#i am checking flight tickets just to be sure

[junkdyke]

as another stupid dumb dyke who makes bad life choices, I am 100% on team "fly to Denver"

dawg i flew across the entire country to meet a girl and get rejected to my whole face, i have learned my lesson askdjads i am not against making these bad choices but i have GOT to be more sure about it before i do it, i can't keep doing this to myself 💀

[chaosandmarigolds]

(Did the poll say happiness and rainbows? Yeah but I’m having fun with my angst so here’s more! :) )

“No I want to see him.”

The officer looked at the man, who looked like he had just rolled out of bed, and she narrows her eyes, “As I had told you, sir, Mister Taylor asked for no visitors unless family. And are you related to Missus Taylor or Oliver?” The question was a mock because she knew the answer.

So, with a bite of a tongue Price relented, “Who’s your supervisor?”

“He’s out of office.”

“Fuckin- course he is. Where’s Riley?”

“Mister Riley is currently in questioning.”

Price frowned, “But you already questioned him.”

The officer shrugged, “Our lead detective thought it best to do a second round.”

“Then I want to speak to your lead detective.”

“You and everyone else, take a ticket.”

-

To say your hands were shaking would be an understatement, you had been sitting in Johnny’s car for a close to an hour and so far you probably lost half your body weight in tears. It seemed unreal, there was no way it was actually reality, after all you had been through. It was just….

You jolt when someone knocks on the glass window, only to see Eliza by the door and you let out breath, quickly getting out of the car and into her arms.

“T-they still have Simon in questioning and-and he’s not answering my calls-“

“I know, John’s taking care of it. Oh honey,” her voice was a bit rasped and she looks you over, “You look like a mess.”

Your chest heaves for air as you ramble to her, telling her about how they took you all to the station at four in the morning and how everything was working against your favor. You both sat on the curb outside, as Johnny’s car was an incubator, her arm loosely wrapped around your shoulders and hands holding the coffee she had gotten you.

“Johnny went-Johnny went to be with Ollie, they…they wouldn’t let me see him.”

Eliza scoffs at that, “Bastards. Keeping a child from his mother.”

—

In hindsight it wasn’t best idea.

However, it did do its job. What job was that? Who knew.

“Uh oh,” Ollie whispered from the other side of the conference table, looking to his biological father (who was currently doubled over while clutching his nose), “You made uncle soap maaad.”

“You fucking bitch!” Caleb practically screamed, “I’ll have your job!”

Johnny stood perfectly still for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure if he had just imagined he punched him or if it was reality and he then snapped into the situation, “Ah please, as i’ you go’ a job tha’s all high n mighty.”

It took about a minute before an officer came back in to check on everything, and thanks to a somewhat threatening stare Caleb had just said he got a bloody nose and everything was alright.

“Oliver, come on. We’re leaving.”

“But I don wanna go.”

With a tug and hoist Oliver was being carried on Caleb’s side, “Didn’t ask we have a flight to catch.”

-

“For the fucking millionth time she had Oliver when I met her.”

“According to these files Oliver was with his father.”

“Bullshit!!!” Simon snipped back, his anger growing with each second. Every file, data bank, Facebook post made it seem like Oliver lived with Caleb until he went ‘missing’ two weeks ago. “Look at the bank statements why would she pay insurance for a child she doesn’t even have?”

The detective sighed, “We did, Mister Riley, she’s not paying for any child’s health insurance.”

This was insane.

“Mister Riley, I am going to ask one final time: did you help Missus Taylor take her son?”

With a glare Simon leaned forward on the table, “Didn’t fucking take him, because he’s ’een here wit us for ‘is entire life.”

-

“Caleb?” You slowly move to stand up as you watch your ex husband carry your son out of the station, and within a millisecond your blood was cold, “Oliver?”

“Mommy!” The boy practically screeched at the sight of you, trying to pry himself away from the man’s grasp, “Mommy I don’t wanna go!”

Before you had the chance to get to the car Caleb was currently putting Oliver into, you were held back.

“Lassie, lassie easy-“

“Johnny let-let me go.”

Johnny, with close to zero effort, turns you to face him, “Leave it. It’s gonna be okay, go’ a plan yeah? Ollie’s gonna be in his bed tonight, promise.”

(Teehee, that’s all for now)

[woso-dreamzzz]

Magda's Princesse

Hardersson x Child!Reader

Part of The Big Adventures Universe

Summary: A look back at your birth from Magda's perspective

Magda is already at the airport when she gets the call. She recognises the caller ID instantly and a smile appears on her face as she answers it.

"I'll be there soon," She says," I'm just about to get on the plane."

"You need to call Emma," Is what Pernille answers.

Magda's just about to get her ticket checked. She stops. "What?"

"You need to call Emma," Pernille repeats," And tell her that you'll be sitting the next few games out. You're busy."

Magda, for some reason, is feeling especially stupid because she just can't quite grasp what's being told to her. "But I'm not?"

"You are!" Pernille snaps before she lets out a groan of pain," Because I will be damned if I push your baby out and you run back to England a few days later."

Magda slumps into her seat in shock. "But...You can't be having her now! She's early!"

"By two days." Pernille sounds like she's gritting her teeth. "I'll send you the hospital address. I don't care how you do it but if you miss this, Magda, I will not be happy."

The line is dropped.

Magda is a tight ball of worry the entire flight. She's drunk two glasses of wine to ease her worries before cutting herself off in case she accidentally drinks herself into a coma before getting to the hospital.

She's one of the first off the plane and through border control. It takes half an hour to get her luggage and then another to find a taxi that will get her to the hospital.

Fischer is waiting outside for her, guiding Magda inside without little fanfare.

"She came to visit us at training," Magda's national teammate tells her," And then she went into labour."

"And the baby?"

"Fine so far," Fischer replies," Nothing to report."

Magda bursts into the room and attaches herself to Pernille. "Am I late?"

Pernille gives her a look. "Does it look like you're late?"

No, it certainly doesn't and Magda breathes a sigh of relief. "I think I scared Nilla. I left all my luggage with her."

"She's got spare keys," Pernille replies through deep, calming breaths as she works through another contraction," She can take your stuff to my place."

"Is it bad?" Magda asks sympathetically, letting Pernille squeeze her hand," The pain?"

"I've been told it will get worse," Pernille says," The nurse said I'm only five centimetres dilated. We could be here for a few more hours. Have you called Emma yet?"

Magda shakes her head. No, she hasn't. She was a bit preoccupied with making sure that she didn't miss the birth.

"We have time," Pernille says," Call her now and tell her."

●～●～●～●～

It's early in the morning when you make your appearance.

In solidarity, Magda does not go to sleep even though Pernille tells her to multiple times. She doesn't because if Pernille is suffering then it doesn't stand to reason that Magda gets to relax.

She's glad about it too because you come very early in the morning and if she was sleeping, Magda is ninety percent sure that Pernille wouldn't have been able to wake her up.

But you arrive with a lot of fanfare and even more screaming.

The doctor looks at you before turning around to get your weight from the nurses while Magda mops up Pernille's sweaty forehead and pulls her in for a gentle, loving kiss.

"You did it," She whispers," She's here."

Pernille, still exhausted, manages a smile. "She's here."

"For the mamas," The doctor says in stilted English.

He passes the bundle into Magda's arms.

You're finally quiet, swaddled securely in the baby blanket your parents had picked out for you weeks ago. You're staring up at her, with wide unblinking eyes. Your mouth is open and sucking on the air, rooting for milk already.

There are wisps of hair on your head and Magda gently unwraps you. You whine a little at the loss of warmth but quieten instantly when you are laid on Pernille's bare chest.

She looks down at you with a soft look. Her finger came up to stroke your cheek. You turn your head, lips searching for milk but catching her finger instead.

She coos at you as you suckle on her finger, eyes drooping shut.

Pernille looks up at Magda, who has her camera out and has already taken pictures she knows are going to be framed on the wall of her London home.

"She's here," Pernille says again with a watery smile.

"She is," Magda replies. She joins Pernille on the bed and gently strokes your little wisps of hair. "Look at her. We've done so well. She's so sweet."

"You make beautiful babies," Pernille says with a smile.

Magda laughs. "You can't say that to anyone. I've already gotten annoyed with the teasing about me knocking you up."

"Mm," Pernille laughs too," But you did knock me up. I've got the outcome right here."

Your eyes are open again, blinking to adjust to the light and your new outside surroundings. You suck more heavily on Pernille's finger.

"I think she needs a feed," Magda says.

●～●～●～●～

They're discharged from hospital the next day and Magda hovers incessantly when they take you back to Pernille's apartment.

Your nursery has been set up for weeks now, in anticipation when Magda had last visited and raided the local IKEA, building everything herself.

You're dressed up snugly in a bunny onesie, your feet kicking as your finally placed in your crib - which had been immediately moved into Pernille's room when it became clear that neither she nor Magda wanted to be separated from you.

"Hi, princesse," Magda coos.

You kick your legs again.

"You're so pretty, yes you are."

You're kicking becomes more repetitive as you stick your fist in your mouth.

"Look at those legs go. You're going to be such a good addition to Sweden when you're older."

"You mean Denmark," Pernille rasps. She rubs her eyes, having just taken a quick power nap. "I'm not raising my daughter to wear a Sweden jersey."

Magda rolls her eyes playfully. This conversation had been happening ever since they found out Pernille was pregnant. "We'll see."

Pernille picks you up gently, supporting your head before guiding Magda to the rocking chair, slowly placing you in her arms.

Magda leans down to kiss your head and breathe in your unique newborn smell. She smiles. You stare up at her.

A camera sounds and Magda doesn't even have to look up to know Pernille is grinning.

"That's getting framed," Pernille says," I think I'll put it on my bedside table. So I can remember this moment with you and the princesse."

"We need to give her a name soon," Magda says as Pernille crouches by the rocking chair and pulls the onesie's hood up onto your head, making it look like you have floppy bunny ears. "We can't keep calling her the princesse."

"Mmm." Pernille's finger strokes over your cheek. "I know it wasn't on the list but I like y/n."

"y/n," Magda repeats," Is that your name? Are you a y/n?"

You kick your legs out, catching Magda in the ribs.

"That's a pretty powerful strike, princesse. I think she's giving us her approval."

Pernille's eyes are so full of love that Magda almost bursts into tears. "I think so too. y/n Harder-Eriksson."

"y/n Eriksson-Harder."

"We've got another day before the trip to the embassies. We'll argue about her last name later," Pernille says," What matters right now is princesse has a name now."

"It's a very pretty name."

[huggybearluvr]

"So let me get this straight you've been dating some hockey star from Vancouver for the last six months in secrecy..." you trailed off taking in the dump of words that just spilled from your best-friends mouth, " And now we are spending a two weeks at his families lake house in Michigan?"

"Yes, Quinn invited the both of us to come to Michigan for two weeks this summer," She stated as she pulled out both of your suitcases.

"Wait- how does he know I exist?"

"We've been dating for six months and you don't think I've told him about my bestfriend?"

"fair, when are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow ten am," She smiled as she passed you your suit case.

"So now im dropping everything to come to Michigan with you?" You asked.

"Yes." She smiled happily dragging her suit case to her room as you did the same.

-

The next morning you woke up to Gianna banging on your bedroom door that you had to leave in 20 minutes if you wanted to stop and get star-bucks.

You quickly pulled the comforter off you slipping into some sweatpants a tank grabbing your zip up just incase it was cold on the plane.

You dragged your suitcase out following Gianna down to her car. You both loaded up the jeep heading off the the airport.

-

"Here's your ticket, I don't think we can sit together since I missed early check in," She frowned handing you the aisle seat leaving her with the middle. She knew you hated the middle and preferred the aisle.

You took the ticket following her up to the boarding line.

You checked in with the attendant and headed onto the plane. You found your seat throwing you carry on into the overhead and tucking your back pack under the seat infront of you.

You looked over to see a women in her mid 30's at the window and you secretly crossed your fingers that no one would have the middle seat.

Gianna was only a few rows behind you squished between too teenagers. You definitely got the better seat. As boarding was coming to a close you watched as two men about your age rushed onto the plane.

They walked the aisles looking for their seats. The taller blonde boy, smiled down at you, "I'm in the middle," He spoke softly.

You smiled back nodding as you stood up to allow him into his seat.

Once he had settled into his seat you sat back down. Opting to put your headphones on and relax.

-

As your plane had landed at the airport you waited for them to allow you to get off.

Once the flight attendant had given you the go ahead you stepped out into the aisle.

"I think I might have thrown my stuff on top of your's if you want me to grab mine first?" The boy beside you asked following you stepping into the aisle.

"Sure," You smiled as you stepped back allowing him to remove his bad. He placed it down in the walk way beside him, before reaching back up to grab you bag. He placed it down gently infront of you with a smile.

"I'm Luke by the way," He smiled.

"y/n," You smiled back before turning to look behind you Gianna was stuck a few rows back. 'meet me outside.' you mouthed to her as you followed the line of people off the plane.

Gianna had joined you outside the plane and you both made your way to the baggage claim.

"Quinn is picking us up he should be somewhere around here," She spoke looking around the baggage claim area.

"Okay, I think ours is over there," You said pointing over to the claim area for your flight.

The pair of you headed over that way when Gianna spotted her boyfriend and ran over there.

You watched as she clung to him as if it were her last chance to ever hug him. You laughed to yourself as you walked over.

"Y/n, this is Quinn, Quinn this is Y/n," She spoke turning to face you as his arm draped around her waist.

"It's nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you," He said with a soft smile.

"It's nice to meet you too," You smiled.

"Alright you two stay in this area and find your bags, I am gonna go try and find my brothers, they were on your flight," He smiled as he turned to walk around the claim area to find his two brothers.

"So, how was your flight?" You asked knowing that she was squished between to teenage boys who had to get multiple warnings from the flight attendants to quiet down.

She rolled her eyes before answering, "it was terrible, how about you? I saw you chatting it up with the guy next to you," She smiled nudging your arm.

"Just friendly, Gianna, I am never gonna see that guy ever again," You spoke as you pulled your bag off the belt.

Once Gianna had hers you returned to the spot Quinn had told you guys to stay around. It wasn't long before he reemerged through the crowd to boys following behind him.

"Gianna, Y/n, these are my brothers Jack and Luke," He spoke as he returned to Giannas side taking her suitcase from her.

You looked up from your phone to see the boy you had met earlier, he was already looking at you, you smiled softly.

"Hey it's nice to meet you guys," Gianna spoke with a smile.

"Lukey, here has already met Y/n, isn't that right Luke," jack spoke playfully hitting his younger brother on the back as he cheeks turned a pale shade of pink.

---

Series Masterlist

[sayruq]

"I did not expect that the fact that I am an Israeli who visited Israel a few weeks ago would be a red flag that requires questioning," Neriya Ashwal told Walla. Israeli student Neriya Ashwal landed at an airport near Nottingham last Friday and was detained for questioning by the anti-terrorism unit, according to Walla. Neriya is an Israeli student studying in Barcelona. Last weekend, he had an unpleasant experience when he went on a short visit to Britain for a few days, landing at the small East Midlands airport outside Nottingham on Friday. During questioning at the border control, he was asked if he had recently visited Israel, and he answered yes. He was then forced to undergo a more in-depth questioning by no less than the anti-terrorism unit. After the border control officer asked the usual series of questions, Neriya was asked if he had recently visited Israel. "I answered yes and said I had visited family and friends three weeks ago. The border control officer called someone on the phone and reported that they had an Israeli who had visited Israel recently," Neriya told Walla in a phone call from Barcelona. "He nodded, hung up, and asked me to sit and wait on the side. The passport remained with him. "He continued, "After about a quarter of an hour, three uniformed police officers arrived, talked to each other, looked in my direction, and after another five minutes, two more people in civilian clothes arrived and escorted me to an interrogation room. "The most senior of them told me, 'We are from the anti-terrorism unit. You have nothing to worry about. You are not detained. We just want to have a short conversation. You may go if you choose, but if you choose to go, we will detain you.' "They started by asking the usual questions again: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why did I come? Where do I plan to stay? What exactly do I plan to do? But then it took a left turn. "They started asking, 'Were you in the army?' Were you a combat soldier? 'I told them that I had diabetes and that I was not a fighter but in intelligence." They continued: 'Were you in the field?' I answered no, while it seemed to me that I already understood what they were looking to hear and what they weren't. They continued with questions about the visit, 'When you were in Israel, did you have any role in the army?' I answered 'no' to that as well." Neriya says that at the end of the questioning, they asked for proof of all his plans for the weekend, a return flight ticket, booking a place to stay, and a bus ticket to London. "They tried to be nice, and when the most senior of them left the room, the junior said to me: 'We don't have a problem with you, but because you come from this region, we just want to make sure. There are simply others who come here with other intentions, you know.' "The senior officer then returned to the room and said that I was allowed to go but that they wanted to check my bag first. Another policeman arrived and completely turned my bag over from end to end. He found nothing. Of course. In good time, after an hour, I was free again." Following the incident, Neriya addressed a letter to Israel's current ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely and mentioned the similar case of Nova survivors, the Sharabi brothers, who were detained at Manchester airport about a month ago. He also mentioned that he is bringing his case from last week to the attention of the Foreign Ministry because, according to him, "If there is an instruction/policy/or even a local initiative by the border control officers to detain and interrogate any Israeli who is leaving military service or an Israeli who recently visited Israel. This is a disturbing phenomenon that Israeli officials need to recognize and deal with through the official channels."

[matthewswifeee]

Snowstorm

In which you and Matt are waiting at the airport all day long in order to make it homme before Christmas. . . .

"Tell me what you want to eat and I will go get it (Y/n)" Matt says after asking me countless times what I wanted for breakfast as we're waiting for our flight. "I don't know" I say snapping at him and turning a few heads around us. "Don't start with the attitude" he says quietly but stern. "I don't have an attitude" I say turning away from him in my chair. "Baby" Matt says trying to turn my attention back toward him, but I just ignore his efforts.

"Flight 543B to Boston Massachusetts scheduled for 5:30am will be experiencing a delay until 9:00am" We hear them announce earning a groan from both Matt and I.

Matt and I are flying back home to Boston two days before Christmas, which means it won't be easy with all of this snow. Sure we anticipated this but it still was annoying. "I should've just cancelled my stupid meeting and we'd already be home" I say irritated at the fact that this was all my fault. We were supposed to fly back home a week ago, but I had last minute meeting to wrap up before I could go and Matt decided to stay with me instead of flying back when Nick and Chris did so that I wouldn't be alone.

"It's ok we'll get there" Matt says wrapping his arm around my waist. Matt texted his family as I did the same to let them know about our delay. "Do you want me to go get you something" Matt asks and I shake my head. We've been at the airport since 3am and I am beyond tired.

"Flight 543B to Boston Massachusetts scheduled for 9:00am will be experiencing another delay until 11:40am" They announce again that our flight is be delayed. "Fuck" I say furious as I roll my eyes and put my head in my lap.

I hear Matt's phone ringing and then immediately hear Chris on the other side. "We got delayed again" Matt tells his brother. "Till what time" Chris asks. "Almost noon" Matt says rubbing his eyes, tired. "Well the snow isn't supposed to let up until sometime tomorrow morning so you'll probably be waiting awhile" Chris informs us making me lose it. Tears start streaming down my face like someone opened the flood gates and I just can't stop.

"Chris I'll call you back" Matt says before hanging up the phone and turning his attention toward me. "Baby it's ok" Matt says rubbing my back. "No it's not... we're literally never going to make it home in time and it's all my fault" I say sobbing. "Look at me" he says tilting my chin up to look him in the eyes "It's not your fault, you can't control the weather... we'll make it home before Christmas" he says pulling me into a hug and I just cry.

"Attention, all flights scheduled for departure to the state of New York, the state of New Hampshire, the state of Maine, the state of Connecticut, the state of Vermont, and the state of Massachusetts are all canceled due to weather" the women announces over the speaker making me want to just completely break down.

"You're fucking kidding" I say loudly, we're now stuck in Washington unless we can find a flight home in the next three day. "We can go check right now to see if they have anything for the next available flights" Matt says putting his backpack on and standing. We make our way to service desk and they tell us that there is no availability until tomorrow night at 11pm. We buy the tickets and then go find another seat in the airport. "We need somewhere to sleep because we cant stay here" Matt says looking exhausted, so I pull out my phone and look for somewhere for us to sleep tonight.

We ended up ubering to a nearby hotel finally finding a little relief from this crazy day. "This has been the worst fucking day ever" I say laying next to Matt in the bed. "I know baby I know... hopefully everything will work out tomorrow" Matt says pulling me close to him.

The next morning we wake up and I see a text from Nick saying that the snow has finally stopped, thank god. We are both laying in bed when I get a notification from Delta airline, I press on it praying that it wasn't going to say that our flight was delayed or cancelled once again. "We gotta go now" I say jumping out of bed. "What" Matt says obviously confused being that we don't have to be at the airport until 9pm. "They have two spots on the next flight our, we have to be at the airport in 40 minutes" I say frantically making Matt jump up as we rush ourselves back to the airport.

"Now boarding flight 234A to Boston Massachusetts" the lady announces putting a smile on both mine and Matt's faces. "We're gonna make it" I say sitting in the airplane seat next to Matt with a smile. "I told you" he says.

We get off the plane and Matt's mom picks us up from the airport. "Hey kids" she excitedly says hugging us both. "So glad you two finally made it" she says hugging Matt again before we get into the car. "Nothing like Christmas back home" Matt says smiling as he looks out the window at all the snow.

[modelbus]

Hi! I absolutely loved the touch starved reader tommy fic and was hoping to request Tommy x reader(fem or gn, whatever ur comfortable with!)who’s an American streamer/yter and they’re doing long distance and haven’t seen each other in a while, so they decide to surprise him and visit him in the uk? Love your fics, have a great day! 🩷

Guess who’s been talking to someone recently :))

Pairing: Cc!Tommyinnit x Gn!Reader

Secret Surprises

“Right guys, now I just have to find my way through this maze of an airport.” You say to your camera, panning it around to show the crowds filling the London airport.

Visiting Tommy, your boyfriend, was always difficult, even if you loved him enough for it to be worth it. The long flight from America to England tended to be turbulence-filled, and the London airport was hell on Earth. Yet you’d still do it every single time.

Someone bumps into you, nearly knocking the camera out of your hands. You curse, fumbling with it before managing to pull it close to your chest. The stranger gives the camera a weird look, but you know by now to ignore the odd looks you get.

“And get an Uber.” You add, already pulling up the app because that seems like the most pressing thing. And you sure as hell weren’t going to try and figure out which side of the road to drive on: you fucked it up once and Tommy never let you live it down.

Luckily, a driver connects with you immediately, leaving you to follow the flow of people to the exit. You get pushed out into a busy road, wind ruffling your hair around.

The good thing about Ubers is that they’re familiar. Worldwide. And that drivers keep their mouths shut when you climb in with a vlog camera and a crazed look in your eye.

Your driver eyes you, then gives a short nod, as if to say, “Airports, am I right?”

You nod back, silently agreeing. Fuck airports, and fuck your love for Tommy that’s making you go through them.

”I’d give you guys a car montage, but doxxing him isn’t on the to-do list, so let’s pretend I’m doing a super cool transition.” You tell the camera, laughing and pausing your recording.

You double check your phone, making sure Tubbo has him stuck at the agreed upon location. It’s just a little arcade near his flat, somewhere he took you last time that you both loved. The perfect place for a little surprise.

Although it’s Tommy, although you know he’ll be happy to see you, your knee bounces against your will. You had planned this perfectly, but what if he changed his schedule and you didn’t know? Not that you’d mind watching him record, but you had bought tickets to a movie the two of you were planning to watch together over discord, among other things.

“This where you need to be?” The driver asks some time later, squinting at the little arcade. Your suitcases are still with you, so he’s probably judging you like crazy, but he’s definitely seen crazier things than you.

“Yup, thank you so much!” You exclaim, ungracefully clambering out of the car after sending a text to Tubbo. In return, the driver grunts at you and drives off. Ah, Uber driver hospitality.

Nothing else like it.

You flip on your camera, zooming in on the arcade doors. “Will we see an elusive Tommyinnit in the wild? Yes, because I orchestrated it, but oooh, mystery.” You whisper, lugging your suitcase behind you. It’s a fairly empty arcade so you don’t have to worry about more weird looks.

After a moments debate, you tuck the thing behind a dance machine—fucking hate those things—and set off for the prize counter where Tubbo promised they’d be.

Over the atrocious lime green carpet, past the bright and loud games. You can’t help eying one of those key games to scope out the prizes although you’ll never play it. You’re stupid, but not that stupid.

A light flickers above you (clearly a good sign), and you step around a racing simulator to see the prize counter. Ropes creating a line up to a glass counter that holds small prizes and shelves that hold larger prizes, you can’t help but grin.

And then your sights land on two familiar figures, and suddenly you’re beaming. You’re here, they’re here, Tommy’s really right there. For a second you just observe, zooming in with your camera and propping it on the racing game for a decent angle.

Even if the footage sucks, you wouldn’t mind. Not with him right there.

“But it’s a jet, Tubbo! Look at it!” Tommy is saying, holding a toy jet up to Tubbo’s camera. So that’s how Tubbo lured him here: a vlog. Ironic.

“But there’s better prizes, Tom. We could pool our tickets for that huge panda!” Tubbo insists, pointing at a large stuffed panda on the shelf. The worker behind the counter gives them a bored look, popping her gum.

“But a jet!”

You quickly make your way up behind Tommy, trying to stay silent.

“You aren’t— listen! We can— we can pool our tickets, and get a cool prize—“ Tubbo is frantically explaining, catching your eye past Tommy’s shoulder.

“I vote for the panda.” You say casually, pointing at the thing.

In front of you, Tommy freezes before whipping around with a stunned expression. “Wha—?”

“Panda.” You repeat patiently, grinning at him.

Tommy throws his game card at Tubbo, practically tackling you in a hug. You laugh as he suffocates you, stumbling backwards into the rope with him.

He’s real under your hands, something tangible that you adore more than anything else. Something solid and true and real and yours. You squeeze him back, arms around his middle.

“How the fuck are you here?” Tommy asks you, tugging you impossibly closer for a chaste kiss. “How the fuck did you keep this secret with your big mouth?”

You slap his arm lightly, laughing loudly. “My mouth isn’t that big, dumbass. Tubbo and I planned this entire thing, didn’t we?”

“Yeah! You had no idea!” Tubbo chimes in. He’s got his camera out, pointed at you and Tommy, for which you send him a thankful smile.

“When did you get here? You’re staying with me, right?” Tommy asks you, a stupid grin that you love on his face. You’re sure there’s a matching one on your face.

“If you’ll let me.” You confirm, letting him wrap his hand around yours. “I also bought tickets to that one movie for tomorrow. I think. The website was really weird about my American card.”

Tommy laughs, and you live in the sound that isn’t diluted by thousands of miles and technology.

“And we have to grab my suitcase.” You add on, because if you forgot it you might die. Along with your camera.

“Your suitcase?” He echoes.

“…It might be behind one of those stupid fucking dance games.”

Even though you’re prepared for his laughter this time, it still sweeps you away. Better than any British or American winds, better than the breeze outside. It sweeps you away like love.

[scrollonso]

First Kiss (Break 1)

A strollonso AU where 18 year old rookie Lance Stroll falls helplessly in love with the notoriously mean world champion. (1.2k words, no warnings) [@v3lnys] {filler chapter? I just felt like Lance and Nando getting closer would make more sense if they spent break together + Mark}

last part - masterlist - next part

They had two weeks off and Lance had absolutely no plans, Nico was on vacation with his family to god knows where, Fernando had probably already arrived in Australia, and Lance didn't have any other friends on the paddock to worry about.

He had thought about going back to Canada but he just ended up back at his house in Switzerland. Spring had started by the time he got home so it wasn't like he could distract himself with snowboarding so he just ended up at home on his couch for the past five days.

Being alone was nice, but a part of him missed Fernando, oddly enough. They'd only ever hung out on the paddock but Lance had grown to look forward to the time they spent together, whether it was actually sitting and talking or just exchanging glances while in the middle of interviews.

As if it was fate, his phone began to rang. It was an unknown number but he figured it might be important, his dad had a history of calling him from random places just to check up on him, as if the 18 year old hadn't been left alone before.

"Hello?" He said, holding his (very small) phone to his ear

"Lancito, I am so glad you answered!" a voice on the other end spoke, a very familiar voice

"Nando?" Lance questioned "How did you get my number?"

"Is not important!" The Spaniard said, brushing off the question "Lancito, are you busy? If you are, cancel, come to Australia."

"No, I'm not busy." Lance responded, wondering if Fernando was really inviting him to Australia, wasn't he with Mark? Wouldn't that be awkward? "Is something important happening in Australia?"

"Si, You are coming, is important."

"Nando, I-" The younger boy laughed, not being able to wipe the smile off his face just from hearing the other mans voice "Sure, I'll come."

"Perfect, I'll send you the information, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay Nando"

"Bye, Lancito! Have a safe flight"

And with that the call ended and Lance wasted no time in buying the tickets to Australia (idk how people bought plane tickets in 2006...)

Lance got off the plane, trying to pat down the hair he could feel sticking up, he always slept on long flights and this one was no acception. It was weird being in Australia a week before he had to but he wasn't going to turn down Fernando is he wanted Lance there so bad, for whatever reason.

It was a Sunday morning and the airport was surprisingly busy, he eventually found his way out and got a taxi headed towards the address Fernando had texted him

"Just landed, headed your way now!!"

Lance stared at the screen before sending the message, just now wondering why exactly he was there, he wasn't blind to the media, especially when he was constantly being interviewed and asked questions fans were dying to know, he had heard the rumours, people saying Fernando was only talking to him to scare him, he was going to embarrass him, he had some ulterior motive, Lance hoped it wasn't true but now that he was blindly following Fernandos orders in another country while he was visiting his friend (who's seat he took) a part of him started to wonder if Fernando was planning something. He hit send.

They'd hadn't texted much, just Fernando sending him the information he needed and Lance thanking him before he got on the plane and turned off his phone, he wasn't too fond of it anyways.

"I am glad you made it"

"Is exciting"

"Tell the driver to go faster"

Lance smiled at his phone, excited to see the Spaniard again, even though he saw him not even a week ago.

"I shouldn't break the law yet"

"I just got here and my dad isn't here to bail me out!"

"I will do it, no worries Lancito"

He shook his head at the text, turning off his phone and waiting to arrive, not too far away from the location

He stepped out of the car, paying the taxi fare then walking up to the house, hesitating to knock. Maybe texting would be better? Or calling? Or anything besides knocking? Before he even had the chance to decide the door opened, revealing a slightly-taller-than-him Mark Webber and Fernando standing by his side, the two closer than he thought they would be

"Lance, welcome, so sorry about making you come so randomly." Mark spoke first, stepping back to invite Lance in

"It's no problem, I wasn't doing anything anyway" Lance smiled as he walked into the house, scanning what he could see

"I told you Lancito didn't mind" Fernando said to Mark, hitting his arm slightly "Is good to make sure you two get along before people start to speculate, ay?" Fernando smiled at Mark then at Lance, reaching up to flatten the hair still sticking up on his head

Lance wasn't sure why he was surprised Fernando was still calling him his nickname, he didn't know why he expected anything to change with Mark around, Fernando seemed the same, if anything he seemed happier around Mark. It made him feel bad, he was the reason Mark lost his seat, the reason Fernando's friend was no longer on the paddock, the reason Fernando had to settle for him instead.

"Well, Lance, I don't mind that you took my seat" Mark laughed, closing the door before putting an arm around Lance's shoulder "I was done with travelling all the time anyway, so don't beat yourself up over what people say"

Lance nodded, Mark was right, and he was pretty old so it made sense for him to be smarter.

"Now, how about we have fun now that we've dragged you to the land down under?" That made Lance smile, he was looking forward to spending the rest of his break actually doing stuff besides binging TV shows.

The next week went by so quick Lance was surprised when he actually had to go to the paddock, almost as surprised as fans when he showed up with both Fernando and Mark.

He hesitated when Fernando suggested all of them going together, worried about what people would say, but the older men made it obvious they couldn't care less so thats how they ended up going together, Mark having plans of doing interviews around the paddock and spending his free time in sither the pink or blue and yellow garage.

Being in Australia a week early was great, they were busy the whole time but Lance enioyed it, loving the time away from his phone and especially away from the media. It made him notice how close Mark and Fernando really were, he felt jealous at times but it was probably just because he was used to having Fernandos attention on him after quali and races, he felt selfish for feeling that way so of course he never addressed it.

"Where are you going first?" Lance asked, looking at Mark, both of them on either side of Fernando

"I was thinking of interviewing people first, it's gonna be weird being the one asking the questions"

"As long as you stay far away from me, we're good"

Fernando shook his head, pulling the taller man closer "We really need to get you used to the media, eh? All you do is complain" He sucked his teeth after he finished teasing Lance, earning nothing but an eyeroll from the teen

"Yeah, yeah." Lance smiled, not able to stop himself when it came to Fernando "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

And with that the race week started.

[scoops404]

dnf joining the mile high club

Round 2:

Rated M. I didn't bother checking for typos so oh well

The plane is cold--too cold. George keeps waking up out of his sleep to shiver and shuffle his body to try to get comfortable. He hates sleeping on planes when he's economy.

And why didn't Dream splurge for them to be in first class, anyway? He side eyes Dream in the seat next to him, jumping on the grenade to sit between George and a strange middle aged lady in a business suit even though George's ticket technically had him sitting there.

He gives up on sleep.

The movie selections is bad. So bad. All these movies are so dumb and he doesn't want to watch any of them.

"Are you asleep?" he whispers over to Dream, who's breathing steadily while slightly propped up against George so that he doesn't fall onto the lady on the other side. It's a small sacrifice George has had to make.

"Wha?" Dream says when George starts elbowing him to answer the question. "What are you doing?"

"Are you awake, Dream?" he asks again, now that he can get a clear answer.

"Well, fuck, George, now I am," Dream says, and then turns over in his seat to give George his back. He looks ridiculous like this--a man clearly too tall for such a small seat.

"Entertain me," George demands. Sure, they're three hours into the eight hour flight to London, but Dream's been sleeping for ages now and he needs to be entertained.

"No," Dream says and then exaggeratedly snores just to annoy George. Unfortunately, it annoys the lady next to them who's trying and failing to read a really thick book with a serious looking cover. George is doing her a favor, really.

"Dream," he says, prodding him in the space between his shirt and his sweat pants. "Dream, please."

"George, what are you--" Dream takes a deep breath like he's gathering his patience. George has no idea what he needs to do that breath for... and okay yeah maybe Dream didn't get as much sleep as him because he was up late putting the final touches on a video, but damnit, George is boreeeedddd and Dream needs to fix it.

"Entertain me," he repeats. "I'm bored."

Dream puts his hands over his eyes and tries to sleep again. George won't have that. He prods him again. Harder.

"George," Dream says, voice short and scary. "The only thing I'm sacrificing sleep for is if someone offers to suck my dick. If you aren't offering to suck my dick, then shut the fuck up and let me--"

"Yeah, okay," George hears come out of his mouth before he can choke the words back down. They aren't together, but he's not repulsed by Dream. It'll be a story to tell. He's never sucked dick on an airplane before. He's certainly never sucked Dream's dick, but he's not opposed to the idea.

And maybe if Dream knows how good he is at sucking dick, he'll, like, make it official. Maybe he'll make George his full time dick sucker and he can--no, that's horny George talking.

"You're serious?" Dream asks, head turned now to really look at George so he can gauge if he's serious or not. George has no idea what his face is saying, but Dream's clearly discovering that he's as serious as a heart attack.

"I'll go first since I'm on the aisle," George says, the rush of the idea hitting him now. His heart races and his leg is bouncing. He looks up and down the aisle to see if the toilet is occupied or if anyone is headed their way. Luckily, the cabin is mostly dark and they're close to the toilets. "You follow in a few seconds," he whispers.

"George, no, you can't just--" Dream hisses, but it's too late. George is already off towards the door.

It's a long few minutes while he waits. How long does he wait before he decides Dream's bailing on him? There's no room to pace in this small, rather disgusting, cubby, but George wants to. There's a rushed knock, finally, and then Dream's voice whispering, "Let me in, idiot."

He lets him in.

When Dream closes the door behind him, there's a gleam of terrified excitement in his eyes that mirrors how George feels on the inside.

"You're not bored anymore, are you?" Dream asks as George lowers himself to his knees.

He can't respond. His mouth is otherwise occupied.

[stellarsturns]

Twisted Hate

part 1

pairing: dom!chris x reader, enemies to lovers.

summary; you and you’re enemy chris, are forced to go on a vacation. Yet, you both don’t hate each other as much as you think.

warnings: Swearing, Angst.

Was originally going to make this a one-shot but, i’ll make it a series if it does well!!

authors note: Hi y’all first fic thats decent imo! I hope you love. Its based on Twisted Hate by Ana Huang. (Not FULLY, just inspired ig)

Nick comes rushing into your room, you look up immediately. “Yes Nick?” You ask curiously.

“Omg, y/n! We are going on vacation and we have an extra ticket would you like to go?” He asks excitedly.

I smile, “Yeah, sure!” I state. Nick grins, “Omg, Okay!! Thank god. Start packing, we leave tomorrow!” Nick then leaves the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

** TIME SKIP **

I had finished packing when Nick walks back in, “Alright, so meet us at the airport tomorrow at 6am, okay?” He states, I smile, “Yeah! I finished packing by the way.” I say.

Nick grins “Alright, i’ll leave you get sleep! Night y/n!” He states leaving the room. Once the door shuts, it turns to complete darkness.

** TIME SKIP **

I arrive at the airport right on time, I expected that Matt and Nick didn’t want Chris to come, but I am greeted by the tall brunette, which once he notices I’m here, he has a disgusted expression on his face.

Nick speaks against the silence, “Let’s go check in guys. Cmon!” He waves. We all follow Nick like baby ducklings following the Mama Duck.

Once we check in and start to board the plane, Nick and Matt have seats together, which means I am sitting next to Chris.. Which we all know isn’t gonna go well.

I sit down in the window seat, then a familiar and annoying voice peeps up, “Can you move? I wanted to sit there.” The brunette boy states. I glare at him, “Why should I have to move?” It was now Chris’s turn to glare at me.

“Because I asked you to move.” He snarls. I roll my eyes, standing up so Chris can claim the window seat, forcing me to have the aisle seat.

The plane ride to Malibu was quiet between the two of us. Not one person muttered a sentence.

Nick and Matt were talking to me though which made the flight less boring for me, while Chris was just starring out the window with his foot up his ass.

** TIME SKIP **

When we landed in Malibu, we all took an uber to the hotel we will be staying at. We get the room-cards and we all head up to room “509”

Once we arrive at the room, Nick swipes the room-card and the door opens. The hotel was nicely decorated, the bathroom was very nice and comfortable. Then, we moved to the “beds” where it all went wrong.

“Why the fuck is there only one bed?” Chris states, anger passing through his voice. I glare at the bed in pure disbelief. I am praying I won’t have to share with-

Matt interrupted my thoughts, “Seems like Chris and Y/N will have to share a bed.” He says. Chris looks at Matt in disbelief, “Is this a joke? Are you trying to get us to be friends again or something?” Chris States.

Matt looks at Chris, “No, me and nick are just across the hall. Holler if you need us. Have fun!” He states laughing as they walk away.

I place my suitcase on the bed, Chris sitting in the armchair scrolling through his phone. I begin unpacking my clothes and putting them in the drawers before Chris interrupts the silence, “Don’t take up the drawer space.” He says no emotion showing at all.

I look at him and roll my eyes. “Asshole” I think to myself. I didn’t pack much clothes anyways.

Once I finished unpacking, I grabbed my suitcase and put it out of the way so none of us trip. He totally ignores me until the phone starts ringing.

** Beep Beep **

[the-blind-assassin-12]

Change of Plans

A/N: Although I am SEVERAL days late at this point, this is a gift for @something-tofightfor - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RACHAEL! I hope your day was all that you wanted it to be, and that this year is the best fucking one yet. I so badly wanted this to be done in time, but you know me. Anywho, I love your guts and I hope you enjoy this chaotic little cake I whipped up with the help of one of your favorite cowboys.

Word count: 4k

Warnings: listen, don't do what Reader does here. Other than that... just some language. It's very tame. But don't do it.

Summary: Jack is there on business. You're there for pleasure.

He noticed you right away. 

Sitting in the waiting area near gate A-7, right leg crossed over your left and an open book in one hand, you caught his eye -

Well hello, gorgeous.

- and he had to repeatedly free his focus from your direction, reminding himself why he was at the airport in the first place. 

Damn it, Agent, you’ve got a job to do.

You turned the page of the book you were reading, letting out a sigh and stretching your neck, and Jack adjusted his position on the barstool he occupied so that he was forced to change his line of sight. He cleared his throat, lifting his glass to his lips and taking a sip. The bold, smoky flavor of the deep amber whiskey coated his tongue, and by the time he swallowed he was back on his task. 

He’d been sent to locate and detain a known associate of a crime boss that Statesman was attempting to bring down. Intel gathered from Agents assigned to the case suggested that the associate - a mid level player who occasionally dealt in black market weapons - would be traveling through Louisville on his way to meet with the mysterious and nefarious man they knew only as The Gatekeeper. The current theory was that The Gatekeeper was operating out of San Francisco - or more specifically, out of a secret underwater lair that was built into one of the foundational structures of the Golden Gate Bridge, hence his nickname. But Statesman had been unable to confirm that yet. Catching up with the Gatekeeper’s gun runner was their best bet when it came to pinning down his location for sure, and since he had the most experience with facial recognition and planting trackers, the assignment had gone to Agent Whiskey. 

So let’s find this shit kicker and get on with it so I can get on with… He resisted the urge to turn back in your direction. 

Setting his glass down on the cork coaster it was served to him on, he brought his newly emptied hand up to tap the arm of his gold wire glasses. At the touch of his fingertip, the stealth lens screens activated, and he used them to scan the faces of the people moving through the terminal. So far none had hit as a match for the Gatekeeper’s associate, but since the man was clever enough to book himself tickets on multiple flights that day to make it harder for anyone who might be looking to follow him, Jack had to keep checking until he either found his target or the last of those flights had taken off. 

I’ll find him. Soon as he shows up I’ll- 

But Jack didn’t even need to finish the thought, because his lenses detected the person he’d been waiting for before he could. Just as he was about to get up from his seat and position himself to intercept his target, though, he saw something else flash across his lenses. 

Mission directive has changed. Do not detain. Intel from Kingsman suggests associate may also be working with Golden Circle remnants in Canada. New directive is only to place the tracker and not to pursue until we know for sure who he is meeting. Agents in Vancouver and San Francisco have been put on alert and will be activated as needed. 

Jack blinked twice to acknowledge Ginger’s message, then used the movement of his eyes to send a question in response. 

Received. Return to HQ? 

He had his jet on standby there at the airport in the event that he needed to abscond with The Gatekeeper’s man, and he assumed that since that was no longer necessary, Champ and Ginger would want him to come back and await further information. Keeping one eye on his target, he used the other to read the new message that flashed across his lens, finding it to be a surprise. 

Negative. Don’t want to risk the chance of counter tracking. Take the Pony somewhere for a few days first. Vegas or Denver are preferable but Mexico City is also available. 

Well, shoot. Looks like I’m takin’ a vacation. My favorite kind of mission. 

Ginger had listed cities where Statesman owned properties that were reserved for off duty use - for when Agents had to lay low for a while, or for when they needed a safe place to recover from injuries sustained in the line of duty. There were several more located around the world, but judging by the selection that was presented to him, they wanted him to stay close enough to either have him back in Kentucky in a matter of hours, or send him to California or British Columbia in a pinch when the intel on who the associate was meeting with came back. 

Received. Target inbound. Contact when directive complete. 

With that, he lifted his finger up to tap the arm of his glasses once more, the screens deactivating so that he could remove them, folding them for safe storage in the inner pocket of his jacket. In a turn of luck, his mark headed straight for the bar he was seated at and sat down two stools over. He showed no signs of having made Jack for a secret operative, not even bothering to look in his direction as he ordered a drink from the bartender. 

Perfect. 

Jack’s grin was imperceptible as he used his thumb and pointer finger to pull one of the small “buttons” from the cuff of his jacket sleeve. Flattening it with a tight pinch, he dropped the bio-tracker into his own beverage and watched as it dissolved into the liquid. It finished just as the bartender placed a rocks glass of whiskey on a coaster in front of Jack’s target. He waited for the other man to take a sip, and then he closed the distance, scooting over one stool so that he was right next to him, and then he greeted the man with a jovial tone. 

“Did my ears deceive me just now, or did I hear you order the Statesman 12 year, my friend?” Jack pointed to the other man’s glass while holding his own. 

The other man turned to face Jack, a semi-scowl on his face, his annoyance over being addressed by a seemingly drunken stranger as a “friend” clearly written in gray-green eyes. “What?” He glanced down at Jack’s glass and then at his own. “Oh.” He grunted and gave Jack a nod before taking another sip of his drink. “Yeah. You drinking the same, I take it?” He arched one eyebrow and turned back to face the television screen behind the bar without waiting for the answer to the question he’d just asked. 

“Smoothest bourbon there is.” Jack held up his glass, inspecting the contents. To anyone else’s eye - even the man beside him - it would appear as though he were simply appreciating the way the overhead lights streaked through the rich amber liquid. In truth, he was making sure that the button-turned-tracker had been completely infused into the drink. Seeing that it was, he glanced over and caught his mark with his own glass midway to his lips once more.

Slow down there, son, leave some for our toast. 

Reaching for the man’s elbow, he stopped him from draining the last of his beverage. “How about we both raise our glasses to good taste and safe travels?” 

The other man jerked his arm away as though he’d been burned, the motion accompanied by a deeply frustrated sigh. Checking his watch, he rolled his eyes and shook his head at Jack. “Sure Fine. Just make it quick, I have a flight to catch.” 

As he presented his glass for the toast, Jack aggressively clinked the rim of his against it - with just enough force so that some of his drink had sloshed into the other man’s glass without him noticing. “Quick it is. Safe travels.” 

“Uh huh.” The sketch of a scowl was back as the man nodded again, knocking back the remainder of his drink, including the tracker. “Same to you.” With that, he slapped a fifty on the bar and left his empty glass, on his way to whatever gate would take him to whatever scumbag was waiting for him. 

The Gatekeeper or the Golden Circle… or whoever the fuck else. We’ll know soon enough. 

Taking his glasses back out of his pocket, Jack unfolded them and put them back on his face. With a tap of his finger the one-way screens hidden in the lenses activated again, and through a series of blinks and subtle eye movements, he sent confirmation of his mission back to Ginger Ale. 

Tracker planted. Target in motion. 

Before he got a response, though, he was distracted by a voice coming from over his shoulder. “Excuse me? Is anyone sitting there?” 

He turned towards the speaker and his eyes widened, lips lifting into a slight grin when he saw that it was you. 

Hot damn, she’s even prettier up close. 

His grin grew at your sudden, small intake of breath when your eyes met. “All yours.” Using one hand, he pulled the stool out for you as Ginger’s message started to scroll across his field of vision. 

You muttered a thank you as you chewed your lower lip. “You didn’t have to-” 

Well done Agent Whiskey. The tracker is live and we are following its movement. Which location did you select? 

“Now darlin’, what kind of gentleman would I be if I only did what I had to do?” He smiled, covertly answering Ginger’s question. 

Not sure yet. Stay tuned. 

You let out a sound that was almost a laugh, shrugging. “You’d be like most gentlemen I’ve known, I guess.” 

Agent, we need to know- 

Jack brought his hand up and tapped the side of his glasses, closing the communication screen and letting Ginger’s message go unfinished. It wasn’t the first time he’d done it and it wouldn’t be the last. He always eventually got back to her and never made her wait too long. But his focus had been drawn to you all afternoon, and now that you were sitting directly beside him, he wasn’t going to rush the interaction he’d been putting off for hours. 

“Then allow me to introduce to you a different kind.” He reached up and swept his hat from his head, laying it on the bartop, and extended his free hand to you.  “Jack Daniels.” 

–  –  – 

15 Minutes Earlier…

You checked your watch with a sigh, noting that you still had a little under an hour before you’d be called for boarding. 

It’s fine. That means I can start another chapter now. You rolled your eyes. I’ll need a new book for the flight home at this rate, though. 

It was one of those flights that didn’t make sense - with a 4 hour layover in a city that was completely out of the way of your destination. But that was why you’d been able to find tickets for only $48 each way, less than three days out. Things at work had been hectic, and you weren’t sure if you were going to be able to get the time off until the very last minute. So even though it certainly wouldn’t have been your first choice if you’d been able to book it months ago when the trip was first brought up, you were perfectly content to take the unnecessary stopover in Louisville on your way to Las Vegas. 

Doesn’t hurt when the people watching prospects are this interesting, either. 

You glanced over at the nearby bar and the astoundingly attractive man seated there who’d snagged your attention as soon as he arrived. He, like a handful of others in the terminal, wore a dark felted Stetson But unlike most, it suited him. As did his perfectly tailored suit and- 

Oh, fuck, he’s wearing glasses now. And they look damn good on him, too. 

You cleared your throat and forced your thoughts back to your trip and your reason for taking the less than desirable layover. Even though it meant spending hours alone in an airport, you were excited, because it also meant being able to see several of your friends who lived far away, and being able to celebrate your birthday with them. Well, not just your birthday. The trip was meant to be a group celebration to make up for the fact that you hadn’t all been able to get together for a birthday in years. Since there happened to be two of you who had birthdays in January, that was the month that was chosen. But the dates that were settled on had included your actual birthday smack dab in the middle of them, and you were looking forward to having something fun to do with people you missed. 

Which was why you groaned as you read the notification that popped up on your phone regarding the flight status. 

Delayed - Mechanical Issues 

“Fuck.” You muttered under your breath, closing the airline app and tapping your phone screen to open the group chat so you could fill the others in on your situation. Before you finished typing though, your phone vibrated in your hand and a picture popped up of two of your friends - Jess and Maddy - both wearing ear to ear smiles at Harry Reid International, the text from Jess simply reading two words followed by several exclamation marks: We’re here!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Kayla chimed in next, responding with an emphatic YAY! and sending a screenshot of her GPS, showing that she was just under 2 hours out. Be there so soon! 

Nat still had her phone on airplane mode since she’d only taken off from LAX about an hour earlier, so you didn’t bother waiting for an update from her before you finished typing your own. 

Bad news, my flight out of Louisville is delayed. :( Mechanical issues… No idea when I’ll be there now, but I’ll keep you all posted. 

You sent the message and tucked your phone into the outer pocket of your bag as disappointment set in. As it was, the rest of your friends were already supposed to arrive half a day before you. But now, it was looking like you were going to miss out on the entire first day of the trip. 

Or more. 

Frowning at the thought, you tried not to let yourself get too upset until you had a better idea of your situation. You told yourself that it could be something quick and easy to remedy - maybe you’d only have to wait one more hour. Maybe less. Either way, you decided that since half of the group was already there, it meant that the vacation had unofficially started, and it was time you treated yourself to a drink. 

And if I know Jess and Maddy, they’re doing the same right now. 

You picked up your bag, slinging the strap over your shoulder, and headed towards the bar. It was moderately crowded, only a few stools left vacant scattered here and between other travelers. But as you got closer you noticed that the man you’d caught yourself spending more time watching than any of the others was still seated there - and that the seat beside him had just become empty. 

Perfect timing. 

That confidence lasted only until the man spun at the sound of your voice, and seeing him up close had nearly knocked the breath from your lungs. 

Oh, shit. He’s- 

By the time he’d given you his name along with his hand to shake, you’d noticed things about him that you hadn’t from across the room. Like the flecks of tan and gold that lightened his dark brown eyes, the distinct bow of his upper lip beneath his mustache and how it rested against the plush pillow of the lower one, the way you couldn’t see a stitch of leather on him aside from his boots, but the smell of it - along with bergamot - clung to him and made him even more appealing. 

You swallowed, his warm hand wrapping around yours and squeezing as you managed to tell him your name. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack.” 

Without letting go of your hand or releasing your eyes from the lock his own had on them, he repeated your name back to you, the sound of it making your face grow warm. “Pleasure’s all mine, I promise you.” 

When he winked as he withdrew his hand, you knew you were screwed. You ordered yourself a drink - something local, a bourbon you’d not seen before called Statesman - and Jack, though approving of your choice, simply asked for a glass of water. As you brought the glass to your lips, another thought popped into your head. 

But am I really screwed, though? Because… he seems just as interested as I am. 

Over the next half hour, you and Jack made small talk and subtly flirted in smirks and glances. You asked him what brought him to the airport that day, to which he’d answered: 

“Had some business here earlier. But that’s done, so the rest of my evening is completely free.” 

You shook your head at that, taking another sip of your drink. Damn that’s good. “Don’t you have a flight to catch?” 

At that, he grinned and spread his large hands wide. “Ah, well, that is one of the perks of being my own pilot.” He raised one eyebrow and leaned towards you. “I can leave whenever I choose.” 

Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. That definitely makes him even more attractive somehow, though. 

You mouthed the word wow and let out a stunted laugh as you reached into your bag to retrieve your phone. Some time had passed and you were hoping that there would be another notification about the status of your delayed flight. “That must be nice.” You groaned as you saw that there was nothing new from the airline, and several texts from your friends expressing their dismay over your travel woes. Shaking the phone in your hand, you sighed. “I’m here on a layover that got delayed and the rest of my friends are already in Vegas.” Looking over at him, you wet your lips with your tongue. “I’d love to be able to just… hop in and take off whenever I wanted to.”

–  –  –  

Well, shit. Did she just say Vegas? 

Clearing his throat, Jack reached up to tap the arm of his glasses. Several missed messages came through at once, all from Ginger, but he blinked them away as he spoke. “Well, I know we’ve only just met, and I’m not trying to make any suggestions-” Though I could. “- But I happen to be going to Sin City myself tonight.” He had to contain his grin at the flash in your eyes as he used the nickname for the gambling town. “I’d be more than happy to take you with me.” 

Destination selected. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. 

You sucked in a breath at his proposition, and though he knew you were likely considering saying no, he hoped you’d say yes. “I… Jack, I couldn’t ask you to-” 

“You’re not. I’m askin’. I’ll show you my license and everything to prove that I’m legit, but darlin’, I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to.” He tilted his head towards the window. “No tellin’ how long they’ll need to fix that bird, and if your friends are already there…” He trailed off and shrugged, returning his gaze to you. “My jet is fully fueled and ready to go. I could get you there so you don’t have to miss out too much. More than you already have, I mean.” 

He could practically hear Ginger’s reply when it came through, but he fought the urge to let out a snort as he read it. 

IT’S ABOUT TIME, AGENT. Make sure your friend buckles up. We’ll contact you when you can return to HQ. 

You bit your lower lip again, and he couldn’t help but watch the way your teeth dug into your flesh. “I…” He saw the rest of your protest dissolve the same way the tracker had earlier, your eyes shifting from skeptical to excited until that’s all he saw in them. You laughed, then, lifting your hand and holding up one finger. “Alright. I’ll… yes. I’ll take you up on it. But on one condition.” 

Received. Will await contact. Over. 

Jack reached up to tap his glasses before removing them and stowing them in his pocket. He leaned in closer to you, concentrating on the quirk of your lips and the mixture of impulse and instinct in your eyes. “Let’s hear it.” 

“You let me buy you a drink once we get there.” You said it over the rim of your glass as you finished the last of it, eyes on him as you swallowed. 

An excuse to go out with a beautiful woman? That’s the condition? 

Jack flashed you a smile. “I think those terms are more than agreeable, ma’am.” 

–  –  –  

What the fuck am I doing? 

You half laughed at yourself, but at the same time there was something about Jack that made you feel like you could trust him. You were aware that that could be a danger in and of itself, but your gut told you he was a good man, and you had always felt that you were a good and accurate judge of character. 

How’s it any different from meeting a guy and getting in his car with him? It’s not, really. 

It was, and you knew it was, but you hadn’t been wrong yet. And as much as you wanted to get to Vegas to see your friends, you also found yourself wanting more time to get to know Jack. He was offering you the chance to do both of those things, and even though you were looking for one, you couldn’t find a downside. 

Pulling out your phone, you opened the group chat and sent one text before switching it to airplane mode. 

Change of plans. Met a (really good looking) pilot who was on his way to Vegas and offered me a ride. Sending a screenshot of his license number in case I go missing hahaha. Just kidding. I’ll be fine. See you soon!

You knew what they’d say when they saw your message. 

Jess would likely just send a thumbs up - or possibly a photo of herself giving a thumbs up. 

Maddy would emphasize your message and respond with something like Okay but don’t die! 

Kayla’s message would be a more whimsical reaction like Jesus take the wheel! (Wait do planes have wheels?) or Life is short, take rides from hot pilots when you can with the peace sign emoji. 

And Nat would send advice from several documentaries and podcasts she’d seen or listened to, about what to do if you were being abducted. 

You laughed to yourself again at the entire situation. 

“Alright, Jack.” You hopped down from your stool and picked up your bag. “I’m ready when you are.” 

He stood, taking his hat from the bartop and placing it on his head. “No time like the present.” Running his hands over his clothes, he smoothed out his suit jacket. “Follow me, darlin’. And give me that.” He pointed his chin towards your bag. “I’m a gentleman, remember? Where would my manners be if I let a lady carry her own bags?” 

You shook your head with a smile and handed over your carry-on, leaving you with only your purse. “I don’t know. You’re teaching me about gentlemen, remember?” 

You knew when you saw his eyes darken that you’d made the right call. 

“Oh, sugar. I remember. Few hours to Vegas. Plenty of time for me to teach you things.” With that he started walking and you were left to follow, slightly stunned at the implications in his tone and in his words. 

This is definitely going to be a trip to remember, that’s for sure. 

.

.

.

Thank you for reading! If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please feel free to let me know by sending a message or filling out the form on my masterlist! :)

tags: @something-tofightfor @dihra-vesa @littlemisspascal @mishasminion360 @nyctophiliiiiaaa @practicalghost @tanzthompson @harriedandharassed @woodlandmouth @trickstersp8 @imtryingmybeskar @wildmoonflower @mswarriorbabe80 @theredwritingwitch @silverstarsandsuns @competentpotato @pedro-pedrito-pascalito @jedi-in-crocs @hannahkatharine @novemberrain221 @chiyo13 @myloveistoolittle @Noisynightmarepoetry

[avaetin]

"All it took was one impulsive kiss. But that's another story."

@haiseiscute333 @sunshines-child

“Wait. Is this serious?” Nico asked, those beautiful brown eyes looking up at Aeon with a hopeful and excited expression.

“It’s not for their local show though. It’s for their performance in Melbourne, Australia. If you’re fine with that, I already have flight tickets and a hotel booked. I also checked with your manager to make sure that it doesn’t have any conflict with your schedule,” Aeon explained, passing to him printed documents of all that he booked.

As if it were possible, Nico’s eyes widened further in shock as he looked through them. VIP tickets to the concert, first class seats on the plane and an executive suite? Holy-! Nico didn’t need to see any receipts to know how much all of these cost.

“I’ll pay you back,” Nico said.

Aeon shook his head, reaching forward to gently push Nico’s hair back. “This is my gift to you. The concert is happening on your birthday week.”

It was? Nico looked down at the concert ticket details. It was! And… Aeon wanted to celebrate it with him.

“Breathe, sweetheart,” Aeon murmured, genuinely concerned as Nico suddenly stopped breathing, looking overwhelmed suddenly.

Nico wasn’t sure what came over him, his body moving before his mind could process his actions. By the time his rationality caught up with him, he had already leaned over, his lips firmly pressed against Aeon’s. His hands that were cupping Aeon’s cheeks at that moment could feel the man trembling slightly in his arms, prompting Nico to let him go with a flustered look.

“You… You didn’t have to do that,” Aeon said slowly, one of his arms slipping around Nico’s waist, preventing him from completely pulling away. “I wasn’t expecting anything when I gifted these to you. I just wanted to make you happy.”

“And I am,” Nico said.

With a shuddered breath, he pressed himself closer to the older male, Aeon’s arm reflexively tightening around him. He looked directly into those gorgeous emerald green eyes, and shuddered at what he saw. They had always been filled with affection and adoration when they looked at him, but at that moment, there was hunger in their depths. Raw desire. Warmth pooled in his stomach as he saw his own desire being reflected in them.

“I just wanted to kiss you too,” Nico admitted, ripping out a guttural moan from Aeon’s throat at the admission. “I still want to. Real bad. Can-”

Soft lips captured Nico’s lips in a searing kiss before he could finish his statement. For the record, Nico was by no means a virgin. He had been intimate with his partners in the past, so he knew what to do with his mouth. Or so he thought. For a virgin, Aeon didn’t kiss like one. He devoured Nico’s lips like he was on a mission to mark it as his. He took away Nico’s breath, as if it was his own. As if he was a dying man and the breath from Nico’s lips were his only salvation. He kissed… with the raw desire of a man who was finally being granted to act on his innermost desire.

“I’ve wanted this for years,” Aeon breathed raggedly against his lips, out of breath. Nico was surprised to find out that he was too. “Wanted you for years.”

Nico gulped. “Then why did you stop?” He asked.

Before Aeon could reply, he connected their lips once more, matching the other’s earlier passion. One of his hands slipped to the back of his partner’s head, clutching onto a fistful of hair while his free hand cupped the back of Aeon’s neck, pulling him closer. His lips parted open, his tongue slipping out to tentatively caress Aeon’s plush lips, coaxing them to part for him. He didn’t even register Aeon pulling him close, or himself straddling Aeon on the couch, his attention entirely on the movement of their lips, of the tentative caresses of their tongues that was becoming bolder by the second. Nico didn’t think he had ever wanted anyone so much as he wanted the man before him right now. He wanted Aeon. Entirely.

“Stop pulling away,” Nico complained when Aeon pulled back a second time. He chased after him, lightly biting down on his lower lip.

“We have to stop.” Nico shuddered at the tone of Aeon’s voice. “You’re… provoking me.”

Nico blinked, opening his eyes that he didn’t even realize he closed at some point. The desire in Aeon’s eyes were much prominent now, his hands gripping Nico’s thin waist to the point of bruising. Nico flushed slightly as he realized what Aeon meant as, when he leaned back, he felt something against his thighs.

With a playful smile, he shifted slightly in his lap, pressing their bodies closer together.

“I’m doing it with that intention in mind,” Nico whispered, brushing his lips gently against Aeon’s. “Please. Can I have you? Will you have me?”

“You don’t know what you’re asking, Nico,” Aeon replied, taking his lower lip between his teeth, tugging lightly. “Once I have you, I have no intention to let you go.”

“Then don’t.” Nico himself was tired of letting go. He wanted to keep. He wanted to be kept. “Have me.”

A low growl was his only response before Aeon swept him into his arms, carrying him towards the man’s - their shared - bedroom.

[skzdust]

Contingency

Part 2

This one ends with a bit of a cliffhanger but the next part will have some smut so prepare for that hehehe! Enjoy! Thank you @palindrome969 for beta reading!!!

Summary: You accept a job from your best friend Seonghwa getting information on Ateez's rival group, SKZ. You decide to get to the organization through one of their members: Lee Minho. You find yourself falling for him, and things get even more complicated when SKZ's resident hacker seems to have his sights set on you as well.

Pairing: Lee Know x I.N x Reader

Includes: Coffee shop date, mafia party, meeting Jeongin, cliffhanger ending

Word count: 2.7k

Taglist (Comment on a post/send an ask if you'd like to be added): @weirdowithaphone, @caught-in-the-afterglow, @palindrome969, @skzstan12345, @katsukis1wife, @tsunderelino, @hyunjinsjeans

Reblogs, likes, comments all appreciated!!!

Part 1 | Part 3

Masterlist

-----

Minho was already at the coffee shop when you walked in the next morning. He hadn’t texted you, but you were counting on him to have run a background check on the name and number. 

Y/n l/n was a squeaky clean person: never gotten so much as a parking ticket. Middle of her class at the local university, graduated with a computer science degree. Worked for a country-wide company headquartered in the city, providing a degree of anonymity a more important job at a smaller business wouldn’t have. No boyfriend. Parents lived four hours away. Only a few friends in the city. 

You’d gone to great lengths to forge y/n l/n’s life as the perfect partner for Minho. You hoped it would be worth it. 

Minho was seated facing the door, and he smiled as you walked in. You waved and got your latte before sitting across from him. 

“Hello.” He greeted you awkwardly. 

“Hi.” You smiled. You were nervous, but you knew that was stupid. This was a mission, just like any other. This wasn’t really a coffee date, this was a step in a calculated plan. 

But to Minho, it was just a coffee date. “I’m going to be honest, I hate small talk.” He took a sip from his americano, keeping his eyes on you. “So, I have an important question for you.”

“Sure.” You ignored the jump of fear in your stomach. Did he know who you were?

“Are you a cat person?”

You couldn’t hold back your laugh. “Pets are definitely considered small talk.”

“Pets are very important to me.” He gestured with his hand for you to keep talking, smiling. “I asked a question.”

His tone was joking, but the glimpse of dominance made your stomach jump for a very different reason.

“I am.” You shook off the thoughts.

“Good. This might work out, then.”

“That’s a prerequisite for dating you? I have to like cats?” You raised your eyebrows.

“Yes, it is.”

You laughed again, wondering if you were laughing too much. “Fair enough. Fortunately, I love cats.”

“Very fortunate.” His smile was genuine again. “So, tell me about what you do for work.”

He was blunt changing between topics, but you went with it, inventing something about the grocery company you worked for and how you liked your workplace but your boss was a bit too authoritarian at times. A standard answer. 

“What are you doing here all the time, then?” He gestured around the coffee shop.

Your heartbeat kicked up. “I, er, I work hybrid. I’ve had a few days out of the office recently.”

He nodded. “Makes sense.”

“How about you?”

Minho’s lie was smoother than yesterday. He told you about business deals he helped to negotiate for one of the biggest banks in the country, and his only tell was the slight shifting of his feet under the table you could hear when you asked a question. You knew the truth, though, and didn’t hesitate to test him a bit. 

“So, you travel a lot?” You interjected after he mentioned something in Milan.

Minho nodded. “Yeah, it’s a lot of long flights.” He sighed. “I don’t like flying. I don’t like being away from my cats, either.” 

It was one of the first personal details he’d given. He’d kept his talk strictly to work.

“You must really love those cats.”

His eyes softened, a fond smile curving his mouth. “I do. They’re my babies.” 

“I’d love to…” You cleared your throat, not even needing to fake anxiety. “I’d love to meet them.”

“Trying to get in my apartment already?” He looked amused. 

You held up your hands in front of you. “I just like cats!” 

“Mhm.” He lifted an eyebrow. “I didn’t say I didn’t want you there. Anyway.”

Your discussion turned to other things: music and books you liked, what you did in your free time, your favorite places around the city. You didn’t forget who you were talking to, or why you were talking to him, but you let yourself enjoy flirting with him for now.

There was a lull in your conversation.

“So…” Minho filled the silence. “I know this is our first date, but I figure it’s worth asking. I have a work party coming up, and I was wondering if you’d come with me.”

“Wow, you haven’t even taken me out to dinner, and you already want to bring me around your coworkers?” You teased. 

“There will be dinner at the party, does that count?” Minho scrunched his nose as he smiled.

“I suppose that can count.”

“So, you’ll come?”

“I’ll come.”

You couldn’t believe your luck. Minho trusted you enough—liked you enough—to bring you to one of his SKZ parties. It would be a great opportunity to get to know what kind of resources SKZ had, both in people and in equipment. 

“I should warn you, it’s kind of a business party.” Minho said. “We’re celebrating a… a victory. A big deal.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Oh?”

He laughed. “I wasn’t too involved, but as I’m a branch of the team that did the work, I got invited.”

“So you don’t know too much about it?” You gave him an easy out. 

“Not too much, no.” He shook his head. “I’ll send you a dress.”

“Don’t you need my address for that?”

“You see, I was hoping we could go there together.”

“You want me to bring you home?” Your eyebrows shot up. “Minho, we’ve gone on one date. What if you’re a stalker or something?”

“Then at least I’m hot.” He smirked.

You suppressed a grin. “You’ve got me there. I’ll give you my address, but you’re not coming home with me tonight.”

“Fine, deal.” He leaned back. “I’ll send you a dress.”

“When’s the party?”

“Er… tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” You were genuinely surprised at his answer. You’d heard about the SKZ party through one of your contacts, but you didn’t know it was so soon.

“I know it’s short notice... but I’m looking forward to you being there.”

You smiled. “I’m looking forward to it, too.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Alright.” You wrote down your address for him, your heart jumping at the self-satisfied smile he gave you as you handed it to him.

He stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You got up, too. “See you.” 

Before he left, Minho took your hand and pressed a kiss to it, keeping eye contact with you, before sweeping out of the coffee shop.

—

The next day, the dress Minho had promised showed up at your door, delivered by a man in a dark suit. You unzipped the garment bag, excited to see what Minho had picked out for you.

The dress was beautiful, a shimmering deep blue material with a low neckline and a low back. The bottom flared into a trumpet skirt. 

You were surprised at the quality of the tailoring. You couldn’t tell if there was any special adjustments to the pattern, but even if it was a standard size, it fit you like a glove. You admired it in the mirror before taking it off, deciding to do your makeup and hair first so as not to mess up the dress. 

You finished your preparations and put the dress on again. You hid a few knives on you before doing a few twirls in the mirror and checking the time. It was almost 7:00, and a minute later, there was a knock at your door. 

Minho was standing there in a black suit with a blue shirt that matched your dress. There would be no doubt who you were there with. He was carrying a small bouquet, and held it out to you.

“Thank you, Minho!” You accepted the flowers with a genuine smile. 

“Of course.” He nodded his head. 

“I’m gonna take these inside, and then we can go.”

He nodded again, a smile creeping onto his face. “Alright.”

You went back inside. This apartment was a rental, not your actual apartment, and you had no idea where the vases were, so you just got out a large cup and half-filled it with water before setting the flowers inside. 

Minho held out his arm as you walked back towards him, and you took it. “How gentlemanly.”

“That’s me.” He smiled as if laughing at some private joke. “A gentleman, through and through.”

You almost snorted. You didn’t think the numerous people he’d killed would describe him that way, but whatever. 

You left the apartment building, and you acted surprised at the limousine waiting for you. “A limo? Minho!” 

“It’s on the bank.” He opened the door for you, and you climbed in. 

“Well, if you’re kidnapping me, at least you’re doing it in style.”

He laughed. “If I were kidnapping you, you’d know it.” 

He got into the car after you, and you were off. The party turned out to be in a ballroom in a skyscraper downtown, which you found a little disappointing. You’d been hoping to see one of the SKZ buildings tonight, but you supposed Minho probably wouldn’t bring an outsider to one of his organization’s secret locations on a second date. 

He helped you out of the car and opened the door for you as you went inside. You were the only two in the elevator, and as it dinged to indicate you’d arrived at your floor, Minho held out his arm again. You took it and walked out of the elevator to a short hallway. Two men stood outside one of the doors, and Minho nodded at them as they opened the doors.

The ballroom was big, a huge chandelier suspended from the ceiling, and beautiful rococo-style molding on the trim and wall panels. It was dim, but not too dim, and it was full of people. 

“Don’t be too intimidated. Some of them might seem… scary, but I promise they’re all nice.” Minho mumbled as you walked in.

You held back another laugh. You knew these people were killers. They’d kill you if they knew who you were. They weren’t nice. 

But you nodded. “I’m not easily scared, it’ll be fine.”

“Oh, here’s my boss.” Minho sighed as a man noticed you, waved at Minho, and began to walk over. The gun holster strapped to him was the same dark color as his shirt and suit, but you noticed it immediately. He was young, younger than you’d expected, but if he was Minho’s boss, this had to be Bang Chan, the leader of SKZ. 

You swallowed. His job was to know who his enemies were. His job was to know who you were.

But he didn’t indicate any recognition as he smiled at Minho and extended a hand to you. You let go of Minho’s arm to shake it.

“Hello, Minho. And hello, beautiful.” He smiled at you, and if you didn’t know who he was, you would’ve melted. But you were a little too terrified of him knowing who you were to be starstruck by that brilliant smile.

“She’s here with me, Chan.” Minho said, but his laugh was good-natured. “I forbid you from hitting on her.”

Chan gave an exaggerated sigh. “Fine, fine.”

“My name’s y/n. I’m… yeah, I’m here with Minho.” You looked around. “I know exactly no one else.”

That was a lie. You didn’t know everyone, but you recognized at least half the faces here, either from missions or reading files. Right now you could name Han Jisung, who was one of SKZ’s top spies, and Kim Seungmin, a gifted medic, among others. 

“It’s alright, I can introduce you.” Minho smiled reassuringly. “Like I said, no one’s scary.”

“At least not too scary.” Chan said, and Minho shot him a look. 

You’d met a few bosses, but never Chan. He was more lighthearted than you’d expected, but you knew his relaxed vibe masked a ruthlessness and a tendency for vengeance that surpassed those of other organizations. Chan was like Minho: dangerous, but good at hiding it. 

Minho guided you around the party, introducing you to a few people, including a few of those you already recognized. You were on guard the whole time, hoping no one would recognize you. You’d never worked with or even against anyone in SKZ before, but you were known enough in the mafia world that you half-expected someone to blow your cover. But you were lucky, no one let on even the slightest indication or tell that they knew who you were. 

Although you did notice someone watching you.

He had blond hair and the most intense eyes you’d ever seen—and you worked in the criminal underworld, you’d seen a lot of intense eyes. You didn’t recognize him, but he stuck to the walls. His white jacket and the black belt he wore over it stood out in the sea of dark suits worn by almost every man in the room. 

Minho was talking to someone, so you told him you were going to get a drink and walked over to where the man in the white jacket was leaning by the punch bowl. 

You poured some into a cup, trying to react to his staring like a normal person and not like a bounty hunter. “You’ve been watching me.”

“Yes.” 

“That’s a little creepy.” You looked at him, and he gave a wry grin. 

“I’m not trying to be creepy. I just… you look familiar.” 

Your stomach twisted. “I don’t work for the bank. I’m here with Minho.”

“Ah, you’re Minho’s date.” His grin grew, and if he didn’t know the bank lie Minho had been telling, he didn’t let on. “I’ve been teasing him about coming solo to parties for a while.”

“Do you have a date?”

“No.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Then who are you to talk?”

“Touché.” He laughed. “So then, why are you so familiar?”

You shrugged. “Dunno.” You took a sip of your punch. 

“Hm.” He hummed.

“I’d better get back to Minho.” You said, turning around.

“Wait.”

You turned back to him. 

“My name’s Jeongin.”

Your blood went cold.

Your specialty was tech and hacking. You were one of the best. But if there was anyone better than you, it was Yang Jeongin of SKZ. He was your biggest competition, the only one who could get past a firewall or take down a system faster and more effectively than you.

Jeongin knew you as The Spider. He shouldn’t know your face. You’d never seen his. The fact that you were familiar to him was very concerning. 

“Y/n.” You replied with as easy a smile as you could muster. 

“Y/n.” He repeated, tilting his head. “That’s a beautiful name. Just as beautiful as you are.”

“Thank you.” You were getting flustered, both from his recognition of you and his compliments. “I should get back to Minho, though.”

“Oh, Minho… he won’t mind if you talk with me for a little longer.” He gave you another grin, but this one was more flirtatious and less threatening.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“You.”

“Me? I’m not very interesting.”

“I’m sure you are.”

“Why are you being like this?” You said bluntly. 

He tilted his head, and his eyes got a little more intense. “I didn’t come here with a date. I hope Minho will forgive me for what I want to do to you.”

A shiver ran through you, definitely not fear. 

This was arousal.

“And what do you want to do to me?” You whispered. 

He smiled, and it looked warm, but you knew it was dangerous. 

You knew he was dangerous. 

But you wanted him. 

“Come find out.” 

You swallowed. “That’s a bad idea. I’m here with Minho.”

He rolled his eyes, laughing. “I can deal with Minho… if he finds out.”

This could jeopardize the entire mission. If Minho found out you’d cheated on him, he’d probably dump you, and while SKZ likely wouldn’t retaliate, you wouldn’t be welcomed either. There would be no way to get their information.

On the other hand… if you could convince him you were just some civilian, you weren’t involved in his world at all, you’d be safe. Hooking up with him would probably do that.

This was a poor rationalization, and you knew it. But he was hot.

“Okay.” You said after a second. “Show me.”

----

a/n: prepare for smut lol.

[loquaciousquark]

Having one of those days where you can feel the dozen invisible hands behind you, keeping you upright and on your feet, and I just have to sing some praises for our admin staff semi-publicly.

We've had a fairly important VIP speaker trying to get on the schedule to meet the students. After a ton of back and forth with the venue, flight arrangements, catering order - basically everything going wrong that could - we finally land on today lunch, with the main student body in the 2nd floor classroom and any overflow in the 3rd floor classroom via Zoom.

I've already had to offload a lot of duties that would normally be mine, including a building tour, because I had practicals this morning that absolutely could not be moved. The whole time I was grading, though, I was thinking about how I needed to race out after the practical, set up the Zoom on 2, run up to the 3rd floor, start that Zoom there and join my own meeting, check the sound because it constantly picks the wrong devices, race back down, check the food order, find the battery for the lapel mic because the Monday AM lecturer always runs it dead and never puts in a new one, make sure there's a basket for the raffle tickets, and then somewhere in there actually meet this speaker I'm supposed to be introducing and apologize for the scheduling confusion and thank his organization for their support of our program.

My student's practical ends at 11:53. I have seven minutes to set this all up, so I race across the hall to find:

It's all been done. He's already in the classroom with his notes and the lapel mic, set up on Zoom with his slides ready to go. The third floor classroom is already in the Zoom call, video running with the sound tested and everything. The raffle tickets are in a basket and are being handed out as I approach. As I walk up I get an email from our alum director with the speaker's bio I'll be using to introduce him. He's got a water bottle and he's schmoozing with the students & faculty and literally all I have to do is walk in, read his bio, and sit down. They even have a lunch set aside for me.

It was just...incredible. Not only did they help me without a word of complaint, they anticipated every need and solved it before I even had to ask. I had been dreading that ten minute timespan for over a week, and I walked in to find every possible problem had already been discussed and completely addressed. It was so wonderful I very nearly started crying.

They're not direct reports to me, so I can't influence their annual reviews or anything, but I'll be writing thank-you notes to each of them and will send an email to their manager. Good admin support can be so hard to find, and this was another reminder of how preciously golden our current team is.

[allthelovehes]

Writing Retreat* | TEASER

Summary: Harry takes Y/N on a writing retreat to Italy, and given all this alone time causes things to bloom between him and his guitarist.

Pairing: Famous!Harry x Guitarist!Y/N

Word count: 2.5K TEASER of a 5K Patreon Exclusive!

Warnings: Unprotected sex, smut, p in v, swimming pool sex.

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“You're coming with me to Italy right?” Harry asks Y/N through the phone, while he is sitting on the sofa in his living room. Harry is planning a writing retreat in Italy to work on his fourth album. He is hoping Y/N will agree to come with him as he could use her expertise for the project.

“Yeah, I am.” Y/N answers while looking at the plane tickets. She is currently staying in New York with a couple of friends to catch up with them before she leaves for Italy. “I bought my tickets already, we'll arrive on the same day.”

“Perfect. I'll send you the address of the Airbnb we're staying at so you can check out the local sights and stuff. The studio isn't far from there, so it will only be a short walk.” Harry says while smiling to himself, excited to have her there to help him write his songs.

“That sounds good.” Y/N says as she looks over her shoulder and sees her friend walking into the kitchen. “I'll text you tomorrow. I can't wait to see you.”

“Me too.” Harry smiles to himself again.

“Y/N, do you have a boyfriend you never told us about?” Her friend suddenly says as she puts down her phone and Y/N can hear a bit of a laugh in her voice.

“No.” Y/N shakes her head as she turns towards her friend. “Why are you asking that?”

“You have this look on your face that tells me you're smitten with someone.” Her friend says, smiling. She is onto something as Y/N is indeed head over heels for Harry and that's where it gets complicated. Not only is he her best friend, but also her boss, so she doesn't want to mix the two together.

“I don't.” Y/N laughs, shaking her head as she gets up. She walks into the kitchen to make a cup of tea and her friend follows her.

“Then who were you talking to?” She asks, smiling.

“Harry.” Y/N answers honestly as she turns the kettle on and grabs two mugs from the cupboard.

“The Harry?” Her friend asks, her eyes growing wide. “Harry Styles, the man you have worked for the past years? Your best friend, Harry?”

“Yes, the one and only.” Y/N laughs and her friend laughs with her.

“Does he know about your feelings?” Her friend asks as she sits down on the barstool at the counter.

“Gosh, there's no feelings for him to know about. We're friends.” Y/N answers, not looking at her friend as she takes the teabags from the top drawer and puts one in each mug.

“Sure, okay. I get it.” Her friend says, not believing her.

“I mean, yeah, he's attractive. But I'm sure every girl thinks that.” Y/N adds.

“Not just every girl, but most girls.” Her friend replies. “Are you going to tell him how you feel?”

“I can't.” Y/N answers simply as she turns to look at her friend. “He's my boss.”

“But you also said you're his friend, right?” Her friend says. “You'll be with him on a holiday for the next couple of weeks, plenty of time to figure it out.”

“We'll see.” Y/N replies as the kettle boils and she turns back around to make their cups of tea. ***

The next morning, Y/N's alarm wakes her up and she immediately gets out of bed. She goes to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, before going to the kitchen. It's 8 am and Y/N has to be at the airport in two hours to catch her flight. She made some sandwiches the night before and packs them into a box along with some drinks. Then she packs the last of her stuff in her suitcase and grabs her handbag. Her friends are still sleeping and they offered to take her to the airport, but Y/N decided she would get an Uber. She is too nervous to sit in a car with her friends on her way to the airport.

When the Uber arrives, she sends her friends a text to let them know she's leaving and she opens the trunk before the driver helps her put her suitcase in the car. Once she's seated in the back, the driver starts the journey to the airport.

Y/N checks her phone for the hundredth time this morning and Harry hasn't sent her a message yet. She knows he's probably sleeping, as he's flying in from London, but she is hoping he's up soon to send her a message. Y/N is excited to see him.

She opens Instagram and scrolls through her feed. She is a little nervous to go on a writing trip with Harry. What if they spend all day and night together in their own private bubble and something happens between them? She isn't sure what to do if that were to happen, but she is also trying to not think about it.

It's not like they'll be the only ones in the studio but the Airbnb is just for the two of them. Harry made sure to book a proper house for them, with enough rooms and a pool. It is a big Airbnb, located close to the beach and the studio. There's a kitchen where the two of them can cook their meals and the bedrooms both have their own ensuite.

Y/N can't help but daydream a little about sharing the house with Harry. It's the first time the two of them will live together and she wonders what it will be like. She has known him for so long, but living with someone is always a different story.

The ride to the airport goes by fast and once Y/N has checked in, she grabs a coffee and waits for her plane to start boarding. As she sits down, her phone lights up and a smile appears on her face when she sees Harry's name pop up.

HarryHey, can't wait to see you. You at the airport yet?

Y/NHey. Yeah, just boarded the plane. See you soon!

HarryText me when you arrive and I'll come get you.

Y/NWill do. x

She puts her phone into airplane mode and takes a sip from her coffee, while she looks outside at the planes landing and taking off. She has done this so many times before, but this time is different.

After a couple of hours, Y/N's plane lands in Milan and she is relieved to finally be on solid ground. She is greeted by the warm Italian air as she walks to the baggage claim and takes her phone out of airplane mode. Her phone buzzes immediately and she smiles as she sees Harry's name light up the screen.

HarryI'm outside, can't wait to see you.

Y/NOutside where?

HarryBaggage claim.

Y/N smiles as she picks up her suitcase from the conveyor belt and walks outside, searching for Harry. She is surprised when she sees him standing outside, his eyes fixated on his phone, and her heart beats a little faster. He is wearing a loose t-shirt, jean shorts and his curls are styled perfectly.

“Hey.” Y/N says, her voice sounding a little nervous.

Harry lifts his gaze from his phone and he smiles when he sees Y/N. He quickly puts his phone away and walks towards her. “Hey.” He says as he wraps his arms around her and Y/N feels her body melt into his embrace. His scent is intoxicating and she lets out a deep breath.

“How was the flight?” Harry asks as he pulls away.

“Fine. How was yours?” Y/N asks as they start walking.

“It was good.” Harry nods, smiling.

“I thought I was supposed to let you know I'm here before you'd come pick me up.” Y/N laughs and Harry's smile grows wider.

“Well, I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to see you.” He says, his words causing butterflies in Y/N's stomach.

They make their way through the airport and soon, they are outside. It's hotter than Y/N expected it to be, but the Italian air feels nice. They get into Harry's rental car. She tries to focus on the beautiful buildings, parks and trees, but her mind keeps wandering off to the fact that she'll be living with the man beside her for the next couple of weeks.

“Here we are.” Harry says as he parks the car and Y/N is snapped back to reality.

“Wow, this is huge.” Y/N exclaims as she takes in the villa. It's even better than the pictures showed. It has a large porch with a garden in front of the house and she can see the pool behind the house.

“Yeah.” Harry says as he gets out of the car and walks around to get Y/N's suitcase from the trunk.

“Let me help you.” Y/N says as she grabs the other side of her suitcase and they walk up the stairs towards the entrance.

“No, no, I've got it.” Harry shakes his head and Y/N lets go of her suitcase. She looks over her shoulder and smiles at him.

“Thanks.” She says as Harry opens the front door and pushes her suitcase inside.

“This is our home for the next couple of weeks.” Harry says as they walk further into the house. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“Where is my room?” Y/N asks as she takes her shoes off.

“Uhm, upstairs, the first door on the left.” Harry answers.

“Thanks.” Y/N nods. “I'll just bring my suitcase upstairs, unpack and freshen up a little.”

“No problem.” Harry says and Y/N can feel his eyes on her as she climbs the stairs. She opens the door and smiles as she takes in the beautiful bedroom. It has a king-sized bed, a couch and a desk. She places her suitcase on the couch and opens it.

“This is nice.” Harry says and Y/N turns around to see him leaning against the doorway.

“Yeah.” Y/N nods. “Much bigger than my bedroom in London.”

“I'm glad you like it.” Harry smiles as he steps into the room and sits down on the edge of the bed. “So, how have you been?” ***

It's been a couple of days since the two of them arrived at their dream destination and they have spent most of their time exploring the area. They have gone to the beach, the shops and restaurants and today is the first day they will start working in the studio.

Y/N has woken up early, even though they stayed up late the night before. They have gone to a fancy restaurant where they had some good food and wine.

“Morning.” Harry's voice comes from behind her as Y/N stands in the kitchen, waiting for the coffee to be ready.

“Hey.” Y/N says, smiling. “There's coffee in the pot.”

“Thanks.” Harry says as he steps towards the coffee machine and grabs a cup.

“Do you have anything planned for today?” Y/N asks.

“We're going to the studio, right?” Harry asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah.” Y/N says, nodding her head. “I have some ideas for a new song, actually.”

“Really? That's great.” Harry says, his eyes lighting up. “We should get breakfast on the way.”

“Okay, let's go.” Y/N nods and follows him outside.

Once they are in the studio, they settle in the control room and Harry hands Y/N his notebook. She flips through the pages, seeing the songs he's already written and some notes he's made.

“Can I play something for you?” Harry asks.

“Of course.” Y/N smiles, turning her attention back to Harry.

“I want your honest opinion, okay?” He says and Y/N nods her head. “So, it's not finished yet. I just want to hear how it sounds with the melody.”

“Go ahead.” Y/N says.

Harry sits down on the chair and starts playing the piano. His fingers hit the keys and Y/N closes her eyes, letting his voice and the music engulf her. It's a beautiful song, the lyrics and melody flowing perfectly together.

“How is it?” Harry asks when he finishes and Y/N opens her eyes.

“It's amazing, Harry. Really.” Y/N says, her voice is sincere.

“You really think so?” Harry asks.

“Yeah.” Y/N says as she gets up from the chair and steps closer to Harry. “I really do.”

“Thanks.” Harry smiles, looking down at his feet.

“Let's add some guitars and record a demo. See how it sounds.” Y/N suggests and Harry nods.

“Okay, let's do it.” Harry agrees, following her out of the control room and into the live room. They work on the song until the late afternoon, recording and mixing the demo. ***

Two weeks later, they have a lot of work done on the album and Harry's been playing the guitar and singing for most of the days. Y/N's been listening, offering him some advice and helping him out with the arrangements along with other people who dropped into the studio here and there.

It's late at night and they're sitting on the porch, a glass of wine in their hands.

“I think we're almost done with the album.” Harry says.

“Yeah, it's coming along really nicely.” Y/N replies, looking over at him. “It's a good one, Harry. Really.”

“Thank you.” Harry smiles. “It wouldn't be the same without you.”

“Of course it would.” Y/N smiles, blushing a little.

“No, it wouldn't.” Harry shakes his head, his eyes on hers. “You've been such a big part of it.”

“It's your music, your songs. It's a big part of you, Harry.” Y/N says, not breaking the eye contact.

“Exactly, but it's your words. Your inspiration. Your heart.” Harry replies, his eyes falling on her lips for a split second.

“Well, I'm glad I could help.” Y/N whispers, her heart pounding in her chest.

“I've never felt like this when writing songs, Y/N.” Harry admits. “It's almost like... I don't know.”

“Like what?” Y/N asks.

“I don't know, it's different. More, more real. More meaningful. Something like that.” Harry says, a smile playing on his lips.

“It's the Italian air.” Y/N says, her eyes looking up at the sky.

“It's you.” Harry corrects her. “Your presence.”

“I'm sure it's just the Italian air.” Y/N says, looking down. She is afraid that if she looks at Harry, her feelings will be obvious and she doesn't want that.

“I'm serious.” Harry says, placing his hand on her chin and making her look at him.

“So am I.” Y/N whispers, her heart beating even faster.

“Then prove it.” Harry challenges her, his hand still on her chin.

“What?” Y/N asks.

“Prove it.” Harry repeats, his eyes falling down to her lips again.

“How?” Y/N asks, her voice barely audible.

“Kiss me.” Harry whispers.

“Harry...” Y/N starts, shaking her head.

“Y/N.” Harry says, his voice firm. “Kiss me.”

[jujumin-translates]

★ Main Story | Act 13 - Budding Spring | Chapter 27 - Papa Crisis

Banri: You guys can take a twenty-minute break here. Good work.

Masumi: The KniRoun Stage video is up.

Sakuya: Waah, it is!

Chikage: Lancelot’s pretty eye-catching.

Tsuzuru: He was even working on his sword fighting for KniRoun in between rehearsals. Must’ve been rough.

Banri: Nah, he was havin’ the time of his life, trust me.

Citron: Itaru looks like he is having fun~.

Rento: Ooh~, his overseas debut, huh? Looks like he’s doin’ great.

Rento: Still, absolutely insane as hell that he’s comin’ back here right on openin’ day.

Izumi: It really, truly is…

Izumi: In the past, it would’ve been unthinkable to try and to this, but with the current Spring Troupe, I think we’ll be able to pull this plan, even with it cutting it so close.

Banri: Well, it’d be pretty nice to keep this kinda energy goin’ through openin’ day.

Tsumugi: I hope Itaru-kun was able to get to the airport safely.

Sakuya: It’s about time for his flight, right?

Chikage: Let’s check the chat.

*Phone notification*

Izumi: Ah, I just got a LIME from…

Itaru: “problem, can’t get on my flight, airport’s shut down bc of a strike.”

Tsuzuru: WHAT!?

Sakuya: A strike!? That won’t end any time soon…!

Tsumugi: Sometimes the end soon, but sometimes they go on for days. There’s no telling what will happen…

Banri: What’re we gonna do? I mean, we could get through openin’ day with an understudy, or delay it entirely, but…

Masumi: We considered a lot of factors when we picked the date of opening day. It’s the day that’ll give us the most views with the least competition from other troupes, so moving it should really be our last resort.

Izumi: Right… And refunding tickets would have a huge impact on our votes…

Izumi: We’ll still have to deal with refunds if we go for having an understudy, but the damage with that should be minimal.

Banri: Guess we gotta go with an understudy.

Sakuya: Um, can we at least wait until the very last minute?

Tsuzuru: We want to wait for Itaru-san’s return for as long as we can. Can we at least do that, please?

Izumi: …

Tsumugi: I can be ready to sub in at any time, so don’t worry about it.

Sakuya: Thank you so much!

Chikage: I’m arranging a flight for him at another airport as we speak. With this one, he’ll be able to just barely make it in time for the start of the performance.

Chikage: Someone get into contact with Chigasaki and tell him to hurry to catch the bus.

Tsuzuru: On it!

Tsuzuru: “Itaru-san, please hurry to the nearby airport ASAP!”

Chikage: The next bus is leaving at--.

Citron: “I will give you a lucky chant so you will make it in time!”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Announcement: “The plane has arrived at Narita Aiport two hours later than scheduled.”

Announcement: “We sincerely apologize for the delay in its arrival due to weather conditions. We offer our deepest condolences to those affected by the delay.”

Itaru: (CITRON used Lucky Chant! The Lucky Chant shielded me from a critical hit…!)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

UC: Run, Chigasaki.

Itaru: (I am running!)

Saku: You can do it, Itaru-san!

Curry: director said she’s coming to pick you up

taruchi: dw abt it, it’ll be faster if i take a taxi

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Passerby A: Huh, is the line for getting a taxi really this long?

Passerby B: Probably because of a group of tourists~. Let’s just take the train.

Itaru: (Wait, the line for taxis is THIS long? Oh, I’m so screwed…)

Itaru: (Should I ask Director-san to pick me up now?)

Itaru: (But I’m sure she’s busy getting everything ready for the start of the show. Not to mention, even if she comes now, we probably wouldn’t make it back in time for the start of the show anyway--.)

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