silly, endearing expression he makes when he pouts his lips in a “blue steel.”

“So, is this just a night out, or you guys celebrating something special?” Dean asks, gesturing at the champagne bottle and your full glasses of bubbly.

Benny gives his friend a certain look. “Yeah, as a matter of fact. Today’s three years.”

He takes your hand and kisses your knuckles. You smile back at him, though you’re a bit self-conscious at the way both he and Dean, and even Lisa have their attention on you.

“We should let you guys get back to it then,” Lisa says.

Honestly, it’s a relief. You and Benny nod, wishing them a goodnight.

For some reason, you notice how Dean’s smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. But he goes with Lisa, laying a hand on the small of her back. You force yourself to tear your eyes away from them and refocus on Benny. You take up your champagne glass and raise it in offering.

“All right, where were we?” you ask, if with a nervous trill in your belly.

Benny smiles. He takes up his glass and clinks it with yours.

Lisa nearly sighs. She and Dean are back in line at the front of the restaurant, waiting to be seated. The second time she catches Dean glancing over at the table where you and Benny sit, she shakes her head and digs into her purse for the valet card. She’s done with this.

“I think maybe we should go to a different restaurant,” she says.

That finally earns Dean’s attention, mostly confused. “What, why?”

She just gives him a long look.

He realizes that whatever her reasons are, it’s easier to just give in than to fight her on it. He’s learning when to pick his battles. Or is he just giving up?

Also, if tonight’s “the night” he thinks it is for you and Benny, maybe he doesn’t want to stick around after all. Three years, huh?

“All right, fine. Let’s go,” he agrees.

Dean and Lisa wait for the valet to bring the Impala around. The minute he gets behind the wheel and turns the key into the ignition, she changes her mind.

“Look, let’s just go home,” she says. “I don’t really feel like eating out anymore.”

Dean’s brows raise. “What? Aw, come on. We’re already dressed and everything. You look great, Lis. Just tell me where you wanna eat.”

Lisa remains firm, with a small shake of her head. “Please, Dean, just take me home.”

After a moment of indecision, Dean sighs. He revs the ignition and does as she says.

It’s only a fifteen-minute drive back to their apartment, but in that stifling silence, it seems to drag on for a small eternity. He glances at her a couple of times. Lisa has her arms crossed as she stares out the window, watching the other restaurants and mom-and-pops shops and forest trees and old houses of Lebanon, Kansas go by.

Dean counts it a blessing when they’re finally home. He walks up the few short steps up to their ground-floor apartment and unlocks the door. He flicks on the lights inside, and she breezes past him to toss her purse onto the couch.

Dean takes off his blazer and begins to undo the buttons on his cuffs. He watches her all the while, knowing that a storm is brewing. She shucks off her heels and slowly paces the living room on bare feet, like her whirling thoughts are fueling every step.

“All right, I give. What’s going on?” Dean asks. “What’d I do this time?”

She pauses, with her back turned to him.

Shit, he thinks. He shouldn’t have said it like that.

He prepares for the inevitable blow up, but it never comes. Lisa just heaves a sigh. Slowly she turns, and Dean’s shocked and dismayed to see the tears welling up in her deep brown eyes. He makes quick strides toward her, but she raises a hand to keep him at bay.

“Dean, when you picture yourself happy, truly happy,” she says. “Is it with me? Can you imagine yourself marrying me? Buying the house, having kids, growing old together?”

If Dean was thrown for a loop before, he’s even more stunned by her question. “Lis…”

“Just be honest, for once,” she pleads. Her tears begin to brim over, but she blinks, somehow keeping them at bay.

It’s a bit too long before Dean realizes that he can’t give her an answer. At least, not the one he knows she wants to hear.

When he thinks of that picture in his mind, of course he sees his son. But the only other person Dean can imagine there beside him is…

“I…” He wills his mouth to work, but nothing else comes out.

The only face he can conjure is yours. Your eyes are warm and welcoming, your smile as bright and contagious as your laugh.

The only voice he can hear is yours, gentle and strong at the same time.

The only one he can see is you.

He knows the shampoo you use and the perfume you like to wear, how the sweet and floral scents mix together and linger in your hair and on your skin.

Even now he remembers the contours of your body, and how it could fit so well against his. He knows that you used to try and hide your shape under loose, baggy shirts and cargo pants that did nothing for you. He knows how much courage it took you to wear that red dress to his brother’s party, because you told him once, at one of those Sunday dinners at your parents’ house.

Come to think of it, there’s not a whole lot that Dean doesn’t know about you, except maybe what you see when you look at him.

“You love her,” Lisa finishes for him. “I think you always have.”

Dean’s throat tightens. Somehow he swallows anyway, and he shakes his head. 

“Lisa, I loved you.”

“Maybe you did, in your own way,” she says, laughing a little through her tears as she wipes them away. “But you already have a family, Dean. Go fight for it.” 

Dean doesn’t know what to say, but he knows what he can do.

He goes to her and kisses her cheek. 

“I’m so sorry,” he says. 

Lisa merely nods, wiping her face dry. She watches Dean Winchester walk out of her apartment, and out of her life for good this time. 

Dean calls your cell, but it goes to voicemail. He drives all the way back to the restaurant and doesn’t find you or Benny there. 

Dean realizes that what he’s doing, what he plans to do, is not fucking cool. He wouldn’t blame you or even Benny for being severely pissed when Dean shows up. He also knows that he can’t let another day pass where he keeps lying to you, and himself. 

He eventually finds you at home. What’s weird is that Benny’s truck isn’t in the driveway—just your car. He knocks on your door, and he waits.

He unconsciously holds his breath while he waits in that terrible existence of limbo. However, his heart thrums back to life when he hears your footsteps drawing closer to the door. Anticipation, excitement, dread, it all roils together inside him like a bad cocktail as the door swings open.

And he’s once again rendered a bit breathless at the sight of you in that dress. The color alone appeals to him, let alone the way it accentuates your every curve, from full breasts to the swell of your hips, the softer slope of your thighs, and bare toes painted. You’re fucking delectable, every curve, and a temptation without you even meaning to be. 

You’re just…you’re still so goddamn beautiful, like the night he first saw you. Even now, he can almost feel the give of your thighs under his hands, his fingers pressed to supple flesh. 

But then he’s drawn to your face, and your wide eyes full of surprise. Your mascara is a bit smudged though. Your eyes are red too, like you’ve been crying. His brows furrow in concern.

“Dean, what’re you doing here?” you ask.

“I need to talk to you, but uh…did something happen?” he asks. “You okay?”

You’re reluctant to tell him. Did Benny say something to upset you? Or was it something he did?

“Yeah, I’m okay,” you say.

Instinctively, Dean knows it’s a lie.

“This isn’t a good time though,” you say, after clearing your throat. “Can we do this tomorrow, maybe?”

Dean leans a hand on the doorframe.

“Please, it’s important,” he says. His eyes implore you harder than his words. Please.

That does it. A sigh passes through your lips, but you let him in. He knows Robbie is with your parents for the night, which actually makes this easier.

Once he steps inside the apartment, Dean does notice that your bedroom door is open. Half the drawers to your dresser are open too, and empty. Certain frames that used to be on your coffee table are no longer there, like the one of you, Benny, and Robbie on a camping trip. 

“You want some coffee, or soda?” you ask. 

Dean declines and grasps your arm before you can busy yourself into “hostess” mode. He leads you to the couch, where you both sit down together.

“What happened tonight?” he asks. “Where’s Benny?”

Your lower lip wobbles, the beginning of your telltale cry face. Dean knows his son gets it from you, and it always breaks his heart. He squeezes your arm gently, trying to ground you.

“Benny proposed to me tonight,” you confess, taking in a sharp breath. “He proposed, and I couldn’t give him an answer.” 

You shake your head as the tears sting hot in your eyes. 

“He got so upset, he just—he left!” You throw your hands up. “But honestly, I don’t blame him.”

Dean tries to comfort you as you try and fail to wipe at your face. He wraps an arm around your shoulders, cupping your cheek to brush the tears away himself. 

“Why couldn’t you answer him?” he asks. 

You look up at Dean, and you finally notice the shine of hope in his eyes. Dean touches your cheek more tenderly. 

“Does it mean I have a chance here?” he asks.

Despite what your eyes tell you, you still gape at him in shock. “What? But…what about Lisa?”

“It’s over. For good this time,” Dean shakes his head. “I realized what I wanted for my life, and where my heart is…”

And he chuckles weakly. “Truth is, you’ve had it the whole time, sweetheart.”

You begin to crumble all over again. You pull away from him and his touch, because you can’t believe it. You cover your face with your hands, sniffling as you try to make sense of his words, his touch, and the warm flutter threatening to brim happiness in your heart.

“God, Dean. You can't just..."

"I mean it," he insists.

You're still reluctant to take him seriously...no matter how much you want to. It's a conflicting realization that hurts, and makes you feel stupid for taking so long to figure it out, and makes you hate yourself for hoping his words are true.

"Come the morning, you’re going to change your mind,” you reason, without looking at him. “Like you’ve done with Lisa a thousand times.”

“No,” Dean says firmly. He shifts closer and prompts you to look at him, really look at him.

“Not about this, and you know it,” he says, catching and holding your gaze. “That’s why you couldn’t say yes to Benny. Because you know what we’ve got. It’s the real deal.”

You still look uncertain, even though you can’t bring yourself to pull away this time. Dean has always had this way of looking into the very depths of you, like he can actually see every thought as it passes through your mind.  

“I should’ve said yes,” you say. “I can rely on Benny. I know he would stay by my side, and…and I know he won’t hurt me.”

Not like I’ve just hurt him, you think. Guilt still pricks at your heart. The last thing you ever wanted to do was lead him on, and yet, that’s what you’d done, wasn’t it? You thought you had loved him. You’re sure that you did, but maybe it just wasn’t the kind of love that could reach down deep and grab you, set your blood on fire, and make you ache when the burn was gone.

That spark licks across your skin when Dean takes your hands.  

“What if I want to be that guy for you,” he says.

You allow yourself to look at him. Really look at him.

You know Dean. When he gets an idea in his head, it inhabits every bone and shred of muscle in his body. There’s no mistaking his resolve, or the steady grip of his hands over yours.

“If you let me, I’ll stay. I won’t leave you,” he says. In his eyes, there’s a firm promise. “I can be the guy you rely on. The man you can trust. The man who’s gonna love you, come whatever. Because now I know what it means. I know how it feels.”

You bite your lower lip against the smile that wants to surface.

“Are you sure?” you ask.

Dean smiles for you. “If you wanna know the truth, I’m pretty sure I’ve been loving you since the day I heard Robbie’s heartbeat for the first time.” 

Your tears flow harder at that. A shaky breath escapes you, though it does nothing to steady you. Dean strokes your cheek gently with his thumb. 

“Please, just give me this one chance,” he asks. Begs, really. 

He doesn’t have to though. You nod, just a little. 

“Okay,” you agree. “Let’s try.”

Dean smile spreads slow, but warm across his face. It’s your favorite kind, the kind that crinkles his eyes. 

He leans in and claims your lips with his own. The passion of it is familiar, but you don't think it’s the same as five years ago. Now, there’s an underlying note of tenderness in his touch and each new way he tastes you deeper. He holds nothing back this time, and neither do you. 

Your fingers tangle in his shirt, and then in his hair as you moan into his mouth. “Dean.”

“Yeah, sweetheart?” he answers against your lips, though he doesn’t give you much room to keep talking.

You haven’t heard him call you sweetheart in a long time. You feel your heart knitting back together, stitch by stitch. Tears sting in your eyes anew, but you squeeze your eyes shut against them.

“I…”

You can’t even continue the breathless thought. You hold his face desperately between your hands, pressing your forehead to his for a moment as you both catch your breath. But this man is like the sweetest, most seductive vice. Now that you’ve gotten another hit, you can’t resist. You no longer want to.

His arms wrap around you more securely, and he leans in to lure you back into his kiss. His tongue breaches past your lips to curl along yours with tantalizing strokes. His hands slowly move down your back and along your waist.

“Mmm, missed the hell outta this,” he groans into your mouth. Your heart flutters again at the way he holds you, the way his big hands squeeze you and feel you.

You let him guide you down onto the sofa cushions. He slots himself between your bare thighs and runs his hand up familiar smooth skin, bunching the skirt of your dress higher as he goes. He aims to get himself reacquainted with every soft part of you that welcomes him back.

For once, the gates around your hearts swing free. 

Dean never imagined that his own son would hand him the ring he gives to his wife, but today, it just feels like symmetry. He grins and winks at Robbie.

“Thanks, buddy,” Dean says.

His son’s beaming grin is wide and toothy, but the boy takes his job very seriously and delivers the other ring to you. You smile brightly and caress his cheek after you take the shining, white gold band from him. It matches the thinner band that Dean has for you; it'll soon join the engagement ring that once belonged to his mother.

Robbie had liked Benny a lot, but he loves his dad. He’s probably the happiest person in the room to see his parents take each other’s hands in front of the minister. 

Benny is understandably absent in the chapel today. You had met with him after that night of your botched anniversary to apologize to him, and so had Dean. Benny understood. He’d admitted that in the back of his mind, he feared this might happen.

“I wouldn’t blame you for being angry with me,” you said to him. “You can even hate me if you want.” Benny gave you a wry, melancholy sort of smile. “Part of me’s still mad at you, I won’t lie…but there’s no use in it. Not even hating you.”

Even though Benny bowed out, carrying his hurt and his grief on those broad shoulders, letting you go meant letting go of a friend too. He put in his paperwork to transfer out of Firehouse 83.

As he’d told Dean himself that day, and in fact, the last words Benny said to him…

“There you go, Lieutenant. A spot’s just opened up.”

Dean didn’t want to get promoted this way. He felt guilty enough as it was, and not just for Benny leaving the firehouse. Benny recommended Dean to the Chief himself though, saying that if they were going to give someone a Lieutenant’s badge, it may as well be the guy who got a perfect score on his test, and had the natural leadership skills to boot.

To the end, Benny was a gentleman.

Now, Sam beckons his nephew over. Robbie quickly goes to his uncle’s side and puffs his little chest out as he stands proud behind his dad. 

Dean is able to take you in, your beautiful white dress, and everything about you that makes him smile…including the way you smile back at him.

Man and wife is all he hears. It’s all he needs to hear, before he’s pulling you closer by your newly anointed hand. He dips you for a thorough kiss in front of all your family and friends. 

You squeal in surprise, making Dean smile hard enough for his cheeks to hurt. Giggling hard enough to make you tremble, you raise a hand to caress his cheek. But you give him another real kiss after he guides you back up to your feet.

“I love you,” you whisper against his lips. The words are just for him to hear. Dean pulls back enough to see the truth shining in your eyes. Beautiful.

“Can’t help it, right?” he teases. 

You smile in amusement, but you grab his chin and shake it. 

“You got me,” you reply. “I really, really can’t.”

Your beaming smile softens. Even though the entire room is clapping and hooting and hollering in celebration, in that moment, all you really see is Dean. 

Here in his arms, you know that this is where you were meant to end up. From now on, it’s where you’re meant to be.

AN: *dreamy sighs* From Lisa and Benny to Robbie and everything in between. Dean and the reader certainly aren't perfect, but what do you think about how their story unfolded? I truly hope you guys enjoy this one, because I've had so much fun with it. 🥰❤️❤️‍🔥

**As a reminder, One More Day (Dean x Latina Plus-Sized!Reader) comes out on 4/04 - the day after my birthday!~

Until then, please let me know what you thought of If I Stay! 😘 I might write more for these two in the future...

"Shall I stay? Would it be a sin, if I can't help falling in love with you?"

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[kaisfanfics]

The Cow/Bull hybrid Farm & a girls dream house: Chapter 2

JJK Male Cow/Bull hybrid x Chubby P**n Star Female Reader 🔞

Word count: 3880

Sorry for the wait, I just wanted to make the chapter longer. Hope you enjoy it .

Master list

You were so glad that you did this in the morning, because you knew what was going to happen in the afternoon and that was traffic. A lot of traffic…

When the farm owners gave you the location of the farm you were surprised that it was right next to a big 5 grocery store along with a shopping mall across the street. At least you know what store Or mall to go to instead of driving to the one that’s 30 minutes away.

The drive to the farm was in another city which is about a 2 hour drive withOut the traffic. And during those 2 hours are just you in the truck with the trailer with all the stuff you owned. You were going to put all of the stuff in your back truck but your boss said that it would be better if you took a trailer. You didn’t get why but you ended up getting a little trailer because he says it is a good idea.

After driving and listening to music on full blast for 2 hours, you finally got to the farm. As expected the farm is big but what made it better was the sunset behind it… this is probably the best way to live.

Especially when given free housing.

You then startled on where you should park until you see a woman along with three Bull hybrids waving at you. You then drove to where she was and parked the car. “Hello there miss L/n, welcome to the Cows and Bulls hybrid farm. We are so happy to have you working with us. And just to make sure, have disinfected all of your belongings before coming here, if not I can take you to a room where we can deep clean all your stuff.” The woman said as you stepped out of the truck.

“Hello to you, too miss and to answer your question about my stuff, yes I have disinfected and deep cleaned all of them. I did it so that I wouldn't have to do all that work when I got here. But also so that I can just wipe them down with a disinfecting wipe.” You said as you started walking to the back of the trailer to open the door. “That's wonderful to hear, the other girl forgot to do it before coming here but some of them were able to do it.”

As soon as you opened the doors, the men started going in the trailer and getting the boxes. “Hey Gorgeous, do you want us to put them in your room or do we leave them in the living room?” The man said with his deep rough voice to you. “Ohh…. Umm… You can put them in my room dear, thanks for your help. May.. I ask for your name… please.” You said with hesitation in your voice. He is a very handsome Bull. “My name is Toji dearly. And if you need anything else like Milk or something else, ask the farmer. She’ll tell you where I am.”

Him along with the other bulls then left to leave your belongings in your room. “Oh my, you just got here and you're already started flirting with them.” The woman said with a teasing smile on her face. “I’m so sorry I just… didn’t expect them to be so attractive and tall.” You said with a red face. “Hey now, it’s ok. Besides, there might be a chance that he’ll be with you along with other Bull hybrids if you know what I mean.” She says well, wiggling her eyebrows and a smirk. you were going to say something until you remembered something.

“Oh! I forgot to ask you about something. And it is about the uhhh… videos that are made online but-.” “Oh don’t worry about it. You are allowed to make that type of content here. And believe me I was honestly surprised when I found out that you have an OnlyFans and a twitter account.” You didn’t expect for her to say that but was also relieved. “It ok to make p**n here actually, some of the bulls and cows here actually watch some videos whenever it is time to milk them.”

“Oh thank goodness, I was starting to get worried that I have to delete it or something.” You let out a sigh of relief. “Now come on, let’s go ahead and start showing you around the place.” She says wall walking into the building with you behind her.

“For starters, I’ll be showing you where you’ll be living from now along with other things.” She says before stopping by a door. “This is where you’ll be staying.”

She then opened the door to a room that’s probably big enough for it to be one of those hotels. you were at aww until you froze after seeing that all your belongings had been unpacked and put away.

You just hope that the guys who put your stuff away didn’t see a box that has all of your sex toys, but then you remember that you put them in a chest that has a lock on it. “Are all the rooms like this because I’ve been seeing all of the stuff that belongs to a Hotel, unless this building was Supposed to be one.”

“And I can see that all of my stuff has been put away” “You are correct, this farm was actually going to be a hotel, but the Business didn’t do that well. they were going to tear it down until the farm owners came in and bought the building along with some parts of the land.”

“We also want you girls to have a room with more space. But it’s not just the room, we also thought it would be good to give you girls a big bed, a couch, and a Tv so you girls don’t have to waste your money on them.” “And about your belongings, before you arrive I ask them if they could unpack your stuff along with putting them away so that you can be ready for the meeting later today. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about it.” She said with an apologetic tone.

“It’s ok, as long as they didn’t steal anything from me I am fine.”

The woman then continued talking where she left off. “We also made a decision to make a hot spring here, but if you want to be alone to have some peace and quiet the shower is over here.” She then opened the door to the bathroom and you were amazed at how big it was. I’m guessing the reason why the room and the bathroom is big is so that the bull or cow hybrids can come and sleep with the woman or to have some fun if you know what I mean.

“Oh I almost forgot about the closet. It’s right next to the couch that’s up against the wall. I think that’s about it here so let's go to the meeting and see everybody.” The both of you then leave the room and start heading to where everybody is at.

“Wait, shouldn't you be showing me all around the place so that I wouldn’t get lost.” You ask in a confusing manner. “Oh don't worry about it. We can do that tomorrow where you can relax. Right now we are running late because today is when we start milking the Bull and Cow Hybrids.”

“The Cows are taking care of us right now but for the Bulls, they need to be milk as well but we didn’t have enough workers to help us at the time.” That would explain why she was in a hurry today. With that we started walking at a fast pace to get to the meeting. When we got there we saw about 24 women waiting in the living area. They were also wearing revealing clothes. They were wearing black bikinis with booty shorts.

“Hello everybody, are you girls ready to cuddle with the Cow and Bull Hybrids and drain them of their Cum Milk today.” All the girls started screaming with Excitement in their voices. “Well what are you girls waiting for, go start working. Except for you Momo, I need you to help me with someone.” All the girls left except for one who was sitting on the couch. But as soon as you made eye contact with her, you were surprised. You didn’t expect to see your roommate from college here.

“Oh my god” she says while running to you to give you a huge. “Y/n, I haven’t seen you since Graduation. How have you been? And to think about it, how are you feeling now after the whole thing with your ex boyfriend.”

You honestly didn’t expect to see her again. Which was a good thing because you were starting to get tired of living alone for a while.

“It’s good to see you as well. I guess we can hang out together whenever we are on break.” You said with a smile on your face. “Well I guess I don’t have to worry about you two then. Since you two know each other so well. Olivia, will you please show her how things go around here because I have to make a call with someone. I'm trying to get those machines for the Cow and Bull hybrids for milk. If they don’t have any or just out of them then we have no choice but to milk them ourselves.”

“They probably don’t have any more since they tend to break from time to time but go for it, I’ll see you at 7pm.” After that the woman left to take a phone call. “I’m so excited to see you after so long, it was getting really lonely after college.” She says as she hugs you with her warm embrace. “Fuck~ you even gotten bigger the last time I saw you and I can’t wait to see what you look like the little outfits we have.” She says with her hands on your breast playing with them like they were a stress ball.

“And as always, you have never learned anything about personal space.” You said with a red face but you didn’t hate the feeling of it. you were kind of used to her being handy since the day you met. “Ok let's get you ready for the day. Come and I’ll show you what to do today and for the next few days.” Olivia then takes you to a room where she'll give you uniforms along with some bikinis.

“Today is going to be different because we won’t be wearing our uniforms until we have successfully milked them and then we’ll have to satisfy them by letting them do us. We were supposed to do it yesterday but something happened that let us stop the process.”

“Ok but just to make sure, there are only Cow and Bull Hybrids, why aren’t there any other animal hybrids here to help.” You asked because you heard from your old boss later on that they’ll be having other hybrids to help around the farm. “They did but they were moved to another location, I think the reason why they left was that it was getting too crowded in here so the owners had no choice but to move them.”

she said while trying to remember the reason the owners moved them. You’ll probably find out later on. “But anyway, let’s get you cleaned, dressed, and ready for the day.” She then takes you to what looks like her room which is right next to you, then takes you to her bathroom.

“I know this is going to be weird but I’m going to have to ask you to start striping. I’ll be showing you how to deep clean your body. and I’m not saying that just because I want to see you naked.” Olivia Said with a Smirk on her face. But you have known her for a while now, you trust her ever since.

“Fine, I think I got the message. But you better behave or I’ll do it myself.” You then started to take your clothes off with Olivia looking at you. Your breast has gotten bigger since then along with your thighs, hips, and ass. Your stomach has gotten a little bigger but it wasn’t bad. Olivia couldn’t stop looking at you. Just as she expected, you're just as beautiful as the day She last saw you.

“Like what you see~~~.” You said with a teasing smile as you bent over a little bit to shake your ass with your pussy on full display for her to see. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to get started on how to deep clean.”

“S-shit, of course.” Olivia stuttered with a flustered face. She then went through the drawers to find the disinfectant wipes and soap. Once she finds it, she then tells you to go in the tube so that she can guide you through it.

“All you have to do is wash your body with this kind of soap and you must make sure that you do every part of your body. And once you are done you can use these wipes to clean again but once you are done with all of that you can put on the bikini top and these booty shorts.”

Once she was done explaining what to do, she then left the bathroom by closing the door. “You can also wash your hair as well with that fruity shampoo that is on the shelf, just don’t take forever please. You have an hour to finish.”

You then started doing the routine and made sure that you got every part of your body.

——Time Skip——

50 minutes later

Once you were done you then went to open the door. “I’m done.” Olivia was sitting on the couch waiting for you but once she heard your voice. She then got up from the couch and started walking to the door.

“Good, now it's time we go to the back. Some of them are probably craving to be touched right now so let’s just go.” She said as she took your hand. you both then left the room and went straight to the back where only the farm owners and workers are allowed to see.

“Oh! And just to let you know. That the Bulls can be very touchy with women, especially when it comes to chubby Women. Just milk them and give them a reward.” Olivia says as she guides you to the barn where the Bull hybrids are.

“But what about the Cows, shouldn’t I be milking them first before the Bulls.” You ask with a confused look. “yeah, but they assigned us to who goes to who or who goes to them.” “I’m sorry but d-did you say who goes to-.” your were then cut off by feeling a hand making contact with your ass.

“So she’ll be the one milking us Olivia, I don’t think she’ll be able to handle all 5 of us at once.” One said with White hair, bright blue eyes, and beautiful soft skin. “Gojo for the last time, you have to be gentle with your farmer. Because if I remember correctly, you went too hard on that poor girl last week.” Olivia said with a stern and angry look.

“Olivia, when we ask for a woman who has a high stamina when it comes to sex, we also expect for the woman to have experience as well.” One with long black, beautiful purple eyes, and some ear piercing says well leaning on to the bull who goes by gojo.

“Uhh! it doesn’t matter, Y/n I’m sorry but I have to go to the Cows, but don’t worry though. That blonde Bull hybrid will look after you and will be helping you on what to do. You're ok with that Nanami.” She said well, looking at the muscler man that looks like he just wants to be done with it.

“I’ll make sure that she’ll be ok with me.” His voice sounded so rough but also very smooth and calming. “I suggest you go before the cows start to complain.”

“Shit, ok I’ll see you later tonight Y/n. Bye!” She then left to go to where she was assigned to. You were starting to get nervous for some reason but that stopped when you felt two hands on your shoulders. “Come with me, it’s best we don’t waste time standing here.”

He then started guarding you to where you’ll be milking them and as soon as you entered the barn all you hear is. . .

“Ahhhh!!! Yes~ deeper’ I'm almost there… ah! Just-.” All you hear is a women moaning, begging, and hearing clapping from someone who is giving back shot.

as soon a you started walking by, you then see a women being bent over the hey with a handsome Bull fucking her along with 3 other bulls stroking their cocks. They then flip her over so they can see her breast jiggling and fuck out face from how much force he puts in his thrust.

But what surprised you is seeing 26 buckets of Cum Milk outside of the room to be picked up. You then looked the other way because you are starting to get hot and bothered by seeing them.

Ok, maybe you are starting to regret coming here until you find yourself in a space with 5 bulls, alone, full of fear, and nervous about the outcome.

You were so nervous that you didn’t notice that one of them was talking to you. The one who you have met before this morning.

“Well this is a surprise, didn’t expect you to be assigned to me along with those 2 idiots.” “HAY! Who The hell are you calling idiots?”

The two bulls started arguing with each other ignoring the fact that you are starting to have a panic attack. You expected to be like this but not being put in a room with 5 Bulls who need to be milked and have some to have sex with.

You then started calming down because you had to start the day. “Ok, so… would you like me to milk you first Nanami?” You asked the blonde one hoping for him to say yes.

“I think it’s best we let Choso first. And once you are done with him it will be me, Toji, Geto, and Gojo for the last.” He said with a reassuring smile on his face. “Why must I always go last when it comes to milking?”

“Because this is her first time working here, but also if we put you first you’ll just fuck her as soon as she is done milking you. If you don’t like it then you can just leave and find someone else.” The Bull you met this morning Toji says with a smirk on.

“Now hurry up, I’m starting to get uncomfortable with these pants already.”

You then started getting the buckets to put the milk in. “Choso, would you please peel off your clothes so we can get started.” You asked with a smile to cover up the fact that you are freaking out inside.

When he took off all his clothes you were extremely flustered on how big and thick his cock looked. Yea you know they were going to be big but you didn’t expect them to be that big. It’s literally the same size as the ones you have in your room. What makes it even better is that they can fit in your mouth, but you then started to calm down and began to start milking.

You then went behind him so that he can feel your body heat along with your skin. You then moved your hand to his pelvis and started to massage him. You want to start slow so that you can get some precum out of him to make it easier for you.

You then start to massage his balls with your left hand while the other is starting to jerk his dick. “How are you feeling dear~” You are starting to get turned on just by touching him. “Feels good. I’m guessing that this is probably not the first time you have done this, right?” He says, knowing what you do to get money.

Choso’s P.O.V.

He is the only person in the room who knows that you were a steeper but not just a steeper, but a porn star that is still active on Only Fans and Twitter. He was surprised to see you working here. Just thinking about a video of you riding on a man in reverse Cowgirl, using your hips to give him and the viewers a good look at your fat ass. He was brought back to reality when you started jerking him off at a faster pace.

“You are almost there, just a little bit more.” You then moved right in front of him to get a better view to make sure that he cums in the bucket. “Come on dear, cum for me so that I can give you a reward once you fill these buckets up~” after you said that, Choso then started cumming just by your voice and the thought of you being fucked.

Time passed by and he was able to fill up at let’s 7 buckets of milk in about an hour. For Bull Hybrids they are able to make 7 to 8 buckets of milk per week while for the Cow Hybrids are able to make 3 to 5 buckets per week.

Back to your P.O.V.

“You know, I always want to drink some Bull hybrid milk from the source. Maybe later I can get some while I’m done with the others. Is ok if you can wait for a few hours Cho~” You are starting to lose your mind after seeing the amount of cum he just released. Maybe this wasn’t a bad idea to work here.

Choso “I think it is best that I wait until you are done milking the others. Now come on, let’s not waste time on talking.” You then started stroking their rock hard cock and massage their balls to make them feel good. You were so focused on their cock that you did even notice that 4 hours have passed already. And during those hours you would ask them about themselves to get to know them. Once you were done milking them you then grabbed the lids to put on the buckets so they wouldn't spill.

“Fuck~ I know you Bulls have a high stamina when I comes to sex but I don’t think you guys can full up to 6 buckets in one sitting.” You said while eyeing the 33 buckets of cum milk on the side.

“It’s necessary for us to be able to make that much, probably because we are always in good shape and keep eating fruits to make more.” Geto says, still jerking his cock. “Now that we are done, who do you want to do first?”

To Be Continue

<<Chapter 1 / Chapter 3>>

[aliciastarkeyy]

Fools gold

Summary ᯓ★ uncool, typically 'nerdy' and unseen by most, your life on the island is pretty simple. Until Rafe Cameron begins to pay attention to you.

Warnings ᯓ★ swearing, the motions of a 'bet' being made, wagers, fake love, one sided love, fighting, eventual smut. ! not proofread!

Word count ᯓ★ 4,234

part1⟡ part3⟡ part4⟡

The walk to the bookshop the next morning is refreshing. After a terrible night of sleep, you’re glad to be going to the store and enjoying some time alone with the books. And willow.

There’s a subtle breeze sweeping along the almost empty boardwalk, the only people out the one’s grabbing breakfast, or using the shops that open before nine.

Surfers are out on the water, like they are every morning. The waves are quite violent, thrashing against the shore, and you know they’re having a good time.

Willow purrs when you open the door to the bookshop, sliding through the gap and taking her sleeping position straight on one of the bottom shelves of one of the bookshelves. You know you won’t see her for a few hours now.

Once setting up the music and the cash register, you unlock the front door and begin browsing the shelves to pick something for yourself to read.

Your mind slips away to Rafe Cameron. He seemed to want to talk to you- despite his polar opposite behaviour in high school. Back then, you never existed to him. Now, he’d come into your work and then gone out of his way to talk to you at Maysi’s party.

Alas, you hadn’t seen him for six years. He could have changed. Maybe he just wanted to be friends. Maybe.

Maybe seemed like a longshot. He didn’t look like the type.

The morning sails by, especially when you’re reading pride and prejudice to pass the time. You’ve had a few more customers today, figuring it must be nicer weather than yesterday and all the rich folk of the island are suddenly interested in reading.

The afternoon does not go so fast. It slows dramatically, in fact, to the point that you put down the book and begin to clear some of the shelves, reorganising.

You’re so into what you’re doing that you barely hear to bell above the door chime, or the footfall that stops shortly beside you. When you drop a book out of the stack you’re holding, and another hand reaches out to pick it up for you- you almost jump.

Rafe. He’s holding the book out, a smirk seemingly carved into his face. You set the pile of books down and take the singular one from him.

“Thanks,”

“It’s no problem, just here to save the day.” He straightens up as you place the final book on the knee high tower you’ve got going. After a Quick Look around, Rafe addresses you again.

“Having a move about?” He smiles, something genuine that almost meets his eyes. Almost. It puts you off.

“Yeah, slow day. Might as well.” He nods, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“So, back for that book for my uh, sister.”

You purse your lips. “What book?”

It dawns on you now that he took a complete gamble on whether those previous books would have actually been in here or not. You didn’t particularly choose what books ended up here. Unless he just picked the first two he saw?

Rafe looks deep in thought before he meets your own eyes. “I’m not sure of the name. Something to do with wardrobes and lions, I think.”

“Ah! I actually know what you mean! Such a classic, we have one somewhere.” You beckon with one finger for him to follow you to the isle over, where there’s a sort of theme of children’s and young adult books.

You begin to hum along to the beat of the music as your fingers slide over the different spines and names of books, until it comes into view. Triumphant, you pull the book from its place and hold it out to show Rafe.

He looks utterly puzzled.

“The lion,” you point to the cover. “The witch,” another point. “Anddddd, the wardrobe.”

You see the moment it clicks in his eyes. You also breathe a silent sigh of relief. Your earlier theory had been disproved- that he’d come in here and picked up two random books to excuse why he was here. He came with intent this time.

“Okay, okay. I’ll take this one.” You take it back from him and veer round his frame to the counter, where you scan the books barcode.

“Your total is six dollars.” Like yesterday, he passes you more than he needs to. A ten dollar bill, again, crisp as the day it was made.

“Keep the change.” He smiles as you pass him over the book, but doesn’t move. You wonder if you’ve forgotten something, and he’s waiting.

“So uh,” he brings a finger up to rub his eye. “I’m gonna be at the country club tonight with a few friends, if you’d wanna come?”

The inside of your cheek finds its way inbetween your teeth, and suddenly you’d rather be anywhere but here. Is he asking you on a date? Why would he ask you?

“Not in a weird way or anything- Maysi will be there too, she’s uh, she’s seeing one of my friends and I just thought-”

“It’s okay Rafe. Thank you, really, but I’m okay. I don’t like that sort of stuff.” He nods, looking away to the side. Somewhere in the shop, willow meows and begins to patter towards you.

Rafe’s jaw clenches. Like he’s mad.

“Okay. Worth the ask. Have a good day.” He turns on his heel and walks straight out of the door.

“Wow.” You mutter. What the fuck was up his ass?

You phone rings an hour later. You’re finishing the last of closing duties, willow hanging by the front door waiting to be let out.

Maysilee.

“Hello?” You answer, pressing the phone between your ear and shoulder as you scramble for the keys in your bag.

“You turned down Rafe Cameron?” She sounds incredulous. You can tell she’s somewhere loud, the background noise buzzing through the phone. She mutters something to someone else and turns her attention back to you.

“You’d better have the best excuse ever woman. The poor boy looks grief stricken,” you fight the urge to roll your eyes, locking the door to the shop and walking along the board walk with willow.

“Maysi, I’ve had about three short conversations with him. He could be a serial killer.”

She scoffs. Loudly. You pull the phone away from your ear for a second. “- genuinely interested in getting to know you, why do you always shoot down potential men who’re interested?”

The back end of what she’s saying makes you pause for a brief moment. How could he be genuinely interested in you? He knew nothing about you. Nothing at all.

He didn’t exactly seem like the type to want anything other than a fuck either, as much as it made you cringe to think that. Just the way he looked.

“Maysi, I barely know him.”

“That’s how it starts though no? You barely know someone and then you get to know them.” She’s got you there. You bite the inside of your cheek, contemplating his earlier offer again, as you turn onto your street. You can see your parents cars in the driveway, and a third one that you don’t recognise.

“That doesn’t matter anyway because you’re coming to the country club whether you like it or not. For me.” Her tone is final. You have no choice in the matter, much like last night.

“May-”

“No. I know you’re almost home now so get changed and I’ll come pick you up.” She’s cute you off and you sigh, small enough so she can’t hear it.

“Okay.”

Maysilee squeals. She bids you goodbye with loads of kissy noises down the phone, happy now she’s got her own way. The promise to pick you up in an hour scars into the back of your brain.

As you open the front door, you can hear your parents talking away with some other voice you don’t quite recognise. You don’t bother to investigate, slipping up the stairs straight into your room where you throw open your closet and debate your options.

Exactly like last night, you can’t wear anything that Maysi will disapprove of.

You land on a white off the shoulder jumper, black skirt, tights and your knee high boots. Hopefully it would pass for Maysilee, despite her obvious distaste to your entire wardrobe.

Showering and getting ready takes up the majority of the hour, and soon you’re sat on your bed waiting for Maysi to text you saying she’s here.

When the text does come through you spare one last look in the mirror, and a longing one towards your bed, before closing your bedroom door and climbing down the steps. Your mother emerges from the kitchen as you reach the bottom step.

“Is that Rafe’s truck outside?” The third voice asks, and your father along with the third man join you and your mother in the foyer.

Is it? You were going to kill Maysi if she’s done exactly what you think she’s done.

Your mother smiles at you, pretending to be warm. “You know Ward, yes? Ward Cameron?”

What the fuck. Too many coincidences were happening. All at once. In the last two days.

“No, mom, I don’t.” Her smile falters. She turns away, effectively dismissing you and you use it as your excuse to slip out of the front door and down your drive. The passenger side window rolls down and you see Rafe sat in the truck, face puzzled.

“Is that my father’s car?” You nod. He leans over, opening the door for you.

Maysilee is nowhere to be found. You curse her- but your options are slim to none right now. You either go back into the house with your parents, or you get in the car with Rafe.

You know which you’d prefer out of the two as you place a boot on the rail underneath his car and hoist up into the seat. You slam the door behind you, placing your bag on your lap.

“Hello again,” rafe grins as he turns the truck on, taking off down the street before you’ve even put your seatbelt on. “I thought these weren’t your type of things,” he adds.

“They’re not. I’m being forced because you gave Maysi a heartbroken sob story.” You bite the words out, looking out the window.

Rafe raises one of his hands in self defence. “I did no such thing. Your friend is very stubborn.”

You scoff, gripping your bag tighter as he swings his truck round a corner without even looking. You sure as hell were not not getting in this death trap again.

“You’re telling me. I don’t want to be here.” You can see him stealing glances over at you every so often and it makes your cheeks flush. It’s embarrassing how little you can get nervous from.

“Well, I think you look very pretty today.” He pulls up into a spot at the country club, turning his engine off. You don’t say anything back, because what do you say?

Instead, you opt for clambering out of the truck and walking towards the entrance of the club, grabbing your mother’s admission card out of your bag to show the girl at reception.

She nods you through and you do so, not waiting for Rafe. You can spot Maysi from a mile off, sat at a table with some guys arm slung over her shoulder.

“Hiiiii!” She squeals when she sees you, proceeding to quirk an eyebrow when she notices Rafe catching up. She doesn’t much about the situation, allowing Rafe to scoot in and pull a seat out for you.

You take the seat, crossing your legs as he takes the one next to you. There’s now five people sat at the table. You, Rafe, Maysi, the guy with his arm around her shoulder and another guy who’s grinning like the Cheshire Cat at you. Weird.

“So, this is topper, my boyfriend, and Kelce, their other friend. Obviously you know Rafe,” Maysi says, taking a sip from her fruity coloured drink. There’s a glint of something behind her eyes as she looks at you and Rafe and you notice how close he’s sat. She tells them all your name but based on the way they react, they already know you.

“Well uh, I’m gonna go get a drink.” You mumble, standing from the chair.

“Me too,” rafe taps the table, standing and following you to the bar. You’re sure you feel the ghost of his hand on your back but it never makes contact.

“What’re you having?” He asks, when you stand bar side. You shrug, looking at all the options for softer drinks. Not a lot. Water or juice.

The cocktail that Maysi had did look quite funky.

“Hey, yeah man, not too bad,” rafe shakes the hand of the bartender who’s come over and spoken to Rafe while you were thinking. He looks back down at you before looking back up and smiling.

“I’ll have a coors and she’ll have a daiquiri, please.” Butterflies settle in your stomach at how he orders for you.

What? No. Ew.

Maybe not ew. You weren’t sure. Maybe he was growing on you. If only you’d hold a conversation with him for longer than five minutes, maybe you’d know. Lots of maybes.

The bartender places a bright red drink in front of you and you grasp it with both hands. “Put it on my tab man, thanks.”

You look up at Rafe. “You don’t need to do that,”

He grins down at you, grasping a bottle of beer in his own hand. “You know what they say, ‘buy me a drink first’,” this time, his hand finds your back and stays planted there as he leads you back to the table. Heavy and thick. He was laying it on pretty hard.

You take your seat again, Maysi busy laughing at something one of the other guys had said. Her eyes flutter down to your drink and she gasps.

“You’re telling me he managed to get you to drink?” Betrayal. Utterly terrifying, betrayal. Laced right into her tone. She points a manicured finger at Rafe who grins lazily back, raising his hands in self defence.

“What can I say? I have charm,” Maysi reaches over the table to swat him but he leans back, laughing when she can’t reach him. She huffs and falls back into her seat, arms crossed over her chest, she turns back to you.

“How was the ride?” It’s her turn to smirk at you, knowing eyes fluttering between you and Rafe. His arm is now slung over the back of your chair, eyes glinting as his friends talk to him.

“He doesn’t know how to drive,” you whisper back, leaning over your drink. You take a sip and can immediately see why she loves them so much. Your comment makes her cackle, clapping her hands.

“Really? That’s pretty funny,” Rafe leans forward, arm still over your chair. He’s all in your space, shoulder touching your own at he stares you down. “We got here didn’t we, that’s all that counts.”

You nod your head, cheeks burning bright red at being caught and Rafe leans back, engaging in his own conversation with his friends again. Maysi is smiling at you behind her hand.

“He so likes you,” she whispers, smile almost stretching to her ears. She reaches over and squeezes your arm as you shake your head.

“He does not. He doesn’t know me.”

“Well, let him know you then. He’s interested in you, it’s so obvious.” Her boyfriend, topper, leans over grinning.

“He does like you.”

You don’t respond, shaking your head and leaning into your drink, cheeks blushing when Rafe’s hand slides down the back of your chair and begins to circle on your back.

Two hours pass when you excuse yourself to go to the toilet. You’ve had a few more drinks than you’d like to admit, and after a few flirty comments from Rafe, you decided it was time for a refresh.

Until someone calls your name, a step away from the toilet door.

“Oh no,” you mumble, turning with a fake, small smile on your face. Tyler stands two steps away from you, arms raised out like he’s coming in for a hug. You dodge, standing with your back against the door.

“Hey, how’ve you been?” You watch his eyes swallow your figure down whole, and you suddenly regret wearing what you’re wearing. You tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Yeah, I’ve been better.” He nods, hair slicked back but he still runs a had through it. He’s looks the exact same. Tall, lanky, dressed like he’s trying to fit in somewhere he doesn’t belong.

“Good, good. I’ve been okay, missed you though.” Bile rises in your throat and you’re pretty sure you can feel tears pricking the corners of your eyes. There’s no one else here you can ask for help.

He raises a hand and you flinch.

“Look, I’m sorry. What I did was shitty but I know you’ve missed me too.” He reaches a hand to your shoulder and grips, harder than he should. You can feel a tear crest over and roll down your cheek.

“What the fuck you doing man?” You’ve never been more relived to hear Rafe Cameron’s voice. Ever. Tyler lets go of your shoulder and swings around in time to be met with Rafe’s fist, straight to the cheek. Tyler’s head swings to the side and he stumbles back a few steps, laughing as his hand comes up to his jaw.

Rafe’s heaving, face flushed red from what you presume is anger, which only intensifies when he takes a look at you. You must look petrified.

You are. Rafe steps around Tyler and to you, taking your shoulder in his hands. This time when he looks at you he looks like he cares. Genuinely.

“Are you okay?” You shake your head and he pulls you into his chest. He wraps around you just right, smelling like woods and leaves and just everything nice that you’d thought he smelled like.

You didn’t realise you’d thought that until you were here. He pulls back, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and walking you past Tyler.

“Good luck with that man, really. Couldn’t get anything out of her and I had that bitch for two years. Might have to look elsewhere if you want a fuck.” Tyler is grinning when you look over your shoulder, cheek red and nose bent. Rafe pauses, hand tightening on your shoulder for a second before he releases you, turning around.

Another crack sounds from behind you but you don’t turn. You hear Tyler stumble back before hitting the wall, mumbling something to Rafe who chuckles.

“She loves sex man, I don’t know what you’re on about. Maybe it was just you.”

Rafe’s arm wraps around you again and he leads you to the foyer. You’re silently crying now, wiping each tear with the sleeves of your jumper. He reaches into his pocket, passing you the keys to his truck.

“I’m just gonna go say bye okay, you go wait in my truck.”

His kindness stills you. He had no need to step in and defend you then, especially not with Tyler. But he did. In a weird way, it warms your heart. He defended you.

Maybe he wasn’t so bad afterall.

You find Rafe’s truck in the car park and unlock it, climbing up into the seat and shitting the door behind you. The silence is defending but doesn’t last long before the drivers door is opening, and Rafe is climbing into the seat. You pass him the keys and he starts the truck.

“Did he, you know?” He asks, voice rough like he doesn’t want to think about it. Rafe’s jaw is locked tight as he pulls out of the spot, turning his full brights on when he joins into the sunlight road.

You sniffle. “He didn’t always control his anger when I said no. I don’t know why I stayed with him.”

Rafe nods, eyes on the road. His hand shifts from the center console to grasp your knee. “I’m sorry. I’m not sorry I showed him what’s up though.” He smiles over at you and you giggle, a little. You notice the way he’s going isn’t the way to your house.

Maybe he is nice. There’s this tinge to him that you’ve seen little bits of that makes you want to know more, and it scares you. Rafe did not look like the type to ever want anything other than a fuck.

He turns off the main road onto a small side street, which soon turns to a dirt track. When you reach the end of it, you’re on the beach. You’d never known this road had existed.

The beach is dark, but you can still see flutters of waves crashing against the sand, and can hear them too. The breeze sways the trees around you, and there’s a little shack off to the left, allowing a little light to sweep out across the sand.

The truck rumbles to sleep when Rafe switches it off. He turns in the seat to look at you.

“I thought this would be better than the club.”

You nod, tears stopping. “Thank you Rafe. You didn’t need to do this.”

He immediately shakes his head, curtains bouncing across his forehead. He looks softer under the light of his truck, lips pressed firm.

“You don’t need to thank me. I physically couldn’t stop myself.” He looks down at his hands in his lap, chest rising and falling rapidly. Almost as if it’s on instinct, you reach over at take one of his hands into your own.

“I’m glad you were there Rafe. I didn’t think I’d be able to do anything.” You look out the window as another wave crashes on the beach.

“He’ll never come near you again.” Rafe sounds firm, and he glances over at you before joining you at looking at the waves.

“I can’t thank you enough Rafe, really. You’ve been so nice to me.” He smiles at you now, eyes locked within the silence. And then you see him leaning closer.

Like he’s going to kiss you. Do you want this? You’re not sure. You still feel like you barely know him. But god damn, if it didn’t make you swell with butterflies when he defended you. Even if you didn’t notice, it did.

But still, you don’t think you want to kiss him. Not yet. You need to know him more. You think. You’d be lying if his lips don’t look really good right now. Full, pink lips that are now inches away from your own.

His blue eyes full are of stars as he closes the gap. And you let him. He kisses like the world’s ending- and the shock of being unsure leaves you stumped for a few seconds before you begin to kiss back.

And god, do his lips feel as good as they look. His had reached around the back of your neck, threading into the hair there as he pulls you closer, your own hands creeping across the centre console.

When his other hand comes up to cup your cheek, you whimper. Quiet but embarrassing, it makes Rafe pull back and search your eyes.

“Fuck,” he mumbles, looking away, bottom lip between his teeth. He’s heaving, lips swollen and eyes glossy as he stares out the window.

You can only imagine what you look like. He turns back, eyes searching your face again, and you’re sure you can see a debate sparking to life behind them.

“You’re so soft,” he mumbles, pulling you back for another kiss. This one is feverishly fast, hand on the back of your neck pulling you further towards him. When his tongue swipes across your bottom lip and you gasp, he pulls back again.

“Tell me to stop. Now.” His hands withdraw and you sit there, blissed but confused. Your heart is beating so far out your ribcage.

“What- I don’t-” you begin, but Rafe just scoffs, turning back round in his seat and starting the car.

“I can’t do this to you. Not here, not now. I’m taking you home.” You pull back over the console, taking your original position on the passenger seat. Rafe’s jaw is clenched, and the few glances you do steal his way he’s still the exact same. He speeds towards your house, not once looking at you.

Your brain is running a thousand miles an hour. You’d been the one who hadn’t wanted to kiss him- and now that you had, he was the one regretting it? He showed interest first. Maysilee had literally said it herself.

The breaks squeal as Rafe pulls up outside your house. No surprise your parents cars are once again gone.

“Thanks, Rafe.” You unbuckle your seatbelt and open the door, climbing out. Rafe doesn’t even properly wait for you to shut the door before speeding off down the street, leaving you just as confused as you were in the car.

Authors note ᯓ★ whew! Rafe might be having second thoughts after seeing what she went through with her ex?? Who knows <3 let me know what you thinkkkk (also I picture Maysilee as maddie from euphoria!!)

[azaharinflames]

I was genuinely shocked to see the scene in 811 where the two characters kissed and took off their clothes. OS and Lou's acting was great, but more than that, I was surprised that such a scene appeared in 9-1-1.

Did any couple in the OG version have a scene like that? I always thought 9-1-1 portrayed such moments in a rather subtle way. But the way they presented it this time felt confusing. If they are broken up and not a couple that will eventually reunite, was it really necessary to frame it like that?

Since 806, I've been watching with a cautious and skeptical perspective. But for a GA who doesn’t follow any interviews, just based on the story being told right now, it seems obvious that these two will end up together. Of course, the fact that this is 9-1-1 under Tim’s direction is the tricky part.

Hi, Nonnie!

Same, ngl. I fully expected an insinuation and perhaps a fade-to-black, and then the morning after. But I am very glad with what we've got, and the episode's ratings have, thankfully, been very positive, so maybe ABC takes some notes.

Also, it's been a long time since we had anything close to that. Athena had some steamy scenes in the first season, and Henren had a really great scene as well, but since then? Not that I recall. Madney hooking up in Season 6 had the fakest kiss of all time, and they didn't even kiss when getting engaged. This was definitely the first time in a while that we got a hot scene like this.

Was this necessary? Well, let me ask you - was 805 necessary? When they were breaking up an episode later? Well, Nonnie - the answer is: not necessary, unless it has a specific use.

And by this I mean - it wouldn't have been necessary, and in my opinion, wouldn't have existed, if they didn't want the GA to care about Bucktommy. As it is, people are now invested and want to see if these two crazy kids can finally figure things out.

So - do the other couples need scenes like we got in 811? Not really. Because they have already been established, therefore the audience knows the implication of a fade-to-black or an insinuation. With Bucktommy sure, they knew, but now they have something that further proves it and makes them care. Do I make sense?

If I was a member of the GA I would fully expect for Buck and Tommy to get back together. Writing's on the wall and all that. We're all (understandably) skeptic and untrustful about it because of Tim, but, objetciely? Unless they pull a 180 - this is couple on the road to reconciliation 1.0.

My inbox is open for ranting, venting, giving your opinion (unpopular or popular, I'm happy to receive and discuss both), and even confessions! Though if you don't want yours posted, please make sure to say :)

Take care <3

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.230 Taking you down

Alessia, Sophia, and I discussed birthday party plans last night after we returned home from dinner and decided a bowling party would satisfy everyone's requirements. The triplets didn't have anything specific they wanted to do, but Less wanted a place that was big enough for them to be independent yet small enough for us to keep an eye on them. Sophia just wanted everyone to have a good time. With all of that in mind, we settled on bowling. When we arrived, I thought it would be a good idea for us to take a family photo. We'd never done that before, and I wanted to capture the kids before they aged up. The picture came out nice, but I had to laugh and shake my head at the kids because the teenage energy was very strong. I'd been seeing hints of it with Desi over the last couple of days, but with all the kids together, it's undeniable we don't have babies anymore. Too cool boys and sassy little girls stared back at me, making me very proud yet terrified.

I was glad to see the place was not too busy, but knew that would change as the day went on. The ladies got everyone set up on our lanes while I checked out the party room to make sure everything was in order. The staff did a great job making the space look festive for us. With that off my mind, I went downstairs to join everyone in the games. Alessia filled me in on the arrangement. We had two lanes, and the kids insisted on a battle between them vs. parents.

"Do they really think they can beat us?" she asked.

"I don't think it matters who wins," I said. "As long as we have fun."

"Bump that! I want to win!"

First up was me vs. Desi. She had a little trouble with the ball, so I went ahead and took my turn while Less helped her.

Maybe the kids were onto something because I didn't do well at all. Did they know none of us had done this before? They say the first frame is always the worst, so let's hope my game improves throughout the afternoon. What I want to know is why my wife laughed at me. Hmph.

Desi waited until my turn ended to play. She tossed the ball down the lane granny-style and hit about half of the pins! She was so proud of herself, and so was I.

With the kids distracted, Less took her turn.

To be honest, she did very well. So far, she had the highest score, but those two pins taunted her. To be fair, that was the most annoying thing that could happen in bowling, heh.

The kids finally sorted themselves out and looked ready to play. Breanna stepped up to the lane, aiming to annihilate her mother. Less.

"These kids are going to murder us, aren't they," I said, sliding behind Less.

She laughed.

"It's looking that way."

[pushspacetocontinue]

"You're, you're welcome. I, I find it, I find it helps, it helps me some-sometimes, so I um, you know, thought, thought it, it might be, be helpful to, to you too," Russell said, with a small sheepish smile of his own then, "My, my nails used to, to be a real mess be-before I got, I got that."

His shoulders had stiffened once again when he had seen Doom's initial reaction, like she was thinking it might have seemed insulting or patronising. But at the acceptance, he managed to relax again. Maybe his small explanation on how it helped him sometimes had been enough.

Sure, he liked to offer it to others if he thought they might have needed it, but he had bought it for himself after seeing how such toys seemed to help others.

He then took another sip as he listened to Doom speak. Sadly, she was right. It was a thing that happened. When one group finally seemed to be accepted, another would become the main punching bag for the ignorant.

"Heh, I, I know it, it might not, it might seem like, like much but, but I still tell people ab-about you, you messing with, with that bell ringer at, at Christmas time," Russell said, "And my, my brother actually got the, the footage and, and shared it. People, people loved it. App-apparently she's, she's not planning to, to come back next year. I, I wish I, I had more, more guts to, to do things like, like that. I mean, with, with all this, this shit go-going on with, with Five, m-maybe I will if, if there's a, a next time..."

Although he was usually more about subtle revenge and sabotage, rather than full on fighting. Russell tugged at his sleeve then and took another sip. He really had to hurry up with it. At least it was about three quarters done now. But he couldn't help but wonder if he had something at the look she was giving him. Maybe she wasn't healing. Perhaps she couldn't heal from what had happened and all she could do was keep moving.

Just as he was about to apologise for being presumptuous, but then he nodded.

"And, and I'm glad you, you do," Russell said. But then his eyes widened a little, "Wait, wh-what? There, there is, there is some-something there? I uh, I thought he, he just. I dunno what, what he, he thought, really..."

Well, that was news to him. Something really was unusual.

"Um, uh..." Russell was quiet. Did he really want to know? Well, it would probably be a good idea to know if something was wrong, right? "Um, yes, I, I, I would pl-please... as, as long as, as it doesn't, doesn't um, it, it isn't a, any kind of, of bother for you."

Doom blinks at the proffering of the fidget cube, like she doesn't understand why it's being offered to her. Then she feels self-conscious after realizing it's probably because he noticed she was playing with the straw wrapper and assumed she needed something else to mess with. There's a moment where she doesn't want to take it from him, because she feels like she's been called out about something, like a child who's being offered a toy, like she is incapable of making her own decisions, like she's being patronized and looked down on by someone who carries around fidget cubes specifically to hand out to people he notices playing with straw wrappers because that's what he looks for in his day.

But she does take it from him, because she realizes that those are all old chips on her shoulder, leftover insecurities from things other people have said and done to her, and none of that is Russell's fault. Maybe the fidget cube is something he plays with himself, and he is merely offering it out of kindness, not out of looking down on her, and she is way overthinking all this.

"Thanks," she says quietly, giving a small, tight smile, both because she still feels a little awkward about it, and because he's talking and doesn't want to interrupt him.

In the end, she sighs. "I think you and I, having both experienced the kind of discrimination we have, it's just... exhausting seeing people continuously moving the goalpost, you know what I mean? It's always people excluding one group of people or another and I'm just tired of it. I'm done tolerating it and being quiet about it. If people like this Five guy are going to be loud about it, well, I'm going to be louder. And meaner," she huffs, flipping some of the tabs on the cube.

She kind of glances at Russell over the top of her glasses at his "I hope you're healing" comment, though.

He really has no idea.

When it comes to what happened to her and how she got her abilities, there is no healing. There is no coming back from it. Having her soul mangled the way it is... digested, to put it in technical terms... there is no way of fixing it, putting it back together, healing it. When all the universes in the multiverse end and all the corresponding shards in the In-Between disappear, she will be forced to remain there, in the In-Between, with the rest of the shattered souls, past the end of eternity, while the rest of the souls have moved on without her into the afterlife. Everyone she ever knew and loved, moved on without her, while she is surrounded by damaged souls just like her, screaming and crying out their anger and pain and devastation. There will be no escape. She had no choice in any of this, and all she gets in exchange for it is the ability to do some tricks, heal faster than normal, and live longer than anybody else.

What a crock.

"Well. Thanks. I manage just like anybody. Or try to," she says, looking back down at the cube. She then decides to change the subject - slightly. "Do you want to know why Five kept trying to get at your chest, Russell? Or rather, what I see going on with your chest? I can tell you what I see, if you like."

[marimayscarlett]

Hi, I'm Richard Zee Kay from Rammstein and Emigrate 🖤💅❤️🎸🧛‍♂️🚬🇩🇪

He is Richard 🚬 Zee 🖤 Kay 🤌🏻 and surely is...a lot sometimes 😌

Found this video of several unhinged snippets from his interviews and while this of course is just one aspect of this wonderful man, it really is iconic what Richard Zee Kay throws at innocent listeners sometimes 👀

Credits to the sweet tillka over on Tiktok 🫶🏻

[oneofthosenightbees]

Do you plan on making full body ref sheets for Champion of Chaos and Champion of Famine?

I might make one for the Goat and Seal someday, but for now I’m glad that I finally figured out a full ref for these two!

(some bonus stream doodles below)

[luck-of-the-drawings]

POOR GABRIEL MONTEZ! YOU NEVER SAW THIS COMING DID YOU? ALL YOU WANTED WAS POWER. SECURITY. SAFETY. & THATS EXACTLY WHAT YOU GOT! JUST IN EXCHANGE FOR YOUR BODY. LETS JUST HOPE NO ONE FUCKS THIS UP. LETS JUST HOPE YOU WONT HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE MESS.

[atiny-for-life]

Return of the Black Pirates?

So... this is how the last Diary Entry ended:

Wooyoung brought his hand to his heart and earnestly prayed: "It's as though they've all forgotten what it was like to be happy. Reignite our passion like it was back then, and let us be happy together again. Please."

By saying "back then", it could very well mean they'll be sent back to the Z-World or, alternatively, we've also very much established how much the A-World sucks throughout the Golden Hour series, so maybe Ateez will be leading the revolution in their own world, which would turn them into their world's Black Pirates.

Or perhaps Wooyoung phrasing his wish this specific way will transport the Black Pirates into the A-World and their roles will be reversed: they come in and see how much the A-World sucks and help Ateez change things through the power of music.

I think this would explain the return of the Black Pirates getup.

Loco?!

Going crazy is not unheard of for our boys. Last time we went crazy in a title track was in Crazy Form when they entered the dreamscape and used the Sopro in the final stage of the revolution.

Since the Sopro was now used again, it thus wouldn't surprise me if it somehow makes them all go bonkers to some degree as they sync up with each other's emotions. It'd certainly be a good excuse to make another crazy fun over-the-top music video.

I really do think they're hinting at the lyrics and dance moves for the next comeback with this stuff.

Breaking glass and getting spied on?

This is complete and utter speculation but... we haven't heard from Sciensalvar and Henry Jo at all since the Fever Epilogue Diary Entries.

We don't know if Henry was arrested after the car crash and his failed attempt to kill Wooyoung. We don't know how many Sciensalvar members were arrested after the flopped heist. All we know is that Ateez took the Cromer from the A-World and the reconstructed version of it and the Sopro are now in some cabinet with a glass door in Yeosang's villa.

As the plot is now presumably going to escalate again, wouldn't it thus make sense to reintroduce Henry and his cult following? Wouldn't it make sense for them to break into Yeosang's villa and try to steal the Cromer by smashing in the glass door?

Hongjoong stranded on the ocean?

As much as I adore the pirate theme and want it to come back, I don't know if we'll get there just yet. HOWEVER, Aniteez were on a boat and just cut the waves and got out to sail across the sand. So maybe he got to see an early preview or something?

Or maybe our dear captain just had a funky dream, was caught up in writing lyrics, or is messing with us for the heck of it. Either way, I'd love to be wrong and return to the pirate ship. Simply because of the Aesthetic™.

The Gray Tank Top

I don't think the gray tank top is a comeback spoiler, but nice matching wardrobe, fellas.

Stripping on stage

I don't think flashing their torsos on stage is a comeback spoiler either, but I'm glad they had fun on stage lmao

Okay, conspiracy theory time

Disclaimer: I am not a lore-tiny and I hope any lore-tinys on the dash will chime in, but the ever-observant and increasingly-unhinged folks on atiny twt are seeing everything as potential spoilers for the cb.

I thought I would do a round-up of what I've seen so far.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Mr. Cube I have a question of utmost importance for you as literally the only Magneto main I know of. HOW... DO YOU PLAY HIM. Do you have any tips. I want to look at him.

So You Want To Be Pretty OK As Magneto In Marvel Rivals

(3 March, 2025) a beginner's guide written by your resident magneto main snapperoni because now i get an excuse to talk about marvel rivals magneto extensively and in gross detail

*this guide will be treating you as though you have never used magneto in your life and will go into extreme depths at explaining his abilities as well as what it means to be a tank player. if you feel confident in understanding his abilities, feel free to skip the abilities section and head straight to the bottom for talk on strategy and tips

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

TLDR ROLE INTRODUCTION ABILITIES Melee/Greatsword Primary Fire/Iron Volley Secondary Fire/Mag Cannon Metallic Curtain Metal + Iron Bulwark [TEAM-UP ABILITY] Metallic Fusion [ULTIMATE] Meteor M [PASSIVE] Magnetic Descent TIPS AND STRATEGIES Iron Volley + Mag Cannon Combo Bubble and Shield Usage Two Tanks Are Better Than One Metallic Fusion How to Use Meteor M CLOSING THOUGHTS

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

Too Long, Didn't Read:

Magneto is a poke tank meant to be played at medium-to-close range whose priorities should lie in acting as a living wall for his teammates. preserving his abilities mostly for himself yet sharing them when the situation calls for it.

While his priorities should be defense-based, when it comes to going on the offensive you want him to target strategists and duelists and only engage in tanks if the rest of the team is with you. As far as aiming goes, he's very friendly and isn't hitscan reliant, and you should find yourself picking up his aim style easily with time.

He's not a super flashy character like the rest of the cast, but he's far from useless and, at this moment in time, stands as one of Rival's best tank options alongside Doctor Strange and Hulk, whether you're running two tanks or running solo.

Overall, the two-star difficulty he is awarded is very fitting: available to newcomers to pick up and start playing, however offers a little something extra to those with a better understanding of him; he's generally straight forward as far as tanks go, but picking up a few extra tips and tidbits never hurt anyone. Except your enemies, of course.

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Role Introduction: Vanguard/Tank

As a vanguard unit, Magneto's top priority should be taking the brunt of the team's damage on the front line and should give the team either opportunities to push forward, or shoot behind the cover you provide.

With 650HP (without shields), while he has average health for a vanguard, his defensive kit allows him to be a formidable wall when his abilities are used tactfully and you work in tandem with your support/s. Unlike dive tanks like Venom and Captain America, Magneto is much more stationary, and his kit rewards playing defensively and close to the team.

A common misconception with FPS games is that your top priority is to get the most eliminations as possible and to exclusively hunt for the next kill (unless that is the objective of the specific map you're playing on, then kill away). There are several errors with this philosophy: for starters, you begin to neglect the objective, which can lead to a game loss.

The amount of kills you have won't matter if you stay off point and the other team takes the objective. No matter what anyone says, don't stress about your eliminations so long as you know you're protecting your team, securing the point, and overall providing value to the game (though it is important to be able to land a shot....).

Moreover, playing under this philosophy is a sure-fire way to not only get you killed and remove your time away from the field (which should truly be your game philosophy: die as little as possible), but specifically as a tank you'll bring your teammates down with you as they lose what should be a reliable line of defense. As a tank, you should be opening up opportunities for your teammates to get the eliminations and protecting your strategist/support units.

All of that said, tank is not for the passive player: as tank, you need to be firm about the playing field being yours and making sure the enemy team knows they're going to have a hard time taking it from you. Fitting for Magneto, really.

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

Ability Review

Before dissecting Magneto's abilities, I will preface and say I calculated his damage using Doctor Strange (600HP) and Scarlet Witch (250HP) as damage dummies. The numbers I have here may not be accurate, so to circumvent this potential error I'll describe how many shots it takes to use a specific skill in order to eliminate certain enemies.

Melee/Greatsword

Attack speed: ~1 second

Damage Output: 40 (About seven swings to KO a 250HP enemy)

Utilizing Doom Bot remains, Magneto swings with a grandiose blade. The problem with this sword is it's not only one of- if not the- slowest melees in the game as of right now, but it has very little to compensate for its poor speed. Should very rarely be used in place of a well-aimed primary fire.

Primary Fire/Iron Volley

Reload time: ~1 Second

Damage Output:

Direct Damage: 80 (About four shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Edge Damage: 40 (About seven shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Fall-Off Damage: 40 (About seven shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Magneto's Iron Volley asks that you lead/predict your shots. Moreover, his Iron Volley will explode automatically once reaching 25M(eters), whether it hits a target or not. At 25M, your shot will no longer do 80 damage, but will do half instead. As noted before, Magneto's primary fire will explode when it comes into contact with a wall, floor, or enemy. As such, the explosion has a small hitbox- doing just about half of a regular, direct shot. Because of this, you shouldn't be too stressed if you're not the greatest at aiming: Magneto's primary fire makes up for any minor imperfections and is rather generous so long as you're in the general area of your target.

Secondary Fire/Mag-Cannon

Reload Time (Without Bulwark Aid):

One Ring: ~4 Seconds

Two Rings: ~8 Seconds

Full Power: ~12 Seconds

Damage Output:

One Ring: 40 (About seven shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Two Rings: 80 (About four shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Three Rings/Full Power: 100 (About three shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Edge Damage: N/A

Similar to Iron Volley, you will need to lead your shot when firing off a Mag-Cannon. Unlike his primary fire however, Magneto's secondary fire will keep going until it hits a wall or enemy. Moreover, it doesn't suffer any damage fall-off, nor does it offer any edge damage. How many rings you possess show both on Magneto physically, but they can also be tracked by the purple arrows below your crosshair. As a bonus, the Mag-Cannon momentarily stuns and pushes back any targets it hits which can either cancel an enemy's advancement, or open the floor for a follow-up attack.

Metallic Curtain

Recharge Time: 3 Seconds

Replenish-to-Full Time: 10 Seconds

Duration: 1.5 Seconds

Shield HP: N/A

Putting up an impenetrable wall just shy of two seconds allows Magneto and his allies to pull back safely from oncoming damage or provide just enough cover to make an adequate push forward. Not to mention, this indestructible wall scoffs in the face of any ult coming your way. Once the shield has been spent, a white bar will appear on the right side of your crosshair. This bar indicates how long you can hold your shield up the next time you use it before it's fully charged, where then the bar will fade. Finally, you can put your shield down early. While this means you'll have to wait the full three seconds for it to be available again, this means your shield will have more durability the next time you use it.

Metal Bulwark + Iron Bulwark

Recharge Time: 12 seconds

Duration: ~3 Seconds

Shield HP: To be calculated, but it does exist: be cautious of the damage you and your teammates take.

Magneto can spring a magnetic bubble over either himself or an ally. The bubble not only negates any incoming damage and protects allies from Scarlet Witch's Reality Erasure, but once the bubble has popped or faded Magneto will regain some Mag Cannon rings relative to the damage absorbed.

[TEAM-UP ABILITY] Metallic Fusion/Chaos

Recharge Time: 30 seconds

Duration: 10 seconds

Damage Output:

Direct Damage: 100 (About six shots to KO a 600HP enemy)

Edge Damage: N/A

Being his only team-up ability as of writing this post, this father-daughter duo ability allows Magneto to fire at an impressive 100 damage per second as he finally finds use in his otherwise-inadequate greatsword, adding a truly dangerous ability to his typically defensive kit. It's as though every shot taken was a Mag Cannon with a wider hitbox- however this hitbox varies from being vertical or horizontal and thus can be a little unpredictable if you aren't aiming carefully. Is used best at medium-close range, but don't neglect its potential to snipe enemies from across the map.

[ULTIMATE] Meteor M

Duration: 4 Seconds

Magnetic Range:

Lowest to the ground: 30M

Nearest to the skybox: 5M

Damage Output (No Charge):

Edge: 150 (About over half of a 250HP enemy's health bar)

Direct: 300 (About half of a 600HP enemy's health bar)

Damage Threshold Before Explosion: To be calculated, however can be tracked by the counter below the crosshair

Automatically floating into the air, Magneto stays true to his name and acts as a magnet for all incoming projectiles; extracting enemy projectiles to build the power of his metal meteor and granting Magneto the ability to float freely, Magneto's ultimate doubles both as an offensive and defensive ability. You're able to see your magnetic field + blast radius by observing the purple ring on the ground. Remember: you can rise and descend freely so long as your ultimate is up, use this wisely. I affectionately refer to the meteor as "rock", however this ultimate has garnered a reputation for not doing as much as some believe it should. Hopefully this guide helps you in ensuring your meteors make the impact they deserve.

[PASSIVE] Magnetic Descent

Manipulating the magnetic field around him, Magneto decreases his fall speed by 50% when holding the jump button. Nuff said. People have a hard time aiming up in FPS's so if you find yourself with the opportunity to float around a bit (especially using Rocket's jump pack) then by all means terrorize from above as you descend.

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

Tips and Strategy

Iron Volley + Mag Cannon Combo

A basic tip, but a valuable one nonetheless. To eliminate an enemy with 250HP- assuming you land all your shots directly- it takes about 3 seconds, four shots. Again, this is assuming you hit all your shots and if the enemy doesn't regenerate any health. Alternatively, utilizing the PRIMARY-SECONDARY-PRIMARY combo allows you to not only stun an opponent with your secondary fire, but it should take nearly half of the time spent then if you only used primary fires, so make sure to use your secondary shots responsibly. Remember that your primary fire has, at max, 25M of utility: afterwards, it won't be able to do much. Fine for picking off low-health enemies while they're fleeing, but don't expect to hit any enemies close to the skybox or far away from you without moving in a little bit first- that's what your secondary fire's for. As Magneto, your targets should be squishy characters like support and DPS. Because of his relatively-slow DPS, Magneto doesn't fair well against other tanks and shouldn't engage in 1v1's if possible (they're not unwinnable, but they could be a great distraction and leave your team vulnerable).

While I'm here, I'm just going to stress to not use your melee. Like. At all. You're much better just using your primary fire. At most you can set it up as Hulk's turning into Bruce if you'd like but that should really be it: your primary fire is much more effective than your sword.

Bubble and Shield Usage

As a tank, you want to act as a wall for your teammates, and this can be done effectively by being more conservative and selfish with your shields: you are the wall. Remember. Draw the enemy's fire towards you by being an irritant. While Magneto is healthy in shields, remember you have natural cover from stage obstacles and structures as well. Magneto can be regarded as a 'poke' tank: a tank who is meant to attack sporadically and in short bursts. He is best played at a medium distance from the enemy front line and to not to be wholly damage focused when he is much more defense focused. 'Poking' the enemy from behind structures is not only a great way to conserve your abilities, but it utilizes Magneto's primary and secondary fires well due to their moderately-slow start up and overall DPS, letting him take cover when need be.

While attacking on the front line, once you notice your health start to dip below half or you feel as though the crowd is about to overwhelm you, raise your Metallic Curtain and step back to give yourself some air. Bubble yourself as a last resort if you still need to back up- be sure to fire your Mag Cannon beforehand so you'll immediately have it replenished if your bubble pops during your escape. It's important to remember Magneto has zero movement abilities and it takes 5 seconds for him to traverse 30M: it doesn't sound too bad, but when there's a large crowd in front of you, you'll wish he could move faster. Don't push too far ahead, and be aware of exits around you.

That being said, be conscious of your teammates. This is a TEAM game after all. We've covered Magneto and Scarlet Witch's team-up ability before and how valuable it is. As a result, you'll need to learn to play well with any Scarlet Witches on your team, and this means having your bubble ready to protect her when she decides to ult (this also means making sure to check the scoreboard occasionally for your teammate's ult charge as well as, again, being ability-conscious of those around you). Only when she's in immediate danger do you bubble her, not before: this ensures the bubble lasts long enough for her to get her ult off (or there's a better chance it'll be executed, anyhow). If you feel as though you won't be able to react fast enough, then you can try to bubble her beforehand; don't stress out about timing the bubble perfectly, just make sure she's protected. In general, bubble your duelists when they're deep in a crowd to give them a chance to escape (but don't stress out about protecting them. After all, there's only so much you can do before you put yourself in danger or use a bubble inappropriately when someone else could have better benefited from it). Besides Wanda, it's naturally best to look after your support units and to make sure they're not being overwhelmed. Don't helicopter them and neglect the rest of the team, but just make sure to check on them every now and then. Ultimately, your bubble priority should be Supports -> Yourself -> Others. After all, your support/s can't help you or the team if they're dead.

Two Tanks Are Better Than One

Magneto has the fortitude to be able to tank by himself comfortably, however the rare days you find yourself partnered up with a second tank, know these are the days you can be more generous with your bubbles and shields to your teammates. Your second tank will help cover with you and should make it easier for you to escape the crowd when need be, so bubble-hogging is less of a necessity. Make sure to help your tank too if they're in a bind and they're out of defenses/movement abilities (but again, not at the detriment of yourself or your supports: once more, Magneto can tank by himself if need be so long as you use your abilities carefully).

Metallic Fusion

It's tempting to want to use Magneto and Scarlet Witch's team-up ability the second you have it, however it's best to save it for crowd control. That being said, once it is active, make the absolute most of it: there's no consequence to holding down the primary fire, so just let loose and go crazy (with reason, of course: don't run in and get yourself killed and don't forget your teammates).

How to Use Meteor M

Someone asked me this midmatch once and I scrambled to come up with an answer. Both because the round was about to start in five seconds but also because I truly didn't know the answer at the time. The longer I've played though, I think I finally have the answer- or a better one besides "spray and pray" at least. As noted before, Meteor M is a fickle ultimate and how you use it is dependent on the situation (many such cases about anything, honestly). At times, you'll want to play higher to the skybox to ensure your meteor doesn't explode immediately. Alternatively, a quick throw of the meteor might do the trick in some situations where it's both safe to build meteor charge close to the ground, and the faster you remove a target/s, the better. This is also dependent on how many projectiles are being thrown out onto the field: if you're in a situation with predominantly melee opponents, it's best to use your meteors to single-out troublesome duelists and supports- there's little chance your meteor's going to exceed 30+ charge in those kinds of matches. Generally, you'll want to use it to counter support ults like Cloak + Dagger and Luna Snow (NOTE: a raw meteor will NOT KO an ulting Luna. You need at least 30+ charge before a direct hit can KO her. Cloak + Dagger can be KO'd from the get-go with a direct hit). Don't be afraid to throw out a meteor if you see a cluster of low health/squishy enemies without any defenses, however. Just remember it's ok to hold onto an ult if it means it gets greater value later on, and that you shouldn't hunt exclusively for team wipes. If you find yourself popping ult and the crowd's dispersed, support units should be your default priority (unless there's a duelist/DPS unit using their ultimate: take them out instead if you can). Initiating Meteor against Punisher's Final Judgement can be tricky if you aren't fast enough, as Frank's ammunition will quickly push your meteor to its limit. If you don't throw your meteor fast enough, you could potentially risk your teammates their lives and waste an ultimate in the process. Use your meteor against Punisher with caution. Similar notes to be said about Star-Lord's Galactic Legend, only now your problem is also throwing at a flying enemy. If he's close enough to your 25M range, I personally would shoot him down with a regular primary/secondary as his DPS isn't nearly as grand as Punisher's and a meteor could be superfluous. Otherwise, focus on getting to cover and protecting your vulnerable teammates. You'll especially want to be wary of enemy tanks and their shields as they'll without a doubt cancel out your ult with ease, more specifically enemy Magneto's and Doctor Stranges. Be cautious that Captain America can deflect your ultimate, though I personally have had minimal trouble with Captains. In general, you should track enemy ability usage, but especially the prior two if you hope to pop your rock soon.

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Closing Thoughts

Ultimately, improving at Marvel Rivals in general comes with time and willingness to acknowledge you're bad at the game sometimes but to not let that stop you from playing who you wanna play, whether you're playing as Magneto or not. While you can do your best to improve your aim in Rivals' practice area, things like game sense are something that can only really be accumulated through experience and playing the game.

Sometimes I watch back old games/moments of mine to figure out where I could've gone wrong to improve next time, but you don't HAVE to do that: just play the game, have fun, and love Magneto.

And throw a rock at every support you see for me okbyethankyouforreading

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Bonus: My Credentials so you can determine if i'm reliable or not. or something.

[PS: every hero Not Mags/Wanda/Adam is purely my brother i swear im loyal]