#he expressed disappointment that i had brown eyes as well and is always trying to get me not to wear my glasses

[violentdelightsandviolentends]

Honey Girl. Christmas.

chapter synopsis - Christmas doesn’t feel like Christmas for you this year. Bucky’s determined to change that.

pairing - dads bestfriend!bucky barnes x female reader - soulmate au

warnings - cursing.

word count - 2.5k

authors note - I know what you’re thinking… murphy, this is a christmas chapter and it’s january 2nd. and yes, I know. I admit that I had a lot less time than I initially anticipated over the festive period to write. regardless, I hope you enjoy this. it’s a flashback, set between chapters 6 and 7 <3

series masterlist. main masterlist. inbox.

“You have icing on your face.”

You chuckle as Isabel rubs at your cheek with her sleeve, trying to be gentle but failing miserably.

“What colour?”

“Green.”

“Christmas cookies,” you say as you smack her hand away, laughing when she glares at you playfully. “The kitchen is covered in red and green icing. It looks like an elf was murdered in there.”

“That sounds festive. And morbid. And… delicious?”

“You want to take some home?”

“Yes!” she gasps with excitement. “I was telling my brother about them yesterday, he’s desperate to try some.”

“Remind me later, and I’ll grab you a box.”

“Thank you. You’re the best.”

You’re rising from your chair to return to the kitchen when Isa grabs your hand, pulling you back down. You quirk a brow at her in confusion, asking a silent question.

“You’re going home for Christmas, right?”

She’s squeezing your hand rather tightly, waiting like an eager puppy for your response.

“I, uh - yeah. I think I am. Need to make sure I get back here in plenty of time for opening between the twenty fifth and new year.”

“Girl… what? That means you’ll only be home for a few days. That’s not a real Christmas.”

“It’s okay, it’s just the way things are. It’ll be a super busy few days anyway, knowing my Mom.”

She looks at you intently for a moment, and you can practically see the wheels turning in her brain.

“We’ll cover you.”

“Isa… what?”

“We’ll cover it. Me, Stella, and we can get Justin and Mikey to help too. They’re coming to give us a hand over the next few weeks anyway, so they might as well pull their weight.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking. I’m telling you, that’s what we’re going to do.”

“Isa-”

“Please. You’re the backbone of this place - it’d quite literally fall apart without you. The least you deserve is some decent time off with your family back home. You deserve a proper Christmas.”

You’re quiet for a moment, contemplating everything. The more you think about it, the more you’re tempted - the idea of more time with your parents and Bucky is too good to pass up.

“Only if Stella agrees. And you can’t convince her - she has to agree on her own terms.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“I should be thanking you,” you laugh, shaking your head.

“Okay, now leave.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been here since 4am. Please, go home.”

“Isa.”

“I am so serious right now. Look at my face. Look at how serious I am.”

You can’t help but laugh at her, the stoic expression she wears doing nothing to hide the amusement behind those big brown eyes.

“Fine, fine. Man, you’re bossy today.”

“I’m learning from the best.”

You hit her with your dish towel, punishment for the jab she made. She’s giggling like a maniac, skipping back to her place behind the counter.

“Isa - call me if you need anything, yeah?”

“Always.”

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

You’ve been in the same spot on the couch for an hour when there’s a knock at your door. Reluctantly, you get up to answer it, disappointed about leaving the cocoon you’ve made so comfortable.

Your hand is on the door knob when you feel a sudden rush of warmth through your chest, spreading rapidly to the tips of your fingers and the soles of your feet. Suddenly, everything is a little bit brighter, more colourful, more vibrant. The birds are chirping louder, the sun setting in a more beautiful shade of orange than before.

He’s here.

You swing the door open to reveal Bucky, standing looking hopeful with his overnight bag in his hand. He gets even more beautiful every time you see him. His hair is a little longer, his stubble growing out slightly, freckles scattered across his golden cheeks. He looks like the sun has come down to earth and given him a kiss, just because.

“You’re here.”

“I’m here.”

He’s wrapping his arms around you before you can move, creating a safety net that blankets you both. You breathe him in, the scent of the ocean and musk and wood and home.

“What are you doing here?” you mumble against the soft cotton of his t shirt.

“Came to surprise you. Thought we could have our own Christmas, the two of us.”

“Really?” you ask as you pull back to look at him.

“Really. Isabel says you’ve been working too hard, and that you need a pick me up.”

“You talk to Isa?”

“We’re friends on Facebook.”

You laugh like you can’t help it, shaking your head at the idea of the two of them messaging each other.

“She was very adamant about sending me home today. It all makes sense now.”

“Our master plan worked,” he chuckles, stepping inside and kicking the door closed behind him.

You’ve almost forgotten how easily Bucky fits into your space, like he belongs there. He throws his bag down and sits down on your couch, sinking into the cushions like they’re moulded to his shape, ready and waiting for him to return.

“How long are you here for?” you ask as you slide yourself into his side, slotting in perfectly.

“Just a couple of days. And then I’ll see you back home for Christmas with your parents, yeah?”

“You’re coming? My Mom said she wasn’t sure whether you were or not.”

“I can’t say no to one of Lori’s Christmas dinners. I’ll come over at lunch time, give you guys the morning to yourselves. Won’t overstay my welcome, promise.”

“You could never overstay your welcome, Buck. Not possible.”

He presses a kiss into your hair, pulling you closer so there isn’t an inch of space between you.

“I got you a present. Wanted to give it to you while we’re alone.”

“You did? I thought we said we weren’t gonna do gifts?”

“We did. But I know for a fact you got me something, didn’t you?”

You chuckle, resting your head on his shoulder.

“Yes, I did.”

“Knew it. And anyway, I didn’t buy it. I made it.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him in curiosity, watching as he bounds across the living room to rifle around in his bag. When he finds what he’s looking for, he jumps over the back of the sofa, returning to his original place next to you.

“Here.”

It’s wrapped very precisely, a book sized rectangle with neat corners and careful folds. There’s a red ribbon tied around the centre, and the idea of Bucky sitting and trying to get it just right makes your heart ache.

You unwrap it gently, reluctant to undo all of his hard work. He’s watching you intently, determined to see every little reaction on your face.

Sitting in your hand is a leather bound book, with a forest green coloured cover. Your name is engraved into the front of it, carved into the material forever. You open it up to find that it isn’t blank, but contains templates of some sort, the pages covered with very faint geometric lines.

“What is it, Buck?”

He grins, turning some of the pages so he can show you.

“It’s a blank cookbook. Thought you could write down the final copies of the recipes that work after you’ve developed them, have them all in one place.”

“I love it,” you whisper, running your fingers over the pages. “What’s this pattern? On the paper?”

“It’s the blueprints. For our house.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I made them as transparent as possible, so your eyes wouldn’t get distracted. But I wanted to have a piece of us in it, to remind you.”

“It’s the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received,” you smile, willing yourself not to cry about it. “I love it so much, Buck. Thank you.”

He leans in to press a gentle kiss to your lips, all sugary sweet.

“My turn, now. Though lower your expectations, please.”

He rolls his eyes, laughing when you shove at his shoulder. You pull his gift from the drawer in the coffee table, handing him a small box.

He opens it carefully, lifting the lid to reveal a navy bracelet, all woven and intricate. He turns it over to look at the inside, gently tracing the embroidery with his fingertips.

“They’re our birth flowers.”

“I didn’t even know I had a birth flower,” he chuckles in awe. “Honey, it’s… it’s beautiful.”

“I made it.”

His head whips up, eyes wide as he stares at you.

“You made this?”

“I went to a class with Stella and Isa, it was like an introduction thing. And I knew how to embroider anyway, so that bit was easy.”

“I can’t believe you. Is there anything you can’t do?”

You’re laughing as you shake your head, dismissing his attempts to massage your ego.

“Like I said, it was a workshop.”

“I love it so much, honey girl. Thank you. I’ll never take it off.”

“Never?”

“Never,” he murmurs against your lips, big hands cradling your face as he pulls you closer. “Never ever.”

He kisses you with purpose, one hand gripping the back of your neck as the other wraps around your back to plaster you to him. You tilt your head to let him slip his tongue into your mouth, tasting the coffee he must have been drinking on the drive down.

Just as you’re about to pull his shirt up and over his head, his stomach rumbles louder than you’ve ever heard it.

“What have you eaten today?” you chuckle, carding your fingers through his hair to fix it.

“I had an early lunch, but I haven’t had dinner yet. Have you?”

“Not yet. You wanna make something?”

“Cake.”

“Huh?”

“I think we should make a cake for dinner.”

“Bucky Barnes. What is wrong with you?”

He laughs all full and warm, and the timbre of it settles nicely into your chest.

“I’ve been thinking about all the stuff I’m missing out on now that you’re here and not at home. The cakes, the cookies, the macaroons, the tarts…”

His stomach rumbles again as he clutches it dramatically, throwing himself backwards onto the couch cushions.

“And so you want cake for our Christmas dinner?”

“Yes I do.”

You can’t fight the grin that’s sweeping across your face, no matter how much you want to.

“Let me make you something to keep you going while I create the best cake for dinner you’ve ever had.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

A huge kiss is planted onto your cheek, joy practically radiating off your soulmate next to you.

“I’ll make myself a sandwich, honey. I know it’s gonna take you a while to line your baking tins.”

You don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that he remembers the time you were ranting about cutting greaseproof paper and bottomless cake tins and butter versus margarine for stickiness.

“I have homemade bread in the pantry. Sourdough from the bakery.”

“That’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

He’s pressing a kiss into your hair as he rises from his seat, wandering towards the kitchen to get things moving.

“This is a stupid idea,” you laugh, following him. “What kind of cake do you want?”

✵  ✵    ·　 ✵ 　　 *  · ✵

“I’m never going to get over this.”

“So you like it?”

“Honey. My God.”

He groans into his last forkful of cake, placing the utensil down onto his plate with a definitive clang. You’re both sat at the kitchen island, the two of you having just finished your second portion each.

“Good, because we’ve got a whole cake to finish before you go home.”

His head is resting on his hand as he looks at you with bright eyes, watching every micro expression that graces your face as if it’s a rerun of his favourite movie.

“Make sure to write that recipe in your new book. We’re making this a Christmas tradition.”

“I like that idea,” you smile as you lean over to press a kiss to his sugary lips. “I like that idea a lot.”

“Good.”

You stack the plates and are about to get up to stick them in the sink when Bucky grabs your wrist, keeping you sat down on the bar stool.

“Hey, pretty girl?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

His thumb rubs circles into the back of your hand, the touch so familiar that you almost don’t notice it at first.

“Why haven’t you decorated for Christmas?”

“Hmm?”

“I thought you’d at least have a tree, or some lights hanging. Maybe an ornament or two. But you don’t have anything.”

“Oh. Um… I don’t know. Just haven’t had the time, I guess.”

He’s looking at you like he doesn’t believe a word you’re saying. You’re not sure you believe a word you’re saying.

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas,” you whisper honestly. “Even when I was in culinary school, I’d go back home for Christmas. And now I’m here, and I have like three friends and no family with me, and it doesn’t feel like Christmas.”

A tear slips down your cheek as you sniffle, pulling the sleeves of your shirt down over your hands.

“Oh, sweetheart.”

He’s up and out of his chair immediately, wrapping his arms around you where you still sit. His familiar scent and his familiar warmth comfort you instantly, heart rate calming down ever so slightly as he holds you.

“I know it’s all new and different, but that’s the exciting thing about this, right? It’s not what you’re used to, but you have the chance to create new traditions and a whole load of new memories now.”

“You’re right,” you mumble into his chest. “I think I was so stuck on thinking about how different everything was, that I forgot that different can be a good thing.”

“Exactly. I’m here for a couple of days, and then we can go home and have the Christmas Day with your parents that you’re used to. Yeah?”

“Yeah. Buck?”

“Hmm?”

“You are the only person in the world I wanted to see when I opened that door earlier.”

“The feeling is mutual, sweetheart,” he hums as he presses a kiss into your hair. “Why do you think I drove all the way here?”

“Because you’re the best.”

“Can’t argue with that,” he chuckles, pulling you with him towards the couch. “Now come on, we need to watch a Christmas movie. You pick.”

“Love Actually,” you say without missing a beat. “It’s Love Actually or nothing.”

“Done,” he’s laughing, reaching for the remote.

“Thank you,” you whisper, lacing your fingers with his. “For everything.”

“Always. Merry Christmas, honey girl.”

“Merry Christmas, Bucky.”

[iid-smile]

every time you saw him, your gaze always moves upwards.

you saw him this morning, and then during his patrols, and then when he came to your house. kaji has been roaming around town with an obvious patch of dark brown hair at his roots. you're well aware that he's busy and all, but you can't tell if the untouched patch look cute on him, or is an unsatisfying contrast to the sandy dye on the rest on his hair.

it's been a week, and then a month; still no changes, and they've grown out a little more. now, this is just being lazy. the amount of times you've had to drag him away from cheeky little kids that were calling him a 'moldy head', or 'tp with number two' can't even be counted with both of your hands. seriously, why does he let children half is age piss him off that bad?

so finally, you manage to sit him down in your bathroom, clear, flimsy gloves that are clearly way too big for you protecting your hands. you eye his facial expression in the mirror, but he keeps his unmoving stare down at his lap. it's not like he talks a lot in the first place, but he's been awfully quiet since he stepped through the door.

a small frown comes to your face as you continued to stir the mix in the bowl, a lot slower than you really should and the crinkle from your gloves is the only obvious sound. "you really shouldn't eat around bleach..." as if it would help, you try to turn your body away from his. you don't want to nag, but you feel like you have to.

the lollipop stick between his lips swishes from one cheek to the other, the ball of candy moving along with it. "i'm not eating." kaji mumbles, head tilting up, but not to look at you. instead, he glances over at his disconnected headphones near the top corner of the counter, well away from the sink and where he was sat.

"but it's in your mouth." you argue. no response from him. as grumpy as he may look, he's not angry or annoyed per se, but maybe disappointed that you baited him with a promise to cuddling in your bedroom. in his eyes, that was a low blow. and you don't blame him, because you know how much he loves cuddles.

maybe a joke would lighten his mood a bit...? you wouldn't want to bear with the silent treatment the entire time. "how about you try strawberry blond next time?" you attempt to tease, expecting to hear a harsh 'no' as a reply.

he turns his head almost eerily, looking up at you with the most serious expression you've ever seen on his face. "i prefer peaches." his words come out muffled from the confectionery in his mouth.

you're stunned. "...i didn't mean it literally..."

yeah, you'll just have to cuddle after.

[stuckinthesun]

“Scared of me?” Eren Jaeger x Fem!Reader

Kinktober — Week Four: Stalker, mask, car sex, choking, DC

You had always wanted to go to Horror Nights, and finally tonight was the night. You and your friends had all saved up to get the fast passes to beat the two hour lines, gotten cute outfits to take a bunch of pictures in, and all met up early at the theme park to get the full experience.

Excitement ran through your veins as you entered the park. The decorations were amazing and the sets for the mazes were really thought out.

The best part though were the scare actors prowling around through the crowds. The costumes ranged from people with scary makeup, to people walking on stilts.

The whole thing left you in awe.

Your friends you decided to go through some of the mazes, and your group clung together as you guys screamed through each one.

After a couple of the scary mazes, you guys went to look for something to eat. Navigating through the large crowds was difficult, especially with the scare actors going around.

Finding a food stand you all could agree on, your friends went to order while you looked for a place to sit. You found a place nearby pretty quickly and made your way over to claim it.

Just as you made it to the picnic table you suddenly felt a presence behind you.

“Boo,” An extremely deep, unnatural voice said behind you, causing you to jump and turn around.

It was a scare actor, obviously. A man, shirtless and smeared with fake blood, wearing a mask with glowing green eyes.

You gasped and stepped backwards from him, startled by how ominous his presence was. He seemed different than the other actors, for example he was the first one you’d seen that was completely topless.

His mask was different too. It looked like a humanoid creature with exaggerated pointed features, the expression set in a permanent scowl. ( I’m going for erens titan as a mask )

It’s glowing LED lights for eyes really made the whole look though. They were haunting.

The two of you just stood there for a moment, staring at each other. The actor tilted his head to the side, as if questioning you, and you watched his long brown hair fall over his shoulder.

“I-I,” You stumbled over your words, feeling very confused.

The scare actors have been doing a great job so far at making you feel what you’re supposed to feel, scared.

Until now, until him.

You can feel yourself blushing under his watchful eyes, and you want nothing more than to rub your thighs together to elevate the sudden ache you feel between them.

The actor tilts his head the other way, and this time you notice the way his bare torso moves. This man is cut, and the fake blood covering him only helps to accentuate that.

“Yes?” That deep voice asked, and you suddenly realize that he has a voice changer in his mask as well.

You clear your throat, “I- I like your mask.”

Another moment of just staring passes between the two of you, and now you suddenly hate his mask because you can’t see anything going behind it. But then, the actor takes a step closer to you and this time, you don’t step away from him.

His tall frame is extremely close to you now, and you suck in a breath when he leans down to press the nose of his mask to yours, “Thank you.”

You blink at him and open your mouth to say something else when you hear your friends call out for you.

It’s like a spell was broken. You gasp, eyes widening and you take a step back, bumping into the table in the process. A deep chuckle comes from the actors mask, sending a chill down your spine as you watch him stand back up to his full height.

The man then just walks away, moving back to prowl around through the crowd of people.

You watch him disappear, a feeling of disappointment filling your chest.

When you’re friends make it over to you, hands full of food, they ask you if you’re okay. You nod and sit down with them after turning to try and find those glowing eyes again.

After you guys finish eating you continue making your way through the park. You go through more mazes, look through the shops, get some snacks and drinks, and laugh every time one of your friends gets scared.

It was just as fun as you thought it would be.

Except, you couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching you, following you.

You couldn’t tell if it was just the atmosphere of Horror Nights or if you were really being stalked, but whenever you would check your surroundings when the feeling got to be too much, you could’ve sworn you saw those familiar glowing green eyes.

Was that scare actor following you?

You should’ve said something, told one of your friends or gone to an employee. Instead you waited, sitting with your anticipation and wondering what the wanted.

It was late by the time your friends decided to call it a night, and you guys walked to the exit together before saying goodbye and splitting off to head to your cars.

The feeling that you were being watched intensified once you were alone. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, and you picked up your pace the closer you got to your car.

You could feel his presence behind you now, trailing behind you toward your car, and once you rounded the side of your car to get in the driver’s seat, he was on you.

Two hands suddenly grabbed your waist, roughly spinning you around to look into the same LED green lights from earlier.

The masked man pressed you against the car as you stared at him and whispered, “So you were following me.”

He nodded, not seeming even a little ashamed, and leaned into you. His hands immediately began exploring, roaming across your body over your clothes, making you shudder and close your eyes.

“Not even going to say anything?” You mutter, hating how much control this stranger had over you.

How much control you were letting him have.

The man pushed himself closer, leaning down to put the mouth of the mask next to your ear, and you felt him squeeze your ass as the deep voice asked, “Yes or no?”

You whimpered as his hands continued to squeeze you, and nodded.

“Say it.” He demanded.

You moaned as you said, “Yes.”

“Good,” Was all he said before unbuttoning your jeans and sliding his hand inside both them and your panties.

A gasp fell out of your mouth at the suddenness, but it melted into another moan at the feeling of two of his fingers slipping between your folds and sliding against your clit. Your hips bucked involuntarily against his hand, and you gripped onto his arms for dear life as pleasure engulfed you.

“So easily undone by someone you know literally nothing about,” The man teased you, causing you to whine, “Don’t even know what my actual voice sounds like and here you are, letting me finger you in a parking lot.”

“Take off the mask then,” You groaned, your eyes rolling back as you feel him slip his middle finger inside of you.

He pushes another finger inside of your aching pussy before you can even fully adjust to the feeling of the first one.

You cry out, too lost in the feeling of his fingers inside of you and the heel of his hand rubbing your clit to notice how loud you were.

The strangers free hand wrapping around your throat and squeezing made you open your eyes and gasp out a surprised breath, “Shhhh.”

“P-please,” You mumbled, feeling so close to the edge.

The man pressed the nose of his mask against yours, just like before, and said, “If you want to see my face, then earn it.”

Right as you were about to cum, he pulled his hand out from inside your pants. You groan in frustration, tears prickling your eyes, “Why-“

“Get on your knees,” He ordered, taking a step back to give you room. You watch him completely stunned as he lifts the bottom of his mask, and slides his fingers still covered in your slick in his mouth.

You still can’t see anything but when he moans as he tastes you, it’s him. The sound doesn’t come out of the voice changer, deepening and distorting it, you only hear him.

And the sound makes you drop to your knees, eager to please him enough to take the mask off.

“Good girl,” he says after pulling the mask back down, “Taste fucking good too, just like I thought.”

You make quick work of unzipping his pants and pulling him out, and your eyes widen at the sheer size of him.

You don’t know if he’ll fit inside your cunt, let alone your throat.

“You can take it,” The man grunts, apparently reading your mind, before grabbing a fistful of your hair and bringing your face closer to his cock.

Frowning, you glare up at him, “Can I at least know your name?”

You watch him tilt his head, “It’s Eren. Now suck my cock, Yn.”

Your eyes widen at his use of your name, knowing full well that you never told him it. Then again, he has been following you, he probably heard it from your friends throughout the night.

Throwing another bratty glare at him, you bring your hand up to wrap around the base of Eren’s cock as you wrap your lips around his head.

A breathy sound comes out of Eren’s mask, encouraging you to take more of him. It doesn’t take long for you to begin sucking him off in earnest, causing his hand to tighten in your hair almost painfully.

“Fuck, keep going baby,” Eren groaned, rocking his hips and gently fucking your mouth. You moan around his length and gag a little when he thrusts in to far.

With a strangled sound Eren pulls you off of him suddenly, saliva and precum connecting you before he lifts you off the pavement, “Backseat. Now.”

You quickly open the car door and he pushes you inside on your back, already tugging your jeans and panties down your legs.

The door slams shut and he on top of you, spreading your legs and lining himself up with your now exposed entrance.

“Eren please!” You whine, feeling him tease you with the head of his cock.

“You want me to fuck you? Huh?” He taunts, rubbing his tip through your folds, “Need me inside of your pussy?”

“Yes, gods please fuck me Eren.” You beg, tears pricking your eyes again.

He pushes his length inside of you without warning, bottoming out and making your eyes snap shut at the feeling of being stretched out. Eren feels so big inside of you, filling you up so much that he’s kissing your cervix.

It feels amazing.

“Look at me,” Eren grunts and you falter at the unfamiliar voice.

You open your eyes and look up Eren in the dark of your car, to realize he took the mask off. His eyes were green, but unlike his mask they weren’t blinding yet haunting. They looked at you with hunger and amusement.

“Hi, princess.” Eren smirked at you and began thrusting his hips at a bruising pace.

Moaning loudly you squeezed your legs around him, arching your back at the intense pleasure resurfacing through your body.

He immediately found your sweet spot, exploiting it and making your body shake, “You feel so fucking good wrapped around my cock, fuck.”

With the edge from earlier you could already feel your climax approaching, so you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Finally feeling his mouth on yours was exhilarating and you moaned, “Don’t stop, fuck I’m so close.”

Eren smirked again your mouth and muttered, “Come on, cum on my cock and show me how good I make you feel.”

Slipping his hand between your bodies, Eren started rubbing your clit, making you fall apart. You came with a long moan, clinging onto the man on top of you and clenching around him.

“S-shit,” Eren groaned before quickly pulling out and fisting his dick, spilling his cum all across your stomach.

You lay on your backseats, panting as you desperately try to catch your breath. Looking up at Eren, you find him staring at you, a satisfied smile lighting up his face.

“What?” You ask, suddenly feeling self conscious and very aware that you don’t know this man.

But Eren just shoots you a cocky smirk and says, “I just knew you’d look good covered in my cum, that’s all.”

Kinktober is FINISHED

[thisishwrworld]

what if I wrote a Silco x Reader slow burn where Reader becomes Jinx’s tutor while striving to gain a lecturer position at Piltover Academy?? yo anyway here’s like a little 800 word intro to reader and her backstory. should I continue workshopping this?

“I believe there’s a better way to complete this,” you say quietly to the student in front of you as you point a manicured nail to problem three on the worksheet. All you get in response is a heavy sigh. A mop of curly brown hair falls into growing hands as the boy flops onto his desk with dramatic effect. A pencil rolls, clicking along the way as it falls off the desk. A quick swipe of your hand has it back in place next to the boy’s elbow.

“But Professor, I don’t know how else to do it,” the boy bemoans.

“How about using L’Hopital’s rule, what you’re doing right now is equivalent to high treason of mathematics,” you point to the boy’s equation sheet. Slowly and with perfect restraint, the boy turns his head and shoots you a withering look. God, how could a child of fourteen produce such distain for one math concept. Gesturing with your hands, he finally picks up his pencil and begins scribbling.

You begin a turn about the room so as not to hover and overly critique your student. Passing fine wood furniture and buttery soft drapes laid over partitioned windows. Windows overlooking the Undercity’s promenade and a view of Piltover across the river. Soft scribbles bounce off wallpaper. You gaze into the eddies of the river.

A voice calls your name from the adjacent sitting room, “could I have a moment of your time?” You hum a confirmation and begin to move. Walking through the room you check over the boy’s shoulder and give a soft squeeze as you see the progress you were hoping for.

As you enter the green themed sitting room, you’re hit with a sense of unease. Your employer never looks this restrained, usually she’s a little chatty and all too kind when offering refreshments. Now she seems a little stoic. A hard crease in her brow. You already know what’s coming. You’ve had it happen so many times. There the words are.

“I’m going to have to let you go.”

You sigh disappointedly, but can’t blame anyone, not even yourself. At least it’s never your fault.

“You’re a great teacher to my son and I’ll be eternally grateful for it.”

They always acknowledge you’re a proficient lecturer. You simply give a slight nod. Disappointment and even a little anguish show on your face. It’s horrible for you, to meet, teach, and even befriend tens and tens of students. Only to have families eventually fall on hard times. The first expenditure to cut is almost always education. If it isn’t the first, well it’s got to at least be the third. The woman looks almost pained in her sorrowful expression. You don’t think you’ve ever seen a client so distraught. She realizes that her son won’t make it to Piltover and beyond without a continuing education. But she just can’t afford it.

“I—“ she starts to say from her green recliner. You raise your hand softly and give a slight nod. It’s alright, is said in the soft tilt of your brow and a closing of the eyes, I understand. The woman screws her eyes shut and exhales.

“I can keep you on until next week,” she pushes out. You hum softly in response. Now the job hunt begins. Or else you’ll miss rent this month. You give a bigger nod of your head, a few strands falling from your up-do as you turn back to the dining room to finish the lesson.

Even quieter now she calls, “I do have work for you though.” Your head whips back, so she isn’t firing you?

“No,” she shakes her head at the question in your eyes, “I know of someone looking to hire.” You hum noncommittally, maybe she’s just trying to be nice after doing the equivalent of throwing you out into the river.

“I appreciate it. I’ve loved tutoring your son and he’s made such progress. I’ll formulate a lesson plan that you can homeschool him with for the foreseeable future,” you offer softly as you inch closer and closer back to the dining room.

“I’ll give you the address of the individual looking for a tutor,” the mother offers softly. You whisper your thanks and leave the green sitting room behind. A dark cloud hangs above you as you run through your finances in your mind. This was the worst time for this to happen, you really shouldn’t have bought that new dress last week.

Time feels as if it flies by as you finish the lesson and begin to gather your notes and textbooks. A slip of paper slides across the oak wood table as a manicured hand comes into view.

“Here’s the information for the open position,” she offers. As you peer down at the paper, only threes words are scrawled upon it.

“The Last Drop.”

[mosquego359]

𖤐One Kiss and A Quidditch Match — Chapter 2: Spin the Bottle𖤐

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 1

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 4.4K words

Summary of the book: You and Cedric Diggory hate each other. It has always been this way. But everything changes one night when you kiss each other at a party. Now, it seems you can’t escape each other — from being partnered up in Herbology for an important project to having to help Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament.

Summary of the chapter: At the party, your roommate asks you and your friends if you want to play Spin the Bottle.

Notes: Please comment anything I should change to improve this. Also, I am not British so I am not 100% sure how to correctly write people from the UK.

Content warning: There are a couple curse words and drinking in this chapter, but they are not too frequent.

!PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDITS TO ME!

...

“Where’s my brother?” Winnie asked, scanning the nearly vacant Slytherin common room. Next to her, a girl with curly brown hair stood.

“What the bloody hell are you wearing?” Brian sputtered, his maw open and bushy eyebrows bunched together. He looked her up and down, his confused expression apparent on his features.

Winnie tilted her head in visible puzzlement, “It’s a party. Aren’t we supposed to be dressed up to look pretty and stand out?” She looked down at her outfit, “I don’t see what’s wrong with what I’m wearing.” You smiled at her ignorance.

The girl next to her widened her eyes and looked away. Her shoulders shook, attempting to hold back her laughter. Next to you, leaning to the side, one hand on his hip, Brian’s face was contorted into a dumbfounded expression.

You observed Winnie’s odd outfit choice. She wore short overalls with a primarily pastel chequered palette and a small daisy on the front pocket in the middle of her chest. Underneath, you saw a white, overlarge sweater. You thought it was a bit simple for her until you noticed the sleeves looked dipped in colourful paint, peeling off in several areas. It was no doubt Winnie's creative idea. Her socks were also white but had pastel polka dots, and her shoes were black ballerina flats. For a Pureblood, she sure loved Muggle-wear.

You glanced at her face and noted that it was the only area on her body that wasn’t doused with colour. Her frizzy hair was tied up in a low ponytail, a few strands escaping from the coiffure.

You decided to jump into the conversation. “Yes, Winnie, but your outfit is rather,” you paused, searching for the right word, “visible.”

“What’s wrong with visible?” She furrowed her brows.

Before you could respond, Brian stepped in, cutting you off, “Well, we are sneaking around, and if we get caught, it’ll be a problem. We need something more discreet and everyday-wear.”

“But you and (Name) are also wearing nice clothes.” Winnie gestured to your primarily brown outfits.

“Winnie,” you tried reasoning with her, “Brian and I are wearing really dark and simple clothes. It’ll be more difficult to recognise us from a distance since many guys dress similarly, while your outfit is really bright and recognisable.”

She looked down, disappointment etched on her features as realisation dawned on her, “Oh okay…” she mumbled.

The girl next to her caressed her shoulder reassuringly. It was funny because she was at least 180, while Winnie was over a head shorter. That’s when it finally clicked for you.

“Hey, I know you,” the girl looked up at the sound of your voice, “You’re Winnie and Elsie’s roommate, aren’t you? Mary, right? I’m not the best at names.” You smiled at her, and she nodded, a silent gesture of affirmation.

“Anyway,” Brian said, “Is Elsie coming, or did she decide to skip?”

Winnie looked up again, “Oh, Ramona and Avery are helping her get ready. Where’s my brother? Is he already gone?”

You nodded, “Yes, he wanted to meet Destiny beforehand.” 

You didn’t ask about why Elsie was spending extra time trying to seem appealing since you remembered the way she looked at Alistair and how he would often be the topic of conversation whenever he wasn’t there, whether she was complimenting his flying skills or insulting his girlfriend.

Brian was also aware, so he kept his mouth shut.

Winnie clapped her hands together and put them to her cheek in a sweet, motherly way as one would when cooing at a romantic couple or cute puppy, “Ohh! I’m glad everything is going well between them.”

You were never sure whether or not Winnie liked Destiny, but she seemed genuinely happy for her brother despite his girlfriend’s imperfections. It was one of her aspects you liked. She was determined to help everyone, so it surprised you that she wasn’t a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff.

“Where’s Campbell?” You heard Elsie’s voice coming from near the top of the stairs of the girl’s dormitory.

Winnie raised her hand and looked up, “I’m here.”

“No, the other Campbell. I never call you by your last name, Winnie, and if I did, you’d be Campbell NumberTwo.” Elsie stepped down from the dormitory. Two girls looking rather proud of themselves followed suit.

Elsie wore a red chequered skirt with a matching cropped blazer over a black corset top you recognised from a muggle shop near your house. Her short hair was tucked behind her ears with pins and hair clips.

Winnie squeaked joyfully and wrapped her arms around Elsie, then pulled away and bounced up and down. Sometimes, since she was so enthusiastic, you weren’t sure whether Winnie knew about her best friend’s crush on her brother, considering that was the reason Elsie dressed up in the first place.

“You look lovely,” you smiled reassuringly, and Elsie shrugged, looking away and playing with her sleeves. You rarely saw her this reserved since the first time you met her, and most of her other friends never got to see that vulnerable side of her.

Mary signed something to one of the girls who helped Elsie get ready, and she checked the time with a pocket watch.

“It’s 11: 15, peeps. If we hurry now, we’ll be at the Gryffindor common room by 30.”

The entire group nodded in acquiescence. 

As you shuffled towards the door, you removed your penny brown sweater and handed it to Winnie, “Here, you need it more than I.”

“Aww! Thank you, (Name)!” She slipped it over her head and pulled it down, wrapping her arms around herself, petting the wool. She swayed from side to side as she trotted behind the others. You stifled a chuckle at how much larger it was than her, walking behind the other.

“11: 30,” whispered the girl with the pocket watch — whose name you found out was Ramona Armstrong, the sister of one of your roommates —, brushing her spiky red hair out of her eyes, “They’ll be here to check the door in a couple second, I reckon.”

The Fat Lady looked at your group, “You know, most of the students are already here.”

Winnie tilted her head, “But can’t we go to parties at any time after?” 

The Fat Lady gave her a look that suggested that Winnie’s reply wasn’t one she particularly liked, “Well, apparently.” She sniffed.

The door slowly creaked open, and a head of red hair popped out from behind the painting. He grinned at your group, “Well, look what we have here.” Fred Weasly grinned, analysing your group, “You all 16?”

“Yup.” Elsie spoke for your group, disinterestedly checking her nails.

Fred hummed, “We’re gonna need a password anyways.”

“What?! But there was nothing about the password in the invitation!” Ramona and Mary’s friend babbled to your left, unmistakably irritated. From the corner of your eye, you saw Brian tilting her head. When you looked to your right, he and Winnie were frowning in perplexity.

“Goodness, I’ve never met 6th years so dense,” the Fat Lady groaned from another painting, fanning herself, “He’s obviously playing with you, now please go inside so I can sleep!”

You sighed. Of course, there was no password. Fred just found it funny to mess with a bunch of Slytherins, many of whom were deemed intelligent by their report cards. Fred snickered. If George was somewhere behind him, you couldn’t hear laughing.

Fred made a gesture with his head to follow him, and your party silently slipped into the dark Gryffindor common room. Sure, the walls were soundproof in every bedroom, but you glided soundlessly just in case.

“Once the passageway opens, you gotta all run, got it?” the redhead whispered, not looking for any affirmation from you.

He pressed a brick in the fireplace, then lightly tapped two others.

The wall slid to the side to reveal the interior of a room, and the loud chatter of 6 year students made you realise why everyone had to enter quickly. Fred was the first to slip in, and you went last. When you entered, the wall slid back into place.

Around you was a grand area a bit smaller than the common room, crowded with students your age or older drinking, playing games, or chatting. A hallway was across you, a badly drawn toilet sign hanging from a nail in the wall. While you were a bit annoyed at how dim the pink light was, you had to admit that the teachers would find it difficult to perceive it from the courtyard.

You felt a hand grab your hand.

You looked down to see Winnie. Next to her, her arm interlocked with Brian’s since they were closer height-wise. Elsie shuffled to your other side. 

“We should look for Alistair,” you suggested, raising your voice to be heard over the other conversations around you.

Winnie nodded with excitement, “Uh huh! So he and Destiny can see how lovely our outfits look tonight!” You glanced at Elsie whose cheeks turned pink at the thought.

“Well, we’re gonna have to leave y’all here,” Ramona said. Mary and the other girl were already sinking into the sea of people. “Good luck finding your friend.” She saluted you with two fingers before walking away, running her hands through her red hair. 

As you made your way through the crowd of people, you saw one of your other roommates: Ziggy Armstrong. He was next to a boy you presumed to be the best friend he frequently talked about whenever you hung out.

“Ziggy!”

The boy glanced at you at the sound of your voice but still eagerly listened to his friend's conversation. You brought your arms to a shrugging motion, shaking your hands silently asking for Alistair’s location.

Ziggy pointed behind him to a corner of the room where you could make out two people sitting awfully close. 

You crinkled your nose at the thought of Alistair making out with his girlfriend and having to intervene in their... bonding session. It's not that you've never done anything of the sort, you just felt a tad uncomfortable seeing it happen, considering you never had feelings for the person you were with at the time. You gave Ziggy a thumbs up, only to see he’d gone back to engaging in his conversation.

“Over this way,” you pointed to where Alistair was.

Your group shuffled through the crowd, sliding past tightly cramped students and dodging the dancing teens to reach your friend. You led the way, and your friends rapidly followed suit.

You neared the duo, quickening your steps, when you saw them get up. You couldn't call out to Alistair and the person he was with — whom, to Elsie's displeasure, was Destiny White — since the chatter among the other people was too invasive and would muffle your shout.

Suddenly, someone walked in front of you. Since you hadn’t seen them, you ran face-first into them, foreheads bumping together, causing momentary pain in your skull. You felt liquid on your chest. It seemed whomever it was spilt their drinks when you crashed into them.

“(Name)!” Winnie and the rest of your party caught up to you to make sure you were fine, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah…” you groaned, obviously contradicting your statement.

A bit peeved, you glared at the person you bumped into through your lashes, pressing your naturally cold hands to your forehead, only to be met with a light grey glower from the worst person you could bump into at the moment: Cedric fucking Diggory.

He said something, but his words fell on deaf ears as you pushed past him.

You rushed to where Alistair was, only to find the space occupied by a group of Gryffindors laughing about the Triwizard Tournament's unexpected appearance.

You groused, throwing your hands into the air in frustration, before pivoting around to find your other friends.

They were still where you left them, Elsie and Brian waited for you arms crossed and deadpanned expressions, while Winnie hurried over to meet you, a look of worry etched on her soft features. She lightly grabbed your left arm, walking with you to the two others. You vaguely noticed Cedric had dissipated into the crowd.

“Don’t leave us alone with that Hufflepuff git again,” Elsie scolded, tapping your chest with her index finger.

You looked away, rubbing the back of your neck, which started heating up. It happened whenever you were embarrassed or flustered. Sometimes, when you felt ashamed. “Sorry, I was stupid,” you apologise, pressing your cold hand on your heated neck.

“Your shirt! There’s a spill!” Winnie gasped, pointing at your chest.

You looked down to see an orange stain on your white button-up, uncomfortably sticking to your skin. You cringed at the sight, feeling your nape growing hotter again. You couldn’t wear that shirt anymore unless you thoroughly washed it.

“Here,” Winnie removed the brown sweater you lent her and handed it back, “You need this more than me. Besides, I need to show off my fashion!” She twirled around and posed. 

Elsie snorted, and Brian smiled, the skin of his burn mark stretching. You pulled the sweater onto your head, the corner of your mouth twitching upwards.

“I think we’ll be alright without Alistair,” Brain admitted, leaning to his right with a lopsided grin. 

Winnie laughed in agreement.

You saw Elsie's slightly pained expression, and placed a hand on her shoulder, “We’re bound to cross paths with him at some point,” you added to Brian’s statement, although your words were primarily meant for Elsie’s ears.

“Yeah!! Let’s have fun tonight!!” Winnie pumped her fist into the air with delight, already advancing towards the food and drinks table.

“I don’t think I’d participate, personally,” Winnie shrugged, words slightly slurred from the two cups of alcohol she consumed, not sober, but not completely under the influence, “I’m not much of a competitive babe.”

You stirred your non-alcoholic (drink name) with a straw, a tinge of jealousy squeezing your heart. Since your birthday was later in the school year, you weren’t allowed to participate in the Triwizard Tournament — the infamous competition between Hogwarts and its rival schools your mother told you about when you were little.

What made it even worse was that Cedric could be participating. He was of age — well, would be soon — and no doubt had enough skill to be chosen as Hogwarts champion of this year. However, you were uncertain if he had it in him to act remotely aggressive towards the other school’s champions. Maybe he would try to get in just to rub it in your face.

Elsie smirked, “Yeah? Well I think I would. I’m 17 in less than a month.”

You felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned around to see Ziggy and his blonde best friend, a coy smile on his face, “Hey, we’re gonna play Spin the Bottle in a different room, wanna join?”

Your friends had stopped chatting; you responded with a nonchalant shrug, “Sure, I don’t see why not. Could be entertaining.”

“If (Name)’s in, I most certainly am, but don’t count on me kissing people on the lips specifically,” Brian chimed in, setting his drink down on the table next to the chips and suspicious-looking candy.

“Excellent,” Ziggy gave you a thumbs up, turning to the girls, he asked, “How about you ladies? Alistair’s gonna be there, too; it could be the full gang.”

Elsie perked up at the mention of Alistair before realising how odd it must have appeared, slouching back against the wall, eyes disinterested, “Alright, I’m in. How about you Winnie?”

Winnie frantically shook her head, chuckling as she spoke, “Absolutely not. I am not risking the bottle landing on my brother and I. No incest. Nope. Not today, perverts,” she rambled, waving her hand in the air in a tipsy manner.

Ziggy shrugged and started heading to a hallway you didn’t notice before, the blonde boy following after. Brian waved to Winnie and walked along with Ziggy. You stayed back to wait for Elsie.

“Alright,” she hesitated, “Are you fine with being alone here?”

Winnie smirked drunkenly, “Yeahhhh. But if you get bored, you can keep me company if you wanna.”

Elsie nodded in understanding, giving her a small smile, joining you as you caught up to the three other boys.

The room you entered was much smaller than the one you had been in moments before. Wooden shelves had been shoved closer to the stone grey walls, leaving space for the twenty-something students to sit comfortably in a wonky circle.

You recognised many people from your year, notably Alistair, Destiny, and — unfortunately — Cedric Diggory and his friends. You stuck to the opposite side of the room from where he was, slipping into a space next to Alistair. Destiny was busy talking to a Hufflepuff girl next to her and barely acknowledging your presence.

“Hello,” Alistair said and — to your surprise — he seemed sober, “Where have you been.”

“Searching for you,” Brian responded, settling next to you, “We gave up pretty early on, but it’s the thought that counts.”

Alistair laughed, “You’re here, Brian? I never thought your sad virgin ass would dare play a game like this. Even Elsie surprises me less. Nice skirt, by the way; it suits you.” He said nonchalantly.

Brian huffed and crossed his arms, light pink dusting his cheeks at being called out, while Elsie squinted in confusion, sliding next to you, “I’m not sure whether you’re saying that sarcastically or whether you’re serious. Is this a compliment?”

“Take it as you please.” Alistair shrugged.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen,” you turned your head to the sound of Ziggy’s voice in the middle of the circle, “Welcome, to our lovely little game: Spin the Bottle! I trust all of you have heard of it at least once in your sorry little lives, so we’ll just get on with the activity.”

He settled next to his best friend, who placed a bottle in the middle of the circle. “I volunteer to spin it first,” the blonde says, twisting the bottle, spinning it around, and then crawling back to his spot.

You held your breath in anticipation as the glass bottle slowed, only to land back on the same person who spun it. He laughed, “I don’t think that counts.”

“No redos,” insisted Ziggy, teasingly punching him in the arm, “Don’t be greedy; it’s my turn now. We’ll go around the circle clockwise, so everyone will get to kiss someone at some point. And don’t think any kiss less than five seconds will count.” You muffled a chuckle as Brian longingly looked at the exit.

One by one, the students spun the bottle around. So far, it never pointed to either Elsie, Brian or you; it did, however, land on Alistair, who — rather passionately — snogged a Gryffindor girl, much to Elsie’s displeasure. You noticed Destiny’s smile wavering, a look of betrayal in her eyes. When it was her turn, her lips barely touched those of the boy the bottle landed on.

Next went Alistair. That meant he would kiss two people in the duration of the game, while the rest of your friends hadn’t even had one.

The bottle spun, anticipation raised. You could see at least three girls excluding his girlfriend and Elsie, sitting on edge with hope, eyes glued to the rotating glass. You had to admit, you wouldn’t complain if it pointed to you; you knew he was famous for not only his looks but for his sexual talents.

The bottle slowed and finally stopped.

You turned to your left to see Elsie’s shocked expression. You weren’t completely sure whether it was good that she would be kissing him or whether her lack of experience would ruin everything.

You realised that your thoughts were trying to excuse cheating, and glanced at Destiny’s oddly calm expression, her thin eyebrow knotted together in intrigue.

You scooted backwards so that Alistair and Elsie were directly beside each other.

Her cheeks were coated in a light pink blush, her eyes cast away from the pretty boy’s face, and you knew if you pressed your hand to her chest, you would feel her heart beat like rapid fire.

When Elsie’s gaze met Alistair’s, he frowned and shook his head. “I refuse.”

A wave of murmurs enveloped the crowd. Your eyes widened. Was this seriously going to end up in another argument?

“...What?” Elsie whispered a slimmer of confused betrayal and deep sadness could be noticed on her pale face.

“I said I don’t want to kiss you.”

“Wha-why not?” Elsie looked positively irritated, and frankly, a little embarrassed. “You kissed that other girl.” A few giggles could be heard from the students. You glanced over and saw Cedric gazing at your friend with empathy. Ziggy shared a glance with his best friend, a look of uncertainty.

Alistair shrugged, “Yeah, but that’s different. You’re just not really appealing to me. And why do you actually care? Do you like me or something?” He teased, but it seemed to strike a nerve.

Elsie’s already flushed cheeks turned as red as her chequered skirt, “Of course not! Why would you think that?” She glanced at the spectacle of onlookers, “I just, um.” She trailed off, and got up frantically, wiping the nonexistent dust from her skirt, “I don’t feel like playing anymore.”

She spun on her heel and rapidly exited the room.

You quickly got up to follow, but Alistair grabbed your shoulder, a gaze of newly-found maturity in his eyes, “No, (Name), let me handle things.”

He left, and you apprehensively sat back down, sharing a worried glance with Brian. Destiny got up and left, mumbling an illegible excuse. Now that three people you knew were gone, the room felt awfully spacious.

Without missing a beat, Ziggy attempted to restore the ambience, “Alright! I believe it’s your turn, (Name).”

You nodded silently, pushing your anxiety to the back of your mind; Alistair had it handled, you were sure. It was about time he learned how to be responsible and apologise. 

You crawled to the middle of the circle and spun the bottle — not as fast as Alistair since you didn’t like the anticipation.

Your eyes wandered over to the door. Maybe it was because you were worried about Elsie’s mental state. Maybe it was because you didn’t completely trust Alistair with handling her emotions.

You felt Brian tap your thigh. “(Name)? You’re not gonna like this.”

“Hm?” You snapped your attention back to the room, gaze falling onto the bottle pointing in the opposite direction. Your eyes slowly lifted to see who the person you were supposed to kiss.

That’s when you realised what Brian meant by you not liking who it landed on.

You and Cedric’s gazes connected, a tornado of emotion whirling in your eyes, a storm of hatred between you.

“Alright, now, please, proceed to kiss.” Ziggy insisted.

“I pass.”

“So do I.”

You and Cedric glared at one another. There was no way you were kissing that dickhead. You’d rather die, and you could say the feeling was mutual for him.

Ziggy groaned, “Don’t stall. As a punishment, you’ve got to kiss for at least ten seconds. Now, my little lovebirds, kiss before I make you use your tongues.” Your neck started heating up at the thought.

You don’t know what made you do it — maybe curiosity, maybe Ziggy’s threat, possibly something else — but you shuffled closer to Cedric, who, noticing that you were complying, decided to do it as well, refusing to back down from your nonexistent challenge.

Your heartbeat in your chest, your breath quickened from nervousness, or perhaps you were nauseated enough by him that your adrenaline energised you.

“Reminder: ten seconds!” you perceived Ziggy’s voice in the background, “We’ll count for you.”

You took a deep breath through your nose, eyes flickering from Cedric’s lips to his cold grey eyes, and leaned in. Noticing you had already taken action, the Hufflepuff hesitantly did the same.

You closed your eyes and felt his lips brush against yours before connecting in a surprisingly soft kiss.

“Ten,” you faintly heard the other students chant, counting along in your head.

His lips were rather soft, you noted, subconsciously pressing your mouth harder against his.

“Nine.”

An unknown feeling crept into your chest, as you and Cedric, seemed to be pressing up against one another, while also desperately trying to pull away.

Eight.

Your heartbeat quickened, a thumping drum against your ribcage.

Seven.

Your hot neck kept getting hotter, uncomfortably so, as the kiss prolonged. It hadn’t even been five seconds — or perhaps it had been and your peers were just teasing you, intentionally taking their time counting.

Six.

You imagined what Brian might have looked like at the current moment. Shocked? Annoyed? You knew if Alistair saw you and Cedric, lip to lip, he would have flipped a table.

You breathed through your nose, in sync with your rival, like waves pulling in and out from the tide. 

How long had you and Cedric been kissing? Had it already been ten seconds? Should you pull away? Or was it not over yet, and if you stopped, you had to restart the whole experience?

A small voice in your head spoke, a whisper of wind echoing through your thoughts. Maybe you should stay like this for a bit longer. It wasn’t like you didn’t enjoy it. Cedric’s lips were soft and warm.

In that instant, your body felt burning, as if a sudden wave of embarrassment decided to envelop you, like a heated reminder that you’ve been kissing the one person in the entire room you felt hostility towards.

Oh shit. 

You backed away, an odd sense of unfulfillment in your racing heart as your lips parted from Cedric’s.

You looked at him, into his gorgeous stone grey eyes, and, if you weren’t blushing already, you were now.

You scrambled up, trying to maintain a decently dignified composer. Your jaw tightened, and your (eye colour) eyes hardened into cold gems, not a single emotion behind your gaze.

“I’m leaving,” you announced to the group, still staring at Cedric. The world around him and you faded like a smoky memory.

Slowly, you backed away, attempting to ignore the hotness of your nape and the thumping of your heart, beating loudly in your eardrums until you finally broke eye contact with the Hufflepuff as you walked back into the main party space.

...

Thank you for reading, please comment any suggestions you have or any issues I should fix.

If y'all are interested, here's how I imagined Elsie would look during the party.

Chapter 3 is out!

[delusionalmultifandomwriter]

HiHiHi

So do can u do a Luke Castellan x Child of Persephone (or SMT Idrc)reader and She HAS THE BIGGEST DELULU EVER

Like Imagine Luke faked breaking up with her and she’s like “no no 🥰 I want my kids have that big brown eyes My dear” Or Smt in the lines of that and Luke laughs his but off and ITS JUST HER DELULU OVER COMING HER

Thank you so much for your request! <3

Luke Castellan x fem!persephone!reader fluff

Requested?: Yes!!

I hope you are all well, i love you all!! Have a nice day and enjoy!

Reader cursing at Luke is her love language

Masterlist

Luke was always struggeling to keep up relationships with people. He had Chris as the ever lasting person in his life since they first met at Camp Halfblood when they were 14 years old. After that, everyone was coming and going but noone really stayed for long.

You only joined his life later. Having spent most of your life in the Underworld with your mother, social normes and interactions with living people were a riddle to you.

Long story short, you were... a challenge for most people. Not that they didnt like you. The younger kids loved you and even Dionysus gave you a smirk whenever you left behind a slightly distressed demigod that tried to challenge you.

Maybe you weren't from this realm but that certainly did not mean that you didn't like it at the camp. You were craving the space that the Underworld couldn't offer you. It was only a matter of time that someone would fall for you.

By chance, that was a certain son of Hermes. Luke fell for you just as bad as you fell for him. You knew he was complicated. He was reaching for the stars but got disappointed over and over again since he was a baby.

Luke was in a bad headspace today. He didnt really know when the idea crept up to him. Maybe it was because the gods let him down for one too many times. He had been questioning your love for him for the last few days while he rotted away in bed, trying not to neglect too many of his tasks.

He needed proof of your love. Proof that you would not leave him behind like everyone else did. He contemplated talking to you but proud as he was, he quickly discarded that idea and stirred up a plan instead.

A fake breakup.

It would give him the opportunity to see your raw reaction. And he could find out if you were serious about him. Or even glad to get rid off him? Luke didn't want to think about that. He loved you after all.

"You entered the Hermes Cabin after sword practice this afternoon. You were a little sweaty and your clothes had dust stains on it from the sand in the arena. Luke was laying on his bed, his arm covering his eyes. You thought that maybe he was sleeping so you tiptoed over to your bed and started taking off your boots.

Luke shuffled on his bed and groaned as he sat up. He smiled tiredly as he looked up to find you watching him. "Hey." He mumbled but his expression dropped soon. You looked at him confused.

"What's up, darling?" You asked while you put your boots to the side. Luke got up and approached you. "I thought about something all day... can we talk?" He asked. You nodded. "Of course. What's bothering you?"

Luke looked around. Besides the two of you, everyone was out of the cabin running around somewhere else. The situation was perfect... He sighed. "I... there is something." He said hesitating, fiddling with his hands. This was not normal. You frowned. Your Luke was never this nervous about talking to you.

"Im breaking up with you." He whispered in a low tone, barely able to get the words over his lips. He could see your world shatter into pieces. Your expression dropped and a couple of dead moths fell from the ceiling, making Luke cringe away a little.

Finally, you broke out of your freezed and shocked state.

"What?! No, no, no, no." You said, tears dwelling up in your eyes. Luke tried to pull his gaze away from you and turned around to the cabin door. There formed a single tear in his eyes too. He hated seeing you cry.

You grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to face you. "Why would you break up with me?" You sobbed. Luke looked at you irritated, trying to keep his sadness down. "You deserve someone better than me." He grumbled under his breath. You pushed him against the wall by his shoulders angrily.

"I wanted our kids to have your eyes." You yelled at Luke, tears streaming down your face. "What?" Luke asked, suddenly taken aback. You violently tried to whip the tears from your face, smearing some dust onto your cheeks.

"Our kids need to have your eyes!" You sobbed and suddenly Luke wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close to him. You tried to push him away but he kept you in his embrace. After a few seconds, you stop trying to free yourself and let your head fall against his chest.

At first you thought Luke was crying too, from the way his shoulders were moving up and down in a quick, steady rhythm but soon you noticed that the bastard was actually laughing.

"I hate you." You mumbled between a few sniffs. "I know." Luke whispered, there was a light chuckled in his voice that he failed to swallow down. "Thats okay. Its what i deserve."

"Luke Castellan, i hate you so, so much. We will meet in Tartarus if you dont quit the bullshit right now." You weakly slapped his chest. "But i love you. Please, this was not real?" Your sobs died down as you leaned against his chest.

Luke swallowed heavily and finally, after a long moment, shook his head. You exhaled and sobbed again, this time because of the relief rushing through your body.

You leaned up to wrap your arms around him too, holding him close. You buried your hand in his hair and made him look at you. "You were kidding, right?" Luke nodded hesitantly, worried you would make some more dead animals fall from the sky.

You wanted to slap Luke. But that is not what you do to your boyfriend, at least not right now. Instead you rested your head on his shoulder and rubbed your tears dry on his tshirt.

"Hey." Luke complained, trying to push you off but you pressed him against the wall and continued to use him as your personal tissue paper. "That's your punishment, you idiot." Luke carassed your hair and let you go on with you drying your tears.

"Why did you do this?" You asked. Luke looked away, ashamed that he actually thought this was a good idea. You put a hand on his cheek and made him look at you. "This is not what i think about it is, is it?" You asked with a shocke expression.

Luke nodded slowly, lowering his gaze. You sighed and leaned against his forehead. "I really love you, otherwise i wouldn't keep you as my boyfriend. Luke nodded slowly, accepting.

"Luke?" "Mhh?" He hummed. "Will you be my boyfriend again?" You asked. A slight smile crept up on your face but you tried to hide it to not let Luke win just right away. Luke chuckled, his mood becoming a little better again. "If you truly want that." You groaned and bumped your head on his shoulder a few times.

"Just say yes, you morron." "Yes." He whispered. You pet his hair a little. "Good boy." You grinned at Luke, who now rolled his eyes. "But i am not having children with you until we both got a job." He argued but it ended up in a laugh. He was laughing at the absurdity of this situation.

Now it was you rolling your eyes. "Fine. Reasonable." You grumbled and pouted at him a little. Luke smiled and wrapped his arms around you extra tight. "Did you mean it? My eyes, really?" He asked. You huffed.

"I was never before this serious in my life." You stated firmly. Luke leaned forward to kiss the tip of your nose. You scrunched your nose sweetly and peppered his face with small kisses.

"So... if i mess up you will throw dead animals at me?" Luke asked mockingly, as you pulled back. You grumbled and slapped Luke's chest again.

"If you dont cut the bullshit, i will stuff a dead rat into your pillow case."

[dreamerwithoutadirection]

Sparks Gone Wrong

The time when Y/N falls in love with her neighbour- a hot single father.

Warnings: Eventual Yandere. Nothing for now! This will be like a two or three part series!

"Where are you taking this adorable little one?" you inquire, approaching your neighbour and his giggling toddler. He's a handsome single dad of a 5-year-old, someone who has fueled your fantasies. Angular face with rich brown locks cascading his equally brown eyes in a set fashion. A hot wet dream. Close in proximity, yet distant in reality. It's been three months since he relocated to the apartment across from yours. 

He walks past you, leaving you mid-jig with an awkward smile plastered on your face as you try to make his daughter laugh. Did I mention he always ignores you? Well, yeah. 

You sigh as you follow him to the elevator. Yet another unsuccessful attempt. Any effort to talk made by you was always shot down with curt nods or grunts. The only time you ever heard him speak in full sentences was when he introduced himself three months back. And you were pretty sure you made a fool of yourself.

“Are you a fairy?” you mumbled as you looked at the most handsome man you had seen in a while. 

Kim Taehyung continued to look at you with a stoic face. No expression. No response. You felt the gush of embarrassment, feeling your ears turning red. A natural reaction you had every time you felt appalled. 

“I am sorry, I am not this awkward usually I promise” you tried to laugh it off as you gestured for him to come in. 

“I will leave then, thank you for your time.” You stood and watched the man turn around and leave. Leaving you mortified at the interaction. 

That feeling of being mortified followed you at every exchange you had with him since then. A never ending saga. 

You sighed again while entering the lift. You could feel the awkwardness with each passing second. What had you ever even done to him?! Enough is enough. 

Mustering your courage, feeling your heart beating wildly, you turned to look into his eyes, “You know you haven’t said a word to me since you moved in. And I am not sure what have I ever done to offend you! Because if anything I have been very kind at every instance” your voice rose, “and every time you have been nothing but a prick to me- ‘Ding! The door is opening.’

Taehyung continued to look forward without a second glance at you. 

“Maybe I am not interested” he bluntly expressed his disinterest as he walked off towards his car. Leaving you with a mix of disappointment and the sting of embarrassment, all while the lift doors closed, sealing the moment with a sense of unresolved tension.

                                               *-------*--------*

“Oh my g-” your work friend Jin continued to laugh as you recounted the episode. He was so loud that you could feel the eyes of your colleagues at your table.  

“Can you shut it” you hiss, delivering a discreet kick under the table to emphasise your frustration.

“All right..all right” His eyes still holding the mirth. “On a serious note, Jin's eyes turning sharp and voice sombre, “I think you need to back off. Nothing’s worse than unwanted attention.” reaching out to hold your hand, “Moreover, you are a catch. Find someone without baggage. He has a daughter. And that’s a huge responsibility, no matter how hot he is.”

His words felt like a needle in your chest. The reality of you one sided crush sank in. Him having a daughter was never a problem for you because she was absolutely adorable. And despite the well-intentioned advice, it stung to acknowledge that your efforts might be in vain, leaving you with an unexpected ache in your chest.

A faint smile appeared on your face. “Maybe you are right. I need to back off.” You stood up feeling the loss of appetite. With that you went to keep your plate at the clean up area.

Some things aren’t meant to be. 

                                               *-------*--------*

Next day, you found yourself contemplating your friends' words all the while sipping the freshly brewed coffee. The noise of daily news running in the background. 

"Perhaps it's time to move on. There are better things to explore than deciphering the mystery of Taehyung’s demeanour." Taking a deep breath, you decided- you are not going to approach Mr. Kim any longer. If it’s not meant to be, why waste your time anyway? You were a catch, so, well, his loss. 

With the new found resolution you began to dress for the court proceedings you had to attend. It was an ongoing case related to organised crime. A man had finally confessed about his involvement in cities increasing drug abuse cases and you were in charge of prosecuting him. It was going to be an eventful day indeed, you thought as you pulled up your skirt.

Taking one final look in the mirror, you headed out. As you made your way through the hallway, a familiar handsome silhouette in the muted light appeared ahead. No sight of his daughter. Well, whatever, none of your concern. Deciding to maintain a polite distance, you exchanged a nod in passing which didn’t go unnoticed by Taehyung. 

You had been pestering him for months. What changed? He wondered. He could see you were dressed in your courtroom attire. Another hearing perhaps? Taehyung wasn’t oblivious. He knew you had a crush on him. And he wasn’t blind either. You were beautiful with your luscious hair and supple skin, he desired to explore. He was sure it was soft. He knew it.

But he decided to keep to himself as usual. Now was not the time to get involved with you. There were other things that required his attention. For instance, that meeting he had been postponing for a month. And his daughter whom he adored with his life. And the household work. As he left the lift though, one thing kept resurfacing in his mind. Something had changed since yesterday with you. Taehyung wasn’t sure if he was fond of it. 

Part II

[sweetprfct]

The Hate Formula

Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: Living in the same building, across from each other shouldn't be much of a problem, right? But how come you and Joe tend to always push each other's buttons every day? Is it because you both truly just hated each other or is it because there was something more to it?

Author's Note: I wanted to upload this to make up for the lost time that's probably going to happen for the next few weeks. If you haven't read it yet, please read my announcement here. Anyway, are you all ready for this? Things are going to start escalating.

Disclaimer: 18+

Wordcount: 3.6K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five - part six - part seven - part eight - part nine - part ten

Your dress looked nice.

You fixed the thin straps of your dress as you exhaled a sharp breath and stared at yourself in the mirror. You have been dreading to do this dinner, but you kept telling yourself that you were a good friend. Sara also had a point because you have known Wes several weeks before finding out the truth and in all honesty, you did really like him for Sara. It was your pride and ego that kept getting in the way. Besides, you didn’t want to disappoint Sara either. She seemed happy and deserved to be happy. So, if this was what it took to make her happy, then you would suck it up and be a grown up for once. You have owed her several times already for always causing trouble with Joe and the fact that you both were almost getting kicked out of the building. 

Technically, as per what Sara had told you, this wasn’t a “double date.” However, you didn’t really care about the title of whatever this was. You weren’t in the mood to spend your whole Saturday night with Joe. Sure, Wes and Sara would be there, but they were a couple. You knew they were going to end up doing things on their own, and you would be left alone with Joe. Joe, who would tease you and probably make fun of you all night. 

This was so agonizing for you just thinking about it. 

“Hi.” Your thoughts were interrupted when Sara knocked on your door. 

She peeked her head behind your door as you looked over your shoulder and gestured for her to come in. She entered your room, and your eyes instantly widened as you saw the pale blue dress she was wearing. Her hair was in waves, and she had some cute pins at the back of her head. 

She looked amazing. 

“Aw, Sara!” You pouted. “You look so beautiful. Wes is going to be on his knees tonight for you.”

Sara chuckled softly, looking down at her dress before gazing back up at you. 

“You also looked really pretty.” She stood behind you as you both looked at yourselves in the mirror. 

“Thank you for doing this.” Sara added.

She wrapped her arms around your shoulders as she hugged you from behind. You chuckled softly as you felt her squeezed you gently. 

“Alright, alright.” You rolled your eyes as she parted away from you. “You don’t have to be all sappy about this.”

“Well, it’s true. I know this is hard for you.” 

“I’m doing this for you.” You grabbed your coat from your closet. “I hope you know that.”

Sara grinned at you, nodding her head. For her, it was enough that you were actually trying to give this a chance. 

“You like Wes for me.” Sara murmured under her breath as you both walked out of your bedroom. “Stop denying that.” 

“We’ll see.” You shrugged, slipping on your coat. 

Sara chuckled softly at the denial expression on your face. Following behind Sara out the door, you found the two men waiting for the both of you in the hall. Joe was wearing his fancy button up and trousers outfit. The one thing that stuck out most for you was his new haircut. 

His head was buzzed. 

All the brown curls, gone.

It made his features more prominent. His chocolate button eyes were bigger, and his cheekbones were a lot sharper.

He looked sort of… more beautiful.

However, you couldn't help but notice how Joe was trying hard not to look at you. Focusing your attention back to Sara, you watched as Wes whispered something in her ear that made her face flushed red before planting a soft kiss on her lips. 

You could already feel the thick air between you and Joe as the four of you stood inside the elevator. Once the four of you exited out of the building, you could feel the New York summer air combined with the tension between you and Joe. 

“Are we all up for Italian tonight?” Wes looked over his shoulder. 

You and Joe didn’t say a word as you both just nodded your heads in agreement. You saw Sara looked over her shoulder and gave you another thankful smile. You knew she was grateful for you to be doing this, but you honestly didn’t know what her plan was. There was no way you and Joe were going to get along with just one night of spending time together. You both barely even spoke a word to each other since you all left the apartment building. 

What made it worse was when you had found yourself sitting in the middle of the backseat of the cab. You were squeezed in between Sara and Joe, and you could see how Joe was trying hard to focus his attention out the window. His usual yappy self was quiet tonight, and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was a good thing or not. Was he quiet because he didn’t want to cause trouble or because he was feeling the same dread as you? 

Upon arriving at the restaurant, you knew Wes and Sara were starting to feel the tension between you and Joe, so Wes had walked ahead with Joe on the sidewalk, while Sara had locked her arms with yours. 

“How are you holding up?” Sara asked. 

You rolled your eyes, knowing she was trying to make sure you were okay. Surprisingly, you were. Joe hasn’t said a word, so you were fine. You didn’t really feel anything else besides maybe a little hungry. 

“Thanks for doing this again.” Sara added. 

“Stop thanking me.” You chuckled softly. “The night had barely started.”

“Yeah, but still.” Sara leaned in to you, grinning happily. 

As Wes greeted the server in the restaurant, you all followed her towards the table at the back. The restaurant was nice and cozy and without thinking clearly, you pulled out the chair that was next to Sara before you gazed up and locked eyes with Wes. Your eyes shifted to Sara and Joe, who was just staring at the both of you.

“Sorry.” You bit your lower lip.

“No, it’s okay.” Wes gave you a genuine smile and pulled the seat that was across from Sara.

“Wes, no. I’ll sit there.” You walked over and grabbed the back of the chair from him. “Sit next to Sara. It’s okay.” 

Wes gave you a “are you sure?” look before you nodded your head and gave him a reassuring smile. Pulling the chair next to Joe, you moved a bit further from him as you cleared your throat. Taking the menu that was sitting in front of you, you studied it and let your attention focus on the options. 

Then, you suddenly heard a soft chuckle next to you. You slowly turned your head towards Joe and saw him reading the menu, while shaking his head. A small smile was tugging on his lips as you furrowed your brows at him. 

There was no way he was already starting this shit with you. 

“What’s so funny?” You asked, your voice was low to make sure Wes and Sara didn’t hear it. 

“You act like I’m going to hurt you or something if you sit close to me.” Joe leaned in, whispering to you. 

You leaned back and stared at him, “Hm… You’ll never know. I don’t know what goes on in that head of yours.” 

Joe laughed softly, leaning close to you again. “And yet, you sat close to me in the front lobby two weeks ago.” 

You could feel the blood rushed to your cheeks as you remembered that moment with him again that night. It had been a while since you thought about it and suddenly, the memories of that night and the look on his face had re-appeared in your mind. It was the same look he was giving you right now, and you felt your limbs froze for a moment. You stared at Joe, eyes blinking before finally snapping back into reality. You cleared your throat and looked away, focusing your attention back on the menu. 

“Did you guys wanna go to this light show at Central Park after?” Sara asked later that night after the server had taken your orders. 

You took a sip of your wine and studied the group. “If you guys want to, I don’t mind.” 

“Yeah, me too.” Joe replied. 

“My office mate told me it’s really nice. They made it into this nice garden full of different light displays.”

“I think I saw them setting it up one time when I was coming home from work.” Wes said. 

You watched as Wes and Sara tried their best to interact and start conversations between the four of you because you and Joe would barely even interact or say anything. At one point, you listened to Joe yap about cooking and Italian food when Wes had brought up that this restaurant had one of the best pastas he tasted. 

“I didn’t know you cook, Joe.” Sara said. 

“Really well too.” Wes nodded his head proudly, giving Sara a smile. 

You played with the napkin that was sitting on your lap as you listened to the conversation. Your other hand was playing with the fork that was on your pasta. You didn’t know what it was, but you couldn’t seem to finish your food. It wasn’t like the pasta was bad or anything, you just keep having an unusual feeling in your stomach. 

Almost like… butterflies. 

It made you want to vomit.

“Oh, yea. Whenever I have time, it’s such good fun when I cook.” Joe grinned excitedly. 

You saw how something sparkled in Joe’s eyes when he talked about cooking for his family and friends. You never saw this side of him, and you kept wondering if this was one of the things that Sara was talking about. One of the things that you didn’t know about Joe.

Two years of knowing him, and you didn’t even know he liked to garden too as he started talking about the different kinds of herbs he has been planting. 

“I heard you have a new movie to film?” Sara asked. 

As you took a sip of your wine, you continued to listen to the conversation. Your eyes followed Joe’s hand that gently caressed his now buzzed hair. You couldn't help but wonder if it was for a role as to why he buzzed his head. 

“Yes, I just finished Warfare and about to film Fantastic Four, but I also have the second Gladiator movie to promote soon. I play the villain.”

You couldn’t help but snort, setting your wine glass down and wiping the wine that dripped from your chin. You felt the three of them turn their heads to you as you froze in your seat and gazed up at them. 

“Sorry.” You murmured. 

Joe cocked his head to the side and raised his brow at you. “Something funny about that?”

You raised your brows, eyes widening as you turned to Wes and Sara. You have been in your best behavior all night, and you didn’t want to ruin that. You didn’t want to ruin this night for your best friend. 

“N…No.” You replied, shaking your head. “I just thought it fits you perfectly.”

Joe’s eyes looked at you up and down before turning his attention back to your friends. You could tell that he was also trying to keep the peace at the table tonight. You gave Sara an apologetic look before hanging your head low and continued to play with your pasta. 

Central Park was a little busy later that night. The summer breeze was blowing nicely through your hair as you watched Wes intertwined his fingers with Sara. You and Joe were following behind them, while you gazed up at the sky. The city lights were flickering between the trees, and you kept your eyes anywhere else but Joe. As the night went on, you could tell that you and Joe were just doing this for your best friends, and you both barely didn’t even want to try and get along with each other. 

You kept wondering if you should actually try and talk to him, but you were too hesitant over it. You didn’t want to hear the stupid jokes that could come out of Joe’s lips. Wes and Sara were quick to ditch the both of you the moment you all arrived at the light show. You smiled slightly as you took photos of the displays. Big glowing flowers in the garden, string fairy lights hanging from the trees, and displays of fairies and cute animals lighting up the garden. 

You slipped your phone from your coat pocket and took pictures of the display as Joe quietly followed behind you. 

“Do you want me to take a photo of you?” Joe finally broke the silence. 

You looked over your shoulder and saw that he looked genuine and serious with his offer. You, on the other hand, didn’t believe it. 

“No, thanks.” You replied. “Knowing you, you have an agenda about everything.”

“That’s not true.” Joe uttered. 

You scoffed and turned around to face him and said, “I’m sure you would take my picture and end up having to capture something stupid like my head is cut off or you only took a picture of my shoes and then laugh at me.”

Joe’s brown eyes stared at you deeply as he took a step forward towards you. You remained in your position, your feet glued to the ground. 

“Is that what you think?” Joe asked, his brow raised.

“Yeah! That’s exactly what I think!” You exclaimed, frustration starting to pulse in your veins. 

A comical smile tugged on Joe’s lips as he said, “It’s funny how you think I think about you all the time.”

You felt your heart drop to your stomach as you listened to Joe’s words. It felt like a sharp knife was stabbed into your chest. Why did you expect him to even be nice for once? 

“Oh, don’t worry.” You scoffed. “I never thought about that. I know you’re busy trying to figure out which girl to bring home next and then make them cry after getting what you want.”

You couldn’t stand looking at him for one more second. Shaking your head, you gave Joe one more look before walking away from him. You found Sara and Wes not too far from you, taking pictures. You were ready to go home. You were ready for this stupid night to be over. 

“You don’t know anything.” Joe argued, making you stop in your tracks. 

“Oh, I think I know everything!” You said, turning around to face him with an angry look on your face. 

Joe stared at you, the same frustrated look washed over his face. You turned back around to find Wes and Sara, but they weren’t where they were before. Your eyes looked around the park and there was no sign of them. 

They were just right here! 

Where did they go? 

“Great!” You exclaimed sarcastically. 

“I think they left.” Joe murmured. 

“No, shit.” You shook your head and started walking down the trail towards the exit. 

“Where are you going?” Joe asked. 

“I’m going home. This was bullshit anyway.” You called out as you let your feet lead you out of the park.

What were you thinking? 

Why the hell did you even agree to this in the first place? Why the hell did you think you could give Joe a chance for once? Sara was wrong. He was the same idiot and asshole you knew this whole time. Maybe he was showing her a different side of him but with you, he was always going to be like this. 

You didn’t even realize how far your apartment building was, but you were angry and frustrated and the adrenaline was running through your blood. By the time you arrived at your apartment building, Joe was still following right behind you. It made you even more frustrated because he just couldn’t leave you alone. 

“Garrett?” You murmured. 

By the time you arrived at your doorstep, you found Garrett sitting on the floor. He looked like he had been waiting for you all night. Instantly, he got up from the floor and gave you a small smile when he saw you. 

“Hi.”

“Hi.” You smiled back at him. 

Suddenly, you felt Joe’s presence behind you as you saw Garrett’s green eyes shifted towards him. The smile on his face instantly faded. 

“Oh.” Garrett said. “Was this a bad time?”

“No—” You shook your head. 

“Actually, yea, mate. We’re on a date.” Joe cut you off as you turned to him with big, disbelief eyes. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Garrett said. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“No, wait—” You watched as Garrett gave you his apologetic eyes before walking away. 

You felt the anger now occupied your veins as your nostrils flared. You curled your hands into fists as you turned around slowly to look at Joe. He could see the anger sparking inside of you, but he kept still. He kept a neutral look on his face as your eyes darkened.

“What the fuck was that, Joe?!” You yelled. “Why the hell did you do that?!”

“That was him, wasn't it?” Joe asked. 

How was he this calm right now? How was he acting like what he just did was okay? 

“The one that made you cry a couple weeks ago?” He added. 

You shook your head in disbelief. Why the fuck did he care which guy made you cry? Why the fuck did he care at all? All he wanted to do was make your life miserable all the time. In fact, he shouldn’t be an actor since he does a pretty good job at making you miserable to the point where he should just get paid honestly. 

“That’s none of your business!” You barked.

You started processing the apology in your mind about what you were going to tell Sara later on. 

You tried.

You really tried tonight but there was no way you were going to get along with Joe at all. Walking towards your apartment, Joe slid himself between you and the door before you could unlock it. 

“Get out of my way!” You scowled, glaring at him. 

“You really think he could make you happy after he decided to choose someone else before?” Joe asked, his voice was soft. 

You stared at him with anger. You swore if you were in a cartoon, there would be smoke coming out of your nose and ears right now. 

“You don’t know what happened last time!” You argued. “How are you so miserable with your life that you tend to drag me in it all the time?”

Joe scoffed, his face inches from yours. “Is that what you think?”

“Yes! You hate me so much that it gives you joy to see me miserable all the time!”

Joe shook his head, scoffing at your comment. He slipped himself away from you and walked towards his apartment. 

What a coward. 

He couldn’t even admit it in front of you that what you just told him was the truth. He just chose to walk away from it. 

“This night was bullshit anyway. I gave you a chance because Sara asked me to but you know what I realized? We can’t even be friends because there’s just hate and anger running in my veins when it comes to you.” You barked, making Joe turn around to face you again. 

His brows were all knitted together, his lips looked like it was twitching from the frustration because of all the reasons that you kept throwing at him. 

“You’re right. I like to make you miserable.” Joe stated. “In fact, I hate you so much that I stopped that man from asking you out again. I told him that on purpose, so he doesn’t come back.”

You threw your hands in the air, your shoulders finally relaxing as he spit out the truth to your face. 

“Finally!” You exclaimed. “The truth finally came out! I guess we both agree!”

Joe took a step forward towards you, nodding his head. “Yea, we both agree.”

You both stared at each other for a moment as you took a deep breath. Silence surrounded the hall as you turned around and ready to unlock your door when Joe had curled his hand around your wrist. You froze for a moment and looked over your shoulder. He was giving you that look again. The look he gave you when you two had talked in the lobby. The look he gave you earlier at dinner. 

His eyes turned into doe eyed ones as he gently pulled you towards him. His soft pink lips crashing into yours. You felt the air in your lungs leave as he moved his lips with yours. His hand cupped your cheek so gently, his body pressed against yours as he gently pushed you against your front door. All the anger inside of you left as you curled your hand around the back of his head and pulled him closer to you. 

Butterflies invaded your veins as both of your lips moved together. Joe’s arm wrapped around your waist, pressing your body closer against his as if the closeness between you and him wasn’t enough. You continued to kiss him deeply, feeling the air between you two shift into something new.

Suddenly, this game you were playing with Joe became too dangerous. 

********

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[ray935sworld]

Child of divorce AU

Chapter 4: A new supporter

"I'm sorry"

Marc froze when he heard this particular voice, speaking Spanish in a thick Italian accent.

He knew the voice. He knew it pretty well. He used to hear it when they were home. He used to hear it when times were better. Easier. Filled with love.

He knew the hint of Italian accent. Slowly he turned around. He looked at the man and nodded. So he had been right.

"And why are you sorry?" he asked, trying to sound neutral. He didn’t sound confrontational. Careful? Mistrusting? Yes.

David sat on his hip, seeing everything he saw. He had taken that into account when he turned around. He knew David would see him. And he would recognize him as well. He had been very quick to recognize his family.

The kid immediately started to smile. His face lit up. Like it always did when he saw him. Marc felt his heart crack. If this went wrong, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. If he disappointed his baby now, there was no going back. No forgiveness. Nothing.

He watched him laugh and make grabby hands.

"Papa!" he said, looking up at Marc and then pointing at the taller man who still kept a respectful distance. Point for him, the Spaniard had to admit. "Wanna hug him! Can I hug him?"

"I don't know" Marc said in honesty. The story Santi had told him was still in his mind. Denying a child a hug – could he risk it again. He looked up. His brown his showed no emotion.

"Can he hug you?" He darted at him, watching how his face dropped in shock. He quickly fixed his expression though, putting up a kind smile. There was a shine of tears in his eyes, that he blinked away.

Marc acknowledge it. So at least he was aware of the pain that got caused. The Italian froze and nodded silently. There was a hint of guilt or something resembling it.

Slowly, Marc stepped closer. He stood still close to him as he let David go. He handed him over, one hand not yet leaving his babies back.

He felt his anxiety sky rock. He was ready to forcefully take his boy away as soon as something happened he didn’t like.

Normally he wouldn’t have done it yet again. But David had asked him. He had begged him and he refused to deny him physical contact and love. So he agreed and he watched the boy immediately jumped excitedly over to the other ones arm.

"Zio Luca!" he screamed, his voice high and happy while the new Moto2 rider hold him close, his hands secured around his shoulders. He closed his eyes for a moment and just melted in the baby’s touch.

He too had missed this. He looked so much calmer and soft now. Marc almost felt a pang of guilt when he saw them like this. But only almost. He knew why he had cut contact with Luca over the break.

"Luca! Luca!" the boy still exclaimed with excitement. "Missed you! Thought...” His voice turned sad. “Visit?"

"I know. I missed you too, David. I'm so sorry, some things happened and I couldn't visit." he said in a voice that hadn't changed since last year.

Marc sighed and cursed himself internally. After everything that happened, he had isolated himself but that included David too. He had pause contact with so many people just because he wasn't sure if he could trust them.

Somehow he had put Luca on that list as well. It seemed logical. Luca was Rossis brother. He surely would have his back and support him. Wouldn’t he? He had feared that he would be the same.

But now he saw once more how wrong he had been. Luca wasn't Vale. He couldn't blame Luca for Rossi's stunts. And he couldn't punish David for associated them with each other and cutting one of his favourite uncles off.

Luca was just as careful and loving as he always was. He still hold him like he was a doll and he was afraid he'd slip out his hold. His voice hadn't lost any of the warmth. If anything, it had gotten richer. And his eyes were filled with love and adoration for his nephew.

"Marc, I'm so-" he started. He was voice was full of pain and guilt over a thing he didn’t commit. It took on elook for Marc to know he was being honest when he apologized. But it was wrong.

Luca wasn’t at fault. Just like David. He shouldn’t be punished. He shouldn’t blame him. He had to make this right.

He didn’t want his apology. He was still careful who he’d let around his son, but he wasn’t going insane with fear. He wouldn’t hand that win to Rossi.

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" he asked in a softer voice. He smiled, to show he meant it.

Luca stared at him, visible surprised at the sudden invite. "I would like to talk to you about some things" he explained some more. "And on the street and with David isn't really a good place"

The Italian nodded and smiled. "I'd love to." He said quickly. Marc gave him another smile and confirmed their plan.

Next thing he knew, Luca hugged David again and handed him back. The boys said their goodbyes. David made his uncle promise that he'd be there soon again. He once again said how much he had missed him and Luca had reassured him he missed him just as much.

It reassured Marc in some way. Maybe this was a good step to give his son more normality and reassurance. It was a way he might get at least a small part of his family back.

Alex was surprised when Marc told him that they'd have a guest over. Their father was off, meeting their mom so he expected it to be just the two of them.

But now he was letting Luca Marini once more inside their motorhome.

"Hey, I Ehm..." he was awkwardly holding some kind of snacks. His mom had always taught him to bring a little gift. He wouldn’t break that. "I bought cracker." It had been the only useful thing he had found in his cupboards.

"Thanks. Marc is addicted to them" the older one reassured him with a smile. He wasn't going to make this harder for the Italian than it already was.

David was already asleep when they sat down. It was planned like this. Marc wanted to avoid getting his son hurt if things didn’t went as they hoped it would.

It started of civil. They were having small talk, talking about everything except the elephant in the room. They talked about Luca’s upcoming rookie season in moto2. Holidays. Luca wanted to ask about David. He did but he kept it short, unsure how much he was allowed to ask yet.

That was when Marc decided that enough was enough. No more talking around.

"Luca, do you consider your 2 year old nephew a fucking bastard that should have never been born? Like your brother stated" Luca chocked on his rice.

"No!" he exclaimed, shock visible in his eyes "Fuck- no of course not. David - David is Vale's son. I know that. I swear.” His voice picked up speed. The panic made him almost stutter. He had expected that it had been clear that he didn’t support the accusations against Marc. Apparently it wasn’t.

“He's an idiot and delusional and - I tried to make him see it. I tried to knock some sense into him. I really tried everything I could think of, but..."

He sighed loudly, frustration clear in his voice. He scoffed, thinking about something. Alex couldn’t blame him. Unlike Marc, he had contact with Luca over the winter. So he knew what had happened between the Italian brothers that the usual so calm and collected boy was now that frustrated. His lips were drawn sharp as he said.

"No matter what I tried he denied everything! He didn't even listen or tried to see it! I don't know what kind of delusion pills he's on, but he's addicted. That amount of missing self-reflection is enormous!"

Marc couldn't help but smile. So he didn't misjudge Luca. His trust in him had been justified.

"You're wasting energy" Marc said with a sad smile on his lips. "Right now, he's too deep into all that. Maybe one day he will at least stop. I'm not even asking for an apology or that he recognizes David as the son that he is. I just want him to leave us alone. I want him to leave my son alone"

"I know and I am so sorry for everything he says and does. It terrible and I can’t recognize him. I’m so sorry that I can’t stop him from all this." "Don't be. It's not your fault. You're a kind young man. His mistakes are not yours."

"I know but he said so many fucked up things and I can't imagine it was easy for either of you those past months. And it’s his fault. He is destroying everything he had - everything he loves so much for nothing!"

"Loved, Luca. He loved us. He doesn't love us anymore."

"I disagree."

Alex wanted to disappear. He looked from one to the other. He didn't know who was in the right and who was in the wrong.

"The way Vale loved you can't just disappear like this. And you've seen him with David. He loves him so much but he actually believes that David is the embodiment of a betray you allegedly committed. And I knows you didn't do it, but Vale actually believes it. So for him, David is physical proof of your betrayal and your lies..."

He paused for a moment and looked hesitant. Then he added. "He has no right to be but... But he's hurt and covers it up with anger and destruction. He think you took the love of his life and the child he loved so much."

Marc froze. He didn’t know what to think of all this.  

"Why are you defending him?" Alex asked instead and he meant it. Shortly Luca looked at him and shrugged.

"He's my brother. I don't agree with what he did and I hate him for causing you and especially David so much pain. I see him differently since he did that... But I think you deserve at least that little bit of explanation I can offer. It’s no excuse and there will never be one but it’s all I can give you as a reason. A stupid reason and totally wrong but it’s all I can say"

Marc knew Luca believed it. And maybe it was right. Part of him even accepted the explanation, but then he remembered what his father had told him what happened when he went with David to see him in the garage earlier that day.

He still felt sick just from thinking of it.

David had been in Julia’s arm. He was just passing through the paddock to get the baby to his papa. He had whined and started to cry after he woke up from a nap. He had managed to calm him down, but it just wasn’t enough.

His upper lip was still shaking. He looked like he was about to cry any second now. So he had decided that David needed his papa.

He was just on his way to the Honda garage when that one person he didn’t want to see seemed to go towards him. He was sure that fucking Italian didn’t want anything from him but he still came in his direction.

Rossi was wearing tainted glasses so he couldn’t say with full confidence when he saw them. But he just had to see them. There was no way he hadn’t spotted them. But there was no reaction on Rossi’s face. He just continued walking.

He walked and Julia thought he’d have at least the decency to try and avoid him, make a turn or move around them. But he didn’t. Neither did the Spaniard. He wouldn’t back down. Not for an asshole like that. He had no reason not to stand tall and proud with his grandson in his arms.

They were only a few steps away from each other when he felt David move. He looked at the baby. Fuck. How could he had forgotten that –

Then Rossi passed them. On his left side. David was laying on his left arm.

And David had seen him just the same. He too had recognized him. So he had moved up a little bit. Determined to fulfil the little plan that his childish brain had come up with. In his mind it just had to work. All he needed was to get his attention and then everything would be fine again.

So he reached for him.

He touched Vale with his little hand and hold onto the little bit of fabric on his shoulder that he could grab. His fist was balled up. He hold onto the fabric like his life depended on it.

It did. In a small way. Maybe not physically but emotionally. He just wanted his papa.

“Papa!” he yelped. His voice was shivering again. But there was something else. “Papa! Papa! Missed you! Missed you! Hug!”

It was happiness. Happiness and relieve. To see… him.

Julia felt his heart break. A child seeing his father was supposed something sweet, kind. It should be happy. David deserved a happy reunion with his father. But he knew this wouldn’t be it.

He watched David grin that big baby grin he always had. The response came immediate. He heard Rossi scoff. Annoyance and hate dominating.

“Let go” he said, his voice cold.

He wanted to punch him so bad. Where had the kind, charming Italian gone that Marc had bought home in his rookie season? Sure he and Roser had been surprised and initially against it, but the way Vale used to talk to Marc, used to look at him with nothing but love - and he used to be so sweet to David. He had convinced them.

And now… Now this version was dead.

“He’s your child” Julia said scoldingly. “At least don’t be aggressive towards him”

By now Rossi had more or less forcefully eased the kids grip on his shirt which caused David to whine and sob. Julia immediately hugged him.

“How can you be so cruel to you own flesh and blood?”

He had already wanted to leave but now he spun around. “Listen I don’t know who you knocked your whore of a son up.” Rossi added, his tone dripping with hate and coldness. “I’m sure there are enough options. So go bother them. Not me.”

Marc thought it for a moment. It didn’t made sense but it made sense.

He hadn’t hurt Vale but he assumed he had. So he hurt him back. A cruel revenge.

He sighed. He remembered how happy Luca had been to see David. He had been so content just to hold him. He had been so lovingly and kind. It had been so different to Rossi.

So he decided to let Luca back in.

“If you’re ever in Spain-“ Marc decided with a kind smile. “Text us. You’re welcome to stay with us and spent a little bit of Uncle – Nephew time with David.

The grin he got in return was all he needed to know that Luca’s intention were pure.

And he had actually showed up. At first Marc only let them play together for a short time. Then it got longer, still supervised by him. But soon he had regained his trust in Luca that he was a good influence for David.

[tikosblogg]

Request for John b (obx): reader finds out she is pregnant and is scared to tell John b

Summary: you find out your pregnant, and have to tell John B

Warning: none

A/N: this was actually so cute🫶🏻

You find yourself standing in the small, sunlit bathroom of the chateau where you stay with John B, the sound of waves crashing against the shore a distant lullaby. The warm air, infused with the smell of salt and sunscreen, feels strangely stifling as you stare down at the positive pregnancy test resting atop the marble counter. A whirlwind of emotions churns within you: shock, anxiety, hope. But terror holds the strongest grip on your heart.

What would John B say? You imagined his brown eyes searching yours for answers. Would he be mad? Disappointed? The idea of him leaving you sends a fresh wave of panic coursing through your veins, forcing tears to spill from your eyes.

With a heavy heart, you sit on the toilet seat, your breaths coming in shallow gasps as sobs threaten to escape you. You knew you had to tell him, but the weight of the uncertainty paralyzes you. You’re both so young, still navigating the chaotic twist of being Pogues and living in the moment, chasing adventure without a second thought. You hardly have enough money to cover yourselves, let alone a new life. Your heartbeat quickens; everything feels overwhelming.

A soft knock at the bathroom door pulls you from your spiraling thoughts. John B's voice, warm and laced with concern, floats through the door. “Hey, you in there?” The gentle plea in his tone sends a fresh wave of tears flooding down your cheeks.

You quickly jump up, instinctively shoving the test behind your back as he nudges the door open. His smile falters when he sees your tear-streaked face, the worry blooming in his brown eyes. He rushes in, shutting the door behind him, and cups your face in his hands, his thumb brushing away your tears. “What’s wrong baby?” he asks, his voice low and steady, the kind of tone that always calms your racing mind.

You try to shake your head, to express that you’re fine, but the words die in your throat. He’s known you far too well for too long; he can see through every facade. “Y/N, please,” he insists, his forehead resting against yours. “You know you can tell me anything.”

His words crack something deep within you, and you can’t hold back the sob that escapes. You squeeze your eyes shut, feeling the heat of shame wash over you. You finally dig the test from behind your back and, trembling, show it to him, the stark result shouting the truth that had twisted your stomach into knots.

The silence that envelops the room is suffocating. You open your eyes to see his expression—a blend of shock and disbelief, those warm, familiar eyes wide as he processes the news. The air shifts, and you feel a desperate need to explain, to apologize. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen,” you cry, stepping back, the weight of it all crashing down on you.

But instead of pushing you away, he steps forward, his arms wrapping around you in a hug. “Hey, it’s okay,” he whispers into your hair, holding you tightly. “This is just as much my fault. We’ll figure it out together okay? I promise.” His words anchor you, and you can feel his heart beating against your chest, strong and steady, reassuring you that maybe this wouldn’t be the end of your world.

He pulls back, looking deeply into your eyes. “I wasn’t expecting this to happen so soon,” he admits, his voice softening, a smile breaking through his own shock. “But I’ve always wanted a mini version of us running around.”

Your tears ebb slightly at his words, and you let out a shaky breath, meeting his gaze with both fear and a flicker of hope. He leans in again, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to your lips, and for a moment, everything else fades. The world outside, the worries, the uncertainties—they all fall away, leaving just the two of you in that small bathroom, wrapped in each other.

“I love you,” he murmurs as he pulls back ever so slightly, his forehead against yours, breathless and sincere. “And I’ll be right here with you, every step of the way. We can do this. I think… I’m actually kind of excited.”

His sincerity washes over you like the tide, enveloping you in warmth, dulling the sharp edges of your anxiety. You can’t help but smile through your lingering tears, comforted by the reality that you won’t be alone in this. You believe him—you feel it in the very core of your being.

As the sun begins to set outside, casting a golden glow over the bathroom, John B takes your hands in his, enfolding your fingers with his own. “We’ve been through so much together, Y/N,” he says, a hint of determination in his voice. “We can make this work. We’ll figure out a way. We’ll climb every mountain, swim through every storm—together.”

With each word, a weight lifts from your shoulders, each promise binding you closer, transforming the fear into a shared adventure. You find courage in his sincerity, the unwavering belief that love, no matter how young, can build a foundation strong enough to weather any storm.

“And who knows,” he adds, a playful smirk tugging at his lips, “maybe they’ll have my hair and your smile. I mean, they’ll be a Pogue, right?”

You laugh softly, the tension in the air dissipating like a passing cloud. You lean into him, resting your head on his shoulder, the comfort of his presence cradling you like a well-worn blanket. As the excitement of the unknown mixed with the thrill of this new chapter begins to settle in your heart, you realize that it’s not just about the plans you had, but about the beautiful chaos that lay ahead and the love that would guide you both.

“Yeah, they’ll be a little Pogue,” you whisper, and in that moment, you both know there’s nowhere else you’d rather be, no one else you’d rather face the future with than each other.

[gamesetcheckeredflag]

After the sincaraz final i wanted to write something... so here we go...

short summary: they are in the plane, jannik is in a kinda depressed mood, they are making out in the airplane bathroom

Jannik leaned back in his seat, his long legs stretched out. He looked out the window, thinking about the match he had just played a couple hours ago.

He knew he was doing his best, but he couldn’t help it. He thought he could really win the match he has trained a lot and the last matches he played were also quite good.

Carlos shifted in his seat, glancing at Jannik who sat just a couple meters from him. The match before had left him exhausted and his whole body was aching.

He swallowed hard as he took in Jannik’s expression that was obviously disappointed.

He had felt bad seeing Jannik lose which was something he couldn’t understand. They were rivals, they shouldn’t feel bad for the other when they lost but he couldn’t help it. With Jannik it was different.

Carlos stood up although he wasn’t sure what exactly he wanted to do. Slowly, he went over to Jannik’s seat.

“Hey, can we… talk?” He asked shyly.

He felt weird talking to Jannik when both their teams were around.

“Uhm… yes of course. What do you want?” Jannik turned his face to him instead of looking outside. He tried to smile but Carlos saw it wasn’t an honest one.

“I – I just wanted to tell you that you played really well.”

Jannik looked away again.

“Thanks,” he murmured after a long pause. His voice was flat, nothing to be heard of the usual warmth. “You too.”

Carlos’ chest tightened. This was definitely not how it was supposed to be. After all of their matches, no matter who won, they had always managed to talk normally, sometimes even laugh about something. But tonight, it felt different.

Everything felt tense and forced and Carlos couldn’t help but be mad at himself for saying yes to the flight together. He should have said no when Juanki asked him if they should share the jet with Jannik’s team.

“Jannik,” Carlos started again, his voice sounding almost pleading. “I mean it, you were amazing out there, I–“

“Stop. Just… stop.”

Jannik’s voice was sharp and the intensity in his gaze made Carlos flinch.

“Don’t act like you care. You won. And you deserved it. But please don’t pretend to care.”

Jannik’s voice broke off, looking away again as he ran his hand through his curls. Carlos just stared at him. He had known Jannik for years and had seen him at his highest and what he had though his lowest but this… unfiltered version of Jannik was new.

“I am not pretending,” Carlos said, trying to keep his voice at a low volume so that the others wouldn’t hear everything. He leaned forward to grip the armrest so he doesn’t fall over when a small turbulence hit the plane. “I just… fuck, Jannik, I don’t know what to say. I hate seeing you like this because I do care!”

“Yes, well. Get used to it.” Jannik shrugged.

The words stung, and that sharper than Carlos had expected.

He wanted to say something, but suddenly he was well aware of how close they were. Carlos could see the brown and green of Jannik’s eyes that looked darker than usually as the light was dim.

The silence stretched and made them both feel awkward. The jet’s hum seemed louder than before at the small space suddenly felt too cramped, too intimate.

Suddenly, Jannik stood up, making Carlos flinch. He now had to look a bit up at Jannik, which was caused by their height difference.

He watched as Jannik’s long limbs moved toward the front of the cabin. Carlos felt an impulse to follow him, and before he could have even thought about it he went after him.

“Wait.” He said, hoping he wasn’t too loud and would wake up the others that were sleeping in their seats. “Where are you going?”

“Bathroom.”

Seconds later, Carlos found himself with Jannik in the bathroom. The small bathroom.

The small room didn’t leave them any space, they were standing now face to face and were able to feel their breaths on each other’s skin.

For a moment neither of them moved. The air felt thick between them and both could feel the tension.

Jannik was so close that Carlos was able to see every detail of his face. The slight flush of his cheeks, the crease between his eyebrows the way his lips he pressed together. And how he ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

Carlos swallowed hard. Why had he followed Jannik? He shouldn’t have done it. He wouldn’t be in this situation if hadn’t.

But now he was here, in the tiny bathroom. Practically pressed up against him.

“Why are you here, Carlos?” Jannik interrupted, his voice low. “Why did you have to follow me?”

But Carlos didn’t know how to respond. Because he didn’t know. To apologize? To comfort him? But why would he do that. They weren’t really close friends.

“I… I don’t know.” Carlos whispered, his breath getting faster when he realized how close they really were now. “I just couldn’t let you go like that.”

For a split second, Jannik’s gaze softened until he was back to clenching his jaw and looking at the ceiling. “You cannot fix everything Carlos.”

“I am not trying to do that. I just can’t stand seeing you like that. I feel so bad.” Carlos said frustrated.

“Then why do you have to keep winning?” Jannik let out a bitter laugh. He knew his feelings weren’t rational but when were they. He was frustrated. Carlos was his kryptonite.

“Because I have to. It’s just the game. But it doesn’t mean I want to hurt you on purpose.”

Jannik didn’t reply. The tension in the tiny room was palpable, making Carlos feel like he was on the edge of something dangerous.

And then, Jannik moved. It was so quick, unexpected, that Carlos didn’t have the time to react before Jannik’s hands were on him. He grabbed Carlos arms, fingers digging into his skin.

 Before Carlos could say anything, Jannik’s mouth was on his – desperate.

Everything, all the confusion, the frustration, the anger, it all was recognizable in the kiss.

Carlos surged forward, his hands now on Jannik’s back, gripping Jannik’s shirt. Underneath he could feel the muscles in Jannik’s back tensing up.

The kiss deepened and turned hotter the more confident the men became. Jannik groaned against his mouth, his hands sliding down to grip Carlos’ waist.

 The room seemed to become even smaller as they stumbled a bit back making Carlos bump against the cold sink which made him gasp, and sent a shiver down his spine.

The gasp made him break the kiss for just a moment before Jannik’s mouth was on his again, kind of demanding.

It was chaotic. Carlos nearly elbowed Jannik as they tried to change positions so that now it was Jannik feeling the sink in his back.

But it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered to Carlos was Jannik’s hands on his hips, his lips on his, the heat of his body pressed against him, Jannik’s toned back he could feel under his hands.

 “Jannik,” Carlos gasped, as Jannik kissed along his jaw and down his neck which made his head fell back. “What... what are we doing here?”

 “Shut up,” Jannik managed to say, his breath hot against Carlos’ skin.

And then he was kissing him again. Carlos felt like he couldn’t get enough air, but he also didn’t want to stop. Didn’t want to pull away to take a breath.

Jannik’s hands slipped under Carlos’ shirt, pushing it up while he explored Carlos’ chest, his sides, his waist.

“Fuck,” Jannik breathed, his voice low. “You’re-“

But whatever he wanted to say was lost when Carlos pulled him back down to press their lips together again.

Carlos hands were shaking a bit when he tugged at Jannik’s shirt, pulling it over his head and sliding his hands over his chest and abs.

But then, suddenly, Jannik pulled back, breathing hard, his eyes dark.

“We… fuck, Carlos. We shouldn’t do that.”

“But why did you…” Carlos looked up at the other guy in confusion.

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t fucking know,” he growled.

They were both trying to catch their breath but then Jannik’s gaze dropped to his lips again and something changed. Carlos didn’t even know what.

It felt as if Jannik was more confident know.

And he was. Jannik was kissing him again, harder this time. Rougher.

“Fuck it,” he muttered.

Carlos’ body reacted instinctively. His hands explore Jannik’s body, pulling him closer, needing to feel him, needing to know him.

The next few minutes were a blur of moans and gasps.

Carlos didn’t know how long they stayed like that, lost in each other. All he knew was that when they finally broke apart, they were both a mess. They were panting, their shirts somewhere on the floor. Jannik’s fingers tangled in his hair.

Their faces where flushed, their bodies trembling, their lips swollen.

They were just standing there for a moment, neither of them moving. They just stared at each other as their chests were heaving and hearts racing.

They knew they should get out there before anyone noticed they’d been gone for so long.

But Jannik’s eyes were locked on his, sending shivers down Carlos’ spine.

“Fuck Carlos,” Jannik muttered. “You’re driving me crazy.”

Carlos didn’t - no, he couldn’t – respond. All he could do was kiss Jannik again, desperate to feel him again.

His hands moved over Jannik’s chest, his stomach, down to the waistband of his pants.

Jannik’s breath hitched when Carlos’ fingers brushed over the skin above his pants.

“Is… Is this what you want?” Carlos asked put of breath, his voice low.

“Yes. Fuck, yes.”

And then their lips were pressed against each other’s again, Jannik’s hands roaming over the other guy’s bare chest. He tugged at Carlos’ pants, his fingers brushing against his hips, his thighs, teasing, but not yet touching were Carlos wanted him most.

“Jannik,” Carlos gasped, his voice breaking as he arched into Jannik’s touch, his fingers digging into his shoulders. “Please-“

But before he could finish Jannik spun them around again, pinning Carlos against the bathroom sink. Carlos let out a soft cry of surprise as Jannik’s body pressed against his.

“Tell me what you want,” Jannik murmured, his thumb brushing over Carlos’ bottom lip, coax a whine out of the younger man. “Say it, Carlos.”

Carlos swallowed hard, his fingers gripping the edge of the sink behind him. His whole body was trembling.

“You. Please, Jannik, I want you,” he breathed, his voice barely audible.

All he wanted was Jannik’s hands on him.

“Don’t stop,” Carlos whispered, his voice trembling. “Please, don’t stop,” he begged.

And then his hands were on Carlos’ waistband, tugging it down, his fingers sliding over bare skin. Carlos gasped, his head falling back and his breath coming in short gasps.

“Jannik- “

“Fuck, you’re so… you are driving me insane.” Jannik’s voice was rough, almost growling.

Carlos let out a whimper, his head falling back as Jannik’s mouth trailed down his stomach.

But before he anything more could happen, there was a sudden knock on the door.

“Carlos?” a familiar voice called out, muffled through the thin door.

Carlos froze, his heart leaping into his throat. He knew that voice—knew it all too well.

“Fuck,” he whispered, his eyes wide as he looked up at Jannik. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Jannik’s gaze was just as panicked, his hands stilling against Carlos’ skin.

“What the fuck should we do?” Jannik asked, panicking.

“Just act normal.” Carlos whispered; his voice strained.

He took their shirts in his hands giving one to Jannik and put it on.

“Carlos?” Juanki’s voice called out again, louder this time. “Are you in there?”

“Yes… yes. Just… just wait a second.”

But he didn’t. Before he could think about a plan the door swung open and Carlos’ heart stopped.

His face turned red.

“Enjoying yourself?” Juanki asked dryly. Before anyone could respond he added a “Just get back to your seats. And just don’t do it again… at least not in a plane. The walls are quite thin here, you know?”

When Juanki turned away to go back to his seat Carlos just stood there.

“We are so fucked,” he whispered to Jannik.

[spookymystery67]

I Wish I Could Walk In Heels

AN: Long time no see. This took way longer than I had hoped. I guess life is really kicking my ass right now, so apologies. I really appreciate all the support from everyone who reads/comments/likes my story. It really helps with motivation when I feel like my writing is awful. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I'm hoping that now that we're moving on to the actual game story line that it will be easier to get chapters out now that I don't have to rely fully on my imagination. It's lacking right now lol. Enjoy!

-2004-

Chapter 19:

“You'd think you and I would have learned our lesson by now.” 

“Just help me get down, you lunatic.” You grumbled once you could look at her properly, as you were finally done spinning in uncontrollable circles.

Ada couldn't keep her composure any longer and let out an amused laugh at your predicament. She tried a few times to stop and regain her breathing, successfully doing so before she looked back up at you, only to begin laughing harder once more when she caught your unamused glare. 

She couldn't take you seriously when you were hanging upside down by your left leg from a beam, struggling to get yourself free from the tangle of wire as you growled at yourself over your failure. Your growling was turned to aim at her when she had made no move to help you down and her laughter showed no sign of slowing down.

“Ada, my love. Please stop laughing and get me down from here.” You said as sweetly as possible through your irritation. You were becoming more and more lightheaded the longer you were stuck up there and your leg was going numb from holding all your weight.

Ada had to brace her hands against her knees to stop herself from falling over due to her laughter throwing her off balance. She stood to full height as her laughter slowed down to a stop, looking at you with fondness and love in her expression.

“Of course, my love.” She moves to help carefully untangle you. “You know, maybe it's time you give up on the grappling hook. It's only ever caused you pain and embarrassment.”

“True, but it also brings you amusement.” You pointed out. Ada nodded in agreement.

“Definitely. But I don't want to see you get hurt, dear. Plus, it's been six years. It's just not meant to be if you haven't got the hang of it by now.” Ada said as she finally untangled you. She quickly caught you as you fell, placing you gently on the ground and holding you steady as you tried to get over the dizziness that nearly made you tumble to the floor of the abandoned warehouse building you both chose to practice in.

You huffed in disappointment. “But I don't want to give it up. It's cool.”

Ada smirked. “Only when you can actually use it correctly.” You playfully shoved her away from you in response to her teasing.

“Well, apparently not everyone can be as cool as you.”

Ada shook her head in amusement as she wrapped her arms around your waist, pulling you in close. “Oh hush. You are cool. Just in your own, unique, way that others may not fully understand.” She cooed.

You raised a brow, unimpressed with her teasing attempt to “comfort” your bruised ego. But, you couldn't resist her soft smile and beautiful brown eyes for long. 

Your face broke into a smile and you gave up on being fake angry with her. “Fine. I give up. Clearly the only people that can use grappling hooks are you and Batman.”

“Does Batman use grappling hooks?” Ada questioned, having no knowledge on comic book superheroes.

You shrugged. “How else does he get on top of those tall ass buildings to stare out into Gotham City and brood?”

“The elevator?” Ada sassed.

The mental image you conjured up of Bruce Wayne dressed up as Batman trying to ride an elevator to the top without being seen by civilians makes you let out a cackle. Ada looked as proud as she always did to get that reaction out of you from her stupid jokes.

“So, I was thinking.” Ada started, still holding you in her embrace. “Maybe we can take a break from work for a while. Have a little vacation for a few weeks and just enjoy each other's company.”

You looked back up at her with surprise. “Ada Wong, the most workaholic person I have ever known, wants to take a break from work?” 

Ada raised a brow and squeezed your waist tighter with a smirk. “Is that not what I just said? Do we need to get your hearing checked?” She said as she lightly flicked your ear.

You swatted her hand away with a fake glare. “Well excuse me for being skeptical. Any breaks that we've had over the last six years were the result of me whining and begging you to submit due to sheer annoyance.”

“I was never annoyed with you. I just like to play hard to get.” 

You looked at her in mock confusion. “Hmm, you weren't that hard for me to get.”

“But if anyone asks, I was. I have a reputation to uphold here.” Ada teased. She playfully booped your nose just to see it scrunch up in reaction. Her smile widened as your brows furrowed in slight irritation from the gesture. “So… is that vacation a no?”

You quickly shake your head. “No! Not a no. I wouldn't mind taking a breather. Any place you have in mind?”

Ada shrugged with a smug smirk. “I have an idea or two. But it's a surprise.” 

You had a love/hate relationship with surprises. Under normal circumstances, you hated not knowing what “surprise” someone thought up involving you. But with Ada, you tend to love whatever surprise she had for you. She never did anything that would make you uncomfortable and always took note of whatever interested you and kept them in mind for said surprises in the future. 

“Hmm, alright. Knowing you, I wouldn't hate it.” You accepted.

Ada goes to respond when a voice from behind you interrupted, making her freeze for a moment as she looked over your shoulder.

“So this is what you have been up to these last six years, Ada. Playing house.”

You quickly turned to face the intruder as Ada moved to subtly stand slightly between you and the unknown man. He looked vaguely familiar. But you couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Though judging by the way Ada was immediately on guard, you could easily assume the stranger was bad news.

“I quite honestly never pegged you as the type to settle down. You always seemed to prefer to be constantly on the move.” The man said.

You observed him as he walked closer to the two of you. His demeanor screamed professional and dangerous. The type of guy with a no nonsense and straight to business attitude. He seemed completely unbothered by your presence, or by the gun in your hand that you took out and had pointed at him as you moved to stand by Ada. So she wouldn't be in the crossfire.

The man had blonde, slicked back hair and pale skin. His age seemed to be around his thirties or forties from what you could tell. He wore dark, professional clothing and donned a pair of sunglasses that covered the color of his eyes. 

The sunglasses kind of reminded you of when Ada had worn hers back in Raccoon City, as they were completely pointless in the dimmed lighting of the warehouse you and Ada had deemed appropriate for training.

“Yeah, well, I'm full of surprises.” Ada purred dryly. Her guard was up. Her mask on. Unbothered. Toeing the line between professional and flirty. She nudged you slightly, her way of telling you to put your gun down. You listened, trusting her to know how best to handle the situation.

“I'm fully aware. Don't think I have forgotten that you had backed out of our deal, Ada. You're lucky I have more important things to concern myself with other than wanting you and your little girlfriend dead.” The man said. 

Oh. 

You should have known.

This was Albert Wesker. That's why he looked familiar. You had seen a picture of him six years ago when you were snooping through files just before Raccoon city fell. You also, very clearly, remembered that this man had wanted you dead and for Ada to do the job. You wondered if that was still the case, but decided to keep your mouth shut for the time being.

“Why are you here?” Ada questioned, wanting nothing more than to get you away from the man. But, she had to engage in conversation with him. She already knew that fighting your way out of this would be pointless and needlessly dangerous for the both of you. 

She could handle this without endangering you.

“Business. I have a job for you. One that requires your particular skill set. Despite your previous failure,” Even with his sunglasses on, you could tell from his tone alone that he was giving you the side eye. “I am willing to give you another chance. And you will be paid, of course.”

Ada raised a brow as she swayed closer to shield you once more. 

“That doesn't sound like you. Giving people second chances.” She skeptically stated. Though, it sounded almost like playful teasing with her mask on. You saw right through it.

“You're not the only one who is full of surprises.” Wesker deadpanned. He seemed bored of the entire conversation.

She smirked. “And if I refuse?” Ada seemed to already know the answer to this question, but asked it anyway.

“Simple. I will kill your little girlfriend here.” He pointed toward you, before turning back to Ada. “And then I will kill you. But you already knew this. Don't waste my time with idiotic questions. Now, what will it be?”

You didn't really like being so casually threatened. But you stayed silent.

Ada glanced back at you, who was quiet throughout the conversation, debating. While you felt you both could take him in a fight, you still had to consider the alternative. 

Umbrella wasn't at all as powerful or influential as it was six years ago. Both you and Ada had a part in that downfall. You had a feeling Wesker knew this. Was he even a part of Umbrella still? Neither of you knew for sure.

But you had to assume that he still has some influence in whatever he was a part of. Meaning he had numbers. Meaning he had back up. Of course he has back up, he's not an idiot. You likely wouldn't make it out alive if Ada refused and tried to fight him off. 

All the more reason to accept his threat/offer.

You gave her a single nod, knowing she had a similar thought process as you. She knew the best way out of this situation. She knew him better. Yet she still paused for your input, making a warm feeling pool in your chest at the fact she cared about how you felt in the situation. You forced yourself to brush it off.

Now is not the time to get distracted by the love of your girlfriend.

Ada turned to face Wesker. “We're a package deal. I won't go anywhere without her.” She said, referring to you.

Wesker looked unimpressed, but accepted nonetheless. “Very well. The payment I have in mind is more than enough for two. But if she interferes with the missions in any way, you both will regret it.”

You didn't appreciate being bad-mouthed like you weren't even there in the room to listen. You spoke up for the first time since Wesker had made his presence known.

“Don't worry, I won't sabotage the mission.” You affirmed. You had a lot more unpleasant words you wanted to say in mind, but chose to not risk the situation turning into more of a problem.

Ada nodded in agreement. “I trust her more than anyone to help me get things done.” Her sincerity shone brightly through the mask she donned for Wesker. You weren't sure he even noticed, or cared to.

“Wonderful.” Wesker deadpanned. “Shall we discuss the details.”

—

You and Ada had to endure hours of debrief from Wesker. To sum it up, the mission was to take place in a village in Spain called Los Iluminados, where you were both to obtain an object called the Amber by someone named Luis. 

You've also both figured out that Wesker is part of the Organization Ada works for. And, by extension, you. The fact that for the last six years, Wesker knowingly and purposely spent the entire time staying out of your radar left you uneasy. If he wanted you dead before, why didn't he just kill you himself? He had the power.

Not knowing exactly what he was planning left you both feeling extremely uneasy. You only had educated guesses based on his past actions to go off of.

“Hey, you know everything is going to be fine, my love.” Ada voiced after you both searched the hotel room for hidden wire taps or anything that Wesker could use to spy on you with. It was clear. You could speak freely.

Her mask was off. The true Ada you know and love returned. Sincere and loving as always, worried about you and how you felt. She could sense your unease from a mile away and wanted nothing more than to comfort you.

You took off your jacket and tossed it on a lounge chair, before facing her fully. “I don't like it, Ada. I really don't.”

She nodded in agreement. “Believe me, I'm not a fan either.” 

“The fact that this entire time we have been together, Wesker knew and did nothing? It worries me.” You said.

“Well, we both suspected he was fully aware of everything. Why is it so surprising?”

“Suspecting and knowing for sure are two, very different, things. I had a small peace of mind when I was oblivious. Now I want to know what the hell he is planning.”

“The only person who knows Wesker is Wesker. Not even his closest 'friends’ know him well.” Ada said. She walked over to the loveseat placed in the very large hotel space. She sat down and encouraged you to sit right next to her.

“Still, six years and not a peep. No threats. Then suddenly he needs you.” You ranted as you sat beside her, on her right side.

“It could be a test. To see if I can be trustworthy.” Ada stated a possibility.

You paused, thinking for a moment. “He sees you as a means to an end. This mission is dangerous. It's very similar to Raccoon City. If you fail, if you die, he'll just send another.” 

Ada smirked, knowing you were right. It does seem like Wesker. “Sounds spot on, my love. He was saving all of his threats until we were needed for a suicide mission. He is sending all of his untrustworthy people first. If we die, which he could think is likely, then his problem will be solved.” She said to you as she placed an arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to her.

You lay your head upon her shoulder with a sigh. “What if we don't die and we succeed in getting the Amber? Will he actually pay us or will he kill us?”

Ada paused. “I'm not entirely sure. Though, I am willing to bet that he won't just let us go without issue.”

“So, we won't hand it over?”

“We'll decide that when the time is right.” She shrugged.

“I don't know how I feel about going to this village. From what Wesker said, it's a little too similar to Raccoon City for my tastes.”

“I agree. But we won't be there for very long. Plus, we'll be right by each other's side throughout the whole thing. You have my back, I got yours, right?”

You nodded sincerely. “Of course. I've got you.”

Ada smiled, “And I've got you.” She pulled you even closer to her, if that was even possible. While you always felt safe in Ada's arms, she always felt the same way in your own. It was a mutual comfort.

You turned into a more comfortable position to return the hug properly as you both sat there in a comfortable silence.

“Guess that vacation will have to wait, huh?” You muttered quietly into her shoulder. She hummed with laughter as she held you tightly.

“Seems like it. Don't worry, I'll make it to you eventually.”

[builtbybrokenbells]

CAPITAL VICES | CAPITAL VIRTUES

The seven capital virtues, also known as contrary or remedial virtues, are those opposite the seven deadly sins. They are often enumerated as chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility.

Masterlist

Listen while reading: bed of roses - bon jovi

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x f!reader

Word Count: 7k

Warnings: mentions of sex, mentions of drinking, grief/loss of a parent, mentions of bad past relationships, fear/anxiety, mentions of sickness/illness, swearing, but mostly just fluff! sorry if i miss any!!

i couldn’t end this without a little sweetness to carry over until the next time. thank you all for every bit of love this story has received; you have made capital vices what it is, and i would not be here without you. sorry for any heartbreak I’ve caused, but I hope this suffices! this is finally the end, and although it is a chapter, it also serves as the epilogue. I love you all so very much, and as always, enjoy, be kind, and don’t mind any grammar mistakes!

The morning came as it always does, bright and unsuspecting, sneaky and sometimes even hostile. When you opened your eyes for the first time on that sunny Sunday morning, dangerously bordering the afternoon hours, you were in a better mood than you had ever been. Not even the disruptive rays of light washing over your face could irritate you, nor the cluster of birds chirping in your backyard. Your chest was light, free from the weight of sadness and finally relaxing after relentless tension. You could inhale and fill your lungs without a stabbing reminder of what you missed so dearly, and the scent of Jake lingered in your pillows and sheets, even clinging on to the fibers of the shirt you were wearing.

The morning can not be bad when you wake up to such an abundance of love and all things that come along with it.

You turned, half expecting to see Jake sleeping soundly next to you, hoping to catch sight of his peaceful expression as the sun illuminated his beautiful features. When you looked next to you, you were not met by soft snores and a mess of long, brown hair. The bed was empty, only a divot in the mattress to remind you of him and his company. Your stomach sank, wondering if he’d gone back home already. You tried to ignore the nagging disappointment that came along with the thought of him leaving without a goodbye. You rubbed sleep from your eyes, begging your body to wake up the same as your mind had. With an outstretch of your limbs and a long, exaggerated yawn, you managed to throw the blankets from your legs and face the cold air.

As you stepped out of bed, you noticed more signs of another human life housed inside your home. The disappointment fled your body, replaced with an urgent sense of excitement. Quiet clanging of pots and pans could be heard from the kitchen, as well as light footsteps and the soft sound of music. The closer you got to your bedroom door, the more you could hear it. You grabbed a pair of shorts to slip on as you walked towards the exit from your room, advancing slowly so you could soak up the sight and sear it into your memory. A smile blossomed on your cheeks as you slowed to a stop. Leaning against the doorframe, you gazed out into the kitchen, watching Jake, shirtless and unsuspecting, tend to a pan on the stove. The coffee maker was lit up with blue lights, signaling its own anticipation to be used. From his phone played a slow melody, and his movements were so gentle and calculated, almost as if he was trying his best to remain undetected.

You wanted to run to him, wrap your arms around him and kiss your way through the morning. You craved his hand on your hip and your arms slung around his neck, clumsily dancing to the soft music. You wanted to hear him speak your name, to let the low tone settle deep in your bones and make home there, just so the memory could remain indefinitely. Instead, you stood and stared. You wanted it so badly, but your body would not allow it. He was a person meant to be admired, and that’s exactly what you intended to do.

He did not notice you, nor did he even think to look over his shoulder and check. You had no idea how he was so oblivious to your eyes burning holes into him, but you were grateful for his ignorance. It allowed you to watch him, unashamed and uninterrupted as you familiarized yourself with all of the small details. The way his hair swooped down and settled on the bare, tanned skin of his back. The way the defined outline of his muscles showcased every flex and tense that happened with every small movement and sudden motion. The pair of sweatpants, settled low on his hips and leaving little to the imagination. You listened as he hummed the lyrics to himself, every so often growing increasingly more passionate about the song. His inability to multitask allowed for the toast to pop from the toaster and make him jump in surprise, then drew his attention so much that the pan became long forgotten.

He was perfection, and you were just the lucky one who was able to appreciate it in such a way. You did not deserve such an angel, gracing your kitchen in the late morning while you dozed away in another room. It was staggering, the difference between Jake Kiszka during the day and in the late hours of the night. In the darkness, his skin was as red as blood, a pitchfork in hand as he tried to hide the devil horns settled on his skull. In the light of morning? He omitted an aura of white light, appearing blessed by god himself as the shiny, golden halo sat perfectly atop his head. He was the most confusing entity you had ever encountered, and for some strange reason, it only made you fall for him harder.

As you watched him, you began to second guess every notion you had previously concluded about him. The glass seemed to unfog, quickly becoming crystal clear as you viewed him in a whole new way. The man in your kitchen did not seem unholy, or like he held any wicked power or desires. He was a man, unfathomably perfect in everything he did. His beauty was blinding, and his heart was full of love waiting to be given to you. There was no possible way the man in your home was anything less than angelic, and your earlier fear of the unholy seemed to deconstruct itself the longer you watched.

The constant unease that was so often felt in your stomach was gone, as was the fear that normally accompanied it. For the first time since you met him—no, for the first time in years, life seemed perfect.

The feeling you felt before succumbing to sleep was gone, replaced only with love and happiness. Jake was not an evil entity, and with your new found strength, it now seemed completely possible to repent for the mistakes you had made.

With him by your side, you knew you could do anything.

You could not resist the urge to touch him any longer, stepping out into the brightly lit kitchen and approaching him with caution. When you were close enough, you extended your arm and placed your hand on his back, just over his shoulder blade. He jumped only slightly, realizing immediately that it was you from the calming effect of your touch. You placed your other hand on his bicep, stepping even closer and cornering him into the counter. You pressed your chest against his back, turning your head downwards placing a small kiss on his shoulder.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He said, his voice still laced with sleepiness. He let you stay in your position only for a moment before turning to face you. You gazed up at his face, stars dancing in your eyes as you gave him a soft smile. “How did you sleep?”

“Good,” you hummed, neglecting to tell him that it was only because he was with you “and you?”

“Fantastically, ‘cause it was with you.” He did not seem to have any shame about the fact. Your cheeks dusted red at the sweetness of his words. He leaned down, placing a soft kiss to your forehead. He lingered there for a second, but eventually had to move on to tend to the food cooking on the stove. You couldn’t help but frown, wishing that the moment could have lasted for a little while longer.

“Breakfast?” You asked, moving to the coffeemaker to hit the brew button. You placed a cup underneath before turning to face him again. He looked back over his shoulder, a sheepish look on his face.

“Is that okay?” You thought about it for a moment, pretending to ponder the question.

“Of course it is, Jake.” You assured him, giving him a nod.

With that, the first heavenly virtue began to fill the room. Pride was non-existent, now replaced with a newfound sense of humility. Before, you were so stuck in your own ways that the simple idea of breakfast made you sick to your stomach. You could not digest the idea of showing or sharing emotional intimacy with him, but now, it was easier than falling asleep. In truth, humility had began to take over long before that moment. The night prior, when you bit your tongue and allowed him to speak his mind despite your belief that you were doing the right thing, your prideful behaviour was long forgotten. As he poured his heart out to you over a dozen roses and countless tears, you were no longer the most important, nor the one with the right answers. You swallowed your pride and allowed yourself to view things from his perspective, thus allowing the two of you to communicate effectively.

But, humility was not the first; in fact, the first virtue had appeared the night before, blooming alongside the begging of humility, when you were still convinced that evil coursed through his veins and bled into your own. When he showed up at your doorstep with nothing but love in his heart, you responded with patience instead of the wrath the two of you so often found yourselves in. You held the capacity to accept and delay your own suffering in an attempt to listen to his. You could have slammed the door, or argued until you were blue in the face without ever acknowledging that you might not be right or know best. It was something you so often did, but you loved him enough to hear his words without allowing your own emotions to get in the way. You loved Jake enough to be patient, which was something you had never done before in your entire life.

“Unless you had something else in mind?” He asked, switching off the element of the stove and pushing the pan to the side. He made sure that there was no fire hazards before returning to you. His hand settled on your hip and his index finger moved to your chin, guiding your head upwards. He was so close that it made your head spin and your heart thud against your chest dramatically.

“Like?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. His nose was brushing against your own, his lips just barely parted from you.

“Continuing what we were doing last night?” He offered. You let out a small chuckle, leaning forward and pressing your lips to his. The kiss was short, sweet but effective in its simplicity.

“As tempting as that is, no.” You shook your head, your lips still lingering over his. “I want to have breakfast with you, Jake.” At the sound of your words, he nearly fell to his knees. “I want to be with you, just like this.”

“We can do that, angel.” He breathed, smiling down at you. “Go sit, I’ll be right over.” He motioned towards the kitchen table.

“Okay.” You agreed, giddy at the thought of domesticity with him. As you sat down, you felt an oddly warm feeling wash over you. It felt like freedom, and it felt so good. Not once had you approached Jake and shown him such vulnerability without hopes of something sexual in return. Actually, you weren’t sure if you had ever approached him with vulnerability first; he always seemed to be the one to pry the emotion from you. It was a beautiful thing to be able to love someone with no hesitation, and loving him made it all the more special.

Just like that, lust was destroyed by chastity. You had overcome the biggest obstacle that was in the way of opening your hearts to each other. You could rely on one another without the need for sex, and you could show him and express that you cared for him without taking your clothes off. Lust was the very thing that created your relationship, yet if you continued on the same path of prioritizing sexual pleasure over emotional connection, you would meet a tragic end. In that one fraction of a second, you had shown him that he was more than sex, and what he offered did not solely exist within the bedroom. You even believed that you could live a long and happy life without ever having sex with him again, because sitting down and sharing a meal was just as fulfilling as anything else.

You loved Jake for all he was, but the urge to sleep with him was still pressing despite your desire to do something as simple as share breakfast. Instead of acting on it, you surpressed your desire for him and gave him a warm smile as he placed a plate in front of you. It would be too easy, too predictable to throw everything else aside for something as superficial as sex. In the last five years of your life, sex had grown into something completely meaningless to you. What you were doing, sitting down, sipping coffee and sharing laughs, was the most meaningful thing you’d ever done. It was coated with meaning, almost so much so that you struggled to wrap your head around it.

You were done with superficialities; you wanted him to know you wholly and completely, without any defence or fear. You were tired of just sharing enough to keep him around, but never enough for him to know you. As you watched him eat the meal he had prepared for you both, you knew that Jake was the person you wanted to share your soul with. He was the only person who you trusted with it, and he was the only person who would protect it as if his life depended on it. The last three months had shown you enough of him for you to fall in love, but now you were the one who needed more. You needed every secret, to know where his body held scars from his childhood, and what his favorite subject in school was. You needed to hear about his parents, and all of the funny stories about his siblings from their youth. You needed it desperately, and you needed it now.

“Were you always close with your siblings? Or did that come with age?” You asked, looking at him over the top of your mug as you took a sip. He gave you a questioning look as he pondered your words.

“We’ve always been close.” He deducted, nodding his head as he answered. “I mean, we fought, but we’ve always been best friends.”

“Hmm,” you smiled, looking down at your plate. “I think the idea of you and Josh fighting is hilarious.”

“Well, there’s been lots of fights, and I’m sure there will be more to come.” He laughed quietly at the memories flooded his mind.

“What was your favourite subject in school?” You asked, catching his gaze again.

“Nothing.” He chuckled.

“Oh, come on.” You rolled your eyes. “There had to be one class you liked.”

“Music class in the ninth grade.” He said, smirking at your annoyed expression. “And I liked gym class.”

“Typical teenage boy.” You smiled.

“School wasn’t really my thing, but I made it through. Turns out you don’t need calculus to play a guitar, so it didn’t matter much in the end, anyway.”

“Guess so.” You agreed. “Did you break the rules a lot? You seem like the type.”

“Every now and again.” He shrugged, giving a sheepish smile. “What about you?”

“Never.” You laughed, finding the thought blasphemous. “My parents would have killed me. I liked school, and I was good at it. Did lots of extracurriculars and stuff, and always went to bed at ten.”

“Goody-two shoes?” He teased, making your cheeks burn red. “I’m just joking, sweetheart.” He said, reaching across the table and giving your hand a small squeeze.

“I was,” you sighed. “My sister was, too, so I guess my parents did great at their jobs.” You reminisced on your younger years as you spoke. “My favorite class was calculus, though, so watch what you say about it.”

“Calculus was your favorite?” He held back a laugh at the idea. “I didn’t think anyone’s favorite class was calculus.”

“What can I say,” you shrugged “I like math. It makes sense to me.”

“Okay,” he agreed, feeling no need to challenge it any further. “What about you and your sister? Were you always close?”

“Yes and no.” You pondered back on your relationship with her. “When we were very young, we fought all of the time. For a little while, we could barely even be in the same room. When we hit double digits, I think we finally realized we were stuck with each other, then we tried to be friends. By high school, we were inseparable, save for a few fights. Now I couldn’t imagine what life would be like without her.” You explained, leaning back in your chair and smiling at your own shenanigans. “My dad used to say we got along like a house on fire. When we were small, he called us little devils.”

“Hard to believe you would fight with anyone,” he smirked, sarcasm dripping from his tone. You gave him a small chuckle, unable to find an argument. You loved to argue, and you loved being right. Unfortunately, he had seen that side of you more than he’d seen anything else. He was quiet for a moment, then he took in a long breath, as if he was debating whether to speak again. Then, he found the courage and opened his mouth again. “Tell me about your dad.” You looked up at him, stunned at the bluntness of his words. “If you want to, of course.”

“Y-yeah,” you stuttered. You were shocked at his desire to know, because you had envisioned a life for yourself in which you would never be asked that question, and by doing so, you thought that you would never have to answer it. You dreaded talking about it because it was the hardest thing you had ever gone through, but now that you were faced with it, the prospect of telling him seemed enticing. Your dad was your whole world, and sharing his memory with Jake only made sense to you; he was the only person you felt would honor him the same way you did.

“He was the best man you could ever meet, and I don’t think I’m saying that because I’m biased.” You treaded carefully, trying to find the best way to phrase your thoughts. “He was loved by everyone, and the only people that didn’t like him were the ones who did wrong first. He was funny, he was caring, and he was so smart. I don’t think I ever remember him raising his voice, and even until the very end, he was as happy as ever.” Jake nodded along as you spoke, showing you that he was listening to every word. “He loved sports, and music, and he got up hours early to make us all breakfast on Saturday mornings without fail.” You smiled at the memory, wondering if you would ever taste another pancake that was as good as your father’s recipe.

“He was there for every school event and parent teacher meeting, and he was always so excited to help us with homework. He watched football religiously and he drank margaritas because he thought beer was disgusting. He used to play us guitar when he put us to bed, and he read us stories with the books upside down so we couldn’t read ahead of him.” Jake laughed at the thought, a real one that came straight from his chest. You caught his eye, the glisten of tears quickly turning into adoration for him. Suddenly, you wondered why you ever wanted to hide your life from him at all. You wanted him to know everything, and you wanted him to share the laughs and the tears and most of all, the love.

“He was my best friend, and to this day, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who understands me like he did. He taught me everything I know, and I am who I am because of his love. He knew the words to every Van Halen song and he dedicated all his spare time trying to play one song as good as Stevie Ray Vaughan.” You closed your eyes, remembering the relentless riffs that floated through the morning air in your childhood home. “He never could, but we always told him he did.”

“Not many can,” Jake corrected, defending his talent. You nodded in agreement, knowing he was right.

“He taught me how to love art and music and most of all, photography. He used to take pictures of us all on those disposable cameras all hours of the day. I’m sure he went through ten a week.” You nearly rolled your eyes at the thought of how many ridiculous pictures existed of you. “When he started getting sick, it didn’t seem like anything changed until… all of it did.” You let out a shaky breath, the strength of the emotion so strong that it made your stomach churn. “He got sick when I was in the tenth grade, and it took a while for him to realize that he was sick. He came home from the doctor and he didn’t change a thing. He did homework with us, he played guitar, he drank his margaritas while he watched football, and I think that all of us had a hard time processing that something was wrong because he never acted like it.” He hummed, giving your hand another gentle squeeze to encourage you to keep going.

“When he went to the hospital for the first time, I was in the eleventh grade. I think that was when I finally understood that something was wrong. He only stayed for a couple of days, but when he came home, we could finally see the difference in him.” You paused, looking down at the table to gather your thoughts. “He stopped playing guitar, and he stopped drinking margaritas. Football still played on the T.V., but I don’t think he was really watching it anymore. He took pictures, but not as often, and breakfast on Saturdays was very much on the back burner compared to everything else going on.”

“He was there, but he wasn’t.” He tried to put your ramblings into the proper words. It was like living with a ghost, and that was the only way you knew how to explain it.

“Yeah, exactly.” You breathed. “We had him for longer than we deserved, but I can’t help but feel selfish when I wish that we could have had him forever.”

“I don’t think you’re selfish at all, beautiful.” He shook his head. “It sounds like he was fantastic, and I wish I could have met him.”

“He would have adored you.” You chuckled, smiling softly at the idea. “He always told me to find someone who encourages me to stand up after I fall, rather than someone who picks me up off the ground. He wanted me to find someone who made me laugh, who listened, and most of all, who loved me like he loved my mom. If I knew my dad, he would have known that you were that person the minute he laid eyes on you.”

“I don’t know how your dad loved your mom, but by the sounds of it, it was with all of his heart.” Jake said, waiting for you to look up at him. When you caught his eye, he continued on. “And with you, that’s all I plan to do.” He gave you a smile, one that spoke louder than any of his previous words.

“I, uh,” you paused, clearing your throat to rid yourself of the tears rising in it. “I don’t talk about my dad a lot, not because I don’t want to, but because I’ve always felt like nobody was worth it. To know, or to know about him is a privilege, and I don’t think a lot of people deserve it. I know that you do, and I’d love to tell you all about him.”

“Whenever you want to tell me, I’ll be more than happy to listen.”

Temperance crushed any gluttony that remained within the two of you. How easy it would have been to forgo breakfast and take him to bed, and how badly you wanted it was incomprehensible. The two of you had solidified the notion that sex was most important many times, but now it no longer seemed to be so pressing. Knowing him, and him knowing you was the only thing that mattered. You were able to put your gluttonous habits to the side and show enough self-restraint to look beyond the surface. There was more to Jake than a pretty face and a devastatingly intoxicating charm. There were thoughts, values and beliefs that you did not know a thing about, yet craved to hear. But, temperance was only getting started, and there was so much more you wanted to discover.

“Can you play guitar for me?” You asked, almost out of nowhere. You’d been desperate to hear his hands work magic on the fretboard after using his music as lullabies all week.

“Oh, y-yeah.” He said, excited but caught off guard. There was so much you needed and wanted from him, and you felt like you had already wasted too much time. You weren’t willing to miss out on another moment of knowing him.

You reached your hand out to him, blinking away any sadness still remaining in your eyes as you both rose to your feet. You abandoned whatever was left on your plates and took off down the hallway in a mess of hushed giggles and smiled. You opened the door to the room that held so many memories, the last one not so pleasant in your mind. Instead of focusing on the hurt, you made a promise to yourself to replace all of the bad with the good. You took a seat on your piano bench as he grabbed the guitar from the stand, stopping for a moment to admire the frames hung on the wall.

“You take stunning pictures, y/n.” He said, taking a long look over a few photographs you had hung from a photoshoot you’d done with your sister and her dogs. “I’ve never seen such a good picture of a dog before.” He laughed, leaning it to get a closer look at the portrait of her Golden Retriever.

“Thank you.” You smiled, allowing him to take as much time as he wanted. Before, you were afraid of him knowing you so well. Your work was your most precious treasure, and him knowing all about it broke down a barrier you had worked so hard at building. Now, watching his wondrous expression and a charming smile, you wanted to share every photograph you had ever taken. He made you feel a pride in your work that surpassed anything you’d ever felt before. As he walked around the room, studying the frames, you hit a couple notes on the piano. Eventually, it sparked a desire in you to play more.

You began a slow descent into song often heard over the car radio when your father drove you to school. You drew it out, having fun with it after going so many days without playing. You did not notice, too caught up in the echoing sound of the piano bouncing off of the walls, but Jake's head turned away from the frames and was now pointed in your direction. His eyes were fixated on your face, drinking in the small expressions you made as your hands glided across the keys. A smile was on his lips as he settled the guitar strap around his neck, listening intently as he adjusted the tuning pegs. As you continued to play, he began plucking the strings in time with your hands.

“Sitting here wasted and wounded

At this old piano

Trying hard to capture

The moment this morning I don't know

'Cause a bottle of Vodka's still lodged in my head

And some blonde gave me nightmares

Think that she's still in my bed

As I dream about movies

They won't make of me when I'm dead.” You sang, looking over the top of the piano to catch Jake’s eye. He was already looking, sending you a smile as if to say ‘keep going’.

“With an ironclad fist

I wake up and french kiss the morning

While some marching band keeps its own beat in my head

While we're talking

About all of the things that I long to believe

About love, the truth, what you mean to me

And the truth is

Baby you're all that I need.” The subliminal message in the lyrics was astounding, and he felt it just as strongly as you did. You played a small run, watching him as he took a step closer to you. As you opened your mouth to keep singing, he joined in, too.

“I want to lay you down in a bed of roses

For tonight I'll sleep on a bed of nails

Oh I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is

And lay you down on a bed of roses.” The two of you finished together, stars dancing in your eyes and hearts hanging in the air. You were so in love with each other that it was hard to think of anything else.

“Well I'm so far away

Each step that I take is on my way home

A king's ransom in dimes, I'd give each night

To see through this payphone

Still I run out of time

Or it's hard to get through

Till the bird on the wire flies me back to you

I'll just close my eyes and whisper

"Baby, blind love is true".” You let him sing the next verse alone, completely enthralled by his voice. He was such a beautiful singer that it made you wonder why he did not do it more often. You could listen to him sing songs of nothing but tragedy and still shed tears over the beauty.

“I want to lay you down in a bed of roses

For tonight I'll sleep on a bed of nails

Oh I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is

And lay you down on a bed of roses.” You began to trail off early, both of you done singing and ready to lay the song to rest. You wanted to kiss him more than you wanted to finish the song, and when it came to Jake, you knew he would always be the most important. He played a tiny riff on the guitar to finish it off, smiling to himself as he looked back up at you.

“Bon Jovi?” He asked, cocking his head to the side.

“My dad loved him.” You shrugged. “You should sing more often.”

“So should you.” He retorted without missing a beat. You both failed to bring up the fact that you had just shared so many intimate details with each other without even trying. “So, you think you’ll finally give my music a shot?” He asked, coming over to sit next to you.

“Don’t have to ‘give it a shot’,” you laughed, air quoting your words, “that solo in ‘The Weight Of Dreams’ could make anyone fall in love with you. I fell in love with it the minute I heard it.” The look of surprise on his face was apparent, and he could not seem to hide it. He certainly wasn’t expecting to hear you say that you had already listened, but especially not to hear you say the name of one of his songs.

“Y-you… you, uh…” he blinked a couple times, trying to process the new information. “You listened to it?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, speaking softly. “Every night after… yeah.” You cut yourself off. “It helped me sleep.”

“Oh,” he breathed, looking over your sheepish expression. He felt sad that he was not there to share the experience with you, but he was touched to hear such sentiments. “Well, you don’t have to use Spotify anymore, sweetheart. I’ll play you guitar until my fingers fall off.” He chuckled, reaching over and tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Whatever you want to hear, whenever you want to hear it.”

Slowly and quietly, generosity began to emerge and greed began to fade. Before, you had been so greedy that you wanted all of him without having to give anything back. Now, you wanted all of him, and you were willing to give him all of you in exchange for it. You no longer had a guard on your heart, wanting to bear it to him in the most intimate displays. As much as you wanted to know him, you wanted him to have all of you just the same.

“I’m sorry that I was so difficult, Jake.” You said, leaning into the soft touch of his hand. “I wish we could have done this a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry, too.” He said, running his thumb across your cheek. “That girl at the bar… I was so stupid, angel. You are the only thing I have ever wanted, and I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am for hurting you.”

“Scott wasn’t anything, either.” You confessed. “I just wanted to make you feel the same way I felt. It was gross, and I don’t want to do that again. I want to love you, Jake. I want to put all of the bad stuff aside and start over. I want us to be happy and I want this to be healthy, and I’m willing to do whatever I can to make it work.”

“I am too, sweetheart.” He leaned over, careful not to disturb the guitar in his lap. He pressed a kiss to your lips, lingering for a moment to enjoy the sweetness.

Charity replaced envy, allowing the two of you to show kindness and tolerance while judging each other. In the moment, emotion was so powerful that it was difficult to see the truth behind the situation. Now, you could both clearly understand that the hurtful words and actions stemmed directly from your own broken hearts. You did not want to hurt each other, nor did you want to make things worse. You were doing what you thought was best at the time to heal your own heartbreak. The pain had settled and allowed the two of you to see each other exactly as you were. You were so in love with each other that it made your head spin and your stomach twist with butterflies, and you were so regretful for how you treated each other. Moving on was what you intended to do, and leaving everything in the past was the only way to do it.

“I love you, y/n.” He whispered, his lips still lingering over your own.

“I love you, Jake.” You replied, smiling at the thought. “Thank you for taking a chance on me.”

“The only person that deserves to be thanked is you.” He corrected. “I want to love you better than anyone ever has. You deserve the world, and I want to be the person who can give it to you.”

“You already do.” You assured him. “More than you’ll ever know.”

“Be mine, angel?” He asked, pulling back with a hopeful expression. The three simple words took your breath away. The prospect of being his was more comforting than anything you’d ever felt before. You didn’t know how to love, or even what it meant to be in a relationship anymore, but you knew you wanted to try with him. For him, you would do anything.

“Of course, Jake.” You nodded, leaning in and pressing another kiss to his lips. In that moment, all of the sin seemed to wash away. The evil you had done was replaced with your virtuous love. The devil was not before you, nor was he within you. You were two people who loved each other endlessly and equally, trying to atone for the mistakes you had made while navigating such a profound journey. “I would love nothing more.” With one last smile, he pulled you into one last kiss, showcasing just how happy he was to know that he was yours and you were his.

You were not people of god, nor were you the devil's disciples; you were yourself, and Jake was Jake. You were two regular human beings who could make each other happy, but also had the luxury of making mistakes. There was no evil in the room, nor was there a white light and halos above your heads. You had sinned, and you had practiced virtues, but most of all, you learned to love each other efficiently and properly. You could communicate clearly, and you could open up without fear of rejection or disappointment. He was a charming man with an intoxicating personality, and you were a witty hot-head who stole his heart. Your skin was not red, nor were there devil horns atop your head. Your fear of him had little to do with any wicked powers, but everything to do with your inability to understand the effect he had on you.

Jake made it easier to fall in love than anyone ever had, and falling in love had never been your forte. You were terrified of love, but loving him was too euphoric to deny. With time, you knew that you could grow comfortable with all the things you once feared, and it was because he was the one holding your hand and helping you through it. Jake would not solve your problems, but that was okay. You can be your own worst enemy, or you can be your biggest inspiration; this time, instead of letting your fears paralyze you, you decide to lead yourself into an era of love and light. You guided yourself through the darkest times, and you would continue to do so until the end of time, but he would always be there to support you through it.

In him, you found a best friend and a confidant. You found something you did not believe existed, and something you thought was only true in fiction. You found a safe place to rest and somewhere to call home, a hug on the coldest of days and a rush of fresh air when it was difficult to breathe. You wanted to love him until you collapsed under the weight of your own adoration, and until you were long forgotten and had become one with the earth. In every lifetime, you would search for him, and in every universe, you would love him just the same.

Your sin had caught up to you, but you were strong enough to repent from the wrath of the devil. You were equally as virtuous as you were wicked, and it was the whole point of being alive; making mistakes and struggling is to be expected, but to go forth despite the failure is the only way to survive. You were human beings with apparent flaws, yet you loved each other enough to see past the mistakes and move forward despite them. Past the darkness, you found something you worried you would never experience, and now he was the only thing that mattered. You would go through every struggle and all of the pain all over again if it meant you would end up in his arms. He was worth it, and you had no doubt in your mind about it.

Your last virtue took over as you rested in his arms. Sloth had caused neglect in the grand aspect of your lives. You avoided telling each other about your feelings, and you avoided the yearning felt in your hearts. Now, diligence was in the air, and it was much more powerful that any of the sins you had committed. You were committed to happiness, and you were both able and willing to put careful and persistent work into making the relationship as happy and as healthy as possible. You would work until your body collapsed from exhaustion, and you would not complain about a single thing, because you were the lucky, and the only one to be able to fall in love with Jake Kiszka.

The End

TAGLIST: @sacredjake @profitofthedune @thewritingbeforesunrise @sacredthethreadgvf @klarxtr @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @freefallthoughts @jaketlove @clairesjointshurt @ageofbajabule @dannys-dream @earthgrlsreasy @starshine-gvf @brujamagik @gvfmarge @ignite-my-fire @twistedmelodies @gretavangroupie @alwaysonthemend @edgingthedarkness @gvfpal @sinarainbows @writingcold @starcatcher-jake @literal-dead-leaf @takenbythemadness @gretasfallingsky @hsfallingsky @freyjalw @itsafullmoon @lyndz2names @blacksoul-27 @i-love-gvf @vikingsisthenewsexy @mp0801 @mindastreamofcolours @indigogvf @sparrowofthedawnsworld @jordie-gvf @cassy-face @highway-tuna @creadliz98 @dancingcarbon @do-it-jakey-baby @lallisonl

[starjedi86]

Change of plans

Summary: Your plans changed before Valentine’s Day.

Pairing: Pre-outbreak!Joel Miller x female reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.4k

Authors Note: Happy Valentine’s Day!

You were sitting on the couch, the soft glow of the screen illuminating your face as you talked with Joel over a video call. It had been a few days since he had left for a new job project in Houston, and you missed him more with each passing moment.

It was fortunate that with the help of technology, you were able to talk with him every night when he wasn’t working. That way, at least, you could see him and spend some time with him.

"So, how's work been?" you asked, a smile forming at the corners of your lips as you took a sip from your glass of red wine. It was Friday, so that meant you could relax and enjoy a cup of wine while talking with your boyfriend.

Joel leaned back in his chair, a tired yet content expression on his face. "It's been hectic," he admitted, running a hand through his soft brown hair that you loved so much. “It’s not easy with the weather, but I'm making progress. How about you, honey? How was your day?"

You sighed, thinking about the events of the day. “It was alright,” you replied, a hint of stress in your voice. “Work was hard as usual, but I managed to finish that project I told you about the other day.” You took another sip from your wine before looking back at the screen.

Joel's eyes lit up with interest. You knew he was feeling proud of you, just as always. “That's great to hear, baby! I knew you could do it.”

You smiled at his words, grateful for his support. "Thank you, love,” you replied, feeling warmth spread through your chest.

"I can’t wait until you’re back home with me. I miss you a lot.”

A smile spread across Joel’s face. “I miss you too,” he said, his eyes filled with love.

“And you know what else I miss? Your cooking. Nothing beats the taste of your homemade lasagna or that delicious blueberry pie you make.” Joel admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

You couldn’t help but chuckle as he mentioned his love for your cooking. “Well, I’ve been experimenting with some new recipes you may like,” you said, a playful glint in your eyes. “Maybe when you’re back, I can cook them from you, especially a new chocolate cake I learned to bake.”

Joel’s eyes widened, shining with excitement. The smile on his face couldn’t have been more evident “I’d love that. I can’t wait to be back home and taste everything you cook,” he said, his voice filled with anticipation.

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips as you took another sip from your wine. “I can’t wait for you to be back home too,” you said, feeling a warmth in your chest. “By the way, when are you coming back? You said you’d be here tomorrow morning.”

Joel’s expression softened, a hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes. “About that…” he began, his voice trailing off for a moment before he continued. “There’s something I needed to talk to you about.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the change in his tone, a sense of unease settling in your stomach. “What is it?” you asked, trying to keep the worry away out of your voice. You placed your cup on the coffee table and sat up straight on the couch, feeling tense.

Joel took a deep breath, his gaze locking with yours through the screen. “I didn’t want to tell you this, honey, but I… I might be delayed,” he admitted, his words filled with regret. “There have been some unexpected complications with my work, and it looks like I might have to stay a bit longer.”

Disappointment washed over you at his words, a lump forming in your throat. You bit your lip to keep the tears away from your eyes. This was affecting you more than you thought, since it was the first time Joel and you had been apart for such a long time since the beginning of your relationship. “How… how much longer?” you asked as you managed to say those words too loud.

“I’m not sure,” Joel replied, frustration and sadness evident in his voice. “I don’t think I’m going to make it back for Valentine’s Day,” he continued. You could see that he was suffering, but at the same time, he was trying to be strong for you, knowing how important that date was to you. “I know we had plans, and I’m really sorry.” Joel said, this expression pained.

Disappointment washed over you as you processed what he had just said. This was supposed to be a perfect Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t the first one you both had as a couple, but you wanted it to be special. You’d already planned lots of surprises for him, but now it seemed like those plans were falling apart.

However, before you could respond, Joel's voice softened through the screen. “But I have a surprise for you, baby,” he said, excitement evident in his tone. "Go to the closet and look on the top shelf."

Confused yet intrigued, you made your way to the closet of the bedroom. Placing your phone on your desk, you used a chair to reach the top shelf of your closet. There, hidden among his old stuff, was a small delicate velvet box. With trembling hands, you carefully opened it to reveal a beautiful necklace with a pair of matching earrings, a reminder of Joel's love for you.

In that moment, tears ran down your cheeks as you held the box in your hands. You had told Joel thousands of times that it wasn’t necessary for him to give you things, however, he loved and spoiled you so much that he didn’t care. "You didn't have to do this, Joel," you whispered, your voice choked with emotion.

Joel's eyes softened as he looked at you through the screen. "I know," he replied, his voice filled with tenderness and love. "But I wanted to. When I saw it, I thought it was perfect for you.”

You smiled through your tears, touched by his words. You couldn’t love this man even more. "Thank you, baby. I love it.” you said softly, feeling a surge of warmth in your chest.

Before you could say anything else, Joel’s expression shifted slightly. “Hold on a moment,” he said, his brow furrowing in concentration. “I have one more surprise for you, but you’ll have to wait until I come back to find out what it is.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the mention of another surprise, curiosity piqued as you giggled. “Well, I can’t wait,” you said, excitement building up inside you.

Joel chuckled softly, the sound sending shivers down your spine. “I’m glad to hear that. I promise it’ll be worth the wait,” he said, a playful glint in his eyes. “Hmm, it looks like I’m getting a work call. I’ll call you back as soon as I can, okay, baby?”

With a blown kiss and a promise to call back soon, Joel ended the call, leaving you alone in front of your phone, the box still in your hands.

You gently took out the necklace and put it on, along with the earrings. Looking at yourself in the mirror, you couldn’t help but feel beautiful. The jewelry fit perfectly on you, Joel always had a good taste in choosing things for you.

You were lost in your thoughts as you admired the necklace in the mirror when a faint sound caught your attention—a knock on your apartment door. Frowning in confusion, you glanced at the clock. It was late, too late for visitors.

You made your way to the door, you heart pounding in your chest. When you arrived, you cautiously swung it open. There, standing on your doorstep, was Joel, a sheepish grin on his face as he held out a bouquet of flowers.

“Surprise," he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Turns out, I finished my work earlier than expected and I wanted to plan a little surprise for you.”

Tears of joy streamed down your face as you threw your arms around his neck, holding him tightly as if you were afraid he might disappear. In that moment, surrounded by the warmth of his embrace, you knew that, after all, you were going to have a perfect Valentine’s Day—not because of the gifts, plans or surprises, but because he was finally home with you.

[berryhobii]

Hey there :)

I came across you content some days ago and I fell in love with how you write. I have literally read everything you have posted and let me tell you, you don´t disappoint. Thank you for portraying us black girls in the fandom world and allowing us to feel involved in a world where it sometimes feels like we don´t have a voice, it really means the world and reading your work has genuinely made my weekend.

My favourite couple are Y/N and Jungkook from the Late for Work story, and if it´s not too much of a request, could you please write a drabble about them? I don´t have a specific subject in mind, I just like how you write about their dynamic and their personalities.

By the way, sorry if my english is not great, it isn´t my first language. Anyways, thank you so much and keep doing you, you are amazing <33333.

🤧🤧wow thank you so much for your incredibly kind words. And your English is amazing. Don’t ever apologize for that. You could have written it in your native language and I’d find a way to understand it and the words would still be just as special to me❤️I’m so glad you like my work and I’ll continue to do my best for you and every other underrepresented black/brown/dark skinned person out there!

Here’s the Drabble. It’s a Jealous!JK with some suggestive content and loads of compliments about reader/OC! Hope you enjoy!💜

~

Jungkook wasn’t a jealous person by heart.

He was always grateful for what he had so he never found reason to be envious of what others had. His parents raised him well and taught him the importance of humility and compassion. He never felt the need to be jealous.

Even when he met you. You were already spunky and free, expressing yourself how you saw fit. You didn’t let anyone tell what to do or how to feel and especially how to dress.

Jungkook loved your sense of style; you could be girly and colorful, posh and elegant, alternative and dark, and so many more. You weren’t limited to one thing. You tried different styles and if you liked it, you wore it and that was that.

Everyone stopped to stare at you whenever you walked, your natural charisma and glow too powerful for people to just pass you.

And Jungkook felt so much pride being able to hold your hand. You were all his and he was yours, the sparkling diamond on your hand speaking volumes.

So why the hell wasn’t it speaking to this store attendant who kept staring at your breasts as you tried to pick out a bracelet for your best friend’s baby shower. You had already purchased gifts for the baby but you also wanted to choose something special for your friend.

You were focused on staring at the choices in front of you, trying to decide which one would match her skin tone the best. Jungkook was only halfway listening, his eyes staring daggers at the attendant who was assisting you. Jungkook didn’t notice the guy ogling you at first, all of his attention on you and trying to help the best he could.

It wasn’t until he just so happened to look up and realize the man seemed a little unfocused that he noticed. Following the man’s eyesight, Jungkook found him to be staring at your cleavage that was pushing against your arm as you leaned over on the display case. Knowing you, you probably didn’t even realize you were doing it, too deep in thought over which one she’d like.

You could be a bit unaware at times, especially when you were with Jungkook. He always made you feel safe so you never felt the need to be too aware. He would protect you no matter what and you settled into that.

And you were so in love and obsessed with him that you never even noticed when someone else was flirting with you or ogling you. Jungkook was the only pair of eyes you felt and/or cared about. You were also used to people staring at you so you’ve learned to drown out the stares. It was easy enough to do.

Good thing you had Jungkook.

“I think pink gold is cute but white gold is more classy. What do you think, baby?” You glanced over to your husband who seemed to be staring off into space. He did that sometimes. You called it his Jungkookie sense like Spider-Man. You thought it was adorable.

He hummed, blinking before looking down at you and smiling. “I think white gold is perfect, princess.” He directed his focus to the attendant whose eyes were still admiring your bosom.

Ugh.

You smiled brightly at your husband before nodding and turning back to the attendant. “I’d like to see this one in white gold, please.”

“Of course, miss.” He smiled politely and moved to retrieve the bracelet from a cabinet away from both of you.

Jungkook relaxed for a moment. He hated that gross feeling that was building in his stomach. He was very secure in your relationship; never worrying about you cheating or flirting with other people. Not when you’d come home and suck his cock just because you missed him. You were obsessed with him and you made sure he knew it.

He did. He truly did. He just hated how this guy was staring at you when it was obvious you were taken. It just felt disrespectful. Couldn’t he try to be more subtle or just not look at taken women like you were some piece of meat?

He couldn’t relax long since the man came back with the jewelry.

“I love it! Don’t you think it’s so wonderful, baby?” You bounced on your toes, clapping cutely. The motion caused your breasts to bounce, Jungkook’s eyes cutting to the man who was smiling sleazily at you.

Jungkook could feel his anger bubbling up but he swallowed it down. He didn’t want to make a scene even though he really wanted to punch this guy in the face.

He gritted a smile. “I do. It’s beautiful. Your friend will love it.” He directed his attention back to the guy, reaching into his pocket to take out his card. “We’ll take it.” He ordered, slapping his black card on the counter. The man flinched, finally locking eyes with Jungkook’s menacing ones. He gulped, sweat slicking up his palms.

You made a noise of surprise. “Baby, what?“

“Do you want something too, princess? I’ll get you whatever you want.” He never broke eye contact with the man who was starting to turn pink under the heat of Jungkook’s gaze.

You blinked a few times before a knowing look formed on your face. You hid a smile behind your hand. Adorable.

Leaning over the display case again, you pointed at a ring. “That one. It’ll compliment my wedding ring nicely, don’t you think?”

“I do. Could you wrap them please? With a nice bow?” The devilish smile he sent towards the man was enough to send a shiver down his spine. While the smile looked polite on the outside, the attendant could feel the intensity that radiated off of the hunk of man.

The attendant ducked his head, meekly whimpering out a, “right away” before scampering off to retrieve the boxes and wrapping.

After paying, Jungkook led you out of the store, making sure to deliver a slap to your ass that he’s sure the attendant saw.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous, baby.” You teased once you two had gotten back in the car. Jungkook started the engine, pulling off with one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh.

He scoffed. “I wasn’t jealous. I just don’t like when people stare at you too hard.” His grip tightened on your thigh making you bite your lip. Gosh, your husband was so sexy. And him jealous took his sexy meter from a 10,000 to a 10 Million.

“They can look all they want. You’re the only one who can touch.” Grasping his hand on your thigh, you moved it between your legs, his fingers coming in contact with a wet spot on your panties.

He almost swerved the car, groaning as he tried to stay focused on the road. “How long have you been wet?”

“Since you slammed that card down on the counter.” You unbuckled your seatbelt, leaning over the console to come closer to him. Your tongue darted out to lick a broad stripe up the side of his neck, teeth biting at a fading hickey. “Now why don’t you pull over so you can take what’s yours?”

A wolffish grin spread across his face. Reaching a hand down, he rubbed over the bulge in his pants.

“I’ll start with your mouth. Get over here and show me.”

And you did. The entire ride home.