#hey! so; thanks for liking the call; first off! and; I don't really have modern verses for my muses in the way of having them

[ghost-proofbaby]

twenty four hours (modern!eddie munson x fem!reader)

HOUR TWENTY FOUR

in which you and eddie win the bet.

→ tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn

→ warnings: strong language, upside down does not exist, minors dni

→ wc: 7k+

→ a/n: oh, holy fuck. holy fucking shit. i have no words, because i know it's not really over yet (we still have an epilogue, friends! don't forget that!) but... i did it. i finished another fic. that's just... insane?

thank you to everyone who has been so very kind and supportive of this fic. i owe you all the world. i'm sure i'll either make a sappy post between now and thursday, or i'll get extra sappy in the a/n on the epilogue, but for now - please know you have all my love. <3

masterlist.

spotify playlist.

◁ previous part, next part▷

24:00 ─────────────── ㅇ 24:00

DINGUS: hey, i facetimed them for last hour’s proof. had to work out when they wanted me to head over and pick her up. 

BIRDIE: both still alive? both still well? 

DINGUS: so it seemed. 

ARGYLE  😎: what a relief! I knew they had it in them

JOHNNY BOY: They still have to last one more hour. 

NANCE: They’ll last the hour. Have a little faith, babe. 

JOHNNY BOY: Still don’t like the fact we’ve just started calling them instead of requesting the photo proof. I mean, how do we not know they’re lying? Did you talk to both of them when YOU called, Nance? 

NANCE: Yes, I told you guys that.

NANCE: Besides, you guys already know that Eddie hates having his picture taken. We’re lucky we ever got picture proof to begin with.

DINGUS: also i JUST facetimed them??? physically saw them?? your lack of trust in me and nance kind of hurts jon

BIRDIE: @NANCE hey can you call ME babe next? 

HOUR TWENTY FOUR – 4:00 PM

“Hey there, love birds. Glad to see you didn’t kill each other.”

Steve. 

You wait for Eddie’s arm to leave you, for him to put space between the two of you, but he doesn’t. He keeps you pressed flush to his side as if the sudden arrival of a friend doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference. 

“Hey, Harrington,” he even casually greets first. 

He’s making no move to get up off the floor. 

Just a little bit longer. Let me sit here and live in this moment a little bit longer.

“Munson,” Steve nods to Eddie before setting his sights on you, “Doll. Nice to see you, kind of glad I’m not having to fish you out of the canals.” 

You feel it — Eddie’s arm tenses behind you ever so slightly at Steve’s nickname. Clearly, it’s still a sore spot for him to work through. 

“I was feeling generous,” Eddie shrugs as if he hadn’t just revealed a flash of jealousy to you. You’re not even sure if he knows that you felt it. But it was there, in the slightest tightening of his grip and the flexing of his bicep behind your shoulder.

“Generous? I think you were feeling friendly,” Steve waves his hand between the two of you, as if he thought he was pointing out the obvious. 

If he thought this was close, he’d faint at the imagery of you on the kitchen counter, Eddie’s face between your legs as he begged for you to let him touch you. 

Just as you had noticed Eddie’s jealousy, he notices the way you suddenly heat up, shifting in your seat ever so slightly. That pull on the corner of his lips tells you all you need to know. You kind of hate how easily the two of you can finally read each other. You kind of love the way he’s looking at you as if he’s thinking the exact same thing. 

“Do I get my free punch now?” you finally speak up, tone flat as you muster a glare in Steve’s direction. You’re forgoing all polite and pretend oblivion. 

Every single one of you here knows what happened. The bare bones of it, at least.

Eddie looks at you curiously, “Excuse me?” 

Steve only grins, holding out his arms as if welcoming you, “Take your best shot.” 

You stand quickly, and Steve even flinches. He clearly had thought it was all a bit, but you were deathly serious. After the night you’d had, you wanted to punch something, anything. 

“Hold on,” Eddie fumbles to follow you as you stand in front of Steve, your eyebrow cocked as you pause, “Hold on, why are you punching Harrington?” 

“Oh, I don’t know. ‘She’d never go for me, why would she go for you?’” you remind him, and fully expect for hurt to flash across his face. Instead, merriment continues to tug on his lips, “That ring a bell?”

“It might,” Eddie drawls, slowing down his movement to stand more casually, no longer in a rush to break up the fight. His eyes flash with something, with some sort of affection as your hand curls into a fist threateningly and you continue to glare daggers at Steve, “‘S cute to see you defending my honor, sweetheart.” 

Your knees almost physically wobble. The nickname that once struck such anger and irritation in you has become your favorite thing, something that can so easily elicit such a physical reaction. Any taunting has dissipated from his tone when he falls from his tongue now. Adoration takes its place.

Steve looks between you two for a second before his face twists up, “God, I think I liked it better when you two hated each other.” 

“Never really hated each other,” Eddie corrects Steve, but his eyes never leave yours. 

“Right, must have slipped my mind.”

One of the questions that had been torturing you has now been answered — Eddie would, in fact, be acting differently around your friends. It’s almost enough that you feel no need to punch Steve.

Almost.

“Where do you want it?” you tear your gaze from Eddie, looking back to Steve now expectantly, “Cheek? Nose? Chin? Jaw?”

Steve’s eyes widen. “My God, have you just been dreaming of this moment for the last hour?”

“I have.” 

Eddie leans back against the wall, still watching and still smirking as he crosses his arms. 

“I know Eddie’s your boyfriend now but-“

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you correct him quickly, but something inside of you twists at saying that.

He wasn’t your boyfriend. You two had just agreed you’d need time apart before even thinking of exploring what this new chapter will bring you two. So why does it feel so wrong? Why do you suddenly feel like a pathetic teenager, desperate to bestow some cheesy title upon her crush? 

Eddie nods when you suddenly look at him, as if he can read your mind, “I’m not her boyfriend. Just… her scary dog.”

Scary dog privilege. And God, does that moment feel light years in the past now. Years ago rather than hours ago. His promise to protect you suddenly rings truer now. If you ever did find yourself in trouble, you knew he’d answer your call. You knew now why his protection only extended to you. You finally, finally understood.

“Scary dog?” Steve squints at Eddie, and his judgmental demeanor has fully returned, “What the fuck does that even mea-“

He doesn’t get to finish the sardonic sentiment. The slap of your palm interrupts him.

“Ow!” he yelps out, head snapping from the force of the hit and hands already coming up defensively. 

Eddie pushes off the wall the moment Steve’s hands are up in the air, “Lay a hand on her in retaliation, Harrington, and I’m breaking your arm.” 

All the joking, cocky demeanor has faded. Like he had said — scary dog privilege. It applies to more than just pricks at the bar.

“I’m not,” Steve grumbles, rubbing at the red imprint now singing his cheek, “Jesus Christ, I said a punch.” 

You fight a smile, “I don’t know how to throw a punch.”

“I can teach you,” Eddie pipes up, now standing beside you, hovering in your orbit. 

“Don’t-“ Steve puts out a warning finger, “-encourage her. I only said you could punch me because I knew you couldn’t throw a punch!” he continues to cradle his face, now pouting at you, “Do you feel better now?” 

You only answer with a triumphant smile. Because your palm is stinging, and you know violence isn’t the answer, but yeah. You do feel a little bit better. 

“I don’t,” Eddie hums. He only has to take one step forward for Steve to back up, throwing out defensive eyes as he narrows his eyes, “Think I deserve to get a slap in, too, Stevie.” 

“Fuck that,” Steve spits, eyes wide with genuine fear that makes you want to giggle, “You do know how to throw a punch. If I’m letting you get a free one in, I deserve twenty four hours notice.” 

“Then consider this your notice.” 

Is this what I had always been missing out on? 

You always knew Eddie was playful with everyone, had witnessed how he joked with friends, but you’d never been included. The thought that this was the new normal makes your heart nearly burst. To be on Eddie’s side finally, to be in his good graces properly, makes you feel as if you belong more than any private movie night with Steve or impromptu dinner date with Robin. More than any night out with Nancy. More than any smoke session with Argyle, and more than any literature debate with Jonathan.

It’s as if Eddie was the missing link. You never felt you belonged, because you’d always ached for your rightful spot at his side, not just amongst the group.

The three of you stand in a makeshift circle and every single one of you smiles. Even Steve, through his slipping pout and swollen cheek, is grinning. 

Suddenly, it’s not quite as heavy as it once felt.

Everything has changed. Leaving now is not leaving forever. 

“I’d pay to see that,” you comment, taking a daring step to bump shoulders with Eddie. His eyes meet yours, his dimples come to life, and suddenly — you’re home, “Think I can get a front row seat to you beating Steve’s ass?” 

Steve starts to protest but Eddie only nods eagerly, “I think that can be arranged.” 

“I am once again reminding you two that I liked your screaming matches more than whatever this,” his hand flails, motioning to the way you two are standing closer to one another than you are him, “whole teaming-up-against-me bit is.”

“We’re not dating,” you’re reiterating as Eddie laughs out, “Stop being a crybaby.” 

You look at one another again. Another foot in the door of your newfound home, another look into your new place to rest your head. It’s as if you’re just now realizing you’ve spent the entire year missing Eddie, even as he was right there in front of you. 

“Well, God save us all when you two are finally dating,” Steve mumbles with a shake of his head.

“If-“ Eddie starts to correct, but you stop him.

It’s not an if when it comes to you two dating, you decide. It’s a when.

“I’ll send a gift basket when the day comes,” you snark. The look that Eddie sends you could heal every wound ever left behind, right then and there. 

You’re home. When Eddie throws his arm around your shoulders and Steve rolls his eyes at you two (affectionately, even if he’d deny it), you know you’re home.

—

But then, you actually do have to go home. 

You try to put it off. The three of you occupy Eddie’s living room for a while, Steve complaining about the way Robin woke him up endlessly throughout the night and how he never did finish that assignment due in his English Literature class. It reminds you that life will continue on; you have to go back to work and school, deal with daily annoyances that should seem bigger than all that’s happened with Eddie tonight, but they don’t. They all seem minuscule now, really. 

“Do we still have to send photo proof?” Eddie asks once Steve’s tirade has waned. You’re sat between the two boys, Steve’s body turned almost completely to face the two of you while you and Eddie slowly sink back into the cushions. 

You’re sure if Steve knew the activities that had taken place on this couch, he would not be sitting so comfortably. If at all.

Steve sighs at the mention of the bet, “You probably should. Jonathan’s been antsy about it the entire time. Me and Nance tried to cover for you guys, lying about calling and stuff but-“

“Why would you lie?” you inquire, uncurling a bit from your overly comfortable position to stop from falling asleep and actually participate in the conversation. 

“Because, unlike the other idiots,” Steve gives a pointed look at you and then Eddie, “We had a hunch about what was going on here. And it’s about time, by the way.” 

You think over his words for a second before you look at Eddie with sudden embarrassment, “Have you- Oh my God, have you been telling Nancy what we’ve been doing?” 

“What?” Eddie sits up straighter, looking just as panicked, “No. No, absolutely not, I-“

“What have you guys been doing?”

Both of you ignore Steve as Eddie continues on.

“-just spoke to her on the phone once or twice. But I didn’t give her any details. Have you been telling Steve what we did?” 

Steve, still being ignored, repeats himself, “What have you guys been doing?” 

“Absolutely not,” you scrunch your nose at the thought of being that honest with Steve. You loved him, truly, but not enough to tell him about those kinds of things, “I’d rather sleep in the canals than tell him.” 

“What have you guys been doing?” 

Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up, and he mockingly stabs himself, “Ouch, sweetheart.”

“Not like that,” you backtrack, but more casually as the worry of Steve and Nancy knowing the truth, “I just meant-“

Eddie interrupts with a hand on your knee and a smile on his face, “I know what you meant. I’m just fucking with you. I feel the same way with Nance.” 

“Guys?” Steve grows further impatient, “I- What the fuck did you guys do? Oh my God, is it even safe to sit on this fucking couch right now?” 

“You don’t wanna know,” you say.

“No, it isn’t,” Eddie says. 

It earns him a slap on his stomach as he leans over in laughter at the way Steve launches out of his seat.

“You guys- No. No fucking way,” Steve brushes at the back of his jeans, as if they’re contaminated, “Nope. No way. You’re just fucking with me, Munson.” 

“Am I?” 

Another slap lands on Eddie’s shoulder as he laughs harder. 

“Steve,” you turn to your friend, trying to smile sweetly, “Sit back down.” 

“No.”

“You just said you don’t believe-“ 

“We should get going,” Steve insists through his blush, “You two should take your final picture and we should get going.” 

Eddie finally stops chuckling, leaning back up and against the armrest, his ankle cross in front of your shins as he stretches his legs out and sighs, “God, you should see your face right now, Harrington.” 

Steve’s scowl deepens, “It’s not funny. Take the fucking photo so we can go.” 

You make no move to dig out your phone, because you know. You know once you take this photo, you’ll be leaving, and this will all be over. Once you step foot back into that hallway, time apart begins. Learning how to navigate this new unknown with Eddie begins. It terrifies you, it saddens you, it exhausts you. You hadn’t been prepared for this part of the night.

Even before the confessions, you hadn’t given much thought to the ending of the twenty four hours. You’d assumed it would end in bloodshed and a larger than life fight, probably before the clock even ran out. You’d never assumed it could end in laughing, inside jokes between you and Eddie, in something not only bitter but also sweet. 

“Phone, sweetheart,” Eddie whispers as he leans forward and holds out his hand with the palm up, “Before we traumatize the poor guy any further.” 

“I will wait in the car, I swear to God-“ Steve starts to protest as you finally dig your phone out of your pocket. 

You’re looking down, unable to meet Eddie’s gaze in fear of him picking up on your faint sadness, as you mumble, “Get your panties out of their twist, Steve. Jesus.” 

Eddie snorts at that, right as you pass your phone over. 

Steve doesn’t comment when you willingly tell Eddie the code to unlock your phone, or the way you let him hold it rather than you. He doesn’t comment on the arm that Eddie seems to constantly keep around you now. 

He’s doing it while he can. Cherishing being able to hold you at any capacity before you leave and the distance begins. The time apart you two agreed upon won’t be for forever, but it still kills a buried part of him that had just begun to sprout roots again. A thing made of hope that he planned to tend to this time around. 

“So, how do we wanna do this?” he asks in a strained tone, as if asking that question and throttling you two closer to the finish line physically pains him.

You hope it pains him, selfishly, because it pains you. “No idea.”

“We’ve gotta make it a good one.”

“We do.” 

Eddie suddenly lights up with an idea as his thumb sweeps across your screen, opening your photos’ app and scrolling up to the first picture you two had taken at the beginning of this night. 

“Up for a trip down nostalgia road?” he teases, wiggling his brows as he holds the phone up for you to get a clearer view of the picture.

Eddie, flipping off the camera and scowling. You, hardly smiling with a pathetic thumbs up. 

“Yeah,” you breathe out, nodding slowly. 

It’s unspoken, what happens next. The camera app is opened and Eddie returns your phone to your grasp. The two of you resituate to mimic the photo as closely as possible while Steve fiddles with some of the items on Eddie’s entertainment center. 

You stretch out your arm, put your thumb up into view, blink away any tears burning the back of your eyes. Eddie’s hand has taken position as well. 

You snap the photo before you can think too hard on it. 

“Think that’ll be the winner?” Eddie curiously asks as you immediately bring the phone close to your face, swiping to view the snapshot just taken. And when you do, with the refreshed memory of that first photo, your heart physically aches. 

Almost an identical image. At a quick glance, it’s the same Eddie and the same you from the first one. But the similarities fade the moment you look closer. Eddie isn’t scowling, not genuinely – those damn dimples are even making an appearance as his eyes were squinted up in a valiant effort to fight off the smile he wears now. And your smile, your smile, is no longer half-assed. It’s something real, something full, something even a bit sad. The same face you wear when saying goodbye to an old friend and trying to hold back any tears until their train has long since left the station. You can almost physically see your vines in this photo wrapping around the two of you, clinging so desperately to avoid any separation. Time apart. You’re regretting suggesting that now. 

It’s a cute photo. A photo of two friends, if you could call yourself and Eddie that now. 

“All done?” Steve interrupts the moment, both of you and Eddie only staring at the photo. You take a peak at him out of your peripherals, and you can see it written plainly on his face – he’s feeling all the same emotions as you. Something sad, something nostalgic, something reluctant. “Not to rush the process but… I may or may not have a hot date tonight to get ready for.” 

Eddie tears his gaze from the photo, “A hot date?”

“A hot date,” Steve nods, a boyish grin gracing his lips, “And I’m picking her up in… t-minus…” he pauses, checking his watch, “Three hours.” 

“Smart move. Charm her before I rearrange your face and all.” 

Steve throws his head back in a groan, “You two won’t be letting that go any time soon, will you?” 

“Nope,” you chime in as you swipe to open up the groupchat, not offering Steve a single glance until you’ve sent off the final addition of photo proof to the rest of your friends. You consider adding some sort of sarcastic comment, some well earned bragging and a boisterous told you so, but you don’t. 

It doesn’t feel like you’ve won. Leaving this apartment, this battleground, with all the new bruises and healed wounds you’ve acquired over the span of the twenty four hours doesn’t taste like victory. Really, it tastes like… nothing. 

There’s no victory, no solid ending for you to cling to. It’s simply ending and there’s still thousands of words you have to say to Eddie. You need more time, another twenty four hours, to fill with every single thing you never told him. More casual confessions of honesty, more hours wasted in his bed, more insignificant bickering to partake in. It’s all on your tongue and desperate for attention, and yet, you know you can’t succumb to it. 

You have to go. It’s the last thing you want to do, but you have to. 

Steve checks his phone when it buzzes with the notification of your message you sent and opens his mouth, no doubt about to comment on your lack of words with the message, but you’re already standing. It’s like ripping off a bandaid. You need to get it over with, get out of this apartment before you decide you’d rather sink right into these couch cushions and decay just to ensure you never have to really leave. 

Eddie’s quick to follow. 

“Let’s go,” you say to Steve, grabbing up your bag, not looking at Eddie at the risk of losing all composure. 

Neither boy fights you, following you right up to the front door. Steve leads, opening it back up as reality slams you in the chest. As if there’s an invisible barrier here, and you know that in crossing it, you’ll be leaving a piece of yourself behind in apartment 2C. 

Leaving now is not leaving forever. 

But it sure does feel like it. 

Steve awkwardly looks over your shoulder at Eddie, some silent communication you only see his half of as he shrugs and does a timid wave, turning to leave. 

One foot hangs midair, your toes beginning to push through that barrier, when Eddie grabs you. 

“Hey,” he breathes as he wraps his fingers around your bicep, forcing you to turn to face him. You let him, your body moving to his accord but your eyes still not meeting his, “You good?” 

You take a deep breath in through your nose, “Me? Yeah. Yeah, I’m great. I’m… I’m good.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Positive?”

“Will you look at me, then?” 

Reluctantly, so very reluctantly, your eyes meet his. Big, brown doe eyes. This close to them, you can see the way they shine to match yours. You both probably look insane to Steve right now, but you don’t care. Between the sleep deprivation and all the emotions you’ve had to experience over the last day, the tears are well earned.

You almost reach out and kiss him. You almost press up onto your toes and put your lips on his, almost pour every emotion you’re feeling in the moment into a far from innocent peck. 

But you don’t.

“We did it,” you croak blandly, “We won the bet.” 

As if the Universe is screaming in agreement, you can hear a chime in the distance signifying the hour. Probably the church you recall passing in the middle of the night when the two of you had ventured off to the parking garage. It almost feels as if it’s mocking you. 

“We did it,” he echoes as his grip on your bicep loosens. You expect him to let it fall back to his side, nearly begging out loud for him to retract his touch from you so you don’t do something stupid like stay.

You swallow down thick emotions, just like molasses, “I guess I’ll see you around, yeah?” 

Time. You two needed time apart. 

“Yeah,” he sighs, as he does the one thing you had somehow hoped he wouldn’t yet yearned for ardently – the hand that had wrapped around your arm now cups your cheek, thumb stroking your skin so softly, you nearly melt in his doorway, “I’ll see you around, sweetheart.” 

It doesn’t taste like victory, yet it doesn’t taste quite like loss. It’s bittersweet. 

You still don’t kiss him. And he doesn’t kiss you, even as his touch against your cheek lingers so heavily before he pulls away. 

You cross the barrier and find you were right. You feel that piece of you tear off and flutter to the ground, and you begin to wonder when you’ll have the chance to come back and reclaim not just it, but Eddie.

—

Steve didn’t speak much on the drive back to your dorm, and you’re sort of grateful. 

If you were a good friend, you’d ask more about his date. You’d get him giddy as he spills the details about this girl and his plans for the night, chastise and tease him all in good fun. You’d be smiling and making plans for coffee tomorrow morning so he could tell you all about how the date went. 

But you’re not a good friend.

You sit in your silence the entire drive, and you pick at your nails, and you selfishly stay focused on Eddie. On all of your own qualms and all your own issues, worrying about what comes next and already feeling your chest tighten the moment you start to think about when see you around will come.

The two of you never discussed that, did you? There was no discussion of just how much time was needed apart. 

Steve shifts the car into park in the west lot, right outside your building, “Alright, stop making your cuticles bleed for two seconds and tell me what’s wrong.” 

Your hands pause exactly as he requests, caught red-handed. “Nothing’s wrong.” 

“Something’s obviously wrong. I told you to go get him – and yet, he’s still not your boyfriend.” 

“It’s complicated,” your voice finally breaks. There’s no tears this time, just confusion and desperation clawing at your throat. 

Because, was it complicated? Was it really?

The last year was what had been complicated. All the pretending and the fights and the tension. All the false beliefs and all the lies overlapping with one another. That was complicated. But this? The feelings you harbored and finally acknowledged for the boy you just left behind? 

That wasn’t really complicated. 

And Steve knows this, you can hear it in his sigh, “I think that’s the issue.” 

“What?” you turn your head towards him, scrunch your brows, even your breathing and try to shoo away the image of Eddie’s wet eyes. 

You wish you would have kissed him. 

“Look, i just think you two keep making things complicated when they should be simple-” 

You didn’t want to hear it. Childish as it might be, you do not want to have to hear this speech. Because you know Steve’s right.

“I’ll see you later, Steve.”

“Wait-”

You don’t wait. You slam the door in his face once you’ve got your footing outside of his car, truly earning your title of bad friend.

Awful. You weren’t just a bad friend, you were an awful friend. 

And yet you can’t think on it, leaving it be until you had the time to properly dwell on how you’d apologize later. All you care about now is getting inside your dorm, moping and being miserable on your own. Your strides are longer and faster than they were even when you’d backtracked to Eddie’s apartment, determined to get behind closed doors and to properly mourn all that had been gained and all that had been lost in the last twenty four hours. 

Twenty four hours ago, you were reluctant to even step foot in Eddie’s apartment. And now, it’s the only place you really want to be. 

Luck refuses to be on your side as you slam into your dorm room, sweaty and tired and just fucking emotional, only to find your roommate there. There will be no dramatic crying, no cinematic scene with your back pressed to the door as you fight back sobs, it seems. 

“You look rough,” is all she notes, sparing you a second glance before she returns to whatever she was tasking on at her desk. Her makeup, you think.

Good. Maybe she’ll be heading out, leaving you to suffer alone like you wanted. 

“Yeah,” is all you can answer her as the door clicks shut behind you. 

Rough’s a good way to put it. 

“Think you’ll be here tonight?” she asks, still distracted, “Troy and I are hanging out today – he spent the night here last night, by the way – and if you’re gone again, I was thinking about inviting him back over. Only if you’re cool with it, or already have plans, though. Our RA has this final and I didn’t even have to sneak him in last night-”

She continues on her rambles, never looking your way as you drop your bag onto your bed, and quickly lift yourself to lay right next to it. 

Normal. You were having to go back to fucking normal. Your worries were no longer revolving around Eddie or making it through the next hour, no longer preoccupied with keeping your friends up to date in order to ensure a payout of five hundred dollars – now, you just had to worry about boys named Troy and possible room checks by your RA. Finals to be taken, essays to be finished, shifts to be covered at the diner so you’d have enough cash to go out with your friends next weekend. 

You should be relieved. But it all just feels impossibly heavy. 

Your roommate catches on quickly, and when you only reply to let her know you’ll be here tonight, she stops talking. She focuses on finishing her makeup and gathering her things, hardly even offering you a goodbye as you shift to curl up more comfortably in the center of your mattress. 

You should also know better than what you decide to do next. You can’t help it, though, as you tug your phone out of your pocket and unlock it. You don’t listen to the voice inside your head that screams stop as you click on your photos’ app. Ignore the animal inside that whines as you scroll, and you click on the very first photo of you and Eddie. 

It’s painful, but you have nothing better to do in your solitude. You don’t linger on the first photo too long, still being fresh in your mind, before quickly swiping along. 

The set of matching photos you and Eddie took of one another, black and white socks covering touching toes visible in each one. You nearly laugh at the Darth Vader figurine both of you took turns holding. You nearly cry when you realize you were, in fact, smiling in your photo. A small one, a forced one, but there nonetheless. 

The selfie from the bar, your amaretto sour and Eddie’s whiskey & coke lifted towards the camera. The way both of you had tried to look annoyed, over exaggerated and furrowed brows paired with pouting lips. Your thumb swipes subconsciously over the photo for a second too long, and you’re startled when you realized it was a live photo. The moment after the photo was taken, Eddie’s eyes had moved to look at you. And in that live photo, you watched every ounce of annoyance evaporate. Leaving behind something you recognized now. Leaving behind eyes sparkling with a brief glimpse of adoration. 

There’s something else you better recognize now in the next photo. The picture you’d taken when Eddie had locked himself into his room, only opening up long enough to insist you took the photo, the one that guaranteed you your money. You had been right – there was a flood of regret on his face. You hadn’t imagined it. But you had also been wrong; he was never looking at your own rotted vines and mourning them; he was looking at his own, tethered and shredded, regretting that he had ever taken an axe to them. You don’t press down to see this live photo. You don’t want to witness that door slamming in your face again. 

The two photos taken in his bed. The one in which both your faces are scrunched from the flash, in which you can see the physical wall between you two.  And the one in the dark, where you both wear tired smiles, unaware of the night to come.

The photo on the bike, a helmet mostly covering your blushing cheeks, but not Eddie’s. 

The photo from the parking garage, meant just for you two. 

The photos from Betty’s. You don’t linger on the one of you; you do linger on the one of him. 

Each swipe only makes your heart ache more viciously, painful and sharp reminders of the night you had had. You don’t have to press down on another single photo to witness the live outplay of it – each memory is running through your mind in real time as you retrace your steps of the night. Twenty four hours, twenty four steps. With each photo, you watch yourself grow more relaxed, watch smiles come easier without your awareness and finally pinpoint all the care Eddie had been looking at you with the entire time. 

You notice the lack of photos from the last few hours. You nearly scorn yourself for it, but there had been no time. There was no time for memories frozen in time amongst all that hard honesty and those sacrilegious revelations.

Except there was one more moment in time frozen for you. You’re quick to exit the photo app finally, leaving behind that picture of Eddie with full cheeks only to open up your text messages.

Your text thread with him. Filled to the brim with bad pastry jokes and underlying need. You remember that urgent want to comfort him, to remind him he was enough. To erase all the hurt and all the old scars caused by a life from before your time with him you still hadn’t become fully privy to. 

You’re still rereading the last message, bet you wouldn’t say that to my face, when suddenly a new message appears. 

EDDIE: Make it home okay? 

Space and time. They are the last things you want, that you need from him right now. 

YOU: yep. my roommate just left. 

EDDIE: Is your dorm bed as comfortable as you remember? 

YOU: like sleeping on a cloud. 

You wish you were still in his bed. You wish you were back at the beginning, with him rather than all alone. 

EDDIE: Oh shit, you’re trying to sleep? Sorry

EDDIE: I’ll stop bothering you and leave you to it. Sweet dreams. 

No, you nearly scream at your phone screen, come back and bother me. Bother me for the rest of my days for all I care. 

You’d never sleep another wink if it meant having him. You remember what you told him about starting over, starting fresh. And maybe taking a much needed nap would offer that. Maybe sleeping for more than thirty minutes at a time would be the smart choice, letting you awake with a clearer mind and better intentions.

But you don’t want that. The animal inside still clings to all that has happened. 

Something about that makes you brave.

YOU: i never said that, and you’re not bothering me.

EDDIE: Didn’t you say you wanted a nap earlier?

YOU: that was earlier. i’m wide awake now. 

An internal battle continues to take place. Your mind whispers liar, knowing damn well that if you put down the phone and turned your cheek to bury into your pillow, you’d be out like a light within seconds. 

EDDIE: Ah. I see. 

You fiddle with your thumbs for a second, stomach churning as you try to come up with a response to keep the conversation going. Technically, when you had said the two of you needed time apart after all that had happened, it should have meant interactions like this as well. Texting each other was not offering each other space.

But he’d started it. That was on him.

YOU: do you remember what i said about space? and starting over? 

EDDIE: I do. I’m not very good with giving you space, it seems. 

YOU: well, considering you’re on the other side of town, i’d say we’ve got the physical sense of space down. 

There’s a pause in his replies that causes you to sit up. A falter. You curse him for not having a smartphone as well, for not having the privilege of being notified whether he was just taking his time typing or if he had put the phone down. You really hoped it was the former, practically wished upon every star that that was what was happening. You hoped he was glued to his phone as you were yours. 

Maybe he still had that photo he’d taken a few hours ago, the one you swore you’d heard him take as you dozed off. Maybe he was still staring at it like you had done with all of your photos. 

EDDIE: About that…

You stare at the message, the hidden meaning behind it completely lost on you. 

YOU: About what? 

EDDIE: I’m not home right now. 

Your heart clenches. 

YOU: You’re not?

EDDIE: I’m not. 

YOU: Eddie, where the hell are you right now?

Your mind reels with all the possible choices. He could be at the bar, at the parking garage, at Nancy’s place. He could be anywhere. 

But then he only sends a picture in response, and you know where he is. 

You nearly topple into three other students from how you sprint down the hallway. You don’t even grab your key to your dorm room, skipping the elevators and nearly throwing yourself down the few flights of stairs in haste. You don’t care how your lungs cry out, you don’t care how your thighs burn, you don’t care how your shoulder aches from how roughly you slam open that front door of the building. You don’t care about the strange looks you get on your way out. You don’t care about the odd angle you twisted your ankle in on that last step. 

The only thing you care about is the boy standing there, helmet off and balanced on the seat of his parked motorcycle that he leans on, arms crossed as his eyes light up at the erratic sight of you. 

You don’t even check for any traffic in the parking lot as you make your way to him. 

“I’m sorry,” he calls out once you’re close enough to hear him, “I know we said give it time and shit, but you left, and I just-” 

He doesn’t get the chance to finish his sentence. 

When you make it to Eddie, you’re in no business to carry anymore regret with you. This time, you don’t just yearn to kiss him, to wrap your arms around him, to pour out all those emotions you were feeling across tongues. 

You do it. You kiss him, uncaring for all the stares of fellow students. He nearly falls backwards into his bike from the force of you colliding against him, but he’s quick to catch himself as his hands find your waist. 

“You-” you pull back, gasping a bit to start to scold him before his lips follow and interrupt you, “Fucking-” Push and pull. You retreat, and he follows, “Idiot.” 

His hands squeeze around you, tugging you a stumbling step closer so that your chests are flushed against one another.

“I am,” he mumbles against your lip, the tip of his nose grazing over your cheek as he refuses to let anymore distance be put between the two of you, “I am a fucking idiot. I’m sorry.” 

“Stop apologizing.” 

His hands cradle your face and he kisses you this time, reaffirming that he felt everything you had. All those words you hadn’t said, all his own admissions he’d withheld, spill between clashing teeth and eager lips. He takes your breath away, shamelessly, greedily. And you let him. You offer all the air that’s left in your lungs up to him on a silver platter. 

When the two of you finally pull apart, eyes opening wide and foreheads pressing tightly to one another, he’s grinning like a fool. 

“So, I had a better idea than time apart,” he murmurs, “What if we just… start over?” 

“Start over?” you question wearily. 

He nods, “Yeah. Just… Just pretend this last year and all our bullshit didn’t happen. Start fresh. Let me not be a massive dick this time.” 

His hands drop from your face as he takes a step back, taking you in fully. You want to shy under his gaze, but instead you can only melt. His fondness is a warmth like no other, capturing you by the crown of your head and pouring down over you in waves. 

“Okay,” you finally agree, feeling your own cheeks spread and ache in a lovesick smile. Coming home, that’s what this felt like. “Okay, we can start over.” 

“Great,” the homecoming warmth only spreads as he straightens up his posture. A very serious look overcomes his face, laced with determination for a brief second until he relaxes it into a friendly smile, doleful eyes meeting yours as every single flower he had ever planted in your chest blooms like a spring morning. He sticks his hand out, nearly making you snort, “Hi, I’m Eddie.” 

You can’t help it. His front door is open, a warm glow within welcoming you. 

You ignore his hand entirely as you impulsively reach up and interlock your fingers at the nape of his neck, tugging him into you for another kiss. 

He pulls back far too soon for your liking, but his hands have also found their spot against the small of your back, “Do you greet all the new strangers you meet like this?” 

You roll your eyes, “Shut up.” 

He pulls you back in for a chaste peck, and it tastes like home. 

“I like you,” you whisper into the limited space between the two of you, “I mean it. I like you so fucking much, Edward Munson.” 

He grins, cracking your chest wide open with hope, “The feeling’s mutual.”

taglist: @catherinnn @haylaansmi @gaysludge @paprikaquinn @manda-panda-monium @audhd-dragonaut @blushingquincy @hellkaisersangel @eddieslittlewh0re @ajkamins @prettyboy200 @munsonzzgf @blue-eyed-lion @digwhatudug @madaboutjoe @wickedslashdivine @sweet-villain @somespicystuff @big-ope-vibes @jadequeen88 @sylviin @emma77645 @notbeforelong @lolalanaie @lo-siento-ama @happy-and-alone @micheledawn1975 @aysheashea @moon-huny @munsonswrld @bambipowerblueaddition @averagestudent03 @bakugouswh0r3 @mattefic @mxcheese @bietchz @nativity-in-black @stezzil @vngelis @coley0823 @folklorebau @luvmunson86 @theherothesavior @keene200213 @hargrovesswifee @m-chmcl-rmnc @cherrymedicine13 @iunaelumen777

taglist is now closed.

[ripdragonbeans]

Zeno's Paradox // modern!Aemond x reader (2/2)

•Aemond x Reader, Aemond x Floris, Jace x reader•

Summary: You and Aemond instantly clicked when you met at university. So why did he choose Floris instead of you?

TW (overall): afab reader, p in v, oral (f receiving), swearing, talk of violence, talk of losing a body part

Part 1

You and Jace had a plan for every day. Every morning you'd meet up with him at the cafeteria. He'd sit close enough to you that your knees would be touching. Any time you talked your heads would be bent down and close, giving the illusion of wanting to be only with each other and no one else. 

It took a few days but finally Aemond and Floris showed up one morning for breakfast. Seeing them hurt your heart. You looked at Jace and nodded.

“Let's go then,” Jace smiled. “I'm gonna say a joke and you're gonna laugh like it's the funniest shit you've ever heard.” He cleared his throat. “What's red and bad for your teeth?”

Oh gods.

“A brick!”

You looked Jace dead in the eye with absolutely no amusement. “Seriously?”

“Just laugh,” he whispered.

As you saw Aemond and Floris get closer you let out the biggest laugh you could muster, without it sounding fake, of course.

“Hahahahahaha!” There was pain in your eyes but you did your best to smile like it was the best joke you’ve ever heard. “Gods, I love your jokes.”

Placing your hand on top of his, you interlaced your fingers just as Aemond and Floris came up to your table.

Aemond looked at your hands then flitted between you and Jace.

“Is he bothering you again?” Aemond asked.

“No, why would you ask that?” You cocked your head to the side and moved closer to Jace.

“Last time we talked to him you were pissed beyond reason.”

“Well, things change. People change, Aemond. And I found myself wanting to get closer. He’s much nicer when you’re not around. He’s been a big help in my Eyes of the Seven class. Right, Jace?”

Jace smiled at you. “Yeah, and you’ve been helping me, too. Studying with you is one of the best moments in my life. And now I can call you mine.” 

He leaned in and kissed your cheek. You were watching Aemond closely. His face was neutral but you knew him and his eyes were angry. A muscle in his jaw ticked.

“Well…congrats I guess. I'll see you around,” he ground out. 

Aemond tried to leave quickly but you held him right where he was. You weren't going to let him go that easily.

“You're not going to eat breakfast with us? It's a nice morning!” You offered. “Floris? What do you think?”

“Oh, let's eat breakfast with them, Aemy,” Floris pleaded.

Fucking “Aemy?”

Aemond was hesitant. “Fine.”

As the pair went off to get their food you and Jace talked quickly.

“First off,” you started, “that joke was stupid. Second, good call on the kiss. Aemond hated that,” you grinned.

“Hey, that joke was funny!” Jace defended himself. “I saw the way he was looking at you. It's been a long time since I've seen him that pissed. I don't know if Floris could even tell.”

“That just goes to show how much she doesn't know him. She shouldn't be with him, they don't compliment each other.” A beat. “I swear, Aemond hasn't been himself since they started dating.”

“I'll agree that he hasn't, at least the few times I've seen him. He's stuck to Floris’ side.”

“Love that,” you dead panned.

“We're back!” Floris sang.

“Great,” you said through gritted teeth.

“So, tell us how you two started dating!” 

Aemond sat down. “Yeah, how did you start dating?”

You looked at Jace and put a loving smile on your face. “He comforted me one night. I was having a really bad day, heard some terrible news, and he found me,” you moved your focus to Aemond. “He was there when no one else was and I'm so thankful for that.”

“We started hanging out more and the rest is history,” Jace pulled you in close and you leaned your head on his shoulder.

There was a tense silence. Aemond stared at you intensely trying to get a read on you. You put up your walls and gave him a shy smile. You nuzzled in closer to Jace.

“Aw, that's so sweet!” Floris broke the silence. “I know Aemy told you how we got together so I won't bore you with our story.”

Our story.

It hurt. It hurt so much. You felt like you were in a fucking Taylor Swift music video.

Jace looked at you and saw your face devoid of color. “You okay, babe?”

You coughed. “Yeah, yeah. Um, I think I just need to get to class. It's getting late, you know?”

“It's only seven forty-five and you haven’t eaten,” Floris tried to get you to stay.

“Yeah, and my class is at eight and I finished eating before you guys got here,” you tried to get away but she stopped you in your tracks.

“Oh, you and Aemond have that class together, right?”

Fuck.

“Yeah, we do, but I was gonna go ahead. He can stay here with you. He doesn't have to come with me.”

“Nonsense! I know you two haven't been able to hang out much since we started dating. He just always wants to be by my side,” Floris laughed and turned to Aemond. “Go on, Aemy.”

Standing there awkwardly you waited for Aemond to get up and join you on the walk to Psychology.

“Hey,” Jace tugged on your hand. “I'll see you after classes, yeah?” he pressed a kiss to the back of your hand.

Despite Jace being an asshole to Aemond in their childhood you couldn’t help but find a friend in him, especially now. The dating might be fake but the two of you have grown to care about the other.

“Yeah,” you offered him a small smile.

You turned and left the cafeteria with Aemond but as soon as you were outside you picked up the pace, hoping to lose him. If he really wanted to talk to you he'd catch up. When you thought he wasn't going to even try, you slowed down; believing yourself to be far enough away from him. But you heard his footsteps as you neared the classroom door. He grabbed your arm and turned you to face him.

“Can we talk about this?” he whispered.

You refused to look him in the eye. “What's there to talk about? You're with Floris and I'm with Jace, end of story.”

“Exactly! You're with Jace! Why would you even think of him?”

“Because, like I said, Aemond, he was there for me when no one else was.”

“What about me? Why didn't you come to me.”

“You were busy.”

“How could you know that? I haven't received any text or message from you since Floris and I started dating.”

“I didn't need to text you to know you were busy. I saw you. You and Floris aren't exactly discreet,” you spat out.

Realization hit him. “Are you jealous of Floris?”

“I never said anything about being jealous, I just said I saw you were busy. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take my seat in the classroom.”

“Wait.” He grabbed your arm once more. “There’s nothing serious between me and Floris. We’re just dating.”

“It seemed pretty serious when you were eating her face.”

“You know that doesn’t mean -”

“Are you trying to explain why you haven’t been around me? Because if you are, you’re failing badly.” The anger you’ve been repressing began to bubble up. “Ever since you started dating her you’ve left me. All we do is sit next to each other in class. We don’t talk. You don’t say anything in class anymore, either. You got with Floris and left me, Aemond. You fucking left me.”

You pushed yourself away from him and headed to a different seat, already occupied in front, behind, and next to you. Being next to Aemond would give him more opportunities to talk to you. As much as you wanted to talk to him, you didn't want to hear about how great him and Floris have been.

While you weren’t sitting next to him, you felt his gaze on you the entire time. Even when the professor was talking about Zeno’s Paradox, one of his favorites, he was still focused on you. It was cruel, how Zeno’s Paradox was the main lecture for today. Two points will never be together, there’s too many halfway points to make it. There’s always halfway to go.

You refused to look Aemond’s way. He sat in his usual seat, the one next to him vacant. You hoped it hurt him a bit, not sitting next to you. The entire time he’s been dating Floris you’ve been discarded. It wasn’t even until today, after prompting from Floris, that he talked to you. Maybe he felt guilty for leaving you and didn’t want to see what happened to you as a result. If that were the case, he was being weak.

Class dragged on and on. While there’s infinite halfway points, according to Zeno, it appeared the same for this lecture. You groaned loud enough for the professor to call on you.

“I’m sorry my lecture is boring you. Shall we wake up and play a trivia game?” the professor asked the class.

That woke up the class. Everyone was always willing to play a game rather than listen to a professor drone on and on, despite this professor being a very animated one. Class finished up with everyone playing the game. You tried the same strategy for leaving the room as when you tried to leave the cafeteria earlier. Quickly.

You made it out the door and down the hallway, heading for your dorm instead of your next class. Skipping one class wouldn’t hurt your grade too much. Besides, you really needed to get away from Aemond.

“Hey,” a voice called out.

You picked up the pace.

“Hey!”

You closed your eyes and sped up again. You didn’t want to see him, you didn’t want to talk to him. Once you opened the door to leave the building you sped off into a sprint. Tears were coming and you couldn’t stop them. You couldn’t let Aemond see them, as well. So, you went where you could only think of. Jace’s dorm.

“Wait up! Please! I want to talk!”

You shook your head. So close. You could see Jace leaving his dorm.

“Jace!” you yelled.

Jace looked up to see you running at him full force. He looked confused but when he saw Aemond speed walking behind you, he instantly understood. Opening his arms, you barreled straight into him.

“He’s following me. He wants to talk, Jace, and I don’t know if I can do it.” Tears were streaming down your face now.

“Do you want me to make him go away?”

Do I really want him to go away?

You nodded your head yes. Just for once, you didn’t want to be near Aemond Targaryen.

Jace cupped your face with his hands. “I’m going to kiss you.”

“Okay.”

He leaned down and captured your lips in a gentle kiss. It wasn’t rushed, it wasn’t awkward. It was simply nice. When the two of you broke away, you leaned your forehead on his.

“He’s just standing there,” he told you.

You pulled your head away from Jace and looked behind you. Aemond was there, watching you. You were close enough to see his shoulders fall but you could almost see something break inside him.

It was almost the end of the semester and nothing had changed. You and Jace were still “dating” and Aemond and Floris were still together. Floris would try to say hi to you and join you and Jace at meals but Aemond always pulled her away. It was clear he didn’t want anything to do with you.

Maybe it’s for the best.

Both of you were hurting, even though you didn’t know why he was. He should be happy. He was rid of you and had Floris.

“Hey, Jace,” you began. “I don’t think we need to fake date anymore.”

“You sure?” Jace looked at you with concern written all over his face.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“What’s up?”

“I’m just… I’m tired, you know?” Everything was tiring nowadays. “We leave for winter break next week. There’s no reason to keep it up,” you said mainly to yourself.

“...Okay. If you say so. Should we make a big deal out of breaking up?”

“Nah, I’m not eager for anyone to really care.”

“You mean you’re not eager for Aemond to care.”

You pinned him with a sharp look. “Shut up.”

“Look, as much as I’ve enjoyed pissing him off, it’s obviously doing something more to both of you. I know you and I didn’t get off on the best foot but I do care about you, as a friend, you know.” Jace took a breath. “Why don’t you talk to him?”

“It hurts. It hurts too much.”

Jace gave you a small smile. “You can do it. If anything, you can wait until after winter break; start new, you know?”

“Yeah, I like that idea.” You returned his smile with one of your own. “Thank you, Jace, really.”

You ended the semester without saying so much as goodbye to Aemond. You left quickly and quietly. Winter break wasn’t anything to be excited about. It was nice to be with family but that was it. Some old friends visited and they were able to help take your mind off of Aemond but he was always there. No matter what you did, all you could think about was Aemond. You wondered what Aemond was doing on his break. Was he with Floris? Was he with family? 

You still cried frequently. You’ve been crying on and off since Aemond chased you and you ran to Jace. The tears should’ve stopped by now but they haven’t. It’s gotten to the point where you expected yourself to cry almost every night. It was normal now. At least the second semester would be a new start.

Spring semester began and you hoped to turn over a new leaf. You found Jace after you moved in.

“Hey, stranger,” you greeted him.

“You look a lot better than when I last saw you.” He pulled you into a hug.

“I feel a lot better. New semester, new me, right?”

“If that’s what you need to tell yourself, yeah.”

The two of you continued talking, catching up on the month and a half you were away from each other. Jace spent his break with his family, his whole family, including his adoptive dad. Apparently his family was a little confusing as well. His mom had an affair with a coworker and she got pregnant with Jace, but it was all okay. The guy she had Jace, and her two other children, with died in a tragic fire but her husband was quick to adopt and love them all the same.

You and Jace decided to eat dinner at the cafeteria, as sad as the food could be. Joking around and laughing, you were having a great time. Until he showed up. Jace was in the middle of telling a story about Luke and Joffrey when he stopped mid sentence.

“Jace? What’s wrong?” You were confused.

Someone cleared their throat behind you. You turned around and froze. It was him. Aemond Targaryen.

“Hey, can we talk?” Aemond looked directly at you.

You glanced at Jace and he gave you a reassuring nod. “Yeah, sure.”

You stood, urging Aemond to follow you to a spot against the wall.

“So..” you started.

“I broke up with her,” the words flew out of his mouth.

“You - what?”

“I broke up with Floris. You were right, I was pulling away from you because of her and I didn’t like that. She never tried to get me away from you, she wanted me to still be friends with you, but I found myself being scared of that for some reason. Instead, I plastered myself next to her. I found, I don’t know, some kind of structure when I was with her? Order? It was nice but it wasn’t as nice when I was hanging out with you.”

“And how did… Floris,” you still hated to say her name, “take it?”

“She said it was okay, surprisingly.”

“And now?”

“And now I want to be with you. I fucked up. I fucked up so badly. I left you when I shouldn't have. Being scared of being close to you is no excuse for how I treated you,�� he sighed. “And I want you, I really want you. All of you.”

“How do I know you're not going to leave me? I don't know if I could take you leaving me again.”

“You'll just have to trust me.”

“Trust you? Trust you with my heart?”

“Yes. And I will cherish it and take of you and I will always be by your side. Please.”

“...I'll think about it.” You had already made up your mind but he didn't need to know that right now.

“Well, what about you and Jace?”

“Me and Jace? We’re fine. We broke up, too. No bad feelings between us, just figured we’d be better as friends,” you shrugged. You weren’t going to tell him it was all fake.

Yet.

There was a comfortable silence.

“Have you thought about it?”

“Maybe you should ask me properly so you can get the full answer” you teased.

“Let me start over then,” he cleared his throat. “Can I ask you a question?”

“You already did but sure, go ahead.”

There was a twinkle in his eye. “Will you go out with me?”

You put a hand up. “You just told me you broke up with someone, found out I broke up with someone and you immediately want to fall into a new relationship?”

“Would it be new though? There was something between us when we first met.”

“Yeah, and then you went off to date someone else.” You rolled your eyes.

“I messed up, I know that now.” He took your hand. “Give me a chance, please?”

“Wow, I don’t know. I kind of like it when you beg. Do it again and maybe I’ll say yes.”

Aemond smirked and got down on his knees. “Please, go out with me?”

“I like the sight of you on your knees.” You leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Maybe I’ll ask you to do it again when we’re in my dorm.”

He looked up at you with hope on his face. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes. Yes, Aemond, I will go out with you.”

A smile broke out when he stood up and gathered you in his arms.

“May I kiss you?” he pulled away slightly to see your face.

“I’d be a little upset if you didn’t.”

You met him halfway, leaning up to capture his mouth with yours. It was soft but there was so much emotion poured into it. It was just like what you thought it would be. His mouth moved seamlessly against yours; it was pure bliss. Aemond’s hand went around your waist to pull you closer but was stopped by someone whistling and clapping.

You broke away from the kiss, leaning forward to rub the tip of your nose with his. You looked around for the source of the whistle.

There he was, Jace standing up and clapping. “Whew! You did it! Now get a room!”

You laughed and pulled Aemond away, taking him to your dorm building. As soon as you arrived at your door, you pulled him in for another kiss, this one a little harder than the first. Somehow you got your key into the lock and let yourself fall into your room. Aemond kicked the door closed without breaking away from you.

“I have to tell you something,” you said between kisses.

“Whatever it is, it can wait. I want these clothes off you so I can get back down on my knees.”

“Fucking hell, Aemond, when you put it like - fuck.”

Aemond ran a hand up your body and cupped your breast. You arched into his touch.

“There we go,” he praised you. “It’s just you and me.”

You whimpered when he snuck both his hands under your shirt to take it off.

“No bra? What a bad girl,” he smirked as he leaned down to take a nipple in his mouth.

“Oh, fuck, Aemond. That feels good.”

“Mhm,” he hummed against you.

You backed your way to your bed and he gladly followed, briefly letting go to take his shirt off as well. Leaning back on the bed you admired his body. Aemond was toned and had a happy trail that certainly made you happy. You rose up on your knees and brought him back down in a searing kiss.

“I want all of you,” he murmured against your lips.

A hand traveled down to your core over your shorts where he gently pressed it against you. Once again, you found yourself arching into his touch.

“So responsive,” he chuckled. “I bet you’re fucking wet. Is that right?” He drew circles over your shorts before diving under them.

“Aemond,” you moaned.

“Hm?”

“I want you to touch me.”

“Baby, I am touching you. I even sucked on your nipples. You want more?”

“Yes, please.”

He brought his mouth back to your tits, sucking on one nipple while his other hand ripped your shorts.

“No panties, either? Tsk, tsk, tsk, you’re really a bad girl.” He dipped his fingers into your core. “I was right, you’re fucking soaked.”

Aemond pumped you full with his fingers. You couldn’t help but moan and find a rhythm with him. When he took his fingers out you frowned. He brought them to your mouth.

“Suck,” he commanded.

You did as he said, tasting yourself on him. You released his fingers with an obscene pop.

“Now it’s time for me to eat that pussy of yours. Spread your legs wide, baby.”

You immediately did what you were told. The air was cold against your core but Aemond was quick to remedy that. He kissed his way up your thighs, never really going where you wanted him.

“Aemond, please,” you begged.

You felt his smile against your thigh.

“Don’t be such a tease - oh!”

His tongue flicked your clit and pleasure surged through your body. He ate you like a man starved. When he stuck one finger in you, you moaned; when he added a second and third, you arched into him; when he found that special spot inside you, you screamed.

Aemond was quick to cover your mouth with his hand and lifted his head up briefly. “Quiet, baby, we don’t want to get caught, do we? Or maybe the thought of that excites you.”

He went back to your drenched pussy, licking and sucking everything he could.

“Fucking hell, Aemond. Please, I need you inside me!”

“As you wish,” he said against your thigh.

He gave you one last kiss before slipping off his pants and underwear.

Fuck, he’s big.

Your eyes widened at his size and your mouth watered. You wanted, no, needed him inside you.

“I have an IUD, so don’t worry if you come inside me,” you told him.

“Oh, now I’m excited.” He gave you a wicked grin.

Aemond lined himself up with you and rubbed his cock against your slit. Fuck, it felt so good. He slowly pushed himself into you. It was pure bliss. He was so big but you took him in.

“There we go. What a good girl,” he praised. “You feel so fucking good.”

All you could do was nod. You didn’t trust yourself to form coherent words.

He started pumping into you, picking up the pace when you matched a rhythm with him. Aemond leaned forward, holding himself just above you, and pressed his forehead against yours.

“Fuck, this feels so right. You were made for me.”

After a few more thrusts he pulled out of you and you whined.

“On your hands and knees, baby. I want that ass in the air.”

You turned over on your stomach and shook your ass for him. When he slapped it a moan slipped out.

“You like it when I spank you? I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” He rubbed the spot he smacked you and then kissed it.

“You have such a beautiful ass. Fuck, and your pussy. All for me.”

As he sank his cock deep into you, you almost screamed. This angle was so much better, you could feel all of him. You rocked back to meet him with each thrust. Aemond’s breathing was becoming ragged and you could feel yourself near your peak. He brought a hand around to play with a nipple.

“Touch your clit for me,” he ordered.

You were quick to do as he said. It brought you closer to your orgasm and it felt so damn good.

“Aemond, you’re gonna make me come!”

“Hold onto it baby, I want you to come with me.”

He started rutting against you hard, each thrust becoming more and more erratic. You never let up on rubbing your clit. You were squeezing him hard. You knew you were close. You knew he was close.

“Fuck, fuck, baby. Come with me,” he almost begged.

“FUCK!” you came hard squeezing his cock as he spilled himself inside you.

Aemond collapsed on top of you, breathing hard. For a few minutes the two of you just lay there together in pure bliss. He kissed your cheek before sliding himself out of you and rolling over to the side.

“So, how do you like dating me so far?” he asked.

“Oh, shut up, asshole.” You playfully swatted him.

“Come on,” he got off the bed and held out a hand for you. “Let’s shower so we can sleep.”

“Together? Already?” You gasped dramatically.

“Yes.” He pinched you when you stood up and took his hand.

As you started up the shower, Aemond came up and hugged you from behind. “You said earlier you needed to tell me something?”

“Oh, yeah, that. Please don’t get mad at me,” you laughed.

He gave you a skeptical look.

“Jace and I were never dating. It was all fake. I did it to piss you off.”

Aemond buried his head in your neck. “You can be such a snake,” he chuckled. “But I’m glad it was fake. I hated the thought of you being with him.”

“And now I’m yours.” You kissed his cheek.

“And now you’re mine.” He stepped away and pulled you into the shower.

“Promise me you won’t leave me again?” you asked after a few moments under the water.

“Never again, I promise.”

[marthawrites]

"don't shut me out. please"

I hope it is not too late for me to join the celebration ☺️ Congratulations! 💕👏🏼

Thank you sooososo much! You are such a gem and I appreciate all of your fandom love more than you know! I did my best to include a (one shot appropriate) slow burn, angst, and a happy ending. I hope you enjoy this ride MWAH!

Summer's End, Autumn's Beginning

Modern Aemond Targaryen x fem reader

Word Count: 6.3k+

About: A chance encounter with Aemond leads to a whirlwind of emotions. Over the next few months you both fail, in yourselves and in the relationship, and learn from the mistakes.

Includes: Chance encounter, age difference (references to Aemond x Alys) mentions of cheating, allusions to cheating, angst, second chance romance, and smut featuring vaginal fingering, possessive sex, and unprotected protected vaginal sex

Note: Hello lovely reader! This is the longest piece I've wrote in quite awhile - whew! I also feel like it's one of the more ambitious one-shot fics I've worked on/completed. Reader is non-descript. As always, please, enjoy!

read part 2 Between the Covers here

-

I.

There were two things tied for number one on your five-year goal list.

First, be out of your city apartment (preferably as a home owner and not a renter)

Second, have a dog. 

They went hand in hand. One couldn’t happen without the other. So, it was a hard tie and you weren’t willing to budge on either. Until then, to take the edge off your self-proclaimed animal loneliness, you volunteered at a local shelter two nights a week. Mondays and Wednesdays.

While your day job wasn’t a doctor, lawyer, or professional athlete – ones that your family pushed you to have while growing up – it still paid decently and had the potential for career advancement. And! You were able to live on your own. Not having a roommate was worth the dry job description. Besides, your boss was fair and most of your co-workers were friendly; a win win, really.

Tonight, Monday, you finished your shift, went home to change, then headed out to the shelter. Even though it was all volunteer hours you valued punctuality and did your best to get there around the same time each night.

“Hey! You made it!” Arryk called out to you when you stepped inside the building. Chaos sparked all around. He did a great job running and maintaining the schedule, and with the help of volunteers alongside regular staff, it was, more often than not, smooth sailing. Tonight, however, it appeared quite the opposite.

“Hey! Yeah, a few minutes later than usual, sorry!” You said as you walked over to him.

He waved a hand brushing off your apology. “No worries. We had a few people call in today. So, since being short staffed we’re definitely running behind. I know you normally help bathe the dogs with Baela tonight, but can I ask you to do something else instead?” He winced slightly with his question, unsure of your answer. He knew how much you loved Baela and cleaning the dogs!

You squinted at him suspiciously. “Why are you looking at me like that?” You asked, crossing your arms. “You know I won’t administer shots. If I could get over my fear of needles I’d be a veterinarian and not an office worker like I am!” You scrunched your brows before one, all on its own accord, arched up dubiously.

“Ha!” He laughed. “No no no, I know. We have six dogs that need walking tonight. And I don’t think Targaryen can handle all of ‘em.”

“Helaena? She’s back?” You asked, eyes bright with surprise.

“She’s still away for that college trip. It’s her younger brother, Aemond. Have you met him before?”

You’d heard Helaena talk about him, of course, but you’d never met him. Shaking your head, you peered around the shelter looking for anyone else with the Targaryen tell-tale silver-blonde hair. No one caught your eye. “I haven’t. But, I don’t mind.”

“You are a lifesaver!” He praised. “He’s down the west hall getting them ready. Depending on how long you're here afterward, there might be another couple who could use a second walk. Terriers. You know how they are.”

“Happy to help, Arryk!” He was a good guy. You’d always liked him.

“Aemond’s tall, towheaded as the rest of his family, and has an eyepatch. You can’t miss him.” And with that Cargyll switched tasks and got right back to work.

Turning and walking down the west hall, you were happy to say, chaos began to fizzle out. This hall had the larger dogs; no wonder Aemond wouldn’t be able to walk all six at once. Even with the slow turn of summer to autumn sunset wouldn’t be for another three hours. Assuming all went well you’d be able to walk the second batch of dogs, too. 

Down the aisle were five opened doors with each respective dog ready for their walk. Their leashes were hooked onto the door so they couldn’t run amuck. You patted and scratched them, earning yourself more wagging tails, a few happy barks, and some excited licks. Looking to the end of the hall you saw someone who you assumed was your evening walking partner. He was kneeling, talking soothingly to a great big senior hound, while clasping the final buckle of their harness. “Hello, uh-, Aemond?” You called out feeling slightly self-conscious. 

Still kneeling, he turned his head to look up at you. Any softness in his single eye quickly hardened to match the rest of his sharp features. “Hey,” he said, caught off guard by your presence; someone he’d never seen calling him out by name. “Is there something I can help you with?” Slowly, in a single fluid motion, he stood up and the aged dog kept his eyes on him the whole time, panting happily.

Whoa. He was tall. And, at first sight, incredibly good looking: dressed in casual black clothes, long silver hair tied into a braid, with a scar along the left side of his face that you had to tell yourself not to stare at. His mouth was a unique shape, too, and you weren’t sure if he was merely waiting for a response or if he was smirking the tiniest pout at you. “Hi,” you said again with a nervous laugh. You told him your name. “Arryk sent me. Said you could use some help with the walk tonight?” ‘Play it cool, dummy. He’s really handsome, so what? He could be a huge asshole. Play. It. Cool,’ your inner voice said.

Did he have a mechanical eye beneath his patch? The way he looked at you, then, made you feel like he read your thoughts. “Ah. I could certainly use the help,” he said smoothly with a small curve of lip, turning his attention to the three dogs at the front of the hallway. “Wanna take those three?” He asked, looping the big dog’s leash around his wrist. “I mean, you can have any of them as long as I get this guy. He’s my favorite.”

Your pulse raced a little too fast. Clearing your throat, you smiled in an attempt to ease the butterflies in your belly. “I don’t mind. Why is he your favorite?” You turned and began to unclasp leashes from their doors; happy tips and taps of claws growing louder at the pups’ excitement.

“Reminds me of my girl at home,” Aemond replied, adoration clear in his voice. “Big and old, a little stinky, a little slobbery. The best kind, really.”

“Aw, that’s very sweet. I don’t have any pets. I get my fix here,” you laughed. Holding all three dogs in one hand, you pulled the door open with the other. Except, it didn’t open. On instinct, you tried again hoping Aemond didn’t notice.

He strode up next to you with the rest of the dogs in tow, smirking at you for real this time, as he said, “it’s a push door.”

You knew it was a push door. Fuck. He gave you a knowing glance over his shoulder as he walked out, waiting for you to follow along.

II.

You didn’t see Aemond on Wednesday and you couldn’t deny your disappointment when you left for the night. Come to find out you two had been volunteering at the same place for months – only on different days. He tended to be there Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Monday had been a chance encounter. One you couldn’t shake out of your head. 

Before leaving tonight, however, you took a selfie with Aemond’s favorite old hound. You’d exchanged numbers but hadn’t an excuse to strike up a conversation. Yet. Now, with the selfie as an excuse, you opened a fresh text thread and sent him the photo along with:

Someone missed you tonight! 

While buckling up in your car and getting ready to reverse out of your parking spot, your phone dinged with an incoming message:

Very cute. Will you be there on Monday? Maybe Cargyll will assign up walking duties again.

Your belly flipped. Truthfully, you weren’t expecting him to message back – especially so quickly. Before you could stop yourself you sent back:

Yup! See you then?

And he sent:

I’ll find another excuse to be there. 

Feeling a little bold, you replied:

Excited to see you again! You have these adorable dimples when you smile. Maybe I’ll see those, too?

When nothing came through for a few minutes, you feared you might have gone too far. It was just a little innocent flirting, right? Nothing bad? And then:

Maybe so. See you Monday.

Smiling, you didn’t send anything back. It’d be your luck to say something dumb and rub him the wrong way. 

During your first walk, as soon as the ice broke, you both clicked really well. Hopefully – just maybe – things would flow like that again. The connection you felt, something akin to a liveware, couldn’t have been one-sided. He had to feel a spark of it, too; even if just a little.

You drove home, made dinner while facetiming one of your friends from uni, and when she asked about the spark in your eye you told her about your friend Helaena’s younger brother.

III.

“I seriously cannot believe you’ve never seen The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit trilogy was a little silly, but watchable. But you haven’t even seen that?” Aemond asked clearly aghast at your lack of understanding his reference.

Tonight, you both got walking duty again and neither of you complained. And, this time, he regarded you with a softer look in his eye than his original sharp glance. He was dressed in dark casuals again and you hated (loved?) how good he made them look. His hair was in a bun and his eyepatch stayed firmly in place. You wanted to ask him about it but weren’t sure if you should try it yet. Instead, you rolled your eyes and laughed. “You’re making it sound better and better the more you talk about it.”

“That’s because it’s the best.” The dogs pulled both of you along and you had to walk brisker than normal to keep up with them and Aemond’s longer legs. He seemed unaffected by it.

“So, you recommend I watch it?” You asked playfully.

“No,” he started, very serious. “I recommend you read it first and then watch the movies.”

If you had more breath in your lungs you’d have giggled – not laughed, but giggled. Something about the way he said it, and the totally serious look on his face, tickled you. “Will you watch them with me?”

The question appeared to catch Aemond off guard. He looked at you, lingering over your pinkened cheeks and smirking lips, before finally making it back to your eyes. Just when he opened his mouth to say something in reply, a completely unrelated thing stole his attention. Sometime during your bantering you’d made it back to the shelter, and a tall dark-haired woman called out, “there’s my sweet Aemond. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you and you haven’t been answering your phone.”

If you thought Aemond attractive, this woman made him look like any regular ol' Joe. She was elegant, warmed by a late summer tan, and had raven dark hair cascading down her back; truly a vision of enchantment. When she sauntered to him and pressed her body to his, you felt like a voyeur watching the embrace.

“Alys,” Aemond breathed quietly. “What do you want?”

“You know what I want,” she answered as she trailed manicured fingers across the front of his chest.

She had a timeless look to her, the kind that concealed her age. She could have been anywhere from twenty-five to fifty, you thought. You really hadn’t a clue. All you knew, now, is that you should finish your task alone.

Aemond’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. Posture tense. “I told you I was busy tonight–”

Before you could stop yourself you cut him off with an awkward wave. “See you later, Aemond.” And, with that, you walked inside before you overheard anything else they might be saying to each other. Turning to glance over your shoulder one last time, you were met with a look of deliberate triumph from Alys; she had the greenest eye you’d ever seen. 

It was haunting.

Driving home, you felt stupid. Aemond was just a guy you just met. It was silly to think someone like him would be single and even sillier to think your innocent flirtations would be working on him. You had half a mind to delete his number. Or, at the very least to delete the short message thread of your texts.

Instead of making dinner like you normally did, you called in delivery and facetimed with your friend as you waited. She immediately knew something was off and you were quick to tell her everything that happened.

Twenty minutes passed and you were starting to feel better. It’s not like you two hooked up or even kissed. It was just a chance meeting with playful banter. Nothing to get shook up about. “Food’s here. Thanks for listening to me. I’ll talk to you later. Love you!” You said as you got up to answer the door. 

When all else failed, your favorite food could always make you feel better.

Turning the tv on and sitting down amongst your couch pillows and blankets, you were getting ready to dig in when your phone rang. 

Aemond. 

Your insides did a weird flip and hunger disappeared entirely from your mind and belly. Should you answer? Let it go to voicemail? Turn the stupid thing off and completely ignore him? Right before the final ring, you decided. “Hello?”

“Hey,” he said, immediately sounding relieved. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t yet ready to call it a night with you.”

“It’s no biggie,” you replied. Lying. “I didn’t want to interrupt anything–,” you paused, searching for something else to say to soften the edge of your voice, “–the dogs were getting tired anyway.” God. It sounded stupid even to your own ears.

Aemond sighed through the phone. You wondered if he slid his hand down his face or through his hair. It sounded like he did. “No. Alys is… it’s complicated. She’s my ex and–”

“ –you don’t have to explain anything to me,” you said, cutting him off. “Really. It’s fine.” Despite it being a phone call, you tried to smile as if it would blunt the dismissal of your tone.

“I mean it,” he said. “I really wasn’t ready to say bye yet. What do you say you skip your regular Wednesday night plans and grab a milkshake or something with me?”

Your insides flipped again but for an entirely different reason this time. You knew it: the sparks definitely weren’t one sided. The firm set of Aemond’s jaw and the rigidness of his shoulders flashed once more in your mind’s eye. Since your break up with your long-term boyfriend you’d been on a few dates, but none of them lead to anything worthwhile. With how you and Aemond clicked, however? This date might lead to something more than a hook-up (or, attempt at a hook-up. Some men truly had no game). “Are you sure…?” You asked after a moment. “You and Alys looked pretty comfortable–,”

“ –I’m sure,” it was his turn to cut you off.

“Alright then. Let’s do it.”

IV.

It'd been two months since your first milkshake date with Aemond – the first of many dates. It was a guilty pleasure of yours and apparently one of his, too!

Your first kiss, first time meeting his elder dog, Vhagar, and first time meeting his family were all memories you cherished. 

The more you learned about Aemond’s relationship with Alys, the more you understood it "complicated". Including Targaryen drama, Targaryen business, and a list of other things you had a hard time following. It didn’t matter anymore, though, Aemond reassured you. Things were done between them and he only wanted you; proving it to you with fingers and mouth until you begged for a break.

A lesson you learned from your last relationship – one Aemond learned from his, too – was to be careful with love. As much as you genuinely enjoyed him and his company, a barrier stood between you that neither dared yet to cross.

Love.

Each day you fell for him a little more; you were scared to admit it. The scar of heartbreak healed slowly. Could you truly trust Aemond with that part of yourself? With the very essence of your heart? It’d been two months and you still weren’t entirely sure.

If he felt the same he’d say something, right?

Autumn blanketed the lands with brisk air, rainy days, and rolling fog. As days grew short and nights long, you and Aemond spent more time at your apartment or his quarter at the Targaryen estate. Your apartment was the clear favorite. Living alone had its perks: never having to worry about nosy family or friends who showed up unannounced.

And thank God you didn’t live with anyone else. 

"Mmh… fuck, baby, I've been thinking about this all day. I can't get enough of you. Let me make my girl feel good," he said against your mouth as one of his hands moved up the inside of your thigh. "Are you wet already? I bet you are," he chuckled, fingertips tracing your slit. "Mmm… I knew it. Your clit is sooo needy, isn't it?" 

Shit. Those hushed words, the glint in his eye, his rasped tone… you happily indulged him in whatever way he wanted. And him, you. Fingers, mouth, cock, he quickly learned what tricks made you melt. 

As much as he loved having you ride him, or bending you over, his absolute favorite was fucking you into the mattress. You sprawled out beneath him, hair messy and fanned out around your head, legs wrapped tight around his waist, fingernails on his body… he could never get enough of your blushed face beneath him, trembling and arching as he pushed you to peak after peak.

Your sheets had never been cleaned so often in your entire life.

It was particularly rainy today and you were both finished with everything on your to-do list. Aemond sat on the floor in front of you as you lounged in your overstuffed chair. You told him you'd read the Lord of the Rings as long as he read it to you. He didn't even pretend to be annoyed by your bargain. He read to you from his own collection, claiming he liked the worn feeling of the pages better than a new book's pages. 

Like any proper reader Aemond started with The Hobbit. You enjoyed it more than you thought you would. More so than the story, however, you enjoyed him reading aloud to you – he had the loveliest voice. You were about half way through The Fellowship of the Ring and the story continued to get better.

But, all afternoon, Aemond's phone never stopped going off. It seemed like every few minutes it would ping with some kind of notification. "Who's blowing you up?" You asked, annoyance creeping into your tone.

Stopping mid sentence, he looked. "Alys," he sighed as he scrolled through the various messages. 

You tried to not look over his shoulder to the texts. You really did. But there was something about Aemond's shift in posture, and the air around him, that made you suspicious. "What's going on?" You asked in your best nonchalant manner.

"She's asking if I have some of her clothes at my place still," he answered and you swore you saw pink spread atop his cheeks.

That caught you off guard. "Why would she have clothes–"

And whatever else you were going to say was abruptly cut off.

There, in a new string of messages, was the single text line, "I miss you, baby boy," followed by at least three photographs of Alys in lingerie and various stages of undress. 

"What the fuck Aemond!?" You asked, anger and hurt instantly warming your blood. "What the hell were those? Are you fucking joking?"

"I have no idea why she sent–"

" –is that why she left clothes at your place? Couldn't let her go for real? Jesus Christ I can't believe you." Anger flushed your face and bittered your words.

"Listen, please. Hear me out, bab–"

" –oh fuck off, Aemond, you don't get to 'babe' me around anymore. In fact, just leave."

He looked as hurt as you. And shocked. A hundred emotions played across his chiseled features. "No, really. Let me explain," he pleaded with eye and tone.

You weren't having it. You were cheated on before and he knew it. It made your own hurt cleave even deeper. You really fucking liked him. Maybe even loved him. And this whole time he had you and Alys? "I'm seriously about to get really fucking angry. Leave. Now."

He stood and left. Silent fury screamed around him like a whirlwind. He didn't even give you one final look over his shoulder.

He shut your door with a deliberate click.

You curled up in your blanket alone as fat ugly tears streamed down your face. You couldn't be bothered to grab a tissue for your snotty nose. 

Aemond's leather jacket was still draped over the back of your couch and his book still lay on the floor. Your crying somehow turned uglier at the realization.

Eventually you dozed off. With Aemond, you always had your phone on silent so you didn't hear all his missed calls and texts.

V.

The following month went by in a blur; you drowned yourself in work. You also stopped volunteering because you didn't want to give Aemond the opportunity to meet you there. By some feat of strength you ignored all his attempts at talking – and by proxy, apologizing.

The only thing you said to him was a single text:

I need time. Please understand

Part of you wondered how it affected him. His calls and texts became sparse until they eventually stopped.

Helaena asked where you'd been and you felt horrible lying to her. So, you didn't. After telling her the story she sighed and asked if you'd want to grab tea. You agreed. Meeting her at a local cafe allowed you to air out your feelings; laughs and tears alike. She was kind, and sweet, and supportive without being passive. She loved her brother but knew he had many of his own issues. You'd been friends for over a year and this was the first true heart to heart you shared.

Upon returning home you picked up the Fellowship and tried to read from where Aemond left off. But, it wasn’t the same without him and it only made you cry. Again.

VI.

The following morning, despite your car's newer model, it barely wanted to start for your drive to work. By a stroke of luck you made it there fine. And, made it back home that evening, too. But that was the end of your luck. It needed to be picked up and taken to a shop until a mechanic could see it.

Carless, you had to rely on Uber or public transportation. Yuck.

A few days of stress passed and now you were done for the week. Thank God for weekends. Unfortunately your groceries were extremely low and you would need to make a trip in the morning. You sighed and used it as an excuse to order pizza.

After waking up and a breakfast of (the last, and past its sell-by date) packet oatmeal you got around to make the walk to the nearest grocery store. Knowing you'd be walking home, too, the list was small. Carrying bags up two flights of stairs was hard enough, much less carrying them home a mile!

On the way back it started sprinkling. Great. Just great. You started walking faster with hopes of making quicker time than your leisurely stroll to the store. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, you heard your name called. Was that…? Stopping in your tracks you looked across your shoulder to the side of the road and saw none other than Aemond. You knew his car and voice anywhere. You didn't have to see yourself to know a dozen emotions played across your face.

"Hey," he said gently, his own features a mirror of yours.

"Hi," you said.

"Why are you walking in the rain with groceries?"

Slumping your unintentionally scrunched up shoulders, you sighed. "Stupid car died on me and it's been with the mechanic for almost a week."

He smiled softly. So soft. The outside of his seeing eye crinkled and emotion rushed to your chest. Your gut. "You're way too good to be walking alone. Let me drive you home at least?" 

You didn't resist. How could you? "Alright. Sure. Just dropping me off though, okay?" Guilt panged your chest. Did he feel it too? Could he read it on your face he knew so well?

"Alright," he answered, expression falling just slight. You might as well have stomped on his foot with how it affected you.

I miss you. I love you. I'm sorry. Can we try it again? Can I hold your hand? God I love your hair in a ponytail. You smell good. Did you see the trailer for that new horror movie? I miss you. I love you. I'm sorry. It all turned around your head like a fucking rotisserie chicken. It shouldn't be so hard to say any of those things to him. But it was.

You didn't say anything on the short ride home. Neither did he. His right hand flexed a few times and you wondered if he was having a hard time, too.

"Can you get it all upstairs?" He asked as he pulled into an empty spot and parked, looking across to you with horribly concealed emotion.

"Yes, but…," you trailed off momentarily, trying to read his face. "I still have your book and jacket. Wanna come up and grab them?" You asked hopefully.

He killed the engine faster than you could blink. "Yes! So that's where they've been. You could have mentioned it sooner," he said slightly accusingly, grinning at you with a spark of playfulness.

Leading the way upstairs to your apartment, you unlocked the door and disappeared inside. After placing your items down and grabbing Aemond's, you turned to look at him standing in the doorway. He leaned against it. Waiting. Quiet. He glanced around with a wistfulness that made your throat tight. You watched him watching you and your home until the air became awkward – was it half a second, a few seconds, longer? You weren't sure. 

Slowly you walked over to him. Your gaze flickered up at him as you handed his things back. "Were you ever going to tell me the truth?" You asked. "Did you think I really wouldn't find out? Why did you stick around if I wasn't good enough?"

He blinked. Taken back. "You never even gave me the chance to explain." His jaw feathered before it tightened. His eye hardened.

You grabbed the door, fixing to close it on him. Now that you started talking – unloading pent up questions which kept you tossing and turning at night – you couldn't decide if you wanted to slam it on his face or yell. "I told you how I was cheated on! And you did it anyway! I trusted you, Aemond." Your voice thinned, sounding shrill even to your own ears.

One of his hands braced on the door so you couldn't close it on him. "So this is your revenge then, huh? Punishing both of us? Why don't you trust me?" Hurt and fury simmered in the lovely hue of his eye. A storm. No, a hurricane. "Alys and I have been done for months. Months. Even before you and I met. I'm sorry for what she did but I can’t control what she does. She was playing her wicked games trying to sabotage us– you and me. Don't shut me out. Please." 

He pleaded, every pore and line of his face begging for forgiveness. As each word came off his tongue they clicked into place in your head. He meant it. He was telling the truth. Before you could stop yourself your fists balled into the front of his shirt, pulling him down so your mouth crashed up to his. "You mean it?" You asked through the kiss.

Instantly he leaned down into you, and instantly he held onto your waist pulling you deeper against him. His other hand cradled the side of your face daring to curve along the shape of your skull. "I mean it. Yes I fucking mean it," he answered against the kiss; breath stealing yours away until it left you in a little moan.

You pulled him inside and shut the door, locking it. You moaned as he nipped and bit at your neck. Your heart thumped wildly. He sucked at the sensitive skin, again and again, pulling away just before leaving a mark. "God, Aem,” you whimpered. Goosebumps covered your body. The only thing on your mind was him.

"Fuck, I missed you. I missed you so much." His hands were somehow all over you all at once. His mouth trailed, and dragged, and kissed over any exposed portion of your skin. He happily pulled off layers of your clothing to expose more and more of your soft, warm, saccharine flesh; intoxicating him. After weeks of your separation the last thing he wanted to do was to push too far too fast.  “Can I take this off?” He asked before taking your shirt off.

“Yes,” you replied breathily. “Fuck it. Take all of it off. I missed you too. So much,” you said as you helped pull his clothes off, too. He pushed you against a wall. You kissed. Heavier, and hotter, and hungrier. You pushed him against a wall. 

He gasped as he smirked. “I love when you act all tough when we both know I can have you squirming under me in minutes,” he growled, pupil swelling. The dimples at the very corners of his mouth betrayed his amusement, however, as he once again pushed you against the wall. You were both only in your underwear, now, and his lean body on yours had you aching. “My tough girl… how quickly do you think it’ll last when my fingers are in you?”

“Why don’t we find out?” You asked defiantly, knowing damn well it wouldn’t last long at all. By now you were both down the hallway and your bedroom was only a couple feet away. You needed him. Now. And judging by how fucking hard he was he needed you too.

The next moment went by in a blur and before you could catch yourself you were sprawled out on your back atop your bed. Aemond made quick work of moving you both inside, and made quicker work of pulling your panties down. He groaned as your thighs immediately spilled open for him. He dragged two fingers up your slit and circled your clit with your arousal. “Shit–,” he hissed. “Never make me wait so long to have this pussy again. Do you understand me? Never,” he said as he worked your already swollen clit. He played with it just how he knew you liked it and your cunt’s tiny wet sounds sent his cock throbbing. “Answer me.”

Tension built in the low muscles of your belly. Your legs began to tighten already – one of the tell-tale signs of your approaching climax. How the hell could he push you there so quickly? “N-never! Ahh-h never again!” You replied, voice light, and sweet, and tantalizing as any sin Aemond ever knew. “Please, Aemond, I want to cum…!”

He shoved those same two fingers into you. “Good girl,” he said as he curled those fingers. “This pussy is mine. All fucking mine. Give it to me,” he said huskily as he worked them in and out of you. It was sloppy and wet. Borderline obscene. Each time he slammed his hand against you he was mindful to press the heel of his palm against your clit and your mound, knowing how the extra pressure sent your pretty toes curling.

You cried out his name as your eyes clenched shut. The tension in your belly snapped and a wave of glorious bliss washed over you. Sweat sheened between your breasts and along your lip. You arched, quivered, shuddering in the aftermath of his intensity. 

Aemond’s mouth crashed to yours and you threaded your fingers through the roots of his hair. It was still in a ponytail and you had no mind to take it out, you just had to pull him deeper into the kiss. He tasted the salt of your sweat and groaned. “Relax your pussy, baby, you’re clenching me really hard. It feels amazing but I don’t wanna hurt you pulling out,” he said tenderly, nuzzling his nose into the crook of your neck.

“Sorry,” you giggled. “Just feels too good.” You tried to steady your breath and relax as he laid beside you, continuing to kiss your neck and shoulders. When your spongy walls finally eased around him you were sad to feel him withdraw. Stress melted away from your subconscious and you wanted to thank him for the pleasure. You wondered if your eyes said it while he looked at you.

Leaning up, he discarded the final piece of his clothing and sighed in relief as his cock sprang free. He got between your thighs and looked down at you hungerily. “Look at you all doe eyed already. See? I knew you couldn’t stay tough for long,” he said, smug, as he lined up with your drenched cunt. He held one of your legs up against him, and you pressed the other against his side. 

When you left for the store this morning you had no idea your afternoon would go in this direction.

He pushed into you. Inch by inch he sunk into you and soon he was as deep as he could be. A moan escaped both of you, and a throatier one left him when his free hand tugged at your bra. It was one that clipped in the front. He popped it open and rocked into you as soon as your tits spilled free. "You're so sexy like this."

With your body already sensitive from your first orgasm, and now with Aemond building a rhythm between your thighs, you weren't going to last long. "You feel so good," you purred, eyelids heavy. "Fuck I missed you."

Another sound left his chest and when you wrapped your legs around his slim waist you swore you felt goosebumps pebble all along his skin. Or, maybe those were your goosebumps on your legs. Whatever the case, Aemond leaned forward and kissed you again. "I missed you too," he rumbled. "Gonna let me fill this pretty pussy with my cum again?"

You two made good use of your birth control and you weren't about to deny him – or yourself – the pleasure of being thoroughly fucked and stuffed. "Y-yeah," you stammered, smiling.

Aemond mumbled something incoherent into your neck, and if your brain wasn't foggy from his perfect fucking cock you might have caught what he said. 

He leaned up and supported himself on his forearms, pressing his forehead to yours. "You're my girl. You're my fucking girl. You're my fucking girl," he repeated again and again until the pace of his thrusts grew sloppy. Somehow the sloppiness of it, the neediness and urgency of his voice, sent emotion swelling in all of you.

Heat collected and grew out from your spine, webbing throughout your entire body. You clung to him desperately. You rolled your hips up into him and shamelessly grinded your clit against his pelvis as he drove in and out of you. It was all too much. You crumbled beneath him and let orgasm take control of you. The depths of your body squeezed and convulsed around him, holding him tight and soaking the fullness of his length with your slick. He never stopped or paused his thrusts. 

His own peak followed. Once he was as deep as he could be he released everything he had into you. He stayed there, both of you panting through little moans, until he no longer twitched between your stretched walls. Slowly, he pulled out, and slowly, his seed dribbled out of you. Grinning, he rolled onto his back and scooped you against him.

"Let's stay here like this all day," you mumbled happily, fingertips trailing up and down his abdomen and chest.

"You'll get no argument from me," he said.

Quiet minutes passed and the sound of his heart nearly put you into a trance. "I'm sorry for how I acted," you finally admitted.

All the while he'd been petting and trailing his fingers through your hair. He didn't stop as he answered, "and I'm sorry for not trying harder." He kissed your forehead and held you tighter.

"Let's try it again. For real this time. With the titles and commitment and everything."

"Are you asking or telling me to be your boyfriend?"

You smirked. "I'm suggesting."

Returning your smirk, he pulled you atop him so you could straddle him. "You're all mine," he said with a dark eye. "My perfect girl." 

Leaning down, you kissed and nipped his bottom lip. "Are you already hard again, Aemond Targaryen?"

A chuckle rumbled somewhere in his chest as his touch dented into your hips to hold you at just the right angle. With a roll of his hips he pushed himself up inside you again. "Whose cock is this?"

You gasped, eyes darkening with another round of lust. "Mine."

"That's right. Yours. Not anyone else's. It's fucking yours."

You rode him until your tits were covered in fresh hickies and you were filled with another load of him.

Yours. His. The second chance you both needed.

-

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider a follow, and/or reblog, and/or letting me know as it all makes me vvvery happy! ♥

To be added or removed from the taglist, hit me up!

Masterlist

Main taglist: @watercolorskyy @melsunshine @girlwith-thepearlearring @arcielee @barbiedragon @dreamsofoldvalyria @chompchompluke @fan-goddess

Aemond taglist: @darylandbethfanforever9 @bellaisasleep @aemondsblog @khaleesihel @sirenofavalon @sahvlren @doublesparrows @aemonds-fire @nikstrange @abbyandizzysmum @lost-and-founds @castellomargot @okfashionista @avidreader73 @snh96 @boofy1998 @evermorre

[pandora-writes-one-piece]

The Meet Cute - Ace's Story - 3

Source for pic

Firestarter 3

Word Count: 4300

Tags For The Whole Story: Fem!Reader, slight NSFW (It's mature, not explicit), slightly sugestive behaviour, flirting, jealousy, frenemies, sexual tension, miscommunication, unresolved tension, slight angst, slow-burn, romantic comedy vibes, alternate universe modern setting, swearing, drinking, fluff, feelings realisation, denial of feelings.

Special Warning: English is not my first language, I apologise for any possible spelling or grammar mistakes.

Summary: After moving away from the hustle and bustle of Grand Line City to help your father around the property following a horse-riding accident - and in the hopes of healing your broken heart after your asshole ex-fiancé cheated - you settle into the country calmness of the Calm Belt. You intended to have some alone time, to reflect and heal, but your childhood friend's older brother, Ace, seems to be there just to upset that fragile peace you're striving for. He's a flirt and a womaniser. But why does he also have to be so handsome and perfect? And how long can you resist his charms?

Notes: Are you guys liking the story so far? I'm almost done writting it. It will be around 10 chapters, maybe 11. If you wish to be added to a tag list, say so! Thank you!

Masterlist for previous introductory chapters.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

“How was the run, bug?”

“Fine.” Grumbling, you drink a large glass of water and start biting down on an apple. “What do we need to do, today?”

Shanks sees your foul mood and deftly avoids it, enumerating all the menial tasks that need to be done. Not only on the property, but also in the house. 

“Okay, I'll take the inside of the house, you get started outside. Fair?”

Shanks nods as he reaches for his straw hat. 

“At lunch we'll discuss your surgery. I've given you enough time.” Your voice is stern and you almost sound like your mother. Shaking that thought away, you grab your supplies and get started. Cleaning the house has always allowed you time to think, and you're in desperate need of that. 

The bathrooms aren't that dirty since it's really only the two of you in the house and, surprisingly, Shanks is pretty clean. So, as you scrub the shower, you start to think about Ace. He's the epitome of the boy next door. With all the repercussions of it and all the girls that come with him as well. And despite your mind telling you constantly that you should not be with him, you can't help your body from desiring him. 

You even consider giving in to temptation and getting with him, just for fun, so you can finally get him out of your head. But that's just stupid. And counterproductive. So you scrap that thought. 

But you still revisit that ‘friends’ idea. You have fun with him and you could use some fun in your life. You just need to stop thinking about him carnally. How hard can that be, really? 

Just on cue, your phone buzzes and, after finishing the shower, you remove your gloves to read it. 

Dinner? Friends have dinner together. You both need to eat. But you have to make sure that it's nothing romantic. He needs to understand that. Or that you're not just one of his usual girls. He needs to understand that as well. Yet you seem to be taking a while to answer, so he adds another thought. 

You exchange a few more texts to get the hour and arrange to meet him since he's going to be there sometime in the afternoon. What should you wear? Well it's just a friendly hang. You don't need to wear anything special. 

Maybe you should call Nami… but that is a double-edged sword. Do you want to involve Nami in this? You know she'll be all up in your business with incessant questions and… Groaning you dial Nami's number and set it on speaker as you use your nerves to tackle the toilet. 

“Hi, girl!

“Hey, Nami, you busy?”

“Nope. It’s actually my day off, and Vivi managed to escape her City Hall duties earlier than expected, so we’re hanging.” You smile into the toilet. You had met Vivi over online calls but you had yet to meet the real thing. She is Nami's girlfriend and an angel for putting up with her fiery attitude. 

“Send her my love. Can you help me?”

“What is it, sweetheart? 

You sigh, but ultimately decide to treat this as if it was a band aid. Just rip it and scream after. 

“Well, Ace invited me to hang with him at the firehouse so he doesn't spend his shift alone. Pizza and movies.” You ignore the high pitch squeal on the other side and are already regretting all of the life-choices that led to this moment, but you continue. “It's a ‘friends’ thing!” You emphasise. “I just need to know if you have any tips on what I should wear? For a friendly hang!” You need to reinforce that notion. 

All credit where credit is due. Nami doesn't squeal anymore on the phone, though she can't quite disguise the amusement in her voice. 

“Honey, can I come over after lunch? We can choose together.”

“Oh, no, no. I can't intrude on your time with Vivi!”

Nami giggles on the other side. “I'll bring her along! And some of my clothes too… Talk later, hun!”

Crap, you shouldn't have called Nami. She's going to bring the skimpiest clothes ever. 

-*-

“That's too much, Nami!” You whine and kick the high heels away from you. “It's a friendly thing! I'm wearing sneakers! Help me out, Vivi.”

The blue-haired girl giggles and shows Nami an apologetic smile. “She wins, Nami. Simple is better in this case.”

“Fine!” Nami concedes with a pout and you sigh exasperatedly. You're tired of trying on clothes and you still need to take a bath. “But you're not passing out in thigh-high socks or shorts!” She squeaks. “I know that showing your thighs like that will drive him crazy.”

You roll your eyes at her as you set aside the chosen outfit. It's not that bad. You won, it's simple, yet cute. “I don't want to drive him crazy.”

“Sure, honey. And I don't want to earn money.” 

“Unrelated.” You bite back. 

“Still, both are untrue.” She winks as she gathers the skimpy outfits she brought while muttering that she'd make you wear them on another occasion. “What about your hair? We could-...”

“No, no! It's fine! I got it from here, Nami. Thank you so much for your help. Vivi, thank you for coming, your help was precious in handling Nami.”

She giggles and agrees. Both girls tell you to have fun tonight and Nami begs for a text with an update when you get home. Even if it's in the morning, and she double winks when you remain stoic at her joke. Before your bath, you go downstairs to accompany them and have a quick word with Shanks, who avoided surgery conversation at lunch like a professional. 

You wave the girls goodbye and then saunter to the living room, where your father is watching some sports game on TV and scowl while clearing your throat. 

“Oh, bug! The girls left? I thought you were going out for dinner?”

You blush slightly. “I am, just not with them.”

He mutes the TV to look at you with a raised brow. “Want to tell me who you're going with?” He raises his hand in the air. “Only if you want, baby, I know you're an adult now.”

“It’s just a friendly dinner. Ace wants to show me the firestation and we’re going to eat some pizza and watch some movies.” You seem to be finding it quite hard to hold your father’s stare.

“Ace?” His brows knit together but he nods. “Okay, be careful.”

Your head cocks to the side instinctively. “With what?”

“Just… it’s a dad thing, okay? Be careful!” He gets flustered and unmutes the TV but you’re still not done, so you position yourself in front of the screen on purpose. 

“The surgery, dad.”

Closing his eyes, Shanks sighs and turns off the TV. “Okay, let’s talk.”

-*-

You’re blow drying your hair after a quick shower while humming to a song. The talk with your father went as well as expected. He refused the surgery and you probed him so hard with questions that you finally understood he is simply afraid of becoming even more impaired than he already is.

You assured him that everything would be alright and that the condition his back is in is going to leave him impaired anyway and, after some coaxing and perhaps a slight hint of coercion, you managed to convince him to schedule a time with Dr. Law so he can give you both a step-by-step of the surgery, to assuage any fears you have remaining. 

You stare at the time and curse. You have about ten minutes to get ready and leave the house before you’re officially late. Finishing your hair, you apply very light makeup and then proceed to dress in the outfit that gave you a headache during the afternoon: jean shorts, thigh-high black socks, and a fitted black t-shirt with the most appropriate lettering for the occasion - ‘Firestarter’. You had almost doubled over laughing when you came across that shirt from your collection. You finish the look with your black and white sneakers and some bracelets. 

One last look in the mirror makes you shrug your arms and sigh. “It’s a friend’s thing. Stop overthinking it!” You growl to yourself and leave with a hasty step.

“Bye, dad, see you later!” You hear him rushing to the door of the living room and stare at you, his arm under his chest as if he was crossing it with his missing arm. You blush and add. “There’s lunch leftovers in the fridge if you want. Bye.”

“Bug.” You stop with the door open and turn back with a soft smile. “You look great.”

“Thanks, dad!” Your smile widens and you step out. “I really have to go, love you!”

You hear a soft ‘love you too’ before you close the door behind you. 

Luckily, your car - that’s now fixed thanks to Kid - doesn’t give you any trouble starting and you arrive at the fire station at the aforementioned time. Parking the car and taking a deep breath, you walk to the door and knock softly, phone already in hand in case he doesn’t hear you since the firestation is huge! It has three rolling garage doors for when the trucks need to exit and it looks old, its red bricks faded by the sun.

He must’ve been standing right on the other side of the door because it swings back and you are greeted by a smiling Ace.

“Hello, gorgeous.”

His smile falters as he sees you and you notice his eyes lingering on your exposed thighs. Nami was right. You want to giggle, but you remain composed. 

“Hi Ace.” Your eyes also linger on his muscular chest. You're used to seeing him without a t-shirt so you’re not quite sure why that black, fitted shirt makes him even hotter. 

“Wow.” He mutters. “You look… damn! Firestarter, indeed.” He chuckles nervously and you raise an eyebrow. Has the player run out of moves?

“Thanks.” You stand at the doorway awkwardly while he’s still hung up on how you look. It’s quite flattering, actually, and you are glad you took Nami’s advice. “Should we get inside?”

He gasps and moves away from the threshold. “Yes! Come in! I’ve already ordered the pizza, Deuce should be here any second now.” You nod and get inside while looking around. You enter some sort of reception area, so he leads you inside.

“This is the day room.” It’s a larger room with a big table, some chairs, a TV and a grey loveseat. “We’ll be watching a movie here.” He smirks as the doorbell rings. There’s a doorbell? You missed it. “Oh, it’s Deuce, I’ll be right back!”

“Wait, Ace! Let me give you some money for the pizza.”

“Are you kidding me?” He snorts. “No way.” Then he dashes through the reception room to get the pizza. You hear some sort of discussion but you can’t make out the words. You’re curious, but you don’t mean to pry since Ace acted as if he knew the pizza guy, so you entertain yourself by watching a case with old photos and trophies. 

Until you hear a hushed, ‘no, Deuce! Oh, come on!’ and a rustle of feet approaching. You turn to the door to be met with a grinning tall man with blue spiky hair and carrying two boxes of large pizza.

He chuckles and settles the pizza on the table, his eyes never leaving you. “Hi.” His grin widens and Ace enters the room with a scowl. 

“This is my idiot friend from school, Deuce. Deuce, this is…” He stammers and you take over.

“The idiot brother’s friend from school.” You tell him your name and extend your hand to shake it, but he smiles, takes your hand and places a kiss on the back, making you blush from the surprise.

“Delighted to meet you. You’re gorgeous.”

“Alright, okay, that’s enough. Bye, Deuce! Don’t you have more pizzas to deliver?” Ace grabs Deuce by the collar of his t-shirt and pulls him, making him let go of your hand.

“If you get tired of Ace, I’m great fun!” He replies, making you chuckle as Ace pulls him even harder. He’s halfway through the reception when you hear him exclaim: “You were right, Ace, this one is something!”

“Shut up, idiot!” 

The smile vanishes from your face as you stare at your reflection in the trophy case. ‘This one’ he had said. As if it’s a regular thing for Ace to bring girls to the firestation. Cute girls, apparently. Girls he actually wants to kiss. 

You sigh and shake your head as you hear his footsteps approach. No matter. You were only here for a movie and pizza. Nothing else. 

“Sorry about him. Deuce is a good friend but he’s a dick sometimes.”

You smile as Ace grabs some paper plates from one of the drawers and opens one of the pizza boxes. “Soda or beer?” 

“Soda’s fine.” You answer as he takes out two cans from the fridge. “What do you want to watch?”

Ace insists on watching a horror movie, thinking it might scare you, but turns out he’s the one doing most of the jumping. You eat three slices of pizza and Ace finishes the rest of the boxes. The man sure can eat.

Ace sits on the floor to eat the pizza, but as soon as you are both done, he climbs to the sofa, stretching as he does it to make it seem like his back hurts. You lean down, intent on removing your sneakers so you can get more comfortable on the couch when he gasps.

“What the hell is that on your arm?” He points and you eye him with a raised brow.

“What do you mean?”

“There!” He points again at your left forearm where there’s a big purplish bruise and you smile at him.

“Oh, this! It was from the other day. When I was almost hit by a car. It barely hurts.” You wave your hand dismissively but he grabs your arm to examine it closer and you clench your jaw. Why are his hands so hot?

“I did this?” He murmurs while his index finger ghosts over the bruise, creating a little trail of goosebumps.

“Well, yes, but, technically, you saved me so-...”

“I’m sorry.” He looks really apologetic, his eyes never leaving your bruised arm. The loveseat is pretty small so he’s really close to you and you can almost feel heat coming off of him. It’s not just his hand that is warm, it’s all of him. How is that possible?

“Ace, it’s okay. Really.”

He removes his eyes from the bruise and raises them to meet yours. You could close the distance between both of you with a mere blink, such is his proximity. His hands are still reaching and holding your arm, so he’s already leaning all over you and, once again, you feel some sort of magnetic pull. Some animalistic desire that makes you want to kiss him.

Your eyes dart down to his lips inadvertently, and your breathing accelerates. 

Friends, friends, friends!

Your mind keeps screaming at you, but his smell is inebriating and you want to drown in it. You want to drown in him. 

You’re just another girl. You’re just another girl.

He’s close, so close. 

The horror movie on TV unleashes a jump scare with a loud sound and this time, for the first time during the whole movie, you jump and get up abruptly. “Bathroom. I need to use the bathroom.”

Ace takes a deep breath and scratches the back of his neck. “It’s that door over there.” He points and you nod. You don’t really need to use the bathroom. But you needed to get out of his hold. Quickly. 

-*-

The mood returns to relaxed and normal when you return. You sit on the couch, having removed your sneakers, and sit with both legs bent to the side. Ace seems to find the seat small, so he stretches an arm over the back, behind you. 

The oldest trick ever. 

“So how come you still live with Mr. Garp?” You need to cut this sexual/romantic tension so, what better way to do it then by creating tension with his existing family member. 

You sense the change in his demeanour but his eyes never leave the screen. “It… just never happened.”

“Luffy and Sabo left. Is your grandpa ill?”

“No.” You sense his discomfort with the situation so you don't probe anymore. If he wants, he'll tell you about it. Which he does, after a moment. 

“I screw up a lot.” You turn to him. The seriousness in his tone conveys his real feelings and you hang on every word he's willing to give you. “I always have. I never had perfect grades, I just got by. I didn't go to college and I never joined the Marines like grandpa wanted.” He sighs and his gaze remains fixed on the TV though the ending credits have just started rolling. “I don't have any goals, I can't keep a steady relationship and, even if it looks like it, I don't have my life together. Grandpa doesn't believe I'm capable of great things. And it's true.”

Your eyes bore into his, but he doesn't turn to you. Swallowing a hard lump on your throat, you nod slowly. This man doesn't let his life move forward because he doesn't believe he is worthy of it. Garp had other plans for his grandson's life and, apparently, laid his frustrations upon Ace. Who now cannot escape this life on his own. 

“But you are capable of great things, Ace.”

He scoffs. “How do you know? I've changed! And even so, we hardly even talked before you left.” He doesn't mean to be hurtful, but it's true. 

“You're right. But here's how I remember you: A caring big brother who watched over Luffy when they got home from school and made sure he ate plenty of fruit with his snacks; A protective big brother, who caught Luffy with a broken lip and didn't rest until he found the bully and forced him to apologise; And even if it went against your aloof and bad boy persona, a loving brother who knew how to comfort and show love to a boy who needed it.”

His eyes finally turn to you. They're downcast, but you're sure he absorbed everything you said. Perhaps it is the beginning of a healing process for him. You can only hope so. 

“Thanks. I… I needed that.” He still seems lost, so you hold his hand and entwine your fingers with his, giving him some slight pats on the back of the hand. 

“Anytime you think you're not good enough or not capable… think of me, okay?” You grin and wink at him. 

Finally there's a hint of a smile on his face and that manages to warm you up. It felt nice to speak with him without him trying to escape the conversation with funny remarks. 

His thumb starts to trace gentle patterns on your hand. “I'm already thinking about you all day, what's the difference?” You want to believe him. His smile is genuine and you can almost perceive a small embarrassed look. But you can't really believe in him. The notches under his belt are too heavy to ignore. 

“I'm sure that works with all the girls.” You scoff and point your head at the TV. “Movie's over. Can you show me around?” You let go of his hand and lean down to put on your sneakers. 

“Yeah.” He replies dryly. 

-*-

He's shown you the locker rooms, the comms room, the small bedroom with two bunk beds, for when they spend the night, and now you're both standing in front of the pole. 

“Wanna do it?” He grins. “We need to get down so I can show you the truck. It's pretty cool…” He tempts you. 

“I don't know…” You eye the thing suspiciously. Technically, it's not hard. It's just sliding down. 

“I'll go first and I'll catch you if anything happens.” He assures you but you're still weary. “As much as I would love to catch you, I doubt you'll need it. You're so brave, courageous, strong-...”

“Eugh, stop that! Fine. I'll do it.” You giggle excitedly and he claps before grabbing the pole with both hands. 

“It's not rocket science. You grab, and you go down.” His voice descends as he slides down and you chuckle. Your nerves are getting the best of you. 

“Okay, okay, I got this.” You grab the pole with both hands. “Grab, and go down.” You do a little jump and squeal as you slide down. Ace is there to catch you but he was right, you don't need it. Though he still places his hands on your hips, just in case. 

“You're a natural.” His breath kisses your eyelids as you look up to meet his gaze. 

Magnets. 

But you need to reverse the polarisation. You need to be repelling, not attracting. 

“Thanks.” You whisper back. 

Reverse the poles. 

You walk away from him and act amazed at the huge space the trucks are in. It's a garage with firefighting equipment and two trucks and an ambulance. “It's huge!”

“Yeah I get that reaction a lot.” He chuckles and you can't avoid a snort. 

“You're quite cocksure.” 

“I sure am!” He keeps grinning and you laugh out loud. “Come inside.” Opening the door to one of the trucks, he, once again, sets his hands on your hips to help you up. Does he have a thing for hips? Because it sure seems like now you do! Everytime his strong hands grip you, you shudder and gasp at the feeling. It leaves you wanting more. How would his bare hands feel against your bare hips? 

Friends, damnit! Friends! 

Right. The truck! “So many buttons.”

He sits down in the driver seat and leans back. “Want to play the siren? It's quite fun!”

You look at him with half a smile, fairly tempted. “No, we shouldn't. We might give a heart attack to some senior citizens.” You grin. 

He still shows you where the button for the siren is and what the other buttons do. But after a moment in companionable silence, it's his turn to ask you a difficult question. 

“Why did you want to get married so young?”

It takes you by surprise as your face whips towards him, holding his gaze. He's serious again. “I… don't know, exactly…”

It's your turn to focus your eyes somewhere else and you choose your hands as you fidget with them. 

“It seemed like it was the right thing to do. My mom married my dad after high school. So when Ichiji proposed, I thought I should do the same.” You snort. “Look how well that worked out. To my parents and to me!”

Ace rests his head against the headrest and crosses his arms behind it, making his taut muscles bend and flex and you regret having looked, so you return your stare to your hands. Your innocent hands. 

Ace is very sinful. 

“I think it did. Both ways, actually.”

“What?”

He turns his head your way, slightly. “Clearly your parents weren't made for each other. I remember hearing them fight all the way to my house.” You can't help but agree with that. Both your parents were a lot happier and more civil with one another, actually, once they separated. “And your ex, clearly, was not meant for you. I mean… It takes a special kind of dumbass to cheat on someone like you…”

You fight against your better instincts. You should know better than to be swayed by his words. He's a player. He's got moves. He's got the right words. 

And they freaking work. 

Because you are a mess right now. Your heart keeps fluttering against your chest with all the sweet things he's saying and you've been rubbing your thighs together since he grabbed you by the hips when you descended the pole. 

Clearly you want him. You want him so badly. 

But you can't! Because you were never a girl for casual relationships and Ace doesn't do serious! He said so himself. So you sigh, do a little more rubbing and try to focus on grounding yourself. 

Off-limits. Off-limits. 

“Thank you for tonight, Ace. It was fun. I should get going.” You move so you can leave but he sets his hand on your forearm. 

“Are you leaving already? Did I do anything wrong?” Your stomach tightens and your chest aches. 

“No, Ace. You did everything right.” Leaning in, you give him a quick peck on his face. Then you turn and jump out of the truck. “I just have to go. I need to help dad, tomorrow. It's late, I'm tired.”

And you need to get away from him. 

He nods with a silly little smile on his lips. Your kiss helped make him realise he did nothing wrong. 

“Okay, sure. I'll walk you out.”

And after you gather your things from the day room, he walks you to the front door and into your car. You keep thinking that a goodnight kiss would be very nice. But you already gave him a very innocent kiss on the cheek and that should be enough. 

It's not. 

So you say another goodbye and enter the car. Your heart feels both heavy and light. It's a weird dichotomy that leaves you wanting more. Ace is fun and easy. But he's not boyfriend material. 

And you seem to have started to develop feelings for him. 

And that is not okay.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Motorcyle Mishap (or, Our First and Second Six-Way Fight)

~ set in a modern Vesuvia and not-so-subtly based off my accident last week, have a fic with my self-insert "Drue" and his motley friend group! xD written for @vesuviaweekly ~

My hands are shaking in the damp, misty air as I type out my next message to the group chat, my right fingers already swelling as a car drives by and shatters one of my lost taillights behind me.

Drue: hey, can somebody come pick me up? i'm okay i promise

I sigh and look down at my discarded helmet on the sidewalk, right next to my crumpled gloves and the absolute beauty that was my motorcycle currently laid out on the pavement. A well-meaning stranger pauses and calls out from the other side of the street.

"Hey, you okay? Can I get you anything?"

I smile and wave, hoping they can't see the shake in my arm or the grimace I'm fighting back. "I'm good, thanks though!"

"You sure?"

They look ready to cross the street. I don't have it in me to talk to strangers right now - "Yep! I've already got friends on the way!"

At least, I think I do. Judging by the incessant buzzing of texts flooding my phone, I'm almost certain I do.

Asra: omw, where r u

Portia: what happened??

Julian: Are you okay? What do you need? Are you hurt? Where are you?

Lucio: he said he's okay guys wtf

Nadia: Drue saying "I'm okay I promise" is precisely why I know he's probably not. Does anyone have his location yet? I expect to finish this early morning meeting in another ten minutes.

Drue: i'm at the corner of -

My keyboard is cut off by a new call screen, which quickly splits into two and then three incoming calls. I pick up on the one that I haven't heard from yet.

"Heyyy, Muriel, what's up?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the intersection of Gladiator Ave and Market St, just past the canal. You know, where the cobblestones have the old tram tracks in them?"

"Good. That's close. What happened?"

"Uhm - okay - so, I'm okay ..."

"You bold liar ~"

I pause at the second, considerably airier voice on the line. "Muriel is - is Asra with you?"

"Yep!" I can hear the engine of his hippie van hitch as he shifts gears. There's a moment of eerie silence broken by nothing but the clinking of their mirror hangings and their quiet hum of turning right here until Muriel pipes up again.

"I asked him to drive me. Keep talking."

"Oh - yeah - right, so I - I think I crashed my bike."

I hear a sharp inhale and the engine protesting as Asra slams on the gas. Muriel grunts out a quiet "don't speed" before turning back to the speakerphone.

"Continue."

I try to replay the events of ten minutes ago, taking a deep, calming breath and ordering my thoughts. "I was taking a sharp turn uphill from a standstill, and the roads are pretty slippery right now, and I think I rushed myself trying not to hold up any cars. My back wheel slid out from under me -"

The gears churn on the other end of the line again and I swear I can feel Asra's tense attempt at not coming across too concerned. "Did you hit anything?"

I rub my throbbing shoulder. "Just a lamppost. Thankfully I was able to stay upright long enough to get out of the intersection."

Two slow exhales on the other end of the line. And then there's Asra's classic relieved chuckle, mixed with the near-silent scrape of Muriel rubbing his hand over his stubble in anxious thought.

"Well, it sounds like you handled that really well! Faust would be proud."

"Where are you hurt?"

"I'm not seriously -"

"Hmph. Better hope you're right."

Sure enough, I glance up in time to see the yellow beams of Asra's headlights in the early morning fog. The next thing I know they're pulling up next to me and hopping out of the van. I'm ambushed in a flurry of white curls and a warm, relieved hug before Muriel gets close enough to lay a cautious hand on my shoulder.

"You're wearing armored leather. Good."

"You don't look hurt either, but - oh Drue, your hands are shaking."

I nod, suddenly tempted to choke up now that I'm not the only one facing the problem. "My fingers got mashed between the handlebar and the lamppost, but otherwise I think I'm okay. I'm more worried about Bonnie."

"Muriel will help with it," Asra interjects, earning a grudging don't volunteer me like that but also you're right look from him before turning back to me, "and Ilya should be here any minute now."

"Thanks." I sit down on the nearest curb and give my friends a once-over. Muriel's already hefting the 500-pound machine back onto its wheels, not minding the smudges of grease that wind up on his hiking boots and trousers. Asra, on the other hand, is proudly standing in the middle of the sidewalk in rainbow crocs, fluffy leopard print socks, paisley-printed boxers, a shredded second-hand sex pistols band tee with old paint splatters on it, and a starry purple bathrobe. They turn back to me quizzically as if they can feel my stare.

"Hm?"

"Did you just wake up?"

Muriel grunts as he finishes maneuvering my battered motorcycle into a proper parking spot. "Do you ever see him awake this early?"

"Only when it's because he hasn't fallen asleep yet ..."

"Exactly."

"Oh, speaking of sleep deprivation -" I point with my right hand out of habit and immediately wince and grimace at the pain that shoots up my arm. "It looks like Julian's -"

"I'm here! Where is he?"

Two car doors slam shut a little ways up the street and the Devorak siblings come running down the sidewalk with their characteristic enthusiasm. Julian looks about as disheveled as usual, with his younger sister already dressed and done up for the day and carrying several large bags on her shoulders. He drops to a crouch in front of me and reaches straight for my eyebrows.

"No immediate signs of a concussion, that's a promising start - where does it hurt?"

I squirm at the focused attention as he checks my pupils for a good response, suddenly aware of all the parts of me that really want to lie down, and seized with the need to seem like I've got it all together.

"It doesn't hurt anywhe -"

One stern look from Portia over his shoulder and my mouth clicks shut. "Drue I swear to all that is good and holy if you dare to keep us from helping you I will make you regret it."

I nod and turn back to the doctor gently tugging my leather jacket off my shoulders for a better look. "I hit the lamppost on my right side, but the only thing that really hurts right now is my hand."

"Let's have a look then, shall we?"

I can see a familiar brow furrow and chin wobble appear on Portia's face when Julian gently lifts my hand in his and everyone present sees the way my knuckles are slowly disappearing into the swelling, reddish-purple bruise. He slowly bends my wrist this way and that.

"Does this hurt?"

"Nope. Just my fingers."

He nods and sets my hand back down. "An X-ray might be a good idea, but in my professional opinion, you're going to be right as rain. Given that you - ah, take proper care of it."

"As if." Portia rolls her eyes and holds out an instant cold compress, fishing in her bag again for what turns out to be a hand wrap. "You don't have a great track record with doing things the 'proper' way."

"Hey -"

"Seriously though!" She crouches down next to me and shoves a pastry against my chest. "You just got your bike, and you took your first trip out in weather like this?!"

She gestures to the hanging fog and slick roads and I feel my face flush with embarrassment. Asra steps in, still on high alert from seeing me injured and trying to lighten the mood.

"What, do you expect him to control the weather now?"

"Pasha's right," Julian cuts in with an afflicted sigh, "riding a motorcycle is already taking a risk. Perhaps I should've warned you better when you were planning to buy one. If only I'd -"

Asra bristles. "Perhaps you should let Drue make his own decisions, Ilya -"

"Don't you talk to my brother like that!" Portia squares up to the bathrobe-clad DJ, shaking off her older brother's feeble attempts to tug her back. "At least he has something helpful to offer here!"

Asra snickers. "And you're doing ... what, exactly? Shaming him when he needs help?"

"Enough." Nadia climbs out of the sleek towncar none of us noticed pulling up. "Is an ambulance needed?"

"No -"

"Can you secure your bike?"

"Yes -"

"Then get in."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sit back on the plush sofa in Nadia's penthouse, watching sheepishly as she clicks back and forth in her heels. Portia hands her phone back to her with a playful smile.

"Your schedule's cleared, milady."

"Thank you, Portia." The city mayor graciously extends her manicured hand to accept it, and then turns back to face me with her polished nails tapping thoughtfully on the dark glass. "Now then, about the bike. Portia tells me it's currently enroute to the mechanic's, but whether or not you should ride that beast again is my greatest concern."

I look at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Julian clears his throat from where he's seated next to me on the couch, readjusting the cold compress he's currently holding against my hand. "We're not sure a motorcycle is - ah - wise."

"Ha! Do you think he cares about 'wise'?" Lucio appears from where he's somehow successfully invaded Nadia's liquor closet, an obscenely large amount of liquid sloshing in the glass he extends to me. I eye it cautiously.

"What kind of alcohol is that?"

"Does it matter? It looked like whiskey to me ..."

"Drue," Portia interjects worriedly, "what if it had been worse?"

I accept the glass with my good hand and take a hearty sip to avoid thinking about it. This tastes like a single malt. I'll have to remember to ask Nadia which bottle this is -

"C'mon, you're all overreacting!" Lucio flops onto the couch on my other side, flinging an arm casually around my shoulder. Asra and Muriel both stiffen slightly where they're occupying the nearby armchairs. "Everybody's gonna crash at some point! He just got it out of the way early, right? Besides, you gotta admit having one of those things is cool as fu-"

"'Cool', perhaps, but not safe." Nadia's eyebrows draw closer together the longer she ruminates on what's happened. "If he hadn't been able to keep the bike upright those extra seconds - if he hadn't been able to react in time - I fear to speak such things aloud, but he could have been trapped underneath it with a broken leg in the middle of an intersection. I don't take that scenario lightly."

Asra looks slightly queasy. Muriel, in typical fashion, goes right for the point.

"You could be dead."

"But he's not!" Lucio spreads his hands wide, grinning at his own truthful point. "He's fine! All he needs is some ice and he'll be zooming around town again in no time!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Lucio." Asra drags his hand through his hair, the curls practically standing on end. "Life is full of risks. I'm not going to stop him from living ... especially when, all things considered, he handled it really well." They finish their thought with a reassuring smile in my direction. I start to smile back, and then wince when Julian crushes the compress against my hand in protest.

"I see motorcyclists come into the hospital every day -"

"Exactly!" Portia interrupts, "It's one thing if you want to live on the edge, but something that dangerous is just stupid."

"Portia says it with more fervor than I would, but I must agree with her." Nadia sits at Julian's other side with a thoughtful hum. "You're inviting a level of risk you could be avoiding with a different vehicle. If it's a matter of purchasing power, I do have a vehicle or two that need a new owner."

I avoid saying anything out loud with another hearty sip of what's quickly becoming my new favorite liquor. Knowing Nadia, if I took her up on her offer, I'd be getting a brand-new car delivered to my basement apartment with a singular obligatory scratch somewhere on the back and a charge of five dollars for the transportation fee. Julian, getting antsy from the pause in conversation, turns to the one person who's barely spoken since he showed up.

"What, ah, what do you think, Muriel? You're - er - quiet."

Muriel's hum sounds suspiciously like a grumble as he shifts in his seat. "I'm not making his choices for him."

Portia, dissatisfied, fixes him with her blue-eyed stare. "And?"

"And ..." he shifts again, uneasy, "And if this is the riskiest choice he's making in his life right now ... I'm okay with that."

That leads to a longer, heavier pause. I can feel several pairs of eyes on the different set of faded, old scars further up the arm Julian's treating, and I hear a few quiet hums. Lucio squirms from the abrupt seriousness.

"I can drink to that, Scourge!"

"Don't. Call me that."

"Okay!" I jump to my feet, reeling from two six-way arguments in a row and what could easily be considered a triple shot of whiskey. Julian catches my wrist in protest and reapplies the compress. I swivel slowly to look my gathered friends in the face. "I appreciate all your thoughts and opinions and I will think about them seriously - as soon as thinking is easy again."

Julian stands to check my pupils again, smells the alcohol on my breath, and sits back down with an amused snort. I collect my thoughts and continue.

"Thank you - all of you - for rushing to help me. You've each helped me today in ways I wouldn't have been able to help myself."

There's a round of murmured "your welcome"s and one disbelieving "is he sober or isn't he?". I ignore the last remark.

"That said, I am ready to go home and lie down. I'll decide what to do with the bike while it's at the mechanic, so ... can someone drive me home?"

Asra's already rolling out of their seat, a collection of keychains jangling in their hand. Lucio holds up my empty glass.

"Want another?"

"No," I turn to Nadia, "but I would love to know which bottle that came out of."

She tuts graciously and stands up to walk me out. "I'll send you one of your own. You may need it as you recover."

Portia walks over with a kitchen towel to tie the compress to my hand. "Ooh, save me a sip!"

"And make sure not to mix it with any painkillers!" Julian calls from the couch.

"Let me know if you get the good prescription stuff, I'll buy some off you!" Lucio smirks at his unsubtle dealing request, earning a scolding look from Muriel as he escorts me out.

"Pretty sure that's illegal..."

Asra playfully holds out his keys with a teasing grin, waggling their eyebrows when I sway slightly on my feet. "So. Wanna drive?"

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hey, it's the DM anon. Sorry if I come off as too pessimistic, but I just want to address the reblog post

"Armand in the show doesn't need someone to introduce him to the modern world. He's already familiar with it."

This was kinda the point of my message. The main reason why the Devils Minion chapter is so popular is because it's not just a cat & mouse thriller; it's also a sitcom about a "normal" boy teaching a powerful 500 yr old immortal all about the modern world - the perfect blend of horror & romantic comedy. Logically I always knew that some of the relationship would be cut or altered when they adapted it to the show, but it looks like they're cutting all of the fan favorite scenes. (I will forever be bitter about losing 'Call Paris for me')

My fear is that the writers will change everything that made Devils Minion, Devils Minion. Whatever relationship Armand & Daniel have on the show will be brand new. I may be jumping the gun, but they've already changed the 2 reasons why Armand chose Daniel as his human companion in the first place:

1. He needed someone to teach him about the modern world and as the reblog stated, he no longer needs that. Which means we also won't get my other favorite scene: when Armand drags Daniel out of bed and demands he show him things in the city. He won't need to do that because he will already have explored these cities with Louis

2. He liked that Daniel wasn't afraid to stand up to him. But from everything the show, reviewers, and Eric has told us, '73 Daniel was just a bumbling idiot Yes Man. Where's the challenge?

And now we know that Loumand had several relationships with humans throughout the decades, some of whom got to live out their lives unharmed. So Daniel isn't even special, he's just the latest. Idk how the show expects to sell ArmanDaniel when they've erased everything that made them unique.

I know Assad talked about Armand's fear that Daniel knows Louis more than he does and the reblog thinks that might be the reason Armand falls for Daniel, but I'm nearly positive Assad was talking about Dubai Daniel not SanFran Daniel. The only connection Louis & Daniel seem to have in the 70s is their love of drugs, since one reviewer talked about how they're both fucked up during the first interview. I doubt young Daniel could stay sober long enough to have a meaningful conversation with Louis, let alone a meaningful relationship. So why exactly would Armand be attracted to him? I really hope the writers give us a real reason that's more than just "he likes him in the book. Y'all do the rest"

Anyway, thanks for allowing me to rant

:) All good.

But... I honestly would wait till the season has run. I do trust them when they say episode 5 and 8 are the game changers.

I know it's hard to stay calm when you have waited for so long to see a realization of something at all.

And... I don't think the "you can fuck them and I can eat them" humans (I hope everyone caught that line and that they attributed that to Lestat in s1^^) were anywhere close on the level Daniel will be.

I really don't.

Daniel is definitely special, as the interview in Dubai proves, imho. But... the timeline is different, that's all. Give it some time.

[tinytalkingtina]

Not a "Big Deal"

Written for the @strangerthingswritersguild kinktober day 21 prompt "ride" Rating: E (18+ only please) | ~1.3k words | Ao3 link

A sequel to Not Your "Cute Little Button" from day 10 (either can be read as a standalone though, just wanted to give these two a chance to let Eddie top in the micropenis AU <3)

Tags: Steve/Eddie, Eddie has a micropenis, mutual insecurities, blow job, fluff/smut/comfort, anal sex, Top Eddie/Bottom Steve, Steve's oral fixation continues to be happily fulfilled, modern AU, bisexual Eddie and Steve (it's not brought up in this one but I want it to be known lol), no feminization, the boys fall hard for one another

Many thanks to steddiecameraroll-graphics for the divider!

Eddie stared at the box of condoms, half expecting it to explode at any moment. The packaging claimed they were good for a “snug fit.” As if that would preserve his dignity for being too small to buy normal sizes. Belatedly, he realized Steve had continued talking after he had walked in and slapped the incriminating object onto the counter like it was nothing:

“I figured the kind I usually use probably wouldn't fit on you so uh, I got these? The lady at the store said they'd work fine unless you were super thick.” Of course Steve would have no problem asking someone what to buy for a tiny dick.

“You…you really want me on top?” Eddie asked. Steve nodded eagerly.

“Are you sure? It's okay if you don’t, it might not feel super good if I can't reach your prostate and you should feel good, it takes two to tango after all, right? Not that I'm saying I don't want to, because holy shit, you have a ‘well-turned ass’ as a French peasant would say, or maybe they wouldn't say that because it's too lustful and the Church of course—”

“Hey,” Steve interrupted his ramblings before he could launch into a wildly off-topic tangent about medieval Catholic guilt. “Weren't you just saying last week that the rim is a, what's the word, erroneous zone?"

“Erogenous,” Eddie wheezed, his face bright red.

Steve snapped his fingers.

“Oh yeah that's it, erogenous! When you do that thing with your tongue I see fucking stars man, so why wouldn't your dick feel the same? Don’t think we’re gonna have a problem though. Your fingers are shorter, and they've definitely managed to reach my prostate. If the play ends up not working then we'll regroup and try out another one, yeah? Change up the position.”

Eddie squinted at his boyfriend.

“Are you trying to give me a pep talk like this is the championship ball game and I'm the next guy up at bat to make free throws?”

“First of all, you know they’re called home runs, you came to two games when my kids made the playoffs, and second of all I don't know what you're talking about,” Steve said, like a lying liar. "It's working on you though, isn't it?"

“…A little.”

“Good.” Steve gave him a confident smirk, and G-d, Eddie had never been more attracted to the man. “Get undressed already so I can blow you first. Want you to last if I'm gonna ride.”

He eagerly followed him to the bedroom, leaving shed clothes in their wake without a second thought. Two months of dating and Steve lavishing compliments on him any chance he got meant that Eddie's instinctive self-consciousness about someone seeing him nude was finally giving up the ghost.

After one enthusiastic blow job—holy shit did his boyfriend love having something in his mouth when there was no risk of gagging—Eddie was rather proud of the valiantly quick rally on the part of his dick, eager to get to the main event of the afternoon. 

Steve pushed him onto his back against the pillows. Impatiently, he rolled the condom down and slathered on some lube before straddling Eddie’s legs. They both moaned as Steve slowly lowered himself, relaxing quickly.

A whispered “fuck!” escaped his mouth as he bottomed out and without pause began to frantically bounce straight up and down.

“Feels okay sweetheart?” Eddie had to check, even if another part of him continued to thrust in time to match Steve’s movements.

“Yes. See, I ohhh, told you so,” he said breathlessly, giggling when Eddie stuck out his tongue in retaliation. Steve was so beautiful like this, lit up in gold by the setting sun, chasing his pleasure with abandon.

As his boyfriend rode him ever faster, Eddie had to concentrate on not coming for a second time so soon. He grabbed Steve’s hips when he finally lost his balance and collapsed onto his chest, stomach muscles trembling from the effort of keeping himself upright for so long.

The movement was too much though, and Eddie felt himself slip out enough for Steve to whine in protest.

“Shit, lost it,” he said, desperately trying to find his prostate again from this angle, but it was no use like this. The bitter voice at the back of his head got louder and more insistent the longer he took. Steve was going to leave him now, he couldn’t satisfy him. He’d be nice about it probably, let him pick up the things he’d left in his apartment but—

“Eddie?” A hand to his face shook him out of the spiral. “Do you wanna stop?” Steve’s thumb brushed his cheek and came back wet.

“N-no but I’m so s-sorry, I can’t make you feel good.” Eddie squeezed his eyes shut and stilled his hips. “I can blow you or eat you out, whatever you want, just let me get rid of the condom and—.”

He let out a yelp when Steve suddenly flipped them over without pulling off, and locked his legs behind Eddie’s back.

“If you don’t want to stop, can you tell your brain to shut up? Told you we might just need to change the position.” He huffed out. “Come on, what I want is for your abs to get a workout instead of mine now.”

It took a few seconds for Eddie to process what Steve had said. But another bitchy demand had him get with the program. He hitched Steve’s legs higher over his shoulders before grinding down. Better able to move like this, it wasn’t long before:

“Yes, there, right there, please don’t stop!” Steve writhed underneath him, openly moaning as his hand drifted closer to his dick, where it slapped against his stomach with every thrust.

“There you go,” Eddie panted. “So gorgeous, so good for me.”

Steve moaned louder and looked up at him with pleading eyes. His lips, still slightly puffy from the earlier blow job were so inviting. Eddie gave into his impulses and stuck a couple fingers into Steve’s mouth. His boyfriend sucked them down and hummed happily. The sight had Eddie careening straight towards an orgasm. He just barely managed to hold it off while babbling:

“There you go, just needed to be filled up on both ends huh?” Steve frantically nodded. “That’s good sweetheart, take what you need, you’re so tight around me holy shit.”

It didn’t take much more encouragement for Steve to finally stiffen and come. Squeezed from all sides, Eddie pretty soon followed him over the edge.

Later, after they’d wiped themselves off and changed into clean clothes, Steve curled up in his arms like a giant contented house cat. Eddie considered letting three words slip from his lips, ones that he hadn’t quite worked up the guts to let out just yet.

“Thank you,” he settled for instead. “You’re kind of a mensch when it comes to dealing with my shit, you know that right?”

Steve didn’t open his eyes, just nuzzled further into his neck as he snorted. “I’ve dealt with worse shit than yours. ‘sides, it’s worth it, you make me happy. I'm gonna start yelling at your brain to fuck off with the bullying,” he continued. “Not too good to fight it to get the point across for someone I lo-like. Someone I like a lot.”

Steve heartbeat plucked out a staccato rhythm against his chest from his slip-up.

Eddie placed a kiss on his forehead and held him tighter, hoping it conveyed the intended meaning. Someday soon, he’d find the courage. 

Because Steve was worth it too.

Author's Notes, aka some irrelevant G-rated world building for this AU: -Steve is an activity coordinator at the local YMCA and coaches Little League. His team didn't win the playoffs that year, but they were very excited to be there! -Eddie is a session musician. Wayne has a display of the albums he's appeared on in his trailer, right under the mug collection.

[m-jelly]

hey! hope ure doing well!

can i get a fic where reader is a very well know supermodel, is maybe even in VS, and is like considered very badass and iconic...and shes dating levi, and shes in rwality, compared to how others see her (alluring, confident, etc...) is actually just a sweetheart and is very shy and kind?

(also! absolutely adore ur account and work, truly! i hope u continue doing what u do, whenever u post something, it instantly brightens up my day, believe it or not💕 ur work is a huge comfort for me and im sure it also is for many others🫂 u deserve every last bit of recognition, jelly!)

Thank you so much anon. I've been feeling very negative these days, so it means a lot to know you're enjoying what I make.

Behind the camera

Levi x fem!reader

Modern AU, fluff, romance, being a couple, model reader, no body specific reader.

Levi is a fashion designer and you are his personal model.

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn @bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @emilyyyy-08 @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird

Confidence rolled off you as you posed for the cameras. People commented that the clothes were just made for you, which they would be very right. Levi was the designer and every single thing on your body was made just for you.

You had started off as Levi's assistant, then he asked you to model his clothes because you inspired him and then he realised that you were so inspiring because he was madly in love with you. Levi confessed his love and you became a couple. Most would be shocked at Levi because it took you two about four months to become a couple.

Levi had moved fast, which wasn't like him. However, he knew he wanted you, he knew he loved you, he knew you were his forever and he wasn't just gonna let that slip through his fingers. Now you were a year into your love and he had already picked out a ring for your engagement, he just needed to set up a perfect day.

He made a few notes on your outfit and thought about something else he could dress you up in. He gave you a gentle smile as you posed in such an alluring way, it just drove him crazy with love. He could see you were enjoying yourself as you worked.

The photographer ended the shoot and showered you with praise. As soon as he started talking to you your true adorable nature came out. He shook your hand. "Thank you so much. It's been a joy working for you."

You felt your heart race. "R-Really? You're too kind. Umm. It was an honour to have you as a photographer. You're incredible. You make anything look beautiful." You fidgetted a little. "C-can I get you a drink or something to eat? You must be so tired."

He blushed at your words. "Oh, I'm okay, don't worry."

You hurried over to the small fridge. "I've got an ice cold water here or a diet coke?"

He chuckled. "A coke would do great."

You opened it and handed it over. "You should get some sugar in you too. Have a cookie."

"You are so sweet."

Levi made his way over to you and called your name. "Don't forget about yourself."

You gasped in shock. "Oh! You're right."

He opened a can for you and handed it over. "Drink this. You should also take a seat as well, okay?"

"Ah, but everyone..."

He ushered you to a comfy seat. "Focus on yourself, okay?" He knelt and slipped your heels off. "You're important." He massaged your feet. "It's a good job I'm very focused on you, otherwise you'd be very sick."

You hummed a laugh. "You care so much about me."

He leaned up and kissed you. "Of course. You're my world."

"You're mine. I wouldn't be doing this job if it weren't for you. I count my blessings every day."

He glided his hands up your leg. "Darling, you are more magical than you think." He smiled a little at you. "We're going out for dinner tonight. I'm going to take you to the place we went to on our first date."

You squeaked. "Yay! I love that place."

Levi took your hands and showered them with kisses. "I love it too. We'll make tonight special." Tonight was the night, he was going to ask you to marry him.

[evaslytherpuff]

"I Will Always Be Here"

Biker!Sebastian x f!MC MDNI!!! Characters are 18+!!!

Friends to lovers Modern AU!

TW/CW: Attempted SA (Will be highlighted in red if you would like to skip this scene), Physical Violence, Sex in a hot spring

Tagging: @ashisgreedy @hotcinnam0nspicy @portalsprincess

MC tried her best to not be annoyed but it was almost midnight and her older brother's band was still practicing in the garage. She sighed heavily as she shut her book, unable to focus over the noise. Her leg was bouncing in agitation and she could feel a headache on the rise. Then came the drum solo and she lost it, slamming her book on her desk and leaving her room, making her way to the garage.

The music intensified as she walked up to the garage door and swung it open. Her brother was the lead vocalist and guitarist, Garreth Weasley played the bass, Ominis Gaunt was backup vocals and their synthesizer, then Sebastian Sallow was their drummer. Her eyes shot to him immediately as he sat on his stool, playing without a care in the world, his sweat slicked white V-neck clung to his muscles. The man was an absolute heartthrob and she harbored a crush on him for years. She never told anyone and kept her desire for him a secret. He was her brother's best friend and she couldn't ruin that or make it awkward. She couldn't help how she was feeling though, especially when he looked so sexy getting lost in his music, he made her heart race every time she saw him.

Garreth was the first to notice her presence and abruptly stopped strumming his bass. The rest of the guys ceased playing and turned to stare at her, except Ominis, his blue eyes peered past her. He was blind but could play the synth better than anyone she has ever met and he had the voice of an angel, better than her brother in her opinion, but he preferred to sing backup than be directly in the spotlight.

"What do you want, MC? I thought you were studying." Her brother snapped and placed a hand on his hip.

"I was trying to but the music is pretty distracting, it's almost midnight. I thought you guys would call it quits by now." She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.

"That isn't so bad. Plus mom is out tonight on a date. Who cares if we continue to practice." He scoffed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I care. It's kind of rude! How would you like it if I had a bunch of girls running around the house screaming at the top of their lungs while you're trying to work?" She huffed.

"I'd thank you for having a bunch of girls running around." Her brother and the guys laughed as he fist bumped Garreth. She groaned loudly and was about to leave the garage until Sebastian's voice stopped her.

"Come on guys. Let's give MC a break. We have been practicing for hours. Personally, I'm getting tired." He ran his fingers through his wild hair and placed his drumsticks in his back pocket.

"Alright, fine!" Her brother whined. "We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow." He turned to his sister and gave her a dirty look.

"Garreth, are you still driving me home?" Ominis asked as he started to pack up his things.

"Yea, let me just get my stuff together. Your house is on my way anyway." Garreth said with a shrug but she noticed a slight blush appear on his face. She wondered what that was about but decided to not address it.

"Hey, Dude, could I sleep here tonight? I don't really feel like riding my bike right now." Sebastian asked her brother while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sure. You can spend the night. Our mom won't mind." Her brother said as he put his guitar away in its case.

Her heart dropped to her stomach. Sebastian was going to spend the night? Each time he did this it turned her into a nervous mess. There were a handful of times where she thought that maybe, just maybe, he may like her back. Then he would do something that made her feel like that thought was completely ridiculous, like hooking up with random girls. One night they reached for the same drink and their hands brushed together, he didn't pull away, instead he caressed her hand and handed her the beer. Then he came over to hang out while her brother wasn't home and sat down on the couch with her. His arm was stretched around the back of the sofa, sitting extremely close to her, curious as to what she was reading. When she revealed that it was an erotica novel he raised a brow at her and smirked.

"Is that what you're into, MC?" He asked seductively but before she could answer, her brother burst through the front door, ruining the possible moment. Another time he helped her braid her hair and placed his hands on her shoulders while they were at the local pool. He claimed it was no big deal because he was used to braiding his sister's hair but she felt that he kept his hands on her shoulders a little too long. She definitely wasn't complaining though and wished that he would touch her more often.

It was little things like this that had her wondering how he truly felt about her. She could possibly be looking into things too deeply. It could be that she wanted him so badly that she imagined that he wanted her too. She tried to get over him, going on dates and trying to meet someone, but her mind and heart always returned to Sebastian.

The guys said their goodbyes and MC moved out of the way for her brother and Sebastian to enter the house as she shut and locked the garage door. When she turned around her face almost collided with Sebastian's chest. She was startled and placed her hand over her heart. She wasn't expecting him to just be standing there behind her.

"Sorry if we disturbed your studying. You know how your brother gets when we have a gig coming up. He'll practice for days if you let him." He said as he scratched the back of his head.

"It's alright. I know how important this show is for you guys." She shrugged with a slight blush.

"Yeah, it is. Will you be there?" He asked as he walked through the kitchen and headed into the living room.

"Most likely. You know I support you guys. I think you're all very talented. You practice all throughout the night but hey, that's Rock n’ Roll." She chuckled as she made her way to the stairs.

"Yes it is." He grinned as he flopped down on the couch.

"Good night, Sebastian." She giggled and shook her head at him as she walked up the steps.

"Good night, MC. Sweet dreams." He waved as he disappeared out of view when she landed on the second floor.

It was after two in the morning and MC couldn't sleep. She kept tossing and turning because it was too hot in her room and she also desperately had to use the bathroom. She was beating herself up for drinking that glass of tea so close to going to bed. She flung the blanket off of her legs and crossed to her bedroom door. When she opened it, she could hear the shower running from down the hall. Who would be taking a shower this late at night? She thought. Maybe it was her mom getting home after her date.

As MC snuck down the hallway, the water suddenly stopped and she could hear movement behind the bathroom door, she hesitated but knocked anyway.

"I'll be out in a minute." Sebastian called from beyond the door. Sebastian? Why was he taking a shower after two in the morning? She shook her head and patiently waited for him to leave the bathroom so she could use it.

Thank God she was leaning against the wall when he finally walked out because if not, she would be on the floor. He emerged shirtless and was just wearing a pair of pajama pants. Water was trickling down his body due to his hair still being slightly wet. It ran over his rippling muscles and her eyes were riveted to the lucky drops of moisture. His pants hung low on his hips revealing the delicious deep vee that led to his pelvis. Her mind was spinning as she took in his magnificent body. Sebastian wasn't just a "wet dream walking" he was a "completely throw your panties out" kind of guy and she resisted the urge to grab onto those thick and wild strands and plant one on him.

"Sorry about that, I thought you'd be asleep by now." He chuckled softly.

"I was," She whispered. "I had to use the bathroom. I didn't think someone would be taking a shower so late." She blushed trying to look anywhere but directly at him.

"Your brother and I were playing video games. We lost track of time. I tried to be quick, guess I failed didn't I?" He asked as he used a towel to dry his hair.

"No, you're...fine," She said breathlessly then cleared her throat. "I thought you may have been my mom. Is she home yet?" MC asked as she clenched her fists anxiously behind her back.

"No. Must be some date huh?" He tried to laugh quietly.

"Must be. She deserves this. It's been a while for her since the divorce. I've never been on a date like this though." MC giggled.

"You haven't?" Sebastian asked, sounding completely sincere.

"No, a date would end at a regular time or just not happen at all." She shrugged.

"Hmm..." Was his only reply as he stared at her. She suddenly realized she was only dressed in a small cami and little shorts while her bladder screamed at her, reminding her why she was out in the hallway in the first place.

"Excuse me, Sebastian." She said as she moved past him to get to the bathroom.

"Yeah, sorry, MC. Hopefully you can sleep soundly after this. See ya in the morning." He gently smiled before walking down the hall and entering her brother's room.

She shut the bathroom door and placed her back against it to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would burst from her chest. How could she possibly sleep soundly after seeing that? It was settled, she wouldn't get over this crush, Sebastian had her heart and mind in a chokehold. What hurt the most was knowing that he would never feel the same. MC slid down the door as tears spilled from her eyes. This was something she would have to live with and hopefully one day, the pain won't hurt as much.

MC woke the next morning to the sounds of birds out her window and the sun's rays shining down on her. She wanted to throw rocks at the annoying Disney Princess pals and for a cloud to swallow the sun's overly happy brightness. She was glad it was the weekend so she curled up in a little ball and pulled her blanket over her head.

She wanted to sink into her bed and not be found again. She was tired of feeling like a fool and fed up with her infatuation with Sebastian Sallow. Maybe she just needed to sleep around like he did, that could possibly help her get over him, although that was not her at all. She usually took things slow and really got to know a guy before she did anything with them. So far, only one guy was on that list, she dated but didn't partake in casual sex. She sort of envied how easy it was for Sebastian to find a new fling but then again, he's gorgeous, girls just flocked to him.

There was an abrupt knock on her door and she groaned, not wanting to be bothered while she sulked.

"It's open!" She called from under her bedsheets. She heard the door open and someone clear their throat.

"MC? Are you alright?" It was Sebastian. What did he want? She pulled the blanket off of her head and squinted at him as he peeked his head through the doorway.

"I'm fine. I was just sleeping." She said a little too aggressively.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. Your mom sent me up to get you, she said that breakfast is ready." He announced as his eyes scanned her room and he walked in a little further.

"Wow. You've got a lot of books. I've never really been in your room before. I only ever saw glimpses as I walked by." He ran his hand over her books on one shelf and she watched as his fingers caressed the spines. He seemed completely in awe of her collection and pulled out a book he recognized. She hopped up quickly and strode over to him, reaching for the book but he pulled it away, then he read the title out loud.

"The Master by Kresley Cole. Sounds kinky." He laughed as she lunged for the book again but he held it above her. She was cursing how tall he was compared to her on the inside and wanted to jab him.

"Give me my book, Sebastian!" She snapped but he didn't budge.

"Tell me what it's about and I will. You know I love to read." He laughed at her attempts to snatch it from him.

"I doubt you read romance novels, Seb!" She hissed.

"You'd be surprised at the amount of literature I devour. Tell me. This was the erotica right?" He held the book even higher as she jumped for it.

"Ugh! Fine! It's about a mafia boss named Maksimillian Sevastyan who falls in love with an escort named Catarina Marín. There! Happy?" She huffed as he scanned over the title again and read the back of the book with a sly grin.

"I like his name. May I borrow this?" He asked with a smirk.

"You like it because it almost sounds like yours," She paused and shook her head. "You need the first in the series, this one is the second. Here." She scanned her bookshelf until she found volume one and handed it to him. He put the second book back on the shelf and happily accepted the first.

"Thank you, MC. I look forward to reading these. They may come in handy." He smiled with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Oh god! Get out of my room, Sebastian! I'll be down in a moment." He laughed as she shoved him out of her bedroom and closed the door on him.

She sighed and couldn't help but smile. He was going to read one of her books. Would he blush the way she did at the intimate moments? Or smile at the cute and endearing situations? She hoped he would like it. Then it hit her as she started to get dressed for the day. It would come in handy...with other women. Her palm slammed into her forehead and she really wondered if she was stupid. All this studying and reading and for what? She was so naive that it sickened her but she quickly had to push those feelings away as someone else knocked on her door.

"Oh my God! Who is it now!" She shouted as the door cracked open and Poppy Sweeting stuck her head inside.

"It's just me, MC. Please don't bite my head off. Who put you in a bad mood?" She said as she slowly entered the room.

"Sallow." MC groaned.

"Ah, I see. That makes sense," She chuckled lightly. "Are we still hanging out today? If you're not up for it, I can come back later or tomorrow." Poppy said as she sat down on the bed.

"No, today is fine. I'm so sorry I snapped at you." MC took a deep breath then smiled warmly at her best friend.

"It seems like he'll be here all day. Wanna get out for a little? We could get tea at Madam Puddifoot's." Poppy grinned.

"That would be amazing. Just let me eat a little something real quick." MC said as she slipped on her shoes. She quickly fixed her hair while gazing into her vanity and applied a little makeup to her face, just enough to make her features stand out, but not enough to be gaudy. She wore a cute teal sundress with a slit up the side and showed a bit of cleavage. If she couldn't be confident about her feelings then she can be bold with her look to make up for it. She may feel terrible but she didn't have to look bad.

Poppy clapped as a huge grin spread across her face. "You look so cute! I love that dress! The flowers on it are adorable."

"Really? You don't think it shows too much?" MC asked as she spritzed on some perfume.

Poppy scoffed. "Pfft! No! Girls wear bikinis now like it's everyday wear. This is tame compared to that." Her best friend giggled.

"Alright then. I think l'm ready. I'll grab bacon or something, then we can head out." MC smiled as she grabbed her purse.

Poppy led the way as they walked down the stairs and into the brightly lit kitchen. MC noticed that her mom was grinning from ear to ear and joking with Sebastian and her brother. When Sebastian looked up and saw the girls, he practically choked on his cereal. Her brother smacked the back of his head and Sebastian punched his arm in return.

"Seriously, Dude! What if I was actually choking? I didn't expect to laugh that hard at your moms joke!" Sebastian rubbed the back of his head and glanced over at MC as she grabbed a few pieces of bacon and hugged her mom.

"How was your date, Mom?" She asked with a smile.

"Surprisingly better than I expected. He was funny, sweet, and an actual gentleman. I enjoyed myself very much," She beamed as she placed a kiss on MC's temple. "Wow, look at you! Where are you going all dressed up like that?" Her mother giggled.

"Just to the tea shop. I felt like dressing up today. I did it for myself." MC took a quick glance at Sebastian and noticed he wouldn't even look at her. Go figure, she thought as she bit into her bacon.

"As soon as l'm done eating, Poppy and l are gonna go, it's nice out and I want to enjoy my day."

"It's about time, you need to have fun." Her brother teased with a scoff.

"Excuse me? I know how to have fun!" She fired back.

"Barely! You're in your room reading all the time. I'm surprised Poppy was even able to drag you out of your hole. Your idea of fun is having your nose buried in a book." Her brother laughed and she wanted to slug him.

"I have fun in my own way and I am not boring! Am I boring, Poppy?" She turned and asked her best friend.

"I think you're fun. I enjoy hanging out with you. How about this? Ravenclaw house is having a party tonight, why don't we go and have a night out?" Poppy grinned and placed her hand on MC's shoulder.

"Alright, I'm in! See, I can do more than just read!" She stuck her tongue out at her brother and he just laughed.

"Those parties can get out of hand. I'd rather stay home and read." Sebastian said with a shrug.

"Well I'm going to prove that I am not a stick in the mud like my brother thinks I am."

"As long as you're careful, MC. I trust you and enjoy yourself." Her mother hugged her and walked into the living room as MC made her way to the back door.

"Are you really going to go to that party?" Sebastian grabbed her wrist to stop her as she opened the door.

"Yea, I am. I'm sick of you guys thinking that I'm boring. Especially you, you asshole!" She pointed to her brother and flipped him the bird, pulled her hand away, then stormed out the door letting it slam behind her.

Poppy sighed happily as she enjoyed her second cup of tea as they sat outside the little shop. MC was sipping on her iced latte and giggled at her best friend.

"How do you drink hot tea in this heat, Pops?" MC laughed.

"Just like how you drink cold beverages in the winter. You slept over at my place in December and waltzed through the door with a Frappuccino." Poppy held her stomach as she cackled.

"It became a habit! I can't help it," MC chuckled. "So, when does this party start tonight?" She asked as she set her cup down on the iron table.

"Natty said ten o'clock. Are we hanging out til then or am I picking you back up later?" Poppy asked.

"Pick me back up later. I want to take a shower and probably change. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone so go big or go home, I'll dress up tonight." MC grinned with a shrug.

"Damn, you really want to prove your brother wrong. I always knew you had it in you." Poppy poked her arm.

"I know I'm a bookworm but I didn't think people saw me as boring." MC pouted.

"You're you, that's all that matters." Poppy reassured her.

"Thanks, Poppy. You're the best." MC smiled at the petite brunette.

"What the hell was Sallow's problem as we were leaving?" Poppy asked with a raised brow.

"I have no fucking clue." MC said with a sad shake of her head.

"Hey, at least he wasn't a jerk like your brother. I just wonder why it seemed like he didn't want you to go to the party." Poppy pursed her lips in curiosity.

"Beats me." MC rolled her eyes. He probably didn't want to be seen with yet another girl. Sebastian had a reputation of being a player and MC was used to it by now. Seeing him with a girl at the party would hurt but she would have to get over it and try to enjoy herself. Tonight was about her and no one else.

The girls spent most of the day browsing around shops and visiting the local bookstore, staying there longer than they needed to, then hung out at the park talking about the party they planned to go to and reminiscing about their days in high school. Once again MC arrived back at home with a bag full of new books she purchased. When she walked through the front door, the house was surprisingly quiet, no one was around and she was glad to not run into her annoying brother.

She went upstairs to head to her room when her mom stepped out of the bathroom.

"Hey, you're home. I see you got more books." Her mother smiled warmly.

"I did. I just came home to take a shower and get ready for the party tonight." She smiled back.

She started to walk past her mom but she stopped MC by gently grasping her wrist.

"MC...look. You don't have to go to this party all because your brother teased you. I know you chose to live off campus while attending University but...Sebastian was right. College parties can get out of hand. I just want you to be careful and do this because you want to not because you feel that you have to. Alright?" Her mom pleaded with uneasiness in her voice.

"Mom, I promise I'm doing this for me. I don't like knowing that people think I'm boring. It actually kind of hurt. I know he was just teasing me but it still stung. I enjoy my books and being in my room but I can go out and have a good time as well. It will be a fun night. Also Poppy and Natty will be there. I'll be careful. You don't need to worry." MC reassured her.

"Alright. Have a good night, sweetheart. I'm going to watch a movie and then probably head to bed, ok?" Her mom patted her hair.

"Ok. Good night, Mom." MC smiled as she walked to her bedroom.

MC was finally done in the shower and was unsure on what she wanted to wear. Green always looked good on her but she was leaning more towards a red party dress that she never wore before. It was a gift from her aunt and MC secretly thought it was too revealing but maybe that's what she needed tonight. She wasn't ashamed of her body whatsoever but she did prefer more cozy clothes. Fall was her favorite time of year and it was easy to dress accordingly, she simply wore leggings, a cute sweater dress, and boots. A quick ensemble that looked great. She slipped into her red lace underwear and decided to wear a red strapless bra to match. The dress was thin strapped and low cut so she didn't want her bra hanging out and ruining the look. Once she donned the dress, she added a thin black leather belt with studs, just to add a little edge to it. MC made sure that her hair was perfectly styled and looked great. She decided to apply bold makeup that made her eyes pop and her lips look fuller. She sported a pair of black strappy heels to match her belt. She examined herself in her mirror and had to admit, she looked hot.

"Maybe I should dress up more often." She whispered to herself as she heard Poppy pull up outside and honk her horn. MC sprayed on her signature perfume and did one last double take before leaving the house.

When the girls pulled up to the party and found a parking spot, they all hopped out of the car, MC was able to fully see their outfits. Poppy wore a sweetheart neckline, black bodycon, mini dress with sheer flounce sleeves that were dotted with black butterflies and a cute pair of black flats. Her hair was fluffier than usual and she wore natural makeup. Natty looked radiant in a bright yellow off the shoulder romper that resembled a leather jacket. Her eyeshadow was sparkly and elegant while her lips were glossy and she wore gold heels to match the accents in her outfit.

"Now that I can fully see you both, you look fantastic!" MC reached for a group hug from her friends. They all embraced each other on the front lawn before walking up the pathway to the house with blaring music.

"So do you! That dress is amazing!" Poppy pulled out her phone so they could take a few pictures on the porch before stepping inside. The place was packed as college students danced to the music, drank beer from kegs, and made out in dark corners of the house.

MC looked around to see if there was anyone she recognized at the party. She noticed a familiar coif of blond hair in the far corner of the house next to a wild mess of red curls that was bobbing to the music. She made her way through the crowd over to Ominis and Garreth and the red head popped his noggin up with a smile.

"Wow! Look at you, MC! You look awesome!" Garreth beamed then chugged his beer.

"Thank you, Garreth!" She shouted over the music. "Ominis! I love that leather jacket! It looks great on you!"

"I'll take your word for it! Garreth picked it out for me!" Ominis shouted in return.

She looked around to scan the crowd once more for dark auburn brown waves but didn't see any. She shook her head. She was here to have fun, not worry about Sebastian and his whereabouts. Garreth grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the kitchen then he used the tap of the keg to get her a drink.

"Here, have a blast! Unwind and enjoy yourself, MC!" He slurred as she took the cup from him before he could spill it.

"Go easy on the beer, Gar!" She smiled and took a sip of her drink, thankfully it was cold, she hated warm beer.

She walked back out into the living room and Ominis grabbed her by the hand. "Dance with me, MC?" He asked kindly.

"Of course!" She grinned as he led her to the middle of the dance floor. Their bodies began to sway and twist to the hypnotic music. MC was getting lost in the haze as she downed drink after drink then shot after shot. The room started to spin but she loved it, it felt like a merry go round that she was excited to ride, laughing and partying with her friends. She had another beer when she noticed Ominis and Garreth had suddenly disappeared from the group of gyrating bodies. She had no idea why, but she had the humongous urge to find them, they should have been dancing with her.

She stumbled her way up the flight of stairs that led to the bedrooms, crashing into students and people that loitered on the steps. She laughed and felt proud as she reached the top of the stairs and didn't fall backwards. Then she made her way down the hall, hoping to find a bathroom, opening doors that were not the restroom. One room had shouting, another had a threesome, a few just had couples going at it, then the last room...Ominis and Garreth.

Garreth was pounding Ominis from behind as the beautiful blond boy screamed his name. She shook her head in disbelief and tried to look away but was transfixed on the guys screwing each other. That was until Garreth noticed her and stopped immediately to Ominis’ dismay.

"Why…..did you...stop?" The blond slurred and reached back for the redhead.

"MC just caught us fuckin!" He blushed as he pulled a blanket over their sweaty bodies.

"Oh shit!" Ominis rolled over to sit beside Garreth and bury his face in his chest.

"Please don't say anything to anyone, MC. We, well, we aren't ready to come out yet. We're begging. Please keep this a secret." Garreth pleaded.

She nodded eagerly. "Of course guys. I won't tell a soul. Your secret is safe with me. I'm honestly happy for the two of you. You're so cute together." She smiled as tears welled In her eyes.

"Thank you so much, MC. We'll come out when we are ready. We—we appreciate your support." Ominis blushed as he held onto Garreth.

"No problem guys. By the way, absolutely beautiful, your bodies are works of art." She giggled as she began to close the door to give them their privacy back.

"Really, MC?!" Garreth yelled as the door shut.

She finally found the bathroom and used it quickly, hoping that no one would knock on the door while she was in there. When MC entered the hall again she was suddenly stopped by a frantic Duncan Hobhouse.

"MC! You have to come quickly! Poppy is hurt! Someone broke a glass bottle and she got cut!There's blood everywhere and I need your help!"

"What? Alright! Take me to her!" She shouted over the music as Duncan led her down the hall and into a spare room. She pushed past him, in a panic, to get to her friend as quickly as possible. MC's heart dropped to her stomach when there was no sign of Poppy and she heard the clicking of a lock behind her. She slowly turned around to face Duncan who had his back against the door.

"Duncan...what are you doing? Where is Poppy?" She glared at him while he took another swig from his bottle of beer.

"Poppy is fine. I just—I lied. I lied so I could get you alone. I saw you dancing with the guys and you looked so pretty. You're always so pretty. Just give me one chance, MC. One shot to have you. I promise it—will be fun." He slurred as he stepped closer to her. She tried her best to back away from him but there wasn't anywhere she could truly go except through him. She had to get out of that room.

"Duncan, I told you before, I'm not interested. Unlock the door and let's go back to the party." She tried to reason with him.

"Not interested? Why? Is it because I'm not hot like Sebastian or romantic like Ominis? Why don't you like me?" He moved closer, backing her towards the bed. "You would probably easily sleep with them but you ignore me. Do you think you're too good for me or something?" He lunged at her and she tried to dodge him but unfortunately he caught her with a shocking backhand to her face. Black spots clouded her vision and the room spun as he shoved her down onto the bed. She didn't expect him to hit her like that and was utterly stunned but then Duncan seemed completely unhinged, drunk with fury.

"I'm tired of all the girls I like turning me down!" He shouted as his fingers wrapped around her throat. He was heavy against her but she still tried to fight, clawing and punching at him, but he seemed unmovable. The room blurred as she felt his lips press against her jaw followed by his tongue. He used his other hand to pin her wrists above her head, his nails digging into her skin. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes as she begged him to stop and let her go.

"No! All I asked is one night! One night to be alone with you! Now, I'll fucking take it!" He growled and his glasses slipped out of place. He released her throat to tear at her dress then...her underwear. The skirt of her dress was completely ruined and he gripped her hip to hold her still.

"Stop fighting me, you stuck up bitch!" He roared and smacked her again as she struggled against him. He pressed his weight against her, pushing her into the bed, as the hand that hit her reached down for his belt.

MC saw an opening and took it, bringing her knee up, she slammed it into his groin and he swore as he collapsed to the floor. She quickly got up and ran to the door, ripping it open and running down the stairs, not caring if she stepped on anyone along the way.

The room was spinning and she felt ill, her stomach tossing and turning as she made her way through the crowd. Some people stared at her but no one asked if she was ok. She looked for her friends but couldn't find any of them. Ominis and Garreth seemed to have left while her best friends were lost in the crowd.

She pushed through people as she made her way outside. She didn't realize that it was storming but she didn't care. She had to get away. She needed to run and not look back. MC fell to her knees in the middle of the rain and cried. She felt so violated, so weak, and she hated it. She pulled out her cellphone to call for help. Poppy, no answer. Natty, no answer. She called her mom and she didn't pick up. She called her brother and it went straight to voicemail. She unfortunately had no choice. She called Sebastian.

He picked up on the second ring.

"MC? Why are you calling me?" He asked in confusion. She was hysterical, yelling over the downpour.

"Duncan! He tried to...he tried to! I'm scared, Sebastian! I couldn't find anyone and he tried to!He tried to...rape me!" She cried even harder as the words fell from her mouth.

The phone hung up and Sebastian ended the call. He hung up on her and she curled in on herself as the rain blended with her tears. Her phone vibrated in her hand as she got a text message. It was from Sebastian and it was three simple words. On my way. He hung up so he could come and get her.

Sebastian arrived at the party in record time and barely parked his motorcycle as he tore off his helmet. He opened the front gate and ran over to MC as she sat on the cold ground.

"Where is he, MC?" He asked as he gently grasped her shoulders. "He did this to you? Tell me where he is." He helped her to her feet then sped off towards the house. She quickly followed him as he made his way through the crowd. People darted out of his way and yelped as he pushed through them.

Duncan was standing on the other side of the living room with a smug look on his drunken face. When his eyes landed on Sebastian they grew wide with fear. Sebastian didn't even hesitate and yanked Duncan by the collar, throwing him to the ground. His fist connected with Duncan's face with powerful force. Blow after blow he beat the guy into a bloody pulp as the partygoers watched in horror. Sebastian then stood at his full height and kicked Duncan in the ribs. She had never seen him like this, his eyes full of tears, he was seething with so much anger that it radiated off of him. He was about to kick Duncan again but she pulled him away to stop him.

"Sebastian, please! Just get me out of here. I'm begging you." She cried as she clung onto his arm and he stared at her, his face softening a little. He stepped closer to her and nodded but turned his attention back to her attacker.

"If you ever, ever, put your hands on her again I swear I will fucking kill you, Hobhouse!" Sebastian roared.

"What the hell happened?" A girl yelled as the music stopped.

"He attacked MC! Look at her! Look at what he did to her!" Seb responded as people gasped and truly took in her appearance.

Poppy finally came into view from the kitchen and her jaw dropped as she rushed over to MC.

"Duncan did this to you?" She asked and smoothed her best friend's hair from her bruised face. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. Natty took Ominis and Garreth home with my car and I was outback. I'm so sorry." Poppy's eyes welled with tears.

MC just nodded, hating the fact that all eyes were on her as Sebastian wrapped his arm around her. "I'm getting her out of here, Poppy. Call the cops and report this fucker. Send them to my place if they need a statement from her." Sebastian growled as he led her through the party and back outside.

She felt like she was in a daze as faces passed by in a blur. She barely heard Sebastian when he told her to hop on his bike.

"MC. It will be alright. Just trust me. Please. Get on my bike and let's get out of here." He said soothingly as he handed her his extra helmet. He swung his leg over the seat and reached for her so he could help her get on the motorcycle. She took his hand as she sat on the seat behind him and adjusted what was left of her dress so she wasn't exposed. She then put the helmet on her head as Sebastian pulled his on as well.

"Hold on tight!" He yelled over the rain and started the bike. He revved the engine a couple times and pulled off, riding at a steady speed. MC instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist and felt how he was trembling in her arms. At each red light he reached back to caress her thigh or ankle. It wasn't sexual in any way and felt more reassuring, as if he was checking in to see if she was ok. She rested her head on his back and gently rubbed circles on his chest with her thumb.

They finally pulled up to what seemed to be an old abandoned warehouse. It finally hits her but MC had never seen Sebastian's place. He helped her off the bike and walked her down a cobblestone path that led to a heavy metal door. The outside of the building seemed plain and tattered but it was the inside that blew her mind. It was a modern industrial loft in dark green tones and black metal details and railings. The walls were painted in a greenish black hue and some of the furniture had dark wood accents. Even though the colors were rich and deep, the floor to ceiling windows allowed light to flood into the building. It was stunning architecture that she thought fit Sebastian perfectly. He tossed his keys on the kitchen counter nearby and tore off his leather jacket, hanging it on a coat rack.

"Here, take off your heels." Sebastian bent down to help slip her shoes off her feet. "I'll be back down in a couple minutes." He left her shoes by the door then he ran up a flight of metal spiral stairs, water dripping off of him as he made his way to what was probably his bedroom. MC took this time to look around his loft. One wall was completely covered by bookshelves, each shelf filled to the brim with literature. MC's jaw dropped as she took in title after title. Sebastian's collection was absolutely staggering and a small smile spread across her face. She knew that he liked to read but judging by his multitude of books, it appeared that he loved it.

She turned to face him again as he came down the stairs. He had changed his clothes and was now wearing a black muscle shirt and dark green pajama pants. He grabbed her hand and led her to a door next to his dining room.

"Here's the bathroom. Please change, you're shivering, MC. I got a shirt for you and, only if you're comfortable, a pair of my boxers. Don't take a shower in case, well...the cops show up. Take your time, collect yourself, I'll be right here waiting for you when you come out." He pulled her in for a hug and shockingly, placed a kiss on the top of her head. He was still trembling and she felt that rage lingering around him. MC was stunned as she dragged her feet into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Why did he do that? Was he just being nice and comforting? She didn't know, but her heart fluttered as she replayed the situation in her mind.

She took off her belt and set it on the bathroom counter, then she slipped out of her torn dress and folded it, placing it with her belt. She unfastened her bra and let it fall to the floor. She then pulled down what was left of her underwear and tears began to roll down her cheeks again. The horrors of the night flooded her mind as she took in the marks on her body in the bathroom mirror. She cried even harder when she saw her bruised face and the black and blue finger prints on her neck. She sat on the floor and bawled her eyes out. She wasn't sure how long she was curled up on the cold tiles but her stupor was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"MC, the police are here to talk to you. Are you ready to come out?" Sebastian's voice sounded from the other side of the door. She sat up from the floor and wiped her face.

"I'll be out in a minute." She called back as she forced her muscles to move and stand up. She reached for a towel hanging off a nearby rack and dried her hair. Then she slipped into Sebastian's underwear that surprisingly fit her well. She pulled his shirt on and a tiny smile graced her face. His signature white V-neck, it even smelled like him too, it was comforting. She sighed heavily with one last look in the mirror before opening the bathroom door and walking into the living room to give her statement.

After retelling the entire situation in horrific detail, handing her torn clothes over as evidence, and allowing the officer to scrape under her nails and swab her face, they finally left. Sebastian thanked them for their help and shut the door then locked it. MC watched him closely as he crossed to the kitchen counter to lean on it, his head hanging so she couldn't see his face.

"Will you get in trouble for beating up Duncan?" She asked softly.

"It was a possibility but no. He's not pressing charges because he knows he deserved it and is guilty. The cops were on our side tonight, thank God." He sighed and ran his fingers through his damp hair. "You look so cold, MC. Go sit on the couch, cover up, and warm yourself by the fire. I'll make us some tea." He looked at her with those pleading brown eyes. She didn't argue as she crossed to the couch and sat down. Behind her, folded up on the back of the chair, was a plush blanket. She grabbed it and unfolded it gently before wrapping it around her body.

Once she was comfortable she noticed how freezing cold she truly was. Her body was shivering and her teeth chattered loudly. The shock of the night must have made her completely numb to how her body reacted to the stress and the cold rain they got caught in. The heat from the fireplace and the warmth of the blanket took its time to seep into her body. Sebastian returned with a tray of freshly brewed tea and cookies. He set it down on the coffee table in front of them and sat on the couch beside her.

"Come here." He asked gently with a crook of his finger. She hesitated but slowly shifted to move closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rested his head on hers. He then pulled the blanket over them both as she curled up into his side. MC draped her arm over his torso and he rested his cheek on her hair.

Was she actually cuddling with Sebastian? Sebastian Sallow's arms were wrapped around her. It was strange but felt so right, like they were meant to do this. He began to stroke her hair, doing his best to comfort her while they sat together quietly.

"MC?" He said softly.

"Yes, Sebastian?" She responded and tilted her head to look up at him.

"I just want you to know. I will always be here. I'll be here whenever you need me. I'm one call or text away. I will always be here for you." He said in complete sincerity, she could see it in his deep brown eyes. He reached to cup her face without hurting her any further and lightly caressed her cheek with his thumb.

Her heart was pounding so loud and with how close he was to her, she was sure he had to hear it. She shut her eyes and leaned a little closer to his face. She could feel his breath against her lips and then suddenly...it was gone. He moved away from her and placed his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands, while his whole body shook. She moved closer to place her hand on his back but he shied away from her.

"No, MC. Don't do that. Please." He was breathing heavily and starting to worry her.

"Sebastian, what's wrong? Please talk to me." He wouldn't even look at her, he just kept shaking his head.

"I can't. I can't do this. You've been through so much already tonight. I can't dump this on you as well." He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Can't dump what on me? I'm so confused. Talk to me, Sebastian." She moved closer and he finally looked her in the eyes.

"We can talk in the morning. Please, MC. Right now you need rest." He said softly but she wasn't about to let this go.

"No, Sebastian. We can talk about this now. You look like you're about to snap. Tell me what is going on. I'm begging you." Her voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes. He licked his lips and chewed on his bottom lip, contemplating on what he would say next.

"Fine, but I have a lot to say." He said gravely while gazing at her face. "If anything worse would have happened to you. If Duncan had succeeded in...in what he set out to do. I would have killed him, MC. I would be in jail because I would have torn him apart. Tonight opened my eyes and made me realize that I can not let anything bad happen to you. I was so scared when you called. My heart dropped to my stomach and when I saw you on the ground when I arrived. I just—I just lost it. He is lucky that all I did was beat the shit out of him." He said as his jaw clenched.

"I know. You were just protecting me. I appreciate all of it, I really do." She said as she tried to rub his back but he stood up from the couch and shook his head.

"No, MC! You don't understand!" He was trying so hard to control his breathing as he began to pace back and forth.

"Then help me understand. You said you're here for me. Well I'm here for you too. Talk to me, Seb." It bothered her so much to see him this way. He looked like he could explode any minute.

"It's because I love you!" He shouted through ragged breaths. "I love you, MC." He stopped pacing to gaze at her, his chest heaving, the blaze from the fireplace dancing in his eyes.

"You—what?" Was all she could say as he ran his hands through his messy waves.

"I love you. I'll be honest with you, I have for a while now, over two years to be exact. It broke my heart to even think about it but when you told me what had happened, the first thing that crossed my mind was "what if I never get to tell her how I feel?" I could have lost you tonight, MC. It turns my stomach to even think about it, it makes me feel severely ill, but what if Duncan's intentions were worse than we thought? My mind was racing a mile a minute when I rode my motorcycle to come get you. I was so overcome with emotions and right now—right now—| needed to confess. I am tired of keeping this a secret. I love you so much. I can't lose you." He chewed his bottom lip again as tears ran down his face.

"You never—you never said anything before. I always thought that you—that you weren't interested." She said as her own emotions came surging forth.

"I never said anything because I'm best friends with your brother. Everything just felt so complicated. I couldn't come between the two of you, it might piss him off, you could turn me down, if we broke up I could lose both of you, he may think that I was using him to get to you, it could make our friendship awkward if I confessed. So many things just bombarded me and I tried. I tried so hard to fight my feelings for you because I didn't want to screw anything up but...I'm tired of fighting. I am ok with losing this battle. I'm fed up with this war I have with myself and I am willing to give in to what my heart wants. I want you, MC. I adore you and love you and it feels so fucking good to finally say that." He smiled in relief as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Sebastian, I had no idea. I can't believe I didn't see this before. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize. I just—| saw you with all those other girls and I kept thinking that you just didn't like me, you only ever saw me as a friend, and it hurt." She shrugged and he scoffed at her.

"MC, I may have dated quite a few girls, I understand that. Despite what everyone says about me behind my back, I know the truth. I didn't sleep with every girl I went out with. A lot of times it was just dates and nothing else and do you know why? Because they aren't you. I dated those girls hoping that I could get over you, thinking that maybe it was just a phase, that I could find someone as amazing as you and every time I failed. My heart always came back to you." He sighed.

"Oh... wow. Sebastian I—I'm sorry I misjudged you. Please forgive me. All this time I thought you weren't interested in me." She was utterly shocked by everything he was confessing.

"Not interested in you? MC, I know | may have teased you about certain things but I was always trying to get to know you better. When I would ask what book you were reading or movie you were watching, it was to learn about your interests, the things that you're into. I think you're so fascinating and I love learning new things about you. You're the most enchanting woman I have ever met and I'm sorry it took me this long to say that." He walked back over to the couch and sat down beside her.

"I know this is a lot to take in. I should have waited for a better time to tell you all of this or I should have confessed sooner. I hope it's not too late." He said softly as he took her hand in his.

"No, I'm glad you confessed. You just made me extremely happy. Sebastian, I love you too. I have for years now. I never said anything for the same reasons as to why you never confessed. I was afraid of ruining things. I'm tired of pretending that I don't love you because I do. I love you so much." She cupped his face with both of her hands and pulled him in for a kiss. It was passionate, intense, and felt like the weight of the world was lifted from her shoulders.

When he finally pulled away from her lips a chuckle escaped from his mouth and he smiled at her. "So, this whole time, we could have actually been together?" He asked and shook his head.

"Yeah, we could have." She smiled.

"Huh, we may slightly be idiots." He was trying to hold in his laughter as he peered into her eyes.

"Just a tad." They laughed loudly together then he pulled her in for another kiss, sitting her on his lap.

"We didn't even touch our tea but that's ok. How about we head to bed. Are you ok with that?I'd really like to hold you in my arms, snuggle up with you, and know that you're safe here with me. I want to protect you and love you from here on out. If you'll have me. MC? Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked with those adorable puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, Sebastian. I will happily be your girlfriend. We can go to bed and you can hold me all through the night. I know I would like that very much." She smiled and gently pecked his lips as he lifted her up off the couch and carried her upstairs to his bedroom.

The next couple of months were a complete whirlwind for MC and she was looking forward to the coming weekend. She ultimately testified against Duncan to which he easily pled guilty and was sentenced to twenty years in prison. Another girl came forward and confessed that Duncan had tried to assault her as well but didn't testify in court. She didn't want to face Duncan and MC couldn't blame her, it was difficult to do, MC was just glad that Duncan would pay for his crimes.

Sebastian was by her side the entire time and truly was her rock. Her family and friends were still apologizing to her for not realizing what was going on and missing her calls. Her mom was a wreck and her brother kept saying how sorry he was for being a terrible sibling. MC did her best to reassure all of them, letting them know that she was ok and wasn't upset with them. There was no way they could have known what was going to happen that night. She was just thankful that it was all behind her and she could focus on healing mentally and spiritually.

Her brother warmed up to the idea of her and Sebastian being in a relationship. It took some time but now they all hung out with ease and her brother genuinely seemed happy for them.

Everyday Sebastian surprised her with how much love and care he had for her. He took her on romantic dates, got her books he knew she would enjoy, they even spent time together just reading in her room.

He had a big date planned for them this weekend and she was thrilled to see what he would have arranged this time. When Friday finally came she couldn't stop smiling. Classes seemed to fly by and Sebastian kept her updated throughout the day. Apparently she had to dress warm but also wear a bathing suit underneath her clothes. It was an odd request but she didn't question him.

MC quickly got ready for their date night, she didn't want to waste any time, she was just too excited to dress extravagantly. She wore a pair of thick leggings, her knee high leather boots, a cute purple sweater dress that hugged her figure, and her leather jacket. Underneath was a black python print cheeky bikini. The pattern had an oil slick shimmer when the light shone on it. She swiftly fixed up her hair and applied makeup that gave her a natural look with a little nude sparkle on her eyelids.

She heard the rumble of his motorcycle before he even honked the horn for her. Whenever she left to go out, her mother would hug her even tighter and her brother always told her to be careful. It would make her tear up a bit each time and she would hold onto them a little longer before walking out the door.

Sebastian sat on his bike and took off his helmet, shaking out his messy waves, when she walked down the driveway towards him. He smiled brightly at her and crooked a finger for her to come closer. She shook her head at him and giggled as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"You look beautiful, as always." He said against her lips as he pulled out his extra helmet and handed it to her.

"You look handsome. Leather definitely suits you." She grinned and caressed his shoulder and he blushed.

"Are you ready for my surprise?" He helped her climb onto his motorcycle.

"Of course, I love your surprises." She laughed as she pulled on her helmet and wrapped her arms around his torso. He placed his back on as well and started up his bike. He hit the kickstand with his boot and pulled away from the curb and then they were off, speeding down the road.

It was still one of the most romantic and sweetest things Sebastian chose to do whenever she was on his bike with him. At every red light he would reach back to rub her ankle and brush her thighs with his fingers. They were beautiful and reassuring moments that made her feel warm and tingly inside. She would rest her head against his back and hug him even tighter, beyond thankful that he was her boyfriend.

They made their way out of the city and headed towards the winding roads through the woods. Autumn was now in full swing and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Orange,red, and golden leaves fluttered down around them from the canopy of trees. The cool fall breeze chilled her but not enough to be uncomfortable, it was refreshing and invigorating. She giggled in her helmet as she caressed Sebastian's chest through his hunter green sweater. The roads continued to become more narrow as they rode towards their destination. The forest seemed to close in on them and grow snug.

Finally Sebastian slowed to a stop and pulled the bike over in a nearby small clearing. He pulled off his helmet and carefully helped MC climb off his motorcycle. He swung his muscled leg over the vehicle and moved to stand in front of her and remove her helmet. Once the bike and helmets were secure, he held his hand out for MC to take it, she slipped her hand into his and they started walking side by side.

"It's not far from here but it is a little hidden." Sebastian said as he helped her trudge through some foliage.

"How did you even find this spot?" MC asked as she tried to stick by him.

"I came across it by accident when I was hiking one day." Her boyfriend smiled back at her.

After walking through the woods for a few minutes they came face to face with the entrance of a cave.

"You expect me to go in there?" MC looked down the dark cavern.

"Are you adventurous?" Sebastian raised a brow at her.

"Yes but this is—this is kinda spooky." MC felt a chill creep up her spine.

"MC, do you trust me?" Seb looked at her with those pleading big brown eyes.

"I—I do. I trust you, Babe." She held his hand a little tighter as he pulled out a lighter and lit the way for them as they entered the cave. MC moved closer to clutch Sebastian's forearm as they made their way through the shadowed tunnels. She had to squint but up ahead she could make out a little bit of light at the end of the cavern.

"Sebastian, what is that?" She asked as the glow became brighter.

"You'll see, hun." Sebastian grinned down at her.

They had reached the spot of their date night and MC had to pick her jaw up from the floor. It was a hidden hot spring with a hole in the roof that allowed a small waterfall to pour into the pool below. They were surrounded by patches of moss and grass that grew over the cracked earth. The walls seemed to shimmer due to the cave being damp and steamy. The moonlight flooded through the gap in the ceiling and reflected off the glittering water. Tucked away in a corner was a blanket and pillows spread out on a bed of grass. The area was lit by lanterns that emitted a warm and inviting glow. MC was so speechless, it was like something out of one of her books.

"Oh, Sebastian! It's perfect!" She spun around to face him and jumped in his arms, giving him a loving kiss on his smiling lips.

"You like it? I thought you would. This could be our little hideaway. I brought the blanket up earlier and got everything set up for tonight. I just want to make you happy, MC." He blushed and pulled her in even tighter.

"You do. You make me so freaking happy, Seb. This is such an amazing and wonderful surprise. One of our best dates yet." She giggled as he kissed her forehead.

"I'm so glad you love it. Come on, let's go sit. Oh! Wait. You go get comfortable, l'm going to go get the picnic basket. I left it on the back of my bike." He slapped his forehead with a laugh as he made his way back to the tunnel.

"I was wondering what that was. Be careful, ok!" She called after him as she shook her head.

"I will!" His voice echoed throughout the cave.

The heat of the spring started to become too much for MC while Sebastian was getting the rest of the things they needed for their date. Now she understood why he told her to wear a bikini, the warmth from the water seemed to radiate all around her. Slowly she started to peel away her clothes. She took her jacket and boots off, then pulled her socks from her feet, and was now just wearing her dress and leggings. Soon, even that became too much, she decided to slip out of her dress and tug down her leggings. Cool air that poured in with the waterfall seemed to mingle with the heat and was a very welcomed feeling against her exposed skin. MC folded her clothes and set them off to the side then sprawled out on the soft blanket.

"Oh wow, you look—you look fantastic." Sebastian's voice sounded from within the cave and MC snapped her head up to catch him staring at her, slack-jawed. She blushed as she rose to prop herself up on her elbows.

"It got a little too hot. I had to take my clothes off. I feel much better now." She chuckled nervously as Sebastian just gawked at her. "What? You've seen me in a bathing suit before." She bit her lip as his eyes roamed over her body.

"No, not like this, not a tiny bikini and as my girlfriend." He said as he crossed over to her and set the basket down beside her. He tore off his jacket and sweater to reveal his sculpted torso. Freckles seemed to be sprinkled all over his body and a light patch of brunet hair adorned his broad chest. His abs rippled with every breath he took and MC's eyes followed the dip of his hips that descended into his jeans. He propped himself up next to her on his toned arms and smiled gently at her.

"You didn't have this reaction when you saw me at the pool." MC said.

"Are you kidding me? I had to pretend to be suntanning and lay on my stomach to cover up how aroused you made me." He laughed loudly.

She laughed right along with him as she opened the basket and started to pull out their goodies. Sandwiches cut into cute triangles, different types of salads, chocolate covered strawberries, and an expensive bottle of wine.

"Sebastian! This looks so expensive. You didn't have to do all of this for me." She gasped.

"Nothing is too much for you." He sat up to move closer to her.

"No, Seb—this is..." she tried to protest but he cut her off.

"Listen, nothing is too much when it comes to you, MC. I wanted this night to be really special. Don't worry about the price. Please." He reached over to cup her face and she nodded against his palm.

They sat together side by side as they enjoyed their cozy little picnic. Sebastian eventually gave in as well and stripped down to his swim trunks. MC couldn't take her eyes off of him as he talked excitedly about the new parts he got for his motorcycle, how his sister Anne was doing well over in the US, then how he was looking forward to reading a new book he bought the other day. MC could listen to him talk for hours. She loved how he would talk with his hands and when his eyes lit up when it was a subject he truly adored. She wasn't sure if it was the wine influencing her or if it was just her affection for him but right now, she really wanted to kiss him. Not just any kiss either, one that would ignite a flame within them both that even the waters couldn't put out.

She waited until he finished his sentence before she stood up and crossed to the edge of the spring. She could feel Sebastian's eyes on her back as she sat down on the edge and stuck her feet and legs in.

"Why don't you join me?" She said as she sank in even further, the pool up to her waist now. She turned to face him and waited for his response.

He quickly downed the rest of his wine and crossed over to the hot spring to join her in the warm water.

"You don't have to tell me twice." He chuckled as he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms tightly around her body. MC reached up to run her fingers through his luscious hair. She gently tilted his head down towards hers and pressed her mouth to his. His lips were so soft and tasted like the alcohol they both indulged in. He was gentle and held her like she was a delicate doll made of porcelain but she needed more. Her tongue was desperately searching for his and he parted his lips to allow her to deepen their kiss. She gripped his hair in her hands and pulled him in even closer so their bodies were fully pressed together. His hands began to move as he caressed her back but he suddenly stopped and pulled his head away as he tried to catch his breath and she had to stifle a groan.

"MC. Maybe we should slow down." He said breathlessly.

"No, Sebastian, please. Don't push me away." She said as she cupped his face in her palms.

"I just—I don't want you to feel that—that you have to do this. I can wait, MC. I don't want you to feel pressured into being intimate with me." He said as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Sebastian, look at me," His beautiful brown eyes met hers and she smiled. "I want this. I need you. I need us. Please. You don't understand what you do to me. I crave you more than anything else in this world. If anything would make me feel uncomfortable, I'll tell you. I promise you that." MC said as she brushed his lips with hers.

"MC, are you absolutely sure?" He asked softly.

"Yes, Sweetheart. I'm sure. I need you so badly, Sebastian." She didn't break his gaze as he lifted his hand to caress her cheekbone. He nodded at her and it suddenly felt like a dam had broken and his passion was flooding over her.

He pulled her in tightly, one hand clutching her ass, the other cupped the back of her head as his mouth savagely took hers. His tongue entwined with hers as he moaned against her lips.

"I've been trying to be gentle with you." He said between kisses. "Holding back because I didn't want to hurt you or scare you." He started to kiss along her jaw and she whimpered.

"Please don't hold back. Please, Seb." She whined as she rocked her hips against him, her aching core rubbing against his thigh.

His mouth trailed even lower and he started to kiss and suck on her neck, his teeth brushing against her pulse point. The hand that was on her ass slowly snaked up her back and stopped at the ties of her bikini. He made quick work of the strings, tugging them loose with nimble fingers, as he tore her bathing suit top from her body. He removed his mouth from her neck to lean back and stare at her heated body.

"Fuck, MC. You're so damn beautiful. I've dreamt of your body a million times, this is infinitely better." He smiled at her as one of his hands reached for her shakily.

"Touch me, Sebastian. I need to feel your hands on me." She arched her back, pushing her chest towards him and his palm met her skin. She moaned as he began to caress and massage her breast while his mouth returned to leaving marks and wet kisses on her neck. His other hand still held her tightly against him and his body towered over hers. She felt so small against his powerful frame but yet completely safe in his arms.

"I have an idea. Come here." He wrapped his hands around her waist and eagerly lifted her up out of the warm water and sat her on the edge of the spring. "Do you trust me, Love?" He said with those pleading brown eyes.

"Yes, completely." She said breathing heavily.

He reached up with both hands and placed them on her shoulders then lowered her down so she was lying flat against the mossy floor, her bottom half was right in front of his gorgeous face and he grinned at her as his hands slid down the sides of her torso and reached the ties of her bikini bottom. He pulled the knots loose and slipped the material off her wet body. His hands held her hips as she opened her legs for him and his eyes locked on her aching cunt. Those same strong hands shifted to clasp onto her thighs, his fingers digging into her flesh. A look of pure hunger flashed in his dark eyes and his lips met the inside of her knee. She trembled under his touch as he started to leave kisses on her dripping legs, his tongue darting out to lick droplets of water from her body. His mouth descended lower and lower, his kisses now on the insides of her thighs.

"MC...I want to taste you. May I?" He asked as he bit his bottom lip.

"Yes, oh god, yes!" She wiggled her hips in anticipation as he spread her legs even wider. His lips met her hip and she purred as she rose up on her elbows to watch him work her into a frenzy. His mouth trailed even lower and his lip's gently kissed her clit. She moaned loudly and Sebastian chuckled at her reaction. He was slow and sensual as he kissed and licked her aching bud, teasing her to the point of seeing stars.

"Sebastian, please, harder! I need more!" MC begged as she arched her hips up to meet his mouth. A wicked smirk graced his face and his skillful tongue lapped at her very core. She cried out as he wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her even closer as he ate her out. His mouth was buried in her dripping folds while her head was absolutely spinning. Her cries of ecstasy echoed in the cave and blended with the wet and sloppy sounds of Sebastian fucking her with his tongue.

"MC, you taste so fucking good! Better than I imagined." He growled against her sex.

She gasped loudly as he inserted one of his thick fingers into her throbbing heat. There was no hesitation in his actions as he began to pump his finger in and out of her soaked pussy. His tongue returned to her clit as her hands flew to his hair to push his head into her even further. She moved her hips to meet each thrust of his finger, his groans and grunts muffled against her.

Her orgasm was building, her eyes shut tightly as her pelvis writhed against Sebastian's mouth frantically.

"Sebastian! I'm so close! Don't stop!" She cried as he inserted a second finger.

The cave seemed to spin around her as he curled his fingers inside her and hit her sweet spot while he sucked even harder on her sensitive clit. She screamed his name as her climax clawed through her quivering body. Wave after wave of pleasure flooded through her as her core clenched down on Sebastian's fingers and her thighs closed around his head. She fell back and released his hair as he removed his mouth from between her legs and slowly withdrew his fingers. She gazed down at him and avidly watched as he stuck them into his mouth, sucking her juices off of them with a blissful expression.

"Everyday. I need to taste you every fucking day from now on." He chuckled and kissed her thigh. She took a moment to catch her breath as she grinned at him. Sebastian helped her sit up and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. He then lifted her up with ease and pulled her back into the hot spring with him. She let her hands roam all over his torso, rubbing and caressing his glorious muscles, loving how his eyes closed and he moaned softly. She reached down to grab the waistband of his swim trunks and pulled them down. He stepped out of them and they floated to the surface of the water and she giggled. Sebastian snatched them up and tossed them over by their blanket. Now the two of them were completely naked and submerged in the warm water together.

MC needed more of Sebastian and was loving this passionate moment they were sharing but her body felt like it was on fire and could burst if she didn't have him at that exact moment.

"Sebastian, make love to me, please." She said as she placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss. She could taste herself on his lips and it was excitingly erotic.

"Patience, Baby. We have all night. Let me take my time enjoying you." He said as he started to kiss along her collarbone. His hands gripped and kneaded her ass as he moaned against her wet skin. MC leaned in and pulled his head back by his hair and bit and sucked on his neck. Sebastian leaned on the edge of the hot spring and his head fell back, exposing more of his neck to her. She felt his hands glide up her sides to move to her breasts. He teased them with his big hands before using his fingers to pinch her hard nipples. He moved his head close to her chest to suck one of the stiff peaks into his hot mouth. MC gasped as he tugged on her nipples with his firm lips. He would alternate from one breast to the other, taking his time to suck and massage the heated flesh, and it made her dizzy with pleasure.

"Oh,Seb! Stop teasing me! I'm begging you!" She groaned when he pulled away to lick at water running down her flushed skin. His hands flew to her head and his fingers tangled in her hair as he peered into her eyes. His forehead was pressed to hers and he was panting, his rapid breaths fanning against her face.

"Tell me what you want. What do you want, Baby?" He pressed his lips to hers in a quick kiss so she could answer him.

"You. I want you. I need your cock. I need you inside me. Please. I’ll beg. I just desperately need you." She gazed into his eyes and he grinned at her.

"Fuck yes!" He chuckled as he swooped her up into his arms and carried her out of the hot spring. She couldn't help but laugh as he crossed over to the blanket and laid her down on the plush fabric. He was kneeling between her legs and MC sucked in a breath. Sebastian was magnificent and she couldn't take her eyes off of his body. He was built to please and they both knew it. Rippling muscles, devastating good looks, and a charming personality that could win anyone over. He was her's. He chose her when he could have anyone he wanted and it made her tear up while her heart swelled with joy.

"Baby? What's wrong?" He leaned over her to brush her hair from her forehead. "I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked in a tone of panic.

"No, you didn't hurt me. I just—I can't believe you're mine. That you're my boyfriend. It still shocks me sometimes. I love you so much, Sebastian." She smiled up at him as he wiped away a stray tear.

"I'm the lucky one. You're so extraordinary and stunning, MC. This is the happiest I've been in a very long time. I love you too." His lips met hers and she sighed joyfully into his mouth. His tongue danced with hers as his body hovered over her. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer as he rested his pelvis against hers, his cock sliding against her slick folds. She whimpered into his mouth as he rolled his hips against her, rubbing her aching clit with his shaft. Sebastian was definitely blessed below the waist. His length was perfect in her eyes and he was girthy. For a moment she wondered if she could actually take him, he was the thickest that she had ever been with. She trusted him though and knew that he would be gentle with her, making sure she was properly prepared to take on his size.

"Put your arms above your head." He whispered against her mouth then smirked. God his smirk. She would do anything, be anything, for him in order to see that small smile on his beautiful face. She did as she was told and put her arms above her head. Sebastian slowly ran his palms along her limbs and stopped at her wrists.

In one swift motion he held the both of them in one of his big hands. The other he used to rub the tip of his cock against her dripping cunt. She threw her head back as her hips writhed beneath him. His pre-cum mixed with her slick as he watched where their bodies met.

"Are you ready for me, Baby?" His voice was deep, laced with seduction, and it turned her on even more. She tried her best to hold still but she couldn't help but rub herself against him, causing more friction between their bodies.

"Yes! I'm ready! Please, Seb! Give it to me! Please!" She was begging and she didn't care. No one could take this moment from them and she wanted to cherish it forever.

Sebastian pressed the head of his cock against her entrance and inch by aching inch, slid inside her. The grunts and growls that escaped his lips had her panting and moaning in return. She felt so full, so loved, completely consumed by the passion Sebastian was determined to deliver. He bottomed out inside her and her cry echoed inside the hot spring. He didn't move to thrust or pump his hips against her, instead he stayed still, allowing her to adjust to his size.

His eyes locked with hers and she could see all the love and devotion he held inside for her. "Are you ok, MC? I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked as he kissed her forehead.

"No, you're just—thick. Give me a minute." She grunted as she slowly started to rock her pelvis against him, getting used to how his cock was stretching her little hole. Soon the slight sting bloomed into pleasure and she was biting her lip as she slid along his length. Even while she was pinned under his weight and he held her wrists, she loved how he made her feel in control and safe.

"Oh God, MC. You're so fucking tight! Your pussy was made for my cock." He moaned loudly when she slid all the way to the tip then back to his base again.

"Move with me, thrust into me, Baby." She whimpered as his lips met her throat. He nodded against her neck and plunged his dick deep inside her. His thrusts were slow and steady, meeting hers in unison. His tongue lapped against her pulse before he bit her flesh and left love bites. His hand caressed up the back of her thigh to grip her leg tightly and bring her knee up towards her chest. She wrapped her other leg around his waist to allow him to fuck her even deeper.

"Oh, MC! You feel so good!" He growled into her throat as his breaths became more frantic.

"Sebastian! Yes! Yes, more!" She cried as her nails dug into her palms and he moved to the other side of her neck to show it the same attention. The sounds of skin slapping against skin resounded within the cave and added to the euphoria they shared. MC was on cloud nine as Sebastian pounded into her clenching heat. He released her wrists to place both arms behind her legs, folding her in on herself. With her legs behind her head, this gave him even more access to her soaked core. He leaned his head down to take her lips in a searing kiss, she moaned loudly into his mouth as he picked up his pace. His thrusts became harder and more wild making her scream his name.

"So long—so long I've wanted this!" He said through clenched teeth. "You're a fucking dream come true, MC!" He placed another kiss to her lips before resting his forehead against hers. She was so close, the way he was pounding her pussy was pushing her over the edge. Her cries grew louder as Sebastian began to grind his hips into her. He used one hand to cup her cheek and make her stare into his eyes.

"You're almost there, MC. I can fucking feel it. Cum for me. Cum for me, My love!" His voice echoed as he slammed his cock into her. MC came in a rush, hollering his name as her nails dug into his back.

"Sebastian! Oh fuck!" He robbed her of her breath as her legs quaked in the air and she clenched down hard around his length. He continued to rock against her, fucking her through her climax. She was panting wantonly as he picked up his pace, his eyes shut tightly as he growled through clenched teeth.

"I'm going to—I'm going to cum! MC!" He ground against her, burying himself deep within her, his orgasm was so strong that it felt like another thrust of his cock. MC clung onto his body as he emptied himself inside her. He slowed to a stop and lowered himself on top of her, trying to catch his breath. He slowly moved so she could stretch out her legs around him. His head slumped against the crook of her neck and she hugged him even tighter as feeling started to return from her thighs down to her feet.

Sebastian carefully pulled out and rolled off of her to lay down beside her. She was still trying to steady her breathing as she gazed at the full moon through the opening on the ceiling. Sebastian pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you so much, MC. Are you ok? I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked as he ran his fingers up and down her back.

"I love you so much too. You were perfect. Everything felt so right with you, Sebastian." MC smiled up at him as she laid her head on his chest and intertwined her legs with his.

"That makes me so happy to hear that. Tonight was phenomenal with you, MC." He kissed the top of her head as she listened to his heartbeat.

"You made tonight really special. You're such a wonderful boyfriend." She snuggled even closer to him and he sighed in contentment.

"Let's rest here for a bit before we head back into town. I do have an important question to ask you though." He used one finger to lift her chin and peer into her eyes.

"Is everything alright?" She asked as she swallowed hard.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I was just—well. We've known each other for years now. Your mom and brother have accepted our relationship which I'm thrilled about. We could have been together—like this—a long time ago. I'm blessed to have you in my life, I've always felt that way, even more now since you're my girlfriend but." He paused and took a deep breath. "I was wondering, I've been thinking about it, would you—would you like to move in with me?" He said the last sentence quickly and closed his eyes tightly, awaiting her answer.

"Really? Are you sure that's what you really want?" She asked as her heart started to race.

"Yes, MC. I would love it if you moved in with me. It's completely up to you but the offer is there. I would be so ecstatic if we lived together. My place is closer to the college and I'd drive you to the campus. It's just—it's something that's been on my mind for a few days now." He looked so nervous but she felt elated.

"Yes, I'd love to move in with you, Sebastian!" She couldn't contain her excitement as she showered him with kisses. His smile was from ear to ear as he embraced her in his arms.

"This has been one of the greatest nights of my life. I love you with all my heart, MC. You truly are a mind blowing woman and I'm thankful that you're mine." His eyes shimmered with tears as she smiled down at him.

"I love you so much, Sebastian Sallow. I look forward to spending my days with you." MC gently kissed him as they held each other under the glow of the full moon. They laid like that for a while before they helped each other get dressed and pack up their picnic. MC couldn't stop grinning and held Sebastian even tighter on the drive home. She was thanking the universe for allowing this wonderful man to be hers. She wouldn't let him go for anyone or anything.

Sebastian was hers and she was his. Always.

THANK YOU FOR READING! I know it was a bit long but it’s Seb.🥰❤️

Reference photos! MC’s dresses

Poppy and Natty’s outfits

Sebastian’s bike and apartment

The hot spring

[the-kirbe-anon]

First off I wanna say please do not feel obligated to answer this if you don't want to for any reason. So I've been in the process of detransitioning for a while. I recognize that God made me a man and I should be a man. But it's just so hard for me to be a man and to wake up every morning and know I have to continue living as a man. I know that it's always hard to keep away from sin, but if you have any advice I would appreciate it. Thank you for answering if you do and regardless thank you for running this blog and all the other good you do.

Hey there! I'd first like to tell you that I'm proud of you for recognizing that God made you correctly and that you're doing what you can to live as God intended you to. It takes a lot of courage to recognize that God is ultimately right about who you should be, regardless of how you feel about it. Changing is really hard and you're taking steps to do so for God.

So a lot of transgender ideology seems to basically say "if I don't feel like what gender I was born as, then I'm not really what I was supposed to be". Much of modern gender ideology is trying to base your gender on your personality and how you feel instead of what's simply true. There are also stereotypes of what our culture thinks men and women should be like as far as personality and interests go that absolutely do not like up with what God has said about the roles of men and women.

Here's what God has NOT said about how to be a Godly man: having "manly" interests such as sports, working out, cars, ECT. Or having a "manly" personality according to what our culture calls manly.

Here's what God DOES say about being a Godly man: following the purpose God has given him, protecting and providing for those in need, controlling his temper and ungodly urges, respecting women, and taking lead when he needs to. You also must look like a male, so people don't get the wrong message.

Living as a Godly man is going to take much effort and time, and you're going to mess up sometimes, but God is faithful and forgives your imperfections.

[firefly--bright]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧!

jean kirstein x fem!reader, modern smau.

⁀➷ episode two ; the news !

➷ episode soundtrack.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

jean swiped his hands on the fabric of his jeans, wiping off the sweat that was on them. it happened everytime he got even slightly nervous, but in truth, there really was no need for him to be this nervous. maybe he was just nervous for his now new room mate. living with strangers - jean Connie and marco, at that - would certainly not be easy. maybe he was just thinking about all the things that could go wrong.

he clears his throat, raking a hand through his hair as he presses the call button next to your contact. it rings two times before you pick up.

jean makes out the background noise behind you. it sounds busy, wherever you are, and your little "hey," is barely heard. you repeat it again, a little louder as the voices in the back get quieter.

"hey. this is jean," he says. He’s pacing around in the kitchen, one hand in his pocket and the other gripping his phone.

there's a small breath of laugh on the other end. "i know, I have your number saved."

"right, right." he says, cursing himself inwardly.

there's a slight pause as neither of you say anything, and he tries to figure out why his heart is beating so fast, his hand rubbing the nape of his neck instead of laying still in his pocket - another nervous habit. it's either a scratch on the bridge of his nose or rubbing the back of his neck.

"uhm, you wanted to talk to me about something?" you ask from the other end, bringing him back to reality. he breathes in just enough to calm down.

"right, so... i wanted to tell you that. that, well, you're in. you're gonna be our new room mate." he says, face scrunching up in regret. he was going to chew marco out for telling jean to call you instead of texting. who says it like that? why'd he have to say 'youre in' as if it was a college acceptance lette-

"yay, I'm in!" you exclaim from the other line, and jeans shoulders relax after hearing it. he was being worried for no reason, really, judging by how excited you are. you continue, "thank you so much!"

he clears his throat. "yeah, no problem. i mean, you don't have to thank me. it was..a group decision, anyway, when can you move in?"

there's another pause as you him thoughtfully. "the latest I can do is probably next week. I'll have to find cheap movers and stuff, so-"

"we can help you." jean says almost instantly.

fuck. wait. was that too forward. maybe you wouldn't want three random people touching your stuff? they're going to be your room mates anyway, but maybe that was too fa-

"yeah, actually, that'd be great! if you guys don't mind, of course." you say, silencing Jean's downward spiral once more.

"great." he says. there's another pause. jean wonders what you're thinking about. he hears someone call your name in the background and then a muffled, "just a sec," comes from your voice.

"hey, yeah, sorry for that."

"no problem. are you busy right now? we can text out the details if that's easier," he suggests, leaning his weight against the kitchen counter, his free hand resting beside him.

"that would be better, yep. I'm really sorry I'm..kinda in the middle of my shift, but I'll get back to you as soon as I get home." you say. jean picks up on the breath you let out after the sentence.

"no problem, really. it was nice talking to you. bye."

"bye! thanks, again." you say, the call cutting with a small beep.

jean sighs in relief. his heart beat had gone back to normal, thankfully, and he tried not to think about why he was so nervous in the first place. all that mattered was that you seemed excited and that you'd text him the details of your move-in day.

➷ Saturday, 7:19 p.m.

"so we help her? no rewards?" Connie asks on the Saturday before they were to help you move, and jean curses when he drops his phone flat on his face. Connie snickers.

"why do you want rewards, con?" marco asks, taking a sip of his -  fourth? seventh? honestly, he had lost count - cup of coffee for the day, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

Connie shrugs. "i just wanna know what the end game is here," jean groans in response, shifting from his comfortable spot on the couch to accommodate for marco.

"end game is having someone pay the rent." jean mumbles, stretching his neck.

marco sighs. "how long have you been working on that project for?" he asks, taking his now fogged up glasses off of his face. jean admired his friend's lack of temperature sensitivity as he watched him take another sip of boiling hot coffee without even flinching. jean blinks, noting how his eyes burn when he does so.

"five hours, I think." Connie says, counting on his fingers.

"without a break?" marco asks. his brows are furrowed. jean wants to scoff and point out that he's in the same boat as him, more or less, but he's too tired to start a fight, opting to shake his head instead.

“you need to fix your schedule, jean.” He says, but jean only nods. Marco’s sure he’s not even listening at this point, knowing jean’s ears stopped working as he reads the email open infront of him.

Connie throws the wrapper of the granola bar he ate in a surpringly short amount of time, still chewing on the remnants of his snack as he talked, something that marco reprimanded him for. Jean barely heard a word.

Replying to the email, he stared at the almost blinding screen infront of him as his hands hover the keyboard, feeling them cramping up a bit, distracted with thoughts for tomorrow. He had never been good with new people – opening up to some random stranger never felt appealing to him. Somedays, he felt like all of his friends were made reluctantly, even if he was incredibly glad to have them, he had never wanted it in the first place, how all of them had somehow wiggled their way into his heart and decided to stay there. It was scary, terrifying, really, how he’d be inviting nothing less than a stranger into his house the next day after not knowing anything about you. seeing you across campus multiple times wasn’t enough, even though it was comforting.

He knew you had looked familiar when he had opened the door to you. he knew your smile seemed similar to the stranger he kept noticing – on the bus, in the graphic studio, across campus, walking to class with a cup of coffee in your hand. he was no better than connie in the sense that he instantly thought you were pretty, with your pretty eyes (even though he’d never seen them upclose before the last time he saw you; he thought they were pretty then too), and your voice that he had heard only once before, when you were talking into the phone softly in the graphics studio as he worked on his project, keeping your volume low until it became almost a hum. But just the descriptors of you weren’t enough. Sure, they were enough to know that you weren’t a criminal on the loose or someone that would murder and eat jean and his friends (he didn’t know exactly why the thought crossed his mind, but he did indulge in it a little, thinking about how this new room mate would choose to kill the three of them. He’d settled on connie injesting poison because he’s too trusting with strangers holding his drinks, marco being suspicious but ultimately being stabbed in the back, and jean dying by choking with signs of struggle. Maybe he’s watched too much news, too many crime documentaries, he thinks before sleeping that night.) regardless, jean sums up that he’s too cautious about the whole ordeal.

Unlike his friends, it takes a while to get to know him. Being his friend requires patience, a hell of a lot of it, which is also probably why he hasn’t been in a serious relationship for longer than six months to a year. Marco is gentle – even while in middle school, when the two first met, he was nice to jean, a stark contrast from his other friends that were too keen on making him feel the worst about himself. Connie is a born comedian, even if he has his issues with intimacy, he has the ability to draw people in enough to stay. Sasha is charismatic and kind, something jean admires about her. Connie and sasha were inseperable in high school, which made jean a little suspicious to get to know them, because how could anyone be friends for so long and still stand eachother? How could neither of them see the worst in eachother or get bored? Maybe that was just his trauma talking, but his suspicions dissapiated when he was paired up with them for a group project. They turned out to be really good friends even after the class ended, and when marco moved back in in sophomore year, the four became really close; going to parties, having fun, having long talks about how scared they were for their future and the majors they were choosing.

these three idiots were really the only ones that jean had connected with in his life, and he still wonders why they stuck around for so long.

In his mind, his hesitancy is valid. He doesn’t know what kind of person you are and who you’d be. In his mind youre the worst person in the world because assuming the worst in people was always easier than expecting them to be the best and then getting disappointed because of it. Sure, you were pretty. Beautiful, really, with the sun setting behind you through the windows, lighting up the side of your face in the bus as jean listened to music after a long day, but he didn’t know you. if anything, it made it harder for him to actually talk to you. a bad habit, he realised long ago, that everytime he found anyone attractive, he’d choke up and have no idea what to say, his compliments coming out in broken sentences. Again, being with him was a game that required a lot of patience.

So when Sunday rolled around, he didn’t try to spend too much time in interacting with you.

➷ Sunday, 12:03 p.m.

“everything’s packed. mostly.” You say, pacing around the room, making a mental note of all the boxes you had.

“god, you have so many trinkets. Why do you need this rock?” noor asks, exasperated, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and a marker in her hand. you had asked her to come over last night, panicked, after not starting on packing everything up the whole week. In you defence, it wasn’t really your fault. You’d been too busy with your shifts at work and your assignments to even remember that you were moving.

“do you remember that day we went by the lake because we were sad that highschool was ending? And then we tried to throw rocks in the bouncy-bouncy way but we failed?” you asked, still pacing around and picking up a notebook off of your very naked and very vulnerable looking bed, “well, that’s one of the rocks from near the lake. I wanted to remember the day, so.” You said, checking off the items that you had packed.

Noor hummed. “I remember that. We made taylor swift folklore references.”

Noor laughed as well, tugging her legs infront of her chest. “now look at us. You got home at what? Twelve at night day before?” she asked, resting her chin on her knees. You took a seat on your mattress, leaning your weight on the palms of your hands behind you.

You breathed out a laugh. “and then went to get ice cream. Dude my mom was so mad I stayed out for so long,”

Noor had always been pretty, you thought. There was a certain point in highschool when you had started getting closer to her, where you had the briefest crush on her. With long eyelashes, pretty dark brown eyes that always shone whenever she talked about something she was excited about, it really wasn’t hard to love her. The apples of her cheek were prominent when she smiles as she’s doing right now, the mole near the inner corner of her right eye almost disappearing while the mile on the left side of the crease of her chin made itself more prominent. Even if her hair was tied up into a bun, some of her dark waves that escaped from it falling onto her shoulders and her bangs – though currently a little untidy - framing her face, she looked pretty. She always did.

You tilted your chin up, closing your eyes. “im so glad im moving closer to college. No more one and a half hour transport, thank god.”

“travelling with you was always nice.” She said as you looked back at her. “back when we used to do it in highschool. The times you were absent I would have to stop myself from crying when I got on the bus alone,”

You laughed again. “im sorry about my weak body. I had so many fevers,”

“you should be. I was so scared because I’d have to go to school alone, without you. do you know how much trauma that gave me?”

“I’ll pay for your therapy-“

“I need more than that. You need to fund my red bull addiction.”

“you need rehab for that, I will not be helping your unhealthy coping mechanisms.” You say, hearing her laugh in the way that brought you comfort. You were glad you had her. You were glad that despite the apartment you were currently in never felt like home, she did. Everytime she came over with takeout that had gotten cold because of the journey, she made the place feel more like your own as you forced her to watch bad shows and scary movies with you, making her laugh even if the scene was terrifying for her to watch.

You glanced at the screen on your phone, reading the time out loud.

“when are they getting here?” she asked, taking a sip of the aforementioned red bull that she had kept beside her on the ground.

You sighed, stretching. “twelve ten.”

“they’re late.” She says. “what if they’re, like, not the best people?”

“im sure they’re not the worst. Besides, I’ll remind myself that what I had before that was an hour and a half of commute and the tiniest bathroom known to man.”

“and you’ll have me,” she says, shrugging.

“and I’ll have you.” you parrot, opening your mouth to say something else but being cut off by three loud knocks.

Noor give you a knowing look, the both of you getting up from your seats as she adjust her hair. Taking a deep breath in, you open the door with a smile.

“hey guys!” you say, being greeted by marco’s smiling freckled face, his hair swooping over his forehead just like the day he showed you around the apartment.

“hi,” he speaks, his voice getting drowned out by connies loud one.

“hey roomie! We almost got lost while coming here. place is like a maze.” He says, slinging his arm over marcos shoulder. You breath out a laugh, “right? Crazy ass town planners,” you say, opening the door wider to let them in. as usual, jean doesn’t talk much, nodding at your as greeting as you wave back.

Pretty stranger. In your house. Or, your ex- house. And he looked good today, too, a brown hoodie with light blue loose fitting jeans, his hair covered by a hat so that you could only see the tips of them through it. His keys hung off of one of his belt loops, his fingers accessorized with silver rings. He smelled nice, too, you noted.

“woah,” you heard connie say. Looking back at him, you saw him looking at noor with a small smile on his face. Noor, on the other hand, had the expression she always wore when men approached her.

Mild disgust.

You cleared your throat, “right, guys, this is noor. My best friend since highschool. That’s jean, marco and connie.”

“so youre the baldy,” she said, tilting her head towards connie, and in usual settings, this would be a slightly passive comment. But to connie, somehow, it translated as a challenge as he smirked, crossing his arms infront of his chest, trying to make himself bigger. Jean groaned from behind you, and marco, again, looked at you apologetically.

“the hair was a choice. People went too insane seeing how good I looked with longer hair so,” he waves a hand over his buzzed hair, “I shaved it all off as mercy.”

You grimace. Noor’s expression gets stronger as she sighs in annoyance. “yeah, I’d also go insane trying not to kill you.”

“do you guys… know eachother?” marco asks. you pick up the notebook from your bed again, rechecking the list of things you had. Jean leans on the wall next to you.

“she was my-“ “we were just in a group project together, don’t get it over your bald head.”

Jean snorted beside you as you gasped at the recollection. “oh my god youre the guy that gatekept all the information for the presentation!” marco joined in with jeans growing amusement, as connie’s face turned red in embarrassment.

His hands flew up in the air in defense. “hey, I was a freshman, I was…growing-“

“growing from being a complete piece of trash?” noor said.

“yes. No, I mean, like, I was trying to not be-“ “blah blah blah, you made us almost fail.” She said. “if only you could stop flirting with everyone in the group and actually do your work.” “it’s called charisma,” “charisma my ass.” She mumbled in response. You cleared your throat.

“alright, lets get to work before someone gets murdered in this place. Im sure it wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened here.” you say, picking up a relatively smaller box of all of your academic supplies.

Jean followed you, grabbing the box from your hand. marco agrees with you and heads to another, whereas connie sticks around noor, much to her dismay.

Marco speaks up as you keep the door open with your foot, standing near the doorway with a box of some of your clothes. “has…someone actually been murdered here?”

You shrugged. “a lot has happened here, apparently. Someone almost died because a pipe fell on their head. One day I came home late at night to police sirens-“

“oh yeah, what happened with that?” noor asks, finally being able to separate herself from connie who you glanced at. He seemed to be playing eeny-meeny-miney-moe with which box to pick up. “the left one is the lightest,” you tell him, and he shoots you a wide smile and two thumbs up.

Going back to the topic at hand, you catch noor – and marco – up on the…subtle crime that had occurred in the building. The infrastructure was extremely poor, making you confused between the creaking of pipes and the sounds of unwanted footsteps in the corridors late at night. It was kind of scary, living in such a cramped space with nowhere to hide while also not knowing if the noises you heard were simply because you were paranoid or because they were creaks of the weak building. But you didn’t mention any of that, focusing instead on the girl that moved out. You remembered her being really nice, even though you didn’t know her name, just her bright blue doe eyes and blonde hair. She always smiled at you when you saw her on the stairs or in the dingy elevator. She had an encounter with an almost criminal which made her call the cops, but apparently the guy was just her dad that she didn’t recognize. She had told you briefly in the lift that the two had a complicated relationship, so she was just surprised and scared after you asked her how she was doing. She soon mentioned she was moving out and living with her girlfriend and her roommate instead.

Marco let out a whistle when you reached the car, jean standing near the trunk and making space in it to accommodate for your stuff. “sounds very scary.”

“I survived,” you said, placing a box in the space jean had made, muttering a small thanks to him with a smile, earning a nod with a thin lipped smile – if you could even call it that.

“that’s insane lore from your friend,” connie says, haphazardly stuffing a box into the trunk, to which noor groans and rolls her eyes before having to readjust it herself. “yeah. I hope she’s doing well with her girlfriend.” You say.

“you kno-“ marco starts, but it’s cut off by his phone ringing with the tune of that really annoying sound on every social media platform, the one that repeatedly had the phrase ‘oh no, oh no’ with an incredibly annoying beat, making marco groan out connies name before picking it up.

“hey sash,” he spoke into the mic, talking to who you presumed to be the same sasha from your work.

“so, who’s coming in the car with you?” you ask jean while connie and noor continue their vehement words and insults thrown onto eachother, even though it was mostly connie trying to impress noor and the latter not having any of it.

Jean looks at you, squinting against the strong sunlight. His eyes are really pretty, you note, and he sighs before speaking. “well, we haven’t decided that yet. There probably wont be that much space in the car, considering all of… that.” He says, glancing at half your boxes that had already filled up the trunk. You nod, “right.”

This is the first time you’ve heard him speak for so long. You breathed in an awkward breath. Carrying a conversation with an uninterested person wasn’t new to you, and in normal circumstances, you’d have given up and opened your phone as distraction, but you were supposed to live with this guy. You couldn’t just live with someone you’d have to give awkward tight lipped smiles to everyday. no, you were more resilient than a couple dry sentences. Maybe he was just shy.

You opened your mouth to speak again, but were cut of by marco calling out your name, his hand outstretched with his phone in his palm. The screen flashed what you assumed to be sasha’s name, though it was named as ‘ice cream inhaler DO NOT CALL WHEN SHE…” the other part cut off because of it’s length.

“sasha wants to speak to you,” he said with an apologetic smile which you were sure was his resting face, as you smiled and took the phone from his hand.

“hey, sasha-“ you tried, but she had already cut you off with a sentence of her own. You hadn’t spoken to sasha other than for the few friendly exchanges you’d had with her when she was assigned a rare shift with you. she’d compliment you, you’d have to hold her back from eating all the send-backs. It was 50/50.

“hi! We’re going to be step-roommates!” she says, and you can hear the smile in her voice, forcing you to smile as well. “we are,” you reply.

“since obviously these idiots are going to tell you the best places to get takeout from, here’s the- oh, hold on. I’m getting called for an order. Give me, like, two seconds.” She says, the line going silent. You pulled the phone off of your ear, confused. Jean sighed from beside you, rolling his eyes and closing the trunk with a loud thud.

“she always does this-“ he steps next to you, holding his hand out for the phone. You hand it to him without question. “calls us when she’s in the middle of something and leaves the phone open. its dangerous-“ he says, taking the phone and placing it near his mouth, now loudly talking into the microphone. “Gordon Ramsey is the greatest chef in the universe,” he says loud enough for you to flinch with a smile as he mimicked your expression of slight amusement, smirking. This was the first time you were engaging in a longer conversation with him. Granted, he wasn’t actually speaking to you.

“she hates Gordon Ramsey. Doesn’t like how he always shouts instead of enjoying his amazing job. Her words, not mine.” He speaks, shifting the mic away from his mouth. Going back to the mic, he continues, “do you remember that fanfiction you made us read of him giving bi-“

“hi! Im back, new roomie-in-law!” she says before jean finishes his sentence. He clears his throat loud enough for sasha to hear. You can practically hear her roll her eyes, “and you, horseface.”

“hey!”

“I need a follow-up on the Gordon ramsay story. And the horseface name.” you say, taking the phone from jean’s hand and holding it like a mic.

“oh, you have a lot to catch up on if you’re gonna live with them, but don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything you need to know. Its going to take about three business days and three large pizzas, though.”

“deal,” you tell her with a smile, and jean scoffs as he walks away with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I have to go now, though, but have fun until I get there! And try not to lose your mind too much, jean and connie can do that to people.”

“I’ll try my best, sash.”

“I believe in you! bye!”

“buh-bye.”  

➷ Sunday, 1:24 p.m.

The group is divided into an imperfect two-to-three, with you, noor and marco opting for the bus and jean and connie travelling by jean’s car, which you assume is like travelling with a married couple that dislikes eachother.

Marco agrees. Theres barely any seats left on the bus despite the fact that it’s a Sunday morning with not a lot of work rush, and you have to cling onto the poles for support. Noor leans her shoulder on the same pole your hand grips, and marco’s head is supported by his arm which was raised and rested by the handles.

“they’ve always been like that,” he says with an adoring smile playing on his lips. Its only now that you notice how pretty marco is, and his eyes are soft as he talks about his friends. “you haven’t been in the same room as jean, connie and sasha. That’s the true test.”

You laugh. “how bad is it?”

He inhales, thinking, “one time, connie climbed on top of the fridge and jean was trying to get him out with a broom. Sasha was on the kitchen counter with her arms up, trying to get him down.” He says. “to this day, none of them know why he got up there in the first place but he just…did, and they weren't even drunk. fully sober.” he says with a smile and a shrug, shaking his head in disbelief. “so, that’s how bad it is,”

You smiled. Noor rolled her eyes, murmuring, "of course connie did that.”

“oh, yeah, you guys know each other, right?” marco asks, turning his head towards her a little, his smile unwavering. Now that you thought about it, it was hard to make his smile waver. The only time you had seen anything but a small smile on his face was when youo were describing you now past living situation to him. Noor groaned from beside you.

“overstatement. i was…acquainted with him, if anything. Only because I was forced to. The entire time, all he tried to do was flex his non-existent abs at me and make me laugh. I just…hate his guts.” She says, shaking her head and pursing her lips as if just the mention of connie’s name was making her mood turn sour. Maybe it was.

“I didn’t know that this connie was the same guy you told me about,” you said. She shook her head again. “nah, its okay. You couldn’t have known, anyway.”

Marco hums, “connie can be a bit… desperate. He sees someone pretty and immediately makes himself… dispensable?”

There was a slight pause before you spoke, tilting your head at his sentence. “did you just call him a slut?”

“that’s the most eloquent way of calling someone a fuckboy.” She says, still laughing.

Marco chuckles as noor bursts into her bright laughter. You count this as permission for your own laugh to bubble up.

The bus came to a stop with you and noor catching marco up to speed on your collective history and highschool lives, marco adding his own stories and laughter. you got off the bus kind of dreading the end of the ride, even though you were going to live with him, you hoped you’d get to talk to him a lot more. Marco seemed warm and inviting, and he had told the both of you – who were technically strangers to him – about how he’d grown up with four younger siblings and how he’d had to take care of them a lot, how jean kind of helped him with his familial life, how marco felt less like he had a role to play when he was with jean, connie and sasha. His open confession of admiration warmed you from the inside, and you hoped, selfishly and maybe a little too soon, that you’d fit into their house. It wasn’t just an apartment they’d shared as friends, but a place for them to be comfortable in. you felt like you were intruding.

And you felt it even more so as noor got a call from her classmate. You’d only overheard a bit of the call on the sidewalk as the three of you walked to the building, marco telling you about the time jean used to try to flirt with people and miserably failing, and somewhere in the middle of you trying to control your laughter and marco now fully making fun of his best friend, noor had stopped walking.

you looked behind you. her brows were scrunched up in confusion, a noticeable scowl growing on her face.

“no, wasn’t that…..yeah, I thought it was on Friday. He cant just change it like that! God, okay. I’ll come over, im not that far. Yep. Oh, and the presentation, too. We can give that work to lucy. Mhm, yeah. Yep, see you.” she said, hanging up and looking at you apologetically.

“I’m so sorry, guys, I have to leave. Apparently the professor who had assigned a project to us pushed the deadline to Tuesday instead of Friday.” She said.

“woah, what? They can do that?” marco asks. she nods, sighing frustratingly. “the guy teaching us is very old. He does this all the time, im pretty sure he’s a corpse already.” You laugh a little.

She says your name softly, “Im so sorry I cant-“

“it’s okay, noor. Ive got it covered. You’ve helped a lot as is.” You said, stepping forward and engulfing her in your arms. she fit there perfectly, squeezing your shoulders before letting go.

You smiled at her, “best of luck. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

She nods, “you call me too, after you’re settled.” Turning to marco, she continues, “it was so good meeting you! we have to meet again. I mean, I guess we will,”

Marco smiles, his eyes squinting. “of course, im glad I go to meet you as well. Best of luck on the assignment.”

Noor leaves, walking with double the speed. You watched her leave, her hair flowing slightly with the wind.

you sighed with a smile, turning back to marco, “so, where were we?”

Marco’s conversation capabilities served as a distraction from your own almost all-consuming thoughts. He continued telling you, in vivid detail, how jean had asked him to help with his promposal. He had gotten down on one knee for a girl he didn’t even know infront of almost the whole school, not heeding marco’s advice of getting to know her first before doing something large and irrational. Apparently, somehow, it had worked and despite facing some amount of embarrassment even years later, atleast he got the girl to go out with him for prom.

“Strangely uplifting and wholesome,” you said, stopping infront of the door as marco fished for his keys in his pockets.

“that’s jean for you,” he slipped the key into the slot, turning to you before opening the door. “oh, and just so you don’t step on a minefield – never call jean horseface. He’ll loose his mind.” He said. Before you could ask why, he had opened the door and you were bombarded with bickering once again.

“I told you, I don’t know-“ jean voice said. You presumed it was coming from the kitchen. Connie cut him off with a smirk you knew was present on his face without even having to see it, “oh, really? And you just hid this information from us, conveniently-“

Marco cleared his throat loudly. You shed your coat and hung it up on the rack, smiling at the two of them, waving.

Connie smiled widely, waving at you with his fingers. Jean gave you a tight lipped smile.

“uhm-  your boxes are kept in your room,” jean said, a cup of coffee in his hand. you could read the big, bold black letters from where you were standing – “HOTTEST MILF IN TOWN”. You nodded with a smile, opening your mouth to say something before he cut you off again. Only then did you notice a slight blush covering his cheeks.

“if you need any help and stuff, I c- we can help, or whatever.” He said, shrugging before taking a sip of his coffee. Connie looked like he was going to burst out laughing, and you couldn’t tell why. It wasn’t unusual for you to feel out of place with people, but you were just made aware of the fact as you scanned them briefly.

“thank you. really, thank you guys for everything.” You say, looking at all of them. Marco smiled at you openly, jean refused to make eye contact with you, covering the bottom half of his face with the mug (how long was he going to take a sip?), and connie only nodded slowly, his eyes watering, his hand coming up to his mouth to hold in his laughter. your eyes went to jean’s. you pointed to his hand, “nice mug.” You said.

As soon as you turned around, though, he did not hold back. His laughter was only interrupted by small “you” and “thought” “she” and then an “oh my go-“  jean groaned and you didn’t hear him defend himself, or marco laughing along with connie, as you opened the door to your room.

Your room.

You were never good with change. You sighed, looking at all the boxes – some scattered and some stacked. You guessed the stacked ones were jean’s work. The heavier boxes were on the bottom while the lighter ones balanced on top of them. The scattered boxes had to be a job done by connie. You appreciated it nonetheless, sitting down on the one patch that wasn’t occupied, scanning the room, making notes on how you’d change it. Connie was still laughing outside, only that jean was defending himself with horrible tactics. You leaned back, stealing a glance at the scene – his hands were plugging his ears, eyes shut tight as he sang loudly and terribly “baby you light up my world like nobody else-“ marco covering his mouth with a fist, his shoulders shaking as he laughed silently. You smiled.

Sure, you’d feel like an intruder. But you could try hard not to be. You refused to sink into the same cycle that you had been in in highschool, but you also refused to be alone. Taking a deep breath in, you shouted, all with a smile still present on your face.

“hey!”

The three looked at you. jean’s voice was still singing (again, terribly), and marco had to elbow him to shut him up. “I saw a pizza place down the corner. Edo you guys wanna order and try it out?”

Marco agreed instantly, and connie was immediately hopping off of his seat, opening the cabinets and taking out some mugs. Jean only looked at you. you took that as a win.

“we can drink cheap wine-“ connie said, which seemed to snap jean out of his stupor. “its not cheap, I paid a whole eight dollars for it!”

Marco cleared his throat as you made your way to the kitchen counter again, slipping onto one of the barstools. “you mean five dollars.”

“when are you going to stop treating us like common whores?” connie asks, turning around with his arms full of mugs, all with different writings on them.

Jean scoffed, “when you stop treating me like your provider.”

“provider? I hardly know he-“

“I will KILL YOU CONSTANCE.” Jean says. You laugh, marco joins, connie flinches at jeans voice, ducking under the table to shield himself.

You’d try. You’d try hard to not be an intruder.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

⁀➷ previous episode ; ( pilot ! ) ➷ next episode ; coffee grinds !

⁀➷ fic visuals ➷ fic playlist

⁀➷ series masterlist ➷ main masterlist ➷ enter my taglist!

⁀➷ taglist ➷ @mrsnobodynobody , @holding-infinity-and-a-book , @hopeless-anti-romantic , @jeanscremebrulee , @cherrypieyourface , @berrijam , @imgayandshesanime , @moonmalice , @kivernova , @potaho3frog , @xakilicious , @katestrophes

⁀➷ a/n ➷ shes a big one. sorry for the wait, i can finally sit down to write stuff since i have summer break. i was struggling HARD with this one, though, the dialogues were Not Easy considering the fact that im not funny at all (as you can tell probably). some of the dialogues are taken by conversations between me and my friends and some are taken from sticoms ive watched hehe. hope yall liked it!! as always constructive criticisms are open! also requests are open, too, since i have more time to write now!

⁀➷ comments, likes, reblogs are always appreciated!

line dividers by @peachesofteal

[quitealotofsodapop]

Knowing Zu Baije he'd look at Ao Lie's pbvious favoritism and assume the guy has a crush on Wukong. To which both Wukong and Ao Lie give himself disgusted looks.

"Are you joking!? He's a carrying a pup! Thag clearly means he has someone else jn mind to help raise the baby." (Ao Lie knows and understands that it's asexual. He just also knows Wukong doesn't want that getting out)

"HEY! I have a mate, thank you very much! And he's a hell of a lot prettier than you!"

This is the first mention of Wukong having a significant other they get. Needless to say, they are very curious since all of them have heard legends and stories about Wukong or seen him in battle, but nothing to indicate he had a romantic partner. Quite the opposite, really.

And you know the dragon would loudly reinforced the fact that his and Wukong's friendship is pretty much fraternal. Ao Lie thinks Zhu Bajie is being gross - why wouldn't a dragon help out an expecting family member?

Ao Lie: "It's called *being a good person*. But you wouldn't know that, xiao-Zhu." Zhu Bajie: *ready to fist-fight a horse*

And of Wukong is embarassed by all the arguing "caused" by his condition.

He's also super sad that no one in the modern (ie Journey) era has heard of Macaque. The Six Eared Macaque, Great Sage Informing Wind? His right-hand warrior? His six-eared confidant? His equal on the battlefield? His moonlight? His plums?!

Wide-eyed, the two former-Celestials shake their heads in No. Honestly they're shocked that the dreaded, bloodthirsty Monkey King had a beloved spouse, as well as said spouse being his equal in battle.

Sha Wujing, awkwardly: "In the palace, there was rumours that you loved no one, or that you had a wife hidden away in your cave like some mountain troll. Sorry." Wukong, wistfully: "Really??? But.... me and Mac have been eachother's One and Only since long before I declared myself Great Sage. Why has history forgotten him?" Zhu Bajie: "I dunno. Maybe he died?" Wukong: *bursts out sobbing at the thought!!!* Ao Lie: "Dude! Uncool!" Tripitaka, moves to comfort Wukong: "Brother Pig! Don't be so crass!!" Zhu Bajie, unfazed: "Why? He probably did. He didn't get baked in the Furnace with the peaches, wine, and pills for 49 days. Odds are he isn't immortal." Wukong: "Shut up! Shut up!" *pulls out Staff and chases Bajie*

It was first of the many times Bajie would set off the hormonal, pregnant monkey.

[sommerflue-22]

i loved the childhood crush fanfic of yours! im wondering if your making a yuichiro choice one?

A/n: aaaa thank you sm! and ofc! i hope you like this one too :D

──────────────────────────────────────────

Childhood Crush | Yuichiro Tokito

Muichiro version

Featuring: Yuichiro Tokito, aged up!Yuichiro

Content Warning: gn!reader, modern setting, fluff, not beta read

Word Count: 1.7k

──────────────────────────────────────────

At first, Muichiro was the twin who caught your attention. How could he not? He was a kind kid, soft-spoken and very polite. Not to mention, he smiled a lot. You were in the same homeroom class with him back in your first and second year of elementary school. After that, you were separated. You didn't play with him during recess anymore, but it didn't matter because you made friend with his twin.

Yuichiro was an active kid, always running around playing tag or football whenever he had the chance. You were his seatmate for a whole semester during your third year.

One day during PE, the teacher paired you two to play badminton. It was a match made in heaven. You hit the shuttlecock back and forth, not even letting it drop. Sure, Yuichiro was strong, but you managed to match his energy. The game was really intense, your other classmates started to abandon their own games and watched you and Yuichiro instead.

From that day, you and Yuichiro were pretty much inseparable. You played together during recess, sat next to each other in science lab, exchanged collectible cards. Just two active kids having fun every day.

You remembered the first time you realized that, hey, Yuichiro is such a good friend... but he made your little heart beats a little faster, unlike the other kids.

Yuichiro came to school one day, eyes wide and a big grin plastered on his face.

"(Y/N), (Y/N)! Guess what?!"

"What?"

"You have to guess first!"

You pouted, annoyed, but gave yourself a few seconds to try guessing the reason Yuichiro's joyful expression. "You... got yourself a new bike?" Yuichiro did tell you he wanted a new bike.

"Ah, I wish! But no!" Yuichiro circled the table and sat next to you. "My Dad got me that dinosaur movie's DVD!"

You gasped, "No, he didn't!"

"Yes, he did!" Yuichiro bounced his feet, excited. "Do you wanna watch it with me after school? Mui don't wanna watch it, he'd rather watch cartoon."

"Eh? Sure! I wanna see the movie too!"

"Alright! Let's go to my house after school!"

The movie was all you talked about with Yuichiro all day. Even during recess, you both didn't join the other kids playing football. Instead, you sat with Yuichiro on the swing set and talked about dinosaurs. When the school bell rang, signaling the end of the class, you both were all packed up and ready to go.

Thankfully, the Tokito's house wasn't really far from school, only a ten minute walk. Once you got there, you borrowed the telephone to call your mom. You told her that you're in Yuichiro's house, about to watch a movie. Your mom let you, but also told you to go home before it got dark.

"All good! Let's go watch that movie!" You gave Yuichiro a thumbs up and he led you to the living room.

You sat comfortably on the sofa as Yuichiro put the CD in the player.

"Yay, it's starting!" Yuichiro plopped down next to you soon after.

"No, it's still the main menu! You gotta push that one there, the 'Play Movie' one! Give me the remote, you're so slow!"

You grabbed the remote from Yuichiro's hand and played the movie.

It was really cozy in the Tokito house. The sofa and the throw pillows were fluffy and soft, the floor was heated, and Yuichiro's mother made them hot chocolate. She also gave you two a bowl of popcorn and a few bags of chips to eat during the movie.

There were a few scenes that made you two jump, but you laughed them all off. Instead of getting scared, you and Yuichiro just commented on how cool the dinosaurs looked. The movie was interesting, but it was quite a long one. Almost two and a half hour long.

Things got a little bit boring when you reached the part where the characters had to plan an escape. It was a lot of talking, not enough dinosaurs. It was the first time the two of you fell silent. You kept your eyes glued to the TV, though, wasn't about to risk missing a dinosaur appearance.

You yawned as the two main characters got left alone by their other friends. They were supposed to guard the front door as the others went to find supplies. You weren't interested in their 'romantic' banter.

You were about to reach out and grab some popcorns when you realized Yuichiro had fallen asleep, his head rested on your shoulder.

Your heart started to beat faster than usual. You didn't know why, maybe because you were afraid of waking him up. As much as you liked watching the movie with him, you couldn't blame him for falling asleep. The movie was still on its boring part and school was tiring. It was normal for him to get tired and fell asleep.

You stayed on your seat and decided to watch the movie again. Wrong move. The two characters were kissing. Mind you, neither you nor Yuichiro knew the movie had a little bit of romance in it. You were just there to see the dinosaur.

But the scene that was unfolding in front of your eyes really made your stomach fluttered. It was your first time seeing two people kiss, and hug each other oh so tightly right after.

I wish I can hug Yuichiro like that...

...what?

You couldn't believe you thought about hugging Yuichiro like those characters. It was a tight hug, a really intimate one. They also did it after they kissed each other.

Gross.

You tried to forget about that feeling, but it never left. It stayed in the back of your mind, coming forward every once in awhile, during random moments you shared with Yuichiro.

By the time you were in the 6th grade, you fully understood that you did like Yuichiro... a little bit (a lot) more than a friend. Yet you never told him.

Apparently someone from another class had a crush on one of the Tokito twins. You had no idea which one, but you saw Yuichiro got pissed off when he found out. You saw him got angry because other kids teased him.

You thought it was better not to tell him about your little crush.

So you kept it to yourself.

You went to the same middle school and high school as the twins. You watched as they grew up to be really attractive. By the time you graduated high school, Yuichiro was already towering over you.

Oh, he's a bad news, alright, you told yourself. Yuichiro was tall, ripped, really good looking, and you waited for him to finish his kendo practices so you knew what he could do with those muscles.

The day after your graduation, you and Yuichiro drove down to the beach and had a little picnic to watch the sunset. It was something that the two of you loved to do since the ninth grade. For Yuichiro, it might be completely platonic. But for you? You loved to pretend that those sunset picnics were dates.

"So... you're moving out this weekend?" Yuichiro asked.

"Yep." You answered, still munching your chips. You got accepted to a really good program in a reputable university. The thing was, it's located on the other side of the country.

"My, my... It won't be the same without you here," Yuichiro whistled. "I mean, we've been friends since like... what, elementary school?"

You laughed, "Back when you still believe in Santa Claus."

Yuichiro threw an almond at you. "I was an imaginative kid... But, anyway... I hope you'll like it there! I'm really happy for you, you know. You deserve this. So go out there and explore the world! Make friends with a lot of people, fall in love with a few, then maybe one day I'll receive an... I don't know, a housewarming party invitation? Or maybe even a wedding invitation?"

You smiled, watching as he popped and almond into his mouth. He had no idea...

"The point is... I'll always be your friend. You can call me anytime."

You sighed. "Well... It would be great if I can find someone else out there, maybe date them, got my heart broken, fall for someone new, repeat the cycle... but I don't think I'll be able to experience those stuff... at least not in the near future."

"Eh?! Why not?!"

You turned to look at him right in his eyes. "Because of you."

Yuichiro blinked a few times before his eyes widened.

"(Y/N)..."

"You don't have to reciprocate. I just need to tell you that... just to let you know." You let out a laugh.

"Ah... thanks..."

Surprisingly, you didn't feel sad. You felt relieved. You finally let go of something that you've been holding onto for so long.

The two of you sat in silence as the sun set. Once you could no longer see the glowing, orange orb, you stood up.

"Right, we should get going, then!" You clapped your hands once. "Let me get the trash and dump them. Oi, Yui, stop zoning out and fold the mat."

You picked up the trash and walked to a nearby trash can. Once you disposed them, you went to a faucet near the stairs to the parking lot to wash your hands.

As you were washing your hands, you felt a pair of strong hands wrapped around your waist.

"Yui—"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

You let him hold you close, feeling the warmth of his body embraced you, sheltering you from the cold wind.

"Because I don't want you to hate me."

"...Since when?"

"...third grade..."

Yuichiro chuckled, you could feel his breath on your nape. "Oh, (Y/N)..."

Yuichiro turned your body around and soon you were engulfed in his scent, earthy and clean. Your heart was beating like crazy, but so was his.

"So... do you wanna... try it out?" Yuichiro asked, voice quivered at the end.

You chuckled. He was nervous.

"Only if you want to." You lifted up your chin to meet his face.

He rolled his eyes as he leaned down to peck your forehead.

──────────────────────────────────────────

A/n: I GOT CARRIED AWAY AJASOFEJOHGE

[wayfayrr]

woooO!!!! congrats on 100 followers!! I've had this idea of the links reacting to the reader who rode a motorcycle, like street racing, or trick riding! like in a modern time, they find a bike under a tarp or smthn and ask them about it, and they offer to show them, and turns out they did trick riding/ street racing/etc. [with a helmet and leather jacket ofc, safety first!!] [idk really, i just like the idea and its been stewing lol]

Thank you anon!!! 💖💖 I can see why this idea was stuck in your head, the idea of reader having a bike is ✨✨ and I hope I've done it justice! I also focused this with two if you don't mind, If you wanted a different member of the chain feel free to ask!!

"[NAME]! [NAME] I THINK I BROKE SOMETHING!"

"TWI!? JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE FOR A MOMENT I'M COMING OVER TO YOU."

Twilight calling out like that? Wild I would expect, Wind or Hyrule I would understand, but Twilight? I just hope he's alright, is it even safe if he'd have to go to the hospital? Would he need a vet instead?

Because I do not want to find out the answer to that if I can help it. It's a very quick decision to drop what I'm doing to go and check on him, from... it sounded like the garage?

"Twi? Are you alright, what's - oh you haven't broken anything, that's good you're okay."

No injuries, good, fine I can work with that and he looks like a kicked puppy for some reason. Why does he look like I'm about to shout at him..? Is that my helmet? 

"I'm so sorry darlin' this thing got caught on me and I a part of it fell to the floor and I…"

"It's fine, you haven't broken anything. They're separate things I keep stacked together, there's no issue. If anything with how you were shouting I thought you were injured Link, you had me really worried."

A flustered Twilight isn't something I've gotten to see often, but it's a very addictive sight seeing someone as tough as him crumble like this over something so small. My bike's fine, the tarp's only torn a tiny bit and my helmet, well there's nothing that could scratch that any more than it's already been scratched. I wonder if I could push his fluster any further, maybe if I…

“Hey Twi, you know I promised to take you to a coffee shop at some point? So I can prove to you it’s not broken, want to ride with me?”

That did it, he’s redder than I’ve ever seen him ever and I think I can still push him further. Taking my jacket off of the hook, tossing it on then handing Twi my spare set with a wink.

“Come on pretty boy, let me treat you?”

Oh? That is cute, it seems the wolf’s lost his ability to speak as he follows my lead by putting on the gear I’ve lent to him. I’m just glad I keep some spares at all times, for when things like this come up it can be a lifesaver. Walking the bike outside with him trailing behind me with lovestruck eyes before I gesture to him to come closer. Gently guiding him to sit behind me on the bike then coaxing his arms around my waist with very little complaint from him only to start up the motor. 

It’s been a while since I’ve felt the freedom of riding like this, I think Twilight is enjoying it as well which is the main thing. Pushing my bike more from his unspoken joy, it’s like I’m back to racing again and with that thrill-seeking side winning out I push us further still hitting about a hundred now, likely faster than he’s ever moved before.

And then we’ve already arrived. Clearly he doesn’t seem ready to let go of me, the way his arms have tightened again is a good enough show of that.

“You can hold me more later Twi, don’t you want to go in then I can explain more?” 

“Alright, darlin’.”

It took a moment for him to find something on the menu that he liked the sound of and was safe for him, while I just ordered my usual but after that, we’re free to just talk for a while, although even after all of that his blush still hasn’t died down the smallest amount. 

“So I’m guessing you’re curious about my bike? I used to spend a lot of my spare time racing so it’s a very high-quality one.”

“It’s that important to you but you’re willin to let me ride it?”

“I mean, of course. There’s no fun in riding alone, and I trust you.”

I think that last sentence might have broken him, he’s a blushing mess mumbling about how good I look and how impressed he is. He’s sweet. Although now it might take a while for me to be able to talk to him again.

[that-basic-simp]

Modern AU

Karlach X Fem! Reader WC: 1.6k+ A/N: I couldn't think of a good name for this, but really wanted to write in a modern setting.

As I was walking out of the building I was just in, my phone buzzed, revealing that my mother wants me to pick up dinner on the way home as she was stuck in the office. I let out a sigh as I swiftly turned on my feet, heading into the direction of the grocery store. Being a college student on a budget myself and having to get dinner tonight was irritating, but it was something I wasn't used to. My mother took on extra shifts or stayed longer because we needed the income as my father hadn't paid his child support, but it's not like it's needed anymore as I am over the age to where I can make my own money in an attempt to support myself and my mother.

Taking a turn down a busy road, I watched as the traffic was at a stand still. Some people were honking their horns, as if that did anything to move the traffic faster. But if it made them think that, might as well let them. Heading towards me were some people on motorcycles. Some were wearing helmets while others weren't. The one that caught my eye was the one who had bright red skin, long black and red hair that went sat on their right shoulder. A black crop top was worn underneath a leather jacket that had some spikes coming from the shoulders. Black pants were hugging their muscular thighs nicely as they sat up, talking to the other bikers. One thing I noticed was the broken horn and intact horn on their head and the tail that whisked back and forth.

I've seen stranger here in Faerun, especially on the Sword Coast here. I once saw a small bugbear going to town on an ogre almost twice his size. Normal Tuesday morning walk on my way to classes I guess. But a Tiefling with a Githyanki alongside what appears to be a human, elf, half-elf, and is that a vampire? In the sun? Guess he found a way to conquer it. I just hope he doesn't burn up in it. Seems like they were friends and I wouldn't want them to lose out on their companion. What the hells am I saying? Why do I care about them? They're nothing but strangers just passing by. Maybe I care because I don't have what they have. Well, at least not in the moment. I did have what they had before attending college. But all my friends decided to back stab me and go against me, even though I did nothing wrong. First it was my father leaving my mother and now it was my friends leaving me. Everyone leaves me, except for my mother.

It was us against the world when my father left at the age of ten. Then six years go by and my friends leave, making me the loneliest person in my school while they galivanted off into the sunset hand in hand, skipping in a field of roses. If only I was there to trip all of them. I would have loved to have done that whenever I was still in school with them, but they'd all avoid me. None of them even looked my way. It hurt like hell, but I didn't need them. I didn't need anyone.

"Hey," one of them called in my direction, whistling to get my attention.

I picked my head up and found the tiefling was looking at me. A smirk was on her face as she winked at me, wolf whistling.

"Karlach," the half-elf said. "We're in public."

"I can't admire a young lady?" she smiled.

"Why don't you go admire someone else?" I snapped, bearing what little fangs I had, no thanks to my human father.

"Come on now," the tiefling chuckled. "I am not trying to catcall or anything. You just look nice."

"Thanks," I mumbled as I walked faster, getting away from them.

"Nice going, Karlach," I heard one of them say.

"I am trying my best," Karlach said as all of them drove off to who knows where.

Heading inside the grocery store, I just picked up a few ready to make meals as that was the only thing that I could afford in this moment in time and what I was feeling. My mother wasn't going to get back until possibly eight or nine o'clock. So I was on my own for tonight and it would be better for her to have one of these instead of worrying about leftovers. About to head out, I found the same tiefling walking inside the store. I let out a sigh as I walked towards the front, just wanting to get out of here quickly.

Paying for the food items, I walked out of the store and into the parking lot, past the bike she had rode on. Stopping, I couldn't help but admire it. Walking towards it, the nice black metal was shining to where it was almost sparkling in the afternoon sun. The leather looked like it was taken care of on the daily and she did not miss a day of cleaning it.

"Hey," a voice came.

Picking my head up, it was an older druid who walked towards me.

"That your bike?" he asked.

"N-No, I-I was just admiring it," I stepped away from it.

"Looks like you were about to take it," he sneered.

"I-I swear I was just admiring it. N-Nothing else."

"I know the owner of that bike. He won't like it knowing you had your eyes on it."

That I knew was a lie.

"Excuse me? He?"

"Yes. He doesn't like it when others gawk at his bike like that. So why don't you scurry off before I tell him about you."

"Aye, what's going on here?" I heard the tiefling's voice come up behind me.

"This your bike?" the druid asked.

"It is," she said, pulling out her keys.

"M-My mistake," the druid said to me and walked off.

The tiefling looked over her shoulder, her eyes following the druid as he walked into the store before she turned towards me.

"You're the one from earlier," she said.

"Y-Yeah."

"Look I didn't mean any harm when I was looking at you."

"And you decided to follow me here to tell me?"

"Actually, I was on my way here after I was done hanging out with the others."

"Sure," I said, skeptical.

"I am telling the truth, but it's up to you on whether or not you want to believe me," she walked towards the back of the bike, opening up a small compartment.

She placed a small bag inside before closing it up, locking it.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

"It's alright," she smiled at me. "Karlach," she held her hand out.

"Y/N."

"Oh you're Mrs. L/N's daughter, aren't you?"

"Y-You know her?"

"How could I not? Most well known tiefling in all of the Sword Coast. Most revered doctor. She treated me about two years ago when I had an accident on my first bike."

"Accident?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head. "It was a terrible accident. I was just driving when all of a sudden some idiot on another bike went into the opposing side of traffic. A car veered off, just barely hitting them, but I collided with the car. Totaled my first bike and now."

She removed her leather jacket and turned around, a long scar running down her back to the top of her tail. Putting her jacket back on, she let out a sigh.

"Got that along with losing part of my horn."

"I-I'm sorry about that."

"Nah, no worries. The ambulance took me to the hospital your mom works at and she fixed me up with no issues. She sat and listened to my side of the story as she told me that if she ever needed a witness for my trial, she'd be there in a heartbeat."

"So what ended up happening to the guy who got away?"

"Sued by both me and the driver of the car. Had to pay practically all the expenses."

"Got what he deserved."

"Sure in Hells he did. But anyway, mind if I take you back home? I-If you're comfortable that is."

"Sure. Why not. Beats lugging around my bag," I sighed.

Karlach swung her leg over the bike and got on. She moved forward a bit to make room for me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and she turned on her bike. Revving the engine a bit, she grabbed her sunglasses and placed them on.

"Hang on," she said and drove the bike out of the parking lot and onto the road.

I clung onto her tightly because of my own fear of motorcycles and motorized bikes. It wasn't like she was going fast or anything, since I lived very close, but it was how she was weaving in and out of rush hour traffic. Some cars were honking at her, giving her the finger, and even yelling at her. What did she do? Yell back, flipped them off, and even laughed. Her carefree attitude was something to get used to, but hopefully I wouldn't see her as often. Reaching my apartment building, she parked her motorcycle and cut the engine before putting the kickstand down.

"There you are. Safe and sound."

"Thank you, Karlach," I said and got off of the bike. "I hope you have a good rest of your day."

"You too. Oh!"

I turned and faced her as she reached into her pocket, pulling out a small sticky note. Scribbling something down, she handed it to me.

"If you ever want to go for a ride sometime in the near or far future," Karlach smiled. "I'll be down."

"T-Thank you, Karlach."

"See ya around," she said, staring the motorcycle and driving off.

Looking at the sticky note, her name, number and address was there. Along with a little doodle of herself. I chuckled, heading inside my apartment.

[justwearthegoddamncardigan]

Hello Can you do a Thomas reader when the reader is very affectionate but are afraid to show it her boyfriends. you could do a modern au if you want than you :)

Oooh this is so cute!!! I've never written a modern au, but now I'm just completely in love with the idea. I've got another one in my drafts now lol.

Thank you for requesting ❤❤ hope you enjoy!

Intertwined

Thomas x fem!reader

Modern au (also made into kind of a college au)

Warnings: feeling of insecurity, bad past relationships briefly mentioned, also language

You sigh, leaning back in your chair and rubbing your eyes tiredly.

As you check the time on your phone (it's 12am), you see a message from Thomas from just after 9pm.

(9:06) Finished my shift! Text me when you're done studying, I'll walk you home.

You smile at your phone. Typical sweet Thomas.

You type out a quick reply.

(12:02) Hey, ended up staying pretty late, but don't worry. See you in the morning ❤

You pack up your books and laptop, hoisting your bag onto your shoulder and leaving the library.

As you turn to start walking home, your phone pings. I'm still at work, meet me there

You frown slightly; Thomas' shift finished hours ago. Still, you make your way to the cafe he works at.

You arrive at the cafe, and little bells jingle as you open the door.

Thomas' head lifts at the sound, and his face splits with a wide grin.

"Hey," he says softly, watching as your exhausted eyes take him in.

With three long strides, you close the gap between the two of you and wrap your arms around him, dropping your face into the crook of his neck.

"Woah, hey," he lets out laugh. "You 'right?"

You pull away with a smile. "Yeah, I'm good now. How come you're here so late? Weren't you off at 9?"

"Thought I'd wait up for you. Keep Newt company too," he says, jerking his chin over to the counter.

"Coffee, Y/n?" calls Newt. "Decaf, yeah?"

"Yes please," you reply. You walk over to the register, searching for your wallet in your bag.

"Seriously, Y/n?" Newt raises an eyebrow. "Come on, you're part of the family now. It's on the house."

You send Newt a grin. "Thanks."

You turn as you hear Thomas calling your name, patting the seat beside him in a booth.

You drop into the seat, melting into the cushions and immediately slumping against Thomas.

He chuckles lightly, gazing at you as you lean into him.

The two of you stay in the cafe for a little longer, chatting with Newt as you drink your coffee.

Then Thomas walks you home, arm around your shoulder.

⭒----⭒

"How's everything been lately?" asks Thomas. "You seemed pretty stressed last night."

You sigh. "Study's tiring, as usual. But it's alright."

The two of you are having lunch in the park, takeaway bought from a nearby restaurant and an old picnic blanket laid out on the grass.

"Why you you ask?" you raise your eyebrows at him.

"I could tell you were really tired. Don't worry too much about school, okay? It's important, but it's not everything." He turns a concerned look to you, and you warm at the care in his eyes.

"Yeah, I know," you say with a smile. You thread your fingers with his, leaning your head on his shoulder.

"It was a little like this actually," says Thomas.

"Like what?"

"Like, you're usually, you know, you only do this," he nudges your head gently with his shoulder. "When you're tired."

You blink, and the realisation hits you like a punch to the gut.

You pull away instantly, yanking your hand out of his.

"I'm- I'm sorry," you whisper. "I didn't mean to be all- you know. Sorry."

"What? No, hey, Y/n that's not what I-"

But you don't hear his protests and reassurances, you're stuck inside your head.

You've always been a more affectionate person, always big on hugging, laying on other people, holding hands with everyone, whether that's friends or otherwise.

It's just- you've been told before that you're too clingy, or you've made dates uncomfortable by getting too close to the person.

You're terrified for the same to happen with Thomas, the first person you've actually felt like you could fall in love with.

Usually you manage to pull yourself back, but you suppose last night you were just too tired to keep yourself in check.

"Y/n, please. Look at me," you break out of your thoughts as you meet Thomas' eyes.

"I'm sorry," you say again.

"What for? There was nothing to be sorry for. Shit, I'm sorry. I just meant- I know you keep your guard up around me, and I didn't mean to make you worry, I just-"

His hands cup your face as he speaks, and he's got a slight frown on his face as he tries to get you to understand.

"You can be yourself around me," he promises. "I don't care if you're too clingy, or whatever the problem was. I love it when you're leaning on me or holding my hand. And if you don't want that stuff, that's fine too."

You huff out a laugh. "Okay. Thank you."

You reach out and pull him into a tight hug.

"We good?"

"Yeah, good."

⭒----⭒

After getting everything straightened out with Thomas, you've started to let yourself be a little more affectionate with him, and you love the way he always reciprocates immediately.

"Someone pinch me!" gasps Minho, clutching his chest dramatically. "A genuine Y/n sighting, in the flesh!"

"Hilarious," you deadpan, rolling your eyes at his antics as you walk into the cafe.

"Hey, c'mon, we haven't seen you in weeks," says Newt, sending you a grin.

"Exam season sucks," you groan. "Is Thomas here?"

"In the back," Minho points to the kitchen.

You drop your bag into the corner of the booth as you slide in.

"Y/n!" Thomas presses a kiss to your forehead as he sits down beside you. "Hey, can I take my break now?"

" 'course," says Minho, standing to return to his shift.

"I haven't seen you in ages," murmurs Thomas, pulling you into him.

You giggle and tilt your head up to kiss his jaw. "I literally saw you yesterday."

"Day before yesterday," he corrects with a mock-pout. "It's too long."

"Sorry," you say, pulling his hand toward you so you can play with his fingers. "Promise I'll make up for the lost time later, 'kay?"

"You better," says Thomas with a grin.

A shorter fic than usual, but I loved the slice of life kind of feel when I was writing it. I love writing Thomas cause I always picture him as the cutest, sweetest guy in a relationship ❤❤

Thank you for the request!! Hope you enjoyed :)