#got distracted by the word jeopardise

[hydraulicfluidinmyteapot]

no one should ever worry about their house fic being out of character when the season four finale exists btw

[mercurycft]

𝐔𝐆𝐇 — 𝐋.𝐖

## reader x leah williamson !! enemies to lovers

hiiiiiii pookies! hope you enjoy this little angsty smutty fic! hopefully ill have some more bits out for you guys over the next few weeks - life is just crazing atm and i spend 99% of my time at work :( anywayyyys - i hope you enjoy this! its a long one - love always - RG x

masterlist here

contains : NOT PROOF READ BC I CBA!!!! angst, enemies to lovers, arrogant!leah, top!leah, oral r receiving, fingering r receiving, caught red handed, foul language.

3.5k words

it's a hot may monday in london - the type of hot that sits at the back of your throat and grabs at your skin harshly. today, you wake up to the day’s first rays of sun peaking through the blinds, a stark contrast to the usual grey, early morning skies. you sigh into the space around you, already feeling sticky and uncomfortable as you roll over, your hand brushing against the empty space in your bed and reaching for your phone to silence your alarm.

you get up - against your will, and begin to get ready for your day. shuffling about your flat, nerves brewing in the pit of your stomach at the mere thought of having to walk into work today, you try to distract your mind. taking your time for your usual routine - overly aware that you have given yourself more time than needed.

it’s your first day back to work. your first full and proper day back in london, and you already find yourself wishing it was the last. you loved your job - loved the people you had met; the people who had become some of your closest friends in the entire world. you worked hard, got your degree and that led you here.

well, truth be told you like most of the people you've met.

leah williamson, however, did not fit into that category. she was arrogant, dismissive. the type of woman that always seemed to be looking down her nose at you - like she was better than you. you tried your hardest to like her; to look past her abrupt and oftentimes rude exterior and personality but you just couldn't.

the way she spoke to you, how she held herself whilst she walked around the grounds - god it had you riled up. nerves raging at the mere thought of being in the same room as her for a prolonged period of time. but alas, you had to remain professional.

you couldn't jeopardise your job, your income - to spite a woman who somehow seems to make it her life mission to aggravate and annoy you. so, instead, you smiled sweetly. spoke extra calmly, all in attempted to be the bigger person.

she didn't make it easy for you with her tanned skin and deep blue eyes - the accent which rolled off her lips gracefully and caused a smile to threaten at your lips every time she spoke.

you weren't the best at staying focused, clearly. finding yourself staring absentmindedly into the bathroom mirror, toothbrush still between your lips whilst the thought of her trickled through the depths of your mind. disgust and attraction tangoed in your stomach; rattling around your organs until you finally ripped your eyes away and continued to get ready.

an hour later you were in the carpark, head leant against the headrest and hands still fixed at the 10 and 2 positions. you spent the next few minutes preparing yourself - taking deep breaths and assuring yourself you would be calm and collected from the minute you walked in.

so you were, armed with your bag slung over your shoulder and a ring-binder tucked beneath your arm you entered - smiling at the few familiar faces around you; all kitted out in their newest and finest training kits. they were earlier than usual, some of them having arrived last night and a couple this morning.

in an ideal world, you would've had time to settle into your day before she arrived. but this is clearly not an ideal world. after exchanging pleasantries with the girls loitering in the foyer, you said a brief and collective goodbye and headed towards your office.

through the double doors, round to the right and through the hallway. it wasn't far, but by the time you had rounded the corner your shoulder had began to ache from your bag and the folder had started to jab into your side. you knew the route like th eback of your hand, having wandered through these halls on numerous occasions after the last few years.

so, your head stayed tucked into your phone. too focused on the screen below you to notice the body slumped against the wall beside your office door, or the way it shifted to face you as you neared.

"you're late." you knew who it was before your eyes even lifted to meet theirs.

"williamson, to what do i owe this pleasure?" you exhaled, rolling your eyes out of view when you turned to unlock your door.

"you're late."

"your watch is fast."

this was usually how your interactions went, you tried to keep them to a minimum - but when you did talk, this was pretty much the usual.

"have you had a chance to look over the new schedules yet? i've had them emailed to you." she continued, paying to mind or attention to anything previously spoken.

"oh yes, please come in." you sneered as she followed into the room behind. you flicked on the lights and put your folder down on the desk, along with your bag. they hit the wood with a thud and you turned around to face her as she continued speaking.

"well, did you?"

"considering you just watched me walk in, what do you think?" you threw back with a raised eyebrow and a wide expression.

"arsehole." she muttered as she left, turning away from you like a toddler and almost swinging the door off of its hinges on her way out.

"oh captain williamson how you have hurt me. prick." you whispered below your breath sarcastically, face screwed up in a childish manner as you slumped into your seat with a grumble.

it wasn't always like this, bitter and short. there was a time when you and leah actually managaed to tolerate eachother, you were almost friends. then, when leah suffered her ACL injury - the dynamic did a full flip. she was knocked by the full force of her harsh, new reality. she was angry at the world, angry that the one thing she loved most was ripped from beneath her feet in a matter of seconds.

you, in charge of her recovery, were the closest and clearly most obvious thing to blame - so she did. every set back, every minor issue - was thrown onto you and your apparant incompetance to care for your players, your team. you paid it no mind, plagued with sympathy for her.

you had assumed once she recovered and her time spent rebuilding her strength was completed, that maybe she was ease up. that she would stop the snide comments or glaring stares across the room. you assumed wrong. instead she insisted on acting like a child, everyday. at first you tried to rise above, not letting her have an affect on you but everytime she spoke you felt your stomach physiclaly recoiling; twisting with anger. so eventually, you came to terms with it and you stopped taking it.

——————

the day drags on, your various appointments come and go and you can finally feel the end of the day nearing. people had started popping their heads in to say goodbye's and exchange see you tomorrow's and now it was just you and a few others who remained in the building. today had dragged and the thought of your bed was the only thing keeping you going. it was nearly 6pm when you had finally finished the reports and notes you needed to complete and just as you start to gather up your things the door ahead of you flies open.

“are you taking the piss?” leah. you inhale deeply at the sound of her voice bellowing through the room - careful to remind yourself of where you are.

“hm?” you dont even look up, seemingly unbothered by her presence and still flicking through the documents and papers littered across your desk. you can feel her fume from across the space, the humorous thought of her literally bursting into flames threatens a pinched smile to tug at your lips.

“i’ve been ringing you since lunch!”

“oh, i haven’t noticed.”

“why do you have to make it your daily goal to fuck me off, y/n!” she pauses and a weighted silence brews between you. “funnily enough it’s actually your job to pick up your phone!” she continues, hands waving about beside her. “especially when it’s me calling you! don’t you think that when you see my name flash up, that maybe you should fucking answer. your. pho-”

“no, leah!” your hands hit the desk palm flat with a smack, the fire behind your eyes fuelled by the sting across the skin. she’s loud, but you can be louder. “i dont, because funnily enough, i don’t answer to you!”

after starting you couldn’t stop, eight months of tongue biting and insult swallowing has come back to bite you in the back side - and now, the words came vomiting out with no sight of when they will stop.

“you don’t pay my wages!” you hold one finger up, pointing at her viciously. “you don’t get to come in here and bark orders at me!” quick breath. “you may be ‘captain williamson’ out there, on that pitch.” your finger moves to point out the window at the grassy area beyond the building. “but in here, through that door-�� it moves to punctuate your sentence. “you are just leah! and i don’t know what gives you the right to come in here, day in day out and berate me!”

"you know thats-"

"all i do is listen to you speak, and comment and now fucking shout at me! in my office! and i am sick. sick! of hearing your voice ringing in my ears because you think you are better than everyone else! well earth to leah - the sun doesn't shine out of your fucking arse!"

too consumed by the anger radiating between you and the words flying off your tongue, you hadn't noticed how you had now moved from the safety of your desk. instead, you stood no more than a metre before her. skin on fire as you stared into her eyes and let all of the compressed anger bubble to the surface.

you both shared a moment of hefty quiet, chests heaving in sync as you collected your thoughts and your mouth opened again.

"you are rude." a step closer. "you are arrogant." another. "you are nasty." one more. "and you are truly, utterly and entirely a giant pain in my arse." you had travelled closer than intended during your rant, and now you stood inches from her. jaw clenched and breath shuddering when your eyes levelled once more.

the rage you felt overpowered every ounce of logic left in your brain, and you felt a wave of disgust crash over you when you found yourself softening at the smell of her sweet, vanilla perfume.

you were adamant this time, this was the last time she spoke to you like that. of the last time she spoke to you at all, you didn't really care.

"you're a bitch." she spat back into the small and enclosed space between you. you felt your breath catch in your throat as you realise that there may well be a possibility she's right.

maybe its the adrenaline pumping through your veins and intoxicating your bloodstream, or maybe its the way her hair has started to fall in front of her eyes as she heaves for breath in front of you, but t he air feels electric, and you sense the same awareness in her.

without a word exchanged, she steps forward and reaches for you. you don't know what you expected - but instead of pushing you away she pulls you towards her. you stumble slightly, unable to shake off her grip and leaning into her fingertips unintentionally.

there's a pause, a shift.

the air surrounding you suddenly too thick to inhale, grazing the back of your throat as your lungs are deprived of their need for oxygen. her eyes bore into your own, and you're sure, just for a split second - a wicked smirk pulls her lips into a lopsided and overly cocky line.

then she's on you, her lips against yours - fierce, unforgiving. you move with no real method, lips fighting against each other and teeth clashing. her teeth pull against your bottom lip roughly and you hiss, stomach contorting at the feel of her smile against the now sensitive skin of your lips.

you shouldn't want this, this shouldn't be happening. the little voice inside your head, the voice of reason is silenced when her hands move to your waist - gripping at the fabric of your top and leading you backwards towards your desk. your lips don't leave hers, worried if you come up for air you'll miss even a moment of this.

the edge of your desk hits the back of your thighs, and shes quick to hoist you up to perch on the surface. your legs spread and her frame holding ground between your thighs, your hands grabbing at whatever skin they could find as she kissed you feverishly.

her hands roam under your shirt and caress the skin of your back roughly - her soft skin juxtaposed with the way the pads of her fingertips graze across the small area. you busy your hands by sliding up the back of her thighs, feeling the skin uncovered by the shirts she adorns. you drag your nails against her urgently, encouraged by the way she moans into your mouth, her hands gripping your back and pulling your front against her.

begrudgingly breaking the kiss, she trails kisses along your jaw, nipping at your ear roughly with a grunt, and then down your neck. she can taste the salty sweetness of the skin, her own stomach flipping when you arch your neck to give her better access. your hands now wrapped around the back of her neck and twisting into the short hairs that reside there. your breath comes in short bursts as she continues the attack on your skin, hitching when you feel her teeth graze along the skin of your throat and her tongue following in their path to soothe the area.

she pauses as you gasp, her fingertips finding the hem of your top and toying with it before she lifts it up and over your head. you hear a grumble rise from the depths of her throat at the sight of you tucked into a pale lace bra, her hands quick to tug the fabric down and expose your breasts - the wave of air causing your nipples to harden.

you pull her down towards you, encouraging her mouth as she took one in. swirling her tongue around it and sucking gently. your chest rose into her, begging her for more when she bit down softly - a jagged cry slipping past your lips. she continued like this for a few more minutes, working you up with her tongue and fingers as she flicked and alternated between your nipples.

your bliss was interrupted by her hand flat against your collarbones, pushing you down until your back laid flat against your desk - not caring for the way the sheets crumpled beneath the weight of you.

she didn't give you time to catch your breath, instead she continued her path of kisses and sloppy tongue movements down the length of your body until she knelt on the carpet below you. her thumbs dipped into the waist of your trousers and underwear and began to tug them down your legs, her mouth attached to every part of the skin she revealed until she had them pulled down and pooling around your ankles.

she takes the moment to admire you from this angle, the way your skin creases and your chest rises and falls. your hair littering the space on the desk around you and hands firmly clenched beside your frame.

you're too concerned with studying the ceiling above you to catch the smirk settling across her lips again when she notices how you glisten in the light - her face level with your very evident desperation.

the fingers gripping your thighs were warm and strong as if she was trying to permanently transfer her fingertips onto your skin. her hot breath made your skin tingle and your core ache, you lifted your hips up towards her, pussy clenched tightly around the nothingness as your mind filled with vulgar images of her lips wrapped around you, her tongue on you.

as if she could read your mind, her tongue darted out to lick you lightly - her arousal clouding her mind when you moaned, pressing your hips forward into the source of the friction, begging her for more.

"fuck," she practically purred, her voice low and sultry.

she gave in again for just a second, allowing her tongue to lay flat against your clit - savouring the way she felt your clit pulse and throb against her tongue before pulling away and swallowing you entirely.

you don't have time to complain before she's on you again, her tongue teasing your sensitive clit. circling the nerves gently before pulling away with a little suck and then diving back in to repeat the process again. you try to stay quiet, hand laid against your mouth in an attempt to muffle the noises that you couldn't fight away. the odd moan or whimper tumbling from your lips cautiously.

completely consumed by the way her tongue flicked across your bundle of nerves, you hadn't noticed when she removed one of her hands from your thigh. you did notice, however, when you felt her push a single finger into you - her pussy clenching around her digit and a guttural moan slipping past the skin of your hand.

your body felt as if it had been set ablaze, every nerve ending on fire, every muscle taut and aching for release. when she feels your relax around her, she begins to move her finger in and out of you, slowly at first, then with increasing speed and urgency. her tongue continues its relentless assault on your clit, circling and teasing until you're sure you'll go insane from the need. your hips arch off the bed and your hand grips the edge of the desk beside you, as you meet her thrusts with your own rhythm, breath coming in ragged gasps.

you reach down, gripping her hair tightly, urging her to go deeper, faster. you feel her moan against your skin, her breath hot as it fans across the exposed skin of your pussy. you feel her finger curl, hitting that spot deep inside you that sends shudders of pleasure through your entire body. you're so close, so impossibly close, but you need more. you need her.

you arch your back, lifting your hips closer to her touch as you beg, "harder, please." the words are barely out of your mouth when you feel her press a second finger inside you, stretching you, filling you in a way that feels both foreign and achingly familiar.

her fingers move in tandem with her tongue, curling and thrusting in a perfect rhythm with the hand between your legs. you're lost in the sensation, your mind a haze of pleasure and need. too lost to remember where you are as the coil in your stomach tightens and twists at the pressure of her fingers inside you.

as if sensing your rapidly approaching release, she leans back, her breath hot against your leg. chin glistening with your arousal. "that's it, love. let go."

her fingers move faster when she feels your legs start to shake beside her head as you feel yourself begin to unravel, the tension coiling in your belly finally giving way to a powerful orgasm that sweeps through you in waves. your body convulses, your muscles tensing and releasing as pleasure ripples through you.

you cry out her name, your voice raw and desperate, as you arch your back and come apart in her hands. she murmurs words of encouragement, her breath warm against your skin, her fingers relentless in their pace. and then, finally, she slows, withdrawing her fingers from you, allowing you to catch your breath.

you both sit in an oddly comfortable silence together, inhales mirrored between you both whilst you try and navigate what just happened.

before either of you can speak, or even figure out what to say - the silence is interrupted by a knock against the door beyond you both. you raise up into a sitting position almost quicker than the speed of sound, leah lifting into a standing position between your still-spread legs with a finger pressed against her lips to silence you and wide eyes.

neither of you speaks, trying to breathe silently at the revelation of a body on the other side of the door.

"by the way, this office is not soundproof.." the voice speaks out through the door, their words barely coherent through their laughs. the pair of you now embarrassed and wanting the earth to open and swallow you whole at the presence of your friends outside the room.

"shit.."

"shit.."

[jeanbie]

WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU #3 ★ masterlist.

pairing: armin x reader

genre: fake dating au, modern au | wc: 1.5k

⏤ Imagine the first time they say I love you. Imagine them bursting forth in the middle of a laugh, childish in their enthusiasm but shocking enough to silence all sound.

There are times where Armin looks back on his life and regrets it all.

Times when he cheated on tests, times when he overreacted in an argument with his friends. Times when he had pushed his grandfather further and further away from him, and times when he stupidly, stupidly fell in love with his childhood friend.

Although at the time, it was something that even he couldn't have even predicted. To be frank, Armin can’t quite remember the exact moment when he came down to the conclusion that he was in love. Love. He had never expected to fall in love so soon, let alone with you.

Love- something that is enormous and unavoidable. Something that makes up a whole relationship, something that leaves butterflies swarming in your stomach, something that leaves you with a warm sensation pooling out into a smile every time they walk into a room you’re already in. His parents had been in love, once. The thought of him falling in love, though…it terrified him.

But, it had happened. So unpredictably and unexpectedly that Armin didn’t know what had hit him until it was all too late, and at entirely the wrong time. His handful of regrets surrounding you started to pile up, reaching high for the sky, all from the moment you first stepped into his life. The moment you asked if you could sit by him during lunch, to the moment you kissed his knee better when he fell off the swing at the park. Armin knows for certain this time that the moment where things started to go wrong was the moment- the exact hour, minute, second- that you had uttered those words that haunt him: “I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend.”

Originally, he had refused. To jeopardise a friendship like that…he couldn't risk losing you to it. But, noticing the way your eyes seemed to beg without words, and the way you meant what you said about him being the only one good enough to pretend with, the only one you want to pretend with. The boy doesn’t know what came over him but all that matters was that he said yes, without ever really doubting it again.

Until today.

A bundle of blankets surrounded the lovers as you sit, comfortably, in the lap of your ‘boyfriend’. A cheek snug against your temple, you shift slightly to angle yourself perfectly towards the television at the front of the room. Across sits Eren and his girlfriend of three years and Jean and his girlfriend of two months. Both couples watch cautiously from the corners of their eyes as Armin raises both arms to let you settle between his legs, a perplexed look upon his features, a crimson heat on his cheeks.

“You’re so uncomfortable,” you huff, finally setting with your body sideways between him. As he raises a brow to argue, you add: “you’re too squishy that everywhere I move to, I’m too comfortable that it makes me uncomfortable.”

He sighs, “you’re so picky. Sit somewhere else then-”

“Why would I want to sit anywhere else?” you respond. “When I’ve got my boyfriend as my body pillow?”

A small, almost smug, smile appears on Armin’s lips as you settle once again. “That’s true. Sorry, Eren…anime body pillows are so 2013-”

“That was one time!” the friend argues, and Armin is partly distracted whilst you settle between his legs, a hand gingerly placed on his leg as you push yourself up, rubbing all the wrong places, hair in his mouth, feet touching underneath the blanket.

“Guys,” Jean proposes, “we should get some snacks for the movie. Pizza, anybody?”

A chorus of cheers erupts in the room as the boy rises to a stand, followed by his lover who mutters something about the menu on the counter. Then, Eren’s girlfriend rises from the couch to rush after Jean- “please get pineapple pizza!” “who the FUCK eats pineapple on pizza?”, followed by Eren standing up and yelling, “me!”-. as if by coincidence, the room begins to empty until it is only you and Armin, alone, in the living room. You barely register the fact, still trying to get comfortable.

“God damn, have you got the TV remote wedged down your pants?” you joke, and Armin whines, holding your hips as you rise and move to a less compromising position.

“Stop moving and it might go away!” he pesters. “It’s embarrassing for me, too, you know.”

“I’m sure,” you sigh. “It’s poking me, Armin-”

Armin can’t help but laugh and taunt- “Just like good old times.”

Eren’s girlfriend and the man himself peek their heads around the kitchen doorframe, watching as you scoff and turn in his lap. She squeezes Eren’s arm with anticipation when you almost straddle Armin’s lap and his hands, as if on instinct, come to hold your thighs, a grin on his face, his eyes bright and wide.

“You did not just say that,” you seethe, jokingly of course, and he knows this. It's a show. The grin only widens and he pouts, pawing your thighs with his hands.

“I think I did, babe,” he answers quietly. For a split second, a shocked look masks your features and Armin has minimal time for it to give him a kick. Rather quickly, he finds himself laughing as your lips upturn to a wide-mouthed grin, a baffled yet amused scoff leaving where your voice should. He pauses, although he can’t move anyways, in his movements as you turn in his lap, crotch over his thighs, grasping at his hands which extend over his head as he attempts to move away.

“You’re such an asshole,” you mutter, and Armin lets out a large laugh, releasing his hands from your fists and quickly, and tactfully, embraces you with his arms, grinning up at you. To be honest, he hasn’t actually realised the raunchiness of your position on his thigh, but, even if he had noticed, he wouldn’t be the first to complain.

“You love it,” he reminds sweetly.

“No, I don’t.”

“Sure you do!”

“Nope.”

“Come on, don’t lie. It’s just us here.”

“Armin,” you murmur, “the guys are in the other room…”

He hums thoughtfully, “they can’t hear us.” But he totally knows Eren and his girlfriend are watching from the kitchen doorframe. To them, this only looks like an ordinary scene between the two of you- play fighting isn’t limited to couples and trust me, Eren has seen this happen plenty of times before. What’s new about it? Upon thinking of that, the boy beneath you begins to panic internally, wondering if at any point of the night they have caught on. It’s not like they didn’t already doubt your relationship, anyways…it was rather sudden, and nobody expected it to actually happen.

Thinking quick, Armin sighs and looks back up at you, his thumbs smoothing crescent moons in your lower back, and a quiet hum slips from his throat.

“I love you,” he says. No, admits- no, declares.

The silence that follows is painful. But, Armin doesn’t mind; the way your lips part in pure shock and the way your cheeks burn to a sangria shade makes it somehow worth it, and after that, he can’t stop the bubble of laughter that leaves his lips: “didn’t you hear me? I love you. I love you!”

“Hey,” you manage out, squirming as his fingers run across your skin in a tickling motion. “Yeah, hey! Stop! C-cut it out!”

“I love you, I love you, I love you-”

“I love you too!” you breathe, gasping for air until he stops, promptly falling still: “I love you too.”

It’s later, now.

Roughly 2 hours after Eren announces that he has a “food baby” that needs tending to, Armin thought that was a good time to leave with his hand in yours, tackling the December breeze as it bites at your skin. The journey home is short and painless- only with a few sentences of him nagging you for not wearing something warmer. Eventually, though, the snow thaws and your feet arrive at the three steps up to your front porch, Armin’s hand lingering on your lower back as you turn to face him: “tonight went perfectly.”

Then, he nods, “right?”

“We had them fooled,” you grin, over the moon. “Honestly, thanks so much. You’re saving my life here.”

He is? “I am?”

You nod, “of course.” Even though a silence falls, you sigh and glance up at him, “what you’re doing for me…it’s a lot to ask. I’m really thankful, Armin. You’re an amazing friend.”

He winces, almost. “Anytime. Anything for you,” he replies.

Bringing you into a hug was easy. Saying goodbye with a simple kiss on the cheek was easy, too. 

But watching you leave with his heart in his throat, knowing that nothing will ever be the same again, was something Armin had little ease in doing.

[masonmtxo]

Pretty Face, Pretty Boyfriend too

Mason Mount / oc

Summary: Mason can’t help but be slightly jealous of your boss.

Words: 2.2k

Notes: sexual content at the begining. Thank you @certifiedl0vergr1l for the request ❤️

“I feel like I’ve barely seen you since you started this new job,” Mason murmured, pressing heated kisses against your neck as he pulled you by your hips until you were flush up against his half naked body.

“Hmm,” you moaned out in response, too distracted by his advances to form a proper sentence, one hand gliding up and down the expanse of his bare back while the other gripped his hair, fingers threading tightly through the long strands.

He nipped lightly, leaving what was likely to be purplish bruises down the column of your throat. Resisting the pressure on his hair, he leaned back to admire his work, squeezing your thighs in satisfaction. He dove back in, this time crashing your mouths together. Instantly prying your mouth open with his tongue, he pulled you so far into his body you were almost slipping off the kitchen counter, his hands being the only thing keeping you from crashing to the floor.

“Fuck Mase, I need you,” you whimpered into his mouth, his crotch pressing right were you needed him as the kiss continued to get more and more heated, both of you breathing heavily with its intensity.

Just as Mason slipped his hands into the front of your joggers, you heard your ringtone blaring on the countertop beside you. You both paused for a second as you waited for the ringing to stop. Your tongues halted their battle but you remained pressed together as you took the opportunity to catch your breath. It was a late Saturday morning, Mason had been given the weekend off due to a minor muscle injury so the pair of you were making up for lost time. You had started a new role within your company 2 weeks prior and your boss had thrown you in the deep end, an ever growing piling of responsibilities detracting from your already limited time with your boyfriend.

Eventually the ringing subsided and you continued where you had left off. Mason quickly slipped your panties to the side as your tongues continued to fight for dominance, moaning into his mouth as his fingers got to work.

Minutes later, as you were teetering on the edge, the ringing of your phone echoed around the kitchen, this time continuing when the initial call rang off.

“For fuck sake,” Mason groaned, pulled his hand from your joggers as you leaned back to reach for your phone, one hand still buried in Mason’s locks.

He let out an aggravated grunt, seeing the Caller ID on the screen as you raised your phone to your ear, gently tugging on his hair, silently pleading him to stay quiet and let you take the call from your boss.

“Hi, did you need me?” You attempted to sound cheerful, but your stomach clenched at the thought of another day of quality time spent with your boyfriend ruined as your boss rambled on about an emergency at the office he needed you to assist him with.

You hadn't told Mason, not wanting to make a big deal out of what could be nothing, but it wasn't the first occasion he had called you in on a weekend, only to find the ‘urgent’ matter was in fact, not urgent at all. He hasn't made any direct advances, had never said anything unprofessional, but it was becoming increasingly clearer to you that your boss was potentially interested in a relationship that wasn't just work colleagues.

Not wanting to jeopardise your job only a few weeks in, you ended the call agreeing to pop into the office to meet him, much to the groans of annoyance from Mason who was resting his head on your shoulder. As soon as you placed your phone back on the counter you were met with words of frustration from your boyfriend, who couldn't understand why you would need to go in on your day off.

“It's like he's obsessed with you y/n, you can't tell me he demands others to come in this regularly at the weekend? Its always you for fuck sake.”

You shrug, giving him one more peck before hopping off the counter to get changed into something more office appropriate. Mason rested his hands on the counter, head bowed, willing his hard on to go away, irritated that once again, the man had stolen your attention.

•••

A few days later you found yourself curled up together on the large sofa in your lounge, Mason cuddling you from behind as you laid under a fluffy grey blanket, a film on in the background. You weren't really paying much attention, taking the opportunity to chat about your week having not seen a lot of each other with your busy schedules. Most nights Mason was already in bed, tired from training by the time you had gotten home from the office.

“Work is having this business dinner thing next friday, can you come? They want to confirm numbers asap but I wasn't sure how your training schedule was looking this week?” You tilted your head to look at him, his gaze already on you as he gently leaned your head closer to his mouth for a kiss.

“I’ll be there pretty girl, will be nice to be the one supporting you for once,” you both smiled as he planted another peck against your lips.

And then it happened. Again. The familiar ringing of your phone disturbing the peaceful bubble the pair of you had created. You sighed, reaching over to grab your phone to see your boss's name flash across the screen. Before you could even answer, Mason snatched the phone from your hand, declining the call and holding down the power button until the screen went black.

“Nope. We’re not doing that again. He's had your attention all day and he will have it again first thing tomorrow morning, but for now, you're mine. Anything he wants can wait.” Mason is firm, tossing your phone to the side and snuggling further into your back, forcing you onto your side to watch the remaining 10 minutes of the film. He couldn't help but feel a slight bubble of jealousy begin to brew in his stomach, frustrated that this man had such a hold over you. You'd reassured him on numerous occasions that he had never made any untoward gestures but no man would ever be happy that another bloke could have so much influence over their missus.

You smiled discreetly, silently thanking your boyfriend’s assertiveness but not looking forward to the interrogation you would receive upon your arrival to the office in the morning.

•••

“Fuck.” Was all that fell from Mason’s mouth as he turned to look at you from where he was seated, waiting on the sofa. His eyes darted up and down yout body as he admired the way the dress hugged your curves, before landing on your chest, the cups of the bodice amplifying your breast in a way that was sexy, but still professional.

“You don't look too bad yourself, pretty boy,” you whistled lightly as he stood to his feet to make his way towards you. It wasn't often you saw him in anything other than training gear or casual comfies. You especially never saw him this dressed up, his white shirt was tight against his chest, the faint outline of his dragon tattoo peaking through the material as his suit jacket was thrown over his arm.

His hands went straight to your waist as he reached you, a light peck pressed on your lips as you threw your arms over his shoulders, fiddling with the hair at the nape of his neck.

“The driver will be here any minute, you got everything?” He whispered, lips still ghosting over yours. You nodded in response, only pulling away when you heard Mason’s phone sound, the driver informing you he was waiting outside. He wrapped his hand in yours, leading you out to the car as he debated whether he was looking forward to meeting your boss, to remind him you were a taken woman, or dreading it.

•••

Mason had noticed the way he stared at you discreetly across the room on more than one occasion. You were oblivious, making polite small talk with colleagues as Mason stood behind you, one hand on your waist, the other gripping a bottle of beer so tight his knuckles were gradually turning white. He had seen the way your boss's eyes had drifted down your body as you greeted him earlier in the evening, paying Mason no mind, barely acknowledging him when he loosely shook his hand.

Mason had noticed how the man had arrived on his own and a quick glance at his left hand had clarified that the man was in fact not married, though at this point Mason didn't think a wife would stop his eyes wandering in your direction.

Knowing tonight was important to you, he took a step outside, using the excuse he needed the toilet to make a swift escape as annoyance and frustration began to boil in the pit of his stomach. He leant up against the brick wall of the venue, slowly inhaling through his nose, trying to shake the growing anger. Mason wasn't sure what bothered him more, the fact this man was clearly interested in his girlfriend or the fact he was using his position of power to pressure you into working beyond your responsibilities purely because he found you attractive. It was silly really, he knew you would immediately shut down any advances, you could protect yourself if needed, but they thought of you ever having to do so was making his head spin.

As he stepped back inside he glanced around, looking for you amongst the throngs of people, quickly spotting you leaning up against the bar. He smiled slightly, admiring the way your dress clung to your body, picturing how the silky material would feel under his hands as he slid it off your body once you finally made it home. But his thoughts were promptly interrupted as he noticed your boss slide into the seat beside you.

Mason could see the man’s lips moving, a slight smirk on his features causing him to quicken his steps as he made his way towards you. “I saw your partner hanging off your arm earlier, where's he now? Pretty girls shouldn't be having to buy their own drinks.” He watched as you stiffened, your boss reaching across you in order to tap his card against the machine that the bartender was presenting. Mason, however, was quicker, sliding in between you and discreetly knowing his arm back, hand diving into his own pocket to grab a £20 note and handing it over.

“Keep the change,” he smiled before directing his attention to you, “wanna get some fresh air?”

You nodded, shooting him a knowing grin that he reciprocated, neither of you sparing your boss a glance as he guided you out the door he had entered only minutes prior. There was a chill in the air he hadn't noticed earlier as you stepped onto the patioed area, causing Mason to quickly slide his suit jacket off, dragging it over your shoulders before pulling you flush against his body. You could feel the tension in his chest as you both stood in silence for a moment. You slid a cold hand between the buttons of his shirt to gently trace your fingers along his toned stomach in an attempt to settle his anger you knew was going to come to a head at any moment.

“He’s fucking annoying.”

“I know.”

“And he needs to stop staring at you like you’re a piece of meat, it’s fucking me off,” he grunts, resting his forehead againt yours.

“I can tell,” you murmur, trying to hold back a giggle at his clear jealousy.

“You’re mine,” Mason stated, hand running up the side of your neck to cup your cheek possessively.

“Yep,” you agreed teasingly, the tone to your voice causing him to clench his jaw.

“I mean it.” His fingers slipped under your chin, squeezing slightly causing your mouth to fall open. He tilted your head back as far as was comfortable, slowly letting spit fall into your open mouth. You let your eyes flutter shut as you felt your body shudder in arousal, swallowing what he had deposited into your mouth when he leaned back, satisfied.

You stared at him for a minute, his jealousy turning you on more than you thought was possible. Neither of you said anything, both of you breathing heavily. Mason tight chested, eyes blown wide as a result of his his bout of jealousy while you were trying to convince you legs to not collapse underneath you as your whole body trembled with the desire to fuck him, finding his possessivness pverwhelmingly sexy.

You catch your breath and let out a whimpered “take me home? Please.”

He smirks in reply, taking hold of your hand to guide you back through the building and out the front door, not before sending a wink to your boss, whose eyes had once again found you.

[fanficsrusz]

POWER - Henry Cavill Smut

Warnings: Smut.

Pairing: Y/n x Henry cavill

Summary: Y/n's plan to seduce Henry backfires but in a wondrous way.

Word Cound: 7.7k

A/N: Its been a while since I've posted anything and I feel a little nervous 😅. However I've missed the thrill of creating a world all of my own. I also apologise for any spelling/grammatical mistakes. I havent edited anything for a long time so yeahhh. 

Please comment/reblog if you enjoyed ❤️

"You're drunk" 

The accusation, issued through Henry's teeth, was an angered hiss and Henry's reaction was everything that Y/n could have wished for… And more. 

Y/n forced a little hiccup, feeling it bubble its way through her body before it made its escape out of her mouth, and almost laughed at the thin set of lips across from her that stayed in a straight line. 

He looked positively prim - just like he always did. 

"No-" she defended, "-I'm happy". The correction came with a sly smile, her upper body leaning towards him across the bar, her inner amusement increasing as she watched his body stiffen in annoyance.

 Henry was keeping a distance between their bodies, as if he thought her intoxication may be infectious. 

The hold he quickly took to her waist was more of a brace rather than an intention as she swayed forward and then backwards. 

"Don't you want me to be happy, Henry?" 

Y/n pouted, tilting her head back and looking at him with what she hoped would be a sultry invitation. She laughed, a bold, wicked sound that drew a few glances from others in the bar. Henry stared stiffly over her head, swallowing the lump in his throat that had seemed to form as he grew more irritated with the woman's involuntary outbursts. 

 "For God's sake, Y/n, control yourself", he whispered tightly. 

Was he embarrassed by her lack of inhibition? No. It was quite the opposite. He felt… lost. As if he had no idea how to act in the situation he had found himself in. 

It was normal for him, the playboy, to taunt her with his fancy words, to distract her with his sinfully dark looks and honeyed phrases, but turn the tables and he wasn't quite so poised himself and Y/n felt a delicious thrill of power at the knowledge that she had him off balance. 

She deliberately let herself go  limp in his arms, and, when his grip relaxed in relief at the stability her body found, she quickly slipped under his guard, pressing the entirety of her body sinfully against him. 

Her tactics immediately threatened to backfire as Henry's coldly rigid body seemed to be generating an incredible amount of heat and that in itself was enough for her to lose focus of her goal. 

She rested her check against his chest and willed away her trembling response even as she measured his annoyance by the wildly uneven thump of his heart. 

"You'll regret this tomorrow," he told her sternly, his hands tightening painfully on her waist.

"'Why in hell did you drink all that champagne? Do you want to make a total fool of yourself, jeopardise a deal with Dere-?" 

"Rubbish. Derek thought I was as graceful as ever; he told me so," y/n said airily, thinking that it was too late to regret drinking at a business meeting with her boss and other potential clients. 

Y/n moved steadily in his arms to prove it, brushing her breasts against his chest, hoping that the crushed velvet of her dress would hide the multitude of her sins that had seemed to accumulate quickly throughout the night and not to mention the past year that she had worked beside Henry, every single dirty thought she ever had about him portraying itself as nothing more than a red stain upon her cheeks and chest. 

She had never been sinful before, always a dutiful daughter, just as she had later been a faithful business partner to Henry but there was only so much a woman could take before she had to take drastic measures. Now she was neither a daughter nor a business partner. She was Y/n Y/l/n. Herself. A woman before anything else and more specifically a woman with needs. 

"You're the only one who thought I was wrong for declining the partnership" , she drawled mockingly, too caught up in her reckless self-absorption to monitor his surfacing awareness. "Chill out, Henry. If you can't fix it with a snap of your fingers, you might as well lie back and enjoy the open bar…" 

The thud of his heart had settled down to a swift, arrhythmic beat that set up a sympathetic vibration throughout her body from her scalp to the soles of her restless feet.

There was a small pause as he manoeuvred her pliant body away from another couple that wanted to get to the bar. Then he tilted his head to look down at her.

 "Chill out?" Amusement leaked through his iron control as he suppressed the grin he held in tight. " wow- I never thought I'd hear street-slang from that elegant, business-lady mouth of yours…". 

For a second Y/n gulped, thinking she had lost all control of the situation that she had perfectly built up all evening but then Y/n moved dreamily against him, fully immersed in her ideal scenario. 

She linked her arms round his back and arched her neck slightly so that she could see his expression. 

"But I'm not a lady tonight, Henry, I'm a woman," she said huskily.

 "Should I lie back and enjoy that too?" he enquired cynically. 

That conjured up indecent images that for a moment left Y/n shocked, breathless even and if it wasn't for the distant sound of a glass breaking somewhere in the bar then she would have stayed in her trance like manner. 

Her lips parted as she tried to say something sophisticated in response but she couldn't think of a thing and for a moment she feared that she had lost the edge. Y/n bit her lower lip and suddenly he had control over her again, his voice rough with threat, as he gave her a small shake.

"Behave yourself, Y/n. Stop being so fucking provocative. You should go home" 

"I'm not ready to go home yet" she mewled, eyes darting over to the dance floor that served as a pick up ground. 

Henry sighed, his eyes following her gaze

"One dance, that's all you get. Then I'm getting you out of here before you start leaping onto table-tops and doing the can-can!" 

"What a killjoy you're turning out to be, Henry" with fresh fury, she suddenly spun out of his arms and danced freely for a few moments before cutting mischievously in on another couple. Soon Henry was glaring murderously over the shoulder of a blonde woman while Y/n languished in the sweaty grasp of a nervous young man who was very aware of the hovering blue-eyed menace.

 When Henry cut back in a short time later, Y/n was relinquished with ill concealed relief. 

"You're playing with fire, Y/n" , Henry warned, his firm hand taking hold of her again. This time he held her so captively close that she could feel the lines of his suit being imprinted on her velvet dress. 

She had the feeling that if he had been able to shackle both her wrists behind her back without attracting attention he would. He wanted to cage her, tame her, but tonight, surrounded by the security of a crowd, she was determined to be untamable, just to see how far she could push him. 

"Mmmm, I know, and I feel so gloriously toasty and warm," she murmured wickedly, waggling her eyebrows at a passing male. 

Henry swore under his breath and pulled her flirtatious eyes away from any male that passed by capturing her gaze before she could perform some similar impropriety. He quickly brought his own hand to his mouth to mask his aggression in the pretence of courtesy. She had been right about the shackling. 

"You're drunk", he repeated raggedly, more as if he was telling himself than her. She rather liked the hint of desperation that seeped into every word he spoke. It was almost as satisfying as having him grovel at her feet. 

Y/n laughed, a sensuous 'cat-with-the-cream' look of satisfaction on her face as she widened her eyes and purred, "But not incapable, darling…".

She tamed a deliberate misstep as she spoke so that her leg slid caressingly between his thighs as they turned. 

Henry almost stumbled as she lifted her knee, briefly applying the pivoting pressure of her thigh firmly to the juncture of his. Her provocation had an immediate effect and she drew back instantly, finally aware that her teasing had gone too far. But it was too late. Henry had reached the end of his tether. 

"Fine -" he seethed, "-we'll do this the hard way then" 

Five minutes later Y/n  was belted roughly into the passenger-seat of her own car. 

" I'm perfectly fit to drive, Henry" she raged at the man who slid angrily behind the steering wheel before inserting her keys into the ignition. 

"I'm as sober as you are!"

" For your sake, I hope that's a lie, Y/n". 

His voice was nothing but a growl and y/n felt the shiver that started in her groin slowly rise up through her spine. 

"But if it is true then maybe you've done me a favour. If you were teasing me deliberately I don't have to feel guilty for what I'm about to do." his eyes stayed focused on whatever he was staring at, his fists curling tightly around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned pale. 

"Do?" Y/n asked faintly as the car sprang into motion with far more power than she ever managed to coax from under the unimpressive bonnet.

"Did you think I would calmly walk away like an obedient lap-dog when you got tired of your little game ?"

 "I...I... didn't think-" she began to splutter. 

"No? Just instinct, was it? Trap the beast, then rattle his cage until he howls? Wasn't that your goal?" 

"Henry!" 

He hadn't looked at her since they had got in the car, driving with a narrow-eyed concentration, but now he slipped a grim sideways glance at her shocked expression and what he saw there seemed to ease his ferocious tension but the wolfish twitch of his mouth wasn't reassuring

"You did, didn't you? You really thought I'd let you get away with it. You didn't think I'd have the guts to drag you kicking and screaming out of there" 

Y/n swallowed the dry lump in her throat. She had definitely underestimated her victim and definitely forgot to plan this far ahead. 

"'I wasn't kicking and screaming," she protested weakly, avoiding the obvious answers he wanted.

 "Not on the outside maybe. But your innocent act never did cut any ice with me" Henry's eyes glanced over at Y/n

Y/n clenched her fists tightly, until her nails dug into the palm of her hand, but she barely noticed. The only thing she was really aware of, was the sound of her heart throbbing against the cage of her chest. 

It wasn't until she looked up into the rear view mirror, that she noticed she had been biting her lip so much so that they were almost as red as the lipstick that had wiped off hours ago. 

"Scared, Y/n?" Henry jeered softly as she swallowed again, this time audibly. "You should be." he said lowly

"What about your own car?" she began weakly, hoping that practicalities might prevail where argument hadn't. 

"I'll pick it up tomorrow." Y/n went quiet. This fantasy was easier to plot when she didn't have to concentrate on parrying his verbal thrusts and she tried to calm her nervous actions with whatever had made her think that she could best him at his own game. 

She wished she were drunk but all she could do was hope that the drive would cool down that scorched male pride. All she could do momentarily was create another plan. 

When they would finally get back to her apartment building she would placate him, contrive to convince him that it had all been a silly mistake. For all his threatening manner, she knew instinctively that he wouldn't use violence to enforce his threats. He didn't have to... all he had to do to seduce her was to take her in his arms and then she would be at his mercy. But once she had bolted her door on him she would be safe from her own wicked urges. 

He could rage and huff and puff all he liked but he wouldn't be able to get in. The irony was rather quaint. All the security locks that he had insisted she have installed on her doors and windows when he first found out she lived alone in a not so friendly neighbourhood would ensure that her virtue remained unassailable - well for tonight at least. 

Y/n had almost convinced herself that she had already outwitted him when she noticed the unfamiliarity of their route.

"This isn't the way to my home!" 

He ignored her. The moving light thrown by the passing street-lights illuminated his shadowed expression. It was a hard mask of satisfaction.

 "Dammit, Henry, where are you taking me?" 

"I told you. Home." 

"This isn't where I live." 

"I never said I would take you to your home. I simply said 'home'. It's not my fault that you assumed I meant your home." 

Henry turned into a steep, dark, curving driveway that seemed to drop away directly into the deep black glitter of a Lake that Y/n didn't even know existed in the area. 

 Y/n's heart was in her mouth as the car swooped towards the water, but when they reached the lower curve into darkness, security lights suddenly flickered on and she saw the brick paved courtyard clearly for an instant before the car was swallowed by the lower level of the house.

The garage door closed automatically after them, and for a moment after Henry cut the engine, the only sound in the softly lit enclosed space was the faint ringing echo of the metal door. Y/n was irresistibly reminded of the metallic springing of a trap. One that she had baited herself into.

"Welcome home, Y/n." Henry leaned towards her and she flinched, but he was merely flicking open her seatbelt.

She couldn't see him smile but she could hear the amusement in his voice as he continued, "No, not here in the car. I'm not so crude as to take up your generous invitation without due ceremony and at least a few comforts." 

Henry leaned even further, reaching across her to push open her door, this time dragging his arm deliberately against her rapidly rising breasts as he withdrew. 

"Get out. I'd prefer to go inside" he purred dangerously, pointedly placing her car keys out of reach in the inside pocket of his jacket.  

" but If you can't restrain your wild passion and don't mind a little discomfort I'm quite ready and willing to make love to you against the dashboard" 

Y/n was up and out of the car with as much alacrity as her fumbling apprehension would allow. His mocking laugh as he followed suit had her searching for the door, but he was there before her, opening it with a flourish and a small bow.

" After you. " 

All the way up the narrow, spotlight staircase, Y/n was aware of the movement of her hips and legs, the breathless difficulty in her chest and, most of all, the steady, inexorable masculine tread that stalked her. 

The room at the top of the stairs was shrouded in darkness, relieved by vague glimmering white shapes that made her gasp. 

"Afraid of ghosts, too, Y/n? What a timid little thing you're turning out to be…". The murmured words smoked across the small area of vulnerable skin between her shoulder-blades, exposed by the discreet scoop of her gown, whispering across her sensitised nerves. There was a faint click and the room sprang into light. 

The white shapes were sheets, draped over bulky objects. 

Even the floor was covered by a dark green sheet, and the reason was obvious. The walls were stripped and primed, but had not yet had their first coat. 

They were in the kitchen, Y/n guessed from the positioning of the shrouded fittings. Scattered about were cans of paint and rolls of wallpaper, brushes soaking in paint and the odd ladder or two. The only ghosts here were those of the tradesmen. 

Yet,  Y/n's heart continued to flutter with a deliciously disconcerting fear, an excited apprehension.

 Without a word Henry took her by the elbow and ushered her impatiently through several more similarly dust-shrouded rooms with the unswerving instinct of a guided missile, not bothering to turn on any more lights. 

The place seemed huge, and as silent and brooding as the explosively primed man beside her.

 "You-you're redecorating!" Y/n grabbed at the chance to divert him from his relentless intention. Honestly it surprised her that she had known him for so long and yet had never seen his home, he didn't even talk of it much. 

Henry didn't answer and she fell quiet. 

He let her resistance slow him but he didn't let his grip ease. He had already been taken by surprise once too often that night.

"Have you been feeling hunted, Y/n?" Her answer was in her uneasy sidelong look. He smiled secretively. "Now you know how I felt this evening: like the helpless prey to your brazen huntress…" Y/n flushed, her whole body heating at his words. She had been brazen, utterly so, and she had enjoyed it far too obviously to try to deny it now. 

Henry let her dwell on her folly for a moment before he murmured, "The answer to your question is…" his slow smile drew out the suspense for a wickedly long second "...perhaps." 

His eyelids drooped, not quite hiding the predatory gleam that smouldered in the darkness. He was still very, very angry and he wanted her to know it.

  "Certainly it turned out to be very convenient for you…"

 His free hand came up under her other elbow and he stepped around to face her, forcing her backwards and into the realisation that while he had held her enmeshed with his equivocating words he had been slowly backing her to the wall.

"I'm no one's convenience," she spat, determined not to see the effect his calculated menace was having on her already chaotic nervous system.

"You have to admit you qualify in one or two forms of the dictionary meaning, Y/n," he drawled, driven to foment her the way that she had tormented him. "You're certainly suitable for my purposes and needs and you're close by... but no, I don't suppose you could be considered "easy to use"...

The fear that had inhibited her flared into an open temper at his overt mockery. 

"If you think I'll let you-" "-Challenging me, y/n?" he interrupted softly, and watched her hesitate as she realised the certain consequences of goading him from her very vulnerable position.

"Actually," he continued almost kindly, "it's a little late for second thoughts. You've led me this far with your little game. Now it's time to pay the piper…" He dipped his head and to her tingling shock bit her gently on the side of her satiny throat. She reared back, but there was nowhere to go, no escape that didn't involve going through that broad-shouldered, lean-hipped wall of male arrogance!

"led you! You're the one who practically kidnapped me" She was appalled to hear the breathy lightness in her words when she had meant them to be firm. 

"Mmm. Exciting, isn't it?" He bit the other side of her throat. "Just think how thoroughly helpless you are right at this minute. You're in a strange house, while I know every nook and cranny. All the exits are deadlocked. Even if you ran, where would you run to? I'm stronger than you are. bigger, harder, faster. You can't get away, no matter how hard you try. I can do anything I want with you. And there's nothing you can do about it, except…" 

" Except what?" The mouth skimming her throat was having as violent an effect as his taunting words, arousing the deeply buried desires that she had tried to deny. 

" accept what you caused" She felt the curve of his lips against her smooth skin, heard the amusement in the sensuous rumble.

 He was laughing at her. 

He wasn't content with merely seducing her. No, he wanted to humiliate her, too.

Sudden panic struck and with a fierce surge of strength she shoved at his solid chest. To both their surprise, he staggered back, far enough for her to dart away. With a roaring curse he gave chase.

Y/n's heart hammered as she scuttled from the safety of one covered piece of furniture to the next. She froze, listening for the direction of his pursuit, but Henry had also stilled. He was out there somewhere, crouched and aware, listening, just as she was, waiting to pounce. Her skin prickled hotly and she could feel the blood pulsing heavily through her veins. Y/n shivered with a strangely febrile excitement. She peered around what appeared to be a small table and saw a graduation of the blackness - A doorway!, 

Taking a deep breath, she took to a low crouch and ran for it. As she did so she felt a rush of air as close as a blow and a throaty growl. He had only just missed her! She couldn't help letting out a little scream as she abandoned stealth and bolted, darting breathlessly to the darkened room.

Henry was never far behind and at first she was grateful that he didn't switch on the lights, the better to find her, but as his taunting laughter infiltrated the night she realised that he was revelling in the chase...and so was she! 

Her inner certainty that Henry would never physically hurt her, even in genuine rage, gave an added piquancy to the situation. 

She had challenged him in the most clemental way possible and he was responding in a way that was as different and exciting as he was. 

The panic which had precipitated her flight became a delicious terror as the teasing game of hide-and-seek continued. 

Sexual tension flourished in the shrouded silence like a living thing. He was no longer in a hurry to catch her, whispering silky-voiced threats into the night that curled her toes and dampened her palms, describing in sensual detail what was going to happen when he found her.

 It didn't take Y/n very long to break. When Henry suddenly went quiet her imagination ran riot. She pressed herself even more tightly against the reassuring solidarity of what appeared to be a sideboard and quavered, "Henry?". 

There was no answer and she tried hard to sound convincingly calm. 

"Henry, this is ridiculous. Why don't you turn on the light and we'll talk about it sensibly?" Sensible was the last thing she felt but she couldn't stand the waiting no longer. 

Y/n was just close enough to the edge of her self control to try shameless grovelling.

" All right, so I acted foolishly this evening. Now you've got your revenge and now we're even aren't we?" 

Silence 

"okay fine , yes, I admit it!" she cried. "I pretended to be drunk to tease you but…" 

Silence,

"I did it because... because I didn't expect you to respond." And may God not strike her down for that awful lie!

 "I wanted to annoy you, that's all. It was wrong of me. Childish. I'm sorry. I just wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine. You always seem to have this - control over me. I just wanted to get under your skin for once."

Silence 

"Henry? Henry!' Her placatory tone slipped badly. 

" Fuck!, stop it. Henry, this isn't funny anymore!"

A soft chuckle floated out of the darkness. Y/n was too disorientated to guess its direction and she whirled a full circle. 

" I'm not playing your stupid game any more, Henry, so you may as well come out. I won't try and run away again. I promise."

Silence. 

Y/n began to tremble, not from fear but from helpless desire. Dammit, why didn't he come out and finish what she had started already. There was a soft sound to her left, a tiny echoing click that acted like a trigger on her taut nerves, catapulting her automatically to the other wall of the room, where she backed hastily between two tented objects that provided her with a solid sense of security. A false sense, she discovered, when a hand suddenly whipped across her mouth from behind, smothering her scream.

 "So much for your promises, Y/n," came the clipped murmur in her ear. "That was only my cuff-link. You ran straight into my arms."

 The hand across her mouth tightened as she tried to protest, and an arm lashed around her waist, drawing her back against a hard, familiar body. He hadn't lied in his silken whispers. He was just as aroused as she was by their foolish game. 

She stood there for a moment, her head against his shoulder, trembling and breathless. She tried to speak and tasted the sweat of his palm. Instead of dropping his hand he trailed it deliberately across her lips, his fingers curving into her parted mouth, stroking the inner surface of her mouth and fondling her tongue with an intimacy that was far more shocking than any explicit sexual caress.

Her heart thundered in her breast as he softly probed her moistness, scaling the breath from her lungs, as he whispered, "Do you like this, Y/n? Your mouth is like wet satin, wrapping around my fingers. Use your tongue, tell me if you like the taste of me…" The sheer intoxication of his husky plea made her moan and he quickly let his hand drop. 

"Am I hurting you?"

 She couldn't answer and his hand continued to fall, until it settled on the firm roundness of her left breast, his palm cupping her, feeling the pounding tumult within.

" You...frighten me," she managed to say, her taste buds tingling with each word, drowning in the full flavour of him. 

"This isn't fright, Y/n…" His hand tightened and then released, to flatten and move against her in soft rotation, compressing the flesh in a way that made her tremble even more. 

"This is excitement. You wanted to be caught, didn't you? You're as curious about me as I am about you, only you wouldn't let yourself admit it. Tell me now if this is not what you want, Y/n, because from here on in I can't guarantee my control…"

As he issued his rough command his hand moved to explore her other breast. The hand around her waist strayed, fingers splaying against her velvet belly, digging into her softness, reaching for the ache that was forming in the pit of her stomach. His mouth was moving against her shining cap of hair, seeking the sensitive hollows at the nape of her neck. 

 He was handing control to her because she made him feel wildly out of control. She had never driven a man so wild with desire that he didn't know what he was doing...

"Henry, God, -" 

"don't say no, Y/n. Not now." He spun her tightly in his arms and she made a discovery that drenched her with sensuous delight. 

"Your clothes…" 

He had taken off his jacket and tie some time during his dark pursuit and unbuttoned his shirt so that it hung free from his broad shoulders. The hands that she had placed against his chest met with bare skin- hot, damp, satiny skin covered with thick, soft hair. His heart was almost leaping from his chest and he shuddered as she pressed her palm harder against him, marveling at the strength and power rippling beneath the skin.

"I got hot, chasing you," he said.  "I still am. Wanting you makes me that way. Hot and so ready that I can hardly stand!" 

He made a subtle movement with his hips and groaned as he brushed against the thick velvet folds of her dress. She felt a fresh moisture break out on his skin and in an instinctive gesture of acceptance leaned forward to nuzzle it from his chest, her mouth inadvertently brushing against one of his large, flat nipples in his nest of hair.

He made a choking sound in his throat, arching back to give her free access to his upper body and in the process ground his swollen hardness against the juncture of her thighs

"do it" 

Y/n barely heard his ragged plea. Henry was so exquisitely responsive to every tiny movement she made, even to the very breath from her lips upon his skin, that he was soon deep in the toils of a dreamy delirium. 

She  wasn't aware of the rip he made in the back of her dress when his shaking hands wrenched the zip down, only of the molten sensuality of his gaze as he steered her into a shaft of light near the window and studied her breasts. nestled in their cups of pure white lace. 

"Did you wear this for me?" he asked thickly, roughly tracing the outline of the lace across the curving swells. "Did you want me to take off your dress tonight, Y/n? To admire you like this?" 

 His arousal was so flatteringly intense that she couldn't deny him the truth.

 "Yes…" 

She closed her eyes, gasping as she felt the stroke of his thumbs across the seams, finding the rigid tips that were evidence of her own desire. He made a sound and she felt him kneel to pull her velvet gown over her hips, revealing the white panties and suspender belt in the same simple lace design as the bra, demure yet sexy in their essential femininity.

 He made another sound, this time deep and guttural, his hands running up the backs of her thighs, pulling them closer and parting them slightly. 

She opened her eyes, clutching at his naked shoulders as he moved his mouth hotly against the lacy front panel of her panties and pressed a string of kisses from the soft skin at the tops of her stockings to the deep, frantic pulse at the hollow of her hip. 

Y/n could feel the cool air along her pussy as warmth settled there. Rough hands sent a shiver through her body as they ran the length of her thighs, kneading her ass before finding their way back to her pussy, and pushing her panties to the side  for a better look at what she had to offer. Y/n shook and he purred in approval of her reaction.

Henry pressed forward until Y/n felt his lips along her folds, teasing her before delving deeper. Y/n gasped at the first taste, the tip of his tongue poking at her entrance, her arousal spilling forth. Henry ran the length of her pussy until he flicked her clit, the twitch it brought forth made him snicker into her skin. He dragged his tongue along her clit again, grazing it over and over as her pelvis flinched unwillingly.

“shit,” she hissed, trying not to moan though it felt so good.

Y/n clung onto his shoulders, the buzz she felt in her stomach coming closer to finding its release. Her thighs trembled as he grew more persistent, his tongue agile as it drew forth an orgasm but just before she could relish in the exquisite feeling, he pulled away. It had been almost a year since you had been pleasured by anything other than her own hands and this was starting to drive her mad. 

The sight of his dark head moving against her and the sensations he was creating made her cry out in helpless need and he looked up, a dark blush crossing his face when he saw her starlit expression. 

He stood and kissed her on the mouth until they were both breathless. Then, still holding her, he reached behind him, dragging the sheet off the nearest object.

It was a smooth, polished mahogany dining table, it's dark surface reflecting the muted lights from the moon.

Y/n imagined him laying her down on that smooth hardness and leaning over her, feeling the melting pleasure of his touch. 

Henry turned her, pressing her hips against the carved mahogany edge.

"I've never made love on a table before," she whispered raggedly, hoping that she wouldn't disappoint him with her relative inexperience. No doubt he was used to women who were terribly adventurous and sexually sophisticated. She thrusted the jealous thought away and linked her arms around his neck, reminding herself that she could make him shake with passionate need. She could make up with enthusiasm for what she lacked in experience and he would never know the difference. 

He stilled and she was afraid that she had destroyed the moment with her naive little confidence. Henry lifted his head and looked at the table behind her. Then he stopped and swept her off her feet, lifting her into his strong arms.

 "No, not here," he said hoarsely. "The first time should be in a bed.." He began to move with Y/n in his arms and she turned her hot face against his broad chest, adoring him for caring enough to make this exactly right for them. 

"I don't want to wait." She told him shyly of her need and his arms tightened, the muscles of his shoulders and neck bunching into prominence as his stride quickened.

 "You won't have to." He turned into another doorway, dipping an elbow against the wall until twin lamps glowed, their light filtered into a soft, golden delicacy by the cloths that swathed them. 

Henry didn't let her go as he removed the covering over the bed and stripped back the dark feather quilt. When he finally put her down it was on to crisp white sheets that released a lavender fragrance to mingle with the heated scent of arousal that perfumed their bodies.

Henry stood by the bedside, looking down at her. Then he spread his hands, revealing the light tremor that shook his hand ever so gently. 

 "Look what you do to me. You make me weak. No one has ever had that effect on me"  Y/n reached out a hand and touched his trident stomach. 

"You're the strongest man I know," her hand ran down his stomach and over the muscle underneath as she moved down to his belt. She tugged at it gently

"I want you" she purred. 

The knowledge of their mutual desire flared in his hungry eyes, hardening the planes and angles of his face until it looked as rigid as his body under her exploring hand. He caught her wrist before she would have touched him intimately, folding her arm back into the pillow behind her head he knelt beside her.

 "Say it again. Say my name." 

"I want you to make love to me, Henry." Her words were a promise to give him all that he wanted and more. 

"No more running?" he raised his eyebrow jokingly and Y/n shook her head, unable to speak as he unclipped the front fastening of her bra, sensing that he wanted her to lie quiescently as he bared the last secrets of her body. 

She felt shy, like a precious gift being gloatingly unwrapped, but she didn't resent his moment of purely masculine triumph. The glory of the moment was also hers, this beautiful man that she had known for so long finally hers. He was giving himself to her and asking nothing but what she was willing to give in return. For tonight and perhaps for many nights to come she would let him satisfy the hunger in her soul, colour the cold grey corners of her world with a warmth and vibrant life that would dispel, at least for a time, the loneliness she had come to accept many years ago. 

"I want you, too…" she whispered as she welcomed the joy of his touch. 

Henry undressed himself with a fumbling haste that she found inexpressibly exciting and when he came down on to her she gasped at the violent energy of his enthusiasm. Y/n stared up at him, his cock hanging out for all to see. 

The controlled, disciplined man she had grown to know vanished completely. In his place was a greedy, intemperate, ardent and impetuous male, urgently intent with plundering each and every lavish pleasure of flesh. 

Henry smirked, his hand slowly pumping his dick a few times before he bent down and slid the tip over her slit and pushed inside roughly, allowing her no resistance as he filled her entirely.

This moment when he took her would live vividly in her memory forever.

 The shocking reality of his first thrust stilled them both but then he stilled, chest shaking, half across her body, his head buried in the curve of her neck. 

'Surely he's not going to stop now,'  y/n thought hysterically as her body slowly adjusted to the agonising fullness, and she felt the involuntary ripples of tension begin to absorb him even more deeply into her being. 

 Y/n dropped her head back as she let out a low growl as he thrusted sharply, allowing a moment between each as they were jolted into the bed. His hands were on her hips, holding her down as he slid in and out. 

Relax and enjoy was about all Y/n was capable of doing as his sensual onslaught built towards a fiery climax. He devoured her, feasting on her body with blind hunger, biting lushly into her skin, sipping and suckling the sweetness from her achingly swollen breasts as his hands adjusted her body around his, moaning and shuddering so violently when she even lightly caressed his body with her own that she  resorted to merely riding the exquisite storm as he sank deeper than before. 

Henry groaned and y/n felt a sudden burst of warmth, his cum leaking down her legs as she let the feeling of her own orgasm near

She plunged a hand into his sweat-drenched hair, and pulled his head back.

"Henry-" 

The moan came quickly and she hardly recognised him as she gawked up at him. His mouth was full, reddened, the skin drawn tightly over the bones of his face giving him a lean, hollowed-checked wildness, his deep set eyes open but blank with inner turbulence. He looked almost totally insensate. 

Y/n felt shaken by a sudden wave of tenderness as his cock slid over a soft spot inside her, her fingers curling tightly into silky-damp hair.

"Henry--" 

The tenderness flooded her being and was just swiftly followed by another wave of intense feeling as Henry stiffened and pulled back slightly, the pupils of his eyes contracting, his jaw clenching as he fought the blind instinct that was relentlessly driving him. 

"I hurt you, didn't i." he gritted. "I went too fast for you. I'm sorry." He moved up on his braced arms and tried to withdraw further but she stopped him, almost sobbing.

"No... oh, no" 

Henry hesitated and she moaned again, this time a bitter protest, "No, please, no, not yet…" 

Y/n's pussy tightened and she murmured in delight as he slowly thrusted against her again, her sensitive walls sending a thrill up her spine.

She was fighting to hold on, and he watched, puzzled and then fascinated, as she moaned, her eyes wide with a strange fear and confusion. Her fingers slid laxly out of his hair to clench and unclench helplessly on the pillow. A deep rosy flush spread up from her damp, heaving breasts to mantle her throat and face. He realised then what was happening to her and waited, afraid to move again for fear of breaking the wondrous spell, watching hotly as the inexorable momentum built swiftly to a flashpoint.

 Only when she rolled her flushed cheek sideways into the pillow did he move, cupping her face with his strong hand, forcing her to look at him.

 "No, let me see... let me watch it happen to you...I want to watch" 

Her eyelids fluttered at his husky command, her blush deepened, but she was too enraptured to feel embarrassed, too stunned by the speed of it all to deny him anything he asked. Her mouth trembled and parted and she began to gasp in light, shallow breaths that made her flushed breasts quiver deliciously, invitingly. 

He bent and touched a stiff pink nipple experimentally with his mouth, very gently. She jerked and cried out, exploding beneath him in a series of violent convulsions that almost unseated him. He gripped her thighs and held her steady while she sobbed and moaned and poured herself into him, and then, as she melted lovingly around him he at last began to move, uncertainly echoing her undulating movements until he established his own powerful rhythm, this time driving her with him, until his raw shout of exuberant satisfaction signalled that the whirlwind was spent. 

~

In the morning Y/n  was grateful for the resilience of her relative youth. Even after a long hot shower, her muscles ached with the extravagance of her strenuous exercise. She felt as if she had been battered, not by one whirlwind, but several. And she had. If she had thought that Henry's incandescent passion would swiftly burn them both out she discovered, through the ravishing reaches of the night, that she was marvellously mistaken.

 His desire, like his curiosity about her body, had proved insatiable. And, although the second and third time they made love it was not with the stunning speed of the first, it was still fiercely, gloriously energetic. He encouraged a boldness in her that she hadn't known she possessed. 

He made her feel unutterably sexy, as if she was the only woman in the world who could satisfy his lavish appetite for lovemaking, and he devoted and demanded the same kind of single-minded commitment to creating pleasure that he did to his more worldly objectives. In short, he was every bit the fantastic lover she had imagined he was.

Y/n smiled to herself as she sipped her coffee. Was this a case of being hoist by her own petard? If so, everyone should have such a virile executioner! 

"You look quite disgustingly smug." 

 Henry had showered, brought her coffee and toast in bed and casually dressed in front of her with the ease of a man who was thoroughly satisfied with himself and the world in general.

"You're looking fairly smug yourself," she answered boldly. 

"Making love in the morning obviously suits us both and in the evening, and at night. By the way, what are you doing at lunchtime?" Y/n couldn't stop blushing and Henry smirked.

 She wasn't that bold - yet.

 If she and Henry were lovers for long she didn't doubt that she could become very, very brazen. 

"Eating," she said repressively. 

Henry refused to be repressed. "you're a wicked, decadent woman." He leaned over and tugged at the sheet that was tucked over her breasts and down to her waist. Y/n squeaked and held out her cup, afraid she would spill some of the hot liquid as he bent to lightly kiss her rosy softness. 

" is all of you on the menu, or just selected divine parts?" 

"You're a glutton!" Y/n murmured weakly, closing her eyes, shivering at the tingling pleasure his delicately teasing tongue evoked. 

"Ouch!" Henry winched, The coffee having splashed onto his cheek as y/n unconsciously let the coffee cup slip.

"Serves you right." She didn't pull up the sheet, sitting primly among the crumbs and cotton sheets, deliciously aware of the contrast between her nudity and his dark, formal suit as he moved away. 

He had told her he had an early meeting --one reason for the necessity to rouse her just after dawn by making love to her sleepy, languorous body. 

Waking up to find Henry inside her was just one of the new, fresh pleasures of life! 

"Will you meet me for lunch? This meeting should be over by then." He straightened his tie in front of the mirror then walked back to her.

"If you want me to…" He cupped her chin, reminding her of the way he had refused to allow her to hide from him last night.

 "I want you to. Make no mistake about that, y/n. I have no regrets. None." 

"Good." She lifted her chin and tried for a little of the sophistication he was no doubt used to. "I wouldn't like to think that I had disappointed you." 

To her annoyance, he laughed. He straightened, letting his fingers trail down her throat. "There wasn't much chance of that, believe me." 

"Oh, are you so confident of your prowess?" she snapped defensively, feeling suddenly restless and mentative. "You can turn any woman into your personal love machine?" 

He seemed unruffled by her irritable crudity, a strange smile still playing around his lips.

 "On the contrary. I'm afraid I have no basis for comparison." 

"What?" Y/n stared at him blankly.

He scooped up a slice of toast and bit into it. "Couldn't you tell, Y/n? Was my gift such a paltry thing? I thought one's partner could always tell." 

What was he talking about? To her horror, Y/n suddenly realised that, although he had used protection afterwards, that first, rough coming-together had been utterly spontaneous and Henry certainly hadn't held back. Did he purposely try to get her pregnant? Was he not really the man she thought he was? No- that couldn't be it. 

 "What gift? T-tell- me. what?" she stammered, raising her cup to hide the quiver of her mouth, hoping he wasn't going to prove as selfishly arrogant as she suspected!

" Why, that it was my first time, of course." And, as she continued to stare at him uncomprehendingly over the top of the cup, his smile gentled into a tender warmth. "You were my initiation, Y/n. I gave you my virginity, you gave me my manhood." 

And, leaving her gasping and choking with shocked disbelief, a pool of hot coffee soaking into the sheets around her, he calmly turned and walked out of the house, a new found pride in his stomach and so much more to be discovered.

Taglist (added in reblog ❤️)

[parvulous-writings]

Misunderstood Distraction // McCree x reader

Request:  How about McCree on an undercover mission to rescue an unknown target (not yet specified to make sure talon doesn't know, so McCree doesn't know it's the target at first either) meeting someone while being on lookout for good vantage points in a nearby park. The target's (s/o) dog named Jesse gets loose and they run after it yelling it's name only to get the cowboy to react. S/o get annoyed by being distracted from catching their dog at first... you can take it to anywhere from here. I do hope more people find you and request. You write beautifully.

Requested by: Anon

Summary: The request! 

Warnings: none

Words: 1K

Notes: I know that the text colouring doesn’t show up here, but when I saw blue writing in my inbox, I squealed a little. Teach me your witchcraft please-  My requests are currently open! My pinned post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist!

Not my gif 

The mission was simple enough. On paper at least. Then again, even the truly simple missions were always simpler on paper. Perhaps it was the random nature of the world around the heroes, creating variables that they could never calculate into the equation or plan.Then again, perhaps it was other minute details that they were able to control. Whichever of the possibilities it may have been, Jesse McCree did not care. He rolled with the punches, took whatever was thrown at him. It was just the way that he lived, and it was sure helpful on the field- especially in missions such as this one. 

His task? Rescue an important target from captivity. He knew the building well, having studied every corridor on every holomap, every way in and out, logical or otherwise. Who was the target? Well, therein lay the main rub of this particular assignment. He didn’t know. This wasn’t without good reason, though. If the Overwatch higher ups had disclosed who it was to anyone besides themselves, there was an extremely good chance that this information would be discovered by Talon, and used to their advantage. That was something that they couldn’t risk under any circumstances, and McCree understood this, he respected it even. 

So, for the moment, the gunslinger was walking- or more meandering- through a park close to the building where the captive was being held. It was an expansive area, dotted with strong oak trees with stone-layered paths strewn throughout the grassy mounds. He couldn’t leap into action without the word being given first. It could jeopardise everything. So, he pulled the brim of his hat down further over his face as something or someone rushed past him, trying to remain inconspicuous and mind his own business until the time came for him to act. 

“Jesse!”  The voice was distant, but he managed to catch it. His head shot up-originally thinking that it was someone through his earpiece. However, when he heard the voice again, he quickly realised that wasn’t the case.  “Jesse, get back here!”  It was closer this time, and he looked over his shoulder to see you practically bounding towards him. You nearly ran into him, as you had fully expected him to move out of your way. You clipped his shoulder with you own, and the cowboy still looked baffled. “You talking to me?” He asked, pointing to his own, cuirass covered chest with his metallic thumb. 

“What? No,” You reply hastily, before starting to dash off again. As you ran off from him, he noticed something clutched in your hand. A leash. Maybe you were chasing after a pet of yours? He started to jog after you, quickly matching your pace and catching up. “Hey,” He caught your attention again, and you gave him a sidelong glance.  “Uh,hi?” You reply, almost awkwardly. Jesse had to think about what to say next, but thankfully he thought of something quickly, so the silence didn’t last too long. “You need some help?” He nods down to the leash, still clutched in your fist. 

You slow to a halt, not wanting to run and talk, that was pretty tiring. Running was tiring enough on it’s own. “Okay, sure...” As much as you didn’t want to spend too much time explaining, if this cowboy was going to help you he’d need to at least know the basics. “My dog, Jesse, got loose.”  “Oh, so that’s why you were calling my name.” The gunslinger chuckled softly with a subtle shake of his head. “Got a little confused back there ‘cause of it, y’know.” He told you with a small, yet charming smile. “Well, what’s he look like, then?” He asked, placing a hand on his belt as he spoke.  “He’s a black lab. And he’s a runner, too.”  “That’s nothing I can’t handle, don’t you worry. Just gotta wrangle him into a corner or somethin’ like that, righ’?”  “Yeah, I guess that could work...” You agreed with a soft nod. 

And so the pair of you set off, over the slow sloping hills of the park, looking out for this midnight hound that had escaped you so eagerly. “He’s a good dog, he just gets very... Excited.” You told the cowboy, who you of course now rightly assumed was also called Jesse, though you didn’t address him as such. You strained your eyes against the light of the sun in the distance, seeing if you could spot the shadow-like pup somewhere off in the distance.  After maybe about half an hour or so, the cowboy gently tapped on your shoulder. “Hey, is that him?” He asked, pointing over to a particularly large tree with a dog-shaped form at it’s base. You sigh in hopeful relief, rushing to see if your darling pup is alright. 

Jesse the lab raised his head as you approached, getting up from his resting place to trot over to you, clearly he had worn himself out with his unsupervised run about. He sat by your feet for a moment, before he spotted the other Jesse. He started to sniff around the man, seeming rather intrigued by his presence and closeness to you. He sat down in front of him, allowing McCree to bend down and give him a little bit of fuss behind the ear. He chuckled softly as the dog responded so positively to it. “You’re a good boy, ain’t ya?” He grinned, before standing straight again. It was then that he heard another voice, and this once was from his earpiece. 

“McCree, we need you to move in now, we have a window,”  He didn’t answer directly, not wanting to freak you out by talking to someone in his ear who you had no knowledge of. He just looked to you after a moment. “Well, I best be off. If you ever lose this kind lad again, you be sure to find me an’ let me know. Name’s McCree. Jesse McCree, if ya couldn’t tell.” He joked, tipping his hat to you. You give a quiet laugh and nod in reply.  “I’ll be sure to look you up,” You respond, playfully.  “I look forward to hearing from ya, whenever tha’ may be.” McCree gave you another charming smile, before turning on the heel of his boots, and rushing off towards the bustling road of the city to carry out what was needed of him. 

[haechanhues]

pairing : sunoo x reader 

genre : angst....there’s fluff too 

warnings : uhm heartbroken. a lil guilt and all those great feelings. 

summary : a friendship was built on this relationship and you want it to be worth it. // if this were fiction, he’d have hanahaki

words : 3.1k words 

Sunoo weaves his fingers through his newly blond streaks as he reaches for you. Wrapping an arm around your shoulder so his hand hangs off of your body. Without much thought your hand interlocks with his and you smile warmly at him. The cool metal rings he wears on his three middle fingers begin to warm at your touch. With a smirk, he kisses at the crown on top of your head and you rest your head onto his shoulder. 

With a coffee cup in one hand and an energy drink in the other, Jay grimaces at the public display of your relationship in front of him, “You guys are gross.” 

“Say that when you don’t have that in your hand,” Heeseung remarks as he takes in your slight hesitancy to involve yourself in their teasing. The other five boys laugh as Jay flicks his middle finger up towards Heeseung in response. 

You can’t help but watch with a longing smile on your face. People had their talents and for you, making friends definitely wasn’t one of them. Even being able to communicate with your brother, Taehyun, was hard. He had a solid group of friends that were glued to the hip. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Sunoo you don’t think you’d had ever built a bridge to befriend any of the boys that had become such important people in your life. 

Jake had been the one to approach you first, much to Heeseung’s chagrin. He had smiled at you with his big brown eyes and rounded features. Your body naturally turning to him and feeling comfortable when he was around. Luckily for you, that sentiment never dried out. He was always someone willing to lend a helping hand and liked to converse with anyone willing to listen (Which really wasn’t hard when you saw how pretty he was). 

Jay on the other hand was quite similar. He liked talking to others and to you there was no exception. Jay didn’t really mind if you weren’t listening though. He just had a lot on his mind. He was a talkative person and for most of your conversations, he led them. He was passionate and it was always fun learning about who he was as a person and what fuelled his fire rant of the day. 

Jungwon was a boy you never really got to figure out all the way. He always seemed to surprise you at every turn. Whenever you were sad, he’d silently console you without bringing unwanted or unnecessary attention to your fluctuating emotions. He’d give your hand a squeeze or sit beside you so your arms would be touching. He’d be the one to wipe at your tears and pinch at your cheeks. He’d always use touch as a way to show his friendship. In return, you learnt to use touch to demonstrate your love and how thankful you were. 

Sunghoon was a shy person in public but loud with his friends. He had been in a couple of your classes and when Sunoo introduced you both he decided you were one of them. He was awkward with you at first, as expected. But as he walked with you to classes everyday and learnt that it was okay to poke fun at you or to tease you, the two of you started to bond. You bonded quickly with how annoying the chairs were and how red pen isn’t the colour you’d choose for if you were a teacher. 

Niki, however, took a while to warm up to you as you did with him. It wasn’t easy striking up a conversation with him or discovering common interests like you did with the other boys but you gradually got there. In order to become closer as friends, you opted to instead visit parks, bowling alleys and cinemas to fill up the lack of common interests with adventures and little anecdotes to fondly remember each other by. He became a boy you were so fond of seeing and he thought the same of you. 

Heeseung had made small talk with you at first. You kept it minimal in case you were to say something insulting, horrible or unfunny. You stumbled a bit of the time but your voice began to get excited when you started finding common interests and confessed your plans for the future. He engaged with you just as well. But, the open day university trip had truly solidified your friendship. You shared everything you ate and messaged Sunoo about how your friend date was going. It was a great day and definitely one you’d remember for the rest of your life. 

Sunoo though, Sunoo was a special one. Before Jake had approached you and before the rest of the boys befriended you, there was Sunoo. In a way, Sunoo had brought colour into your life and showed you the world with linked arms. He made you take photos and encouraged you to write longer day entries in your journal. He liked watching you take the world in with those eyes of yours, drinking in everything around them. Your favourite thing was the way Sunoo taught you. He didn’t judge or make comments about your lack of almost everything. He was always positive and always on everyone’s side. 

People started to talk about the two of you. You weren’t friends because friends don’t look at each other like that. People even said it was mutual. Sunoo looked at you in the same way you did him. People were convinced that you liked him and you believed it. You told him whilst holding hands. He smiled and said, ‘I do too.’ 

Yet, despite it all. If this were fiction, he’d have hanahaki. 

Your heart doesn’t thrum at your chest with an incessant need to be with him in a romantic way. Your hands don’t get sweaty and you’re certain what you feel for him isn’t the type of way people are convinced you feel for him. But you want him to be happy. You want this relationship to be worth it. To be worth the risk of jeopardising your friendship with not only Sunoo but the rest of the boys as well. You want to keep Sunoo in your life. 

But it hurts. 

To have him falling deeper and deeper whilst you remain stagnant and unmoving in your affections. 

You scratch at the fabric at your wrist and do your best to look the part. In your acting, you miss the way Heeseung and Jungwon glance at you from the corner of their eyes. 

The whole day consists of it all. Guilt holds your hand throughout the day and pulls at your vulnerabilities. 

Niki asks if you want to go for pizza. You don’t really feel all that hungry but you agree anyway. The other boys say they will meet you after their other commitments. As Sunoo leaves to meet up with Jaebeom, a friend from another school, he wraps his arms around you in a gentle hug, pressing a kiss to your forehead and a wave goodbye. 

It is through long cheesy slices of pizza, fat chugs of chocolate milkshake and Niki going to the bathroom that you find your head in your hands, agonising over what you should do. 

You bring out your phone and search for ways to break it off. 3,920,000,000 possible search results showed and yet you weren’t convinced by a single one of them. Not one knew that you were you and Sunoo was Sunoo. 

You rack the cogs of your brain to find a solution and come up with nothing. Your heart cracks with every lack of answer. 

The rest of the boys filter into the pizza shop and every happy face you see seems to drain you and rid you of distraction. 

Heeseung's eyes are lined with worry as he takes in your hunched shoulders and lackluster smile. Despite the way you engage in conversations and ruffle Jungwon’s hair, you’re not really here. You’re stuck in your own head. 

You soldier through the afternoon like a true trooper, making sure to giggle and commit yourself to appear normal. At times, Heeseung truly believed you. 

But, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that you were less than alright. 

You collected your things, hugging each of the boys as tight as you could. You pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of Sunoo’s mouth. 

“Want me to walk you home?” Sunoo offered. 

You smiled a little and nodded in reply. He grinned and held out his arm for you to link your arms with. The sky cracked open and rain trickled down the collar of your shirt. But you continued to walk down the pavement with Sunoo by your side. 

As you reached your house, you had an overwhelming need to be inside. You felt like a drenched rat and the fabric of Sunoo’s arm was starting to soak straight through. He brushed back his wet hair in a grimace. 

‘Get inside,’ Sunoo jerked his head to your front door, smiling at you so fondly your head breaks a little more. 

You sighed, frozen in place. You nibbled at your lip and mauled over whether or not you’d bring up your worries. 

You were just so tired of feeling this way. 

“What’s wrong?” Sunoo asked with a raised brow. A dormant feeling was in his chest and it scared him to the core. 

‘Do you need a towel? Or anything? You’re gonna be cold,” You murmured, squeezing his arms and shoulders. Anchoring yourself. 

“Y/N,” His eyes narrowed at your attempt to dodge his questions. The dormant feeling in his gut was gradually increasing as you mulled over your words. 

‘Uh-nothing sounds right,” You let out a fake laugh, “I just- I don’t want you to hate me-” 

Sunoo winced at the direction that this day was going but he felt almost offended, “I could never hate you. Y/N, I-” 

He stopped at the sight of your flinch. 

“I just- I’m not,” You growled at your lack of your ability to find the perfect sentence. Though, you could bet that there wasn’t any. You closed your eyes and with a frustrated determination and overwhelming guilt, “I’m not happy, Sunoo.” 

It was so quiet. 

Sunoo’s heart dropped, “Not happy?” 

“I’m happy I get to spend time with you and see you everyday. You make me happy. But it’s just- the relationship doesn’t make me happy,” You rambled to soothe over the chaos of emotions that have escaped you. 

He paused and nodded, scratching the top of his eyebrow. 

Yet, he didn’t really move or talk. He just stood there.  

You wanted him to say something. Anything. 

Sunoo opened his mouth in desperation to cover the silence, and yet, nothing came out of his mouth. Nothing. Instead tears were seeping into his eyes and it had gotten slightly hard to breathe. 

“Understood, ahh I guess, friends then?” Sunoo smiled the first fake smile you had ever seen him wear around you, “I guess I’ll just get out of your hair. Get inside-it’s cold and raining.” 

He looks down, and the rain trickles from his hair and you have the impulse to smooth it over. But you don’t move a single muscle. 

You don’t know if you should do that anymore. 

He nods at you, wiping at his face once before leaving you at your doorstep. Sunoo zooms past the streetlights you both previously passed, ignoring your shouts of concern. 

Before, you had a boyfriend. 

Now, you didn’t. 

You had caused it. 

You watch out in the rain, wondering if you even deserved to walk back into your home to take a warm shower and to comfort yourself by the warm blankets. 

You felt empty 

Just like that...your relationship was over. 

You enter the house and everything feels bland. Everything tastes like the sour aftertaste of possibly ruining the best thing you’ve ever had. Like a plug being yanked from the bath. 

Your brother's door is open and his friends are over. They’re all laughing and bickering. You bite your lip as you pass his door, not wanting to bring attention to yourself so you can cry in your room in peace. 

‘Hey Y/N!’ Beomgyu spots you. 

You turn to him and send him a warm but brittle smile, hoping that your tears have disappeared at the sight of Beomgyu's face. 

He pauses at your expression, before smiling in a subtle attempt to comfort you. Taehyun goes to turn around but you leave to avoid your brother’s intuition. 

Beomgy’s eyes don’t leave the doorway for a while before pulling Taehyun’s attention towards the TV. 

Taehyun finds you in the dead of the night, when the boys have settled into their spots. Beomgyu had pulled him aside earlier, ‘I think you should check on your sister.’ 

It didn’t take much to convince him. You hadn’t come downstairs since you had come home and the shower didn’t run at all.  

Your light isn’t on and your curtains aren’t drawn. Your brother purses his lips at the sight of your fetal position on the bed. 

He slides in beside you, pulling the blankets up around your body. He leans into your back and furrows his eyebrows at the small shakes you’re starting to make. 

Taehyun directs you to look at him, your eyes are the most miserable he’s ever seen and are welled up with gluggy tears. 

What to do? 

Your eyes squeeze shut and instead focus on your brother’s breathing and the warmth of his embrace. 

‘I might not have friends,’ You whimper into his chest. 

He frowns as he attempts to hear you better asking you to repeat. 

‘I think I might lose my friends’ You blubber. 

‘You’re not going to lose your friends,’ Taehyun scoffs silently, rubbing your back, ‘Sunoo will kick anybody’s ass if they even consider it.’ 

‘But that’s exactly the reason why.’ 

As you say it, you feel regret. The pain is like nothing else you’ve ever felt. It sinks down into your left chest area and it sinks from the weight of it. 

That regret, worry and heartbreak of it all makes you bedridden for three days. Taehyun had taken the day off school to make sure you were okay and Beomgyu had even made an appearance after school. 

After the third day, Taehyun’s conscience caught up with him and he went to fulfill his studies. Everyone else thought you were sick at home with the flu. But in the hallways as Taehyun catches Heeseung’s eye, he realises that not everyone was so convinced. 

The bell rings at exactly four in the afternoon. Nobody is at home but you. The regret has clung itself onto the host (you) but the small layering of guilt causes you to slowly make your way down to the front door. 

You rub at your eyes and brush back your hair with your fingers to make yourself look at least a little bit presentable. 

The bell rings again as you go to pull the door open, greeted by two people at your door. 

Heeseung and Jungwon look at you with their big eyes filled with worry. Heeseung sighs in relief before pulling you into a hug. 

‘You’re an idiot,’ Heeseung mumbles before kissing the top of your head. You swallow as you twist your grip into his clothes and anchor yourself to him, crying as much as you wanted. 

Jungwon lays a supportive hand on the back of your neck, pulling at the strands of loose hair on your clothes that are in dire need of a wash. 

‘We’ll always be here for you, you stupid stupid girl,’ Heeseung curses at you whilst still holding you close, ‘You need to tell us these things.’ 

‘And that stupid boy too,’ Heeseung adds. 

‘What do you mean?’ You ask with a furrow in your eyebrows. 

‘Taehyun came up to me and gave me the details of your breakup. Everything you should’ve told me or one of the other boys. But mostly me,’ Heeseung says, ‘Not only you, but Sunoo too. The other boys are over at his, looking after him.’ 

‘Why are you two here?’ 

‘You’re our friend, Y/N,’ Jungwon reminded you, pulling you in for a little hug as well, ‘And so is Sunoo.’ 

‘Even after all I’ve done….I’ve lost Sunoo as well,’ You blubber as you grip onto Jungwon’s hand.

‘That’s all shit. You haven’t lost anyone. We’re still your friends,’ Jungwon states, holding eye contact, ‘Sunoo is still in your life. Granted, he may need a few tries but he’s still important to you and you’re still important to him.’ 

With a bitten raw lip you nodded, getting tired of all the nagging you’ve received in the past few days over your insecurities. 

It wasn’t the end of it though. 

Because that night Niki had biked to your house, demanding to have a sleepover. He was banished to the couch by your brother and his friends but still, he didn’t seem to overly mind you on a mattress beside him. 

Jake and Jay had barrelled in that week during lunch period the next day. They forced you to come out and eat with them. Jay had made sure you showered and washed the clothes you were wearing. 

Sunghoon was busy doing his assignments but he had emailed you every hour and Facetimed you. However, that didn’t last very long because then you had started doubting that he was studying much. Even though you had become the nagger, you didn’t mind it too much. 

They gave you updates. 

Sunghoon had just passed his assignments (C’s get degrees) and had everyone promise that everyone would get pork belly and lamb skewers with him. 

Jay attempted to ask out a girl, who unfortunately (Niki didn’t sound so down about it - with the way he was giggling and all) turned him down. He then proceeded to find she romantically preferred the woman kind of human being. 

Jake made the mistake of paying for Niki’s bubble tea. Which in turn, Niki found as permission to try every single available flavour of bubble tea at the restaurant. 

Sunoo was doing okay. Sunoo wanted to see how you were doing. He wanted to see when he would see you at school. 

With that courage, you went to school with a tight grip on your bag. Jungwon was the only one to greet you in the hallway before you made eye contact with Sunoo. You froze in your spot but he had, in turn, rolled his eyes at you. 

He stood beside you, looking very handsome. His eyes were still a bit sad but he was trying. You tried right back and smiled weakly at him. 

He pursed his lips in a fake attempt at being mad, before offering his arm towards you. 

That day we linked arms just as you always did. 

But from now on, you were just friends. 

A/N : yay! i finished my assignments!!! i wrote this awhile ago but never finished it or anything. it’s been what feels like a long time......

[kuroopaisen]

the in-between | iii (kuroo tetsurou)

➵  it took you and kuroo far too long to learn that love was never singularly defined. it can be both striking and understated, sudden and unhurried, gentle and all-consuming. and most of all, it can be anything else in-between.

wc: 7.2k (part 3 of 3)

warnings: f!reader, depiction of anxiety & mentions of depression (kind of)

a/n: a grand final thank you to @w-yuren once again for going through ALL OF THIS,,, anyway, i hope you enjoy this finally!  

m.list |  ch. 2 ↞ ch. 3

"You gotta make sure you squish it down," Kuroo said, patting his hair.

"I know," you laughed, on your tiptoes as you balanced yourself on one of his shoulders. You tried not to think too much about how close the two of you were, and how unnecessary it was. Measuring the heights of the rest of the team hadn’t felt this weird. Was it because you’d stood on a step ladder for the other behemoths of the team? Was it because Kuroo was kind of attractive? Hard to say. 

You really should’ve just used the step ladder. That way, you wouldn’t have to rely on your admittedly shoddy sense of balance– 

Oh shit. You felt yourself falling backwards, squeezing your eyes shut as you prepared for your inevitable and humiliating collision with the gym floor. 

But you didn’t fall. A pair of hands grabbed you, hoisting you up. 

You opened your eyes. 

He may have had a shit-eating grin on his face, but the look that Kuroo was giving you was undeniably fond. Although, fond in the way you might look at a puppy that was chasing its own tail. 

His hands were on your waist. You’re close, closer than you’d ever been before. You looked up at him, unable to shake the feeling that this was a bit like something out of a shoujo manga.

"You and your damn lack of balance," he chuckled, that aggravating smile of his painting his lips. "You've really gotta do something about that, you know."

"I'm well aware," you huffed, plopping your heels back on the ground. You tried to ignore the hammering in your chest and the way you couldn’t take your eyes away from his face. You tried to stop your mind from flicking back to the day he’d been crowned captain, and how it had felt to be in his arms like that. 

You’re doing a rather shit job at it, really. So instead you half-dove for your notebook, jotting down his height. You’d already prepared all the measurements from the last assessment in order to compare them. 

"You've barely grown," you mused, brows all furrowed as you looked at the notebook.

"As long as I'm still taller than Bokuto, it's fine."

You laughed. He's glad for it. "Isn't he catching up to you?" You asked, looking over your shoulder at him.

Kuroo waved a hand. "We don't talk about that."

You smiled, taking the opportunity to jog over to Coach Nekomata and hand him these new stats. You really needed a moment to distance yourself from him, to let yourself catch your breath. 

Those weird little feelings had been cropping up more and more. Frankly, they were annoying. You enjoyed your friendship with Kuroo. It was comfortable. It was safe. And you didn’t know what you’d do without it. Feeling… whatever it was that you were feeling could jeopardise that. So, you were determined to suppress them as aggressively as you could. 

Meanwhile, he’s trying to get the thought of just how pretty you looked in his arms out of his own head.  

✉

[YOU] 8:31 PM: if i told you you've shrunk a few mms since last year, what would you do?

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:31 PM: don't even joke about that

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:31 PM: i’m a respectable 187.9cm thank you very much

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:32 PM: that's basically 188. and up from, what? 186.4 cm last year?

[YOU] 8:32 PM: aw you sound just like yaku

[taller than bokuto (for now)] 8:32 PM: now that's just uncalled for

✧ ✧ ✧

Your approach to training camp was quite similar to how a zoo animal might respond to being released into the wild. Excitement, followed by a brief spurt of anxiety, and then flitting about relentlessly as you experienced all you could. 

He hadn’t had many chances to talk to you, given how busy you both were. He was actually kind of miffed at that, much to his own surprise. But, he knew it’d only be for a week. 

You were always with the other managers, sorting out food and water, and making sure that everyone was doing okay. You had some friends on Karasuno, too, and you’d been taking the time to catch up with them. 

Somewhere along the way, you’d ended up becoming friends with Bokuto of all people. You’d been acquainted before from previous practice matches, but for some reason you’d really clicked at this camp. 

And that was fine. Wonderful, even. But sometimes Kuroo really needed your help to control the kids, but he never knew where you were. 

At that moment, he needed you to whip Lev into shape. So he was doing his daily scan of the gym, hoping to catch sight of you. 

Ah. There you were.

You were peering at… something, brows furrowed and bottom lip jutted out just a little. You were sitting on the gym floor, hunched over your knees. You looked like a little gremlin. It's kind of cute, but he's not going to say that.

"What're you thinking about?" Kuroo flopped down next to you, legs spread wide.

You nudged him with your foot. "Give me some space, would you?"

"Nah," he shrugged, spreading his legs even wider.  

“You doing alright?” You murmured, slumping down to sit properly. 

“Lev’s being a little shit,” Kuroo said, “I need you to talk to him.”

“Same as always, then,” you smiled. But, you still weren’t looking at him. Your gaze was somewhere else entirely. Frowning, Kuroo did his best to follow your gaze across the busy gym. 

Were you looking at… Bokuto?

He glanced back at your face, trying not to get distracted by your eyes as he followed your gaze once more.

Yeah. There's no way you weren’t.

Bokuto was two courts away, rapt in deep conversation with Akaashi. Kuroo knew, deep in his heart, that it was probably about something stupid. But nonetheless, you were staring at him. 

"Don't tell me you have a thing for dumbasses," Kuroo chuckled, trying to ignore that weird little pit forming in his stomach.

"And what if I did?" You hummed, tilting your head.

"Really?" Kuroo scoffed. "Bokuto's your type?"

You used to be so easy to fluster. But you knew each other too well now. 

If he wanted to know if you really thought about Bokuto that way, he’d have to be bolder. 

He wished he could ask the question more directly. He wished he could ask in a way that'd get him a definite answer.

You grinned, shaking your head. "I'm not admiring him, if that's what you're asking." 

"Then why are you staring at him like some kind of superfan?"

"He's just… serotonin in human form," you shrugged. "Literally, he's always smiling about something." You bit your lip. "I don't know, he just seems like someone who's… always making people… happy."

Kuroo snorted. "You really don't know him very well."

"Hey, don't be mean!" You slapped his arm gently for that one.

"I wasn't insulting him!" Kuroo grinned, holding up his hands. "I'm just saying–"

"I thought you were friends."

"We are!" Kuroo couldn’t tell if you were genuinely upset or not. "I just… not sure if his team would agree with you on that," he grinned. "Have you seen him in a slump?"

You shrugged. "Not my problem." A pause. "Thank God."

Kuroo chuckled. "You know, I can put in a good word for you if you'd like." He didn’t know why he offered. Maybe to ignore that swell in his stomach. Maybe to hear you say 'no thanks.’

You shook your head, a smile tugging at your lips. He thanked whatever deity was looking over him. 

"Can't I just admire someone for being a good person, Tetsu?"

He didn’t miss a beat. He quirked an eyebrow at you. "Calling me that here, huh?" A grin swept across his face before he could suppress it. "What if people hear you? They might get the wrong idea."

You blushed at his words. You blushed. He didn’t know why he loved it so much when you did.  

"Shut up," you mumbled, crossing your arms. It's like you’re shrinking. Some part of him, unruly and foolish, wanted to wrap his arms around you.

Instead, he smiled, reaching up to ruffle your hair. "I don't mind, at least."

You glared at him. You didn’t know how that name had come out of your mouth. You’re still not sure if it's okay for you to call him that. You just knew that the little smile that touched his lips whenever you used that nickname made you happy.

But it's a small fondness; the sort that made you feel all giddy inside, but usually went unnoticed regardless. 

But nothing went unnoticed with Kuroo. No remark, no glance. He's infuriatingly observant.

You finally understood what his opponents must feel.

His hand was still tangled in your hair. Neither of you had broken eye contact; and you’d been looking at each other for much longer than usual. There’s a voice in the back of your mind, begging you not to let your mind wander. But it’s hard, when you’re this close. When he felt barely a breath away. Your ears thrummed as you came back down to earth, the pounding of volleyballs and the chatter of far too many sweaty boys reminding you of where you are.

"Hey, Kuroo!”

A voice called out. You’re not quite sure who it belonged to. You’re too distracted by the look in his eyes.

His head whipped around, brow creased ever so slightly. But it was enough for you to know he's annoyed. You wouldn’t let yourself wonder why.

But he's up on his feet, and the air suddenly felt a lot cooler. And you couldn’t help but wonder, 'what was that?’

As he walked away, he couldn’t stop thinking about you. About Bokuto. About the fact he's so bothered by the mere thought that you might have a crush on his friend. You’d said you didn’t like him, right? That should’ve been enough. And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. There's something about it being someone he knew that got on his nerves.

He’d convinced himself that this wasn’t love. So why did he feel like this? 

✉

[a respectable 187.9cm] 11:54 PM: i literally cannot believe that bokuto’s your type

[YOU] 11:54 PM: okay FIRST OF ALL

[YOU] 11:54 PM: i told you he’s not my type omfg i can’t believe you’re still thinking about this 

[YOU] 11:54 PM: second of all

[YOU] 11:54 PM: tetsu you should be asleep 

[YOU] 11:55 PM: go to sleep or there’ll be consequences 

[a respectable 187.9cm] 11:55 PM: i just

[a respectable 187.9cm] 11:55 PM: i thought you’d have better taste than that, you know? 

[YOU] 11:55 PM: I Am Going To Kill You

✧ ✧ ✧

“Okay,” Kuroo nodded, pen in hand. “So what exactly are you worried about?” 

You were both sat at the desk in your room, huddled over a textbook. You’d been trying to pay attention, but you just couldn’t. Your brain was too frazzled from stress. And Kuroo, as always, had picked up on that. 

You took a deep breath, straightening out your shoulders. Quite frankly, you were worried about a lot. But, you weren’t about to drop every single little anxiety you had on him all at once. 

“It’s the uni exams, right?” He asked, tilting his head at you. “Amongst other things.”

You nodded slowly. “Yeah…” 

“Did you want to do more practice exams?” He asked, reaching for his laptop. 

You shook your head. “No, I’m just…” You took another deep breath, your fists balling in the fabric of your sweatpants. “I feel like I can’t keep up with all the content we’ve been learning, and I genuinely have no idea what I’m going to do if I bomb the entrance exams.” 

Kuroo gazed at you with just the right amount of sympathy. 

“My chemistry grade’s been improving, yes, but I feel like…” You took another deep breath, trying to ground yourself. “It’s been… really, really hard trying to stay on top of everything, and… and I don’t even know what I want to do with my life, so I have no idea how hard I’m supposed to be working, or what I’m supposed to be focused on, and… and I’m scared, and I’m worried I’m letting people down, and I’m.. I’m scared that I’m not going to do anything meaningful with my life, and–” 

Your words caught in your throat as you felt a hand on your head, smoothing over your hair. It wasn’t an unusual spiel for you; Kuroo was quite used to them. And he was getting better and better at handling them. 

“Listen,” he sighed, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “I know it’s hard for you to see your own merits. And I know that things are getting pretty overwhelming. But you’ve got to have faith in yourself.” 

You swallowed, leaning into his touch instinctively. 

“I know that’s easier said than done, but you’re smarter than you think you are,” he said, giving your arm a squeeze. “You’ve improved a lot over this past year, you know? You finally know what a compound is!”

“Hey,” you whined. 

“I know, I know,” he grinned, hand now ruffling your hair. “But believe me. You can do this. I know you can.” 

You bit your lip. Oh, no. Your chest was constricting again. 

“I’m just… scared,” you mumbled, looking down at your hands. 

“I know,” he murmured, giving your arm another a light squeeze. “Let’s take this one step at a time, yeah?”

You nodded, but you didn’t lift your head back up. You kept staring at your balled up fists, trying your best to take a long, measured breath, in the hopes that doing so would help ground you. 

Don’t think too much. Just focus on the moment. On his voice. 

“Hey,” he murmured, unlooping his arm from your shoulders and instead taking your hand. You flinched at the suddenness of it, but you didn’t pull away. He brought his pen to the back of your hand, the nib tickling you as he scribbled something over your skin. 

It’s going to be okay. You can do this. Those words stared at you from the back of your hand, emblazoned in Kuroo’s chicken-scratch script. 

He’d always been saying this sort of stuff to you. He’d always been trying to help ground you, to bring you back down to earth. And above it all, he’d always had an unshakeable faith in you. A faith you didn’t quite feel like you deserved. But he was always there, always supporting you. 

He meant more to you than you could even put into words.

“I’m sorry,” you sniffed, squeezing your eyes shut as you felt an all-too-familiar sting in them. “I didn’t mean to freak out on you, I’m–”

“No,” Kuroo shook his head, smiling at you. “Don’t do that.” 

You bit your lip. He hated it when you apologised for stuff like this. Totally unwarranted, he’d said. 

“Do you still have it?” Kuroo asked, letting go of your hand. 

You dug around in your bag, pulling out a little booklet. “This thing?” 

He grinned. “Yeah. You told me it’d be useful.” 

“It has been,” you murmured, fiddling with the corner of the booklet.

You’d been a little surprised when he’d first handed it to you a few months ago, but now it was well-worn. It was a collection of articles, each one dedicated to different types of coping strategies for all sorts of problems. Stress, anxiety, melancholy, a lack of motivation… any potential problem you could face, he’d found at least a handful of potential solutions for. 

Honestly, you weren’t sure if things would be running so smoothly if it wasn’t for him. Kuroo was the sort of person who always liked to be on top of things – ‘it gives me more time to goof off,’ he’d said. But you knew that he also wanted to do well; to see his hard work pay off, to get into a good university, and to make his family proud.

And he’d helped you stay on top of things as well. His timetables and this booklet were just one small part of that.  

As you ran your thumb over the booklet, a lump began to form in your throat. 

You really couldn’t have predicted that the two of you would get so close. And each and every day, you grew closer still. 

You’d noticed the little affections between the two of you. The way your hands would brush when he walked you home. The way you leant against one another whenever you had movie nights. They way his hand always lingered in your hair when he ruffled it. They were only little moments, nothing particularly grand. It was nothing that transgressed either of your boundaries. Everything you shared was nebulously platonic; more a testament to just how comfortable you really were with each other than to any undercurrent that ran differently to friendship. 

But you knew that some part of you wanted it to speak to something else. That frightened you.

And yet, romance didn’t cover it nicely. It felt almost disrespectful to try and think of your feelings that way. You had the suspicion that this love of yours didn’t fall neatly into either camp.

There’s so much at play – he meant so much to you, and you honestly couldn’t imagine your life without him in it. Where would you be? Who would you be? 

You loved Kuroo Tetsurou. Deeply. And you had for a while. 

Your love for him was somewhere in the in-between. There’s a wealth of feeling here, deep and powerful and intimidating. But you were scared of the grey. Scared of what it meant. Scared of how those feelings might express themselves. And you had no idea what he was feeling. No idea if he was even on the same page. The last thing you wanted to do was to make him uncomfortable.  

So, it’s easier to call them platonic. For the sake of your friendship, if nothing else. 

✉

[passable at best] 11:34 PM: i hope you’re asleep right now

[passable at best] 11:34 PM: but don’t forget to look after yourself, okay? 

[passable at best] 11:34 PM: i know you’re really stressed, but don’t forget to eat well and keep your fluids up 

[passable at best] 11:35 PM: and when you’re stressed, take a deep breath 

[passable at best] 11:35 PM: your brain needs the oxygen, if it’s going to run smoothly ;) 

✧ ✧ ✧

It took everything within you not to squeal at the top of your lungs as you watched that final spike from Yamamoto go flying off the hand of one of Nohebi’s blockers. 

Your kids had done it. They’d won. 

You’re running on pure adrenaline as you launched yourself in the air, jumping being the only way to properly express your delight. Yamamoto dashed towards you, hands held up. You high-fived him with a grin, saying something that you were sure was totally incoherent. But you just didn’t quite know how to put your overwhelming pride into words. 

Lev was next, running at you while screaming. You screamed back, standing on your tip-toes in an attempt to ruffle his hair. Oh, you had words for him; but you’d wait until you’d calmed down a bit. 

There was someone in particular that you wanted to see, though. Someone– 

“Oi!” You flinched, turning around. 

Kuroo. With his arms spread wide, already anticipating you. 

You threw yourself into his embrace, and his arms found their way around your waist. He wanted nothing more than to be close to you, to share the joy and elation coursing through his veins. What he wanted most, in that moment, was to be with you. 

You melted into him, your face nestled in the crook of his neck. And then, he knew. 

It’s love.

It’s not love in the way it’s always been sold to him. It’s not a love that burns bright with passion and spectacle.

But it’s how he loves you. It’s a quiet, peaceful love, an impressionist watercolour of every shade and tone of affection. 

You looked up at him, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling with joy. 

And he wondered, in that moment, if he should kiss you.

You’re looking up at him with such resolve, such determination that he felt like maybe, just maybe, the things he'd dreamt of might be possible.

There's a pleasant remembrance, a deep gratitude for the fact that all this time, you’d been there. Supporting him. Like you always had.

But it wasn't time to think about it. You’re still technically on the court, and there were so many people around. He wasn’t going to put you on the spot like that. 

He merely wrapped his arms around you again, pulling you into his chest. "I can't thank you enough, you know."

"Me?" Your face was burning red, and you’re glad he couldn’t see that.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, resisting the urge to kiss the top of your head. “You’ve done a lot for me. Both as a manager, and as a friend.” 

Your arms were around his waist, and you squeezed him tight for just a moment. “You too.” 

He knew he should let you go. He knew that the two of you had been entwined like this for far too long to pass it off as platonic. But he didn’t want to let go. He wanted this moment to last forever. 

He only found the courage to let you go when Lev came thundering towards the two of you, arms raised above his head and elated smile on his face. Kuroo managed to release you, watching with an unabashedly fond smile as Lev gave you a highly dramatised play-by play of the game you’d just been watching. 

But you were smiling, all the way up to your eyes. And for Kuroo, part of loving you was feeling nothing but joy when he saw that look on your face. 

And he knew he would be blessed with that sight for the rest of the evening. 

By the time you’d all left the stadium, you and Yaku were in tears. The first years were flitting around, offering you both a copious amount of tissues. Both of you refused them, content on just using your shirts. 

Usually, the sight of you in tears would break his heart. But he knew these were happy tears. And he wouldn’t trade that brilliant smile that accompanied them for anything. 

You’d calmed down a bit by the time you all settled into a nearby ramen joint. The tears had stopped, replaced by nothing but high spirits. Kuroo, for one, was having the time of his life. There wasn’t much time to just let go these days; entrance exams were closer than he wanted them to be, and finals were growing more and more imminent. And that wasn’t even taking volleyball into account. 

But for now, he could lose himself in this moment; in sharing his glee with this team that he loved so much, that he’d fought alongside with everything he had. 

And you, of course. 

As he sat next to you, watching your face light up as you spoke to Kai about nothing of consequence, he knew that he was done with tip-toeing around the issue. Done with denying his feelings. He knew that he’s feeling something on top of friendship. Not instead of it, but alongside it. And maybe that was the realisation he should’ve come to a while ago.  

But that didn’t matter. He knew now. He had to say something. 

He tried his best as he walked you home. But confessing was harder than he’d given it credit for. 

You were chatting away so animatedly about how proud you were, your entire face lit from within by nothing but pure adoration for your kids. You even pulled out specific examples from today’s game, complimenting each person who’d been on the court. 

Seeing you like this made him so soft. So fond. 

And he wanted to kiss you really, really badly. 

Say something, he thought to himself. Say something, you absolute idiot. 

“And Lev,” you breathed, a hand on his chest. “Can you believe it?” 

Kuroo chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ll be honest, I thought it’d take a bit longer for the whole teammate thing to click.” 

“I’m so proud of him,” you said, shaking your head. “He’s grown so much in just one year.” 

So have you, Kuroo thought to himself. 

“Will Yaku be okay?” You asked, looking up at him. Fuck, you were so pretty. 

“He should be,” Kuroo nodded. “Honestly, at least that sprain means he’s obligated to take a couple days rest.”

You grinned. “That’s true.” 

Your arm kept brushing against his, your hands so close to touching. 

Why were his palms so sweaty? He might’ve reached out and taken your hand if his own didn’t feel so gross. 

Fuck. You’ve already reached your house. 

“Well,” you sighed, rocking on your feet a little. “Thanks.” 

“For what?” He raised an eyebrow at you. 

“For tricking me into being your manager,” you laughed, moving to stand right in front of him. “It’s been fun.” 

“Geez, you don’t have to say it like it’s over.” He scoffed, too nervous to reach out and ruffle your hair like he usually would. 

“Sorry,” you grinned. “I’m just… happy.”

“Me too,” he admitted. 

You smiled at him, eyes bright and full of wonder. Were you letting the moment linger? Did you not want this to end either? Was there any possibility that you felt the same way he did? 

Do it, he thought to himself. She’s right there. Just… just do it. 

Something in your face shifted. Just a little. But you stepped back, giving him a resolute nod. 

The moment was gone. 

“Make sure you get plenty of rest, okay?” You smiled at him. 

Do something, he pleaded. 

But the adrenaline’s gone. That bright flame of courage he’d felt when you were in his arms had flickered out. And now you felt just out of reach. 

“I will,” he nodded. 

By the time you made it up to your room, you knew. 

You threw yourself on the bed, burying your head in your pillow. 

He was going to kiss you. 

You could see it in his eyes. In how he’d looked at you in his arms at the stadium. In the way he’d hesitated before dropping you home. 

You’d wanted him to kiss you. You’d felt nothing but crushing disappointment when he hadn’t. 

You rolled over onto your back, staring at your ceiling for a second. You took a few deep breaths – just as that little booklet of yours instructed you to. You needed to calm down. To sort out your thoughts. 

You sat up, reaching for the photo album sitting on your bedside table. 

It was his birthday tomorrow. It’d been lost in the hub-bub of the qualifiers, but you’d been preparing this gift for a couple of months now. You just had to get the photos from today printed, and it’d be complete. 

You flicked through the last few pages, gazing over the pictures of the past few months with a strange lump in your throat. 

It hit you as you looked at his face in one photo. It’s decorated with a genuine smile as he gazed at you, sat next to him in a little booth at a ramen joint. You’re not doing anything special. Just laughing, probably at something stupid he had said. But he looked so happy, and that made your heart ache in the way it only did for him. 

You couldn’t chalk your feelings up as just friendship. You had feelings for Kuroo Tetsurou, and they’re multiplicious. They’re something in-between friendship and romance, something you hadn’t given shape and form to. 

But they’re something you wanted to explore. 

✉

[YOU] 8:43 PM: hey

[YOU] 8:43 PM: i don’t think i made it clear enough today, but i’m so proud of you 

[tetsuwu] 8:44 PM: yeah, the team really gave it their all 

[YOU] 8:44 PM: they did! but i meant, like you. i’m proud of you

[tetsuwu] 8:47 PM: oi

[YOU] 8:47 PM: ????

[tetsuwu] 8:48 PM: what did i say about warning a guy before you say sappy stuff like that? 

[YOU] 8:48 PM: look, i just wanted to let you know! and you should really be proud of yourself, you know?

[tetsuwu] 8:49 PM: just. give me a moment 

[tetsuwu] 8:50 PM: also did you have to change my name back to tetsuwu?

[YOU] 8:50 PM: it’s a classic :) 

✧ ✧ ✧

Birthday mornings were always a gamble in the Kuroo household. 

Was the rest of the family going to pretend they forgot? Were they going to be standing in the corner of your room, waiting for you to wake up and scream? Were they going to be hiding in the garden as you woke up to an empty house? 

Most years he tried to wake up early to get the jump on them. But he’d permitted himself a sleep-in, just this once.

He’d been up late, after all, cursing himself out for being such a coward. The thought’s still with him when he woke up. 

He had to push it out of his mind. There was a lot to be happy about – a spot at nationals, a chance to make the Battle At The Garbage Dump actually happen, his birthday. He knew he shouldn’t dwell too much on you. He also had to check on Kenma; chances were he was suffering from a fever, as usual. 

He’d confess. Eventually. But first he had to actually enjoy his birthday. 

And the only way to kick that off was with a tea. 

He’s still a bit bleary from sleep as he walked into the kitchen, intent only on getting some caffeine into his body. He didn’t need to peek at the mirror to know that he looked like a damn mess. His family would chew him out for it regardless. 

So he tried to steel himself for the typical morning tirade, playful jabs that he had to be lucid enough to return. 

What he didn’t steel himself for, however, was seeing you standing in his kitchen. 

He froze. What were you doing here? Why were you speaking to his grandmother? Why did you look so cute in your jumper? 

The questions flooded his mind all at once, a mental labyrinth that he couldn’t quite make his way through. 

Your arms were around his neck before he even had the chance to process it.

“Happy birthday!”

Oh, oh–

He’d been awake for barely fifteen minutes, and he had to act like this wasn’t making him melt into a puddle? His mind was back at the play-offs, his arms around your waist as you pressed your body against his. He needed to regain his composure, and desperately.

“Thanks,” he managed to mumble out, his arms hovering awkwardly above your waist. 

At that moment, he locked eyes with his grandmother. Her face was plastered with the trademark Kuroo grin, and she winked at him. 

That’s it. His composure was completely in shambles. He grabbed your shoulders and pushed you away from him, giving him the space he needed to think clearly.  

“So…” He cleared his throat, one hand pressed on his neck as if to ground himself. “What are you doing here?”

Your face fell ever so slightly, and it broke his heart. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” You frowned, tilting your head at him. “It’s your birthday. I wanted to come and say hi.” 

He locked eyes with his grandmother again. She took a sip of her tea. 

“Let’s… let’s go to my room,” he suggested, painfully aware of the fact that the flush in his cheeks had made its way to his neck. It’s not ideal, being alone with you in his room when he’s feeling like this. But if he was going to embarrass himself, he’d prefer to do it somewhere his grandmother couldn’t watch. 

He didn’t wait for your response. 

He turned on his heels, stalking out of the kitchen as quickly as he could. 

He’d wanted at least twenty-four hours to pull himself together. At least. Then maybe he would’ve stood a chance while talking to you. But here you were, one of the first faces he’d seen today. How long had he been awake? Twenty minutes? 

This was, quite frankly, a disaster. 

He thundered into his room and sat himself on his bed, back a little too straight and hands balled up in his lap. 

You sat yourself down next to him after shutting his door, close enough to make him a little more nervous. You’ve got a gift bag in your hand and a look of concern painted on your face. 

“Tetsu, are you okay?” 

Did you have to use his nickname? You’d called him that plenty of times before, but now it just felt… strange. Now it made his stomach flutter in all sorts of ways.

“Yeah,” he blushed, looking away from you. “Do I seem… not okay?”

“You seem uneasy.” 

Idiot, he thought to himself. Of course you’d be able to read him. And it’s not like he’s being subtle. 

“I’m fine,” he said, trying to replicate his usual easy smile. “Just feeling old, you know?” 

You laughed. “Sure.” 

He could feel his face burning up. And he could feel you watching him. That just made it worse. 

He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what he even wanted to say. Blurting out a confession wasn’t the best way to go about it. But he didn’t even know how to start a conversation with you right now. 

“I, uh… I brought you something,” you said, holding out the bag. 

He took it with a nod, setting it in his lap. Okay. This was a start. At the very least, he now had something to talk to you about. 

He took a deep breath as he reached into the bag, pulling out a thick, square-shaped present. Peering into the bag, he caught sight of an envelope. 

“Read the letter later, please,” you said, your cheeks a little pink. 

He nodded. You probably got all sappy in it. If he read it now, he’d probably explode. 

“You can open the present, though,” you said, gesturing to it. 

“Right,” he mumbled, taking a second to collect himself before tearing into the wrapping.

It’s a photo album. The photo you’d slipped into the cover was one of the team, collapsed in a human pile as they beamed at the camera. 

He looked at you tentatively. You offered him a beautiful smile. 

“I hope you like it,” you said, a hint of blush to your cheeks. 

He already knew he would. 

But he wasn’t ready for the absolute flood of emotions that was stuffed between these pages. There was that time from second year, when the team had gone to a theme park. It was just after Kenma had started to bleach his hair. Kuroo, Yaku and Kai beamed up from the page, completely unaware of Yamamoto pulling a face in the background.  

There’s the day you, Kuroo and Kenma had gone to get ice cream in celebration of Kuroo’s captaincy. Kuroo’s beaming at the camera, one arm looped around Kenma’s shoulder. It’s only slightly, but Kenma’s smiling, too.

There’s a selfie from that trip to the temple, both your cheeks flushed. He couldn’t tell if it’s from the cold or from the promises you’d made that day. 

There’s photos from the New Years’ Festival you’d both attended with Yaku and Kai. You’re all dressed up in your nicest clothes, pressed together for a poorly lit selfie. 

There’s the first group photo from this year, the entire team huddled together. The taller guys had to hunch to accommodate the likes of Yaku, even if they weren’t about to say it out loud. But, half of Lev’s head still got cut off. 

And that’s just a handful of them. His heart was already overwhelmed as he flicked through countless photos of birthday celebrations, the training camp, and many other little moments he’d forgotten about. 

There’s even photos from yesterday, each member of the team grinning like idiots. 

The tears welled up before he could stop them. 

He wasn’t the sort to get sentimental. But this just got to him. Seeing every happy, joyful memory of the past two years made him feel like he was about to collapse in on himself. It filled him with a certain sense of adoration that he couldn’t hold back. 

He covered his face with his hands, bending over. 

“Hey,” you murmured, placing a hand on his back. “You alright?”

“I’m–” He choked on his words, clearing his throat. “I’m great.” 

When he finally dropped his hands and let you see his face, your heart stuttered. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, his nose was all red, and his cheeks were flushed a deep, deep scarlet. But you didn’t have time to process it. 

His arms wrapped around you, pulling you towards him. You conceded, resting your face in the crook of his neck and wrapping your arms around his chest. He’s warm, comforting. 

"I wouldn't be who I am today without you."

His breath fanned your neck as he said those words. And as fuzzy as that made your mind, you knew you felt the same way. 

You genuinely couldn’t imagine who you’d be without him. He’d had such an impact on you, and you couldn’t be more grateful for all the ways he’d helped you grow as a person. 

And you knew now that, it’s okay to love him in the in-between. You didn’t need to be afraid of how you felt. You could love him in all sorts of ways; in ways that were cleanly defined, and in ways that weren’t. You could love him as you needed to. As you’re able to. 

"Me neither," you mumbled. 

He drew back, bringing one of his hands to cup your cheek. You didn’t shy away. 

He was looking at you with such affection, his eyes still a little watery, still a little red. You loved this Kuroo – this big, dense softie. 

His thumb ran over your cheek gently, and you hoped your face didn’t look as flushed as it felt. 

He thought you were the most precious thing he’d ever seen. 

“Can I kiss you?” His words were soft, his voice low and gentle. 

You could feel your heart hammering in your chest, your mind abuzz with excitement, nervousness and everything in-between. 

You managed to nod. 

The smile on his face rivalled even the most beautiful sunrise you’d ever seen. 

When his lips met yours, you felt everything from elation to relief. Elation at being able to hold him like this. Relief that you could finally hold him in all the ways you wanted to. 

His lips were softer than you’d expected them to be, and his touch so gentle and hesitant that you felt like you’re about to melt. 

But there’s desperation in this kiss, a testament to all the build-up. You wanted more of him. You wanted to give him more of you. 

He pulled you into his lap gently, both hands on your waist. One of your hands was twined in his hair, the other running over his shoulder and collarbone with a feather-light touch. You’re just so glad, so grateful that you finally get to be with him like this. 

His hands moved from your waist, to your hips, to your thighs, to your shoulders. The only thought running through his brain was you – how good it felt to kiss you, how exhilarating it felt to hold you close to him like this with no hesitation, how it felt like he’d waited his whole life for this. For you. 

Some part of his brain thought that was oh-so-adolescent and stupid. Most of his brain didn’t care.

You pulled away, lips pink and cheeks flushed. He blinked at you, dazed and a little startled. How did your post-kissing face look so cute and pretty? Why hadn’t he kissed you sooner? Why’d he deprived you both of this for so long? 

“Tetsu,” you hummed, cupping his face in your hands. 

“Hm?” 

“Your family is home.” 

“Oh,” he swallowed, a little embarrassed by how much he’d let his mind wander. “Yeah.” You both knew that his grandmother wasn’t the type to knock. 

You laughed, pressing a kiss to his nose. 

He smiled at you. A sudden swell of gratitude gripped his heart; you felt the same way as he did. You hadn’t necessarily traded those words yet, but he had a feeling that they were in that letter you’d written for him. 

But you didn’t need to talk about it right now. You could just enjoy this moment. Enjoy the fact that neither of you were holding back anymore. 

He couldn’t wait to tell Kenma–

Oh shit. Kenma. 

“You alright?” You asked, brushing his fringe out of his face. 

“Huh?” He asked, blinking at you. 

“Your face went all weird,” you pouted. 

“I just remembered that I’ve gotta go check on Kenma,” he said, resting his hands on your hips. “I want to make sure he hasn’t got a fever from yesterday.” 

Oh. Oh. Your heart was going again. 

There was a lot you could say about Kuroo Tetsurou. And there were so many things you couldn’t put into words. You adored him. You adored him for his perspective on things, for how he always managed to bring you back down to earth. You adored him for just how much he cared, even if that was veiled by his playful deflections. You adored him for the fact that, even though he’d never admit it, he’s soft, and had a penchant for offering people all that he could give. 

And he’d given you so much. He’d been your resource to use as you pleased, and so much more. He’d held you up without complaint, and he’d done nothing but support you. He’d been one of your closest friends, if not the closest. And ever since you’d gotten to know one another, he’d been someone you’ve always felt comfortable with. In many ways, he’d been your safe place. 

Yet on top of it all, he’s a dork. He’s clever, yes, and one of the most interesting people you’d ever known. But he’s such an idiot, so endearingly goofy. He always seemed to find the levity in things, even though he knew when to take things seriously. And for all his maturity, for all those wonderful things about him, he’s still just a guy.   

You wouldn’t want him any other way. 

✉

[whipped] 2:01 PM: okay but… can i call you my girlfriend now? 

[whipped] 2:01 PM: am i... your boyfriend?

[YOU] 2:01 PM: tetsu we’re in the same room 

[whipped] 2:01 PM: yeah but i don’t wanna say it out loud 

[whipped] 2:02 PM: also kenma’s here and he’ll get uncomfortable 

[YOU] 2:02 PM: sounds suspiciously like you planned this 

[YOU] 2:02 PM: anyway, i thought that much was clear? 

[whipped] 2:03 PM: not necessarily 

[whipped] 2:03 PM: just wanted to check 

[YOU] 2:03 PM: you’re such a nerd 

[whipped] 2:03 PM: yeah well… i also wanted you to know that you’re the best birthday present i could’ve asked for ;)

[YOU] 2:03 PM: oh my god

[YOU] 2:03 PM: you’re so cheesy 

[whipped] 2:04 PM: :) 

[omgrachwrites]

The Princess and The Duke - Chapter Fourteen

Pairing: Sirius Black x Reader

Summary: As the Princess of Spain, you were always supposed to marry King James of England to make an alliance between Spain and England. When he marries a woman at his court for love, you are married off to his best friend, Sirius Black the Duke of Bedford to keep the alliance. However, the court is riddled with secrets and a rebel in the North starts to rise against the Throne. Royal AU.

Warnings: fluff, angst, James and Lily being adorable

Words: 2666

Disclaimer: The Spanish may be wrong and these gifs don’t belong to me!

Translations: lo prometo - I promise

Gracias, eres una maravilla - Thank you, you’re wonderful

A/N: This is a formal apology for the next chapter :( I’m so sorry again, the Spanish in this was used with Google Translate so I’m so sorry if it’s wrong! Hope you guys enjoy this and please let me know what you think and let me know if you would like to be tagged! I love you all! xxx

Chapter Fourteen - Beware of The City

It seemed like good looks ran in the family, Regulus’ face was alight with joy, happiness burning in his eyes as he met his niece and nephew, it was the first time that you’d brought them to see him. He was looking quite well, he’d been so gravely injured that James wouldn’t allow anyone to see him – not even Sirius – he was worried that visitors would make Regulus’ condition worse.

As soon as James deemed Regulus fit enough to see people, you and Sirius were there in a flash, Sirius had barely left his side and you were proud of how much of a good brother Sirius was. Sirius grinned up at you, almost turning your legs to jelly in the process, and you combed your fingers through his inky black hair that was beginning to get long again and he sweetly pressed his lips against your cheek.

“Elena and Johnathan really are so beautiful, Y/N, they obviously take after you in that respect,” he smirked, glancing over at his older brother.

Instead of acting offended, Sirius simply inclined his head in a nod, “they certainly do take after their beautiful mother,” he cupped your cheek as he turned to look at you. There was so much adoration and love swimming in his eyes that butterflies fluttered in the pit of your stomach as your breath was momentarily stolen away. God, you loved him so much, every day you were thankful for him.

Blushing, you averted your eyes to the grey stone floor, “God, if you two keep saying things like that then I’m afraid my head will get so large that it won’t even be able to fit through that door,” you giggled, gesturing to the golden arched doorway behind you. The two brothers laughed as Sirius kissed along your knuckles, lacing his fingers through yours.

The thud of hesitant footsteps against the stone floor captured your attention and you saw the easy smile slide of Sirius’ face and it drained of colour. Almost at once, the atmosphere in the room switched from something that was very happy and light, to something stifling and tense. You turned around to see James lingering in the doorway, he shot an apologetic look at Regulus and you could feel Sirius tense behind you, it was time.

“I’m so sorry to break this up, but the court is assembled.”

Regulus nodded as he forced a smile at you and Sirius as he passed the twins back to you, “you don’t have to do this, Reg,” Sirius sighed and you could hear the pain in his voice, you wished that you could take it all away.

“Sirius is right, Reg.”

Regulus shook his head as he got out of bed, wincing as he did so, rejecting Sirius’ silent offer to help, “I have to, the court needs to know, I’ll be fine, lo prometo,” he assured you in Spanish, forcing out a tight smile. He was much too noble. You and Sirius both exchanged a worried glance as you followed Regulus out of the chambers that he was currently residing in.

The atmosphere in The Throne Room was thick and the tension was only building as a hushed whisper fell across the room. Lucius Malfoy gave Regulus a murderous stare as he approached the throne, James and Lily looked nervous and rightfully so. Regulus didn’t seem to notice, in fact, he walked with his head held high.

“Regulus,” James started, “when the palace guards saw that you were hurt and went to get you some help, this bag was found with your possessions and you mentioned the importance of it,” James frowned, looking weary and you wondered if this great responsibility was exhausting him yet. He held up a small satin pouch that was tied with drawstrings, “can you tell me what’s inside?”

Regulus inclined his head, “certainly, Your Majesty. They are seals of nobility of houses that associate with Lord Voldemort, the rumours are true. He wasn’t killed as a child like we were told by our parents and grandparents,” there was a gasp and again, a hushed whisper rippled through the court. Dread ran through your veins like ice, “regretfully during my time in Cumbria, I could only accumulate a couple of seals before I could get away with my life.”

James nodded as he sat down on his magnificent golden throne, his Queen at his side and he pulled open the bag, “whoever is in league with this Lord Voldemort will be imprisoned for treason and you will spend the rest of your life rotting in prison,” he cleared his throat and pulled out a piece of parchment and his eyes hardened, “Malfoy.”

Lucius Malfoy only sneered as the guards came to arrest him, “long live the King!” he shouted sarcastically as he was led away.

“Mulciber, Lestrange, Rossier, Crabbe, Goyle.”

As the King called out the names of the traitors, they were arrested one by one. Some of the men went silently, some begged for their lives, trying to appeal to James’ good nature. You shuddered as a chill ran down your spine as you held your children closer. It was an awful thing to hear someone beg for their life. It had truly been the worst day; you wished you were back in France – or Spain – beneath the warm sun without a care in the world.

James sighed as he turned to address the court and Sirius pulled you close and you kissed his cheek, he was the light in all of this darkness, “the penalty for treachery will be imprisonment, perhaps even death,” you were shocked at his words but you knew that he had to keep his Kingdom safe, “I will not be made a fool of! Thank you, Regulus for bringing this to our attention.”

“If you permit me to return to Cumbria, Your Majesty, I will be able to get you more names.”

Before James could reply, Sirius spoke up and you heard the panicked tone in his voice, “you can’t! He’ll kill you, Regulus, I-I can’t lose you!” pain and worry flashed across Sirius’ handsome face, his voice growing thick. Your heart clenched as you saw your husband in such turmoil.

Regulus bit his lip as he glanced at his worried brother and he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “I’ll be fine, he won’t kill me because I’m going to blame this on someone else, someone who is so evil that they deserve to die.”

Almost instantly, Sirius’ face transformed into a sneer as his soft grey eyes grew hard, “it seems like you’ve got it all figured out,” he scoffed as he shook his head as he stormed out of The Throne Room.

Regulus gazed after his brother with a pained expression as he ran a hand over his tired face, “I’ll go after him, Reg,” you wanted to help so you offered him a small smile as you passed your children to Remus, and his wife, Mary,” he didn’t mean it, he’s just scared. We all are, everything will be okay.”

Regulus grinned at you weakly as he brushed a knuckle against your cheek, “Gracias, Y/N, eres una maravilla,” you were distracted as you spoke to Regulus so you didn’t notice someone hurry after your husband.

You sighed as you made your way down the castle hallways, it was a beautiful day outside, and it was such a contrast compared to the horror that had unfolded in The Throne Room. It was then that you heard her soft voice; it was amazing how far the sound travelled.

“I’m so sorry about your brother, Sirius, you’re both so brave,” Marlene’s voice was so breathy that it made your blood boil. He was your husband.  

You quickly rounded the corner and saw red, feeling sick and angry, you were so angry. Marlene had her hands placed against Sirius’ chest and she brushed her lips against Sirius’. Instantly, Sirius pushed her away with a frown, “what the hell do you think you’re doing? I love Y/N and my family more than anything, I wouldn’t jeopardise that!” his rejection filled you with relief that almost eclipsed your anger.

When Marlene scoffed, you lost your temper, “how dare you?!”

Sirius and Marlene both turned to look at you with wide eyes, as soon as Marlene saw you, a look of boredom flashed across her face, while Sirius looked devastated as his eyes filled with tears.

“Y/N,” he choked.

“I graciously gave you a job! And you betray me, going behind my back to seduce my husband!” you pointed a finger at her angrily, you felt like a crazed woman but you didn’t care, “get out of my sight, you’re dismissed! I never want to see you again!” Marlene scowled at you as she shook her head and walked away.

“Y/N,” all of your anger dissipated when you saw the tears streaming down Sirius’ cheeks and you felt tears sting at your own eyes. Marlene was exactly the kind of woman that you imagined Sirius would be with if he hadn’t had to marry you, “she kissed me, I didn’t do anything, I didn’t want her to kiss me,” his face was pleading as he reached for you. You flinched slightly from his touch and his face crumpled as he choked on his tears, “I love you.”

You nodded, hot tears streaming down your cheeks, an unbearable ache in your chest, “I love you too, I know that you pushed her away, I don’t blame you, my darling,” it was true but you just couldn’t get the image out of your head.

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

2 Years Later:

The pitter patter of little feet running down the hallway – the twins giggled as they chased each other – made Sirius grin. Elena and Johnathan were growing up so fast; they had the complexion and beauty of their mother, with their father’s thick hair and stormy grey eyes. Sirius grinned at his wife who looked like a Queen in golden robes and flowers in her long flowing tresses of hair. When Y/N spotted Sirius gazing at her lovingly, she lightly smacked his arm as a light melodic giggle escaped her lips.

Things had been going well between them, they had been rocky for a little while after Y/N had walked in on Marlene kissing him in that deserted hallway. Sirius was still devastated by the memory, Y/N had been heart broken and he was partly to blame. Though, they worked through their difficult feelings and were stronger than ever.

“You look so beautiful, Y/N” Sirius smiled as he reached down and laced their fingers together.

Y/N grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushed a pretty colour, “you don’t look so bad yourself,” she smirked and raised an eyebrow as her gaze flickered down to Sirius’ lips.

Sirius chuckled and cupped Y/N’s cheeks as she pulled him into a deep kiss, her tongue tracing the seam of his lips before pulling away. Sirius missed the warmth of his wife’s lips and he tried to follow her lips with his which made her giggle and she pressed a teasing kiss against his nose. The twins giggle caught Sirius’ attention again and he sighed happily, shaking his head.

“Slow down, you two!”

Johnathan whined, “Papa!” while Elena pouted as her eyes went round.

“God, that’s your trick when you don’t get what you want.”

Y/N laughed as she leaned her head on his shoulder, it was a nice warm weight and her hair smelled of citrus, “moral of the story is to give me everything I want,” she teased as they caught up with the twins.

Both Elena and Johnathan were so excited, Lily and James had invited them – along with Remus, Mary and Peter – to an intimate banquet. Sirius vaguely wondered what the occasion was. As soon as they walked into the banquet hall, Sirius heard Y/N take a sharp intake of breath and Sirius could see why. Over a dozen flickering candles filled the diamond encrusted chandelier that created a warm orange glow. The spread looked absolutely amazing, Sirius almost expected the velvet covered table to groan beneath the weight. Beautiful golden tapestries lined the walls and Sirius had to wonder if this was some sort of celebration.

Elena and Johnathan ran full force at James and Lily who laughed as they lifted them into their arms, “hello, you two,” James grinned before looking over at Sirius and Y/N, “you look great guys.”

Y/N smiled as she waved back, “thank you! So do you,” that was when Sirius noticed that Lily looked amazingly happy and there was a glow to her cheeks.

Sirius smiled as he greeted Remus, Mary and Peter, “do you three know why we’re here? And why the Hall is decorating like something out of a portrait?”

Remus shook his head as he wrapped his arms around Mary, his hand resting on her pregnant belly, “I’ve got no clue, they just asked us to be here.”

Y/N grinned and let out a wistful sigh, “I think I know why we’re here.”

There were so many courses of wonderful food, the flavours danced across Sirius’ tongue and he groaned quietly, blushing when Y/N smirked at him. Sirius expected James and Lily to tell them why they were here straight away but by the time the dessert was served he was still none the wiser. He couldn’t stand the anticipation for much longer.

“So, why are we here?” Sirius smiled as he wiped the food from Elena’s face.

James and Lily exchanged bright and happy looks, “okay, I suppose we can tell you now. We wanted our closest friends to be the first ones to find out,” James grinned as he lovingly kissed his wife on the lips.

“We’re going to have a baby!” they said in unison and for a split second there was silence before everyone began talking over one another.

“Congratulations, I’m so happy for you two!” Y/N squealed as she pulled Lily into a hug, “you are just going to be the best parents!”

Remus shook James’ hand with a teasing smile on his face, “another James running around, how will we ever survive?”

Sirius laughed as a happy feeling ballooned in his chest as he pulled his friend into a hug, James’ hazel eyes looked teary as Sirius pulled away. He knew that they had been trying for a baby for so long and they deserved to be parents, “they’re going to be so loved!” he was so incredibly happy for his best friends, it would be great for Elena and Johnathan to grow up with another child.

The mood was jovial and happy as dessert was finished off and Sirius made a toast, “I can’t quite believe that you two are going to have a baby, and we couldn’t be happier! To baby Potter!”

“To baby Potter!” everyone laughed and clinked their glasses together; the smile never left James and Lily’s faces.

Unfortunately, the happy mood couldn’t last long because when the dishes were being cleared away, The Captain of the Guard came running in. His face was worried and a pang of worry filled Sirius’ chest.

“Your Majesty! The prisoners, the traitors have escaped!” a gasp filled the room and regret filled James’ face. He had chosen not to kill the traitors so to keep their families compliant and in good faith. Lord Voldemort had been rather quiet for the past two years, in England at least, he’d been causing terror all over Europe and Sirius was worried that he was gathering more followers to knock James off his throne. Voldemort believed that he was the real heir to the throne.

Sirius bit his lip as he looked at Y/N whose eyes were filled with worry and she squeezed Sirius’ hand; he knew that she was thinking the same thing that he was. With the followers of Voldemort out of prison, what did that mean for Regulus?

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

@smiithys @elayneblack @amelie-black​ @siriuslyjanhvi​ @pregnant-piggy​ @lindatreb​ @mabelle-cherie​ @hxrgreeves​ @britishspidey​ @mads-bri​ @classicrocketqueen​ @sxtansqueen​ @hufflepuffzutara​ @missmulti​ @bruxa0007​ @ourstarsailor​ @fific7​ @galwithbluethoughts​ @2410slb​ @sunles​ @krismeunicornbaobei​ @theincredibledeadlyviper​ @deathkat657​ @lonegryffindor2005​

[gallivantingheart]

Me, a Princess? Shut Up!

masterlist | next

⏮️ chapter 1: no way ⏭️ 

who?: jihoon/woozi x (f)reader

word count: 2195

genre/s: fluff, humour

warnings: none

synopsis: Life’s pretty good for y/n. Easy, even. Until someone claiming to be her grandmother says she is the queen of a small island country - and y/n, a princess.

a/n: thanks for your patience everyone!

**please ignore the timestamps - they are not accurate**

The doorbell rings with the stupid song your dad picked and you flinch, jostling your coffee. Too early for any of that kind of noise. Still, you look at your mother, brow quirked. “You weren’t expecting anyone, were you?” She shakes her head. “Mingyu wasn’t picking you up?” You don’t have a class with him today. The doorbell switches to knocking, becoming a touch more firm and impatient. Your mum turns the corner to the short hallway. Her voice is muffled and stilted, making you shrink with your hot drink in hand. Obviously not a warm welcome. When she gets around the corner, you’re shocked when two others follow. A chic elderly woman and a tall man you swear shouldn’t have been able to fit in the doorway. The pastel dress blazer alone makes you feel underdressed in your own house. There is a sharp glint to your mother’s eyes that you don’t like as she glances at them.

“It would have been better if you called beforehand. We would have made a bit more time.” There is a downward turn to her lips as she says it over her shoulder, rounding the kitchen counter to return to her tea. “I know you, dear. I would never have seen you, had you been notified of my arrival.” The elderly woman says. You stand silently, watching the strained conversation pass back and forth. You note that the woman has the same eyes as your mother and that the man dressed in black hasn’t left the entry to the hallway. Your mum pulls out two more mugs, one plain with strict edges, the other quite stout yet sophisticated. “Please, sit. Do you want anything to drink? Tea, coffee?” “Tea. One sugar.” You gape as she pours one coffee, black into the taller mug, pushing it across the bench to the man. He takes it with a nod. The elderly woman sitting at your dining table eyes you heavily, squinting and scanning your half-asleep frame. It makes your shoulders crawl as you look away. You’re a bit confused as to the small talk; it was something your mother hated. Why is she suddenly letting this woman in and indulging her every whim? Your phone vibrates over the bench - Minghao. You’re going to be late for class if you keep at this any longer.

You turn to sneak to the back of the house to get ready, ignoring the fact you hadn’t even been introduced. Frankly, you’re pretty sure you have been forgotten. “Ah-ah. Not so fast. Come here.” You screw your nose up at your mother’s tone. Turning, you seat yourself next to her tentatively,. She sighs. “Y/n, this is your grandmother. My mother.” You have to consciously keep your teeth together so your jaw doesn’t drop. No one talked about your mother’s side of the family. Your dad avoided it on a weak presumption of ignorance. You could see why now. The pastel woman holds her thin hand out across the table. “Y/n, my name is Park Soonhee. A pleasure to meet you.” Her tone of voice booked no argument and you shake her hand firmly despite your trepidation. It’s cold, but not clammy. You’re still too busy watching Soonhee and your mum exchange looks, whole conversations filled between them. Soonhee nods with the breath of a smile, relaxing back to her place. She folds her hands neatly in her lap, her tea untouched despite accepting the offer. The lavender blazer and skirt are still off-putting and you note she has some kind of gold coat of arms pinned to her chest. “Firm handshake. Very good.”

She turns to look between your mother and yourself. “I’m glad you’re both here. This is a discussion for the women of our family.” You hate how dismissive Soonhee is of the tension she creates with every word. The aura around your mother is tensing, stretching to the point of snap. Your mother’s agitation always sets you off as well, far more than you’d like. The more she speaks, the more the questions grow. Soonhee speaks as if you’re already halfway through the conversation. “Mother, what is it?” Your mum sighs. “Younghee, I am asking for you to take your rightful place as queen of our country. As of now, I am a widowed queen with no official heir. You are first in line. You cannot turn your back on your people.”

Snap. You mother pushes up, grabbing her tea and chucking it down the drain. Once she rinses her cup, it clatters into the sink loudly. When she looks back, you swear you can see a fire in her eyes. It distracts from the fact that Soonhee, your grandmother, is saying she and your mother are royalty. “We talked about this years ago. Many times. When I married Sunghoon. When Y/N was born. When my son was born. Every time I have said no. Why do you think it would be any different now? It’s been over twenty-five years. Enough.” She snarls. With fury like that, you expect the man in the entry to make a move. No such action happens, so it seems he doesn’t consider her a threat. A mistake on his part, you think - you’ve seen how violently she can cut carrots for dinner when she’s angry. “Younghee. Our family is a long and proud line of leaders, the backbone and foundation to our country’s existence. Every law and system is in part due to our hand. If you reject this, it may jeopardise the entirety of Amaide’s monarchy and result in the deterioration of the country itself.” Soonhee finally raises her voice and it feels like it should threaten more than it does. “Well, I guess you should have thought about that before coming into my home and expecting your sort of answer.” Your mother is taut in the way she stands, her anger showing her age like no other emotion does. She doesn’t even properly face the queen when she speaks. You have to break the tension - there’s too much going on not to.

“Uh, what are we talking about, exactly? I’m hearing royalty? Mum, we’re not royalty. I can’t even do my hair properly on the best of days.” You murmur. Soonhee spins on you, aghast. “Younghee. Do they not know?” Even the guard looks uncomfortable now, subtly pushing his coffee back to the bench and checking behind him to the front of the house. You hear the heavy sigh from the kitchen, the under breath whispering that your mother does when she’s stressed. Carefully, she sits on your edge of the sofa, sandwiching you between the two women. “You heard right. Soonhee is the Queen of Amaide. That makes me a princess.” She says, eyes steady on you. You gape and splutter, pointing slowly between them. “You, a princess, mum? No way.” She nods, eerily calm. “It’s true. My full name and title are Princess Younghee Park, Heir to Amaide. I passed this title on years ago though, when I met your father. Therefore, the title falls to the next blood heir.” Your mind whirls. You knew your uncle had no children or a partner of any sort, resulting in many a summer spoiled rotten in ways you never fully understood. Your mum has no other siblings other than him. You were the eldest. Which meant … “No. No way. No way! I’m not -” Soonhee nods for you. “Yes. Technically you are. Princess Y/N Y/L/N, of Amaide.”

You stand up. “No, I don’t understand. What about dad? How much - where - what?” “Baby, your father hasn’t done anything. He knows about all of this but I made these choices. When I met your father here and married him, I was supposed to go back to Amaide and take my place as queen. Instead, I chose to step down and abdicate to live a normal life - to give you a normal life. For your father and the rest of our family. But, some people just don’t take no for an answer.” She glares at the queen. “Were you ever going to tell us?” You say in a breath. She shrugs. “One day. When it wouldn’t be a problem anymore. But, I would never lie to you if you found out on your own.” She had a point. It was never lied about, just never discussed. Soonhee looks quite disgruntled at the whole situation but you can’t find yourself to be sympathetic, what with the way she barged in.

You stand and shake your head at the crumpled expression turning your mother’s lips. “So, uh, we’re royalty. R-right. This is a lot to take in. I have, um, class. Can we talk about this more when I get home?” Mum smiles and nods. “Sure, baby. Be quick.” It’s a fumbled rush down the hall and through your room to get your bag and your jeans on, not catch your toes in the knee rip. When you get out, the conversation has turned to a murmur, which doesn’t settle you any less. “‘Kay, going!”

“What about Y/N?” Soonhee says suddenly, louder than expected. You still and swallow a sigh. You thought you got out of this conversation for the time being. “What about me?” “Y/N, just because your mother has passed the crown on, doesn’t mean you have to. You could be the queen.” Soonhee says with a trace of smugness settled into her spine on your bowing sofa. Your mum jumps in, waving her hands and all. “Uh-uh. Not so fast, Soonhee. Didn’t you hear her? We would talk about this later. You can’t just spring something like that on us when she’s just found out.” “Which wouldn’t have been an issue, had you told her in the first place. She deserves the right to know about her heritage.” You shift on your feet, socks balled up in a hand as you watch the conversational tennis continue to play out. As usual, you’re on the fence.

“I-I don’t know. Mum’s right. I only just found out about this and I don’t understand any of what’s going on.” You mumble. “Princess Lessons!” Soonhee cries out, reminiscent of a mad scientist - just as persistent as one, too. “I shall be in the country for the next two months for political engagements. Plenty of time to learn about Amaide’s rich history and our family. Give her a taste of the life she was born for. And if all goes well, announce her out to polite society at the Independence Gala.” You hold your socks out to pause the situation. “Okay, hold on. Hold on. To be clear: I do get a choice in all of this, yes?” “Yes, of course. Take the lessons and then make your decision at the Gala whether or not to accept the crown.” Your mother steps up, curling around your side. “Baby, I do agree that I want you to know who your family is, now that you know. But you’re being given the one thing I never had, that I had to take - a choice. You get to decide your future.”

You watch the elderly woman, haughty and still. Something felt too simple. Too easy. “But, of course, no one can know. As of this moment, your existence is a classified, government secret. If the press heard about this-” Your mum gasps, rolling her eyes. “God no. If anybody got wind of this I can’t imagine the mess it would make for all of us. I don’t want the rest of the family going through that, after all the efforts made to keep a sense of normality.” “Oh, but it’s alright if I do.” You grumble, mimicking your mother’s actions. The fire sparks back in your mother’s eyes, stifling you. You nod and mime zipping your mouth with a sigh. “Good. Don’t you have class?” You shrug. “Yeah, I’m gonna be late though.” Soonhee waves over the man still hovering in the entryway. “Junwoo, can you get the car ready? Y/N has class.”

The great hulking man has kind honey brown eyes as he frowns at the queen. His coffee is long gone and you wonder if he’s sweating underneath all that thick black uniform. Honestly, he seems too cool for that inconvenience. “Your Majesty?” His voice rumbles carefully. “Oh, I’ll be here. We still have matters to discuss. Y/N, this is Junwoo, head of my guard and driver. Let him know where your school is.” You nod and wave them off, leaning in to the kiss your mother plants on your cheek. Junwoo walks with a scary amount of grace through your house, waiting at the door while you put your socks on at the step and wriggle on your shoes. You turn the corner out from the walking lane to the street, your jaw hitting the sidewalk at the sight of the small convoy of limousines lining the road. “A-are we taking all of these?” You rasp. Junwoo slides on his shades and shakes his head with a smile. “No, just the first one. We’ll be there before you know it.”

TAGLIST: @amarachi-luv​

don’t hesitate to send an ask or dm to be added!

[tywrites]

at ease [sugawara koushi]

request: "Hi could I request a Suga x reader where he is introducing you to the Karasuno team for the first time and how you think everyone would react to him having a gf? Thank you in advance! Hope you are doing well and keeping healthy"

a/n: ah first of all, tysm! i'm doing decently, i hope you're doing good too! <3 i wasn't sure if you wanted headcannons or an imagine so i decided to do an imagine bc i love writing for suga ahaha, hope you enjoy :)) also!! please leave some feedback, i'd love to know what you thought of it ♡

warnings: i don't think there's any <3

word count: 1,724

pairing: sugawara koushi x reader

"Y/N, you really don't need to be this nervous. I promise they're gonna love you," your boyfriend assured you as you walked hand in hand down the path towards the Karasuno school gym.

Sighing, you nod at his statement. "I mean, my head knows that you're probably right, but my stomach really disagrees," you reply, praying to the lord above that you wouldn't hurl in front of his team mates. That really wouldn't be a good first impression.

Even though yourself and Suga had been dating for around three months now, you had yet to meet his team mates. This may be due to the fact that you didn't actually attend Karasuno, and instead got to know Suga back when you were in junior high. You'd both decided to go to different high schools, but still kept in touch and eventually began dating when he finally decided to ask you on a proper date.

Suga had been trying to get you to meet them for weeks, but you were able to create an excuse to get out of it every time. It wasn't a case of you not wanting to meet them, you were just genuinely terrified. You knew how much Suga cared for his friends and if they didn't like you... no, Suga wouldn't let that get between you both indefinitely. But it could put a huge strain on your relationship and you just didn't want to risk that.

Suga just made you so incredibly happy. Everything about him still gave you butterflies, no matter how long you'd known him, and he was honestly one of the sweetest people you knew. He always knew what to say to make you feel better and never failed to make you laugh. Not to mention that his smile was one of the best gifts to this Earth. He made you a better person and vice versa. And it would honestly be the worst thing ever for you to jeopardise that.

Your rambling thoughts were interrupted by Suga's melodic laughter. "Please try not to throw up, I don't think Shimizu would be very impressed with having to clean that," he chortled as he swang your hand back and forth.

The doors to the gym were in sight and you felt your heart lurch, suddenly stopping dead in the middle of the pathway, causing Suga to tug at your hand. Realising you were beginning to overthink again, Suga moved so that he was in front of you and took both of your cheeks into his hands, a gentle smile on his face. "Y/N, just try not to think about it. Yes, the team is very important to me, but so are you. You don't have anything to worry about." He paused, noticing your eyes still moving around restlessly and the slight furrow in your eyebrows. "Do you know why I want the team to meet you?"

You shook your head carefully, relishing in the feeling of his calloused hands against your skin. You felt his thumb rub your cheek soothingly as he leaned in and placed a chaste kiss to your lips, your cheeks heating up under his hands.

"Because I want them to know what an amazing person I have the privilege of being in love with."

Damn. This dude really knew how to make your heart stop, huh?

He grinned cheekily at you. "So, you ready?" He asked, as he pulled away and took your hand in his once again. Taking a deep breath, you nodded at him with a small smile. You were still nervous, but with the comforting feeling of his hand in yours and the atmosphere of that quick kiss lingering, you decided that yes, you were ready.

-

It honestly wasn't as bad as you expected.

Yes, walking through those doors was damn intimidating to say the least, but that was the worst part of the whole thing. As you and Suga walked in, Suga leading the way, it took a little while for anyone to really notice; most of them too busy practising individually before team practise began.

In the end, Suga cleared his throat loudly and all action in the gym ceased, the sound of volleyballs bouncing decreasing steadily.

Silence.

Before complete chaos erupted.

Two small boys catapulted themselves towards you, their excited jabbering blending into one as a taller boy with dark hair pulled them back before they completely bulldozed you over. It took you so by surprise that you took a step back, accidentally walking into a tall body.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" You exclaimed, looking up at the boy with glasses apologetically. He waved you off and went over to stand next to dark-headed boy witha bright smile who was a little bit shorter than him.

There were way too many people to keep track of, how on earth were you gonna be able to do this?

Laughing off the chaos, Sugawara stepped slightly ahead of you. "Guys! Please try not to scare my girlfriend off as soon as she walks through the door,"

There was a gasp from half the room while the others just chuckled at the statement. "Girlfriend?" A short boy with orange hair questioned, looking up at you and Suga curiously. "Is this your girlfriend, Suga-san?!"

Suga laughed lightly. "Yep! This is Y/N," he said while pulling you forward and intertwining his hand with yours. "I finally convinced her to meet you guys, though to be fair she did try to run away more than once on the walk here," he teased as you felt your cheeks darken.

You bowed your head slightly. "It's nice to meet all of you! I'm sorry it's taken such a long time for us to meet," you apologised, cursing Suga for embarrassing you. Though you were surprised to hear light laughter meet your ears.

"Please, don't be so formal," a warm voice said, causing you to look up and catch sight of Daichi. He was the only person on the team that you kind of knew, considering he and Suga were best friends. You hadn't met exactly, but you had seen him on video call when you were over Suga's house so luckily, you were familiar with him. "It's nice to finally meet you too."

After some introductions and some insistent apologies from Noya and Hinata for almost knocking you over, Daichi soon started to take hold of the situation and calm everyone down.

"We're about to start practice, but you can sit over with Shimizu if you'd like?"

"Trying to tell my girlfriend she's in the way, huh Daichi?" Suga grinned at him cheekily, patting his back.

Daichi rolled his eyes. "No, just trying to make sure that you won't be getting too distracted with her here, Suga," he teased back, allowing a discrete blush to rise to Suga's ears and neck. "Anyway, get to the court,"

You honestly got along really well with Suga's team mates! They joked around with you a lot during their breaks but you could tell how serious and talented they all were when it came to volleyball. In particular, you really got along well with Asahi (the gentle giant) and Noya, Hinata, and Tanaka (the most chaotic trio you had the pleasure of knowing.) The contrast in everyone's personalities was really refreshing and you could tell that everyone had a role to play in making the team work so well. And watching Suga while doing the thing he's passionate about, surrounded by his friends? Nothing could be better. He was in his element and you could barely take your eyes off of him.

Soon the practice began to come to an end and you were so thankful that the team welcomed you with such open arms. You went over to Suga and told him you'd wait for him outside the gym while the team went over to the clubroom to change.

"So, what'd you think of her?" Suga asked, somewhat hesitantly as he stripped off his jersey.

The boys exchanged a look of amusement and Asahi answered first. "She seems really sweet," he said with a smile.

Noya nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and she's really funny! She chased Shoyo and me around with the broom while she was helping us clean up," he laughed as he pulled on his school shoes. "I really like her!"

Continuing the conversation, the boys chatted about how much they liked you and how cute of a couple you and Suga were. Hearing them praise his girlfriend brought an even brighter smile to his face. Knowing that his friends loved you as much as he did... made him feel perfectly warm inside. Daichi reached over and slammed his hand on his back. "You did good, Suga," he said genuinely, before exiting the clubroom with Hinata and Asahi, the faint promise of buying them meat buns accelerating Noya, Tanaka, and Kageyama out the door with him. He continued getting dressed and, after Yamaguchi and Tsukishima had said their goodbyes, he headed down to the gym to pick you up and walk you home. He subconsciously smiled immediately as he saw you, your head down as you played with your phone—the screen illuminating your face in the evening darkness. Even in the bad lighting, he thought you were beautiful. And knowing the people whom he cared about liked you too, made you even more beautiful in his eyes.

As he was gazing at you intently, you looked up and caught his eyes. Grinning at him, you reached out your hand and he took it without hesitation, pulling you to him tightly. Though taken aback by the sudden hug, you allowed yourself to be swallowed by his warmth, the cool night air piercing your exposed skin. He pulled your head back from the crook of his neck in order to get a look at your face.

"So... was it as bad as you expected?" He whispered, watching as you tugged at your bottom lip with your teeth, a gesture you did a lot when he teased you. "Were my team mates terrifying?"

You giggled softly, shaking your head with a small sigh. "No. They weren't. And before you say I told you so-"

"I would never!" He gasped mockingly, acting appalled at the accusation.

You stare blankly at him. "Yes, you would,"

"Yes, I would."

[jjaybank]

Salt Chapter Two

 Ocean

In which Y/N and JJ catch some waves.

    {Chapter One- Accepted}

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Reader  (mentions of John B. x Reader) Summary: Starved of love, JJ struggles with the realisation that he’s falling for his friend. Hard.  In This Chapter- JJ and Y/N hit the waves and stir up some feelings they’d prefer were left well alone.  Word Count: 1.3K+ Warning: suggestions of smut, but be prepared for angst, fluff, and smut in the future 

A/N: Thank you for the response from the first chapter!  We starting to get into the story now my guys, I hope you enjoy xox

You wake the following morning spread over the sofa in The Chateau.  Tangled in blankets and drenched in sunlight, you open your eyes warily against the brightness.  Kie sleeps softly beside you, and you can’t help but smile at the content expression playing over her sleeping face.   The sunshiney morning makes it hard to believe that there is a category 3 storm headed your way.  You peer through the smeary window as you pad barefoot to the kitchen.  You notice JJ swinging in one of the hammocks in the yard and wonder how long he’s been awake for.   You curse as you accidentally kick an empty beer bottle, sending it spinning across the floor. You’d had a night of heavy drinking.  You groan inwardly, feeling the ache of a hangover building up behind your eyes.  Moving away from the window, and holding your head in your hands, you survey the room.  Kie had managed to wrap herself up in your blankets as well, and the soft snores of John B. and Pope could be heard coming from the bedrooms.   You move to the sink, running the tap until the water runs cold.  Moving as quietly as possible you fill two glasses and make your way outdoors to the hammocks.

JJ watches you walk across the yard towards him.  You tread carefully, navigating the stony ground with your bare feet, stubbing your toes nonetheless. He struggles to conceal a smile as you grimace your way over to where he sways in the gentle breeze.  You wordlessly pass both glasses to him and scramble into the hammock next to him.   ‘Nice t-shirt’ he mumbles, passing your water back over, and continuing to stare out onto the marsh.   You self consciously pull the oversized shirt down over your thighs. ‘Oh, thanks, it’s John B.’s’ you reply brightly- too brightly for the headache you’re sporting. It turned out you hadn’t left any spare PJ’s at John B’s, and subsequently had ended up rummaging through his drawers to find an old shirt to sleep in.   You’d been pretty drunk when you’d discovered this, and it looked like you chosen a garishly coloured Marvel themed number.  No wonder this had been right at the bottom, you thought, it was hideous.   JJ doesn’t respond, instead he absent-mindedly flicks his zippo lighter and holds the glass of water against his bottom lip without drinking.  You watch him, wishing you could see inside his brain.  You want to rip that cap off his head and rummage around in his mind, unravelling whatever is troubling him.  His face is frozen in a frown, and it could be a side effect of his own hangover, but you doubt it.   ‘Penny for your thoughts?’ you say after a few more moments of unbearable silence. His eyes flick over to you suddenly, as though he’d forgotten you were sitting beside him. ‘Let’s go surf.’ He states abruptly, jumping down from the hammock and leaving you sat in a bewildered confusion.  You scramble after him, sloshing water down your front.   Back in the Chateau you change into your swimsuit in the bathroom and brush your teeth vigorously, scrubbing the stale taste of alcohol from your tongue.   When you go to wake Kie, JJ stops you.   ‘They’ll come when they’re up’ he says briskly, grabbing both your boards from the porch.   ~ It was nice just spending time alone with JJ for a while.  Since he’d been acting off you wanted to get some time alone, some time when he couldn’t really just storm off.  You had been so close for ages and it felt a bit hurtful that he was obviously not telling you something. JJ was the one who had taught you to surf in the first place, all those years ago, and he still couldn’t help himself but nit-pick on your style and form.   You’d been out on the surf for a while before you both came to a natural pause, sitting astride your boards next to each other.   You bobbed in the current silently for some time, slightly out of breath, enjoying the sounds of the ocean.  The waves were high today, forecasting the incoming weather.   You close your eyes and bask in the warmth that the sun casts over you.  You can already feel the salt drying on your face.   ‘Y/N’ JJ says, breaking the relaxed peace and quiet. You hum in response. ‘Are you still sleeping with John B.?’ You nearly slide off your board and his hand reaches out instinctively to steady you. You laugh incredulously, but when you look over at him, a hand shielding your eyes from the sun, he looks deadly serious. ‘Oh my God, JJ, no!’ you look at him, shocked. He doesn’t seem convinced, screwing up his face and looking out onto the horizon. ‘JJ, I mean it, that was years ago.’ You try to manoeuvre your board, so you are face to face.  He can’t help but smile at your ungraceful attempts.   ‘Is this what you’ve been worrying over?’ you ask, when you’ve finally got yourself opposite him. He nods bashfully, rubbing his face in his hand.   ‘JJ, John B. is my friend, nothing else, just like Pope is just my friend- it’s the same thing.’   You don’t really know why you use Pope as an example rather than JJ himself, but for some reason it feels more truthful. ‘You’re a Pogue now Y/N, just wanted to check you were following our rules.’ He grins at you, now satisfied with you answer. You feel a rush of relief as his weird silence on the boat yesterday, his questions about your sleeping arrangements, and his despondency over the clothing you had decided to sleep in, suddenly made sense.  He was just worried that you and John B. had slipped back into old habits.  You also feel a twinge of – is that disappointment?- that he seems so set on those ancient ‘No-Pogue-on-Pogue-Macking’ rules. It seems so silly to still be living by the rules of some kids.  But you go along with it because you hope that will make him happier. 

‘I know, I know, and I wouldn’t wanna jeopardise any friendships- you know that.’   You smile cheerily at him, and his grin falters slightly.  You feel like you’re in a test and you got the easy answer wrong.  It’s quite clear that there are feelings between you that are slightly stronger than friendship. A magnetic pull dancing dangerously, one that you dare not explore.  He squints his eyes against the sun to look at you again.  His eyes are so brilliantly blue in the morning light.  They have such a depth to them; and the ability to turn dark and stormy as suddenly as his temper. It’s funny, you muse, how like the ocean they are.  There is something deep inside them, something you can’t quite put your finger on.  Is it regret? Longing? Hope?  This sun-soaked boy with eyes just like the waves he conquers. You are trapped in his gaze for what seems like an age- swimming there, treading water.  You notice how the salt is starting to crystallise on his broad shoulder, sparkling in the sun and the reflection of the sea.  His hair is pushed back and glowing like spun gold, a dripping halo.  You realise you have never really looked at him so honestly before.  With such a raw acceptance of  how you are absorbing him. The sound of the waves lapping against your boards, and the gulls overhead, are dream like.  He’s suddenly distracted by something behind you, and, pulled from your trance, you twist around to see your three friends running down the beach towards you. ‘Hey -JJ, Y/N! Save some waves for us!’ And just like that- the dream is over. JJ shoots you one last smile, before paddling off to join the others in the water. The smile is small, and slightly sad, with an overwhelming sense of defeat and knowing.  It leaves you feeling even more confused than you were before.  Because there was nothing you wanted more than to spend the whole day just sitting there, in the ocean with the blue-eyed boy, marvelling in his existence.  And you couldn’t shake that ache he left you with, the feeling that you needed more. [Chapter Three: Smoke] ~~ Tag List:@danicarosaline @sspidermanss @teamnick (message me or respond to this post if you wanna be in the tag list x)

[sleep-i-ness]

Immortal (Part 1) (Maria Hill x Reader)

Synopsis: Y/N hasn’t quite told her girlfriend about her immortality and her past with Tony Stark; which causes a lot of tension whilst the Avengers is being formed. Set in 2012 during the first Avengers movie. (brief Loki x reader)

Immortal Masterlist

“Maria, darling, please explain to me your thinking behind chasing after a GOD instead of fleeing the explosion caused by the Tesseract.” Maria glanced at the tapping foot and folded arms before turning back to the files open on the screens in front of her, flicking through the latest stats on said god and the team Fury was expecting her to somehow pull together.

“I was doing my job. Something I am meant to be doing right now but you are distracting me.” 

The woman sighed, walking so close to Maria that she could almost feel their bodies touching. “Trust me, I can be a lot more distracting,” she breathed, pressing a soft kiss on Maria’s temple.

“Y/N, honey, please. Let me finish up on this. Then you can distract me all you like.” Maria’s head was aching and all she wanted to do was sit down for a bit, maybe have a rest and then deal with the situation. But being Deputy Director of SHIELD meant she could rarely have a break.

“Don’t change the subject. I was terrified when I heard you’d been trapped under a collapsed tunnel, what if you’d been seriously injured? What if...” Y/N trailed off, the unspoken question hanging in the air between them. What if you hadn’t made it back to me?

“I’m fine.”

“But what if you hadn’t been? Maria, love, please. Look at me.” Y/N placed two fingers on Maria’s chin, guiding her to make eye contact. “I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“This is our job!” Maria finally exploded. “If you can’t handle the fact that one of us might get hurt, then this won’t work out. I am not going to neglect my duty for fear that I might get injured. There’s a bigger picture than just my life. You, of all people, know that.”

Y/N was silent and sat down opposite Maria, rubbing her neck.

“If that’s all, would you mind leaving me so I can actually get on with my job.” Maria’s tone was cold and she studiously avoided Y/N’s gaze.

“Let me help. I’ll go to ground, find the horned godling and show him what it’s like to be trapped under a pile of rubble.” Y/N joked, trying to lighten her girlfriend’s mood. She was worried for her, Maria looked absolutely exhausted and she’d barely gotten out of the rubble before plunging straight back into her work. It was futile to try and tear Maria from her work; her diligence was one of the qualities she admired so strongly.

“Y/N!” Maria scolded lightly, eyes never leaving the monitors in front of her. “You know that wouldn’t help; I’d spend the whole time being worried sick about you. Doing your job doesn’t mean putting yourself in danger unnecessarily. Plus, it would be nice to have you around when we’re dealing with the Avengers.”

Y/N bolted upright, eyes wide and face pale.

“Avengers? As in Tony Stark?”

“Well, yes. You were there when we were selecting the candidates, turned down a place on the Initiative but we’ve contacted the others. Will you reconsider?” Y/N winced at Maria’s words, knowing that her place on the team would only lead to mistrust and chaos.

“I’d love to, love, but I don’t think I’d play well with Tony Stark. His famed ego would brush me the wrong way and I’m sure extra tension will not be appreciated.” 

At that, Maria finally looked up, giving her a cold, dead stare.

“You managed to complete several missions by playing nice. Don’t think I haven’t heard of your reputation as the ‘Seductress’. It’s not too difficult for you to smile nicely and calm things down when the team gets in each other’s faces. Romanoff is on the team as well so you will have another agent to work with.”

Y/N groaned. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“No. Fury’s orders. Report at 9am on the Helicarrier tomorrow morning.”

~

“Nick, darling. Good to see you again,” Y/N greeted Director Fury effusively, grinning at the stoic man’s exasperation.

“It’s Director Fury to you, Agent Y/L/N. Please remember to be professional in a work environment. But I’m glad to see you arrived on time. I wasn’t sure you would, given previous meetings.” Director Fury walked over to the central monitors in the command room, clearly expecting her to follow. Y/N snapped to attention, schooling her features into a poker face.

“Yeah, well, Commander Hill is most effective in completing her orders,” complimented Y/N, a serene expression on her face as she scuttled after him. 

Y/N breathed an interjection of astonishment as she gazed out at the clouds stretching endlessly in front of them. The command room was abustle with agents as the Helicarrier prepared to take off and she could see a small team running facial recognition software internationally in one corner. 

“Now, as you can guess, you’re not here to ease tensions among the team. I know of your past with Stark and am not willing to risk the safety of the world on some petty spat you two had a few years back.” Director Fury pulled up various files, tapping hurriedly on the monitors.

“To be frank, sir, Mr Stark does not know of my work here at SHIELD and I would like to keep it that way. I feel it would jeopardise the Avengers if he knew.” 

Director Fury turned to face her, his one, beady eye boring into hers. “I was not planning for you to be working together.”

“Then what am I here for, sir?” 

“I need your skillset.” 

Y/N grimaced, she knew it was coming. She was good at her job, the best, maybe, and if you needed someone undercover, to be charmingly deceiving, she was your woman. However, her teamwork skills were lacking, to say the least. Her position on the Avengers team was therefore surprising and she had sensed an ulterior motive to Fury’s orders.

“Yes, sir. Who is my target?”

“We’ll be sending you into the mouth of the beast himself.” Fury pulled up Loki’s file, although there was little to show other than a couple of blurry images. “He has a team of SHIELD agents under mind control, including Agent Barton, which will make your job harder. But with your… condition, I think you can easily pretend to switch sides. Say you want information, a cure maybe.”

“Understood, sir. Where am I to encounter him?” Y/N tapped on one of the blurry images to enlarge it, zooming in on the long stick-thing with a glowing blue gem at one end. “And what the hell is that?”

“That is his sceptre. It has some kind of mind-controlling properties. Just keep away from the pointy end and you should be fine.”

“Sounds easier said than done if he got Barton,” muttered Y/N. Mouth of the beast. God, Fury did like to send her on the fun ones.

“I expect you to provide intel on his plans. His location is highly confidential, as we need to ensure that he comes to us. He will make his next move soon, so you will be deployed as soon as we get off the water.”

“Yes sir.” Y/N turned to leave and gather her gear, but paused as a thought came to mind. “Just wondering, Nick, if you could do a favour for me. Can you keep this off-record, or make sure Commander Hill doesn’t know about my mission?”

“It’s Director Fury. But, yes, of course. This was never going to be below Level 9 Clearance anyway, but I’ll make sure to put it with the rest of your files.”

Y/N nodded sharply, turning smartly to exit the command centre and head to the tactical gear room. As she walked towards the double doors, they slid open as Agent Coulson strode towards Director Fury.

“Phil.”

“Y/N.”

“I hope you took your chance in getting your cards signed.”

“Not yet, I didn’t have them on me.”

Y/N laughed at Phil’s regretful tone, before making her way out to get her gear.

:.

Y/N had parachuted down to the location Fury had given her; it was a nondescript, seemingly abandoned warehouse. However, the muffled bustle betrayed the movement behind the locked doors. Squeezing under the chain-link fence, she dusted herself off as she scanned the outside of the building for activity. It was completely still as she made her way across to the doors, squeezing her way through the slim gap left between them.

Only to be face with a pistol pressed against her head. This must be the muscle. Y/N smiled disarmingly sweetly at the two burly men in front of her.

“Hey boys. Don’t say you could point me in the direction of the Asgardian with horns?”

The thugs glanced at each other in confusion, giving Y/N enough time to kick upwards, knocking the pistol out of his hand. It scattered across the floor, out of reach and Y/N groaned. She’d actually have to fight these men.

One man attempted to swing a punch at her, while the other grabbed her in a headlock. The resulting right hook to the jaw left her seeing stars as pain shot through her jawbone and down her neck. He swung again and Y/N blocked his arm, grabbing and using his own momentum to push him down.

The thug behind her tightened the headlock and black spots clustered at the edge of her vision as he constricted her air supply. Y/N locked her leg round his and threw him down, ducking as the second man sent a lumbering punch towards her head. She elbowed sharply back into his gut and he doubled over, air pushed out of him.

The first man clambered to his feet and she grabbed him by his shirt, pushing away. Y/N pulled him towards her, her head colliding with his nose. He collapsed to the floor in a heap. The second thug, seeing his friend fall, kicked Y/N’s legs out from under her. He straddled her, repeatedly striking blows across her face. Reaching her left hand up, she blindly pressed her fingers into his eyes.

The man howled, sending footsteps running their way. Fuck.

:.

“We found a SHIELD agent trying to break in and she demanded to come see you,” Barton’s voice was monotonous as he pushed Y/N onto her knees in front of Loki.

“SHIELD, huh? They only sent one of you? At least you too will become free,” Loki crooned, lifting her head to meet his eyes with the tip of his sceptre.

“They didn’t send me,” Y/N mumbled, voice muffled by the blood in her mouth.

“Pardon me?”

She spat on the floor next to her and looked him dead in the eyes.

“SHIELD didn’t send me. If they knew where you were, trust me they would be here by now.” There was a bitter edge to the tone of her voice as he smiled coldly at her.

“Then why did you come? What do you want?” Loki appeared bored, fiddling with his sceptre. “Did you come to beg for mercy for your pitiful little planet?”

Y/N scoffed, shaking her hair out of her face.

“I came for your help.”

“My help?” A smirk grew on Loki’s face as he gazed into her pleading eyes. “What makes you think I’d be so generous as to offer you any?”

“Because there’s no one like me. And I have willingly come to you, unlike these minions that you’ve brainwashed.” One of the men behind her grunted, knocking the back of her head forward and Y/N grinned savagely.

Loki stood up and Y/N froze, expecting him to turn her into one of his mindless slaves. However, he just tapped his fingers against the sceptre, an amused twinkle dancing in his eyes.

“And what would make you so… special?”

Y/N stretched out her hand, palm upturned to show she wasn’t holding anything.

“Surely you can sense it. What they made me into.”

Loki gently placed his fingertips against hers and felt the strange force that flowed beneath her veins. She didn’t carry the same weakness that all the other mortals did. He grabbed her wrist to take a closer look beneath the translucent skin as she hissed in pain. Interesting. Her blood was sky-blue, similar to the colour of the Tesseract.

“You’ve become immortal.”

“Not willingly.”

Read Part 2 here

[ingek73]

Victoria Arbiter: The Prince Harry photo 'debate' that reflects our era of misinformation

By Victoria Arbiter| 11 hours ago

According to Britain's Daily Mail, a "transatlantic row" is brewing over Joe Biden's recent decision to remove a bust of Sir Winston Churchill from the Oval Office, several years after Barack Obama provoked a similar storm.

Suggesting the move a "snub to the UK", critics claim it also indicates a further dwindling of the nations' "special relationship", which has been in existence since WWII.

Joe Biden at Oval Office desk wearing mask

US President Joe Biden in his newly-decorated Oval Office - sans Winston Churchill bust. (Jabin Botsford/Getty Images)

While it's imperative to ensure close ties are maintained, ministers demanding America's head of state display the bust of a former British PM seems arrogant in the extreme. Surely extolling the virtues of one's own citizens takes priority over honouring the international elite.

Likewise, those featured in last week's inauguration represented the very best of America, not the rest of the world. For that reason alone, it was baffling to see many pushing the idea Dr. Jill Biden had requested a photo of Prince Harry to serve as part of the backdrop to her husband's big day.

A close friend of the Bidens, the Prince's achievements speak for themselves, but still it's a stretch to think any president would use an inauguration to give a shout out to a royal. Nonetheless, multiple parties chose to repeat random musings as fact with zero regard for the role they were playing in perpetuating fake news.

As the sun began to set on Inauguration Wednesday, Clinton staffer, Jon Davidson, posted a photo to Twitter revealing Bill and Hillary Clinton deep in conversation with Joe Biden. Clearly instructed to document the day, he took the snap shortly after the former president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery alongside Obama, Bush Jr. and the newly inaugurated Joe Biden.

Though the shot merely captured an innocuous exchange, its background — revealing a large wall mounted image of Prince Harry in Ceremonial Dress — immediately led to an online debate. Given the Prince's close association to the current First Family, some observers were swift to credit the Bidens for featuring the Prince on an opulent scale.

Were it an accurate assumption it would be prestigious indeed, but the picture in question was not hung on the day, nor was it there at the Bidens' request; rather it forms part of a permanent exhibition dedicated to preserving the history of Arlington National Cemetery. Housed in the Memorial Display Room since 2013, it's a fitting reminder of the day Harry laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on behalf of the Queen, the British armed forces and as a representative of the UK.

Prince Harry at the Arlington National Cemetery on May 10, 2013.

A photo of Prince Harry at the Arlington Memorial similar to the one spotted in Jon Davidson's photo. (Getty)

As misinformation goes it was fairly benign, but as the narrative gained traction it spoke to the speed with which fake news now spreads; a problem Prince Harry is especially keen to stamp out. In an interview for Fast Company magazine published a week ago Friday, the Prince spoke of the digital landscape and the role it plays in furthering hate and toxicity in public debate.

Believing social media platforms responsible for helping propagate "an avalanche of misinformation" and "a barrage of mistruths", Harry said, "What happens online does not stay online – it spreads everywhere, like wildfire: into our homes and workplaces, into the streets, into our minds. The question really becomes about what to do when news and information sharing is no longer a decent, truthful exchange, but rather an exchange of weaponry."

In a hard-hitting speech in 2018, Prince William expressed a similar concern. Accusing online firms of being distracted by profit he said, "Technology companies still have a great deal to learn about the responsibilities that come with their significant power."

Prince William and Prince Harry

William and Harry have both condemned the societal impacts of misinformation via big tech. (Getty)

By failing to tackle fake news, division, trolling and privacy, 'Big Tech' arguably shoulders much of the blame, but it's up to users to ensure their digital dialogue is factually based and not a misguided means to promoting a cause. Considering the vitriol unleashed by Harry's inauguration day sighting, we have a long way to go if we're ever to eliminate the endless cycle of hate.

Prince Harry's friendship with the President and First Lady is one built on shared experience and support. Having tragically lost his wife, young daughter and later his son, Biden is all too familiar with the agony of grief. He regularly talks of his personal sorrows as a way to connect with others in pain.

The Bidens' late son, Beau, was an active member of the military and like Harry, he too was deployed to a warzone. A National Guard family, the Bidens have been advocates of the Invictus Games and they've consistently shown their appreciation for veterans whose sacrifices have helped keep the nation safe.

Committed as both parties are to fulfilling public service, their mutual respect should be echoed and admired. Even so, had the Bidens opted to install large scale images of public figures to mark the inauguration, they rightly would have plumped for prominent Americans and not as some intimated their good friend, Prince Harry.

The issue, of course, is a vast hypothetical, but it illustrates the need for a healthy dose of common sense before hitting 'tweet'. Instead of jumping on a bandwagon in which misinformation reigns, it's worth reviewing the objective before being a conduit to bitter arguments and hate.

Jill Biden and Prince Harry attend the wheelchair basketball final on day 8 of the Invictus Games Toronto in 2017.

Harry's friendship with the Bidens is one built on shared experience and support. ((Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Where Twitter used to be littered with cat videos and witty hot takes, it's since descended into a cesspit of rage. Yet, as the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States got underway there was, for a moment, a small glimmer of hope.

As hilarious memes featuring a mitten-clad Bernie Sanders quickly gained steam, so too evolved a collective sense of camaraderie and joy. Positive commentary fueled by an abundance of goodwill created a feeling of unity sorely lacking in years: Kamala Harris was lauded, Michelle Obama hailed and after her jaw-dropping performance, Amanda Gorman was lavished with praise. Granted the enthusiasm didn't extend to all, but still negativity was largely overruled, proving it's possible to engage in civil discourse even when certain groups vehemently disagree.

Despite its many drawbacks, social media's here to stay, but when used constructively there's tremendous potential for good. In order for it to provide a safe forum, however, it's imperative seismic changes are made. Harry's not, as some have attested, calling for censure, nor an end to free speech. He's using his platform to push for reform. While he undoubtedly has a significant battle on his hands, should he be successful the resulting impact could be huge.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured in 2018.

Harry declared in a recent interview: "What happens online does not stay online – it spreads everywhere, like wildfire." (AP)

"It's a false choice to say you have to pick between free speech or a more compassionate and trustworthy digital world," he said. "They are not mutually exclusive… there can be disagreement, conversation, opposing points of view – as there should be, but never to the extent that violence is created, truth is mystified, and lives are jeopardised."

Put more simply, perhaps we could all subscribe to the wise words of Rumi, the 13th-century poet and theologian, who once said, "Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, ask yourself, 'Is it true?' At the second gate ask, 'Is it necessary?' At the third gate ask, 'Is it kind?'"

A simple philosophy it may be, but it's one as potent today as it was centuries ago.

[isitstraightvodka]

hi liv! may i request 14, 15 and 46 with either joe or gwil? thank you!! xx

14. “Just please be my best friend right now, not the guy I just confessed my love to.”, 15. “Stop pretending you’re okay, cause I know you’re not.”, 46.“What if I told you I’ve been in love with you since we were kids.” - seems like a perfect fit for joe!

He could sense something was off about you. You texted less frequently, FaceTime calls reduced to once a week, you didn't want a bar of him and he didn't understand why, he wanted to know why. But it didn't happen out of nowhere, it was slow like droplets from a tap, the distance between you got more and more, it was painful, not just for him, for you too, however you had no other choice. You couldn't face the fact that you loved Joe. No, you were in love with Joe.

The next time you saw each other in the flesh was a get-together organised by Lucy, and while you were excited for it, you were nervous as hell to see Joe, to look at him and know how you felt about him, knowing he did not feel the same way about you. It was awkward when you shared a hug at the front door of the restaurant, his arms were tighter around you than yours were around him, you barely gave him eye-contact, even when you said "Hi." after he greeted you with the usual "Hello, lovely girl."; even that failed to make you smile.

Your feelings for Joe distracted you the entire night, you tried to have a good time chatting with Gwil, and Ben, and Lucy and Rami, but the man you adored more than words could say was right there and you were terrified and embarrassed for him to ever find out. After all, why would he love you back? He could have any other girl, you were sure many were already lining up to spend one night with him, and you couldn't compete or compare, you'd rather suffer in silence than mortify yourself and screw up years, almost two decades, of friendship.

Joe, on the other hand, was distracted himself, with you and how you kept giving him the cold shoulder, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't hurt by it. He reeled back memories, moments, days and weeks, searching for a time where he might have said something to cause this rift, if he had done something wrong, he had no clue what it was but it was eating him alive, he didn't want to lose his best friend. He needed to get to the bottom of this.

So you ended up in his car, parked on a back street, away from prying eyes. He'd managed to tear you away from the group, even thought you went with the utmost dread of fucking this all up even more than you probably already had. The engine was off, windows rolled up and a tension was thick in the air, so Joe cut it with a knife.

“Stop pretending you’re okay, cause I know you’re not.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

"Yes, you do, don't play dumb with me." He bit back, arm resting on the edge of the window, sighing when you looked in the other direction. 

"You've been avoiding me for days, weeks I believe. You don't talk to me, your texts are short, when you call me or I call you, it doesn't even last ten minutes when for so long, it would be hours. I don't know what's gotten into you but I think I have a right to know."

He was right, you knew he was right but the truth of it was that you were so scared, so much that you'd go to bed shaking or wake up in the middle of night sweating or crying, most of the time, it was both. You cared about Joe and ruining what you had with him wasn't something you were eager to risk.

"Look, Joe, I'm sorry but-"

"No buts. Give it to me straight. I would appreciate that."

You didn't know when or how or what made you forget about everything but for a split second, you did and you didn't even know you said anything until you looked at him and saw the surprise in his eyes.

"What?"

"You're in love with me?"

"W-what?" You couldn't swallow the lump in your throat, you forgot how to blink, how to do anything, you lost the ability to breathe and your face turned almost betroot red.

"You just said you're in love with me...that's why you haven't been talking to me? Seriously? Fuck, if you had told me instead of doing what you did, we wouldn't be here right now! I wouldn't have said anything wrong...the hell, babe, I can't believe this, when did yo-"

“Just please be my best friend right now, not the guy I just confessed my love to.” You said, hiding your face in your hands. You couldn't believe yourself, you just outed yourself without even meaning to, how stupid could you be? All ths time, you worked yourself up about it, and you just let it out without thinking about it. Tears stung the back of your eyes but you refused to turn into a wailing child in front of him. Not in front of the man you'd fallen for.

"I'm so foolish." You choked on your words.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. I just ruined this! Joe...I'm so so sorry." You barely sobbed into your palms, if you were to cry, you didn't want him to see.

“What if I told you I’ve been in love with you since we were kids.” -

Your heart stopped.

You looked at him, wiping your eyes with the sleeve of your sweater.

"You were in love...too?"

"Not were. Am. I am in love with you. And I should've been the man and told you but...our friendship, I didn't want to jeopardise that.

"My reason for not telling you was the same."

You didn't know how you were able to speak after what he'd just dropped on you. He was in love with you, like you were with him, you could've sworm you were dreaming, about all of this, until the reality of his kiss brought you to earth.

And that first kiss ended up being the start of everything.

prompt list

[nightybreeze]

Sound of Fury

Original female character/Billy Hargrove

A/N - I've created it with a Lady Macbeth/Macbeth dynamic in mind. I'm gonna try incorporate that into this fic as we go along. This is gonna be a long series. You could call it a slow burn but in terms of the plot. But I promise I'm pouring my heart and soul into this thing.

Summary: Action takes place in the season 2 of stranger things.

Word count: about 2 200 words

Chapter 1

Smash of the door. The twist of the key. Loud roar of the engine. Sudden rush of adrenaline that made goosebumps rise up on her skin. And then quick and daring take off.

The feeling was nearly invincible each and every time, but in its steadfast nature it never failed to bring a little bit of joy to her heart. As the machine accelerated it felt like taking a shot directly to the veins. And then what came next was just a steady, subtle drift that set her off into the wide blue. Mika in those moments was finally able to relax. Could forget about the sombreness of the reality that sourrounded her. Even if it was just a second, she could finally get a glimpse of how it felt to be truly free. The wind grizzled into the girl's ear and winnowed wildly through her hair to the beats of hard rock music coming from the radio. As the next track blasted out from the speakers, Mika was quick to recognize the piece. The song began with a distinguishable, descending tetrachord in a form of slow tremolo. It repeated itself a couple of times before the second guitar and the drums joined in. Soon enough, the lead vocalist started singing. Mika tightened the grip on the steering wheel and clenched her jaw in response. On paper the song seemed her type: full of energy and spark, quick-paced, with off the chain solos. If it was not for the lyrics, it would surely land on one of her personal cassette tapes. The persona came across as someone with real naive worldview and it was enough to struck her nerve. It didn't take a minute before she was speeding up.

𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭

'𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰

𝘛𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 '𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 

She pushed the gas pedal even harder placing her well beyond the speed limit. As the song was reaching an end, she pushed the brake and sharply turned the wheel. The car smoothly slid across the street, making a one-eighty, and with a screech of the tires came to a halt. Mika didn't bother to move it closer to the pavement, it was good enough. She turned off the radio, released the keys and heedlessly slammed the door after leaving the vehicle. The girl entered the liquor store. She didn't seem out of place. She's been here many times before and it was like she had had every right to it. She was confident that nothing would ever jeopardise the purpose of her being there. Mika grabbed a standard-sized bottle of cheap tequila and went over to the counter. She noticed that the man behind it wasn't someone she recognized. She quickly then grabbed the ID from her pocket and casually flashed it at the shopkeeper while handing him her drink. The salesman glanced at it.

𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯

𝘔𝘢𝘺 13𝘵𝘩 1962

Soon enough she was settling up the bill and on her way out of the store until suddenly a police officer entered the shop. He scanned the place with his eyes before giving Mika a suspecting glare. The girl tried to manoeuvre around him but the cop didn't let her.

- Woah, woah, woaaah there young lady. Not so quick - he said stopping her in her tracks - Is it your car outside the building?

It took her a second before collecting herself.

- Yes, sir, is there a problem? - she said calmly while fluttering her lashes and giving him the world's fakest smile.

The officer didn't seem to notice, she was a true pro.

- It's parked incorrectly. It's disturbing the traffic.

Mika looked above his shoulder. There was no traffic outside.

- I'm terribly sorry, I was just about to leave! It won't happen again, sir - she sighed dramatically.

She tried to take a step forward but the officer held her back.

- I'm afraid I'll be forced to check your ID

Mika's heart sped up a beat. She knew she could be busted. On the other hand her calm demeanour seemed unbothered. She glanced at him, smiled and quietly passed him the card. She took a peek at cop's badge and then noticed a couple of thick, white hair strands on his uniform. Just as the officer was about to get a closer look, Mika chimed in.

- Oh gosh, you've got a dog, Mr. Brown? - the girl asked cheerily, trying not to tip off her immense frustration.

- Am I that obvious? - the man chuckled while trying to examine the ID

- You struck me as the type - she said smiling innocently and after a short pause added - It's nice to meet a fellow dog person.

That was of course a plain, ugly lie -  the best card she could play at that very moment. She figured the best way to distract a man is to have him start talking about himself.

- So what's his name? - she asked but she couldn't care less

- Her - Officer Brown corrected - Becky. A pitbull. Loyal little beastie.

Of course, she thought, what else could have she expected than a national pride that is a fighting ring dog.

- I sure hope she is.

The cop seemed like he was about ask something, but he was then quickly interrupted by another male voice coming from behind the girl.

- Jerryyy!! What's good, is your wife alright?

Jerry Brown looked up and Micheala turned around to see another man who freshly left the back.

- Old Nick! Yeah the migraines finally stopped and she's better now.

- Say, what brings you here today? - Nick said while eyeing the girl up with concern

- Nothing much, just duty, sir.

- Duty, ey? - shopkeeper gave Mika a knowing look - Did the girl do something?

- I think she's too young to be buying stuff here. And besides, her car isn't nowhere near the sidewalk.

- Awh you know how women are, their parking is horrible, they shouldn't be driving in the first place

Mika furrowed her eyebrows at Nick but the man just gave her a sheepish grin in response.

- Tell that to Sarah! - Jerry laughed, clearly entertained - She's insisting on getting a driver's license. Can you imagine?!

The two men burst out laughing in unison. After a couple of seconds they stopped and then carried on with their conversation for another good minute or two. Mika stepped to the side, clearly bored. She was considering running off to her car and just driving away.However she didn't want to get in trouble with the police again and besides, Jerry still held her ID captive. Nick saw that and that was his cue to finally get to the point.

- So whatcha gonna do about... - he paused focusing his eyes at Mika

- The girl? I don't know man. What if she's underage? - the cop Jerry raised the card with his hand, recalling that he still hasn't properly inspected it yet.

- I assure ye, she's not. Mika's my loyal customer since she hit 21! She wasn't showin' her ass here before.

The police officer looked at the ground lost in thought. Then glanced to the side at Mika and back again at Nick and sighed.

- You'd vouch for her?

Nick hesitated for a second but after that a wide grin crept onto his face.

- Yeah, I would.

And that was enough for the officer Jerry to resign from his witch hunt. He moved aside to stand in front of the girl and finally handed the ID back to her.

- Here you go Miss, sorry for the inconvenience.

He left the store and called out from the outside.

- Practice your parking!!

Mika was so done with this whole situation but she managed to put on a one last smile.

- Sure thing, officer!

And with that it was over.

She wasn't this close from being caught by the police since her late evening trip to the pub near the centre - a foolish decision on her part. This wasn't New York. Not only was she the only woman at the bar, she was the only young woman at the bar. She managed to talk her way out of it of course, but the encounter still left a sour taste in her mouth. "Cops" she thought. "Always acting like they're noble and benevolent. Like they don't have anything better to do than meddle with somebody else's fucking business instead of doing something that is actually important".

Micheala stood there seconds longer, following Jerry with her eyes. After a while she grunted at Nick.

- You should've let us be.

She had it under control, she didn't need his help.

- You're welcome? - the man raised an eyebrow at her visibly amazed.

- I had it handled! - the girl scoffed.

- Like shit you had! I've saved your sorry ass, some words of appreciation would be nice.

Mika looked at him with hateful eyes, her pride hurt.

- Didn't ask for your help - she murmured quietly under her nose as she turned around and pushed the door open.

She walked outside but Old Nick quickly rushed after her.

- Hey, hey, Mika don't be like that - Nick closed off on her, undeliberately catching the girl's attention - I know you don't do well with that kind of talk, I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted you to be safe. Wasn't too keen on getting in trouble for selling booze to a minor either. You understand that, right? - he looked at her with pleading eyes.

She did, yes. It was his store after all. Mika was a little mad at herself for snapping like that. She just really hated being given favours though. She sighed.

- Yeah.

     Thanks Nick.

***

The girl arrived back home - a shithole that was looking same as always. Except at the house on the opposite side of the street were parked two cars. Which wouldn't be anything worth noting, but the 5280 Cherry Street stood empty since Mika came back from college a couple of months ago. At least it's what she recalled. So yeah. A bunch of new shitty neighbours. If her mother made her bring them a "welcome pie" she swore she was going to murder someone. Or she'll just end up throwing it in the dumpster as a big ol' "Fuck you". Or eating the thing herself. She's not decided which out of those three ideas appealed to her most.

Mika leaned against the trunk and lit up a cigarette. She spied some figures moving behind the window curtains.| "Please, don't borrow any fucking sugar". On a further inspection she noticed that one of the cars parked outside, the blue one, was a Camaro. "Right, another pathetic male playing macho" Suddenly a front door swung open. A boy came out of the house. He strot in a hurry. Mika took a nice, long drag of her cigarette. The boy was young, approximately her age. Pleasantly looking. She stared intently at him as he made his way to the blue Camaro. "Of course" - she thought as a slight grin crept onto her face. The boy wore the most generic bad boy hairstyle, a pair of tight, midwash jeans and a black crew neck. He seemed irritated, quite over the edge. But then again, maybe it was just his bad boy facade.

She let out a big puff of smoke.

Okay, yeah, he was handsome. He looked like taken out of a goddamn TV screen. The Boy was gorgeous. So gorgeous, Mika started wondering when was the last time she's seen a man so damn pretty? Ah, yes. 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬.

What was he doing in Hawkins? He really must have been new. Was he there unpacking when she went out to that store? Guess she couldn't care less to notice.

No no, she would've seen him.

Probably...

The unnamed Boy took a large box out of the back of his car. He held it with his one hand while he slammed the boot door shut with the other. And then, unexpectedly, as Mika was about to take another blow out of her cig, the Boy's and hers eyes met. They held each others gaze for a split second. She breathed in the smoke and he adjusted his seemingly heavy pack. And then Boy disappeared behind the same door he so quickly came from.

Mika stood there, finishing her smoke. She threw the burnt bud on the ground and crushed it with her shoe.

Alright so maybe she wouldn't be so mad if 𝙝𝙚 was the one to ask for that bag of sugar. The girl decided she must make herself acquainted with this handsome newcomer. Yes, she was planning to get to know him real 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺.

She grabbed the tequilla out of her car along with the cherry coke that was laying there on the floor. She wrapped the liquor in paper and wandered off into the nearby woods.