#here have this as a peace offering to make up for the absolute chaos that ensued on my blog

[baeksqt]

𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐄 — aitana bonmatí

aitana bonmatí x fem!reader

a/n: accidentally deleted this when I wanted to edit it ಠ_ಠ (I hate tumblr), so if you feel like you’ve seen this before, you have, just leave a like and keep stepping

word count: 1245

genre: fluff

summary: an adorable aitana meet cute

On a breezy spring afternoon in Barcelona, the cosy bookshop cafe Letras Vivas buzzed with its usual charm. Tucked away on a quiet side street, a haven for readers and coffee lovers alike. The warm aroma of roasted beans mingled with the soft rustle of pages being turned and the occasional tinkling of laughter from patrons. The cafe was the kind of place where time seemed to slow, where strangers might strike up conversations over dog-eared novels or debate the best way to make a cortado.

You step inside, grateful for the reprieve from the city’s lively streets. The team had arrived in Barcelona a few days early to acclimate before the upcoming Champions League final. The pressure was immense – two giants of women’s football going head-to-head – but you had sought this little sanctuary for some peace. As much as you thrive on competition, moments like these were a way to offer clarity amidst the chaos.

Clad in a casual, well-worn shirt and a pair of faded jeans, you seemed a world away from the electrifying football star celebrated in the vibrant match posters that adorned the streets of Lyon. As you moved through the dimly lit bookstore, your fingers delicately glided over the spines of countless books lining the shelves near the entrance, occasionally pausing to absorb the titles that beckoned softly. Your gaze eventually landed on a novel, its cover a breathtaking watercolour that captured the charm of a seaside town, an irresistible pull urging you to pull it from the shelf and delve into its world.

At the counter, Aitana Bonmatí, FC Barcelona’s fiery midfielder, was already ordering her cappuccino. The barista seemed charmed by Aitana’s easy banter, her quick wit and warm laugh lighting up the space. She exuded the kind of confidence that came from knowing you were exactly where you belonged. The distinctive red-and-blue hoodie with Barça’s crest proudly displayed was casually slung over her shoulders, and drew occasional glances, but most were too polite to approach her.

As you approached the counter, Aitana turned, her grin wide and inviting, her hazel eyes bright with recognition. It took you a heartbeat to place her–you had seen that grin a hundred times before, from game footage to interviews to across the pitch. The face of Barcelona’s squad and one the most formidable centres in the game. And in just three days, your opponent. Once again.

Aitana didn’t miss the split second of hesitation that flickered across your face, and she seized the opportunity to break the ice with a playful energy. “Hey,” she said, her voice warm and laced with just a hint of mischief. “Nice to see you off the pitch.”

You blinked, caught slightly off guard but managing a smile. “Oh, uh, hi. Didn’t expect to run into you here.” Your Andalusian accent was unmistakable, and Aitana’s grin grew wider.

“You Lyon players just can’t resist the good spots, huh?” Aitana quipped, leaning casually against the counter. Her eyes flicked to the book in your hand. “Good choice. That’s one of my favourites.”

You raised an eyebrow, holding up the book. “Really? You’ve read it?”

Aitana’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she nodded, her ponytail swaying rhythmically with her head. “You won’t believe how captivating it is! It unfolds in this charming little fishing village—teeming with intense drama, sweeping love stories, and heart-wrenching heartbreak… it’s absolutely everything you could want! Imagine it like football, but infused with much more romance and way fewer tackles!”

A smile crept across your face as you placed the book on the counter, the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. “I’ll take your word for it, but relying on my opponent’s taste in literature? That feels like a risky move!”

“Oh, come on! Today, we’re not opponents at all!” The mischievous glint in Aitana’s eyes mirrored her playful smirk. “We’re just two enthusiasts who appreciate fine coffee and extraordinary tales.”

The barista expertly crafted Aitana’s cappuccino, the velvety foam adorned with an artful heart-shaped swirl that seemed to float above the cup. Instead of making a beeline for the door, Aitana lingered, her presence radiating warmth and curiosity as she patiently waited for you to finish your order, the air around you charged with an electric sense of connection. When you joined her at a nearby table, your conversation flowed with surprising ease.

Listening intently, as Aitana, ever the local, effortlessly wove stories about her childhood in Vilanova. Her voice softened as she talked about watching games at Camp Nou as a kid, her dreams of one day playing on the same pitch now a reality. She pointed out a few must-visit spots within Barcelona, her favourite tapas bar tucked away in El Born and a rooftop terrace with breathtaking views of the city at sunset.

It was your turn to share, Aitana leaned in, intrigued as you painted a picture of life in France. Your voice gained a quiet pride as you described Lyon’s relentless training culture—the way it pushed everyone to their limits and brought out the best in them. The early morning drills in the pouring rain, late-night strategy sessions, and the camaraderie that came from working with some of the best players in the game.

“So you’re telling me you actually enjoy those gruelling training sessions? Compared to the easiness of Madrid?” The brunette questioned.

“It’s not about enjoying them, exactly.” You shrugged, your smile softening. “It’s about knowing they make me better. And there’s something fun about the discipline, the way it transforms you. Being at Real Madrid, I never had that.” You finished.

Aitana nodded thoughtfully, her playful demeanour giving way to a moment of genuine admiration. “I get that,” she said. “I think that’s why I love playing here—Barcelona’s always pushed me to be more, too.”

Her words hung between the two of you, a shared understanding unspoken but felt. Despite the teams you represented and the rivalry that defined you two season after season. You were both, at your cores, not so different. For a moment, the looming match disappeared, replaced by the quiet connection of two people who understood what it meant to give everything to the sport they loved.

“So,” Aitana began, cradling her cup, her tone suddenly teasing, “how’s Lyon feeling about Saturday? Ready to lose?”

You leaned forward, a playful spark in your eyes. “Confident enough to say you’ll be the one losing.” you shot back. Your laughter mingled, drawing a few curious glances from other patrons, but neither of you seemed to care, bantering for what felt like hours.

As the sun began to dip, casting the cafe in a warm golden glow, you both reluctantly stood to leave. Outside, the streets buzzed with life, the distant hum of a guitar echoing from a nearby plaza.

At the door, Aitana paused, turning to you with a smile softer than her usual confident smirk. “You know,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “maybe after the match, we should grab a coffee again. No rivalries—just books and good company.”

You tilted your head, cheeks dimpling into a grin. “Deal. But only if Lyon wins.”

Aitana laughed, backing away towards the bustling street, her voice carrying over the noise. “We’ll see about that!”

As you walked in opposite directions, you felt a strange lightness—a fleeting connection sparked by chance, lingering even as you prepared to face her on one of the biggest stages in football.

[babybearnation]

HAPPY BEAR RVENT EVERYBODYYYYYYYY

cat!lando + author!reader = interfering with your writing sessions because you're not paying enough attention to him?

woo this is so exciting haha & also i love this idea !!

cat hybrid!lando x gn!author!reader

cat!lando is a menace, we know this

he's clumsy, sure, but he also definitely has the cat trait of knocking shit off tables on purpose

the only thing that really quells his chaos is your attention

turn it away from him for one second though, and everything goes to hell

you left before he woke up once and came back to your house absolutely trashed, an injured lando and a very rapidly forming headache as he started crying and hissing once he noticed you

but back to the present

you had hoped the human side of lando would understand why you weren't giving him attention on this particular day but nope...

lando's cat side won again

you're working on book #2, the sequel to your best-selling debut novel

things are going well! the words are flowing, the brain is braining - its all good

and then lando wakes up

you pause your writing at that to make him some food because lord knows that man cannot be trusted in a kitchen

but soon you're back at it, pouring all your time and attention into your work, hands flying across the keyboard

your peace offering doesn't work for very long, however, as lando soon finishes with his food and enters your work space to come and bother you

he sees your laptop open and GLARES at it, a small hiss falling from his mouth that goes unnoticed by you

"y/n. y/n. gimme 'tention. y/n." <- lando every 5 seconds

"busy, lan. go play or watch something." <- you every 20 seconds

after about one 5 minute long youtube video, lando is slinking over again

"please?"

"busy, lando."

this goes on for a while before lando decides enough is enough and he must have your complete attention right now!!

he's not stupid enough to touch your keyboard/the power button, but he will flap at your laptop screen

when that doesn't work and you just carry on as normal, lando huffs and starts batting at your head and arms

he throws in the occasional headbutt/nudge every now and then

that still doesn't work

after that, lando decides to throw all caution and calmness to the wind and worms his way into your lap, blocking your screen and finally getting your eyes on him

you try and get him to move but he's staying put, his short-clad butt wiggling all over your lap

he'll allow you to go back to work on one condition

"lemme stay here! and give me pets! and... and lemme bite!"

"that's three conditions."

"y/n!" <- he's whining. of course.

give him what he wants and before long, he'll be fast asleep in your lap, tail curled around your wrist possessively as he purrs loudly against your neck/shoulder :D

© all rights to babybearnation 2025.

[eufezco]

A FRESH START 𓂃 𓈒 ❀

synopsis — after leaving wakanda, bucky starts to rediscover who he is while living with you, slowly bulding a new life. his dispair deepens and you offer him a fresh start with a simple act: cutting his hair.

angst. fluff

—you have to stop thinking that every time something good is happening to you it's because something worse is on the way. that´s not a way to live, buck —. you said softly, your voice steady but with a hint of concern.

bucky shook his head, running a hand over his face as a sign of desperation. if only he could remember what life felt like before hydra took him, before all those wasted years. after so long he was still trying to figure it out, still trying to find a version of himself that didn’t feel like a stranger. trying to get used to his new life in the city, far from the peace he had known in wakanda. all these sudden changes only made him more confused and it wasn’t that he didn’t want to adjust, it was that he didn’t know how.

it had been a almost a year since bucky had moved in with you, since you had defeated thanos and steve had left. when the dora milaje declared him ready to live a normal life, bucky stood there, unsure of what that even meant. he had no place to go. louisiana crossed his mind for a moment, sam had always extended an open invitation but the thought of intruding on sam’s family life stopped him, and steve was gone, something he chose not to think much about, so for the first time in over a century, bucky was truly on his own.

except he wasn’t. you were there.

when you found out he needed a place, you didn’t think about it twice. he resisted at first. ayo told him you were the right person to star building his new life. you trust her, you trust her more than you admit. that is where you begin. trust. she is the right person to help you build this new life, james.

and he couldn't remember what you two had shared before hydra took him, before everything fell apart but there was a pull. by the things steve told him, you three were best friends once, inseparable. he spoke of nights you spent laughing, of how he’d head home early, leaving you and bucky behind, knowing that bucky would arrive later, with a big smile on his lips. steve chuckled when he mentioned your lipstick, smeared on bucky’s mouth when he finally made it back. you never wiped it off, you wore it like a badge of honor.

bucky tried to imagine it, those moments of joy but the memories never came. but he could still feel it. he felt it that day in wakanda, when you arrived with steve and natasha to fight thanos. you smiled at him, just a brief moment in the chaos, but it stayed with him. there was something so familiar about that smile, something warm and he felt it too every time you visited him or sent him what had once been his favorite sweets, little reminders of a life he no longer remembered but somehow still carried with him.

so, he showed up at your door a few days later, a bag hung over his shoulder and a sad look in his eyes. he didn't try to argue this time. —you sure about this?

you didn’t hesitate. —absolutely.

living with bucky was easy. he was quiet, he didn't need much space. after months, he started making it his place too, little by little. he left his shoes by the door beside yours, the book he picked up from one of your shelves appeared on the coffee table, his leather jacket draped over the back of a chair.

—it's not that easy —. he murmured, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

you watched him. —i know it’s not, —you said softly, stepping closer to him. —but you don’t have to do it all at once. no one expects that from you.

he shook his head again. —feels like they do, —he said, his blue eyes looking directly into yours. you could see the sadness and the guilt of the moments he couldn’t take back. —feels like every time i mess up, it’s just proof that i don’t belong here. as if this life was not made for me —his voice was low, barely more than a murmur. —what if the only thing i'm good at is killing?

you took a deep breath. it was hard to hear him say that, to see the man you’d known before hydra, who was your best friend and the love of your life, now drowning in self-doubt and guilt. —you’re more than what they made you.

—am i? because that’s all i’ve ever done. all i know how to do.

—but it’s not who you are, it’s what they forced you to be. the fact that you’re even asking this? that you’re fighting to be someone better? that’s proof enough that that wasn't you at all.

he closed his eyes tightly and ran his hands through the long strands of his hair. for a moment, you just stood there, watching him. you wanted to pull him back from whatever dark place his thoughts had taken him, but you hesitated, ayo told you to do so, to let him space to feel this, to fight against it, even if it hurt.

—i can still feel him inside my head, i can hear his thoughts. he's not gone.

bucky’s fingers suddenly grabbed the roots of his hair with a little more force. his breathing grew faster, his hands shook and his eyes squeezed shut. you couldn't see how deep his pain was and not do anything to stop him from hurting himself.

you stepped closer. —bucky, hey… —your hands sneaked into his hair, softly pulling his grip from his scalp. his hands were trembling, and for a moment, there was resistance in him like he wasn’t sure he wanted to let go of the only thing he could hold onto. but your touch was soft, familiar and something shifted, almost imperceptible, but you could feel the tension in him loosen.

—the bucky i knew isn’t gone. he’s still in there. i see him every time you fight for something good, every time you try to make amends, every time you care about the people around you, about me.

his shoulders fell, and his head hung low, he didn’t want you to see him like this, weak and broken. but you had seen him in his darkest moments as the winter soldier and you had experienced thanos taking him away from you with the blip. the years without him had been a painful, you thought you lost him forever. yet there he was, standing before you, alive, and you weren’t about to let him go again.

your hands gently moved to push the back of his head, guiding him to rest his forehead on your shoulder. he was still a bit unsure about how to handle this type of physical contact, used to years of torture, where touch always meant pain, control, or something to fear. now you held him close to your body, his arms hanging limply at his sides.

—why don’t i cut your hair?

—cut my hair?

—yeah, it´ll help you to see yourself in a different way. a fresh start.

bucky pulled back a little, he wasn’t sure if you were joking. —you think cutting my hair will fix everything?

you smiled softly, you wished it could be that easy. —no, —you admitted. —but ayo told your new life will be built on small things.

bucky sighed.

the idea of letting go parts of himself that tied him to the winter soldier felt like a whole world. first, it was his metal arm, the one with the red star, when tony ripped it off of him, bucky felt relieved, like tony was cutting one of the heads of the hydra to end the monster. in wakanda, he learned to live using only his flesh-and-blood arm until they gave him a new one which he only intended to use for good.

and now you were asking to cut his hair.

—ayo did say that, didn’t she? —he murmured, almost to himself.

—she’s a smart woman and besides, it’s just a haircut. if you hate it, it’ll grow back.

a small smile appeared in his lips. —if it ends up bad, i’m blaming you.

you took a chair from the kitchen to the bathroom and he sat down in front of the mirror. bucky stared at his reflection as he pressed his lips into a thin line and sighed. he didn't like mirrors, he avoided them as much as he could. he didn't like the person staring back at him, he didn't know who that man was and now sitting on that chair there was no escape.

there was a difference this time. next to one of the things he most hated to look at—his reflection—was one of the things he liked the most to look at—you.

his blue eyes moved from his reflection to yours. you stood behind him and ran your hands gently through his hair. he felt that familiar tickle in his stomach, the one he first felt almost a century ago and that, even after all the years, it hadn't gone away.

he felt it every morning when you entered the kitchen, hair a mess from sleep, mumbling a soft “good morning” to him. he felt it when he came home in the evenings and dinner was ready and you were sitting at the table, waiting for him. he felt it most when you would fell asleep on the couch and he had to carry you to your bed, careful not to wake you. and you'd ask him in your sleep to stay, and he'd freeze, he wanted to say yes, he wanted to stay. but he couldn’t risk it, his nightmares were still too real. so bucky would gently place you in your bed, making sure you were well tucked in, and whisper, i’ll be in my room, if you need anything.

—are you ready? —you asked him, bringing him back from his thoughts. you already had the scissors in your hand and bucky shifted in the chair at the sight of them. —it'll be okay, buck.

—feels like more than just a haircut.

you nodded, understanding. —well, that's what we wanted, isn't it?

bucky swallowed and nodded.

—why don't you close your eyes? i'll let you know when i'm done.

with a deep breath, he did as you said. your lips curved into a small smile even though he could no longer see you. you were aware of all the progress he had made. you knew he trusted you with his heart because on no other occasion he would willingly keep his eyes closed with someone standing behind him, scissors in hand and when your hands rested on his shoulders, he hadn’t flinched at the contact.

—okay, i'll start.

with his eyes closed it was much easier to feel the delicacy with which you treated him. the way your fingers combed through his scalp and then the sound of the scissors, followed by the sensation of the strands falling and taking with them the weight he had carried for so long. and you talked, about anything that crossed your mid so he did not feel that he was in danger or he had to be alert at any time.

—maybe we could get a cat, —you said. —i think it’d be nice. do you think you’d be a good cat parent?

—maybe —. he said after a pause. —i definitely prefer a cat to a dog.

you switched to the clippers, you left the hair at the top of his head a little longer, while the rest of it was cut shorter. a very chic haircut for someone born in 1917. you carefully checked that his hair was even and then you styled it with your fingers.

—okay, i'm done, you can open your eyes.

bucky hesitated for a moment, then opened his eyes. your breath caught in surprise as you watched him take in the sight of himself. it was like having the bucky you once knew staring right at you through the mirror. his features were the same, just a bit more more defined and mature.

he felt the same relief as when tony ripped off the metal arm that hydra embedded in his body, like a part of him that had once been used against him, now freed. he turned his head slowly to both sides to get a better look and to be honest, he liked his new look. physically, he could see the resemblance to the man in the photos you had shown him, the young soldier who smiled to you, in love.

—how do you feel? i think it suits you —. you asked gently.

bucky nodded. —i like it —. he caught your gaze in the mirror. the eye contact was so intense that you had to look away. you cleared your throat, hoping to ease the tension, but the heat rising to your cheeks betrayed you.

—alright, come on, —you tapped his shoulder for him to stand up. — i'm going to sweep your hair off the floor.

bucky got up from the chair and turned his head to look at you, not through the mirror this time, but directly, and the sudden closeness made your breath hitch. —thank you for doing this.

—you don't need to thank me, buck. i'm glad it turned out well, it was my first time doing it.

—you sure about that? —he asked—it doesn’t feel like it was your first time.

you laughed, still avoiding his gaze. —guess we got lucky, then.

there was a silence; you were both too close, but not close enough yet. bucky’s eyes moved to your lips for just a fraction of a second, but it was enough to make your heart race. you could both feel the tension, an invisible string pulling you toward each other, daring one of you to close the gap. you didn’t want to take the first step, you didn’t want to push him into something he wasn’t ready for, the last thing you wanted was to break the fragile trust he’d built with you.

you opened your mouth to say something but he talked first.

—can i kiss you? —his voice was low, almost shy.

you were surprised because you didn't expected him to ask so directly, but consent was so important to him. he spent too many years under someone else’s control, forced into actions that weren’t his own, and now he was determined never to cross those lines. it wasn’t just about asking to kiss you, it was about making sure that you were comfortable, that you wanted this just as much as he did.

—yeah, —you whispered —you can.

bucky stepped closer, his flesh-and-blood hand reaching to cup your cheek, his fingers gently brushing against your skin. he leaned in, his movements careful, giving you every chance to pull away. but you didn’t. you leaned into him instead, your lips finally meeting his.

he felt strange. he had wanted to kiss you for what felt like forever, and now that he had, he wasn’t sure what to do next. his mind raced, trying to remember how this was supposed to go. he forgot about kissing, forgot about the rhythm of it, the give and take. his hand slipped from your cheek to fall awkwardly at his side as he pulled away from your lips just enough just to say:

—i don't... i don't remember how to do this.

—it's okay. you're doing just fine. there’s no right or wrong way. just… follow me.

this time, when your lips met, you moved slowly, guiding him. his tension disappeared as he mirrored your movements, his right hand returned to your cheek, the other, his metal one, moved to hold your hips. it wasn’t perfect, the movements of his lips were still hesitant, but there was something honest about the way he kissed you.

as he kissed you, bucky became more aware of his body and where his hands were and realized that his metal hand was resting lightly on your waist. he pulled the hand away quickly. —i'm sorry, i didn't mean to...

you shook your head, one of your hands flew to the back of his neck to connect your lips while your other one grabbed his vibranium arm and guided his hand to where it was before. as the kiss deepened, you felt him relax, stop worrying about whether he was doing it right or wrong, about the touch of his cold hand on your skin, and he just kissed you.

you hummed before parting ways. his cheeks were flushed, his lips were a bit swollen and glossy, his breathing a little uneven and you couldn't help a little laugh from escaping your lips.

—okay, now you're just laughing at me.

—you're so cute, buck.

[hurtblossom]

Lover ln4

Pairing : Lando Norris x Female!Reader

Summary : In the middle of heartbreak and unspoken feelings, (Y/N) finds her place both behind the camera and in Lando Norris’s life, as they cautiously build a connection worth risking everything for.

Warning : Nothing, just fluff

Part 2 to this

The weeks after Lando’s confession felt surreal. (Y/N) wasn’t sure what to expect after their conversation at the café. It wasn’t as though everything could change overnight—she was still cautious, her heart too bruised to let down all its defenses. But Lando seemed to understand that. He didn’t push. Instead, he found little ways to show her he meant what he’d said.

One evening, as she sat editing footage from their latest shoot, her phone buzzed with a notification. It was Lando.

Lando: What’s the best pizza topping combo? Lando: Asking for a very important debate.

She smiled, shaking her head.

(Y/N): Margarita. Classic and unbeatable. (Y/N): Why?

His response came almost instantly.

Lando: Wrong answer. Lando: Pineapple is the GOAT. Lando: Max agrees. Lando: Ria thinks we’re all insane. Lando: Also, I just wanted to check in. Lando: How’s your night?

Her smile faltered for a moment, her chest tightening at the unexpected warmth in his words. He didn’t have to do this—reach out to her, make her feel seen. But he did.

(Y/N): Busy, but good. Thanks for asking. You?

Lando: Better now that I know you’re not buried in stress. Lando: Don’t stay up too late, yeah?

It was a small exchange, but it left her heart lighter. She didn’t want to admit it, but maybe, just maybe, Lando was trying to prove he cared in ways she hadn’t dared to hope for.

~~~

The next Quadrant shoot was a return to the ridiculous antics the team was known for—a blindfolded cooking challenge. (Y/N) arrived early, as usual, setting up her cameras and prepping the equipment. She was adjusting the lighting when Lando walked in, his hair slightly messy, a lazy grin on his face.

“Morning, chef,” he teased, stopping beside her. “Ready to document the greatest culinary disaster of our time?”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “If by ‘greatest’ you mean ‘most unappetizing,’ then absolutely.”

His grin widened, and he leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You know, I’m pretty sure I can bribe you for some favorable edits. Just say the word.”

“Bribe me with what? Pineapple pizza?” she shot back, raising an eyebrow.

He clutched his chest dramatically. “You wound me. But yes, pineapple pizza. It’s the ultimate peace offering.”

Their playful banter caught the attention of the others, who immediately started teasing.

“Oi, Lando, stop flirting and get over here!” Max called out, earning a round of laughter from the crew.

(Y/N) felt her cheeks warm, but Lando seemed unfazed, flashing her a quick wink before heading to join the chaos. She watched him go, her heart fluttering despite her best efforts to stay grounded.

Quiet Moments

The shoot was a success—messy, chaotic, and hilarious, as always. But it was the quiet moments afterward that lingered in her mind.

While the rest of the team celebrated their “culinary masterpieces” in the lounge, (Y/N) stayed behind in the studio, packing up her gear. She was stacking tripods when Lando walked in, a takeaway box in hand.

“Figured you’d still be here,” he said, holding out the box. “Saved you some food. Don’t worry, no pineapple.”

She blinked, surprised. “You didn’t have to do that.”

He shrugged, his expression casual but his tone warm. “I wanted to. You always take care of us, so… someone’s gotta look out for you too.”

Her chest tightened, and she accepted the box with a soft “thank you.” They sat together on the edge of the stage, the studio quiet around them.

“You’ve been quieter lately,” he said after a moment, glancing at her. “Not just today—since you came back. Is it… because of me?”

She hesitated, fiddling with the corner of the box. “It’s not you, Lando. Not exactly. I just… I’m still figuring out where I fit in all this.”

“You fit,” he said firmly, his gaze steady. “More than you know.”

The sincerity in his voice made her throat tighten. She wanted to believe him, but the lingering insecurities were hard to shake. Still, his words stayed with her long after they left the studio that night.

~~~

Weeks passed, and (Y/N) began to notice subtle changes in their dynamic. Lando seemed to go out of his way to include her, whether it was during shoots or group outings. He started inviting her to lunch with the team, pulling her into conversations, even teasing her on camera—moments that often left her flustered but secretly thrilled.

One afternoon, during a rare day off, he texted her out of the blue.

Lando: Fancy a karting rematch? Lando: I promise not to go easy on you this time.

The memory of their last impromptu race—a chaotic, laughter-filled mess where she’d somehow beaten him—brought a smile to her face.

(Y/N): Rematch? (Y/N): You’re just mad you lost to me.

Lando: Exactly. Lando: My pride is on the line. Lando: Meet me at 3?

She hesitated for a moment before typing her reply.

(Y/N): You’re on.

When she arrived at the track, he was already there, leaning casually against a kart. He greeted her with a grin, his competitive energy infectious.

The race was as ridiculous as she’d expected, filled with trash talk, near collisions, and plenty of laughter. When she crossed the finish line—barely ahead of him—she threw her arms up in victory.

“Two for two,” she teased, removing her helmet. “You’re losing your touch, Norris.”

He laughed, pulling off his own helmet. “You’ve got a lucky streak, that’s all. Next time, it’s over for you.”

But as they stood there, still catching their breath, his expression softened. “Thanks for coming out today. I needed this.”

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, the vulnerability in his tone catching her off guard. “Me too,” she admitted quietly.

A Confession Revisited

The real turning point came one evening after a late shoot. The team had gone out to celebrate, but (Y/N) stayed behind, finishing up some last-minute edits. She was so focused on her laptop that she didn’t notice Lando until he spoke.

“You’re always working,” he said, his voice warm.

She looked up, startled to see him standing in the doorway. “I could say the same about you.”

He grinned but didn’t respond, stepping closer until he was standing beside her. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence filled with unspoken tension.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” he began, his tone careful. “About why you left.”

Her stomach twisted, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. “Lando, you don’t have to—”

“I do,” he interrupted gently. “Because I hate that I made you feel like you didn’t matter. You do, (Y/N). You always have.”

Her breath caught, and she looked away, her heart pounding.

“I know I was blind before,” he continued, his voice soft but insistent. “But I see you now. And if you’re willing to give me a chance, I’d like to prove it.”

She stared at him, her emotions a whirlwind of hope and fear. “Lando… what if this doesn’t work? What if it changes everything?”

“Then we’ll figure it out,” he said simply, his gaze steady. “But I think it’s worth the risk. Don’t you?”

For a long moment, she said nothing, the weight of his words settling over her. But then, slowly, she nodded, a tentative smile breaking through her uncertainty.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I think it is.”

The smile that spread across his face was brighter than she’d ever seen, and for the first time, (Y/N) felt like she wasn’t just behind the lens anymore. She was finally part of the story.

In the weeks that followed, their relationship grew slowly but surely, filled with small, meaningful moments—quiet conversations, shared laughter, and the steady reassurance that they were building something real. And though (Y/N) still carried traces of her old insecurities, Lando’s unwavering support made her believe that maybe, just maybe, she’d found her place—not just in the team, but in his heart.

taglist : @landossainz , @carloswife , @scopeiguess , @stylesmoonlight12 , @raynetargaryan2 , @rawr-123s-stuff , @myescapefromthislife , @nxk1309 , @bbg-blue-lock , @spooky-librarian-ghost , @lisa24x

[sakur4ii]

Rooted Connections Pt.2

Charles Xavier x Reader x Erik Lensherr

the gender of the reader is not specified

Note: I will not make a third part, I hope you like it. Also reminder that English is not my first language, let me know if there are any mistakes I didn't notice (especially with pronouns).

Summary: feelings come out, plants love romance and you are still as blind as in the first part.

Finally, peace.

After supposedly saving the future from great chaos, Charles decided to reopen the doors of his school, offering you to stay with him. You accepted because you didn't want to leave him alone, feeling his sadness through the earth. Although in reality, he wasn’t alone; he now had his students, but the connection the three of you had created was so strong that you feared that if you also left, he would break again.

Years have passed, and now the school is full, and you are a teacher.

You walk through the halls, searching for something, maybe someone, though you’re not sure. The mansion’s plants have warned you but haven’t specified anything, so you proceed cautiously, trying to find some intruder.

"Professor Y/N,” you hear, a voice you know well.

“What is it, Jean?” You turn around; you can’t see her clearly, but you can feel her nerves and hear her heart beating faster than usual.

“Someone is approaching from the backyard.”

Before she finishes speaking, you are already running to the backyard. The plants don’t want to reveal anything, and for some reason, you don’t feel any unusual presence, leading you to assume that the earth doesn’t want you to know who the intruder is on purpose.

Once your bare feet touch the green, damp grass, you stop feeling the presence of everyone at the school except for the person sitting on the grass a few feet away from you, and Charles, who is coming up behind you.

You take slow steps toward the seated person, hearing a gasp behind you. You sit down next to him and wait for Charles to come closer until he is on the other side of the man.

“What are you doing here, Erik?” Charles asks. You can feel his conflicting emotions through his voice. On one hand, he is happy to see him again and that it isn’t to stop him from killing all of humanity and condemning mutants. On the other hand, he’d love to punch him again for prioritizing revenge and abandoning him.

But you focus more on the absolute pain you feel from Erik through the earth. You can feel him mourning, yet also very angry, seeking comfort to avoid vengeance.

When Charles doesn’t receive any response, and you can assume he also starts to feel the man’s emotions, you wrap your arm around Erik’s shoulders, pulling him into a side hug, enough for him to start crying.

“I tried,” he sobs into your neck, while Charles sits on the ground, leaving the chair aside and firmly holding Erik’s hand between his own. “I tried to live like them, to blend in, and they… they killed my wife and daughter.”

You don’t know what to say; you don’t know how to comfort him with words, so you just rub his back. You know Charles is afraid of saying something wrong, something that will only make the situation worse, so both of you remain silent, comforting your old friend (and the third missing piece of the puzzle) through gentle touches.

“I didn’t know where else to go… you’re all I have left.”

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

You weren’t born blind; you had the privilege of seeing the color of the sky and vegetation. You had the privilege of having a favorite color, but an accident occurred, and it was no longer worth thinking about things like a favorite book or a favorite flower because you couldn’t see anything anymore.

Plants are very talkative; they always have been. They love to gossip, and they love drama. The day before the accident, they were very hysterical, sensing something bad was coming, but they couldn’t say what.

Then the accident happened, and you were hospitalized. The plants felt guilty, apologizing over and over, even the plants you didn’t know but who knew you, apologizing and feeling ashamed that they hadn’t been useful, that they couldn’t prevent the tragedy.

It was when you lost your sight that your powers began to manifest: control of the earth, the ability to feel through it. Your mentors were the plants, the trees, and the earth itself. You learned that you could see through the roots of trees, and that was an easy way to find something or someone.

When you met Charles, even before the man arrived at your house, the plants were more talkative than usual. They told you everything they knew, like how Logan was from the future and needed help, your help. But they mostly talked about Professor X and a puzzle. You couldn’t understand them, but their excitement amused you.

When they freed Erik from that cell, the plants began talking non-stop again, once more about a supposed puzzle and Erik’s entire life, about how angry they were with some of his actions but how much they appreciated him.

The first time they fell completely silent was when Erik shot Raven; the second was when Erik fled to avoid being captured.

The third time you didn’t understand the silence; you were listening to Charles reading to his younger students, and out of nowhere, the plants fell silent, a mourning silence.

And the fourth time was the day after the third when Erik appeared unannounced at the school. Although it was more for drama—did I mention they are dramatic?

Erik stayed at the school, purposely obtaining the room that was between yours and Charles’.

If before the plants always talked about Charles, Erik, and his family and the children at school, now, whenever you entered your room, they only talked about Charles and Erik. You only heard about the children if you went outside.

A couple of years have passed. Erik is visibly better, happier, and that makes you happy because it’s real, he’s not pretending, and you’re the first to know that.

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

Your room is a madhouse; you feel like you’re losing your sanity. They won’t stop talking about how handsome, intelligent, and kind Charles is, or how hot, serious, and cunning Erik is. They have the audacity to tease you for not being able to see them, those bitches. When did they go from remorse to mockery?

“What time is it?” you ask, tired, sitting on the edge of your bed while putting on your sunglasses. They all ignore you, except for some jasmine flowers Charles gave you for your birthday along with some heart-shaped sunglasses.

You leave the room, grateful for the silence the hallway plants give you. You don’t know what to do; maybe you’ll go to the kitchen and eat some ice cream, you’re not sure.

When you arrive at the kitchen and take out a tub of ice cream and a spoon, you’re surprised that no plant has told you not to eat something so cold in the middle of the night, raising your suspicions.

You focus on the earth, sensing how all the children and adults are sleeping, everyone except Xavier and Lensherr, which makes you sigh tiredly.

Lately, the plants not only wouldn’t stop talking about them, but they also did everything possible to ensure you spent most of your time in the same room with them, and you only complied because deep down, you wanted that too.

You finish the ice cream and walk through the halls to Charles’ office, without any obstacles in the way (the children make sure not to leave anything lying around that might hinder you, even though they know you could easily avoid it; they fear you might get distracted and have an accident).

—“Come in”— you hear in your head, making you jump in place, and some nearby flowers laugh.

You open the door, and for some reason, they’re both sitting on a three-seater couch. Charles’ wheelchair is set aside to not get in the way, and the plants laugh conspiratorially.

«Speak of the devil…» a flower murmurs, sparking your curiosity.

“Can’t sleep?” Xavier asks. You shake your head. The other man is silent; you know he’s watching you, his intense gaze on you. Sometimes you think he has the power to read souls and keeps it a secret.

Charles laughs at your thought, but you don’t notice him elbowing Erik to stop being so obvious.

“Come sit with us, darling.”

The flowers and plants in the room react as if the pet name was directed at them, as if expressing what you don’t dare express even in your own head for fear the telepath might discover your feelings.

Smiling, you approach the couch. Erik, the closest to you, takes your hand and guides you to sit between them.

“What were you talking about?” you ask.

“Nothing important; we were just planning to take the older kids on a field trip, maybe,” Charles responds, and you know he’s not lying, but from the booing of the plants, you can tell that wasn’t what they were discussing before you arrived.

Erik remains silent; you can’t figure out why. Lately, you can’t sense his feelings, only his emotions, and you can guess that the earth is hiding them on purpose—or maybe the metal?

What you do sense is his knee brushing against yours and his gaze trying not to linger on you for too long.

You tilt your head to one side, sharpening your hearing, trying to pick up something more; you don’t know what, but you want to hear all their movements and, above all, the beating of their hearts.

Just when you perfectly hear their rapid heartbeats, the plants start making a ruckus, making you frown.

“What’s wrong?” Erik finally speaks.

“Why don’t the plants want me to hear your heartbeats?”

Unbeknownst to you, Erik and Charles share a wide-eyed look of complicity.

—“We should tell her”— Erik.

—“Now?”— Charles.

The silence between the two men creates a lump in your throat. Since that day on the plane, you felt like you were missing something in the dynamic, all because you couldn’t see. You felt out of place in moments like these, where they might be communicating with just a glance—or worse, telepathically. You hated the thought that they were having secret conversations, thinking that they were using the fact that you couldn't see to communicate in secret. And you hated knowing they were communicating because you could feel the change in emotions through the ground, but what you hated even more was that now you couldn't even feel the emotions of the two men because nature decided to turn its back on you this time.

Tired, you get up from the couch.

"Sorry for interrupting your time alone, I'm going to bed."

You avoid the obstacles you can't feel now but know are there.

"Y/N, no, wait! It's not what you think, let me explain," Charles says, while Erik gets up and runs towards you, grabbing you so you won't escape (and without you knowing, preventing you from bumping into the closed door).

"Listen to them, listen to them, listen to them," the plants chant in unison as you squirm in his grip. The earth allows you to see through your feet again, finally letting you feel the emotions of the two men, which makes you stop struggling and fall into shock at what you're sensing.

"You two are in love," you whisper.

Erik leads you back to the couch and sits you down so that you're facing the telepath, while he hugs you from behind and hides his face in the crook of your neck. He's embarrassed.

Charles gently removes your sunglasses, and you can feel his emotions not just through the ground but also inside your head. He takes your hand in his.

"We’ve been debating whether or not to tell you; we didn't know how you'd react, darling."

"So much secrecy just to tell me you two are dating? I'm not homophobic if that's what you were worried about," you say with an amused smile.

You're sure both men are rolling their eyes.

«Don't be an idiot» a flower says.

"Shush."

Charles laughs while Erik raises an eyebrow in a questioning manner towards him, knowing he's missing something.

"We're not just dating, Y/N. We love you as much as we love each other, and we want you to be a part of what we have because you're the missing piece of the puzzle," says Charles.

"And we want you to be officially ours," adds Erik.

Their words take you by surprise, making your heart race a thousand miles an hour. You're sure you're blushing, and loose words echo in your head.

The missing piece of the puzzle... ha... that sounds familiar.

At some point during the evening, you moved to Erik's room (the one furthest from the other rooms, with only one flower that you gave him a long time ago), where you shared kisses, hugs, words, and feelings. Where you expressed the great love you share, making grand plans for the future. And where you realized that you never were out of place; rather, you had always been missing, so they could feel complete.

The End.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

@djlnkaled @kindlover @only-nope @larissa1379 👋❤️

[blimgus]

WHB SLEEPOVER SERIES -GEHENNA VER.

Hey guysss blimgus here

guys guys listen i've got an idea.

_______________________________________

Imagine spending your sweet time in Gehenna. Peaceful slow time in the capital passes with the occasional random explosions in the background. However, when the night comes it's time to head back to Satan's castle for a rest. But due to some devils fighting over your attention with each other, you decide that organizing a big sleepover would solve the problem!

By bribing Ppyong with some chocolate you get the necesarry stuff you needed from Minhyeok's room. You grab the definitly too big bag from the tiny Red Lump Devil and hand over his reward.You check the contents of it,while Ppyong stuffs a bunch of ferreros in his mouth.

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

Satan

○ pretty chill about organising a sleepover, tells you that's a good way to boost morale

○ tbh i imagine he'll pick a classic white tank top and some heart boxer briefs xD

○ imagine having a casual romantic talk with him while cooking marshmallows over a burning toaster

○ he's totally up to play some games and have fun with you ( and his subordinates)

○ causes a massive pillow fight to unleash, anihilates most of the others(don't worry he'll go easy on you, but you will not escape your fate *yeets a pillow*)

○ however true chaos starts when you introduce him to Mario Kart

○ oh God I have the absolutely cursed idea. Like imagine playing Mario Kart with him as a foreplay later (gfhsjsbsb)

○when the time to sleep comes he'll flop down on the huge bed like some kind of a log

○ yeah you wake up to grab some water or go piss and have a Satan jumpscare bc either he sleeps with his eyes open (which totally glow in the dark believe me) or he just pretends to be asleep and we will never know the truth

Sitri

○ahhh Sitri my baby

○ like he's totally rocking the leopard print luxury pyjamas bc like that's so Sitri-coded

○he'll spend most of the with his tea on the sofa.The only person allowed to sit next to him is you, just so he can listen to your heartbeat a bit better ~♡

○ paint his nails, paint his nails

○ i totally see Sitri sitting with you in the kitchen, blind testing some awful convenience store tea and listening to him shit talking the diffrent brands while offering you to try some REAL tea (we all know how it may end)

○ when the places for everyone to sleep were decided, he got kinda fussy bc he was somehow expelled from the bed

○ baby got angy, but at least he gets to calmly listen to your heartbeat when you sleep...

Paimon

○ PAIMON PAIMON YAS QUEEN

○ No.1 sleepover fan

○ Literally teleported to you when he heard you say the word ,,sleepover "

○ Literally girls night , painting nails, eating snacks, doing each others hairrrr, playing dress-up

○ totally into watching Barbie movies, especially the Old ones, or some shitty romcoms

○ came up with the idea of organising a Just Dance tournament to decide who gets to sleep next to you,

○ offers you to help you clean off your make up before sleeping to get alone with you for a while

○ good night smooches from Paimon♡

Leraye

○ Golden retriever energyyyy

○ he would probably wear a kigurumi, or some cute long sleeved pyjamas with a teddy bear pattern

○ gets destroyed at Mario Kart oof

○ tbh I headcanon that the whole pillow fight started bc he accidentaly sniped Satan with a pillow from across the room.

○*insert boss battle music*

○ *insert the sounds of gunshots and screams*

○ all Hell breaking loose

○ also he gets really invested in the Barbie movie's story???

○at the end of the day, he goes to sleep with one of satan's decapitated plushie~

Belial

○Happily agrees to joining the party!...*insert jjyu cursing*

○ he comes wearing matching dark read top and bottom, ngl the colour matches his hair highlights nicely

○ also Jjyu is here with a tiny night cap

○Belial seems like that one person who comes to the party to share some banger music they found on Spootify

○ ya know some small talk with himm while the musics plays in the background

○ some time later puts Jjyu in time out bc he got a little out of control

○ in order to keep chatting with him without straining his voice, you decide to whisper to each others ears

○ so romantic

Zagan

○ Most of the time he just keep to himself. Don't worry he's enjoying himself, just not too good with talking.

○honestly i think he'll wear a black tank top and some totally normal pants. Idk he just seems like the neutral clothing type of guy to me.

○Tries to learn some Mario Kart. I mean he still ends on a higher place in the races than Leraye due to everyone """accidentaly""" targeting him.

○ Have you wondered who won the Just Dance tournament?

○Yeah, it was Zagan.

○ He absolutely destroyed Paimon and Sitri, much to their dismay.

○ Now he gets to sleep next to you!

○ Don't worry we keeping this situation "non-horni" so no naughty stuff or smth

○sooo he just lays there with you on his right side and on the left... there's a drooling and snoring Leraye.

Astaroth

○ honestly nobody expected him to actually show up

○but heyyy he and his snake are here!!

○ totally wears the darkest coloured robe and some classy black fluff slippers

○ kitchen talk with you, him and Sitri so real

○ low pitched chuckle coming from him when he sees you goofing around with others

○he loves hearing your laugh

○ agrees to tell you a bedtime story as long as you'll promise him to repay the favour later~

○ he spends the night on the armchair, his snake chilling on his shoulders, while he reads a book he brought to the party

___________________________

Paying my respects to people writing fanfics, bc it takes a lot of dedication to push out that many words and not go bonkers...

First time writing anything like that on this site, English grammar defeated me here.

Hope you like it!

-blimgus out

[reneesghostinthelivingroom]

korra fluff 🥹🥹 i love my girl so much😔

Dining with the Rich

|| Avatar Korra x fem!reader

|| Warnings: none, just pure fluff

|| Summary: Korra finds reader hanging out by the park river and offers to take her on a nice date, it's been a while since they had the chance to.

Requests open!

~~~

It was a peaceful day in Republic City.

You'd been enjoying your morning, laying by the park river and looking towards the sky with your arms folded behind your head. Feeling relaxed and at peace for the first time in a while. Being the Avatar's girlfriend meant you were always caught up in some chaos or drama that didn't originally involve you... but you somehow get dragged into anyway.

That's when you hear the sound of a familiar voice calling your name, propping yourself up on your elbows you turn your head and see Avatar Korra. Giving you that classic smile of hers you've come to love. A soft blush forms on your cheeks and you smile back as she waves at you, joining you by the river and sitting down beside you. Planting a soft kiss to your lips.

"Hey, you." She rests her hand on your knee," What're you doing out here? I've been looking for you all morning."

You lean your head on her shoulder, resting against her side and taking in her warmth.

"Enjoying the weather. You said you've been looking for you?" You couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. Was your peace really going to be interrupted by more Avatar duties again?

"Yeah, I've been thinking... it's been a while since we went on a proper date, unless you count fighting villains as a date?" Korra jokes, you roll your eyes and suppress a laugh.

"Absolutely not."

"Didn't think so." Korra gives you a playful nudge, which manages to get that laugh out of you. She smiles," Asami mentioned a nice restaurant that opened up recently and offered to get us a reservation. If you're interested."

"Oh, definitely. I'm not missing out on free rich people food." You smile back and Korra laughs this time, draping her arm around your shoulders and pulling you in close to her side.

"How about tonight, then?" She looks at you and you nod.

~~~

A few hours later, you were getting ready for your date. In absolute state of panic trying to make sure you presented yourself perfectly.

Jinora walked past your door (you have a room in the Air Temple) then stopped and back tracked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why are you so freaked out?" She asks, you jump and turn to look at her. Having been startled by her sudden appearance.

"I have a date with Korra tonight and I need to look perfect. Asami got us a reservation at some fancy rich restaurant." You explain, your hands making frantic gestures.

Jinora stifles a laugh and walks into your room, arms folded across her chest as she tilts her head at you.

"Korra's not going to care what you wear. I mean, have you seen the way she dresses?" Jinora reminds you, you glance at yourself in your body mirror. Looking over your features.

You'd thrown together a quick outfit. A nice black velvet sleeveless t (which showed a bit of cleavage). Paired with velvet black dress pants. It was the nicest thing you owned and you had saved an embarrassing amount of money just to get it.

"I know but the place is like- super fancy-" You stutter out, rethinking your choice as you bite down on your thumb nail.

Jinora rolls her eyes.

"If you aren't going to listen to my advice you're hopeless." She leaves you to fend for yourself, not wanting to deal with you if you won't even listen to her advice.

~~~

After another hour of fussing, you finally decide you were at least presentable. Taking a breath, you stepped out of your room and headed down the hall. Why was this all still scary? You and Korra have been on a number of dates. This one shouldn't be any different.

But it was.

Because you'd be dining with rich people. God, you just realized you didn't even know proper table manners. Like, yeah you knew how to behave yourself at a table but not rich people level.

Though you quickly relaxed remembering Korra was in the same boat as you. Even if she was the Avatar, her manners... could use a little work.

You made it to the first level of the Temple, Korra standing by the front door and waiting for you. Styled similarly to how she was during the last scene of the finale episode.

I couldn't find any decent pictures.

She noticed you and smiled, taking in your appearance with a soft blush on her cheeks.

"You look... wow. Now I feel underdressed." She looks down at her own outfit and you can't help but laugh, smiling and taking her hand in yours.

"You look perfect." You assure her, a blush on your cheeks matching the one on Korra's.

Korra gives you a soft kiss, though you don't let her pull away and instead continue it for a moment. Your lips moving against each others in soft, rhythmic motions before your lips finally part. Separated by a mere inch or so as you looked into each other's eyes.

Your hand squeezed hers and she leads you out of the Temple, heading to your date spot.

The rest of the night flows smoothly. The two of you enjoying your meals, having conversation after conversation. Talking about anything and everything from latest bending techniques to latest interests. The hours tick by and you haven't even realized how long it's been. Just enjoying have a night off to be with each other.

It was nice focusing on your relationship rather than the world.

[carlottawllms]

Forbidden Taste

Mason Mount x Reader Fluff / Angst-ish / Smut

I was close to deleting all of this bc I’m not really happy with it. I had this great story in my head and the fact that it sounded so perfect was probably the biggest problem bc no matter what I tried, it never came out the way I wanted it to.

But since I haven’t posted in what feels like forever, I’ve decided to still post it for you. I've made peace with the fic rn and I really hope it’s not as bad as I think it is and you can still enjoy reading it.

As always, feedback is very much appreciated! Enjoy 🩷

“It’s so nice to have you with us, y/n.”, Debbie smiled when she pulled you into her side a little. “I feel like we haven’t seen each other in forever.”

“Yeah, it was a lot easier when he was still in London.”, you sighed, your heart hurting a little at the reminder of having to leave your best friend in only a little more than a day. “But I’m glad I could finally make it up here, watch him play and see you again.”

Literally everything had been easier before Mason’s move to Manchester. Life had been easier with your best friend around.

You’d met Mase quite early in life through your older brother Ben and it hadn’t taken long for the two of you to become what Ben liked to call besties. You and Mason had been attached at the hip ever since, never separated unless it was absolutely necessary. “Little-Mount and little-Chilwell causing chaos in the world.”, your mum had used to say with a smile on her face and although Ben had hated it sometimes, he was mainly incredibly happy there was someone else looking out for his little sister.

And then this summer, one of the worst things had happened: He’d left Chelsea and moved up North and as happy as you were for him to have found a club that appreciated and wanted him, you couldn’t help but feel absolutely heartbroken to be so far away from him.

Especially as now, juggling watching him play without abandoning Ben and the other way around had become an every week struggle. And you hated it.

“He knows it’s not easy and he’d never hold it against you.”, Lewis, who just passed you mentioned, making you nod. He was right and you knew it, but it didn’t make you feel less bad.

Mason was special to you. And you missed him. A lot.

You and Debbie kept talking for a while until Mason came over. He handed his mother the menu from that Italian he’d found a few days ago, before he turned to you. You having already raised your eyebrow made him chuckle.

 “I know you offered to cook, but as much as I would love it, I just want you to spend time with us and not in the kitchen.”, he smiled softly as he sneaked his arm over your shoulders, the tips of his fingers just about caressing your collarbone.  

“Fine.”, you grumbled jokingly. “But next time you’ll let me cook for you, Mister.”

Mason dropped a barely-there kiss to the top of your head before burying his nose in your hair. “I promise.”, he mumbled, unaware of his mother’s fond expression at the sight of her son and his best friend.

It was undeniable that there was something between the two of you. The bond had always been close but over the last year or so something else had developed. There was this tension surrounding you two whenever you were alone or at least close to each other and you both knew it.

You’d both become incredibly attracted to one another, basically longing for something more than a friendship, but because it was practically impossible as Ben would most likely have Mason’s head for seducing his little sister, you’d subconsciously settled on a friendship.

It didn’t mean that it was easy though. Both of you were quite big on touch, meaning that cuddling, forehead and cheek kisses as well as his hand on your thigh or the small of your back weren’t rare occurrences.

You sought out each other’s proximity whenever it was possible and lately, the moments in which only a phone or someone calling for either of you kept you from actually kissing occurred more and more frequently.

Maybe it was a good thing, to avoid the basically pre-programmed quarrel with Ben, but your heart longed for him a little more with every passing opportunity.

“I’ll ask Tony to order. y/n, what do you want?” Debbie interrupted your train of thoughts, attempting to hand you the menu, but Mason was quick in snatching it away.

“Oh, she’s not allowed to choose, mum. I’ve done that already.”, Mason grinned, causing his mother to frown, but when you simply smiled and nodded, she let it go. “The list is in the kitchen; you can put yours on there too and ask Lew if he’s finally picked something.”

Him ordering for you was only one of the many insiders you and Mason shared. You couldn’t even remember when it had happened for the first time, but at some point you had known each other well enough to be able to order for the other, so whenever Mason had found a new restaurant, he got to choose your first meal there, whilst with a place you’d found you got the first choice for him.

“We’ll eat outside since the weather is still nice, but knowing your freezing ass, you should probably go and grab yourself something warmer to wear.”, Mason grinned as he tapped the end of your nose.  

“About that”, you mumbled, feeling how your cheeks heated up. “I forgot to bring a hoodie.”

“You out of all people forgot a hoodie?”, Mason laughed in disbelief. “You live in those, y/n. Are you sick?”

Giggling, you ducked away when he tried to press his hand flat to your forehead to check your temperature. “Go away, Mount.”, you moaned in fake annoyance. “I overslept and it was a faff to even get my train. When I ran out of the flat, I accidentally left it on the sofa.”

Mason sighed before grabbing your arm and pulling you along and up the stairs. “You can have one of mine then. As an exception.”

An exception…as if you hadn’t worn his stuff hundreds of times already.

You knew he probably thought you’d forgotten it on purpose, but eventhough you loved wearing his clothes, you hadn’t lied. You truly had forgotten yours at home.

It didn’t take you long to make your choice, eyes already settled on your favourite the second you entered his walk-in-closet. You’d fallen in love with it when you’d helped Mason film his very first TikTok and had worn it for several occasions already.

“Do I even need to ask which one you want, or should I just grab the one I know you’ll go for?”

For a moment you were willing to take another one out of sheer pettiness, but the memory of how fluffy on the inside the one you loved was, was too tempting, so you simply pushed past him, bumping him with your hip in the process as you walked over and pulled the hoodie out.

“I’ve bought a new one by the way.”, he informed you whilst watching you struggle with pulling the fabric over your head. “I think you’ll really like it.”

“Stop talking and help me, Mount.”, you grumbled as for some reason you couldn’t figure out how to put it on. There was just too much fabric.

“Sorry, sorry.”, he laughed, before coming for your rescue. He turned the hoodie a little, helping you put your arms through and eventually pulled it over your head properly. “It just looked too funny.”

Your hair was all over the place as he looked at you, soft brown eyes locked on yours and only when his warm breath fanned your face did you realise just how close he was. All the tiny freckles, the moles and the crinkles by his eyes were right in front of you and the way his chocolate eyes stared back into yours had a shiver running down your spine.

With his fingers gently stroking down the sides of your neck, Mason leaned in and nuzzled his nose against yours and when his eyes dropped to your lips, your mind went blank. Slowly, you leaned in. Your heart was racing in your chest, threatening to burst your ribcage, but from where you’d placed your hands flat against his toned chest you could tell that his wasn’t doing much better.

When his lips just about brushed yours, you closed your eyes, ready to finally give in to what your heart had been begging for forever. Mason’s warm hand moved to the back of your neck, pulling you a little closer and-

“Mase? y/n? The food is here.”

At the sound of Debbie's voice, you both startled apart, taking a step or two back from each other with your gazes cast to the floor. Your heart sank in your chest as yet another moment had passed and when you raised your gaze you could see Mason scratching the back of his head awkwardly. His cheeks were flushed, and he couldn’t meet your eyes, looking everywhere but at you.

“We erm…we should go downstairs.”, you mumbled.

“Yeah, I guess we should.”, you agreed quietly, trying to hide the sadness as best as you could. What if this was the universe telling you that you and Mase weren’t meant to be?

Once back downstairs, being around his family helped to get rid of the awkward tension between the two of you and the moment you sat down on the dinner table on Mason’s terrace, you and he were back to normal, joking around like you always were and all thoughts of the almost-kiss buried where all the other similar moments were stored as well.

“Water?”, he asked, sending you a soft smile and when you nodded, he reached for your glass to pour some in.

“Thanks.”

For a while you just sat there and listened to what the others were talking about. After that moment upstairs, after his lips had brushed yours ever so softly, you couldn’t think straight anymore. You’d been given a tiny taste and now you wanted more.

You looked up when you felt Mason’s foot nudging yours, thinking he wanted something, but he simply smiled at you and locked his feet around your ankle.   

“y/n, by the way, how is university treating you?”, Lewis asked, pulling your attention away from his little brother. The way he was speaking with his mouth full of pasta earned him a warning look from his mother, but he was a master in ignoring that.

“Good.”, you nodded. “But I’m glad I’m nearly done. Just adding the finishing touches to my thesis and then I’m all done. Hopefully.”  

“Oh, I have no doubts about that, my dear.”, Debbie smiled, and Tony was quick to agree. “You’ll be the world’s best lawyer, y/n.”

You blushed a little, dropping your gaze to the table with a smile. Mason’s family had always been as supportive as your own, making you feel as if you belonged to them as much as you belonged into your own and words couldn’t describe just how special that felt.

“I mean there’s still a long road ahead, but I can’t wait to jump headfirst into work and actually do something other than just reading about it all.”

“I can imagine.”, Tony smiled. “If we ever need a bit of support without actually hiring a lawyer, we can count on you, right?”

“Contract law is not my specialisation.”, you laughed. “But I know the basics, so as long as you don’t heavily rely on me, you can always ask away.”

You all kept talking about everything and nothing for a while, simply enjoying being reunited with each other and once again you noticed how easy everything could be if it wasn’t for you being a Chilwell.

You would be able to be with Mason, the one person who meant so much to you and with whom everything seemed so easy. There would be no awkward talking stage, no first dates where you couldn't really be yourself. His family had long since accepted you as a part of them and even if you'd only overheard by accident, you knew Debbie saw you as the perfect daughter-in-law.

It could be easy. It could be perfect. It could be you and Mason.

“y/n?” You were startled out of your thoughts when Tony nudged you and repeated your name laughingly.

“What? Yeah sorry, I zoned out for a moment. What was the question?”

“I asked what time your train is.”

“Right. 4pm from the main station. Ben promised to pick me up in London.”

Ever since the moment upstairs, Mason had forgotten about Ben altogether. He’d simply enjoyed having you around, looking at you and watching you get along so well with his family. But the mention of his best friend’s name was like someone had emptied a bucket of ice right over his head.

He shouldn’t feel like this; he couldn’t. Dropping his gaze, Mason pulled his feet away from yours. The physical contact suddenly too much.

Your heart dropped at the loss of contact, eyes searching for his, but they remained stoically focussed on the table. You hated how much you liked him, how much you longed for him.

-

“If that isn’t my least favourite human in the world.”, Ben joked the moment you flopped onto the passenger seat in his car. It was his typical greeting for you and whilst normally you would roll your eyes at him, you couldn’t muster up more than a tired smile.

“Hi. You’re good?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I just- What’s wrong?” Ben turned the car off again, noticing straight away that something was wrong.

“Nothing, I’m just tired.”, you said. “You know how these long train rides are.”

Lying to your brother wasn’t one of the things you particularly enjoyed. In fact, you hated it because you knew he’d be disappointed knowing you felt like you couldn’t talk to him about certain things, but with this one you had you. There was no way you could tell him that you missed Mason already.

“You know I can read you like an open book, right? What’s wrong? Did something happen with Mase? I’ll chop his head off if he hurt you.”

A quiet chuckle left your lips. “You know him, Benji. He would never. I’m just tired.” You sent your brother a smile, hoping to convince him with it and although you were sure it didn’t work, Ben let it go.

“I ordered some pizza for us, but I can eat at mine if you want to be on your own for a bit. You know like, charge your social battery?”

He tried to hide it, but you could still make out the slightly sad tone in his voice and as much as you’d love to be alone for a bit after being constantly surrounded by people those last days, you’d never send your own brother away.

“Nonsense, Ben. We’ll eat at my place.”

During the 30-minute drive home, you kept checking your phone, but Mason still hadn’t replied to your text. You’d let him know you’d gotten into Ben’s car safely and whilst normally Mason was practically glued to his phone until the moment he received your text, now 20 minutes later, he still hadn’t replied.

You knew it wasn’t that big of a deal. Maybe he was just taking a nap, tidying up his flat or had simply forgotten to reply, but it did make you a little sad.

After Ben and you had finished the pizza and caught up with each other’s plans for the week, he’d bid his goodbye and left you getting ready for bed. After sitting in the train for nearly four hours, you were too tired to do your whole skincare and although your skin would probably hate you for it, you only removed your make-up and put some moisturiser on.

You’d just crawled under the covers and made yourself comfortable, ready to watch a bit of Netflix to fall asleep, when your phone lit up.

Subconsciously, a smile pulled at your lips as warmth spread through your whole body. Missing you already. Giggling, you rolled over, hiding your red cheeks in your pillow as giddiness filled your tummy.

You messaged him back to tell him that you missed him too before snuggling back into the sheets and closing your eyes to get some much needed shut-eye.

*

The next time you got to see Mason was weeks later on Ben’s birthday and you couldn’t be more relieved the moment he hugged you close to his body.

At United, things weren’t going exactly great for him. Deep down you knew he was fine and that going through a rough patch wasn’t the end of the world, but you hated it. You hated that he didn’t get to play much, that he didn’t get the chance to show his talent and shine in the team. And you hated that you couldn’t be there for him properly.

Obviously, you’d stayed in touch throughout the last couple of weeks. You’d talked a lot, facetimed and kept each other updated on what’s been going on.

Mason was fine, working hard and fighting for his place in the starting xi, but you couldn’t help and squeeze him a little tighter before letting go.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Mase flicked your nose jokingly the moment you’d stepped back from him and when he held his hand out, you realised. You’d forgotten your signature handshake.

Mason and you giggled through it, not being able to stay serious at the sequence of funny hand movements and when he eventually finished it with a bow and kiss to the back of your hand, you both laughed out loud.

“I’m still wondering what’s wrong with you two.”, Ben shook his head, but the smile on his face was visible for everyone.

“You’re just jealous mate.” Mason punched his best friend’s shoulder before pulling you into his side to get something to drink.

But it wasn’t long before you were separated. His friends and former teammates hadn’t seen him in forever and wanted to catch up with him and as much as you would’ve loved to spend the whole evening with Mason, you knew he was dying to talk to them in person.

You were giggling away with Sophie as you clinked your glasses together. Neither of you were even close to being drunk, but you’d had enough to be a bit buzzed and for everything to be that little bit funnier.

When Ben had introduced Sophie as your girlfriend to you about a year ago, you’d been a bit hesitant. He hadn't had much luck with his ex-girlfriends, instead he’d been through hell and back at times, so naturally you questioned her intentions, but it hadn’t taken her long to get you on her side.

She was good for him, supportive and incredibly understanding. She’d struggled with mental health too, so she knew what it meant and understood him in a way no one else did. She had his back and made him happy. She cared for him and that really was everything you needed to know.

Whilst the two of you stood there, gossiping a little about your brother’s friends, your gaze kept wandering to Mason. You knew it was wrong, but every time your eyes caught his over the distance, your stomach fluttered, and you couldn’t help but get addicted to the feeling that arose whenever your eyes locked and he smiled softly.

You blushed when it happened again, your gaze dropping to the ground. It felt like your little secret as by some miracle neither Sophie, nor Woody who was talking to Mason had caught onto it yet.

“I’ll erm head to the loo real quick.”

The feeling of Mason’s eyes on you as you made your way through the room had the butterflies going wild in your tummy. He probably thought you were heading towards him, but he just happened to stand right next to the hallway that led to the loo.

You grazed your hand against his as you passed him, your heart pathetically skipped a beat at the tiny contact, and you had to drop your head slightly to hide your blushed cheeks.

Once you’d finished in the bathroom – you’d taken a bit longer as you’d had to fix your hair a little – you returned to the living room, finding everyone gathered around Ben’s dinner table. Confused, you looked Sophie, but she actually found you first.

“There you are! We were looking for you.”, she grinned. “You’re teamed up with Mase.”

With furrowed brows you looked at her. “Teamed up for what?”

“Oh, apparently there’s several games planned, I don’t know drinking games or something, like quizzes and stuff and I teamed you up with Mase.”, Sophie winked, reminding you of that feeling you’d been having for a while now: She was playing cupid and tried to get you and Mason together.  

You weren’t entirely sure, but throughout the last couple of weeks if not months, she’d made small comments about how well you and him got along or about how last time Mason was over at Ben’s, he’d talked quite a lot about you and whilst it made you a little giddy that she apparently was very in favour of a potential relationship, you knew it was impossible. Ben wouldn’t have it at all.

“Drinking games? What are we, 14?”

“Don’t be a party pooper, it’ll be fun.”, Sophie laughed before pulling you along to where Mason was leaning against a wall. “Here you have your partner in crime.”

Mason laughed quietly, agreeing internally that you were indeed his partner in crime, before pulling you into his side a little. “I’m glad it’s you cause now I know that at least one in this team has the brains for what’s to come.”

“You’re pretty intelligent yourself, Mase. And I feel like your pretty face makes up for the lack of knowledge in some areas, if you ask me.”

The questions started off rather easy, but you knew it wouldn’t stay that way for too long. There was no fun in everyone getting all the answers right when there were body shots and other punishments for whenever a wrong answer was given.

“Mase, what’s the smallest mammal in the world?”, Ben asked, a proud grin on his face as there was no way his best friend would know the answer to this question.

Panicking, Mason turned his head to you in hopes you could give him a little hint, but you only shrugged as you didn’t know the answer either. Or rather you weren’t entirely sure you knew.

“No clue, mate.”, he laughed. “A squirrel maybe?”

“Wrooooong.”, Ben grinned, hitting the red buzzer he’d bought for today and everyone cheered excitedly for what was about to come. “Time for the punishment. Either you or y/n have to lay down here on the table and let the other take a bodyshot off your body.”

If his cheeks hadn’t been slightly red from the alcohol already, they definitely would’ve been flushed by now. Bodyshots hadn’t been on his agenda for the evening…and definitely not when they included you.

“I can go for it.”, you offered with a smile as you stepped closer to the table.

You knew Mason wasn’t one of those guys who liked to show off and get shirtless more often than not and with so many people – especially women – around, you were sure he’d feel uncomfortable.

“No, it’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll lay down, you take the shot. I’ve had enough for now.” He gently pushed past you, manoeuvring you towards the side of the table as he hoped the others would buy his excuse. He hadn’t even had that much to drink, but he desperately didn’t want you to be the one to lay down.

As much as he disliked the idea of getting shirtless randomly on a birthday party, the thought of you only in your bra for everyone on show was way worse. There was no way all the other men would get to see you half-naked.

You knew there was no point in arguing with him. Once Mase had made up his mind, there was no going back so instead you watched him taking off his shirt, revealing that toned body of his that, no matter how often you’d seen it already, still had the breath catching in the back of your throat. The way his muscles danced under his smooth skin made you want to reach out and touch him all over.

Especially that tiny mole you’d only recently noticed.

Mason hoisted himself on the table and it was only then that you snapped out of your thoughts and noticed the women in the room ogling him, causing your tummy to drop.

You had no right to be jealous, you knew that, but you couldn’t help it. He looked like he’d been crafted by the gods and whilst you knew it was impossible, you just really wanted him to be yours and only yours.

Once he was on his back, his hands by his side, he turned his head and looked for you. His big brown eyes locked on yours and to your surprise he looked a little hesitant. “Relax, it’s just me.”, you whispered before placing the slice of lime right between his lips.

Mason’s eyes squeezed shut adorably for a moment when the sour liquid touched his lips and when a soft giggle left your lips, you felt him squeezing your arm gently.

The little crowd around you whistled when you placed your hand on your thigh and leaned down, but all you could focus on was the way he felt the moment you licked a stripe through the valley of his abs. His muscles contracted where your tongue touched to wet his skin and when you got back up to sprinkle the salt over the wetness, it was way too soon to part.

The second the tequila dropped into his navel, Mason’s whole body shivered. Squeezing his thigh, you smiled at him softly. “You’re ready?”

You noticed how his eyes were a little darker when they locked back on yours, but he was quick in nodding. “Go ahead.”

Just like before, you leaned down and licked the salt from his skin, fingers digging into his thigh a little as you were slowly becoming addicted to what he felt like. Gently, your lips brushed his skin before you quickly sucked the tequila out of his navel and as you moved up the side of his body, ready to take the lime, your hand trailed up his stomach, causing goosebumps to erupt all over his skin.

With your back shielding you both, you dipped down. You stared into his dark eyes, filled with something you couldn’t quite place and when your teeth dug into the lime and your lips just about brushed his, your heart stumbled in your chest.

It had only been the tiniest of touches, but it had been enough to set your whole body on fire an from the way Mason looked, flushed cheeks, his lips still slightly parted and a clouded expression in his eyes, you could tell that he felt it too.  

You wanted to let go of the lime and lean back down to kiss him properly, but you knew you couldn’t. The whole situation had already been going on for far too long to be considered normal and you were conscious about your brother watching, so you came back up and sucked the juice from the lime in front of the others. You were convinced your face was as red as a tomato, but with the tequila in your system maybe the others would blame it on that.

As the party kept going, pretty much all you were busy with was staring at Mason. Ever since the moment your lips had touched his, the addiction you’d always felt towards him had increased tenfold and he seemed to look even better now.

You wondered if his white t-shirt had already hugged his body that perfectly when you’d arrived and whenever he wet his lips you couldn’t help but focus on his mouth.

“Earth to y/n?” Ben snipping his fingers right in front of you brought you back into reality.

“Sorry. What?”

“Are you okay?”, he looked at you with his perfected caring-big-brother look, head slightly tilted and eyebrows furrowed.

“Just tired.”, you smiled reassuringly. “I think I’ll actually leave now to get some shut eye.”

“But you’re not going on your own, y/n.”

You were tempted to roll your eyes, but you knew he only meant well. Being outside on your own really wasn’t the safest thing to do, but you only lived about 10 minutes away, so you didn’t see the harm in walking home or taking an Uber. “I’m a big girl, Ben.”

“No, y/n. I won’t have you leaving on your own. It’s too da-“

“I’ll make sure she gets home safely, okay? I’m leaving now, and I pass her apartment on the way to the hotel anyway.”, Mason explained as he suddenly appeared next to you, his fingers gently tickling the small of your back.

You weren’t entirely sure if it was a good idea for him to bring you home. This newfound deep attraction towards him was worrying you and with the alcohol in your system you weren’t sure you could hold yourself back. You could still feel his lips brushing yours, his skin beneath yours and the way his muscles had contracted because of the way you’d touched him.

He’d been so close; so within reach, but at the same time so far away and it made your head spin. You weren’t even sure if he felt the same for you or if it had only ever been in the spur of the moment.  

Once you’d both bid your goodbyes and left Ben’s house, silence settled over you. The atmosphere between the two of you was a little awkward – at least it felt like that for you. Mason was uncharacteristically quiet, and you didn’t really know what to say. The whole bodyshot situation had obviously created a strange tension and you hated the thought of having ruined a perfectly good friendship with a stupid drinking game.

What if he felt weird about you now? You’d practically taken advantage of the way he’d been lying there with no where to go. What if all the other situations before today had only ever seemed obvious to you? What if he’d always found it weird?

Little did you know though, that Mason was still thinking about where you’d touched his skin. The feeling of your tongue licking the salt off his tummy was etched into his brain, but the moment that had left a long-lasting impression was your lips brushing his for the tiniest moment. He’d wanted to kiss you forever and now that he’d had a tiny taste, he wanted more. He wanted you.

Mason felt stupid. Who the hell fell in love with their best friend’s little sister?

Thankfully, it wasn’t long until you were back to normal though, joking around and talking about everything and nothing and you couldn’t explain just how relieved you were. Mason was one of the most important people in your life and losing him sounded like your worst nightmare.  

Too soon for your liking, you reached your house. Mason, claiming he could use a little workout, took the stairs to the third floor with you and once you were in front of your door, you realised you weren’t ready to say goodbye yet.

“Do you want to come in?”

When your eyes locked on his you could see the whirlwind of emotions in them, so it didn’t come as a surprise when he shook his head no.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, y/n.”, he whispered, gaze dropping to his shoes.

You hated what today had caused. This hesitation to spend time together had never been there before and the thought of him going back to Manchester and distancing himself even more was terrifying you.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”, you nodded as you tried to hide your sadness. “Night Mase.”

Quickly, you leaned in and kissed his cheek. It was something you always did when saying goodbye to him, but tonight it felt different. More intimate, more meaningful.

Mason stood there, rooted to the spot. The cogs in his head were turning like crazy, but after a split second, he reached out and grabbed your arm to hold you back. Turning around, you were about to ask what he wanted, but before you could even open your mouth, his lips were on yours.

Too surprised, you couldn’t even reciprocate the kiss and when Mason noticed, he was quick in pulling back, lips parted and eyes searching yours frantically. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have don’t that, y/n. I’m just-“

But you just shut him up by pressing your lips to his again. Your hand moved to the back of his neck, fingertips just about reaching into his soft hair, whilst the other found a home on his shoulder and once Mason had realised what was happening, he kissed you back deeply.

It was a desperate kiss. One that the both of you had been craving forever and with his lips moving against yours passionately, he walked you backwards into your flat until you were trapped in between his heavy body and the wall.

You sighed against his lips, as he deepened the kiss, his fingers sneaking beneath your shirt and digging softly into your flesh and when he gently buried his teeth into your bottom lip, a hoarse moan of his name tumbled from your lips.

Mason was quick in using the chance to invade your mouth and the moment he brushed his tongue against yours with langued, lazy strokes you lost all capacity to think straight. All you could focus on was the way he kissed you and touched you. He was an insanely good kisser, better than in your wildest dreams and whilst deep down you knew this was wrong and could ruin everything, it all felt so right.

“We shouldn’t do this.”, you breathed heavily against his lips the moment he pulled away to catch his breath, but contrary to your words, you pulled his shirt up and over his head, desperately to see his naked upper body from up close and once the shirt was out of the way, your fingers trailed all over his soft skin.

“I know.” His brown eyes were blown out, clouded and dark when they locked on yours, causing a shiver to run down your spine. “But it feels so fucking good to kiss you, y/n.”

“It does.”

“Jump.” His warm hands had now fully grabbed your hips and when you obeyed and jumped, legs wrapping around his waist, his hands moved to cup your bum and pull you flush against his body. You could feel his crotch pressing right against yours and when you felt how hard he was, you blushed deeply. “I’ve waited way too long for this to stop now.”

His lips were back on yours in an instant, moving against yours as he walked the two of you further into your flat until he sat down on the sofa, with you still in his lap and you didn’t waste a second to grind down.

“Jesus, y/n.”, he moaned into your mouth, hands tightening on your waist to stop you from moving for a second. “Are you sure about this? We’ve both had some alcohol and once we’ve done this, we can’t undo it.”

“I know.”, you smiled before leaning in and kissing him softly. The expression in his eyes was serious now and your heart warmed at the way he was so mindful. “But I want this, Mase. I promise, I want you. Just like you want me.”

When you dipped your hand in between your bodies and cupped his dick over the fabric of his pants, Mason’s eyes darkened. “Feels so good.”, he moaned quietly the more pressure you applied and once his eyes had fallen shut, you leaned in and let you lips travel along his jaw, leaving tiny kisses and nibbled all over his soft skin. You relished in the way he sighed and moaned quietly as you continued to palm him.

“Will you let me make you feel good, Masey?” The quiet whisper had him shuddering beneath you and with a deep sigh he nodded. It already felt like heaven on earth, and he couldn’t wait to feel you without the barrier of his trousers.

You dropped to your knees in between his parted legs, hands moving up and down his thick thighs until you eventually unbuckled his belt and opened the zipper. Mason helped you by lifting his hips and soon enough, his pants were off. Your mouth watered at the sight of the visible tent in his boxers and whilst you really couldn’t wait to have him in your mouth and hear more of his whimpers and moans, you wanted to spend a bit more time on teasing him.

With your eyes locked on his, your nails gently scratched the insides of his thighs, causing Mason to shiver. “Don’t tease, please.”

“But you look so good like this, Mase.”, you pouted, before placing your lips on his skin and making your way higher up. His thighs tensed under your touch, causing naughty thoughts to run through your mind, but right now it was about him, not you.  

“What do you want me to do, hm?” You gently bit the skin right where his boxers ended, pulling a small hiss from Mason. “What is it you want, Masey?”

“I…I want you to- Fuck!”, he groaned when you started to palm him over his boxers. With his head falling to the back of the sofa, he had to take a few deep breaths to calm down, but your fingers squeezing his length made it difficult to think. “I want you to…to…”

Mason had never been in the position where he had to voice what he so desperately wanted. Quite the opposite, as until today he’d always been the one being in control and asking that question and now that the roles were reserved, he suddenly got very shy.

With reddened cheeks, he dropped his eyes to his tummy, wishing he could be more confident, but you were hot, currently between his thighs and this whole thing started to make him incredibly nervous.

“Mase.”, you whispered, reaching out to grab his chin and tilt his head up. “We can stop whenever you want to.”

“No, I…I don’t want to stop. Sorry, I just got a bit overwhelmed.”, he confessed. Gently cupping your hand in his lap that had stopped palming him the moment you’d realised something was wrong, he moved it for you, encouraging you to keep going. “Please keep going.”

“Okay.”, you breathed as you applied a little more pressure on his restrained cock, eyes never leaving his and only when you saw the clouded expression coming back, did you lean down to press kisses all over his length.

Mason’s breath hitched in the back of his throat the moment your teeth grazed his fabric-covered dick, and you couldn’t hide your proud grin. He was moaning like this because of you, and you couldn’t wait to make him feel even better.

You hooked your fingers into the waistband of his boxers and once Mason got the hint, he lifted his hips again to allow you pulling the fabric down his legs, causing his hard dick to slap against his tummy. Palming him before had given you a good hint at what you were working with but now that he was fully exposed, you realised that he was bigger than you’d expected.

He felt hot and heavy in your hand as you grabbed him and when you gave him a few gentle pumps, Mason’s head dropped back onto the sofa with a deep sigh. His hips bucked up almost immediately as it had been a while ever since he’d been touched like this and when your thumb brushed through his slit to spread his pre-cum, he cursed loudly.

“Oh my god.” His heart was thundering in his chest, and he could already feel the tingling at the base of his spine. “Don’t tease, y/n. I…It feels so good already.”

Your cheeks heated up slightly at the way a very few of your touches had such an effect on him. He looked so insanely hot. His lips were slightly parted, his chest heaving and abs contracting from the way you were stroking him.

“Holy shit!” Mason’s eyes shot open the second he felt you sucking his tip. His stomach tightened at the warm feeling of your lips wrapped around his dick and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to avoid cumming on the spot. “Fuck, y/n. What the hell.”

“Sorry.”, you grinned as you’d pulled away, knowing fully well what you’d done with surprising him like that. “Just really want to suck your dick, you know?”

“I nearly came.”, he breathed as he threaded his fingers through your hair, subconsciously letting you know you were okay to continue. “A little warning would’ve been nice.”

“Well, where’s the fun in that, Masey?”, you smiled before kissing the tip of his dick and taking him back in your mouth. Bobbing up and down, you took as much of him as possible, whilst working the rest with your hand. You’d set a slow pace, knowing that the faster you went the sooner the fun would be over, and you really wanted this to last.

Who knew if you’d ever get another chance of having him like this.

The warmth surrounding his length combined with your tongue massaging the vein on the underside had Mason tightening his fingers in your hair. Breathy moans and whimpers were falling from his lips, spurring you on, but the longer you kept going, the more difficult it became for him to hold back from reaching his high and soon enough, he pulled you off his dick.

“You’re way too good at that.”, he panted with his hands framing your face. Gently, he brushed his thumbs over the soft skin right beneath your wild eyes. “Come back up here.”

Mason helped you back up on your feet and pulled you into his lap, hands immediately settling on your waist beneath your shirt, stoking up and down your sides as he leaned in to kiss you again. Softly this time, less rushed and hungry than before, but still passionate and as if he’d been waiting for this moment forever.

You sighed against his lips as you felt his big hands cupping your boobs, thumbs brushing over your perky nipples poking through the thin lacey material of your bra and it wasn’t long until Mason pulled your bra down enough for your boobs to spill over.

“Take your shirt off.”, he ordered quietly whilst his hands kneaded away on your boobs. “I want to see more of you, y/n.”

You obeyed quickly and pulled your shirt over your head and whilst you expected Mason’s gaze to drop, it never did. His hands spanned the ribs right beneath your chest, but his eyes stayed locked on yours.

“You’re so incredibly beautiful, y/n.”, he whispered and the honesty in the tone of his voice had you blushing. “You’re the most beautiful and incredible woman I’ve ever met.”

His hands stroked up and down your sides and all over your tummy, leaving goosebumps in their wake and causing small sighs to fall from your lips. It had been a while since someone had touched you like this, had taken their time to caress you in a non-sexual way.

The men you’d been with had only ever been interested in one thing and whilst tonight was going to end in the same way, Mason still took his time to worship you and your body, and it made you fall for him even more.

He held the entirety of your heart and from tonight on also the entirety of your body. He hadn’t done much so far, but you were sure once he had, he would’ve ruined sex for you as no one else would ever come close to this.

You gasped the moment his lips enclosed around your nipple. Your hands flew to the back of his head, fingers gently pulling on the soft strands of hair as his teeth grazed your sensitive skin. Mason skilfully unclasped your bra before flinging it across the room to get it out of the way, making you question for a moment how often he’d done that already, but when his lips sucked your nipple and his fingers ran up and down your spine, your thoughts were back on him and how good he made you feel.

It wasn’t long before he asked you to take off your pants and as you stood there right in front of him in only your lacey panties, he couldn’t help himself. Grabbing your waist, he pulled you back in between his tights, hands stroking up and down your tummy, fingers grazing your boobs until they eventually hooked into the waistband of your panties.

“You’re so so beautiful y/n. I want you to always remember that.”, he whispered with his lips pressing against the skin of your tummy. “You’re so perfect, so soft and I don’t deserve you at all, but I’m so glad I get to see you like this.”

His lips trailed up and down your body until they reached a spot Mason found perfect for the purple bruise, he’d wanted to leave on your body ever since you’d taken off your shirt. Pulling a gasp from your lips, he sucked a hickey into your soft skin, soothing the sting with his tongue and once he was done, he looked up at you with a proud smile grazing his lips.  

“These come off now.”, he mumbled, pulling your panties down your legs before making you straddle his lap again. You felt a bit insecure, being fully naked, with your legs on either side of his, now, but Mason was quick in picking up on that. “You’re so hot, I can’t believe I get to have you like this.”

“Mase.” His name fell from your lips in a hoarse moan the moment you felt his fingers running through your wet folds. Giving him head had turned you on more than you’d thought and with his fingers between your legs now, you were practically dripping for him.

“Fuck, you’re so wet, y/n.”, Mason groaned. “All for me? Hm?”

He didn’t give you the chance to answer though as his lips were on yours in an instant. The kiss was hot and heavy, tongue immediately invading your mouth and toying with yours, whilst his fingers worked away between your legs. With his middle finger, he continued to stroke through your folds, making the base of your spine tingle, but when his thumb started to draw precise circles on your clit, your body slumped forward slightly as a deep moan got lost in his mouth.

Mason listened intently to the sounds you made, carefully figuring out what you liked and what brought you closer to the edge and once he was fully satisfied with how ready you were, he pushed his finger in.

“Holy shit.”, you cursed, pulling away from his lips momentarily to catch your breath, but with his finger curling deep inside of you, it was more than difficult. He touched all the right places with precision, causing you to see stars for a second. “Mase that’s…fuck..that’s so good.”

“Yeah?”, he breathed proudly, attaching his lips back to your nipple whilst gazing up at your face that contorted in pleasure. His dick twitched at your breathy moans and whimpers and whilst at this point, he couldn’t wait to feel everything of you, he desperately wanted to feel you falling apart on his fingers first.

“You’re close baby? Hm?” When he dipped another finger into your wet heat, he pulled another deep moan from you and in an attempt to push you closer to the edge, he curled his fingers even further against that one spot and pressed his thumb into your clit.

“Gonna be my good girl and cum on my fingers?”

Mason didn’t miss the way your walls squeezed around his fingers that little bit more when he called you his good girl and he made a mental note.

“Yes, Mase.”, you whined. “Please keep going, Mase. I’m so close, I’m-fuck.” With a few more curses and his name continuously falling from your lips, you came around his fingers. White hot liquid shooting through your veins, caused your body to shudder before you eventually collapsed into his chest, head falling into the crook of his neck as you tried to catch your breath, whilst Mason rode you through your high.

Your heart was thundering in your chest, as he gradually slowed the movements of his fingers until he eventually pulled them out completely. You sighed into his neck, not noticing how he smiled at the taste of you as he licked his fingers clean and when Mason wrapped his arms around your body, one hand running up and down your spine in an attempt to calm you, you snuggled further into his chest.

It took you a while to come back to your senses, but when you pulled back and his eyes were on yours, his cheeks as flushed as yours, you leaned in and kissed him softly.

“That was incredible.”, you sighed against his lips and Mason nodded. “But we still have to sort this out, hm?”

Mason shuddered when your hand wrapped around his painfully hard dick. Watching you cum had made him even harder and he couldn’t wait to have you and watch you fall apart on his cock, but he knew that the previous orgasm had wrecked you and that you might need a moment.

“We don’t have to, y/n.”, he mumbled, groaning quietly when you began to stroke him gently. “At least not immediately. We can take a moment in case you need ti-“

“I want you, Mase. I promise I’m okay. I want you.”

“Let’s take it slow, though. Okay?”, he whispered against your lips, before pulling you in for another kiss. “I want this to last, y/n.”

“Okay.”, you smiled.

With one hand on his shoulder, you pushed yourself up onto your knees and lined his dick up with your entrance, but before you could sink down, Mason’s hands on your waist stopped you.

“Look at me please?”, he asked with bright red cheeks. He felt a little stupid for it, but as this might be the only time he got to have you like this, he desperately wanted you to look at him, whilst taking him for the first time.

And with your eyes locked on his, you sank down his length. The both of you moaned at the feeling of one another, his hands squeezing your hips, whilst your fingers dug into his broad shoulders as you took all of him carefully.

His size stretched you deliciously and the slight burning only added to the pleasure running through your veins. He was so big, you could feel him in your tummy once you were fully seated and you actually needed a moment to adjust.

“God, you’re so tight.”, Mason moaned as he dropped his forehead to your chest, trying to think of the unsexiest thing he knew to avoid ending it right then and there. “Squeezing me so tightly, baby. Feels so good.”

You could feel him pulsating inside of you and the way he was panting told you everything you needed to know. He felt as incredible as you.

Once you were both ready to continue, you rolled your hips against his. Gently and carefully at first, but it wasn’t long before you were bouncing up and down in his lap. His hands sat firmly on your hips, guiding your movements and making sure you were both enjoying it, whilst you’d planted yours on his shoulders.

“You feel so good, Mase.”, you whined as he continuously hit that one spot deep inside of you. “You’re so deep.”

“Yeah?”, he panted, a proud grin on his lips. “Can feel me all the way up your tummy, baby?”

Mason moved one of his hands to your stomach, fingers caressing your skin until he flattened his hand and pressed down right when his hips snapped up, causing you to whimper loudly as the delicious ecstasy running through your veins only increased tenfold.

“You’re such a good girl, baby. Taking me so well. You’re my good girl, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Mase.”, you whimpered, squeezing tightly around his dick at the same time. Your high was approaching pathetically quickly because of the way he knew how to hit all of your right spots. “Fuck, you’re so good.”

It wasn’t long until you were nearly there, and the moment Mason attached his thumb to your clit and rubbed it in quick circles, you fell apart on top of him, curse words and his name falling from your lips repeatedly.

Your thighs shook and your fingers squeezed his shoulders so tightly, you were afraid you were hurting him, but with the ecstasy shooting through you as he continued to snap his hips into yours, multiplying your pleasure, you couldn’t really care about that.

“Where…where do you want-“

“Inside of me, Mase.”, you panted. “It’s…it’s safe, I…I promise.”

His fingers dug into your skin and his head fell back, as his hips pushed up one last time before he spilled into your tight heat. “Fuck, fuck, oh my- fuck.”, he cursed, rolling his eyes at the way you gently moved your hips against his to help him ride out his high. “Oh my god, y/n.”

Once you’d both come down from your highs and had caught your breaths, Mason wrapped his arms around you tightly, pulling you flush into his body, head finding a home on your chest where he could listen to your racing heartbeat.  

You could feel him softening inside of you, but neither of you cared enough to pull away. Instead, you threaded your fingers through his soft hair and massaged his scalp, causing Mason to hum in content, whilst his hands caressed your back in soothing motions.

It was the most content you’d felt in forever.

*

Weeks after this incident, you were back up in Manchester. You and Mason had slept together another handful of times and whilst deep down you both knew it was stupid, given your obvious feelings for one another, you’d agreed to stay best friends and just enjoy the sexual part with each other as well. Friends with benefits. Nothing more.

You tried to convince yourself that it was enough as you got to have him in the way you wanted him every once in a while, but you’d noticed rather quickly, that it was everything but enough for you.

You wanted to be able to kiss him and hold his hand whenever you felt like it. You wanted the public to know that he was taken and that it was you who made him happy. You wanted all those women to stop looking at him as if he was still available.

Women like Tabitha right now. She was hanging off of Mason’s arm, flirting with him shamelessly, whilst you were right next to them.

It was the international break and since Mason hadn’t been called up for England, he’d asked you to take the week off and come up to Manchester to spend some time with him. Going to the bar hadn’t been one of the things you’d imagined you’d be doing, but when Mason had admitted that he wanted you to meet some of his friends, you’d eventually agreed.

Your idea of the evening hadn’t included several women ogling him though and the problem was that the longer your friends with benefits thing was going on, the more jealous you got. Before, you’d never had the right to be jealous at all and whilst now you still hadn’t, the fact you got to kiss him and have him between the sheets, whilst not being allowed to be his outside of your flat or his house, made it even worse.

You were in love with him and a tiny part of you knew he felt the same for you, but he’d never made it that obvious. For all you knew, it could be him using you for sex without any other intentions.

“So, are you going to take me home then?”, Tabitha chirped as she batted her eyelashes at him. Her hand was trailing up and down his arm and whilst you’d noticed how Mason had moved away from her every time she‘d touched him, she apparently hadn’t. Or she simply didn’t care.

“You do realise I’m right here, don’t you?” The words had left your mouth faster than your brain had processed your thoughts and from the way Mason looked at you, he was as surprised as you were. “He could be taken for all you know.”

“Oh honey, no offense, yeah? But he could be with anyone, so why would he go for you? I’m the real option here.” She sent you a fake smile, the disgust in her eyes visible and whilst it did scratch your ego for a moment and had you wondering if Mason thought the same, you were quick in smiling back at her.

Mason was about to step in as he refused having her speaking to you like that, but before he even could, you surprised him again.

“Sorry to pop the bubble, honey, but I know what he tastes like.”

Stunned silence fell over the three of you as the loud music faded into some sort of background noise. Tabitha simply scoffed before turning around and looking for someone else to pay for her drinks and take her home, but Mason didn’t even notice. He was too busy staring at you and trying to calm down his racing heart.

He carefully sneaked his arm around your waist and squeezed you a little. The fact you’d just subtly claimed him and showed a bit of jealousy for the first time, had left him speechless, but at the same time it made him incredibly happy.

“We need to talk to Ben, don’t we?”

After giving it a moment, you nodded. “Yeah, I think we do.”, you whispered before leaning your head against his shoulder. Mason pulled you a little more into his side, happy he could finally hold you like this in public and when he dropped a kiss to the top of your head and you snuggled more into his chest, his heart skipped a beat.

That night you stayed over at his. You shared the bed, but not in a way you normally did. Instead of being tangled in between the sheets, you were cuddled up, shared soft and meaningful kisses and lingering touches. Very little words were exchanged as you traced the hundreds of freckles on his cheeks, ran your fingers through his hair and all over his neck.

Mason hummed softly, squeezing your waist and caressing the warm skin of your tummy until you fell asleep in each other’s arms.

-

The next morning, Mason drove the two of you down to London.

Last night hadn't changed everything, no, this change had already started weeks ago, but the moment in the club had made you realise that you were just fooling yourselves with beating around the bush and it was time to wake up and act like adults. And that meant making a decision. The decision to be honest with yourselves – and Ben.

“Hey, don’t be nervous. He’s your brother, he’ll be okay.”, Mason tried to reassure you gently, but being honest with himself, he was bricking it too. He had no idea how Ben would react as the topic of you and him had never once come up and he doubted Ben suspected anything.

“What if he’ll just shout at us and be super mad? Mase, I’m his little sister and I know how protective he is. I don’t want you two to fight or fall out because of me. You’re best friends.”

Mason squeezed your hand gently, his thumb running over the back of it in calming motions. “We won’t fall out, y/n. Please don’t worry about that. Worst case scenario is he’ll be mad for a couple of days, maybe weeks and then he’ll be back to normal. Okay?”

“Okay.”, you smiled, bringing your joined hands up to kiss his in appreciation.

The journey, which normally felt so terribly long, seemed to have taken only a few seconds today and when Mason stopped his car in front of Ben’s house you weren’t sure you were ready to face him.

“Mase, I don’t think I can do this. What if he’s gonna hate me or worse you? I can’t just go in there and talk to him and-“

Mason gently shut you up with his lips against yours and you almost immediately relaxed into him. Your heart slowed down and when he pulled away and stroked your cheek with his thumb, you smiled at him.

“Thank you.”, you mumbled with blushed cheeks.

“Okay to go in?”

“Yeah.”, you smiled. “Let’s face it.”

With a final kiss you eventually got out of the car and made your way up Ben’s driveway. Your heart was beating out of your chest when you knocked on your brother’s door and you were afraid your knees would give way any second. Maybe Ben wasn’t even home? That way you could avo-

“Oh hi.”, Ben smiled, but the confusion was visible on his features. He definitely hadn’t expected either of you and especially not the two of you together and when he asked you to come in with an unreadable expression on his face, your stomach dropped.

You were terrified.

And as if Mason could read you like an open book, he placed his hand on the small of your back, offering you the most support he could without drawing too much attention to it. Ben flopped down on his sofa, watching you curiously as you stood there, nervously fiddling with the hem of your hoodie.

“It’s erm…Ben there’s a reason why we came here so unexpectedly and it’s erm…a little difficult and I don’t really know how to explain it, I just…it’s complicated and I didn’t mean to…but, well…erm…”, you stumbled over your words. The whole speech you’d memorised during the drive down to London had disappeared, leaving you with an empty head and bright red cheeks.

Mason noticed how you struggled. He knew you wanted to tell Ben yourself, but it seemed as if you needed a bit more support from him to go through with what you’d wanted to say, so he removed his hand from the small of your back and instead grabbed your hand, lacing his fingers through yours and giving it an encouraging squeeze.

With one last deep breath, you eventually just blurted it out: “We’re…erm…we’re together.”

You could feel Mason’s surprised gaze on you the second the words had left your mouth, and you knew exactly why. This thing between the two of you? You were yet to put a label on it. Surely, you wanted to give it a go and start dating, but neither of you had ever even mentioned the word relationship. And now you’d simply gone and told your brother you were in a committed relationship.

But as Ben was already up on his feet, Mason simply went with it.

“I would love to say I’m surprised, but truth be told, I’m not.”, Ben laughed as he pulled you into a hug. “I‘ve been suspecting it for months now, to be honest.”

“Months?”, Mason asked incredulously. You hadn’t even been sleeping together for months, let alone talked about liking one another for that long.

“You two are like peas in a pod, never without the other and recently it became more and more obvious. I always knew you liked each other, but I didn't want to interfere.”, Ben explained, causing you and Mason to blush.

The two of you shared an incredulous look, unable to believe that what you’d made out to be such a big deal, had turned out to be the easiest thing in the world.

“So you’re…you’re not mad?”

“Mad? y/n, are you insane?”, Ben laughed. “You two are among the most important people in my life, you are family and I want both of you to be happy.”

He pulled away from the hug as his expression became serious for a moment. “y/n, you’re my little sister and all I’ve ever wanted for you was someone who treats you the way you deserve, someone who I can trust to take care of you and when there’s one person who would drop everything for you, then it’s Mase. He’s done it perfectly as your best friend and I can only imagine how much more protective he’ll be now.”

Mason who’d seen the tears welling up in your eyes reached out and with the gentlest of touches wiped a stray one from your cheek, basically confirming what Ben had just said. He pulled you into his side and kissed your temple before focussing back on his best friend.

“Thanks, Ben.”, he smiled. “I promise I’ll take care of her. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“I know, mate.”, Ben nodded. “But I’m also happy for you because after all the shit you’ve been through those last years, you deserve someone who’s by your side unconditionally and who likes you for being you and not for your money or your status or whatever. You deserve someone who has your back all the time, but especially when you’re not there to defend yourself. She’s precious and just like you’d drop everything for her, she’d do the same for you. You both deserve each other, so no, y/n, I’m not mad. I’m incredibly happy.”

You couldn’t believe anything of what had just happened. Your fear that Ben would explode and literally shoot you to the moon didn’t come true. Instead, he was supportive and happy and had basically rooted for you and Mason to get together.

You were lost for words, unsure what you should say other than thank you, but thankfully Ben’s phone ended the situation rather quickly and your brother left you and Mason alone to take that phone call in the kitchen.

“So, we’re together now?”, Mason asked with a cheeky grind once he’d turned you in his arms so he could look you in the eyes.

He watched how an adorable blush painted your cheeks rosy and how you shyly dropped your gaze to his chest, but he was quick in tilting your head back up.

“I erm…I just thought…I don’t know, I just didn’t know what to say and…it’s just happened. Sorry.”, you stammered, unable to explain why you’d stated you were together when really you weren’t or at least hadn’t talked about that yet, but Mason simply laughed.

“So, you’re my girl then? Officially?”

“If that’s what you want?”

“y/n.”, Mason sighed. “I don’t need a talking stage or seven dates to figure out if I want you in that sense because I already know. It’s early days, but at the same time it’s not because we’ve spent so much time together already and I know that I’m in love with you. I’d love to be home to you in the way you’re home to me.”

“You are home to me, Mase.”, you whispered with tears burning behind your eyes. It felt as if you’d finally found your forever, your home, your person. The one man you wanted to spend your whole life with. “I’m in love with you too.”

With his arms wrapped tightly around your shoulders, Mason dipped down and pressed his lips to yours in a soft, loving kiss.

-

Later that night, with you sleeping soundly in his arms, Mason couldn’t help but feel as if he was about to explode from all the happiness he felt and although he hadn’t actually talked it through with you, he really wanted to world to know he’d managed to land the best girl in the world.

__________

I genuinely hope you enjoyed reading this. You would make my day if you left a little feedback so I can see what you liked and what I can improve on 🩷

[septemberpale]

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Rafe Cameron. A Series, Part One.

An ambitious advice columnist tries pushing the boundaries of her craft with a career defining experiment, leading her to cross paths with an equally cunning advertising executive. The lines between professional challenge and personal desire blur in a high stakes game of cat and mouse, where their unexpected chemistry threatens to derail everything they've meticulously planned . . .

STATUS, ONGOING !

NAV. Part One. Part Two. Part Three.

One, The Pitch.

Heels click-clacking against the pavement, you weave through the congested streets filled with other people making their morning commutes. Your favorite handbag slung over your left shoulder and a rough draft of an article on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict tucked beneath your right arm.

You were absolutely exhausted from working all night on the article, hoping it will be good enough for the upcoming issue of Composure, the weekly magazine you write for.

As you step into the bustling office, you can’t help but relax just a tad at the familiarity of it all. The scent of fresh coffee, the sound of ringing phones and clattering keyboards creating a familiar yet welcome chaos.

JJ’s shadow falls across your desk, that insufferable grin of his spreading before he even speaks.

“Rough night?” He hands you a steaming cup of coffee⎯ one cream, one sugar⎯ just how you like it, a peace offering disguised as mockery.

You don’t look up, fingers frantically typing as you refine the ramblings of yesterday’s writing session. “Define ‘rough’.”

“Bloodshot eyes, takeout coffee cups scattered about, and an article that looks like it’s been through a war zone?” He leans against your cubicle, deliberately invading your personal space.

You let out a sharp exhale that borders on laughter. “Cute. Are you here to critique my work or waste my time?”

“Oh, I’m definitely here to waste your time,” JJ drawls, reaching for the draft you made last night.

You snatch the paper back reflexively. “Touch my work again, and I’ll use your sports column as a coaster.”

A smirk plays across his lips. “Let me guess⎯another heavy-hitting piece on international conflict?”

You roll your eyes. “Not everyone writes about grown men in short shorts chasing balls around a field.”

“Touché,” He drums his fingers against your desk in a rhythm designed to irritate you.

“Mind if I take a look?” JJ asks, his tone a blend of challenge and genuine interest.

You come to a halt, fingers frozen mid-keystroke. “Absolutely not.”

“Come on,” he whines, that familiar challenge threading through his voice, “I might actually have some useful feedback.”

You hesitate, weighing his offer. JJ, despite his annoying qualities, was undeniably good at his job. And you are bone-tired.

“Fine,” you concede, sliding your laptop over to him. “But any funny business, and you’re dead, Maybank.”

JJ lifts his hands in mock surrender.

After a moment of concentrated reading, he looks up. “It's brilliant stuff. Really moving.” His tone is unexpectedly serious. “But it’ll never make it into Composure.”

Reality comes crashing down. You sigh, the sound laced with frustration. “God, I busted my ass in grad school just to be reduced to churning out vapid clickbait. I want to write about things that matter⎯like the environment and foreign affairs; I want to make a difference.”

JJ’s expression softens. “Keep busting your ass, angel. You're gonna get there.”

“I know,” you reply. “It’s just. . . frustrating.”

“Has Pope come in yet?” you ask, trying to change the subject.

“Don’t mention other men in my presence,” JJ chides, retreating to his cubicle across from yours. “And no, he hasn’t. Probably moping around his apartment waiting for his date to call him back.”

You grab your bag and make a beeline for the door. “Where are you going?” JJ calls.

“To drag Pope’s sorry ass back to work.” You throw your bag over your shoulder. “Can’t have him losing his job before our staff meeting in thirty minutes.”

“I’ll cover for you guys as long as I can.” JJ offers.

“You're the best, J!” You flash him a grateful smile as you push open the doors.

“I knew you loved me,” he yells out.

You flip him the bird as you disappear into the bustling street.

At Pope’s apartment, you knock on the door. “Morning, sunshine. Time to get up.”

You make your way inside, taking in the mess of clothes and empty ice cream tubs strewn about. Tears threaten to spill from Pope’s eyes.

“I think I’m just gonna go back to bed,” he replies.

“No! Get up! I’m not gonna let you lose your job on top of everything else. Our meeting is in less than half an hour.”

He sniffles, wiping his salty tears with the back of his hand.

“Pope, seriously? You guys dated for a week.” Your tone entangled with compassion and frustration.

“It was the best week of my life,” he responds, eyes distant as they glaze over.

You grab a pillow from his bed and smack him upside the head with it. “Snap out of it.” you say firmly. “She’s not worth it man. I love you, but this has gone on way too long. You can’t live like this.” You toss a pair of slacks and a polo at him. “We’ve got a meeting in twenty.”

You catch a cab back to work, hoping not to miss the meeting. JJ greets you two with coffees⎯one for each of you.

“I don’t really wanna talk about it” Pope mutters, his resolve crumbling.

You and JJ give each other a knowing look; the dam is about to break.

“Why does this always happen to me?”

Bingo.

“Maybe because you fall harder than a skydiver without a parachute?” JJ chastises, trying to lighten the mood as the three of you hurry down the hallway.

Pope shoots him a glare. “Not helping, man.”

“Look,” you interject, “relationships are complicated. It's not your fault things didn’t work out.”

Pope sighs, running his fingers through his coarse curls. “Easy for you to say. You could set fire to someone’s car and they’d thank you for the warmth.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You arch an eyebrow.

“It means you’ve got this… I don't know. . . charm. People can't help but gravitate towards you. Me? I’m like human repellent.”

JJ snorts. “More like a walking romantic disaster. Remember that one girl who stalked you because her psychic told her you were soulmates?”

“Oh, god. Pope groans; a reluctant smile toys at his lips, cracking through his misery. “Don't remind me.”

As you approach the conference room, the office buzz grows louder. Pope takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders.

“Ready to face the firing squad?” JJ quips as he reaches for the door handle.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Pope retorts; his earlier melancholy gives way to determination. “After you.”

“Coward,” JJ banters, grinning.

“Strategic retreater,” Pope corrects lightly.

You shake your head. “Are you two done?”

You slip past your colleagues into the room; the sharp sound of your boss clearing his throat, slices through the ambience like a hot knife through butter⎯signaling the start of the meeting.

“Alright! Who’s going to go first?" he asks.

John B immediately launches into a rehearsed speech about his contribution for this week. “I’ve started writing about the Royal Merchant.” Everyone turns to look at him. “It’s a legendary shipwreck that sank in the 17th century; there’s been a lot of buzz about it online recently so it might make for a good story.”

He hands your boss his draft: “Excellent! Get to it then.”

“Yes, sir.” John B quickly grabs his belongings and rushes out of the room.

Piercing eyes scan the room as your boss settles on you despite all the willing you’ve done in the back of your head.

“What’s next for the advice column?” He leans forward.

You lick your lips in hesitation, staring at the draft sitting on your lap. “Well. . . I’ve been working on something that’s . . . kinda different.”

Displeasure paints his face at your words but he allows you to continue.

“It’s a political piece⎯”

“No!” He immediately cuts you off. “You were hired to write an advice column; I’ve got plenty of guys who can write politics! Leave the real work to the big boys!”

“But if you’d just listen⎯”

“Look!” He cuts you off again. “I’m the editor of this paper! Whatever I say goes! Stick to what you’re good at: makeup, social trends, and fashion. We’ve got the rest! Understood?”

“Yeah.” You deflate and look back down at your draft.

“Glad we’re on the same page.” He snaps; eyes locking onto Pope’s face. “Heyward! What have you got for me?”

“Sorry. . . I wasn’t feeling very well this week⎯”

“He got dumped.” JJ corrects; your boss’s face quickly switches from displeasure to feigned concern.

“Oh man! Pope!” He leans forward taking hold of Pope’s hand, sympathy dripping with every word he speaks. “What a hellish ordeal for you.”

Pope begins to sniffle for added effect. “Yeah. . . so I haven’t really had much time to write.”

Your boss perks up:  “So write about the split.”

“What? I can’t use my personal life for a story!” Pope gasps in indignation.

Your boss smiles apologetically. “I understand completely.” He turns to face the rest of the room. “Who will use Pope’s personal life for a story?”

Multiple hands shoot up much to Pope’s dismay. . . “Sir! With all do respect none of them have any business mucking around in my private life! I refuse ⎯”

“I’ll do it,” You suddenly exclaim; all eyes turn toward you.

“What?” Pope looks at you mortified.

“I.. I’ll sort of do it.” You correct yourself quickly. “You will be my inspiration.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Your boss’s eyes narrow in on you once again for what feels like the thousandth time today.

“Yeah,” You swallow hard, hands waving in Pope’s vicinity. “Look at Pope! He’s a great guy right? An amazing guy even! But. . . he has a problem hanging onto relationships and doesn’t really know what he’s doing wrong⎯like many of our readers for the advice column.”

An idea comes rushing to you as you try to prevent Pope's personal life from becoming front cover news in the next edition. “So. . . I was thinking that I could start dating a guy and drive him away. But, only using the classic  mistakes that most people like Pope make all the time. I’ll keep a journal of it; it’ll be sort of like a ‘How To’ but in reverse!”

Your boss blinks at you for another moment before flashing you a toothy smile. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days! Yes! Go!” He exclaims, shooing you out of the room excitedly.

“Thank you,” Pope mouths silently as you leave.

When the meeting concludes, you’re waiting outside for JJ and Pope, trying to process the mess you’ve just gotten yourself into. You three hurriedly walk away from the conference room, footsteps echoing against the sterile office floor, a feeble attempt to escape your boss who manages to make conversation with your colleagues as you head to the break room for more coffee. Midstride, you’re halted by a women⎯ blonde hair and olive green dress cutting a sharp silhouette at the entrance of Composure.

“Oh here comes my 10 o’clock!” Your boss smiles brightly.

“It’s good to see you!” The woman greets, pressing a kiss to your boss's cheek.

“Gentlemen and lady meet Sarah Cameron from Kook Advertising⎯we’re gonna cook up some tie-ins for the fall!” He adds in greeting, introducing each of you.

When he stops beside you Sarah’s face lights up with recognition. “I’ve seen your column! What are you working on now?

You clear your throat ready to answer her question but are cut off by your boss. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days! She’s going to start dating a guy and then drive him away. Isn’t it brilliant?” He stiffles laughter.

Sarah’s eyes glint mischievously in your direction. “Sounds needlessly vicious! Who’s the lucky guy?”

“I haven't found him yet,” You answer, hands sweeping through your hair, an attempt at calming your nerves.

“Well off ya go!” Your boss shoes impatiently. “That column isn't going to write itself!”

“Nice meeting you.” You wave goodbye to Sarah before continuing toward the break room, with JJ and Pope in tow.

“So all we need to do is find the guy. . .” Pope adds trying to still your nerves.

“Easier said than done.”

NOTES. on a scale from 1-10 how obvious is it that i've never seen obx before? i just love drew and all his other work and wanted to write a fic for one of his characters, we'll see where this goes . . .

[respectthepetty]

10 Anticipated BLs for 2024

Since I'm excited for ALL the GLs (Pluto, 23.5, Sunshine in the Wind, Chaser Game, Be Mine, y todo!), I'm making my list of the 10 BLs I'm excited for this year with brief reasons why I'm looking forward to them. In my normal fashion, I cheat my way into having more. All except one is Thai because Thailand loves to tease series three years in advance, then never make them, but I strongly believe these are coming:

The Next Prince

Zee continues to never play a poor person, and a trailer is supposed to drop in the first quarter of this year. I never knew there was so many fencers on BL Tumblr, so I'm looking forward to everyone's commentary on how well the characters poke with their sticks or whatever fencers do.

Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart

It's a heist BL. It has YinWar. It has Prom x Mark. It has Bonz. It's Dee Hup House (we got beef). It's Director Tee and probably Cinematographer Jim. It might have color coding. There is not one thing I can find wrong with this series. It's perfect on paper, and I'm praying that translates well to the screen.

Spare Me Your Mercy

Like that lady in Titanic, I've been waiting 80 years for this series (give me a minute to cry about MaxTul), and it's finally near! I'm getting JJ & Tor in a Dr. Sammon piece, who I feel writes "Be Gay, Do Crime" very well, so I'll be forgiving any of these two gays' wrongs including murder, attempted murder, contemplating murder, and murdering each other in the bedroom (ahhhh!).

Wandee Goodday

Golf from The Eclipse is directing. It's about Muay Thai. It has an older doctor and a younger boxer who start off as bed friends (and I think one is actually a virgin). It has color coding. It has me already seated and waiting with popcorn, and I think it might be the first offering that will be delivered from GMMTV's 2024 lineup.

Sequels: Choco Milk Shake 2, Unintentional Love Story 2, My Doctor

Is Choco Milk Shake 2 gonna finally give me poly? Probably not, but I hope My Doctor brings the same heat the side couple did in Be Mine, Superstar, and the side couple getting the spotlight in Unintentional Love Story 2 will also make my side-couple-supremacy heart very happy this year.

Live in Love

It looks color coded. That's it. That's the reason. Keeping my expectations low because it might not get made since this is Thailand's favorite game.

Red Peafowl

The character reveals were absolute chaos, so I'm hoping that chaos transfers over to the actual series because it can either be a mess or a masterpiece, but it cannot be mediocre with Max, Cooheart, Boun, Mek, and Yacht as supports. Plus, it has color coding and a bird that is quickly becoming a Tumblr god.

Love Upon a Time

Even though it is a historical queer series, which means it could be sad, I think Domundi will keep the sass, so James' character won't be crying in the 1600s club but instead eating fruit seductively to encourage Net's character to put his homosexual skills into practice instead of simply theorizing about them, which is something I need more of. Plus, it has color coding.

Love Puzzle

This is one that might not get made because . . . Thailand. It's connected to Chains of Heart, but I don't care because the cast looks good and Poppy is gonna finally get to kiss a homie. If this doesn't get made, I will cry thug tears. It's 2024. Poppy deserves to kiss a man already.

My Stand-In

I don't understand the plot, but it doesn't matter because Pepzi and Khom are directing, and in case that means nothing, those were KinnPorsche's directors! Then, it has Up and Poom as the leads, plus a stacked supporting cast. I'm here. I'm queer. And I'm ready to be served.

Honorable Mention: Peaceful Property

It's about los espookys and features Tay and New. Will it be a QL? The streets are saying no, but all the characters are color coded, and all's I'm saying is what would be the point of color coding them if I ain't getting a BL main couple and a GL side couple? It's already canon to me.

Bonus: MosBank & JoongDunk

MosBank had like eighty projects announced for 2023, and I got NONE! Big Dragon 2, Big Dragon: The Movie, SunsetxVibes, where you at?! Y Journey: Stay Like a Local and Club Friday do not count. I don't want to watch their horror movie, but gosh darnit, if that comes out before everything else, I just might.

And I am a JoongDunk fan first, and a human second. Give my boys a gym BL already, GMMTV!

[swiftiethatlovesf1]

Unspoken Melody p.8

Hi guys, here's a new part of the story, if you've missed part 7 here it is :) If you want to read more of my stories, here's my masterlist.

In this part, I'll be using lyrics from Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift

Two drivers, one unforgettable concert, and a chance encounter with a pop sensation that leaves Oscar questioning everything he thought about music—and maybe even himself.

The next morning, you woke up to the soft light streaming through the curtains, your body sinking into the plush hotel bed. For a moment, you just lay there, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. Everything felt surreal—Mark’s betrayal, the whirlwind of emotions, and how quickly your life had flipped upside down. It was hard to believe that only days ago, everything had seemed so normal.

Your phone buzzed on the nightstand, pulling you from your thoughts. But before you could grab it, there was a gentle knock on the door. You frowned, climbing out of bed to answer it.

Outside stood a hotel staff member holding a tray with a beautifully arranged breakfast—pancakes, fresh fruit, and a pot of coffee. Confused, you accepted it, thanking them before closing the door.

As you set the tray on the small table by the window, you noticed a folded note tucked beside the coffee cup. Opening it, you immediately recognized Oscar’s handwriting.

"Good morning, I had to leave early to get ready for the race, but I wanted to make sure you had something nice to start your day. I hope this helps, even if just a little. And don’t feel pressured to come to the race—I completely understand if you need time to yourself. Take care, Oscar."

A soft smile spread across your face as you read the note. His thoughtfulness warmed your heart, easing some of the lingering ache from the previous day.

You ate the breakfast slowly, savoring the moment of peace and the small comfort Oscar had offered. After finishing, you decided it was time to head home. The idea of retreating to the familiarity of your apartment felt like the right choice.

Packing didn’t take long, and soon you were on a plane back to your city. The flight was uneventful, but your mind kept drifting to the events of the weekend—the unexpected kindness from Oscar, the laughter you shared, and the way he’d been there when you needed someone most.

As the plane landed, your phone buzzed again. This time, it was a notification from the race. You opened it to see a photo of the McLaren team celebrating on the podium. Lando had finished second, with Oscar taking third.

A rush of happiness and pride filled you, momentarily overshadowing the sadness. You quickly typed out messages to both of them.

To Lando: "Congrats on the P2, Lando! Amazing race today—you absolutely smashed it!"

To Oscar: "Oscar, P3!! I’m so proud of you. Congratulations, you deserve it so much!"

It didn’t take long for them to reply.

From Lando: "Thanks, Y/N! We missed you today, but whenever you want to come to another race, let us know. Would love to have you back!"

From Oscar: "Thank you, Y/N. It means a lot. Lando’s right—you’re welcome anytime. Hope you’re doing okay."

Their messages brought a smile to your face. Even though you hadn’t been at the race, their support and warmth made you feel included.

As you arrived back at your apartment, you set your bags down and sighed, exhaustion catching up with you. But amidst all the chaos and heartbreak, there was a glimmer of something new—a feeling that, despite the changes, you’d be okay. And maybe, just maybe, you weren’t as alone as you thought.

Back in the quiet of your apartment, the stillness felt heavy but oddly comforting. You moved to your small music room, a sanctuary where you had poured your soul into countless songs. The familiar hum of your guitar and the faint smell of worn leather from the seat gave you a sense of grounding.

Sitting down, you stared at the blank notebook in front of you. A flurry of emotions swirled within—heartbreak, gratitude, betrayal, and the faintest trace of hope. The weight of it all felt suffocating, but you knew one way to let it out: music.

You picked up your guitar, the strings cool under your fingers, and strummed a few chords. The melody came first, raw and aching, reflecting the turmoil in your chest. Words followed, spilling out onto the page as if they had been waiting for this moment.

"You betrayed me And I know that you'll never feel sorry For the way I hurt, yeah You'd talk to her When we were together Loved you at your worst But that didn't matter."

The first song flowed effortlessly, a raw, aching reflection of the heartbreak still fresh in your chest. But as soon as it was done, another began to take shape—one fueled by frustration, betrayal, and the desperate need to let go of the past.

This wasn’t soft or bittersweet. This was fire.

You tightened your grip on the guitar and strummed harder, the melody sharper, the beat more aggressive. The words poured out like venom, a cathartic release of everything you hadn’t said.

"And in plain sight you hid But you are what you did And I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive The smallest man who ever lived"

Hours passed, the sun dipping below the horizon, casting warm orange hues across the room. By the time you set your guitar down, your notebook was filled with new lyrics, raw and unfiltered. It felt like you had opened a vein and let everything pour out, leaving you exhausted but lighter.

You leaned back in your chair, staring at the pages. These songs felt different from anything you’d written before. They were deeper, more personal. They weren’t just tracks for an album—they were pieces of you.

Reaching for your phone, you dialed your manager’s number. She picked up almost immediately.

"Y/N, hey! How are you holding up?" her voice was cautious but warm.

"I’m… okay, I think, I will be okay," you said, surprising yourself with how true it felt. "Listen, I’ve been working on some songs, and I think there’s something here. Something big."

Her tone shifted instantly to excitement. "Wait, are you saying what I think you’re saying?"

"Yeah," you said, a small smile creeping onto your face. "I think a new album is coming."

You could hear her excitement bursting through the phone. "That’s amazing! I knew you’d find a way to channel everything into your music. When can I hear it?"

"Soon," you promised. "But I need some time to finish writing and figure out the direction. It’s still… fresh."

"Of course, take all the time you need," she said. "But Y/N, I’m so proud of you. I know this hasn’t been easy, but this—this is going to be incredible. I can feel it."

After hanging up, you sat in the dim room for a moment, letting her words settle. The album was still in its infancy, but it felt right, like this was exactly what you were meant to be doing.

Standing, you stretched and glanced at your notebook, the scribbled lyrics and chord progressions waiting for you to bring them to life. This wasn’t just music—it was healing. And while the road ahead still felt uncertain, you knew one thing for sure: you were ready to turn the page and start this new chapter.

Part 9

[wannaeatramyeon]

you absolutely killed my last ask (unlike gun with those poor people)!! to make up for the toxicity, i feel like sammy should be allowed to relax/be spoiled by his partner. not his regular 'the most expensive brands i can find', but sleep in, breakfast in bed, back rub, and diy face masks vibe. i don't think he's ever experienced it, and would love to see his confusion🌺

I am but a weak little person, especially after reading @lookismfanfics soft Samuel here. Sorry for the delay and thank you for this ask my sweet flower anon! There is pretty much ZERO toxicity here, and just a whole lotta love!

Samuel Seo x Reader: Spoiling Sammy

3 very fluffy, very indulgent scenes: back rub, bath, birthday

Samuel is surprisingly easy to fluster.

He's not used to tender touches or calm caresses. At least without giving anything in return.

The first time you lay your hands on his shoulders, giving him a massage and rebuffing his advances, he eyes you with suspicion. All the suspicion. Why are you touching him if you didn't expect any pleasure for yourself?

"Just relax," you instruct. And he tries. He really tries.

Little by little, tension leaves Samuel's body. This is... nice. Shoulders no longer stiff with stress, and a weight lifted. Before long, he is groaning as you continue to work out the knots and rub his back.

The noises slipping from his lips is what snaps him out of his daze. Why the hell is he moaning and feeling vulnerable from this simple gesture.

Hiding his blush, Samuel bats your hand away with some excuse of needing to make a call.

.

.

Workers is full of idiots and bullshitters, and no-one can ever convince Samuel otherwise.

He slams the front door, wishing that it was Eugene's head trapped there. Samuel could do his job a thousand times better, a million. How dare he-

"Sammy?" you poke your head out of the bathroom at his angry mutterings - another standard day in the office then, "Come here!"

Fuck, what a shit day.

He drops his jacket carelessly on the floor, and yanks his tie off as he makes his way towards you. Samuel just needs to decompress tonight, he doesn't have it in him to do anything else. Some peace and quiet. A bath, and a glass of-

"Whiskey?" you offer, handing him his favourite readily poured into a crystal tumbler.

Candles are lit, soft music drifts out, steam fills the air. The bathtub is full. And are those rose petals floating in the water?

"Is... is this for me?" he asks, and you nod enthusiastically.

You really didn't need to do this. You really shouldn't have done this. Now Samuel finds a lump in his throat and a tightness in his chest.

He thinks you might be his favourite person.

.

.

Samuel awakens to the faint whiff of burning, and commotion coming from somewhere in his penthouse.

The initial annoyance, as he plods barefoot into the kitchen, is soon replaced with bafflement at the utter chaos you have created. It's not even 10am on a Saturday. At what unholy hours did you have to get up to cause all this?!

On the counter sits the ugliest cake he has ever seen.

Lopsided and tilting. Uneven frosting. A frankly obscene amount of sprinkles. Some scribbles that could read 'Sammy' if he removes his glasses and squints.

He suspects it might even be poisoned.

The rest of the kitchen fares no better. It looks like a bomb had gone off.

You stand there, undeterred, like the cat who got the cream. Flour in your hair, a smile on your face.

"Happy birthday, Sammy!"

Oh.

He doesn't recall the last time he celebrated his birthday, nevermind ever having received a homemade cake.

Damn you and damn the way you have bulldozed your way into his heart.

Samuel finds himself completely head over heels.

[stari-hun]

Medicine Pocket and Mesmer Jr Siblongcy

Here’s why everyone should adopt Medicine Pocket and Mesmer Jr chosen siblinghood.

Certified @anonymocha cult memberrrrrr, go check out their post on Mesmer and MedPocket HEREEEEE

The short? Lives life like a wounded dog and HALLO NEW DOG AT THE DOGGY DAYCARE? FUCK YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The long is that Mesmer Jr is a deeply unwell character who’ll live with the consequences of Constantine conditioning her for the rest of her life. Constantine conditioned Mesmer to be near completely dependent on her despite the fact that she’s the source of majority of the trauma she goes through. From her graduating class dying, putting her in the rehab center so young, letting her near there at an even YOUNGER stage, basically training her to make her arcanum solely focus on something that’s actively hurting her. Even if Mesmer was taken away from Constantine, she would go back to her because in a world she was purposefully not taught to cope in, Constantine is a comfort. Even if she’s the cause, Constantine makes everything in order again for her. Trauma responses don’t have to be rational and Mesmer shows that. At the end of the day, Mesmer is closer to a wounded dog than a person.

LUCKY FOR HER HER CLASSMATE LOVES DOGS

Mesmer Jr who's used to being able to blend into the background next to Vertin and the others.

Medicine Pocket who goes up to Vertin’s group to ask if they wanna go run around in the grass. Medpocket and Vertin who run around for a while and then Sonetto joins them, then Matilda before noticing someone's still on the benches near the buildings. So they go up to Mesmer like “:D Why aren’t you coming with us, are you injured or something??” (We both know medicine pocket’s rude ass was absolutely a no filter child) and Mesmer Jr who already has anxiety up until that point esp around strangers, avoids talking to MedPocket.

Mesmer Jr who gets confused why this person is randomly talking to her, and even more so why they're so rude.

Medicine Pocket who refuses to give up on making everyone in the friend group accept them “I gotta be apart of the pack!”

Mesmer Jr who tried to avoid getting caught in the whirlwind of energy Medpocket stirs up in the group.

Medicine Pocket who notices assigns an animal (fursona) to everyone in the group and realizes Mesmer is the most like a dog in the group [Vertin is a cat (friendly but never truly tamable) , Sonetto is a Fox (sorry Pupnetto), and Matilda is a bird]

Mesmer Jr who just as on guard as MedPocket is observant and always looks over the group to check everyone is still there.

Medicine Pocket who approaches Mesmer like a scared dog: always alerting when they’re coming close, offering snacks, making sure to sit in their group during lunch time.

Mesmer Jr who's wary but still a kid like all of the others and accepts their snacks. Barely registering as MedPocket started taking the seats farthest from them in the group while still talking to her.

Medicine Pocket who tries sitting next to Mesmer while the others play outside again before noticing she seems too uncomfortable that close to a stranger

Mesmer Jr who's still jumpy around strangers but is slowly warming up to this weird kid.

Medicine Pocket who then tests how close they can get without her feeling threatened by a stranger (it’s Medpoc sitting on the ground on the other side of the bench)

Mesmer Jr who doesn't notice the way Medpocket is getting closer each day but feels something is off.

Medicine Pocket who spends weeks getting closer each day talking to her as she listens until she doesn’t even notice them getting closer each day (it’s literally only 20cm closer)

Mesmer Jr who's already integrated Medicine Pocket into her schedule without realizing their chaos brings her a weird sense of peace.

WRAHHHHHHHHHHH WEIRDO SIBLING DUOOOOO

Unwell genius duo, the MeMe siblings. Mesmer Jr unironically gained coping with her anxiety despite Constantine exasperating it via Therapy Dog. (Years later, after Vereinsamt, Vertin comments about how she got a therapy dog and Mesmer bites back about Pupnetto.) Mesmer Jr has uncurable anxiety which she herself knows is too bad to be around others that stress her out, but if she grew up with MEDPOCKET?? I just know she'd be much more comfortable in the world cause she has another rock besides Constantine. On top of it, if that person was MEDPoCKET? Resident biter, literally ate their rulebook, their office sign has bitemarks, and they threatened to bite Laplace's DIRECTOR. Medicine Pocket is the perfect chaos to calm Mesmer down. Medicine Pocket IS an irrational arcanist but they make sense and they're very caring and considerate to their friends which is why they're so close in the main storyline. Mesmer isn't the slightest bit uncomfortable around them so if they GREW UP TOGETHER? Mocha by god I think you cracked the code cause this feral therapy dog is about to save Mesmer Racism Jr from so many bad habits and hurt later on. They'd really be each other's comfort and chaos and I love that for them.

Constantine : It's time for your internship with the rehab center, Mesmer Jr. Medicine Pocket, stanced up after sensing she's having a panic attack at the idea of going : 👁️👁️

[bow-of-aros]

Day Seventeen: Raspberries

Summary: Steph keeps her promise to Peter to help him get Ruth and Richie back after yesterday.

-

I didn't write the first one with the explicit intention to write a part two but it is HERE and it is LONGER THAN PART ONE!!!!! I'm in love with them they're all so silly. Chaotic found family my absolute beloved I hope y'all enjoy <33

-

Steph swung the door open not even five seconds after Peter had done his signature knock knockknock, hair slightly disheveled as though she had been panic cleaning for the past fifteen minutes.

“Hey guys!” She holds the door open to wave Peter, Ruth, and Richie inside, “Come on in! Sorry about the mess, I put off tidying up until like twenty minutes ago like a dumbass.”

Called it.

Ruth and Richie went in first. Steph offers Richie a fistbump and a promise to practice their secret handshake later, then wraps Ruth up in a big hug that leaves her beaming.

Peter marvelled at how easily Steph had seemed to fit into their little group. She’d adapted to Richie’s anime obsession and Ruth’s need to constantly be in contact with someone with the sort of dedication that Peter brought to his study sessions.

It was something out of a dream to see how well they all got along.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Steph wrapping an arm around his waist and kissing him on the cheek.

“Hey, babe.” A soft smile pulled at her lips as she looked up at him and he felt himself grinning in response.

“Hey, Steph.”

It was all still a little surreal. Peter was dating the mayor’s daughter. And she was awesome!

And they were in love with each other, as in she loved him back!

A squeeze to his side had him yelping and curling around her hand before looking up at Steph with questioning eyes.

“Where’d you go, Pete? You were off in la la land for a minute there.” She waggled her eyebrows at him, “Thinking about anything particularly exciting?”

He’s always thought that honesty is the best policy.

“I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you and how it feels like you were the missing piece of our group, and now everything feels a little more whole.”

Silence rang for a moment as a pleased flush crept up Steph’s face.

“GAAAYYYYYYY!”

Yeah, he really was pushing his luck with that one.

“Shut the fuck up, Ruth!” Richie’s voice sounded from the living room which was presumably where they both were, eavesdropping, “Let them be gay in peace!”

Peter and Steph rolled their eyes at each other at their friends’ antics, laughing as muffled bickering inevitably started making its way towards them.

“Let’s go join them before they actually kill each other.”

They started making their way to the living room before Steph grabbed his arm and said, “And, for the record, there are days when I cannot believe how lucky I am. Yeah, for meeting Richie and Ruth and the chaos that comes with them, but mostly for meeting you, Pete.”

She laughs, running a hand through her hair, “Shit, I don’t even want to think about depressing my life would be if I hadn’t asked you to help me cheat on that biology test.”

And with that, plus a quick kiss to his jaw, she skipped away, leaving Peter slack-jawed and red-faced, trying desperately not to melt into a puddle on the spot.

“Come on Peter! We’re ordering pizza and then we’re gonna play Mario Party!”

Ruth’s voice spurred his brain back into semi-working order and he nearly tripped over his own feet in his scramble to the couch.

He made sure to throw himself on top of both Richie and Ruth, jabbing them with bony elbows and knees as he clambered in between Steph and Richie. Steph is in the middle of ordering the pizza, so Peter just leans back against Richie and reaches a hand across his lap to rest it on Ruth’s arm, smothering a laugh at her little bounce of excitement.

“And done!” Steph turns to them, “The pizza should be here in about thirty minutes, so we got some time to kill.”

“Should we set up Mario Party?” Ruth leaned out from beside Richie with hopeful eyes, careful not to dislodge Peter’s hand on her arm.

“Actually,” Peter could feel Richie tense beside him, knowing where this was going but refusing to move so that he wouldn’t upset Ruth, “I think I remember promising Peter something yesterday. So, Ruth?”

Ruth perked up, a nervous smile already spreading across her face, “Uh, yeah?”

Steph’s grin turned wicked, “I think that you should start running.”

They’d both taken off before she’d even finished her sentence, leaving Peter to wrestle Richie down on his stomach.

“Peter! Pete! You don’t have to do this, man!”

Richie’s plea was punctuated by a shriek from somewhere in the house followed by peals of frantic laughter.

Peter cracked his knuckles before reaching down to rub them into the back of Richie’s ribs.

“What? This?” He had to raise his voice to be heard above Richie’s squeals, “This is revenge, Richie! He who shows no mercy will receive none in return!”

And, yeah, maybe he was being a little dramatic, but after the shit that Richie had pulled yesterday, Peter was having a pretty hard time feeling bad about it.

“How’s it going in here Pete?” Steph walked back into the living room pulling a stumbling, giggling Ruth alongside her. “Having fun?”

“Oh yeah, totally!” He replied, giving rapid-fire squeezes to Richie’s sides to hear the hysteric little squeaks he let out. “How about you?”

Steph pulled Ruth down beside her on the loveseat next to the couch, casually clawing her nails into Ruth’s stomach and speaking over the resulting shriek.

“I’m having a good time. I figured you’d want to help out with some of the revenge since it’s your revenge. So, what do you say, Pete, where do I go from here?”

She gestured at Ruth who looked up pleadingly at Peter.

“Nohohoho! Don’t say anythihihihing! I’ll stop complaining about you winning at Super Smash Bros!”

Peter hummed thoughtfully, drumming his fingers on Richie’s back to give him a bit of a breather while still keeping him on edge. Steph seemed entertained by his dramatics, and when has that been anything but encouraging?

He made direct eye contact with Ruth but directed his next words to Steph, “If you trace her wrists and her forearms really lightly, she’ll start screaming.”

Ruth started babbling half-hearted pleas for mercy that everybody could tell she didn’t mean, and Peter added, “Brace yourself because it will be loud. You have been warned.”

Steph’s nails touched down and Peter was immediately proven right as Ruth’s shriek seemed to rattle the glass around them. Steph’s delighted laugh was nearly drowned out, but her, “Huh. This is definitely a new one. Never hurts to have a kill-switch though,” certainly wasn’t.

Richie’s sudden attempt to buck his way out of Peter’s hold nearly succeeded due to his being distracted by Steph’s apparently evil tendencies and Ruth’s whining cackles as she desperately tried to pull her arm away.

“Oh no you don’t!” He used Richie’s momentum to flip him over to his back, making sure to immediately shove Richie’s hands under his knees and press down on them to prevent any attempts at turning the tables.

“Hey, Steph!” Peter called over, “Richie and I have basically known each other our entire lives since my brother and his uncle work together, do you wanna see his kill-switch?”

At those words, Steph’s eyes lit up at the same moment that Richie’s went wide and he started kicking out, hitting nothing but the arm of the couch.

“Hell yeah I do—”

“No! Nonononono Pete, you can’t do this to me! We’re best friends you can’t kill me!”

Richie stared up at him with his best puppy dog eyes, something that he would normally give in to if he didn’t have a girlfriend to impress.

Peter just pouted back at him, “Aw but Richie, I can’t disappoint Steph!”

And without giving him the chance to respond, Peter pushed his shirt up to his ribs, leaned down, and planted a raspberry right on his stomach.

Steph and Ruth actually clapped their hands around their ears at the scream that he let out but Peter, who’s dealt with his fair share of Richie’s bloodcurdling screeches, just took in another deep breath and leaned back down.

The second scream wasn’t as deafening as the first, and Peter could tell that Richie was getting tired, so he figured that he’d let him off the hook.

“So. Are you sorry about yesterday?”

When Richie took too long to answer, Peter started leaning back down again, and he basically tripped over his own tongue trying to get the words out.

“YES! I’m sohohohohorry! Petey plehehehease I’m dyhihihing!”

“Annnnndddd will you do my functions homework for the next week?”

“Peter!” Steph chided, “Cheating is wrong.”

They all froze for a moment before cracking up and Peter rolled off of Richie and held out a hand to help him up.

Instead of using it to pull himself up, Richie pulled Peter down on top of him. Instead of a counter-attack like he’d been expecting, Richie just wrapped his arms around Peter and yawned very loudly.

Right in his face.

“Dude, gross! I don’t need your nasty-ass breath in my face.” But instead of doing anything about it, Peter just relaxed into his hold.

This beautiful moment was broken by a camera flash going off and Steph exclaiming, “Awwwww! My cute boyfriend with his cute boyfriend! Fucking precious.”

The sarcasm had a genuine edge to it, but they both still flipped her matching birds.

“GERONIMO!” Was the only warning they got before Ruth came crashing down on top of them and, despite getting the wind knocked out of them, they shuffled around to make room for her on the increasingly crowded couch.

Ding-dong!

“That’s probably the pizza,” The trio stared at Steph for a moment, “Which I will be getting. There better be room on that couch for me when I get back!”

They lay there in silence for a moment before Ruth sighed, “I love you guys.”

“We love you too, Ruth.”

“And I love Steph. She’s awesome.”

“Yeah,” Peter said, “She is pretty cool, huh?”

The overlapping groans from his friends only stoked the warmth in his chest as he squeezed them closer.

That’s when Steph skipped into view, pizza boxes in hand, “I have pizza!”

As they untangled themselves, Peter looked up at the girlfriend he was in love with, surrounded by the friends who made him feel whole, and knew that he wouldn’t trade this for the world.

[milfhawks]

😊😊😊❤️❤️❤️ heres what i have written so far.

warnings: very NSFW, omegaverse

Male omegas and female alphas are intersex

so omega mihawk was very sick as a child and this caused some unfortunate side effects when he got older, one such being he doesn’t get heats and another being that he is infertile. mihawk is at the time nonchalant about that particular fact, but as life continues he thinks on it more, on carrying a child, growing a life within him, who many consider a harbinger of death. a demon only capable of destruction and chaos. carrying a child with which he can live a peaceful life, a child he can raise and teach. a legacy, wether it be a master swordsman, or a simple farmer, this child would be something tangible he could leave behind.

a child that would never be in a future now impossible. mihawk is devastated.

years go on and rivals are found and friendships and more blossom afterwards.

one day as mihawk is going about his business he idk stops a bandit or something that was terrorizing some civilians and annoying him, hes got a migrane going on so when on of the civilians offers to cure the migrane with their devil fruit powers! it works and mihawk continues his life.

until the week after when he is out sailing amd he starts to feel hot, and bothered.

he figures hes just really horny right now so he quickly and efficiently-almost cold in its roboticness- jerks his dick to get off. it wasn’t till after he finished for the third time, and his neglected pussy drenching the seat under him, that he realized what was going on.

He was in Heat.

He needed to get to the Red Force quickly, before Higitsubune gets so soaked not even sailing through Water 7’s infamous Aqua Lagoona will get it clean.

The watchman in the crowsnest calls down the news of spotting Higitsubune, though it seems to just be drifting which is rather odd.

Shanks orders the appoach with a calm tone, yet he is rather puzzled and worried as usually mihawk actually sneaks up on the red force when he visits so spotting him first is unusual. when the red force pulls up to the smaller ship, mihawk is not in his seat or standing throwing lines to secure, instead he seems to be huddled behind his seat, wedged between it and the mast. shanks, extremely worried now, starts climbing down to the raft with lime juice the ship’s doctor organizing his medical bag in preparation up at the railing.

when shanks touches down on the small boat, he’s hit with the heavy scent of lavender, wine and sex.

he covers his nose with his shirt, he needs to keep a clear head, and cautiously approached mihawk. when he rounds the seat and lays eyes on him, he has to bite down on his hand to keep from getting down on his knees and taking him right there with the whole crew watching.

mihawk is sitting with his legs out before him, his pants are open and he has his dick in his hand and fingers in his pussy.

shanks can see that the wood of the boat directly underneath mihawk is wet.

he calls for a seat to be winched down and calls up to have water and clean cloths delivered to his cabin.

shanks manages to climb back up right after mihawk is lifted over the edge of the railing and as he hustles him to his room he tells lucky roux (perhaps a bit louder than he would normally to cover up the delicious moans coming from the omega plastered to his side) to bring some water and food in an hour or so.

“Alpha~” mihawk moans as shanks pulls him into his cabin. Shanks shuts the door and presses his thigh to mihawks crotch. Mihawk throws his head back and lets out the loudest moan shanks has ever heard him make, loud enough ghat he can be heard through the door.

“Hawkeyes what is going on? Were you hit with a devil fruit? drugged? what’s happening?”

mihawk wraps his arms around shanks’ neck, gripping tight to his shirt. “Healing- devil fruit-“ he grunts out between whines and moans, “Heat~” he whines

YEEEEEEEEEEESSS I LOVE THIS SO MUCH you are absolutely GODLY for delivering this absolute gem to me and i’m eternally grateful 🫶🏻

mihawk suffering emotionally thinking he’ll never have a child makes me want to cry like his tenderness when he thinks about them, how he’d love them no matter the path they take… only for them to not be possible for him to bear. that mental image actually broke my heart.

i’m heart is swelling with happiness bc he’s been healed, he can have a child now, like he wanted… i’m emotional asf don’t mind me

and the image of him pleasuring himself so desperately, trying to handle the heat he’s never experienced before… moaning so loudly, his body not used it… shanks being close to snapping and fucking him then and there is so unbelievably hot too i’m soooo weak for shanks losing his control

i absolutely LOVE this and i’m sorry it took me a while to reply, i just needed to sort my feelings and words and give a reply worth of this. it’s SO SO SO good

thank you so much for sharing this i’m so grateful and excited i got to read it 💗

[borzoilover69]

I know that you've already kinda figured out why dirkjakers like LE jake but I want to offer a more mundane reason and that is the absolute power fantasy that this man offers. I hate epilogues with a passion that could burn universes but ult dirk? My bpd ass was in shambles (that's why I'll someday make an essay on why dirk strider homestuck has bpd and/or npd), having control over people, over narrative itself, and most importantly fucking desimating your ex who called you clingy that one time while simultaneously still being obsessed with him, I've never lived vicariously through a character so much in my life. He is a horrible person but I Get him. "What would you do with this power" he asked the audience, and I solemnly nodded bc I would do the same thing (probably). And I suspect power fantasy LE jake offers is the same for some people bc don't you want to go apeshit? Don't you want to stop (not very successfully) conforming and be weird and off-putting freely? Don't YOU want to desimate YOUR ex? Both ult dirk and ult jake are what audience wants them to be and I think the audience wants them to be powerful, insane and murderous bc we ourselves cannot be like that irl. Their relationship is cathartic, their actions are cathartic, it's like religion if you relate to the god from old testament. Or I'm projecting big time which is also a possibility

Everyone take notes because this anon is speaking cold true facts and this shit is getting carved into the walls. I agree with the Dirk Strider has BPD headcanon, I offer up to you the Jake has BPD too headcanon in return.

I like the idea of Jake going batshit insane. I think a lot of people do, after all if the ancestors were anything to go off of, Jake and Dirk are pretty nuts.

Also fun sort of related fact, really fond of Ultimate Jake, it's because it plays into the mythos of their Demiurges / Denizens and how important that is to their stories. (I'm getting autistic here). Yaldaboath (Dirks Denizen, Destroyer of Peace) is considered a false god, harbinger of chaos, and uses the light he inherits from his mother, Sophia (personification of light and wisdom) to try to rise above others, even if he is blind and is not as aware of the aeons as his mother is.

Jesus destroyed Yaldaboaths kingdom and thus, Yaldaboath had him crucified, made a martyr. But before his martyrdom could set in, Jesus ascended and returned to the world. In Gnosticism, they viewed Yaldaboath as evil, and that Jesus had to overcome him "by destroying the Jewish Temple with an Earthquake lifting the veil or Yaldabaoth’s curtain of illusion, by Jesus’ resurrection and rapture. "

Now, who do we have quite literally representing Jesus Christ himself? Okay, you're going to say Karkat, but do you know who *specifically* represents the place where Christ himself died and was made a martyr and the rapt- OK ITS JAKE ENGLISH OKAY ITS JAKE ENGLISH. And the sufferer BUT THATS NOT IMPORTANT.

There's quite a few parallels with Yaldaboath being one that wanted to be recognised as a god and in his jealous fury condemned a mortal god and Dirk Strider. There's quite a few parallels between Jesus Christ, Karkat, and Jake English, his rapture and ascension. There's an INSANE amount of parallels between Yaldaboath's mother, Sophia, and Rose Lalonde. Even down to Rose going grimdark, which Sophia DOES, after she loses her light, which is something i'll go on about in another ramble. Thematically, if we're following gnosticism, Jesus Christ, aka Jake English, is the one able to recognise and overcome Yaldaboaths illusion, aka Dirk Strider. It just makes SENSE.