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lovelettersforthedamned · 8 months ago

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frat Peter x reader where he takes care of her after she gets spiked at one of his parties? 🥹🥹

Be Here For Her

✮ frat!tasm!peter parker x f!reader

✮ word count: 1.2k

✮ summary: your night has become foggy as your head swirls with confusion. when peter discovers your disheveled state, he swiftly becomes your aid while also preventing other people at his frat party from facing the same fate as you.

✮ warnings: language, mentions of drugs (spiking drinks), mentions of alcohol, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, this is a heavy topic so read at your own risk pls.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

main m.list ⋆ peter parker m.list

gif by @kenstaroyco

Your head was pounding against the bass of the music while your body felt as though you were moving through a pool of gelatin.

Peter was out mingling with the people entering the house of Kappa Phi, trying to keep things in order. But with the mass amounts of crowds entering the building, it was easy for both you and him to become distracted.

You were hanging out with a group of girlfriends of the frat when Peter approached the group again, a sheen layer of sweat on his forehead. He opens his mouth to speak, but honestly, you don’t hear a word he says. It feels like your mind is swirling as you lose focus on the conversation playing out in front of you. And when Peter places an arm around your shoulders, it feels like a ten-ton weight was set on top of you, causing you to slump a bit further into his side.

He must have felt your sluggish presence, because he grips your side tighter, keeping you in place right as your knees buckle and send you to the floor. The girls around you look at you with confusion and panic. They’ve been with you this whole time and knew you were just finishing your first beer, so you couldn’t have been drunk yet.

“Woah,” Peter exclaims as he holds you by your arms when your knees slam into the floor beneath you. Your drink falls to the floor, causing a bigger mess.

Your eyes are hooded over, your gaze unfocused. All you could put together were a bunch of faces looking down at you, and hands grabbing at you to help you up. The entire situation was overwhelming, but the thought of forming a coherent sentence made your head hurt more than it already did.

Peter’s mind was running a million miles per hour as he slowly pulled you in his arms, carrying you bridal style to take you upstairs to his room. He turns to your friends before departing, “I’ll text you guys later, get home safe.” With a few nods from the girls, he starts his careful ascent to the quiet room. He maneuvers you through the crowd, careful to not bump your head on anything. As he’s about to climb up the stairs, he hears an eruption of laughter behind him. Turning his head over his shoulder, he spots a random guy with his friends pointing and laughing at you barely conscious in his arms.

“Let me know if she’s a good fuck! I expect a ‘thank you’ later, bud,” he shouts to Peter, followed by another sound of laughter.

Peter puts the pieces together, and suddenly his vision focuses on the guy who yelled at him. He’s a skinny guy, probably a freshman, with the most obnoxious yellow shirt on. The prick in the crowd didn’t know who he was, and who you were. Anyone who knew Kappa Phi knew about you and Peter. An urge to leave him bruised and bloody on the floor overcomes him, but when a pathetic groan comes from you, he remembers that you’re in a vulnerable state. The only thing you need is Peter.

He blows him off and continues to make his way upstairs. Once he reaches his door, he skilfully pulls out his keys and unlocks them before twisting the handle and pushing his way inside the dark room. Peter lets out a sigh of relief as he walks towards his bed and lays you gently on the mattress.

Peter quickly walks back to the door, locking it behind him as he takes off his jacket, throwing it in a random corner. Kneeling next to you, he brushes some hair away from your face, keeping his hand there. He notices that you’re mumbling incoherent sentences and his eyebrows scrunch in confusion trying to piece together what you’re saying.

“D-Don’t…feel,” your body shakes with a tremor, “good.”

His heart breaks at your weak mumble of broken words. Your hand slowly reaches up to hold the hand that’s holding your face. The only thing keeping him sane is knowing you’re with him. He’s keeping you safe, and you know that.

Peter slowly comes off of his knees and starts to lay next to you. One of your hands is always touching him, a wave of reassurance washes over you at his touch. He pulls you onto your side and into his chest, the feeling of his rhythmic breathing lulling you to sleep.

The moment he feels your breath even out to a steady pace, he pulls his phone out, calling one of his frat brothers who’s still downstairs. The phone rings a few times before the music blares out of the speaker followed by a loud shout, “Parker, what’s up?”

“Hey, Matt,” he starts, “will you do me a favor?”

There’s no hesitation before Matt responds, “Yeah, of course. What’s going on?”

“Can you find Chris and look out for a scrawny kid with an aggressively yellow shirt on? He needs to be thrown out immediately,” his voice is stern but still quiet with you asleep next to him.

Peter can hear Matt call out for Chris before placing his phone back to his ear, “We see him. Anything else?”

“Yeah,” he clears his throat, “if you see him with his friends, bring them outside and get their names. And search all of their pockets. Whatever you find, bring it up to me ASAP.”

“Got it,” Matt answers before hanging up.

⭒⭒⭒⭒

About half an hour later, a soft knock is heard from Peter's door, causing him to gently unravel himself from your hold. He makes sure you’re still asleep before pulling open the door. He finds both Matt and Chris standing there with a solemn look on their faces and a few bags of white pills in their hands.

Chris starts, “We’ve got their names, all of them.” The air is heavy as Peter takes one of the bags and inspects the contents in them.

“Okay,” he takes the rest of the bags, “will you send their names to me?” The two boys in front of him nod their heads. “Can you guys also make sure everyone’s okay down there? I would go with you, but (Y/N) needs me here,” he nods back to your unconscious frame behind him.

Peter can see Matt and Chris’ brains catch on to what happened to you tonight, and their eyes go wide. They nod, speechless before heading back downstairs.

The bags in his hands feel heavy as he looks at them again before he looks back up at you. A feeling of guilt floods his brain, but he knows that you wouldn’t want him to feel responsible for this. He could hear you telling him that it wasn’t his fault. Putting them safely on his nightstand, he falls back into bed with you ready to help you tomorrow morning with whatever plan you decide to follow through with.

✮ author's note: once i'm on my frat!peter grind, it doesn't stop i fear. thank you anon for this request!! this was a heavy topic that's so real and it's so scary :( thank you for reading! ok, bye ily!!!

#peter parker x reader #tasm!peter x reader #fluff #andrew garfield peter parker #peter parker #tasm!peter parker #frat!peter parker x f!reader #frat!peter parker #peter parker hurt/comfort

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lovecla · 3 months ago

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IF YOU LOVE ME, LET ME KNOW | jack hughes.

00.1. how it happened:

➴ warnings: none!!

➴ word count: 1.2k

➴ author’s note: welcome everyone!! as i promised, here’s the start to our fuck buddies jack ‘n soph series<3 hope u love them as much as i do!

—♡

IT all started as a joke.

Not your career, no, that was very serious. Sometimes you still couldn’t believe how big you’d gotten. Seriously, it was like magic. People now paid to see your concerts, asked to take pictures with you and related to your songs, your situations.

How crazy was that?

But that isn’t the main joke.

It all started a few weeks after the release of your single, Nonsense. You were alone in your home studio, doing some writing and recording a few ad-libs for your new upcoming album— all songs dedicated to your shitty, fucking cheater of an ex, yeah— when Grace, your best friend and manager, barged in with her phone on her hands.

“Jesus,” you said, putting your hand over your heart. “Don’t you know how to knock? You literally scared the shit out of me, dumbass.”

“Knocking is for the weak. Also, I need to show you this. Ain’t no time for knocking.”

She sat on the chair beside you and showed you her phone. It was some kind of TikTok but even if you tried to understand what it was, you couldn’t.

“So?” Grace asked, a huge smile on her face.

“Hum,” you said, sounding uncertain. “Cool video! Are you leaving me for a TikTok career?”

She laughed out loud. “What?! You’re such a dumbass sometimes,” she showed you her phone again. “This, my love, is the New Jersey Devils account.”

“People who praise the devil like my songs? Didn’t see that coming…”

“Sophia, don’t you fucking tell me you don’t know who they are!” Grace furrowed her eyebrows.

“Hum… I do?” You lied.

She made a weird sound, which sounded a lot like a frustrated scream.

“They’re hockey players, they are in the NHL, National Hockey League. And this video alone has three million likes. And why, you ask me, little puppy,” Grace started using her theater kid voice and you rolled your eyes.

“Probably because they’re hot, I don’t know?”

“I thought that too. But then, I went to check the comments, and all of them were talking about your songs. So I watched the video and I realised, half of the team, grown ass men, were listening to your songs!”

Raising your eyebrows in shock, you watched the video again. And Grace was right. It was one of those “what are you listening to?” videos, but with a bunch of men wearing suits. And at least half of them said one of your songs. Mostly Nonsense, Espresso, Read Your Mind, and, shockingly, one of them even said one of your oldest songs.

Apart from that, the video’s caption said “should we make a Sophia Montenegro x NJ Devils collab??” and, to your absolute surprise, more than a half of the comments said “yes, collab, please!”

Which made you laugh. You were used to all sorts of people listening to your music. Kids, teens, adults, even old people sometimes, but hockey players? Those big ass men who liked to beat each other up during the games?

“That’s new, huh.”

“Apparently, people went crazy over the fact that they listen to your songs. And that’s not even the best part,” Grace squirmed. “Their marketing team reached out to your marketing team,” she pointed to herself. “And they asked you to perform at one of their charity dinners next month!”

You both yelled and jumped out of your seats to hug each other and jump around— being careful with her new Goddess braids. You were so grateful to have someone like Grace to help you out.

“This is, like, a huge thing for you, honey,” Grace teared up a little bit. She cried almost every time you got a new job. “They want to set up a meeting with you, nothing too fancy. They said something about the end of the hockey season and whatever that means, they want you in it.”

“That’s awesome, right?” You smiled. “I��m certain that you said yes already but I’m still going to ask you. Did you?”

“Duh, ‘course I did. You have a meeting with,” she looked at her phone again, reading something. “Shanon Anand tomorrow morning.”

“I love you, Grace Morgan.” You whispered, looking at the woman in front of you, your heart feeling full and warm.

“I love you too, Sophia Montenegro. Let’s rock some hockey boys.”

—♡

TURNS out that Shanon Anand is a very beautiful woman, with Indian features and a smile that would make any dentist proud.

“We are very pleased to have you here, Mrs. Montenegro.” She had a bit of an accent and it was so cute.

You smiled. “Thank you. It’s an honor, really. And please, call me Sophia.”

“Alright, Sophia it is,” she smiled back. “So, I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Hockey world but we’re currently walking towards the end of the seven month season.”

“I have to be honest with you, all I know about hockey is that they skate on the ice and beat each other up. That’s about it, I fear.” You felt your face getting warm.

“It’s alright, dear, no one’s going to ask you questions about Power Plays or penalties,” Shanon laughed and you sighed, thankful. Interviews were something you actually enjoyed doing but answering questions you didn’t really know the answer sucked. “We will hold a charity gala next month, and Grace told us you are available?”

“I am, yeah,” you opened your planner, looking at your summer schedule. “I do have to be in California by the second week of April to perform at Coachella but before that, I’m free.”

“You would be needed in the last week of April, on the 30th. Is that okay?”

“I think so, yes,” you nodded. “Do you have a preference for a performance or?”

Shanon grabbed a huge binder and opened it. “Actually, we do have a few requests, I hope you and your team don’t mind them,” you nodded, grabbing a pen just in case you needed to write anything. “First things first, we’d really like it if you kept it all PG,” she smiled, looking embarrassed.

You laughed, nodding with your head. “I expected it already. Don’t worry, I’ll try to keep my dirty mouth closed.”

“Perfect, thank you. Besides that, we’d request for at least three songs, and if you could maybe sing an acoustic version of them? It’s a night event and the vibes we’re going for are like, jazz club? Sorry if it sounds confusing, we’re still working on the details.”

“Acoustic? Yeah, ‘course. Do you have any songs in mind?”

“No, we thought it’d be better if you chose them. What suits your voice better and all of that.” Shanon ran her hands through her hair and blinked twice in a row. She looked stunning, but tired.

“Alright, I’ll think of a few options.” You nodded again.

“At the end of it, we’d like to take a picture of you with a Devils jersey, if you don’t mind?” She sounded hopeful.

“I don’t, really. I’m fine with it.”

“Perfect!”

The meeting didn’t last long after that and your mind was working really fast to try to have everything perfect. You still had more than a month to prepare so you knew everything was going to be fine.

At least you hoped so.

#jack hughes x singer!fmc #jack hughes #jack hughes x you #jack hughes x reader #jack hughes x oc #IYLMLMK

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familyagrestefanblog · 1 year ago

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This is for me one of “Representations” most shocking moments because it shows you how much power Tomoe (and Gabriel) HAVE with the Alliance technology. This entire event never happened and not only do their children know it because Tomoe and Gabriel do nothing but rub it in their faces how powerless they are against them as their parents,

It’s also influencing international media and news channels. In the most frighteningly casual way. The amount of hundrents of millions of people top news like these can reach in todays world in the (generalised) western world ALONE is insane, but you and me know that Tomoe’s technology isnt just influencing the western world, it’s 100% in Asia too (duh), the Americas and let’s not pretend like all of Africa is just the poor people you see in media and news.

The amount of POWER Tomoe has to do this is on a whole different level. Who knows how many times she already did this? And the scariest part of it is that unlike Gabriel Tomoe is being incredibly smart and doesnt draw too much attention to herself if it isn't explicitly needed (which is probably also why Adrien and the Agreste Brand are made out to be a bigger deal than Kagami and Tomoe's empire, which by all means isn't true)

She’s in control of a whole techonology empire. Is even in (technological) charge of space exploration. She has the resources, technology and experience apparently to bend and confine Kwamis and their raw powers. She’s on top of the food chain of whatever the hell this rich people cult is and has superhuman powers HERSELF as civilian.

And now your telling me she is capable of controlling the international/ world wide media with fake news??

You know what? The more I find out about this woman the more I understand why Gabriel Agreste is so scared of her:

Gabriel, I am asking once again

What the fuck did you do and what the hell kind of future did you set Adrien up for???

#ml spoilers #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #Ml #ml representation #Gabriel Agreste #Tomoe Tsurugi #Jesus fucking Christ #What kind of overlord is Tomoe??

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universallychaoticpan · 2 years ago

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Can u do the stages of Dazai and Reader's relationship through Kunikida's POV like from enemy/strangers to friendship to lovers♥️

This had been on my had for days and maybe you might like this idea. Imma write this down before I go to sleep bc I'm tired af😭.

You have no idea how much I loved writing this, it was so fun. Ugh I absolutely love it!! Sorry it's taken so long so get it out, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. Come back anytime. <33

I suggest listening to lovers rock by tv girl to set a nice little mood <3

(reader is gn)

Fukuzawa hadn't lied at all; you were a perfect addition to the agency. Even after just meeting you, Kunikida could tell: smart, accomplished, adept at combat, extensive knowledge in both weapons and hand to hand combat, plus a near deadly control over your ability- you were a dream. You were hardworking and on top of it all, shockingly, amazingly, seemingly immune to Osamu Dazai.

Now, you didn't dislike the man. You just weren't one to fawn over him or giggle like a schoolgirl any time he winked at you. You never really understood the girls who would fall all over themselves when he flirted with them, plus, since he flirted with anyone what was the point in giving in? To him, there were a million people like you; you were just another pretty face to him. So you made it your mission to never fall for his charms.

Unfortunately for Kunikida, neither of you quite understood how stubborn you both could be.

After three months, you found you liked him more than you thought. He made you laugh, with his stupid jokes and his antics. You found you liked being his friend. You would go out drinking with him, he would embarrass you in public until you shrieked with laughter, face burning red with your blush. He would make up nonsense songs to make you laugh and you would foil his attempts at flirting with yet another waitress each time you ate together. Quickly, you found yourself calling him your best friend- something that horrified Kunikida in quite a funny manner.

And after six months, Dazai realized something terrible- something awful, sweet, lovely and terrifying all at once. Osamu Dazai realized he was falling for you. He was falling faster than he could save himself, faster than he could stop it; he was falling for his best friend with the stunning smile, the sharp wit that would bite him playfully if he got to close, the pretty laugh and those eyes that melted him from the inside out.

Worst of all, he knew you would never believe him if he told you.

But Kunikida saw it all. He saw how Dazai's eyes would soften ever so slightly when you would walk in, how he would try to be close to you, how he would volunteer to do the most mundane tasks as long as it meant doing them with you. He saw the new way his lip would curl gently at the edges when he smiles at you, a smile different than his usual rakish grin. And god was it painful to watch. He nearly felt bad for the man, and he would if it wasn't so funny to watch. Kunikida wouldn't deny it was just the slightest bit entertaining to observe you.

Nearly a year had gone by since you had first met; nearly a year since you had promised yourself to never fall for him. Nearly a year since he had met you, clueless to the fact that you would change his life without even trying. And everyone could tell it was driving him mad; everyone, or so it seemed, except for you. A fact that Kunikida doubted to the extremes.

"They probably have figured it out by now," he muttered, sipping his drink as a moan sounded from Dazai. "They're quite intelligent, you know. Perceptive, too."

"Shut up," Dazai muttered, lifting his head from off the bar. "Don't tell me that like I don't already know it."

Kunikida shrugged. "Just checking. But in any case, what are you going to do about it?"

"That's just it," Dazai groaned. "Whatever I do, they won't believe it's real; they'll think I just want a fling or a one night stand and it would kill me to loose them over something so stupid."

"Well you'd best figure it out soon," Kunikida observed. "Time waits for no man."

And it hurt knowing he was right. It hurt Dazai, a dull throb forming in his chest because it was true; no one waited forever. No opportunity stayed open for long. So he shook Kunikida's hand, walked out of the bar, and turned for the direction of your apartment.

"Good luck, you lovestruck bastard."

You were alone when the knock at the door came; alone, your pajama pants sitting deliciously on your skin, a glass on wine barely held between your fingers. You felt the buzz of the stuff, warm and sweet, spreading through your body as you walked over the door, and opened it.

Revealing your best friend, panting with cheeks brushed pink from the night air. He ran a hand through his messy dark hair and you cocked your head slightly, your lips quirking up into a curious smile.

Oh that smile-

"What's the occasion for this lovely visit?"

He swallows hard, hands fiddling nervously as he tries to decide whether to move closer or not. But you choose for him, resting a hand on his shoulder, stepping so close your have to look up slightly for your concerned eyes to meet his.

"are you alright? Dazai, what's happened, is everything ok?-"

"Do you trust me?"

"What kind of question is that, of course I-"

"No. Do you trust me."

You looked into those eyes, and-

oh.

"Of course I do," you whispered.

And those were the last words you uttered before his hand lifted your face to his and his lips shaped themselves perfectly against yours. That was all you had to say before he stole the breath from your lungs with that kiss, a sigh leaving you so sweetly it made him fall for you again, more and more- he would devote himself to memorizing every sound that fell from your lips, give you every second if his life if that's what it took, as long as you promised to never take your touch away from him.

You smiled when you pulled away, lips still parted, laughing ever so slightly as you pulled him inside by the hand.

And when you walked into the office together the next morning, chatting and smiling like always, most people wouldn't have batted an eye.

But Doppo Kunikida wasn't most people. And even he had to indulge himself in smirking in the way Dazai followed at your heels like a puppy. Because even though you were not the first to fall for his charms...

you were the first to get him to fall for yours.

#dazai x reader #osamu dazai x reader #dazai osamu x reader #bsd x reader #bungo stray dogs x reader #bsd x gn reader

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adriellej · 4 months ago

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Rough Days Part 2

Warnings: Some swearing and talk of some violence I guess. Some talk of sex, but not really explicit.

Pairings: Harry x Reader

Word Count: 6.5K+

A/N: So it might have taken me a million years to get this done, but I got there! Also, it got really long though! Hope that can make up for it. Life has kind of gotten in the way lately, so it was nice getting to write again. I hope you enjoy it, everyone!

Part 1

GIF's are not mine - all credit to those who made them!

(politeandnotgay)

“Y/N?” His morning voice was gruff and sexy to listen to. Nope, stop thinking that Y/N, you thought to yourself. He popped up on an elbow rubbing his eyes with the other hand. You pulled the covers all the way up to cover your bare chest like he hadn’t already seen you.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” You kept repeating as you hid your face in your hand, your hair falling forward. Reality was setting in for Harry, adding two and two together. His face was gradually getting perplexed and as questioningly as yours. You stood up taking the covers with you only to be reminded that Harry didn’t have any clothes on either. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry Harry,” You said embarrassed as you turned your back on him.

“Where the hell is my clothes?” You mumbled to yourself as you looked around. “Oh crap!” Reality hit you when you realized all your clothes were in the lounge. “Please tell me they haven’t come in yet,” Your voice laced with panic as you headed for the door.

You jogged towards the lounge, praying to god that no one had come into work yet. You turned around the corner and entered the morning lid room. Thankful that it seemed the rest of the team hadn’t come in yet. You scrambled all of your clothes together in your arms. When you turned around to go to the bathroom, to put your clothes on, you collided with a firm chest. A pair of hands held onto your arms steadying you, quite like they had done the night before.

Your eyes darted up to look Harry in the eyes, as you tried to hide your flushed cheeks. His blue ones settled on yours as he let out a sigh.

“Would you stop running away from me?” He said lowly. Most of you wanted to run away, to tell him no, but your head nodded before you could decide on any other option. “We should probably talk about, well - uh - last night,” He started with a small stutter.

You held up your index finger to his lips silencing him before you spoke yourself.

“Can I at least go put on some clothes before we do that? Only seems fair considering you have,” You said gesturing to his clothed frame, and awkwardly shifting on your feet under his gaze.

“Right, you can use my room,” Harry looked at you, heat rising on his ears and cheeks.

You jogged back to his room the covers in tow. As you closed the door you let out a big sigh of your own. Fiercely cursing your drunken self and her poor decisions as you got clothed.

“Why, oh why did I have to go and do that?” You questioned yourself as you put a leg in your pants. “Of all people I decide to do it with, it just had to be Harrison freaking Wells,” Another leg in your pants as you jumped to get it over your hips. “I couldn’t have gone to a bar or something, no no, had to be here,” Your t-shirt over your head as you flopped down on his bed sitting with your elbows on your knees. “This is ridiculous, I’m such an idiot,” You sighed as you leaned your head in your hands.

You sat there for a while as you mustered up the courage to talk to Harry. Taking a deep breath you stood from the bed. “Time to face the music Y/N,” You said aloud as you walked out the door towards the lounge again.

“Okay Harry, let’s talk,” You said as you turned the corner to the lounge only to be faced by Cisco’s loud voice.

“Y/N! Good morning,” He said as he smirked. His loud voice rang in your hungover head and you winced a little at the stabbing pain in your brain. Cisco chuckled at you holding your forehead with one hand.“You seem like you had a nice evening without the rest of us here, huh?” Cisco blurted out as he took a sip of the coffee in his hand. “So what are you going to talk about?” Cisco continued a little less loudly than before.

“Nothing,” You and Harry responded in unison giving each other a knowing look.

“Also uh - why would you think we had a nice evening?” Your question fell a little quicker than anticipated, and with a little higher note than your usual voice. Cisco looked questioningly at you like you had fallen from the moon.

“Uh, the empty bottles of alcohol and shot glasses,” He said as he gestured to the leftovers of your little party. “What did you think I was referring to?” He asked as he took in your expression.

“Riiiight, nothing, just that,” You smiled it off, desperately trying to get yourself out of the situation that you had put yourself in. Well, it's not a situation you got in all on your own, Harry had a pretty big part in it too. You turned your eyes towards him instead, he stood with his own cup of coffee in his hands as he looked down on the floor. Feeling your resting gaze on him he looked up to meet yours, giving you a small nod.

“Right, let’s get cracking on the new day and see what Alchemy has come up with today,” Cisco said as he started to walk out of the lounge and towards the cortex, to have a morning meeting that you had started having after you had been more at S.T.A.R. labs than the precinct. You and Harry followed him, mostly in silence, but you quickly whispered to him as you met in the doorframe.

“We’ll talk later?” You looked at him and he gave yet another silent nod, his lips pressed together.

Your day was flying by as you sat at the desk in the cortex looking over every evidence you had. You got little done, your mind was distracted with something else. Distracted by the thought of Harry. The thought of last night's activities. It was like you could still feel his lips on yours, his hands on your body and it was intoxicating for you to think about. It was like you were in a haze.

As you sat there in your haze your mind started to wander. As Harry had been a part of the team for a while, you had come to spend a lot of your free time with him. All that time spent together had made you open more up to him, more than you had with anyone for a long time. Surely it wasn’t like you had opened up to him last night, but you enjoyed his company and he got to see sides of you no one else did.

You didn’t necessarily need to talk to one another. You could sit in complete silence as he tinkered with some new tech or was trying to calculate something, and you’d sit with a bunch of files around you. It was comfortable for both of you. You didn’t mean to start taking a particular liking to him, but you had. You weren’t sure you’d call it love, but it was something. Something different than you had felt before.

You cared deeply for him, and you always made sure he ate, stayed hydrated, and got some rest. Now the physical part of things had been there for a lot longer. Ever since he had come to your earth you’d find him extremely sexy and handsome, and he didn’t even have to put in any effort to get you wilded up.

Maybe last night wasn’t as big of a mistake as you first thought. You’d wanted him for a long time. You had thought a lot about what his fingers could do, or his tongue for that matter. He sure did exceed every expectation you had had about it. You could feel the heat rise on your cheeks and in your stomach. You needed to get some fresh air, cool down, and get some clarity.

“I’m just going to head out for a while, call me if you need anything,” You exclaimed to Cisco, Caitlin, and Iris as you stood from your chair. They all looked at you with confusion at your sudden outburst. You quickly walked out of the cortex to the elevator.

“This is really getting ridiculous. Of course, you don’t have a thing, thing for Harry, right?” You asked yourself as the elevator doors pinged and opened. Before you stood Harry with his glasses in his hands. There was a silence, a very long silence before Harry moved out of the elevator. Neither of you said anything as you took his place and pushed the button. You saw him look over his shoulder before the doors closed and the elevator moved up.

You leaned back on the cold wall, your head turned towards the ceiling with closed eyes. You sighed loudly as you pushed off the wall to leave the elevator. You walked through the doors of S.T.A.R. Labs as the nice feeling of fresh air hit you.

You found yourself walking around the park, listening to the birds chirping and people walking with their dogs. You sat at a bench as you looked over the park, your thoughts traveling back to Harry. Whatever you did, you couldn’t seem to be able to get him out of your mind.

I need to deal with this whether I want to or not. You heard a beep from your phone and you pulled it out of your pocket, it was a text from Iris.

Can you come back? Harry and Cisco are really getting at each other’s throats.

You took a deep breath and stood from the bench to head back. You just had one pit stop on the way.

“Ramon, you are being ridiculous! It’s not going to work!” You could hear Harry yell from the far end of the hallway.

“Oh boy,” You said as you turned the corner to the cortex. Iris and Caitlin were giving each other looks, some of horror and others of displease by the two men at the other end of the hallway.

“Oh thank god you’re here Y/N!” Iris exclaimed at the sight of you. You smiled at her and Caitlin.

“Have they been bickering for a long time?” You questioned. “And what exactly are they bickering about?” You continued as you sat down the bags on the console.

“To be honest we’re not actually sure. My best guess would be some technology thing,” Iris breathed out a small laugh. You rolled your eyes, knowing the two men, she’d probably be right.

“I’ll go and try to tame the two tigers,” You laughed as you lifted the Big Belly Burger bags to your face. It earned a laugh from the two women. You hoped some food would help calm them down enough to actually talk efficiently with each other.

You knocked on the entrance to their workshop and their heads shot towards you.

“What?!” They both yelled in unison. They turned to each other and gave each other a look as to say don’t yell at her.

“No reason to bite the head off of the one who comes bearing gifts,” You casually responded to their outburst and shook the two bags in your hands. “Now if you two would take a small break and eat, we can try and talk about this as a pair of grown-up people instead of your insufferable yelling and bickering,” You continued, earning a hard glare from both men. You were probably the only one who got to talk to them that way, without them tearing your head off in the process. “But for now, eat,” You said and pushed each bag into their chests ushering them to sit on their respective chairs.

“She’s being mean,” Cisco mumbled to Harry who glared at him like he was an idiot.

Their mood changed as they ate, and they started to have a normal conversation with you. You even dragged out a few chuckles and laughs from them as you joked about something you had seen in the park.

“Soooo, will you explain to me what you are doing?” You tested as they finished the last of their burgers and fries.

“Well, you know how Burnout tends to overheat and cause explosions?” Cisco started explaining to you what they were working on. You nodded as confirmation and Cisco continued. “I was thinking that the cold gun I once made could be altered to cool her down…”

“And that is completely ridiculous, it would be better if we build something new so we don’t wind up freezing her to death,” Harry interrupted Cisco. You looked at Cisco who looked like he was about to explode.

“Harrison, stop interrupting him!” You blurted out, earning a smug grin from Cisco. Harry glared daggers at Cisco and you. “Cisco, wipe that smug face off,” You told him, only to have Harry have a grin on his face. “You two have to stop being a pair of five-year-olds and stop your bickering and talk like civilized people. What are the pros and cons of Cisco’s idea and vice versa for yours Harry?”

“Well, my idea is a lot better…” Harry started before you interrupted him.

“Harry, no,” You slapped him on the arm.

“Ouch,” He had a surprised expression as he rubbed his arm.

“That is not how we do this, no “My idea is better”,” You continued before standing in front of their board with Harry’s marker in your hand. You drew up pros and cons lists for each of their ideas.

“Cisco, let’s start with yours,” You pointed at him with the marker. “And no Harry, do not even think about interrupting him,” You uttered.

“Okay, so a pro is that we have the gun in storage, just need to alter it, so it’ll be faster,” Cisco started as you wrote on the board. “Also, we know it’s easy to aim with, and let’s be honest Barry isn’t always the most accurate shot,” You laughed at the remark Cisco made. You had been at the shooting range for fun with Barry before, and he surely wasn’t the guy who hit 100% of his targets.

“Right, so cons?” You asked and looked at Harry, knowing he would have cons to say.

“We risk that it’s too cold. We know how cold Barry has gotten when he’s been shot by it, he needs to phase to get warm,” Harry said as you wrote it down. “Plus it runs out of power at some point,” He continued.

It went on like this for an hour. Back and forth on their ideas, you mediating between them until they could talk civilized about it. As they started to bounce the ideas off each other you snuck out of the room and back to the cortex to give them their space.

When you emerged in the cortex the two girls looked at you like you had been missing for a week.

“We were starting to think they had eaten you,” Caitlin laughed at you, while you probably looked tired from listening to the two of them bickering.

“No no, I just made them realize they were being stupid,” You laughed as you took a seat next to Iris. She gave you a look of disbelief at your words. “Don’t even ask,” You said as you waved your hand. It earned laughs from the two women as you started to converse about the day, letting you forget about all your thoughts for a moment.

As the night drew closer Caitlin and Iris had left, and you started to feel the tiredness sneak up on you. A yawn left you as you walked down the corridor towards Cisco and Harry’s workshop. They were still working on fixing up the gun for Barry to use on Burnout.

“Harry, can I talk with you for a moment?” You asked sleepily as you walked up to him. He turned towards you and took your arm leading you to the other side of the room.

“What do you want to talk about?” He questioned as he held on to your arm for a little longer than he needed to. He seemed to realize and let go of you as you started to speak.

“I don’t think that talk is going to happen today. I’m tired and I could really need some rest,” You answered as you looked down at the hand that had been resting on your arm only a second ago.

“I’m so sorry Y/N, it’s just we’re finally getting somewhere and we could finish it tonight,” Harry started before you cut him off.

“It’s okay, we’ll do it another time, don’t worry about it,” You wanted to believe those words yourself, but you didn’t. You were worried about it and wished you had got it done already. You wanted the awkwardness to stop, and be as you were before. If you could ever be as you were before.

“Right, I’ll see you tomorrow,” His lips curved a little before going back to Cisco to work on their project.

Your keys rattled in the door as you let yourself into your apartment. It was a dark and gloomy one-bedroom studio with a tiny kitchen and bathroom. It wasn’t much, but it was cheap and in reality, you didn’t really spend any time there. You slept there and that was more or less it. You spent most of your time at the precinct before Singh sent you home, after that all your time was spent at S.T.A.R. Labs.

“God I’m exhausted,” You said as you fell on your couch, one leg up and the other resting on the floor. “Can’t believe the mess I’ve put myself in,” You stared up at the ceiling in the dark, except for the lights from the street signs outside your window, you hadn’t bothered turning anything on in your apartment. You didn’t know how long you stared into space, but eventually, you felt your eyelids getting heavy and slowly drifting into sleep.

You woke from your phone vibrating on the floor. You grabbed it still half asleep, and you didn’t look who was calling.

“Yes?” Your voice was groggy and low as you answered your phone.

“Y/N? Are you okay?” Cisco’s voice rang at the other end of the phone. You didn’t realize what time it was, hell you didn’t even realize you had fallen asleep.

“Cisco? Yeah, I’m fine, why?” You sat up and felt all of your muscles being sore from sleeping on the couch, probably not in the best positions either.

“It’s noon and you haven’t shown up yet. You were making us all worried about you,” Cisco’s voice was laced with a hint of worry and relief by your words.

“Holy shit, I didn’t even realize. I’m so sorry, I’ll be there in 30 minutes, I promise,” You said before hanging up and rushing to your dresser to change your clothes. You made a pit stop by Jitters to buy yourself a cup of coffee.

You took some long strides as you exited the elevator. You were still groggy from your sleep, but the coffee was starting to help. As you walked into the cortex, you realized it was completely empty. The med-bay was empty. The lounge was empty.

“Where the hell is everyone?” You continued to look in the other rooms of the labs, a confused expression on your face. You hadn’t taken more than half an hour to get here, they couldn’t all just have vanished. Even Harry’s lab was empty. You made your way into the speed labs, where you could hear a few voices coming from. Walking in Iris, Caitlin, Cisco, and Harry were talking by the computers.

“Hey the sleeping beauty finally made it,” Cisco laughed at you, and you gave them all a small wave feeling yourself getting embarrassed by not being there earlier.

“I have no idea what happened, I fell asleep on the couch,” You laughed as you made your way over to your friends. “Where’s Barry?” You asked before you heard something over the intercom.

“Oops, I’m sorry!” Barry’s voice rang as Harry let his head hang low with his hands on his hips.

“Never mind,” You laughed. “Is he trying to figure out your new cold gun?” The look you gained from both Harry and Cisco was answering enough for you.

“I love my man, but he has no aim,” Iris erupted into giggles alongside Caitlin.

“Wait I have an idea!” Cisco yelled over your laughter. “Y/N, you can do it! You have a great aim,” He continued and you looked at him in disbelief.

“And how would you suggest we do that? I can’t run at Barry’s speed nor do I know your gun, he does,” You questioned and his face faltered for a short while before it was taken over by a grin.

“Barry can take you, and you can go train with him and try out the gun now,” You sighed at that. You weren’t very fond of Barry running you anywhere, you always wound up feeling sick. You weren’t made to move at that kind of speed unless it was in a car. “Please Y/N/N, you want to help Burnout right? And the city,” He played on your feelings, he knew you too well to know it would work.

“Fine,” You caved in, already regretting your persuasiveness.

“Wait,” Harry interrupted. “What if she gets hurt? She doesn’t have super healing like Barry,” He continued, his voice wavered a little by the end. A swooshing was heard as your hair whirled around your face.

“I won’t let her get hurt Harry,” Barry replied with a smile on his face. “She’s a tough cookie, she can handle it,” He continued, it didn’t earn anything well from Harry, but it earned a smile from you. You were pretty badass if you had to say so yourself. Harry sighed before turning to walk away. “What’s gotten into him? He's more grumpy than usual,” They all looked at each other with puzzled looks.

“I’ll talk to him. I’ll be right back and then I can have a look at the gun,” You said as you followed Harry out into the corridor. His long legs were carrying him rather quickly away from the speedlab. “Harry, can we talk for a second?” You said as you jogged the rest of the way up to him.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” He said sternly without giving you another look. You cocked an eyebrow at his response as you were struggling to keep up with him.

“Harrison stop,” You said as you grabbed his arm yanking him to a halt.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He questioned before he continued. “I said, there is absolutely nothing to talk about, you’ll do your thing, see if I care,” His words hurt. It stung in your heart as you looked at him in disbelief at what he had just said. You were stumped, at a loss for words, and he took your silence as a way to leave you standing in the hallway, alone. Your eyes started to fill with water.

“Well screw you too then,” You whispered as you went back towards the speedlab. Forcing your tears to stop, you put on a smile and went in. “Okay, let’s do this Barr!” You exclaimed clapping your hands and grinning at the rest of the team.

Alarms went off in the speedlab and you and Barry shared a look.

“It's go time,” You stated as you all ran to the cortex to see where you and Barry would have to go. Passing the lab you looked at Harry, who stood with a screwdriver and a tech in hand, looking at all of you passing. Your eyes locked with his and he immediately looked away and continued working. You sighed and pushed it away, you couldn’t be distracted by it right now. You had to focus on the job in front of you, and that was helping Burnout not hurt herself.

“You got the meta cuffs, Barry?” Cisco asked and he nodded in response. “Y/N, you got the gun?” He continued making sure you had all the equipment you needed.

“Yup, got it right here,” You said as you patted the gun hanging from the holster on your back.

“Well, then it’s time to go kick some ass!” He exclaimed and you laughed at his excitement.

“Ready?” Barry asked and you nodded at him before he grabbed you and ran. You didn’t enjoy this part of the plan, but it was a necessity for the plan to work.

It took quite a few tries before you had Burnout in custody and safe from her own powers. You really missed this part of your job. The part where someone needed you, where someone needed the skills you had. Usually, Barry would handle it, and after being benched you didn’t really get to be out in the field. Sure you got to investigate, but you didn’t get to be a part of the action. The rushing feeling of adrenaline shooting through your entire body was a feeling you thrived on. You worked well under pressure.

As you arrived back at S.T.A.R. Labs you were received with a bunch of great work comments, except from the one you really wanted it from. Harry. You excused yourself from the others and went to his lab. He was still working on the tech he had worked on when you left.

“Hey Harry,” You cautiously greeted him. He didn’t look at you, he didn’t say anything, it was like you didn’t even exist. It was getting to you, you were starting to get angry. It wasn’t your fault that you were a good shooter, and that they actually needed you. You finally felt like you were an asset to the team. “You know, this really isn’t fair of you,” You spoke, annoyance laced your voice, and when he didn’t react to it, it became more filled with anger than anything else. “Harry, what the hell is wrong with you?!” Your voice was getting louder as you spoke. It finally earned you a look from him.

“There is nothing wrong with me!” He yelled back at you. You were taken a little aback, he never yelled at you. “What is wrong with you?! Why did you feel a need to go and risk your life?! Barry could have handled it!” He pressed on. The stinging feeling from earlier was coming back. He really didn’t get it, did he? This was what you lived for, what you had trained for.

“No, he couldn’t!” You yelled back at him before you closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You knew it wouldn’t help yelling at him, it would only make things worse. “Harry this is what I am trained to do, it’s my fucking job,” You spoke more softly than before. It didn’t exactly have the effect you wanted.

“We could have found another way! A way where you didn’t have to go and risk your life!” The screwdriver in his hand fell victim to his usual anger outburst, and it was hurled through the entire room. His hands were on his hips as his piercing blue eyes bore into yours.

“And what?! Have Burnout hurt herself? Maybe wind up killing herself in the process?!” You couldn’t keep from yelling at him. You didn’t want to see anyone hurt if you could help it.

“Rather her than you!” He yelled as he stormed passed you and out of the lab leaving you behind. Once again stumped by his words. Did he just say that? Why would he say that? You questioned yourself.

“Hey, are you okay?” Caitlin’s voice tore you from your thoughts.

“Hmm, what?” You looked at her confused, like you had fallen from another planet.

“Are you okay? He seemed pretty angry,” She spoke softly and sent you a small careful smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine. He's just an angry and stubborn man sometimes,” You tried to pretend you weren’t affected by his behavior. “He just needs some time to cool off, it’s okay. I’ll talk to him later,” You continued as you sent her a reassuring smile.

“Do you want to come celebrate with the rest of us? It was some pretty impressive work you two did out there,” She offered but you declined it with a shake of your head.

“It’s okay, you go ahead,” She gave you a small hug and some reassuring words on the way.

“Please take care of yourself. He can be a bit of a hardheaded man,” You chuckled a little at her words. She was definitely right, that was one thing you knew for certain.

You had given him a few hours to cool off. It took you a few tries of standing outside of his room, hand raised to knock on the door, just to lose your confidence and put it down again. You took a deep breath and finally knocked.

“Come in!” You heard from the other side of the door, and you slowly opened the door to poke your head in.

“Are you sure?” You asked softly. His eyes were softer than before. “I come with an offering piece,” You continued as you opened the door completely, holding an expensive whiskey and two glasses in your hand. Harry was lying on his bed, one arm behind his head, and the other had a ball in it. He gave you a nod as he sat up. “Thought the whiskey might help,” You moved over to his bed with his chair in tow. You handed him one of the glasses and kept the other for yourself.

“On what exactly?” He asked sternly, earning a smile from you and a small shake of your head.

“On you potentially talking to me,” You answered calmly, observing his reaction to your words. “It helped quite a lot yesterday,” You smiled at him. He watched you carefully as you poured some whiskey into his glass.

“Probably isn’t the best idea to put us back into what got us into this predicament, now is it?” He asked, his expression looked a little uncomfortable. That was until he took a sip of his glass. His eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the taste of the liquor.

“Well, I can’t put us back into something, we’re still already in,” You answered with a shrug on your shoulders. You took a sip of your own glass, enjoying it just as much as he seemed to. It was a good whiskey you had found.

You sat in silence for a long time, the only thing that could be heard was your breathing and the occasional refill of your glasses. At first, he didn’t really look at you either, so you decided to lean back in the chair and look up at the ceiling for the most part. Your hands folded around the glass over your stomach. You were starting to feel a stare on you.

“Why don’t you take a picture? It lasts longer,” You breathed out a laugh at your own words as you leaned your head forward again to meet his eyes. He didn’t say anything, but you were pretty sure you could see the tiniest little lift at the side of his mouth. “Can I ask you something?” You continued when he didn’t say anything, and he responded with a nod. “Why was it so bad that I wanted to help today?” You were careful of how you phrased your question to not disturb the resting bear in him.

“I just didn’t want to see you hurt, that’s all,” His response was short and it felt distanced from him.

“I feel like there is something you’re not telling me. The others don’t want to see me hurt either, and you don’t see them - uh - get angry with me,” You felt like such a fool for treading on eggshells around him, you’d never felt a need to before.

“Maybe they just don’t care as much about you as I do,” His eyes were soft, but there was something else in there. Was it hurt? Struggle? You couldn’t put a finger on it. “I wasn’t angry with you,” His voice was low barely above a whisper.

“Then what were you? You have a funny way of not being angry with me,” The words escaped your mouth before you could stop them. He squinted his eyes at you, his entire demeanor seemed to change. Fuck. “I’m sorry Harry, I didn’t mean it,” You tried to save it.

“It’s okay. I deserved that one,” He shook his head and looked down on the floor. “Sometimes my temper gets the better of me. Jesse keeps telling me that. I’m sorry for yelling at you,” He continued and you let go of a breath you didn’t know you held. Relief washed over you. You hadn’t expected an apology from him.

“It’s okay,” You smiled at him as you leaned over to lay your hand over his. You both looked down at your hands. “You know, we never had that talk,” You let go of his hand and looked down, feeling your cheeks getting warm.

“I guess we didn’t,” He stood from the bed and started to pace around the room. You started laughing, causing him to stop and look at you. His expression was filled with confusion. “Why are you laughing?” He asked when your laughing didn’t seize.

“Oh, I don’t know. I remember something about you asking me not to run away, but look at you now,” You continued finding it amusing that he was now the one who couldn’t sit still. He, on the other hand, was not. “Oh c’mon, you don’t find it a little funny?” You still had a smile on your lips.

“Can we be serious for a second?” Harry started pacing again, and you were almost tempted to stand and pace with him but opted for listening to him.

“Right, I’m sorry,” You cleared your throat and it got him to walk over to you. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, seemingly not finding the words to say. “Look Harry, I have no idea how to start this potentially very awkward conversation, so I’m just going to start talking. I miss the way we were before. I know it’s only been a few days, but I miss my friend. I miss the quiet moments where we just enjoy each other’s company, no awkward silences or weird looks. I miss being able to talk to you about the things happening in my life. I love and care about the others, but I trust you in a completely different way,” You felt like you were rambling on, and you couldn’t really read Harry’s face, but he was listening carefully to everything you said.

“I have spent the past days thinking about the whole situation. I keep questioning myself how you feel about it… and to be honest how I feel about it. I haven’t really concluded a lot, but I know I care deeply for you. I care about your well-being. I care about you in a way I haven’t for anyone in a very long time,” You stopped to breathe, the silence becoming awkward as you cleared your throat. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling,” You looked down on the floor again. Harry sat down in front of you and took your hand in his, causing you to look up at him.

“You’re not rambling,” He spoke softly. “I miss it too. I’ve had to deal with Ramon’s rambling instead of yours,” You giggled and looked him in the eyes, a smile crept onto his lips showing his dimples. “I’m really not good with words. Especially when it comes to talking about feelings. Jesse has complained about this so many times. I really do care about you. A lot. And seeing you put your life in danger today… I couldn’t handle it, I don’t know what I would do if I lost you. I’ve lost a lot, and it makes me careful… with everything. And to be honest, the other night was…” He paused and looked like one who couldn’t find his voice again.

“Amazing?” You asked carefully and awaited his response. It felt like a million years before he gave an answer.

“Yeah,” He breathed out a laugh. He was still holding your hand, as he started to play a little with your fingers. “But I don’t know if it was a mistake of us to do so?” The words weighed heavily on you. They hurt. Maybe you did know how you felt about it. Was it really just a mistake to him? Your hand slipped out of his as you stood to start pacing yourself.

“But it was a really good mistake if it was, don’t you think? I kinda felt like it meant something or is it nothing but a mistake to you?” Your hand glided through your hair pushing it to one side of your face.

“No… I don’t know Y/N. I don’t know what to tell you,” He stood from the bed and put one hand on his hips, and the other went through his hair, ruffling it into a mess. You turned away from him.

“You know what, it’s okay. You don’t feel the same way as me, that’s okay. We’ll try and go back to what we were,” You said, the tears started to fill your eyes. You needed some air and to escape. You walked out of his room and down the corridor, leaving him behind.

“Y/N/N, wait!” You stopped and turned around to face him. He walked up to you, a tear had betrayed you and it slid down your cheek. “Please don’t cry,” He begged, his hands cupping your face, wiping the tear away from your cheek.

“Harrison, it’s okay, I just need some air and some time to digest,” Your hands went to his and tried to remove them from your cheeks, but he wasn’t going to let you go. Before you even realized what happened, his lips were on yours and your heart took over every sense in your body. Your eyes closed and your lips followed his in a soft and tender kiss. You both poured every feeling you had into it. It spoke louder than your words had. His forehead rested on yours as his lips left yours. His eyes were still closed and his hands still held on to you.

“I told you, I’m not good with words,” He spoke lowly in a husky voice. You let out a breathy laugh at his words.

“I think your actions spoke well enough for you,” You answered him before leaning in for another kiss, which he gladly gave you. His blue eyes looked deeply into yours as a dimple-filled smile lit up his face. His eyes crinkled at the sides.

“C’mon, let’s go get some Big Belly Burger, I haven’t eaten yet and I’m starving,” He said grabbing your hand in his as he dragged you along. “We can continue this-,” He said gesturing between the two of you. “- After,” He smiled at you and you gladly followed him.

Tag list:

@hiddenwritingsintheworld, @sarawritestories, @brianllamawrites

#harry wells #harrison wells #cw the flash #caitlin snow #cisco ramon #harry wells x reader #harrison wells x reader #harry x reader #cw flash #flash #earth 2 harry wells #earth 2 harrison wells #earth 2 harry wells x reader #earth 2 harrison wells x reader #earth 2 harry x reader #earth 2 harrison x reader #E!2 harry wells x reader #E!2 harrison wells x reader #E!2 harry x reader

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sehnsuchts-trunken · 2 years ago

Text

Nice To Meet You - Guys Like You | Part I

an interactive top gun fic series! with a poll waiting for you at the end!

summary: Nat introduces you to the squad for the very first time. You expected a lot, but certainly not two of the most drop-dead gorgeous men ever to flirt with you.

6k only a tw for alcohol ig? otherwise just simping. on every and all ends.

guys like you masterlist | top gun masterlist

Nat's keys clanging onto the living room table should have been your first hint that something was not going to be normal about this evening. That she appeared in your doorway instead of vanishing into the shower next was an absolute red flag.

"We're going out tonight", she announced, not a trace of a smile on her face. You turned off your phone with a sigh and propped your head up on your pillow.

"Gee, not even a 'hello' or 'how are you' today, hm?", you asked.

"You need to go out", she went on, completely brushing over your interruption. She was dead-set on giving you a speech, you could tell. She was still sweaty, her hair slicked back, her flight-suit zipped up, but she was looking at you as though she hadn't just been through hours upon hours of what you'd probably call torture. "You've been just sitting in this room for the past two weeks and I can't stand it anymore."

You sat up with another sigh, tugging at your oversized, sauce-stained shirt that you were suddenly much too aware of.

"Nat, please, I need to get settled first."

"You settled a week ago."

She wasn't taking any bullshit today. She had let you off the hook too many times already, up until now swayed by your half-assed arguments of why you were hiding in your bedroom. "You're going out with us tonight."

"Us?", you asked, dreading the answer. Nat didn't have any friends outside of work here.

"Me and the squad", she said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to say.

"No", you laughed. "No, definitely not."

She frowned, finally moving out of the doorway and settling at the foot of your bed instead. At least it felt more like an eye-to-eye conversation now.

"It's just the squad", she shrugged.

"Just the squad?", you asked. "Just the squad? Nat, those people fly multi-million-dollar aircrafts on a daily basis, they're all ripped as hell and make thrice the money I made back in San Fran. I don't even have a job."

"First of all, you've applied for jobs, it takes time", she reasoned. (Sometimes you could have slapped her for her rationalism.) "Also I'm one of those people and my job never bothered you before."

You stared at her like she'd gone mad. How could she not get this? Yes, they were normal to her, they were her colleagues, her friends, but to you? Um, hello?

"Yeah, because I have pictures of you pooping your diapers", you said, exasperation lacing your tone. "I've known you for as long as I can remember. Those people have never met me. And I don't need them to meet me at my worst."

Even though she'd been dead-set on getting you out of this apartment, she still softened a little at that.

"You're not at your worst anymore", she reassured, smiling at you. "You're beyond that. You're starting a new life now."

"Still", you snorted. "I'm a nobody compared to you guys."

"God, don't say that!", she groaned, reaching over to squeeze your hand. "That kind of thinking is exactly why you need to get out of here for a few hours. You're coming with me, I don't care what you have to say about it. We leave at eight, we'll get takeout on the way and I promise that if you're not feeling any better by midnight, we'll go home."

You knew that you couldn't argue with her. She was determined to get you out of this apartment and even if you didn't agree, she'd drag you out screaming. She'd have no problem either - she was way stronger than you.

"I hate you", you mumbled, no real malice behind the words. She just grinned and got up to stretch.

"Great", she chuckled. "I'm gonna go shower and then get ready. If you're not done by eight I'm carrying you into the car myself, I don't care."

You just grabbed a lonesome sock from the bed and threw it at her as she turned and walked out, leaving you to yourself, your own thoughts and the realisation that you actually had to meet all those high-maintenance people. It took two seconds before you were tearing open your closet and dragging your shirt over your head. You had barely one and a half hours left to get ready and lord help you if you weren't finished on time.

...

You were buzzing with so much nervous energy when you got in the Uber that you felt like you were about to mutate into a bee. You couldn't imagine that would be any worse than what was about to happen anyway. Honestly, you'd been dreading meeting Nat's friends for months now, but it had got much, much worse when you'd moved out to San Diego. Because it had become a very real possibility. And today, well, today seemed to be the day that all those fears that had been festering for weeks and weeks would truly become reality.

You spent the entire car ride staring out of the window, thinking about how they'd surely all sneer at you, look at you with that expression just in between pity and arrogance that somehow all rich people wore. Maybe there'd be one or two decent people. Hopefully there would. Nat wasn't usually friends with absolute dickheads, but then again even back in highschool she'd got along with most of those popular jocks that wouldn't have looked twice at you. To be fair, she'd thrown some punches here and there, but you'd still rather keep to yourself than meet a bunch of snobs. At least you knew that Nat would be with you and that she wouldn't break her promise - if you weren't enjoying yourself, she'd take you back home dead on twelve.

You let out a last sigh when the car stopped, climbing out of your seat as slowly as you could while Nat paid, trying desperately to stall for as long as you possibly could. But she tutted at you and tucked her arm into yours, dragging you with her through the parking lot and over the threshold.

It didn't take long for you to realise that this was a navy bar. There were very, very few people in civilian clothes - in normal ones, you'd say - most of them were clad in uniforms. You could have rolled your eyes at that alone. Why were navy men always so goddamn eager to show off that they were navy? They couldn't seriously think anyone was going to throw themselves at them just because of their fucking uniforms. You'd much rather keep a very safe distance away from any and all navy guys - a radius of at least two miles.

"There they are", Phoenix said, a grin playing on her lips as she pointed at the corner with the pool tables. You internally braced yourself, taking another deep breath before you even dared to look where she was pointing, clutching the little purse you'd slung over your shoulder to ground you.

The bar wasn't particularly crowded yet and you could make out a group of people - not in uniform, thank god - huddled around both of the pool tables. As far as you could see, there was only one other woman. Of course. You should've guessed that Nat was flying with a bunch of testosterone monsters.

You hadn't expected much else, of course... but it still made you hyper-aware of the dress you'd picked out.

Nat whistled and let go of you when you got close enough to the squad (your skin was practically burning up and you were seriously considering turning around and making a run for it, but you'd never been too good at running and were much to scared to face-plant on the floor). The guys turned around like dogs, answering to her whistle and nothing more, and way too many pairs of eyes landed on you in the span of a single second.

"Alright?", Nat grinned, shoving you a little step in front of her. It wasn't like you were shy. You really weren't. Maybe you weren't exactly extroverted, but you certainly weren't shy. Usually. So you couldn't even be mad at her for forcing you to come out of your shell like this. "I'd like to introduce you idiots to my roommate."

One of the guys put his pool cue down and immediately your focus switched to him. You had to admit that for a moment there you forgot how to breathe. He was tall and he was blond and he had strikingly green eyes and broad shoulders and that button-up was really doing things for you. You'd expected Nat's friends to be talented and rich, sure, but not that goddamn handsome.

"You never told us your roommate's stunning", he drawled, all Texan accent dripping from his words like molten honey and sticking to your brain, and his grin almost sent you careening straight into his arms. You needed longer than you should've to really process his words, only realising that oh god, had he just called you stunning? when Nat was already rolling her eyes.

"Do not, Bagman", she hissed, "flirt with her or I will end you."

Bagman only chuckled at that and strode towards you, holding out his hand and luckily you had enough braincells left to grasp it. Normal, you told yourself. Totally normal greeting. You did your best to ignore the heat in your cheeks and the way his fingers felt.

"Hangman", he introduced himself, that award-winning grin still on his lips. "But you can call me Jake."

He winked, completely brushing over Nat's threat. She slapped the back of his head and he finally pulled his hand from yours as you stuttered out your name.

"What did I just say", Nat seethed, practically dragging him away from you. He just shrugged and chuckled to himself.

"Can't help myself around beautiful ladies, I'm afraid."

She slapped him another time for that and he brought his hand to his hair to rub over the spot that you were sure must already have been sore. Nat had a wicked right hook.

"Keep it in your pants, Bagman", she threatened again, then turned back to you. "Alright, now that the worst is over, I'll introduce you to the others."

She spun to stand next to you, eyes narrowing as she paused for a second. You could barely raise your eyebrows. All of this was so overwhelming. You'd expected everything from embarrassment to ridicule, but certainly not that anyone was about to flirt with you. And one gorgeous piece of human being as well.

But he probably did that with everyone.

He was navy, for gods sake! What were you thinking? Navy guys were toxic assholes that brought a new conquest home every night only to leave them unsatisfied and doing the walk of shame in the morning. You had enough troubles already, you really didn't need to add another man to the pile.

So you straightened and made yourself swear not to give Jake another second of acknowledgement.

Nat seemed to have finished her assessment of the group, whatever it had been, and she didn't look satisfied.

"Where's Bradshaw?", she asked.

"Probably doing what he does best", Jake sighed, snatching the pool cue up again and leaning over the table to take a shot. "Slow ridin'."

You had seriously no clue whatsoever how pool worked, but he straightened again with a self-satisfied expression and you guessed he must've done good, especially when his friend groaned. He caught your gaze and you snapped it away, cursing yourself for already fucking up on your promise. Nat huffed.

"He better have a convincing excuse", she muttered. "I thought I told everyone to make a good first impression."

Then she clapped her hands.

"Okay! Anyway. Next to Bagman, that's Coyote."

Coyote raised his beer at you and smiled. You gave him a little wave.

"Next to Coyote that's Fanboy and next to him that's Payback."

You waved at them too, laughing as Fanboy waved back with just a little too much vigor and as Payback threw you a sloppy salute. Nat turned to the other pool table.

"Over there that's Fritz, Yale, Harvard, Omaha and Halo."

She grinned, grabbed you by the shoulders and maneuvered you around, pointing at a man with big glasses on his nose, sitting in one of the few chairs that were facing the pool tables. He stopped popping nut mix into his mouth the second your eyes fell on him, his hand hovering uncertainly in mid-air.

"And that's", Nat said, almost prideful, "That's Bob."

"Ooh!", you keened, a little more confident that everybody seemed at least somewhat happy to see you and a little more excited now that you remembered a person from Nat's stories. "Backseater Bob?"

"That's me", Bob chuckled, red tinting his cheeks as he smiled, putting away the nut mix to wipe his hands off on his pants and reach one out to shake yours. You couldn't help but mirror his grin - his fingers were soft and he was gentle with you, a bit unlike Jake. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too", you nodded, already comfortable with him after all of two seconds. You understood now why Nat was so glad to have him as her backseater - he seemed like the complete opposite of the navy cliché that you despised so much.

Bob just smiled at you for a moment. His glasses made his eyes a little bigger than they probably were and honestly, you could see yourself getting along well with him. He seemed sweet and genuine and kind and you could feel your anxiety start to let go of you, start to slip away a bit.

"Oh", he let out and straightened. "D'you want something to drink?"

"She does", Nat interrupted before you could decline, as though she'd already known you would. She probably had, to be honest. She knew you well enough. "Would you get us two tequila shots and two mojitos?"

"Two tequila shots and two mojitos?", you laughed, turning around to her in surprise.

"I told you, you need to let loose", she grinned. "And we're letting loose tonight!"

"Oh yeah", you snorted, pushing her away by her shoulder as Bob got up and walked over to the bar. "Really letting loose apparently."

Nat only laughed and let herself flop down on one of the chairs, patting the seat next to her with Bob's nut mix on it. You grabbed it and sat down as well, brushing your hand down the front of your dress, smoothing it out.

You watched Nat's friends bustle about the pool tables. Watched Nat's squad as they talked and laughed. Watched Jake - just out of the corner of your eyes, really! - as he clapped Coyote on the back and you could've sworn that even though you really definitely weren't looking!!! his eyes were fixed on you. It had you fiddling with the straps of your dress.

"So?", Nat asked eventually, drawing your attention back to her. "They're not as bad as you thought, are they?"

Internally, you had to agree with her. Okay, maybe you'd been a little overdramatic. Maybe they weren't as bad. They didn't seem so. But also you'd known them for less than two minutes and you knew just how good people sometimes were at deceiving you.

"Give me a minute to get to know them and I'll tell you after", you smiled.

"That I can work with."

"Ladies", Jake's voice rang out, just before he stepped up right in front of you, leaving you practically no choice but to look up at him. He was grinning, the pool cue still in his hand. "You'll play a round, won't you?"

Nat shifted in her seat.

"Haven't got your ass kicked enough yet?", she asked.

"You know you couldn't kick my ass if you tried, Phee."

"We'll see about that."

She was up in a second, grabbing the cue from Jake and strolling over to the table as you watched her. You hadn't moved. You weren't about to.

That almost lazy kind of teasing they had going on reminded you of all those other people like Jake that she'd been friends with throughout her life. Not that you didn't make fun of each other - wasn't that practically the baseline of every friendship? But with them... You couldn't put your finger on it just now. It wasn't that they actually despised each other, you knew what Nat's hatred looked like and it wasn't this, and it certainly wasn't flirting either, you knew what Nat's type looked like and as handsome as you found Jake, he definitely wasn't it. Maybe it was just the combination of their personalities, maybe it was nothing at all. It was a bit like they still hadn't quite decided that they liked each other, even though they obviously did get on.

"What about you?", Jake asked and you blinked up at him in surprise. Sure, he'd addressed the both of you, but you'd kind of just assumed that he'd meant Nat.

"Uh, I don't play", you said carefully, still unsure if - and if, then why - he was talking to you. Hadn't Nat just agreed to play against him? Were two players not enough somehow? Was this like, a group game?

Jake raised his eyebrows.

"You don't play pool?", he asked, like he'd never met anybody who dared not play pool.

"No, I don't", you said, very slowly, as though that would somehow lessen the risk of miscommunication. "I don't know how to."

The corners of his lips tugged upwards at that, just slightly, like he wanted to hide his grin from you. Was he making fun of you? Honestly you couldn't even be mad at him if he was - you'd expected pretty much nothing else from the squad. But it did come as a bit of a surprise now that your impression of them all had so rapidly changed.

"Well we can't have that", Jake tutted, reaching out a hand again, hanging in mid-air as you looked at it sceptically. This whole situation was a little overwhelming. Or maybe it was just him that was a little overwhelming. "You're at a navy bar, Sunny. You have to know pool."

You glanced from his hand back up at his face and felt kind of daft with how much time your brain needed to process all this.

"Sunny?", you asked, because of all the questions that you had this was the easiest one to phrase. And maybe because it was the thing that had thrown you off track the most. Jake's grin only widened.

"Navy nature to give nicknames, darlin'", he chuckled while you realised that you'd still not taken his hand and that at this point it probably started being weird (and heavy) to hold his arm out like that. So despite your earlier promise, which, you had to admit, you'd already thrown out of the window a second after you'd made it, you acknowledged him very much. As carefully as you possibly could, you put your hand in his as he talked, and immediately he tightened his grip on you and helped you stand up. You were a little too close to him now, a little too close for good, and if Nat hadn't been occupied racking the pool balls she probably would have kicked Jake in the face. But he didn't seem to mind, only carried on talking, apparently not whatsoever surprised by the sudden close proximity or by how easily the pet names had slipped off his lips.

Sunny. Darlin'.

"And that's just a lovely dress", he went on, leaning in even closer, so close that for just a second you almost could have felt his breath on your ear. "I think yellow might be my new favourite colour."

He pulled back with a wink and then he was gone, just the weight of his hand resting in yours left as he led you to the pool table Nat was setting up. He let go of you the very moment she looked up, a smile on her lips, and your breath caught in your throat. Jake was playing a dangerous game and he was pulling you down with him.

He strolled around the table back to Coyote, who was still holding the other pool cue in his hands, and Nat took the few steps towards you, her smile dropping a bit.

"Bagman bother you?", she asked, genuinely a little worried.

"Nah", you said, a little shaky, and shook your head. "I'm fine."

It wasn't a real answer, but she let it slide, nodding as she watched Jake return with the second cue now.

"You just let me know if he does", she muttered and then there he was, too quick for you to respond.

Nat was usually protective. She always had been, and rightfully so. Always a little weary of guys you went on dates with, always a little weary of guys you brought home. You'd minded sometimes, like back in college when you'd had a crush on that guy from musical theatre and she had threatened so vividly to break his neck if he hurt you that he'd never talked to you again. But she had clearly been right about most of them and so you really should trust her, really, you should... and yet.

She was practically telling you to stay far away from Jake. She was doing it the other way around, for now, but you were sure she'd give you the whole speech tomorrow morning as well. And you'd just met this guy, it wasn't like you were head over heels in love with him, but he was charming and flirty and it was working on you.

He was just about to open his mouth and, you guessed, start explaining pool to you when Nat suddenly straightened.

"Bradshaw!", she called out, so loud that the whole bar must've heard her, and you turned to see what - who - she was looking at as if in reflex. The crowd nothing short of parted for him.

A ridiculous Hawaiian shirt on that caught your eye first, then those sunglasses - were that Ray Bans? Hadn't they got out of style like, a decade ago? - and then... Oh, and then.

"That's a pornstache", you said, quite dumbly, you had to admit, and Nat snorted. You turned to her and then back to him and even though you were still very much gaping, you were laughing now too. "Like, an actual 80s pornstache."

Pornstache had caught sight of his squad apparently and was making his way towards you and the closer he came, the less funny you felt about the whole situation.

Pornstache was attractive.

Maybe it was the hair. Maybe it was the swagger in his step, the fact that he was practically oozing confidence. Not that the others weren't, but he... well, you kinda couldn't look away from him as he approached. Maybe it was the moustache after all.

You hadn't ever met a man who could pull that off.

He shouldn't be allowed to either.

God, how was Nat working with all these gorgeous specimen? They should all be sued for looking like that. It was too much power in the hands of the navy.

Pornstache stopped short in front of you, a light grin on his lips, and someone - Jake perhaps? - let out a resigned breath.

"You're late", Nat said, crossing her arms like she always did when she didn't like something. His grin only widened.

"There needs to be someone fashionably late in every squadron", he chuckled, slipping off his sunglasses and hooking them into the collar of his shirt and if it had been up to you you'd have forced them back up on his nose because now you had to watch as he glanced from Nat to you and took you in. He was way too attractive to be eyeing you up like this.

Men like him didn't eye you up like this.

Especially not in yellow sundresses.

Not that the dress wasn't pretty. It was. And you weren't overdressed like you'd have been in the black one that you'd had hanging at your closet door too. But it was kind of weird to be standing in front of all these testosterone-y men in a cute little dress like that.

Though Jake seemed to have liked it.

God, first him and now Pornstache...

"Rooster", Pornstache said, reaching out a hand for you to shake. "Or Bradley. But you can call me whatever you want."

You could practically hear Nat rolling her eyes as you shook his hand, brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen into your face as heat rushed through your arm and straight to your cheeks.

"What is it with you guys tonight?", she sighed, uncrossing her arms and grabbing her pool cue instead. She turned back to the table that she'd finished setting up and nudged Jake away to take his place, apparently at her wits' end and done with the conversation. Pornstache - Bradley - wasn't.

No, he was still looking at you and you still couldn't look away.

"So you're Nat's new roommate, I assume?"

You couldn't help but admire the way his voice sounded. If it already had you melting like this within two minutes of meeting him, you didn't want to imagine how you'd react if you heard it in the morning. Or late at night. Or close to your ear. Or- Wow, you really needed to fucking stop.

"Yeah", you choked out and cleared your throat as embarrassment set in. You shouldn't be thinking about Nat's colleagues like this. You shouldn't be thinking about anyone like this. You needed a drink and to cool off. God, where was Bob with those tequila shots? "Yeah, Nat's new roommate."

Bradley nodded, that damned grin still on his lips.

"But you knew her before?"

"Yeah", you said again, a little steadier this time. "Yeah, I've known her my whole life."

You should stop saying 'yeah' that much. It was making you sound like that was the only word you knew. Yeah.

"Really?", he asked and raised his eyebrows, glancing at Nat who was now leaning over the pool table and taking her shot, totally concentrated. "She never told us, just said she was introducing us to a friend who's recently moved. If you've known her that long, she could've introduced us back at Top Gun."

"You went to Top Gun with her?", you asked, raising your eyebrows to look at Nat too. "She never told me."

"Seems like she didn't tell us much about each other", Bradley said and somehow, he seemed rather amused by it - his lip was quirking up and his moustache followed and you felt like that should rather be funny than attractive. Shame that it wasn't.

Before you could say anything more, Bob came back with a tray in his hands, balancing a bunch of glasses. He barely seemed to notice Bradley, too focused on not letting anything fall and shatter.

"Tequila or mojito first?", he asked. Nat straightened up and grabbed the two shot glasses from the tray.

"Tequila", she said, back to at least a half-grin. "Thanks, Bob."

She gave one to you and clinked them and the two of you downed your shots like you'd always done - one big sip in sync, heads thrown back and glasses practically touching your noses and laughs on your lips when you put them down again, with just a bit too much fervor on Bob's tray.

"Now the mojito", she chuckled, taking the cocktail glasses next and handing you one again.

"You ladies seem to be enjoying yourselves", Jake suddenly said, leaning against the pool table with that grin on his lips but somehow, it was tighter now and his voice was a little strained. Maybe it was the tequila just blurring up your senses for a moment. Maybe your perception was fucked.

"Have to", Nat grinned and winked at you. "After all you lot aren't any help."

Bradley and Jake started protesting like she had somehow insulted their honour, but she only laughed and turned back to the game, already taking a sip of the cocktail in her hand. You followed her example.

Bob carefully sat down the tray on one of the chairs and picked up the nut mix again. You couldn't help but smile. It was somehow endearing, the rest of them sipping beer and drinks and him just popping nut mix into his mouth like a grad student.

"So, Sunny", Jake said, suddenly so close again that you could smell his aftershave. "Your turn."

You glanced at the pool table and raised your eyebrows. You should probably say no, thanks, I can't play, goodbye and leave it be. Leave him be. Nat would probably prefer if you did. She'd probably prefer if you turned around and joined Bob and made friends with her backseater instead of let Bagman, like she so affectionately called him, teach you how to play pool. But he was an attractive man and you were only human and anyway, you imagined you'd have enough time left to talk to everybody else. So you looked up at him and his impossibly green eyes that you couldn't get over and took the cue out of his hands.

"Only if you teach me", you said, stopping short at the end to ponder if maybe, just maybe.... So you grinned and added "Bagman" and watched his face fall for a second as you pushed past him and tried to make sense of the pool table.

Alright, so there were nine balls in different colors and if you were right, you were supposed to push them into the pockets in the corners and at the sides. Right? But that couldn't be it. It couldn't be that easy.

Jake had apparently restarted his original train of thought and turned around to you, his chest almost - just almost - pressing into your shoulder.

"I was planning on teaching you, Sunny", he chuckled, straightened and turned a little more serious. "A'ight, it's actually quite easy once you got it. So we've got ten balls in total and your goal is to pocket the nine colored ones. But you're only allowed to strike the cueball, the white one. With me so far?"

"So far", you nodded. "So basically I have to like, hit all these other balls but just with the white one and not with the cue? And if I pocket the cueball then what happens?"

"That's a foul", he explained patiently. Honestly you hadn't expected he'd react so well to dumb questions. "If you pocket the cueball, your turn's over and the other player-"

He stopped short. You were just about to ask if he was alright when you heard it too.

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

The music was gone. Completely gone. Someone had turned off the jukebox.

"Every fucking time", Jake muttered, running his hand over his face as you looked at him and frowned. You were missing something major here and honestly couldn't think of what. But then Nat put down her cue and her drink and maneuvered around Jake to pry your drink from your hand as well.

"You're gonna wanna see this", she chuckled, one of those rare, all-consuming grins on her lips and you could hardly do anything but stumble after her as she made her way through the crowd. You didn't think anything could have prepared you for the next five minutes.

Because okay, Bradley was sitting at the piano. Okay, Bradley could also play said piano. And okay, Bradley could sing as well. And just maybe he really wasn't bad. Maybe he was really, really good.

Maybe Nat thought the same because you hadn't seen her that carefree in a while. Maybe everyone did - almost everyone, at least, because almost everyone was laughing and singing along and having the time of their lives. Maybe you did too.

No, you definitely did too.

Bradley had popped his sunglasses back up on his nose and was clearly enjoying being the center of attention for a minute. And you couldn't help but be completely enamoured by it. By him. You couldn't help but laugh along with Nat and let her twirl you around and sing, too loud and probably much too off-key, and fall from Bob's arms into Fanboys and you really couldn't help but somehow feel like a part of the group.

And then the song was over and you were panting, your cheeks hurt from grinning and you had to brace your palm on the lid of the piano to not fall over.

Fanboy's arm was still wrapped around your shoulder somehow and you didn't know if you were leaning on him or if he was leaning on you, but it didn't really matter. You were glad now that you had chosen that summer dress - it was light and breezy and you didn't have to worry about sweating through skin-tight fabric or anything like that. No, you just had to sweep your hair out of your face and throw your head back and laugh.

And look at Bradley, maybe, whose eyes were twinkling with amusement. He looked straight out of a fever dream. His sunglasses lay abandoned on the piano lid - he had really pretty eyes. How had you not noticed before?

"Is this like a regular show you pull off?", you asked, a little breathless as Fanboy untangled himself from you, the conversation the rest of the squad was starting up now fading into background noise. You were running high on adrenaline, the tequila was finally hitting your system, the anxiety was fully disappearing and because spirits were so high, your confidence came crashing back into you like a huge wave of relief that had you collapsing on the piano bench right next to Bradley. "'Cuz it seemed like everyone was quite used to that."

He chuckled, turning his head so he could look at you. He was tall, you realised, really really tall, at least taller than you by a head and you didn't know if it was this apparent because you were suddenly sitting or just because you were suddenly so close to him. Not that you wanted to complain either way.

"Let's say it's not the first time", he smiled. You raised your eyebrows.

"i'll ignore that you're deflecting for now", you laughed, not quite caring that he was deflecting at all. (You were pretty sure you knew the answer anyway.) "And instead I'll say I'm impressed. I've always admired people that can play."

"Do you play?", he asked, genuinely interested, drawing his hands back from the piano as the jukebox started up again. You had to say you'd liked the live music a little better. A little a lot. After all, Bradley Bradshaw was a sight to behold.

"No", you said. "Not anymore. I played... Well, I kinda had lessons back when I was little, but my family- Yeah, no, I don't play."

You swallowed and he raised his eyebrows, but luckily didn't comment on your stuttering. You really didn't need to traumadump on people you'd met half an hour ago. If it had even been half an hour. (It probably hadn't.)

"I could teach you", he offered and maybe you were wrong, maybe you were stupid, maybe you were tispier than you'd thought but you could've sworn that just for a moment, he glanced down at your lips - but you probably were wrong and stupid and tispier than you'd thought.

"Slow Ride."

You looked up to see Jake leaning against the piano, a beer bottle in his hand and a forced grin on his lips, entirely focused on Bradley next to you.

"Bagman."

You glanced back and forth between them as they stared at each other in silence.

Maybe you shouldn't be here. This felt like you really should not be here. Were you missing something? You'd thought that the squad was like one big family. These two seemed more like they were about to rip each others throats out and you didn't know if you wanted to be in between them when it inevitably happened.

"So you're back in showbiz, I see", Jake chuckled, putting his beer down on the piano lid.

"Some people can actually make it there, whether you believe it or not", Bradley shot back, his eyebrows raised and his lips still twisted into that grin that you were pretty certain was an act in itself.

Jake let out a dry laugh.

"Maybe you should change career paths", he suggested. "Actually do make it somewhere."

"Maybe I should leave", you muttered, already halfway off the bench and on your way to down the mojito Nat had left on the pool table, just to get out of whatever this was. Even though whatever it was came closer than anything else had so far to what you'd expected, it threw you off track more than the rest had. You needed a minute. And you needed a drink.

"Don't worry", Bradley said, turning back to you after throwing a last glance at Jake. "Bagman's gonna go now."

"And leave the poor woman with you?", Jake chuckled, straightening up with a grin. His beer bottle clinged against the wood. "I don't think so."

Having the both of them stare at you had your skin crawling.

That confidence that you'd had earlier? Gone. The anxiety you'd thought you were done with? Back. Fun! Where was Nat to get you out of this? Where was Nat when you needed her? You should've listened to her and kept away. You should've sat down next to Bob and had a pleasant conversation, but no. No, you had to find the two troublemakers of the team and get right in between their little quarrel.

"I was about to teach the poor woman how to play piano", Bradley said, eyes still fixed on you.

"Really?", Jake asked. "Because I was about to teach her how to play pool."

He raised his eyebrows and Bradley did too and they were looking at you all silent like they expected you to say something now and oh god, what had you got yourself into?

Two of the most gorgeous men you'd ever seen - to your great dismay - who were friends, no, colleagues of Nat's, who flew multi-million-dollar aircrafts and spent their days saving the world, looking at you and flirting with you and... flirting with you.

Nat had been right, no matter how this would work out.

You'd really needed to get out of your bedroom.

...

So you've tripped and fallen right into a love triangle, it seems. What are you gonna do?

a/n: this somehow didn't really turn out the way i wanted but i dont mind? like, im quite happy with how it did turn out tbh!!!! and im so excited to finally publish this chapter ahhhhhhhh lets see what happens!

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rodentgoth · 1 year ago

Text

-Murdoc x GN!Reader

Done for 🖤✨anony (They did reveal themselves but I didn't know if they wanted to be tagged in this)

An alternate title for this fic:: I cannot write a British accent to save my life and I am so sorry!

Not gonna lie the minute I saw this was a Gorillaz request I flipped my shit!

I didn't have a specific Phase in mind while writing this, but I would like to think this is happening around phase 2 or very late in phase 1.

... Also I would like the court to Know that I have a dark!selfship for a playlist for Murdoc! So, if you wanna listen to that while you read you cannnnnnn!

Rating:: 18+ // Explicit

Fandom:: Gorillaz

Themes/Kinks:: Noncon

This Fic contains and Implies themes of::

Drug Use

Alcohol Use

Non-con

If these themes trigger or offend you, you probably shouldn’t read this!

Please take care of ya self!

It was your first concert and you were as excited as ever!

Your favorite band was playing, plus you also got an exclusive backstage pass! It would allow you to meet and hang out with whatever member you wanted for the rest of the night, and you already knew who you wanted to meet. It was a rare opportunity, and you had your eyes set on the band’s Bassist, Murdoc Niccals. Everything about him intrigued you. His skills with the bass, raunchy personality, and less-than-natural skin color all added to your interest in him.

The concert soon came to an end, the lights dimmed, the music was replaced with chattering voices, and people started to grab their things to leave. Pushing against the dwindling crowd you find the closest stagehand, and present them with your pass. They kindly asked you to follow them, and you happily oblige with a skip in your step.

Backstage there are a million roadies working hastily to get everything cleared out and cleaned up. You bump into a few of them, causing them to drop a long microphone cable. Despite your best efforts to apologize and help, they still gave you dirty looks as they gathered the wire again. In all honesty, you really didn't care what they thought about you. You were here for one reason, to meet your idol…and maybe get an autograph or two.

After a bit of walking, you found yourself in a mostly clear hall with one door.

"Wait here please." The stagehand said, before unlocking the door and heading in.

You obeyed and stood looking around the hall. Equipment and costume racks were scattered everywhere. Although the hall still felt weirdly empty. You started to wonder, 'Were you the ONLY one to get this pass?'. They were a huge band with plenty of fans, so you'd think at least a few people would've gotten it. Maybe they only made one? Guess you were just lucky enough to actually get it.

After another minute or so, the loud creaking of the door broke the awkward silence. The stagehand returned, inviting you in.

Behind the door was a small chamber with four different doors, each labeled with a name.

'Russel', '2D', 'Noodle', and last but not least 'Murdoc'.

Your heart was pounding out of your chest. This was it, this is what you've been waiting for! Your mind was racing like crazy.

They asked which member you'd like to meet.

"O-oh, M-Murdoc!"

You said cheerfully as you pointed at the door near the end of the hall.

They guided you to the door and gave it a gentle knock. A few footsteps, moans, and the sound of glass shattering echoed from behind the wooden plank, followed by a click of the lock. The door swung open to reveal the man of the hour.

He had a smirk plastered on his face, showing his jagged teeth.

“I can take ‘em from here!” He said, his voice rough, yet weirdly calming.

The stagehand nodded, before wandering off.

Murdoc stepped out of the doorway before extending his arm in a welcoming gesture.

You stood there staring for a minute, in awe of the fact that this was actually happening!

Looking over at him, you could see his face slowly starting to get annoyed with you just standing there. You step into the room, and he slammed the door behind you, causing you to jump a bit. The green man audibly laughed at the sight, so loud in fact, you couldn’t hear the click of the door locking again.

The room was cluttered to no end, booze bottles, cigarettes, pills, and various gifts and other trinkets covered up the floor. The walls were also covered in various things from Pin-up posters to photos and letters from fans, there were even a few rather lewd photos up as well. The smell of smoke and cheap liquor filled every breath you took.

“Make yer’self at home!”

He said walking over to a busted-up fridge.

You looked over at the couch. It was covered in stains of god knows what, and was torn up beyond belief. You sat on the least messed up spot you could find, and just…Watched him. You had a million things you wanted to say, but you kept holding yourself back. He already seemed annoyed cause of you standing at the door gawking, and you didn’t wanna push it further. The clang of the fridge door closing broke you out of your self-deprecation, and cause you to vault a bit. He once again laughed at how fidgety you were, as he placed two glasses on the table in front of you.

“Yer’ a bit jumpy there, aren’t cha’?” He said sitting down next to you.

“So-Sorry…” you began to fidget with the pass in your hand.

“Just…nervous to be actually meeting you!” You said doing your best not to crack under pressure.

He chuckled a bit, as he popped open another bottle of liquor.

“Well, this otta help you loosen up a bit!”

He poured the bottle out into the two glasses, sliding one of them over to you. You had never drunk before, nervously you reach for the glass and hold it. You look over at him, expecting some form of prompt or validation to begin drinking. Only to see him digging around in his Pocket for…something.

“Come on…Come on…Ah!” He exclaimed, pulling out what looked to be two small pink tablets. He dumped one into his drink, and immediately it began to fizz for a few seconds, before returning to being completely still. He looked over at you, meeting your gaze. He tried to do the same with your drink, but you pulled it away quickly. Drinking with a stranger was one thing. Drinking and doing hard, probably illegal, drugs with a stranger was another. He scoffed a bit, as his face became slightly irritated.

“It ain’t gonna hurt you, or nothin’.” He took a swig of his own drink, to prove a point.

“You might be a wee bit lightheaded, but it’ll pass!”

Your mind was bouncing back and forth before you caved, handing your drink to him. It went through the same process of fizzing before returning to normal. You nervously gulped it down to feel…nothing. He wasn’t lying, you were a bit lightheaded but it wasn’t too bad.

“So, You gonna actually talk to me, or just sit there gawkin’?”

“Well…I just love you and your music! Your skills are unmatched!” You start gushing, noticing a smirk reappear on his face.

“Thank you! You know if it wasn’t for me the rest of ‘em would fall to rubbish. Just wouldn’t be complete ya know?”

He began to ramble a bit, you were half listening, your concentration slowly leaving you.

You nod your head a bit too to give the illusion of full attention. A wave of dizziness hits you as you decide to rest your head against, what you can only assume is, a dried beer stain.

“But how about you, love? Gotta girlfriend? Boyfriend? Or whatever?”

You blink a couple of times as you process what was asked, it was taking longer than usual to think of something.

“N-nuh uh.” You replied with a slight slur.

“I-I was never much for dating…I mean, I’ve had a few lovers here, and there, but none of them stayed for long.” You slurred out, not really caring if it was too much information.

He shrugged, finishing off what was left in his glass.

“That’s a damn shame, you’re bloody gorgeous!” He complimented as he scooted closer to you.

You chuckled, before responding.

“No, I'm not, You jus-just saying that. ” You responded with the goofiest smile on your face.

His hand slowly made its way to your thigh, but you didn’t seem to notice.

“I’m serious, even the hottest raunchiest birds in hell, would be jealous of you!”

He slipped his hand into your pants, prodding and rubbing wherever he could reach. Despite the movements being slightly erratic, they still managed to get a few moans and groans out of you.

“You know, we're gonna be performing here for a month or so,”

He sped up a bit, and you went from small moans to wailing howls. You could feel his nails ripping through the fabric, the tips of his fingers just barely entering you.

“And I’m gonna need someone to keep me company, on these lonely nights.”

He pushed his fingers in further, making you tremble. You grabbed onto his arm, maybe for comfort, maybe to stop him. He kept going though, digging his fingers deeper and deeper.

And soon your wailing turned into whines as you came closer and closer to release. You felt something long and slimy against your neck. You looked down to see his tongue dragging along your skin. Eventually, you couldn’t hold back, you tightened your grip on his arm as you came. He stopped and removed his hand slowly, wiping off your fluids on the cushion.

He looked up at your face, your pupils were wide, completely zoned out. With one swift movement, he bit your neck, leaving a bloody and noticeable mark.

“You’ll be my personal backstage bird! ”

He began petting your head.

“How does that sound?”

You nodded your head up and down, leaning into his touch. You did it…you met your idol.

#fanfic #mine #fanfiction #fic #murdoc niccals #gorillaz murdoc #cw drugs #drugs cw #cw noncon #cw// drug use #cw// noncon #cw// Alcohol #murdoc x reader #Murdoc Niccals is a bitch ass motherfucker // Lovingly~

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ghostaholics · 2 years ago

Text

ᴄᴀᴛᴀʟʏsᴛ ( ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏɴᴇ )

SUMMARY: (au only mildly inspire by the original tv/game timeline since I started writing this before ep. 2 came out; honestly not very canon-compliant) After reaching Colorado – the Fireflies' former backdrop for failed vaccine trials – you and Joel get ambushed in the science lab by people who have since then, made their new home at the abandoned university; during the scuffle, one of the attackers stabs you with a syringe containing unknown contents. PAIRING: Joel Miller x fem!Reader WARNING(S) FOR LATER: pining (mutual) sex pollen; dub-con; p-in-v unprotected sex; use of a mouth gag and a rope during sex but it's for safety assurances not because Joel's a dark guy; still angst even though I left in 50% of it; religious references and lots of metaphors that don't make sense; unbeta'd - expect mistakes; characterization is based on second half of the game and I may have accidentally made him too soft oops idc, ooc for sure WORD COUNT: 2 k A/N: PT. 1; this is already over 10k words in my drafts and I still don't even have like half of it done yet but I'll put out this small part for now I guess

IT'S A GODDAMN SICKNESS – THIS FEELING, festering, like skin stripped raw and every nerve lit on fire. There’s nothing left of you – only flesh and bone knitted together by gnawing hunger.

He should put you out of your misery.

You would welcome death over this: it would be faster, easier, not each excruciating second prolonging your suffering as time bleeds, drawn-out, stretching at an unbearably sluggish pace. This won't pass over. It's only been getting worse the longer you try to ignore it, to let it snuff out on its own. The craving is bad. It surges through your veins, leaves your blood boiling as if it’s burning you alive from the inside-out. Insatiable need devours your body like an all-consuming disease; your mind is scrambled, thoughts as good as ash at this point aside from the surviving idea that you know that this will swallow you whole.

Here's how it happened.

HE'S A KILLER; The leftover carnage is a gut-wrenching testament to that – a breadcrumb trail of carcasses deserted along the westbound, beaten track to Colorado that’s rivaled only by the number of skeletons in his closet.

Not that he's had much choice. It's this very concept that every single media outlet had kept pushing, what had plagued the top headlines, breaking news, and morning segments leading up to Outbreak Day in a concerted effort to capitalize on a little something called sensationalism. The public had wolfed it down, too – had gorged themselves on the idea of it even after all the grocery stores had been raided bare and there'd been zero food left on the shelves; TVs as their place settings with radios emerging as their proxies not long after the power had gone out – because the drama of it all had been more satisfying than the shitty scraps they'd been getting by on: survival of the fittest, who'd get wiped out by the infection first? And Joel Miller is a living legacy that continues to push the limits of natural selection with every poor bastard that he manages to sink a shiny fucking bullet into.

Adaptation. The end of the world has chewed him up, teeth gnashing – razor-sharp incisors; no leftover bones, no remains like the majority of the people who’ve met a collective demise, but a man spit out in one intact piece (physically, anyways – mentally, that’s probably another story). Now, he’s a stone-cold terror. Cutthroat – all jagged edges and mistrust leaching into his pores. Someone who’s had to acclimatize, because the way he sees it, there’s a million different choices to make that only ever lead to two outcomes. And Joel always picks whichever option affords him the best opportunity to stay alive, but it’s the reason he’s got a ledger drowning in red.

Before, that had meant late mortgage payments and loan sharks hunting him down, risky wagers with shady figures to get Sarah new clothes in time for the upcoming school because she’d been outgrowing them every damn year, and also don’t forget the shady business ventures he’d invested in until he’d learnt his lesson the hard way and had decided to throw himself headfirst into work – day in and day out to save up for his own construction company, something stable and honest; maybe then he wouldn’t have to lie about forgetting to pick up the milk or the pancake mix because the reality had been that he was struggling to put food on the table, and maybe he’d get to spend more time with his daughter and pay the soccer club fees that he couldn’t afford so she could make more friends outside of him and the Adlers, and maybe his blood pressure would level out so his pockets wouldn’t dry up with the cost of his medicine because his insurance had been shit, and maybe he wouldn’t have to go to bed every night crunching numbers behind his eyelids to figure out if he had enough to get through the next month’s round of bills, and fuck, maybe things would finally start to look up for once in his life.

Then it had all stopped mattering in an instant.

So now, it means shooting someone dead without a second thought – a past full of necessary evils: ruthlessness, cynicism, and a death toll second to none. Anybody coming up against him? Shit out of luck. He’s never had a problem with having to pull the trigger, and being caught on the wrong end of his gun always promises a grim fate.

Except Columbus, Ohio.

It would’ve been another blight, another wicked deed buried underneath the growing mountain of awfulness that he's responsible for. There are a lot of things that keep Joel up at night, but as bad as it is to say, this definitely wouldn’t have been one of them.

And then, the impossible – first person to break the cycle: a scavenger combing through the tipped over stands of North Market, kneeling under the dusty Penny's Meats cleaver sign at a basket filled with plastic bags of twenty-year-old beef jerky. And Joel would kill (quite literally) for that if it meant securing his next meal; hell, the next week's worth of them. The only thing standing in between him and food security could be taken care of with an easy shot to the back of your skull at point blank range.

A target.

An inconvenience.

— but that's another story.

Since then, it’s been a road paved with affliction. Ohio. Indiana. Illinois. Iowa. (Nebraska's a sensitive topic.) Wyoming.

Joel grasps your hand firmly in his: dried blood over split knuckles and calluses that have stayed around forever because now he wields a gun 24/7 instead of a carpentry tool from his blue-collar days; he helps you navigate the terrain so you don't misstep – a sprained ankle can slow us down in more ways than one, he always says. Cautious, trigger-sensitive, because he needs to be. The action is meant to be practical, shepherding you over the terrain. So you opt to neglect how his fingers slotted between yours shoos the bitter cold from making a home out of your body and thaws the ice from the crevices chiseled in your bones.

The feeling is nice.

The thought is dangerous.

Because, Nebraska: a hellish nightmare in the flesh.

(Let's not talk about it).

(But circling around the topic doesn’t help. You don't bring it up, and yet it still takes center stage, occupying your mind. Always. How could it not?)

Hordes of cordyceps-ridden pieces-of-shit on your heels until you'd been driven into a corner, back against the wall – odds in the negative as infected after infected had zeroed in on your position and converged like a putrid swarm, a writhing mass of rotten bodies, all of them clambering over each other for their own share of pulpy, human meat to tear into; it'd reminded you of the same way people had been after the outbreak had reached critical mass.

Ravenous.

(This is what had been a difficult pill for you to swallow in the beginning – before you'd started sleeping with a machete along the edge of your bedroll, before the sound of a person choking on their own blood had gone from something that had cursed your hands with a 'round-the-clock tremor to nothing but fucking white noise, and before you'd learned everything there is to know about how to survive amongst societal collapse where 'every man for himself' has never been a more true statement than it is now: the hunger doesn't stop when you turn into one of them.)

As the two of you weave through dense foliage overrunning anything in its path and past man-sized slabs of concrete that form a serrated pattern of the very ground you're currently forced to scale, Joel rumbles a low, "Easy, now,"; you can see how in the dead of winter a plume of air leaves his mouth whenever he talks. He's nice to look at, better than your surroundings by a long shot. Boulder is just another wasteland that offers nothing new in your trek across the country because underneath the whalebone-white quilt of snow smothering everything, it's the same old shit that you saw when you'd cut through the never-ending stretch of land that used to be the Bible Belt to get out of the Atlanta Q.Z. It'd been ghost towns dotting the map between miles and miles of infestation: the walking dead had been piloted by the impulse to tear you apart alongside their living counterparts – the survivors with rootless hearts that stalked in the shadows like vultures waiting to pick your corpse clean of supplies.

But, for as on guard as you have to be, you'd rather focus your attention on Joel, because the snowflakes burying themselves in his beard are far more interesting than the decaying buildings and jigsaw-puzzled pavement that paint Colorado with an apocalyptic finish. He's a welcome distraction. Maybe, too good. The toe of your boot catches on the uneven landscape while you're lost in thought so you brace yourself to strike the ground as it gives out from under you, hands flying out in reflex. Instead, sturdy arms secure themselves around your waist before you can fall. You’re hauled flat against the solid wall of Joel's chest, something akin to an embrace that shouldn’t feel as nice as he is to look at. Even through layers of clothes, even through the frigid temperatures during this time of the year, his heat manages to bleed into you.

"Told you to watch your step there'," he murmurs in that long Texan drawl. Whiskey on his breath. Caramel. Ethanol. Burning alcohol-sweet, it greets you alongside the usual smoky and metallic smell of gunpowder and blood; the kind he'd pilfered from a liquor store back in Omaha – makin' sure it's good enough to the Molotov cocktails with, he'll comment before taking a swig. Brings it up like clockwork, as if it gets funnier the longer he keeps trying to wear the joke out even worse than the soles of his boots. It doesn’t. Just short of being a jack of all trades. Certainly no comedian.

Not a drunk, either – isn't stupid enough to put himself in jeopardy around these parts. You'd seen it before, once: cheeks flushed red and eyes glazed over; couldn't walk a straight line for five feet, much less aim a gun (September 26th, you remember). This isn't that. The whiskey's stronger now, though. You can tell when he stands nearby, face inches away.

(He's been drinking more lately. Not a lot, but the right amount to drown out the memory of... well, ever since—)

He's the closest thing to home that you know.

(—he almost lost you.)

You find yourself latched onto the sleeves of his jacket for stability, and even though you should push Joel away – a voice in your head that warns you to put distance between you and him – your fingers curl tighter into the coarse fabric to keep yourself upright as you regain your footing. “You see that thing? Swear it came outta nowhere."

He huffs out a small laugh, not one of those full-bodied ones that you’ve only heard probably twice since you met him (both of them at your expense and God, do you miss his smile), but it’s still a rich, little sound that comes off as something pleasant to your ears all the same – breaks up the monotony of the snow crunching under your heels and teeth chattering during the occasional bouts when you shiver. "Sure," he says, because he knows you can't lie for shit.

You untangle yourself from him with some reluctance. Homesick – a feeling that you attempt to shake off with more mindless conversation to make the time slip by faster. "Out of every place we've been to, Colorado definitely makes bottom three."

There's faint amusement coloring Joel's face. It makes him look years younger. "We haven't even gotten to UEC yet." He tilts his chin in the general direction that the two of you had already been heading towards. "Over there. Just across the way."

Skepticism stains your voice. "You know, something tells me that I won't have a change of heart."

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛᴡᴏ - ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #unfortunately i have the smut just not the action~#this will very likely not be done until i finish the term #joel miller fic #joel miller smut #tlou #the last of us

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divineerdrick · 9 months ago

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Homestuck: Beyond Canon Upd8 for 2/10/24

We got our news post a little late and our upd8 a little early. I'm struggling today and behind on progress for everything, but I still want to read.

James is being a bit hammy, but he's teasing some good news. It looks like we'll be getting [S] pages in the future. Hopefully with more than one person and a slower upd8 schedule, they won't ever need to pause for them.

Kinda curious about the VTuber mentioned. I like watching people experiencing Homestuck stuff! It's the whole reason I started live blogging.

Now onto the upd8!

Looks like I might have been right about Yiffy potentially having something to do with that ominous red glow. Let's see what's going on.

Like all teens, the worst thing that can happen to her is public parental affection. Though Jade is laying it on thick! Where's Rose with a quip about contacting CPS? Although she'd be calling them on herself.

Not sure how I feel about the gag, honestly. It's pretty cliché, and Tavvy is right there. We don't know how badly Yiffy has suffered, but like Tavvy it's been real abuse and neglect. This comic does have a habit of trying to make child abuse a joke, though.

Kanaya is obviously still struggling, and I can't blame her. Yiffy is one of the most controversial aspects of this comic, supposedly handed down to us from on high by AH himself. One of the great complaints about the Epilogues is that it takes the characters in directions that were intended to challenge fans. But even then, the idea that even a Candy Rose would cheat with Jade to have a secret love child and hide it from her all this time is so fucking out there. Everything about it feels wrong.

And then, of course, they get into a silly dare and name her Yiffany Longstocking Lalonde Harley!

But I'm not saying things that haven't already been said a million times. It's always felt like one of AH's epic troll moments, like the ones I both love and hate in the original work. And I hoping it will eventually pay off to something.

Looking at the text here, Yiffy's color could definitely be the red. Hah! Pepis.

Yiffy's mind is also on Kanaya it seems. We're also getting a sense of her attitude much more clearly now. I'm kinda getting Susie vibes.

Oh wow! They're actually calling it "The Yiffy Reveal" in universe!

Wow! Wow! Fucking wow!

The fuck!

I think my jaw just splintered the floor at my feet!

Rose used her power. She actually used her fucking power! And not only does she believe this will all be fortuitous (it's practically fated since it gives us a set of four kids), but that fortune would dictate Kanaya's eventual forgiveness.

She didn't just decide on, "Easier to get forgiveness than permission." She believed it inevitable, so that made it okay!

The fuck!

We're digging a little into Jade's adult life now. And yeah, it's just as bad as we probably imagined it was. Doesn't justify them going behind Kanaya's back, but you can understand her yearning.

That . . . that oddly makes sense. It still seems wrong, but it's the kind of backward logic that might occur on Candy Earth C. I don't know if AH had this explanation as part of Yiffy's backstory, or if it's writing we can attribute to one team or the other. But it's an actual explanation for how we got here.

Still not enough to pay off the trolling yet.

How . . . Tavvy, what were you doing?

Yeah, no. I'm betting right now Kanaya is feeling a lot more forgiving towards Jade and a lot less forgiving towards Rose.

That's Meenah's symbol, so we know who to expect a call from next time at least.

Of course a lot of attention is payed to the captchalogued corpse in Jade's possession. Did she find Dave's body and is still not dealing with it? Has she considered her taxidermy tradition dealing with it enough? Is this somehow another corpse considered fitting for the Harley traditions?

Tune in next time!

#live blogging #liveblogging #live blog #upd8 spoilers #update spoilers #upd8 #update #homestuck beyond canon spoilers #homestuck beyond canon #homestuck liveblog #homestuck spoilers #homestuck #hs spoilers #hs

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axel-skz · 1 year ago

Text

My perspective is broadening

A/N: so, I told my sister about some of this and now I’m scared it’s terrible :D if it is, don’t tell me! Now, the song we got for this fic is Scars.

You were someone who rarely trusted anyone. The friends you had were people you had found after a long time of being cautious. You had a lot happen in your past and you were ok with not making more friends.

This didn’t sit right with your family though because how would you find yourself a boyfriend this way?

So now, for months, you had been going on these random dates with many different people. It made your head spin. You said you didn’t want to but your parents would not stop setting them up.

You respected your parents but they never realised how gross and misogynistic most these people were. You had a hard time with people anyway and this was not helping you at all.

It took a while but after 3 months of constant annoyance, you went to your parents to finally put an end to it. They said they wanted you to go on one last date. You guys made the deal and you were relieved that this would be the last bit of torture.

Today was the day and you were looking forward to it being over. When you got to the restaurant, the guy was already there. At the table you guys had agreed to.

…You have got to be kidding me… He’s like a million years older then me…

You went over and politely introduced yourself and sat down. He looked extremely confused to see you and you explained that you were his blind date.

He proceeded to explain to you that he was here for a business lunch.

You were horrified :D

You apologised profusely before getting up and walking over to the restaurant bar and taking a seat. You called your date and the person didn’t pick up or reply to your texts.

You ordered a drink and sat there, miserable and embarrassed.

‘You okay?’

You jumped a little as someone tapped your shoulder. You looked up in confusion and saw a random, very handsome, man.

‘Um, yeah, sure…’ you sighed.

‘That sounded so convincing! I totally believe you,’ he smiled sympathetically as he sat down next to you.

You laughed, ‘I’m sorry, give me 5 minutes and I’ll try again.’

‘With that frown, you’re probably gonna need 10,’ he teased.

‘I’ll have you know, I’m usually very convincing,’ you turned when your drink was placed in front of you.

‘Oh well, my bad for approaching you when you’re so distraught.’

You laughed a little and looked down at your drink after you took a sip.

‘So, what are you doing here then?’

‘I hang around the plants till I see beautiful women at the bar.’

You looked at him with concern, ‘that’s… good for you?’

He laughed, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It sounded so much more creepy out loud then it did in my head. I also got stood up so I’m here.’

Also got stood up? But you hadn’t mentioned you had been… maybe you did and you were just very distracted…

You guys continued to talk and he was quite funny. You hit it off and planned another date.

He introduced himself as Jeongin, you called him joe and he judged you. It was a great start to your… situation.

He felt like a breath of fresh air to be around. He made you smile and always looked after you. Always listened and remembered the little things you said. Not to mention how much you loved just sitting and watching him concentrate on something he liked. He would be in the zone and his face would be all serious and that one stray hair would be annoying him and you could watch him all day. Something about him lured you in.

You hadn’t felt this way for a long time and you got so caught up in it. You spent months with each other, his friends absolutely adored you too.

You spent so much time doing the most random activities with them. You guys had gone to laser tag and you found that Seungmin and Minho were your best teammates. You loved gaming with Felix. He helped you with your Genshin account. It was especially sweet when he only laughed a tiny bit at your ultimate lack of knowledge in the game.

It was amazing. But there has to be a storm at some point. It’s only natural.

There came a day where he didn’t answer your texts, which hadn’t happened before and that’s when reality set in. You realised how attached you were getting to him. You hadn’t stopped to think about it and now you felt like the fun rollercoaster you had been enjoying, was dropping you off and leaving you behind.

You were overthinking and freaking yourself out and it resulted in you pulling away. You stopped visiting everyday and planning things to do. You weren’t replying to any of their texts nearly as much as you did.

Jeongin had seen enough and he was now fed up. He made his way to you one night when you cancelled plans. It was the last straw for him. You were getting ready to have a comfy night on your sofa with a tub of ice cream and some old movies when you heard the banging on your door.

You opened it with a blanket wrapped around you and a very confused look on your face. Even more confused when a very out of breath I.n stood there looking at you.

‘Hey, did you run here or something? Are you ok? Do you-‘

‘Do you hate me now?’

‘What?’

‘Am I not good enough? Did I do something to upset you?’

‘Are you-’

‘No, seriously! If I did something to make you feel any hurt or sadness, I’m sorry! Just tell me!’ He looked tired as he looked you in the eyes.

‘Are you… I don’t… you didn’t do anything…’

‘Then why on earth are you icing me out?’

You were unsure of what to say as you looked off to avoid his eye line.

‘Look, I wasn’t going to say anything. I was going to let it come up naturally but I like you. A lot. I care about you more then I have cared for anyone else in a while.’

You looked back at him, at a loss for words.

‘I can feel that you like me too. I know you do and I’m putting it all out there by doing this. I’m terrified but… I want to be terrified and at least have given it a shot…’

You stood there and contemplated what to do for a moment that felt like an eternity for him. You could see him about to pull away and the disappointment, edging onto his face. You panicked, you didn’t want him to leave and you had to face how important he was to you.

You grabbed his arm, pulled him down a little and kissed him. It only lasted a moment before you pulled away. You were also terrified but then he kissed you. It was amazing.

There was a very serious conversation that followed that but you guys were together. You loved him. So much. He had become such an important part of your life.

You spent the next few months in the most comfortable, happy bubble. Anytime you had a problem, he would be there for you. You guys worked through it together. Relationships scared the hell out of you, you had also been so scared that you would never have a healthy relationship but it was so easy with him.

Tonight, you had a dinner with your parents. He had met them before and everyone hit it off. You both got there on time and everyone was sat for dinner. Your mum had gone to go get dessert from the kitchen and your dad left a little while later to go see what was taking her so long.

You got up because this was your chance to use the bathroom. You kissed Innie as you went passed him. On your way up to the bathroom, you heard your parents speaking and they mentioned Jeongin.

You shouldn’t but your dad speaks like he has a megaphone, even when he whispers. You listened to what they were saying. It started with your dad saying he was just so happy that you were happy.

But then he praised your mother on how smart she is. The plan she came up with was genius. The fact that you wouldn’t have liked anyone they picked so they made it seem like I.n was your choice. Exquisite.

You felt sick.

Manipulated.

You went back to the table and started to pick all your belongings up. You told Jeongin to pick up all his stuff, you weren’t feeling well so he would come back to your apartment with you. You guys said goodbye to your parents in a hurry and left.

The car felt too full. Too hot but too cold. The air was stuffy. Your heart was beating out of its chest. You couldn’t stop picking at your finger nails.

There was a tension in the air and he kept looking at you whenever he had the chance.

When you got inside your apartment, he came in straight after you. Plagued with worry.

The rage slowly rose from your stomach to your throat as tears filled your eyes. The anger and frustration were like stepping stones for the helplessness to get closer and closer.

He was the last person you expected to lie to you.

He came and tried to rub your back and comfort you but him being close to you only hurt you more.

You stumbled away, ‘you liar!’

He looked hurt and confused, ‘what are you talking about?’

‘How we met… tell me you didn’t know me before we met that day…’ you looked up at him with tears in your eyes. He was a blurry image but still, you could clearly see the emotions change on his face.

‘What are you talking about?’

‘I know you lied… I know my parents sent you… that day…’

He looked panicked, ‘look, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to do it like that. But they said you wouldn’t give someone a chance if he came from them… they told me about you and you sounded so amazing…’

‘…no… You need to leave… I can’t be here-you can’t be here with me…’ you faced away from him as you tried to hold yourself together, if only for a moment. You couldn’t look at him.

‘Look, I know that wasn’t a good way for us to find each other but the most important thing is that we did!’

‘I can’t look at you right now… Trust is something so incredibly important to me… I’m gonna need time to get through this… I care for you… so much…’ you were crying again, ‘but all I see now is that you lied… god knows how much you already knew about me before we actually talked about it…’

‘I love-‘

‘DON’T! ITS BEEN MONTHS! YOU HAD EVERY CHANCE TO TELL ME!’ You took a moment to breathe and calm yourself down, ‘just leave. I need time. I don’t want to yell at you… please just go…’

You’re both heartbroken but he knows you need time.

‘I’m not leaving without saying I love you… I really do…’ and with that, he’s gone.

Repost and stuff *too lost in staring at him*

Jeongin: I think I can safely say I’m her favourite.

Minho: she’s irrelevant anyway *walks away*

I glare at him: I didn’t like you either!

Changbin: wow… always hostile… but like, I’m actually your favourite right?

Han: as if! She got me when she did that one quiz.

Hyunjin: look, she knows who the best is. *he points at himself*

Jeongin: yeah, me. *stealing the spotlight*

They all argue while Seungmin walks over to me: can you believe them?

I smile at him: I can never just have a script end in peace.

Seungmin: no, there was that one with Lix.

Ooo there was. *we turn and watch them all argue. Chan and Felix trying to stop it but being unable to with Changbin being too loud for them both.*

Me and Seungmin both look at you: who’s your bias?

(All jokes aside, I love them all! Even my angsty version of Minho 😂)

37 notes · View notes

heartbreakgrill · 2 years ago

Text

kol mikaelson; best friend’s brother pt. 4- illicit affairs.

“and you know damn well; for you i would ruin myself a million little times.”

a/n: ok i lied there’s 1 more part after this. this one’s way more fun than the last part cuz that’s gonna be angst so enjoy. i’m really happy with this so i hope u love it hehe

also: i feel like tumblr has been cutting off parts of my posts?? like my long ones like this so i’m sorry if there’s abrupt starts to certain parts.

the party went above any expectations we had. rebekah danced the night away, tiara and sash sparkling on her figure every time the lights hit them. she made me wear the extra crown, though i didn't object much at her suggestion. i stayed by her side for hours, leaving once or twice to use the bathroom. at around midnight, she opened presents, and we sang her happy birthday. the singing was joyous, full of laughter and cheer. every person had fun. there wasn't violence, or endangerment. though it was noisy, crowded, and sweaty, it was almost peaceful- lethargic.

even Finn had a good time. he stayed to the sides a bit, watching like a wildflower. just when i worried his roots would sink into the soil there, he pushed off of it and walked into the crowd. at around 2am, I saw him dancing with a girl. He looked happy.

Klaus, of course, bothered Caroline for hours until she eventually started dancing with him. it was silly, the way they matched- but the way he looked at her made my heart clench.

elijah was the unspoken supervisor. he didn't dance, didn't drink. he just watched. But he looked content. he was a strange guy.

as for Kol, well...

i saw him on and off. he was dancing with this group of guys he had befriended. I was shocked he managed to find comraderity, but i couldn't help but feel responsible for it. it's amazing the influence positivity and kindness can have on someone.

at around 3am, the party began to wrap up. people had been leaving in small clumps since 1, but now, streams of attendees were piling out of the door. i found caroline, elena, and bonnie to say goodbye. i hugged each of them and thanked them for coming.

bonnie and elena followed the crowd out the door, but caroline hesitated. she set a gentle hand on my elbow, "i talked to kol for, like, the first time ever in my life."

my ears perked up, and i tilted my chin towards her, "oh, yeah?"

caroline nodded. she bit her lip, "talk to rebekah, k?"

my brows furrowed, "what's that supposed to mean?"

she squeezed my elbow and said, "asap, k? he's been undressing you with his eyes all night. plus he reeks of...affection- ugh."

i couldn't help but blush deep red. i rubbed my lips together, "please leave before i vomit." she laughed before walking out the door.

i turned to face the foyer, a cheeky smile on my face. rebekah was at the cake table with matt donovan. they had danced together much more than they both probably cared to admit. she was nursing yet another red solo cup. he had the tiniest blush dusting his cheekbones. it was sweet.

elijah was already beginning to clean up. finn was helping him, a black trash bag in his left hand. klaus had probably retired to his bedroom by now.

and, there, at the top of the staircase, was kol. he leaned his weight against the railing. i couldn't see his face very well in the dim lighting, but i knew he was watching me. when i looked at me, i noticed a smile light up his expression. my heart thumped in my chest, coursing red blood through my veins that was thick with anticipation. i crossed my arms over my stomach, as if i could hide how he made me feel. he could read everything- my pheromones, apparently, the way my heart rate went off the rails around him.

kol pushed off the staircase. he tilted his head, a quiet beg for me to come up there- a dare, almost. my eyes flickered to rebekah, who was bent at the waist, hand on matt's bicep as she laughed. i looked back to kol and nodded shortly.

i had put my heels back on once everyone started leaving, and they clicked against the tile floor as i walked to rebekah. she looked up as i approached her. a loud grin overcame her red lips. she tossed an arm around my shoulders, scrunching me into her side. i slid mine to her waist.

she squealed, "oh, i love you so much, y/n."

"i love you, too, beks," i pressed my head into her shoulder.

she turned, embracing me in a hug. i squeezed back, though her hold was impossibly strong. "no, i'm serious. i love you so much."

i giggled, making a face at matt over her shoulder. he cracked a smile. "i'm serious, too. love you."

rebekah sniffled, "i'm serious. you're the most amazing person in the entire world. you're so thoughtful and kind. i don't deserve your friendship."

did i feel a little guilty? fuck me if i didn't.

i opened my mouth, hesitated. i could tell her here and now. but that would ruin the moment. i knew she wouldn't be entirely pissed at me- but it would throw her world off it's axis a little bit.

so i swallowed it. "yes, you do. you deserve the world, rebekah."

she hugged me tighter, if at all possible, before letting go. "i love you. always and forever."

my chest tightened- shaky gasp slipped through my nose. i clenched my jaw, brows raised from my shock. i clenched her hand in mine, "always and forever."

i swallowed thickly, "i'm gonna go get ready for bed, yeah? is it okay if i stay over?"

rebekah nodded enthusiastically, "we can go get brunch tomorrow!"

with a nod, i turned on my heel and pushed off the floor and up the steps. when i reached the top, i turned left instead of right. towards kol's room.

i didn't knock on the door. i walked in, my breath anxious. kol was sitting on the edge of his bed, elbows leaned against his knee. he looked up when the door clicked shut, a frown on his face. his eyes lit up, though, light brown flecks shining to see me.

i crossed my arms, "hey."

"darling," kol stood. his arms were slack at his side, but i watched his fingers flinch, like they were resisting the urge to reach out and touch me.

i stepped closer, but i kept my hands to myself. "i take it you heard."

kol sighed, "i did."

a deep breath sucked up into my lungs. i brushed loose strands of hair behind my ear. "i'm sorry."

kol waved me off, lazily, "don't worry about it. we were crazy to think-"

"i know," i cut him off. "we can try to be friends, yeah?"

"don't," kol shook his head, "you know i can't do that."

my shaky hands rubbed at my neck, "i know. but i can't just now know you, kol."

"i can't have doses of you, y/n."

i felt sick, hot, sweaty. "i get it. yeah, i understand. promise me one thing?"

kol finally met my eyes. there was a thin line of red encasing his brown, a desperate blow lying within his pupils. "yes?"

"try to be nicer. to yourself. for me?" i reached out a hand, let my fingers wrap around his bicep. they squeezed gently, warm above his touch.

kol tensed up, but nodded. "anything for you, darling."

i shuddered, breathed deeply, and turned to leave. i reached for the doorknob, feeling a ghostly emptiness hollow out my stomach. just as i went to open the door, kol's hands spun me around. he pushed me against the door, gripping my waist.

my back arched against the door, breath quickening with my heart beat. i leaned into him, tilting my head back far so i could see him. my hands caught his shoulders.

kol hesitated, eyeing my lips, down to gm dress, back up to my own flustered gaze. he breathed heavily, gritting his teeth. he resisted the urge i could see lingering on the tip of his tongue.

i dropped my head against the door. "kol, please-"

he listened.

within a split second, he pushed his lips against mine, a fierce kiss, much more desperate than the one we'd had last night. my chest bubbled up with affection, a giddy scream lying just beneath my throat. i smiled against his lips.

my brain was racing, my heart thumping, and i could barely breathe.

but he was kissing me.

—

i didn't sleep. rebekah passed out on the bed beside me as soon as she lay down. i was curled up in an old t-shirt, facing the other direction. i held my breath when she came into the room, as she lay down beside me. i eventually passed out, but it was an anxious sleep, one where i woke up sweating. rebekah was already up.

she was doing her makeup, of course, her freshly washed hair wrapped up in a towel. i wiped a hand across my mouth, finding drool wetting my lip. gross.

rebekah grinned into the mirror when she noticed me sitting up. i leaned against the headboard as she turned around in her seat, "morning, sunshine. you ready for some brunch?"

i groaned. my head hurt. "yes. i need some grease to soak up this hangover."

"you're welcome for that," she pointed her lipgloss at me. "now, go; shower and get ready. brunch time!"

"fine," i slid off the platform bed, feet hitting the cold floor with a slap. i shivered. "but, i am not doing makeup."

rebekah shrugged, facing her mirror again. "i'm just gonna order from the grill and go and grab it. you don't have to come."

i sighed, rolling my eyes, "thank god. i don't want to go anywhere until school tomorrow."

rebekah shook her head, "i'm a bad influence."

i mhmed her, and shut the bathroom door.

as i showered, i felt the urge to vomit. after kol kissed me- well, after we made out against his bedroom door, we didn't say anything. just 'goodnight.' wow a great anecdote.

we had agreed, before the kiss, that we needed to end whatever was brewing between us. but that kiss made things different. it was more solidifying than the kiss we shared on friday. like a lock in a key- but where did that key go? was he holding it? or had he thrown it out the window?

i kinda wished we could burn it.

after my shower, i changed into sweatpants and another big tee. i wrapped my hair up in a towel and slid into some comfy socks. rebekah was gone- she left a note telling me she had gone to get the food. i guess i took a very long shower.

i padded down the steps, head banging in beat with my steps. once i reached the landing, the front door opened. rebekah held up two big bags of food, and a tray of drinks.

"i'm back!"

she was entirely too loud.

i took my drink from the tray and grabbed one of the bags from her. i followed her into the kitchen, where she sat at the island. elijah was reading a newspaper, nursing a cup of coffee. klaus sat at the island, a cup of blood.

and kol was across from him. because rebekah had sat next to klaus, i had to sit next to kol. i eyed the seat and felt kol's eyes latch onto me. mine flickered to his, and a heat beat through my body.

i looked away and sat next to him.

rebekah passed out breakfast sandwiches, a platter of french fries in the middle of the island. i, unashamedly, stuffed my face.

rebekah, forever the talkative one, started up, "so, y/n, are you going to be seeing that guy anytime soon?"

i shifted in my seat, chewing quickly. "um," i swallowed, "probably not."

elijah peeked over his newspaper, sipping his coffee slyly. there was a knowing look in his eyes.

i glanced to kol, who went stiff beside me. did he know the guy was him? hopefully, or i'd have an angry, jealous kol on my hands.

rebekah groaned, "ugh! you're boring. call him up, have stupid, wreckless sex, and dump him!"

i flushed bright red at her comment. klaus snorted into his glass and elijah twisted up a brow. that's fucking embarrassing.

nearly choking on my sandwich, i attempted to clear my throat. "you know, some conversations are not meant to be had in front of three of your brothers, rebekah."

"why?" she scoffed. "they'd agree. right, kol?"

kol took a deep breath; sitting up in his seat, he tapped a hand against the counter. "i don't think i'm qualified to be apart of this."

rebekah waved him off, "sure you are. you're the king of meaningless sex. you've never been committed to a single woman- ever."

i licked my lips, dry from the ironically morbid conversation. elijah snickered into his coffee cup, "little sister-" he fought back the grin, "y/n is uncomfortable with this conversation."

klaus laughed loudly. "hm," he snickered, "i believe y/n is not alone in that feeling."

rebekah flicked her wrist lazily, "you're all annoying. you talk about whatever you want, whenever you want. and suddenly when i do it-"

"rebekah," i interrupted, voice tired, "i think i want to go home now."

she narrowed her eyes, searching my face. "you okay?"

i shook my head lightly, "i'm just feeling sick. from last night. sorry."

she bounced off the stool, onto her feet. "oh, no that's okay. don't apologize. are you okay? do you want some blood?"

i cringed, "ah, no. that's okay. im sure i can handle a hangover without magical healing properties."

klaus snickered again. he had a dry sense of humor, i noticed.

rebekah nudged kol as she rounded the island counter, "can i take your car?"

he peered at her, "are you kidding me? fuck off, beks."

rebekah elbowed him in the side, "come on!"

"no! you've crashed three cars in your life and you were daggered three years after they were even invented!" kol argued.

i slid off the bar stool. she looked to klaus and elijah, who both shook their heads. "no," klaus shortly spoke. "not taking mine."

kol glanced at me, an idea on his lips. "i can take her home."

rebekah rolled her eyes, "whatever. come, y/n, let's get your bag."

she walked out of the kitchen. i hesitated as kol looked up to me. he nodded once, tight lipped smile on his mouth. i smiled half-heartedly.

elijah met my eyes as i walked out of the kitchen and he tilted his chin expectantly. fuck off, elijah, why do you always have to be right?

—

"who's the guy?"

i was watching the woods of mystic fall roll past by vision. it was a rainy day, surprisingly, and the cloudy sky painted the air a tinted gray. i usually liked rainy weather, but even this was gloomy to me.

my head turned to kol. he was staring out the windshield, focused on the road. but his knuckles were white on the steering wheel. i furrowed my brows, "what?"

"the guy rebekah was talking about. who is he?" kol took a deep breath.

i could see him restraining his anger, trying to be mindful of his emotions. i felt a little proud of him. though i laughed at the question and kol glanced at me. "why're you laughing?"

i turned my knees towards him, showing him my focus. "because you're the guy."

kol scrunched his nose, absolutely confused. "what?"

"i had to make up excuses this week to see you, so i pretended like i was going on dates with this guy. you're the guy," i laughed again.

kol's shoulders visibly relaxed. his grip on the wheel loosened, "fuck me."

i shook my head. "it's okay. common mistake."

kol thought for a moment, head tilting from the weight of his thoughts. "well, how detailed was this cover story? why was she making a big deal about you hooking up with this guy- me, i guess, ha."

my cheeks turned a little red. "pretty detailed, i think. she asked why i was going to stop seeing him and i told her...that- he's toxic."

kol glared at me. "thanks."

"well," i defended, "you kinda are. as cringey as it is to say this, you are a bad boy."

"and her anecdote was for you to sleep with me? to be dangerous for once?" he chortled.

i nodded, "she thinks i'm too cookie cutter."

he replied with a shrug, "i don't disagree with her."

"thanks for your unwanted opinion."

kol rose a hand in defense, "well, you are. plus, i'd get laid, darling."

i reached forward and shoved his shoulder. he leaned away from my touch, but i managed to get him. we laughed at the exchange.

"you know that's not going to be happening."

kol went quiet. "i know."

last night sunk back into our skin, into the tense air between us. stopping it was difficult- as we had proven with that kiss. but we needed to be strong, responsible adults.

the rest of the ride was silent. an uncomfortable, desperate silent. i could hear kol's breath- it was ragged at one point, like he was growing anger. then, it became deep, slow, from his diaphragm. he was focusing on control.

when we reached my house, he opened the car for me, and led me to my front door. i went to open it, but hesitated, and turned to him.

"kol?" i spoke.

he looked up from his shoes, "hm?"

i frowned deeply, face sunken with hopeless greed. i dropped my book bag, and opened my arms. he fell into my embrace, wrapping his fingers around my back. the clutched at my hoodie, selfish but needy. i twisted mine at the nape of his neck, in his hair. it was more than just a friendly hug.

he pulled back slightly, nudging his nose uo my neck, and to my cheek. i pressed a lazy kiss on his cheek as it dragged past my face, and one more to his lips. he pressed against me, kissing back.

what the fuck is wrong with us?

—

i didn’t see kol again until wednesday.

when i went up to my room, after our third illicit embrace, i lay in bed, staring at his contact in my phone. my thumb hovered over the button, over the possibility of hearing his voice again. i built the nerve to dial his number, until a buzz snapped me out of my fatal daze. rebekah texted me, another thank you for my part in the effort. she ended the message with ‘a+f <3.’

when my eyes scanned over her words, i tossed my phone to the other end of my bed. i tugged my blanket over my head, coddling myself in it’s warm embrace.

i showered later, then fell asleep, and awoke to a new week: a monday. i would leave kol and our uncontrollable lips in the past.

moving forward, i went to school with a pit in my stomach.

letting go was never easy. especially when you’d never know what could’ve been.

monday bled into wednesday. after cheer practice, rebekah wanted to hang out, but i had a shift at the grill. i went straight there from school, changed into my uniform from my workout clothes, and clocked in. matt was behind the bar, wiping down its wooden counter. i passed him as i made my way to the stack of clean aprons under the bar.

he waved his free hand, “hey, y/n.”

i smiled, tight-lipped. “hey.”

“that party was awesome.”

my smile cracked a bit at his jockey demeanor. “thanks. i’m glad you came. rebekah was grateful.”

matt nodded. he paused wiping the counter and turned to me, opening our conversation, “good. i had a lot of fun hanging out with her.”

i tied my apron around my waist. “she likes you.”

matt sheepishly shrugged, “i’ve noticed.”

i rolled my eyes at the cheeky expression on his face. “just text her. it’s not that deep.”

i turned on my heel and got to work getting my things prepared for a dinner rush. luckily, mondays were easy, so it was only me and one other waitress- georgia. i worked until 8pm.

when my shift ended, i tugged my backpack over my shoulder and my cheer bag over the other. i had to take out two large bags of trash, too, as well as juggle my small food order. matt noticed me struggling as i walked past the bar and opened his lips to offer to help.

however, a dark voice interrupted his words. “need any help, darling?”

my stomach fluttered, but a nervous juxtaposition tickled my skin. i turned to kol, red-faced from my shift and from his presence.

“what’re you doing here?” i hushed my voice as he neared me, hands in his pockets.

kol took my book bag and the trash from me. “lead the way, love.”

i rolled my eyes. but started towards the back door. kol followed me down the steps, to the dumpsters, in silence. the bang of the dumpster lid falling shut seemed to break our quiet, because he sighed, stuck his hands back in his pockets, and,

“i wanted to see you,” kol shrugged.

i shifted my weight, flickering my eyes around the darkly lit space. were there any wandering eyes? “you shouldn’t have come.”

kol stepped towards me, and i narrowed my eyes in warning, “don’t say that, darling.”

“kol,” i breathed through my teeth, “this is a terrible idea. i don’t know how many times i have to tell you.”

my eyes kept wandering around us, heart beat thumping with fear and anticipation. kol, who was trying to match my gaze, huffed in annoyance.

“c’mere, darling,” he spoke through his deeply let breath.

kol grabbed my bicep, pulled us beside each other, then wove an arm around my waist. “deep breath,” he ghosted into my ear, tickling my hair and the skin on my neck.

within a flash, we were on my front porch. it was the first time i’d ever sped like that. my breath caught in my throat and i choked, coughing a few times to clear the airway. kol kept hold of my waist, and his fingers rubbed my hip comfortingly.

“you okay?” he whispered gently.

i nodded once. “thanks for the ride,” i stepped to the side.his arm dropped. “you should go.”

kol set my back pack down. i clutched at the strap to my duffel, as if it could ground me. he reached out a hand, but i stepped back, further from him. “y/n, please-“

“no!” i spilled out, louder than i’d ever been. “i’m not doing this anymore. i feel sick to my stomach every time i’m around rebekah. we need to let this go. that’s final.”

kol’s bottom lip quivered, and he sucked in between his teeth. his hand dropped, “are you sure that that’s what you want?”

i hesitated, shrugged, glancing to my feet. “you know what i want. this is a need.”

kol nodded once, gulped. “ok. i-i’ll go then.”

he walked away from me, then stopped. his back faced mine, a wall of glass built between us by our frames. i heard him suck in a breath. my stomach clenched. my heart beat thumped rapidly in my throat, just beneath my clenched jaw. i know what we both expected to happen- both of us wanted to break. wanted to turn around and do what we’d been doing- play cat and mouse. play with fire. play each other. dangle a bone we know couldn’t be eaten. the forbidden, illicit apple of us.

i closed my eyes, lashes fluttering against my cheek, took a deep breath, and made myself remember: rebekah. i leaned down, picked up my book bag, and walked inside my house. as it shut, i pressed my cheek against it. it was cool on my skin.

i heard him walk away.

i showered. unpacked my cheer bag. packed a fresh set of practice clothes. i brushed my hair and put it in braids for bed. i fed grim. i journaled for two minutes, but realized everything i had to say was just grossly depressing. i organized my makeup drawer.

i sat at my vanity, an expired lipstick in hand. i stared at its contents, boring a hole through the product. my ears pricked when i heard a branch snap outside my window. heart rate jumping. skin tingling. i knew what- who- it was.

i drug my feet to the window, let it fall open with the small push of my hand. kol stood on the small balcony attached to my bedroom. my brows furrowed up, eyes glazed with powerless desire.

kol looked to me, hands slack at his sides. his lips were parted slightly. his eyes were similar to a lost dog, downturned and pleading. i went to shake my head, hands crossed over my stomach.

but i caved.

i let my hands fall. let him push forward through the space between us. let him grab my face, pull my lips against his. let him kick my baloney door shut as i gripped at his shoulders; let the back of my legs hit the side of my bed. let him push me down into my mattress.

i let him undress me. i let him kiss me. i let him have him.

i let this build.

—

it had been three weeks.

three weeks of;

late night meetings on my balcony. a small cold from the air. midnight car rides to a scenic overlook. parked cars and heater on. a t-shirt in my laundry basket. a new shirt for bed. a pair of boxers on my floor. a shuffle as rebekah entered my room. a rush of adrenaline as i kicked then under my bed. my lipstick on his collar. a tide stick now in his car.

his hands in my hair. learning to braid.

my hands in his hair. my back bent over my bed.

learning that he likes cinnamon in his hot chocolate and he’s never been to a football game. learning he likes to be the one to drive places and there’s a little dinner off of the state route fifteen minutes out of town. learning skipping class goes unnoticed by everybody when i still turn my homework. that kol can play the guitar but only like ten different chords. learning his favorite song is somebody else by the 1975 and he doesn’t really like taylor swift, but he listens to her for me.

our week looked like;

monday blues being cured by him walking me home from work. he’d put his headphones in our ears and carry my bags after taking the trash out for me. the 1975 and taylor swift would play. the night would get cold and he’d give me his jacket. he’d walk me to my door. he’d leave. only to return two hours later, floorboards creaking and fingers slinking across skin.

tuesdays were met with rebekah’s house, a small routine we’d fallen into once me getting tuesdays off work had become a trend. she’d vamp us home from school and we’d study together in the living room. we’d watch a movie and eat too much junk food. and we’d escape to her room when her brothers would crowd the house. i’d go to the bathroom and sneak to kol’s room.

wednesdays were a pattern of mondays.

thursday’s looked like tuesdays.

and fridays were my favorite.

this one was our third football game of the season. kol hadn’t been to one yet. he was waiting for rebekah to- inevitably- skip a game for some supernatural conflict. today was our lucky day.

he texted me at 6:30pm, half an hour before kick off, and convinced me to sneak out of the locker room. he was waiting on the side of the building, sporting a mystic falls timber wolves away jersey matt had leant him. i asked him how he managed to do that, and he just dropped a wink.

“he’s been seeing me around. i guess i earned his trust.”

kol peered around, made sure no one was watching, and grabbed me by my hips. he pressed me up against the cool brick of the school building, pushing his nose against mine as i looked up at him.

“i like this outfit,” he breathed against my mouth.

i shivered under his touch, fingers grasping at his forearms. “don’t get dirty at school. that’s weird.”

kol rolled his eyes. “i’m a thousand years old. school doesn’t faze me. plus, there’s weirder places.”

“oh, yeah?” i giggled. “where?”

kol looked up, as if searching his brain. he met my eyes, widened his in humorous exaggeration, “the slums of london, summer, 1645. sewage wasn’t invented. women wore five hundred layers of clothing. it was hot. that’s way grosser than this.”

i cringed my nose at the description, “wow, that’s so romantic. i totally wanna kiss you now.”

kol squeezed my hips, “oh, darling, what am i gonna do with you?”

my hands slid up his arms, wrapping around his neck. “i can think of a few things.”

kol pressed in closer, humming. “i think i can, too.”

his lips slowly slotted between mine. i melted into his touch.

the game went by quickly. i swapped my cheer skirt for leggings, my top for a hoodie too large. kol’s hoodie.

he met me at the back door of the school. he took my bag from my shoulder, led me to his car, and opened the door for me.

“where are we going tonight?” i asked as he climbed into his seat.

kol started the car, arm coming to rest over the back of the front seat. “depends. where would you like to go, darling?”

i slid across the bench, curling up beneath his arm. kol squeezed my shoulder. i took a deep breath, breathing in his scent. “anywhere with you.”

i felt his heart beat thump faster.

“sounds wonderful.”

he drove for an hour. i played music, a playlist we’d developed between the two of us. the 1975, taylor swift, various other artists dabbled in between. it was a soundtrack that made my skin tingle. it made me think of under-the-cover-secrets and cedar-wood- kol’s cologne.

i fell asleep shortly into the car ride, rested against his side. once the car stopped, kol woke me up with a gentle shake of my shoulder. i opened my eyes, blinking in the dim light of the overheard car bulbs. kol’s hand slid to my hip as he turned the car off.

i looked out the front window. we were on a cliff, an overlook, peering over the mountains of virginia. we’d been here twice before.

i felt kol’s fingers dip up beneath my sweatshirt, warm on the curve of my hip. i squirmed and looked up at him. “i’m too tired to do anything tonight. sorry.”

kol’s hand retracted. he pulled back from my body, brows furrowed. “why are you apologizing?”

i sat up, crossing my arms over my stomach. “cause you wasted all that gas to drive out here.”

kol shook his head quickly. he reached out his hands, taking my face in his hold. “do you think that’s all i want?”

i shrugged, “i thought that- i don’t know. isn’t that what this is?”

kol’s thumb brushed across my cheeks, “this is everything to me, darling. i wouldn’t care if we never had sex.”

he leaned his head forward, caught my lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. he brushed his nose against mine, his eyelids shut. i watched his lashes brush the tops of his cheeks. “you look lovely tonight,” he whispered against my cheek.

i kissed him again. he tugged back softly. i curled under his arm, and he squeezed me against his side.

we watched the stars from the front seat of his car.

i fell asleep.

we didn’t have sex.

—

a week later and it all came crashing down.

rebekah had invited me over for a slumber party after the football game. we spent a few hours in the home theatre, watching another stupid rom-com, laughing at the nonsensical script.

i had more energy this week than last because we’d been mercy rolled by the other team. for all our supernatural abilities, our football team kinda sucked. but rebekah wanted to retire to her bedroom.

i didn’t know if kol was home. i’d heard klaus and elijah moving about. finn was probably sulking about being alive in his room.

kol and i texted a lot. i usually knew where he was. but a small part of me hoped he wasn’t there. i wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to go and see him.

and i knew he wouldn’t be able to resist me.

i flopped onto her bed as rebekah excused herself to go shower. cheerleading, even for a vampire, was tiring.

i glanced at the bedroom door. my heart skipped a beat. but i swallowed my urges, resisting them. i shuffled through my bag and pulled out a book.

the shower squeaked on.

i looked at the door again.

rebekah turned up her music.

the door.

i bore a hole into my novel, the words rushing in my eyes, and dissipating behind them. they weren’t connecting to my racing brain.

i heard the handle rattle and the door pushed inwards. my heart jumped up my throat as kol’s head peaked into the room. i sat up quickly, mouth opening to chew him out.

he quickly sped over to me, clasping his hand over my mouth. i widened my eyes at his closeness, his breath fanning over my face. my head tilted, threatening to discipline him for his bold touches. kol grinned at me, winked, and- next thing i knew- we were in his bedroom.

i let out a held breath as i settled onto my feet. kol had his hands wrapped around ny hips. his bed lay behind me, sheets messy from sleep.

“kol! what the fuck?” i shoved him away, head spinning.

kol laughed at the fact that he put me on-edge. “relax, darling. she’s not going to hear anything.”

everything came crashing down within the span of mere seconds. the door behind kol flew opened, creaking ominously. my eyes shot over his shoulder, meeting a pair of blue ones, widened in shock, then narrowed in anger.

wrapped in a white towel, hair damp from her shower, rebekah crossed her arms over chest. her perfect, pouty lips braced open, an eery sigh slipping through. kol met my eyes, jaw slack, and shoulders hunched up in fear. he slowly turned to face his sister.

“what the fuck am i not going to hear?”

#elijah mikaelson #kol mikaelson #kol mikaelson x reader #kol mikaelson x you #rebekah mikaelson #the originals #the originals x reader #the originals x y/n #tvd x reader #the vampire diaries x you #the vampire diaries

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