#i apologise for the wait! i had this done last night but didn't realise it was saved to my drafts instead of posted 😖

[riizebabie444]

https://www.tumblr.com/riizebabie444/729920049052286976/plsss-i-just-saw-ur-crush-post-game-on-my-tl-bc this anon here! i sent in an exchange but i'm guessing that tumblr decided to be a hater because i never got a response so i'm sending it again. i'll do a reading for your future spouse. <3 i'm getting this right away they would feel that you are marriage material, literally. it seems that you fit their standards so well and a perfect candidate to spend their life with. their energy seems earthy, a bit closed up for some reason. they may have significant virgo and leo placements. one of you may be a bit older by 1-3 years and there's a high chance you may meet them in uni. for some reason, i'm getting this image of orange leaves, tall buildings, so during fall. intellectual debates? that was so random but i feel like between the two of you, your future spouse would love to talk about various topics because they have never met someone who could match up to them this much. yin-yang, that's highly attractive to them! they may love to spoil you, specifically jewellery, bracelets actually. they're so mercurial. take late night talks, playful banters for granted because this person just can't get enough what comes out of your mouth, they're whipped for you. your person is a sucker for your eyes, something about it is really unique and it just gets to them and i'm getting images of your person just staring at you and you turning around from them blushing. this is so cute. this makes me think you may have water placements, like pisces rising as they are known to have dreamy eyes. for their looks, i think they have this girl/boy next door charm to them, pearly whites with dimples, long hair. songs that may be of significance: angel- the weeknd, you & me- jennie

this may not be much, but i'm still developing my intuition little by little and i'd love to hear from you if this resonated or not!

moving on, my initials are SM, libra venus and my celeb of choice is jake from enhypen. <3

the cards came out easily so i feel it would be an easy and free flowing relationship. i think it would be easy to communicate with each other and be honest about feelings. however, of course there are some negatives. i see you or him or both being very protective, and also defensive. it's like you don't want anyone else looking at the other, only you are allowed for each other. y'all would also be the type to square up whenever one of you is being treated badly. you would fight for each other, stand up for what they believe in. very protective ride or dies, i'm seeing. i also see that you in particular would be up all night missing him, especially when he's away or is in another time zone so you can't call him (he might be sleeping). but yeah, it would be difficult for you to be away from him, you'd be addicted to having him sleeping by your side. i see travelling too. you guys may be travelling together often, and i'm seeing warm, breezy destinations. i see him being both fatherly and motherly towards you. it's a little bit funny but i think he would like to act macho, like a manly man but in reality he's a lot softer and needier than he will ever admit. you'd find it so cute and tease him a lot about it. i feel like he would calm your chaos. whether chaos describes you or not, he would always be there in difficult times to calm you down and help you get things in order, and vice versa but i feel it is more for you. i believe you'd grow a lot together, i think he would also sing to you often too, i don't know if he plays the guitar but i saw him playing it and singing it in a dimly lit room, lit with candles and warm fairy lights. it's super cute and romantic. you'd feel so lucky to have him, and i think something about you will bring out the massive romantic in him. he's giving boy next door, the boy everyone has a crush on but his heart is for you!

thank you for being patient with me! and again im super sorry about the whole tumblr fumble, thank you for reaching out again to take part! the reading you did for me is super cute! a lot of what you said resonates with me, and with what other readers have told me before! and i am a pisces! and gemini rising who i also believe have expressive eyes. and it's funny because i've always been a bit insecure of my eyes but i'm always told they are large and beautiful (even if i don't see it) so it's awesome that you picked it up haha

[lightsoutletsgo]

I’m such an angst girly omg how about lando’s phone not working and reader gets sad he’s not replying or answering her calls for a few days🤨

pairing: lando norris x reader

word count: 1.2k

warnings: angst, allusions to a panic attack, reader is v emotional, lando is an idiot ahhhh tysm for sending this in! It was fun to write but ofc I had to make it fluffy to end bc I didn't wanna make myself too sad happy reading! love mimi 🤍

— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ — — ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ — — ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ — — ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —

Long distance relationships were hard, you knew that before you’d even started dating Lando. You’d heard all of the stories before but like the many innocent others who had yet to experience their partner being on the other side of the world, you were determined that everything would be okay. 

Now, as you thought back to how naive you’d been, you scoffed, how could you have thought it would be so simple? If you weren’t battling with time zones, you were battling to find free time, and if you found free time, it was never quiet and peaceful and it never lasted more than a few minutes. You knew you should have been satisfied with those snatched moments you did get, but you missed your boyfriend. 

You missed him even more when he got another podium and you weren’t there to celebrate with him. You’d stayed up until stupid o’clock to watch the race live and you’d cheered and jumped as your boyfriend performed overtake after overtake to move up the grid to claim second place. You knew that once he had done his post-race interviews and meetings he would call you. You sighed as once more Lando’s contact picture flashed up with ‘facetime unavailable’. You’d scheduled this call the night before but he was only a few minutes late. You shook your head as you took a deep breath, he was probably just finishing up in meetings. Half an hour went by and your stomach twisted with worry as you still hadn’t heard from him. You checked your phone but there were no new notifications - not from him at least anyway. 

You curled up on the couch, noticing Lando’s hoodie still resting over the arm of the couch. Pulling it towards you, you nuzzled your face into it and inhaled, the smell of his cologne washing over you. You felt tears well up in your eyes. No matter how busy or tired he was, he had never once missed your call. You grew angry, not with Lando, never with Lando, but just at the situation. 

You huffed and grabbed your phone once more, deciding to doom scroll through instagram until Lando finally called. You noticed that a few people had posted new stories and so you pressed on the first one, absentmindedly tapping your screen until you paused, sitting up quickly as you realised the story you were looking at was Max Fewtrell’s. He’d posted a video in the club at a post-race party. You normally wouldn’t have batted an eyelid, but you could have sworn in the back corner of the dimly-lit club video was a figure that looked suspiciously like Lando. Going back to the start of his story and scrolling through again you realised it was Lando, wearing the black shirt you’d given him for his birthday the previous year. 

Turns out you could be mad at Lando. Something uncomfortable and hot flashed in your stomach as nausea hit you. Anger curled its way up your spine and through your chest, tightening around your lungs and making it hard to breathe. He was out at a club? And that’s why he hadn’t called you? You growled and glared at your screen, thumbs jabbing into the keyboard as you furiously typed a message to Max. He was online, you noted, as you hit ‘send’ and waited for him to read it. You barely had to wait five minutes before Max was apologising profusely and sending you a long paragraph about how he was sure Lando had texted you and would be letting him know straight away. You scoffed and rolled your eyes, throwing your phone down on the couch next to you with a ‘hmmph’. You sat in silence for a while, your emotions slowly welling up as tears gathered on your lash line. Was this how your relationship was going to end? Long nights alone while Lando partied it up on the other side of the world? Surrounded by scores of choices of pretty women and an endless supply of alcohol? You couldn’t help the way you sobbed as you grabbed his hoodie once more, desperately trying to catch your breath. You were crying so hard you almost didn’t hear the way your phone vibrated on the cushion. You gasped for air as you picked it up and turned it over, Max’s name flashing on the screen. You snatched your phone up and pressed the green button to accept, not even registering that it was a facetime call and he was going to see you crying.

You inhaled sharply as it was Lando’s worried face that appeared on the screen, he looked panicked and you could hear the music thumping in the background although slightly muffled. Despite the fluorescent lights he was standing under, he still looked good, “Baby? Oh my god…” He took in your tear stained cheeks and the way your eyes were red. He noted your sniffling noises and the way your bottom lip trembled, “Love I’m so so sorry!” You let out a laugh and rolled your eyes, trying to not let him see the next wave of tears that were threatening to fall, “Sure.” He sighed, “Honey, I promise you, I didn't mean it. I did text you! I didn’t realise it didn’t go through because I was in the post-race meeting!” “I wanted to celebrate your win with you!” Lando gently shushed you as he saw your chest heave, your breathing quickening once more, “Baby, baby, shh sh sh it’s okay, it’s okay, I’m right here.” He looked off screen for a moment to a person you assumed to be Max before the music got louder again and then quiet, as if Max had left Lando alone. You followed along with his breathing as he over exaggerated for you to copy.

“Love I promise you it was just an accident okay? I texted you to ask if you were ready to call but when there was no reply I assumed you’d fallen asleep so then I texted you to ask if you could be at the airport for 4am…” He winced, “I decided to fly home early and have a few days with you before the next race.” You melted back against the couch, hugging his hoodie to your chest as you tucked your knees up under your chin and rested your phone there, “4am?” You sniffled with a giggle, “Is that my hoodie?” He said, doing his best to distract you and you let out a proper giggle this time, “Lando! 4am is so early!” He laughed, relieved to see you feeling better, “I figured we could go for a super early breakfast and then go home and fall asleep together, in our bed, in our apartment which is my favourite place to be, with my love. Your bottom lip wobbled once more, “You promise?” He nodded to assure you, “I promise.” You inhaled deeply and let out an exhale with a sigh, “I can’t wait to see you,” your thumb gently rubbed across his cheek even through the screen. “I can’t wait to see you either love, can’t wait to be home”

[dolphincultleader]

How Joshua would handle his S/O having an eating disorder or having issues with food

Tw- Eating disorder, reader has body image issues, one curse?, I am really sorry if I had trouble describing anything

A/N- How obvious is it that I am a sucker for angst?

Word Count- 810

---

*In the early stages of your relationship with Joshua, he had no clue about it. You always did a good job of hiding it well. He always thought you were just a "slow eater", taking your time.

*Slowly by slowly, he started noticing subtle things. Like how you always needed to go to the bathroom after having meals. Or how you spend most of the time picking at the food and barely any time eating it.

*You always dreaded dates that involved meals. Sitting opposite to each other while eating was an idea that never amused you. Joshua must had noticed it since he stopped suggesting them a few weeks into the relationship. He figured you'll come talk to him when you're ready.

*One night, he had came to your place after work. Bag full of food in his hand. His mom had visited and dropped these for you both, he explained. He started setting up plates for you two to eat.

*You had been having an extra hard time eating last few days. Thankfully, you were both busy with your own work to realise that.

*As you both sat together, he started telling you about your day. You listened as you picked at your food, occasionally taking small bites. If he was put off by it, he didn't mention it. Within an hour, you were almost done eating. You felt sick.

*His phone went off suddenly, interrupting your conversation. He smiled apologetically as he took the call.

*As he ended the call, he apologised and said some work at come up. You were sad as you were looking forward to spending more time together. But you were also relieved since you wouldn't need to finish the last remains of the meal.

*As you walked him to the door and said goodbye, you felt a tinge of guilt. Yet as you closed the door, relieve flooded through your body, followed by nausea. You quickly trashed the food with a silent apology to his mother as you rushed to the bathroom.

*Without closing the door, you fell to the ground and hurled everything you had eaten. You felt your eyes tear up. You hated not being able to eat. You wanted to eat so badly. But whenever you ate, you felt like you're committing a crime against yourself. After every meal, you looked at yourself in the mirror in disgust.

*The sound of a throat clearing broke you out of your trance. You looked up at the door frame to see a very worried Joshua staring at you with narrowed eyes.

*"Love, wanna explain?" He asked sternly but behind that sternness was hidden concern.

*He sat beside you on the bathroom floor, handing you tissues as you told him everything. Midst that, you broke down. This was the first time you had been so open about this to any of your partners. This was new territory for you.

*As you kept talking, he felt his heart breaking for you. He couldn't believe he missed it all these months. While he relaxed and scrolled on his phone after every meal, you went to the bathroom puking up everything. And he had been fucking clueless. You went through that all alone. He thought you were enjoying it while you couldn't wait for it to end.

*He'd feel so guilty afterwards. You would need to assure him. You were the one who felt it a secret. How could he even know?

*Afterwards, he always took care of your meals. He'd try to make or order anything you want to eat. He knew that your bad relation with food and your body image issues wouldn't leave in one day. He had to handle this carefully.

*He always ate with you. No matter the tiny portion you were going to eat.

*He also started blurring the part of the packets where calories and stuff are written (sorry for the poor description 😭😭😭)

*He'd check on you every day to make sure you're at least eating enough to get by everyday.

*If you ever relapsed or break down, he'd always be there, holding you and letting you cry it out in this arms.

*The last thing he wanted was for you to think he was pitying you. He knew that you liked being independent and he would never cross any boundaries.

*He never acted like you were something he needed to fix. He never made you feel like loving you was a chore. Instead, he loved you like it was his habit

*The last thing he ever wanted was for you to struggle alone. The thought of you crying yourself to sleep and feeling alone made him want to throw up.

*He mentally thanks the universe because if only he hadn't forgotten his keys in your apartment that day, who knew when he would actually know about this.

---

Masterlist

[qqtxt]

omgomgomg i cant let this thought go help meee but imagine the cliché bad dream trope with txt specifically the one where reader wakes up from a bad dream where the dream version of bf!txt was cheating on them then they wake up and get angry at irl txt lmao (im not really thinking angst but lighthearted and soft hours)

*smacks them awake with a pillow*"WHO IS SHE?!"

Them: 👁👄👁 "Babe I just woke up wdym..."

oh my goodness this is too real. i have done something similar to my bf before and he's really just 💧👁👄👁💧 this made me giggle so i just had to write a little something! I'm still a little stumped with my studies but i really wanted to write something out so this is a bit short and not really proofread! so apologies in advance but i do hope it's okay! 💖

[🌸] bitter dream, sweet reality w/ txt

✿ pairing: ot5 x reader / fluff, crack 🌸🤡 / idol!txt / non.idol!you / soobin and yeonjun get roasted for nothing ✿ mini-fics with each member for the same situation / less than 400 words for each member / altogether, word count: 1,591 words ✿ in which you dreamt that he cheated on you and you smack their face with a pillow [masterlist 🌸] / other members under the cut!

[🐰] soobin  soobin lets out a whine when he feels a smack to the face. as he opens his eyes, he flinches when he notices you're already looking at him with a frown on your face. the worry overtakes him too quickly as he sits up, hands to your shoulders, "hey... you okay?"

"how can you ask that when you did what you did?" you mutter under your breath, looking away from him with a huff. he gapes, blinking a couple of times to recuperate. 

"i-i just–what did i–"

"you cheated on me. in my dream. you suck."

initially, soobin's stumped. listening to your words, he was ready to apologise until he realises that–"wait, in your dream? i cheated? on you?" he chuckles when the words sink in, and he watches how you cross your arms in front of your chest. "you can't be serious, right? why would i ever cheat on you?"

when you press your lips to a thin line and refuse to look at him, he takes it as his cue to–"ah..." he hums softly, relenting as he wraps his arms around you. it was easy enough to curl you in given that he makes use of his figure; effectively nudging you towards him and engulfing you in his embrace. "i apologise on behalf of dream soobin, but real life soobin won't ever do that," he gives you a gentle shake, "hm?"

"hm," you nod, putting your arms around him to snuggle closer towards him. sure, you might've hit soobin in the face with the pillow but the way he's able to hug you like this might've been all the more worth it as he smiles into the side of your face like a hopeless romantic.

[🦊] yeonjun yeonjun nearly falls off the bed as he comes to wake from the hit to the face. he can't quite believe he's woken up just from a hit but when he snaps his eyes open and turns to the side, he's a mumbling fish.

"what?! who? what's going on?" he frantically looks around, and then he spots you sitting up with a pillow in your hands, nearly looking like you're about to squish it to death. "yah..." he murmurs, a hand reaching out to you but his brows furrow when you dodge his touch, "what's wrong?"

"you cheated on me."

his eyes visibly widen as he swallows.

"me? when?"

"in my dream. last night. i don't like you."

he didn't intend to but you make it very, very hard not to smile. the corner of his lips already tug upwards at the thought of you being frustrated at the fact you thought he would cheat on you, or even comprehend that.

"look at me, please?" he tries to reach out to you and this time he manages to put a hand on the pillow you're holding. he tugs at it and you let go of the pillow so he can put it back next to him as he puts his hands in yours to give a squeeze. "c'mon now, the quicker you look at me, the faster we can go back to sleep."

you reluctantly look at him and that's when you see it. the way his eyes look at you with love, overflowing with warmth. the way he's so infatuated with you that he couldn't ever, possibly do it.

"how could i ever cheat on you when i get to look at you look at me like this? do i need to run up to the rooftop to profess my love to you to the entire world? because i would, let me just grab my slippers and–"

you make a noise that crosses between a whine and grumble, squeezing his hands. that alone was enough for yeonjun to be able to get you to lie down next to him as he cuddles you in bed until you fall asleep with a smile on both of your faces.

[🐯] beomgyu  beomgyu merely groans at the soft plush feeling he feels on his face. he doesn't bother opening his eyes, only reaching out blindly until he hooks his arm around what feels like your waist and he pulls. he whines a little when you don't oblige it makes him peel one eye open to see you frowning at him. instinctively, he shrugs it off and shifts closer towards you instead, nuzzling against the side of your arm, "what time is it? it still looks dark to be awake..."

when he doesn't hear a response, he huffs and opens his eyes, now noticing the way you're still frowning.

"nawh... what's wrong? can't sleep?"

"i was peacefully sleeping until you decided to cheat on me in my dream."

his first instinct is to laugh, then drag poor, innocent yeonjun into this.

"the day i ever cheat on you is the day that yeonjun-hyung turns into a bird,"

"..."

"...okay, not funny. but look at me," he sits up on his elbows, turning to look at you properly even though he has crust in his eyes and he looks like he needs to sleep for another year and a half. "i'm so hopelessly in love with you that i still feel like i don't see you enough,"

"i'm with you every night," you counter, with a scoff of laugh that he holds onto with a grin, "exactly," he nods. "so how can i possibly cheat on you?"

when you don't respond, he knows he's won when he's able to lay back down and lure you into his arms.

"better?" he hums, burying his face in your neck as you cuddle against his chest, as he moulds into your back with a sigh. "better."

[🐿] taehyun  taehyun's half-sleepy, half-confused when he wakes up from the fluff of a pillow that greets him awake. it takes him a while to process that okay, i'm awake and to notice that oh, you're the one who woke me up when he notices the pillow in your hands, a frown etched to your lips, brows furrowed. he sighs and sits up, tilting his head at you, "can't sleep?"

you keep silent, fidgeting with the pillow that taehyun shakes his head.

"c'mon, pretty thing. i can't help unless you tell me what's wrong," he shifts a little closer, placing a hand on top of yours, lifting his brows just a little on instinct, "hm?"

he sees how your features change in the dark and he shouldn't laugh but he does when you're all pouty and sulky.

"you're a cheater, kang taehyun."

"me?" he snorts, giving your hands a squeeze, "since when?"

"since last night, in my dream."

you watch as your words seep into his brain, and it shows on his face when his lips turn from an 'o' to a small smile.

"that's not fair, now is it? i can't control dream taehyun, but at least i can control real-life taehyun," he moves to wedge his hand between yours and grips onto one of it, his thumb brushing the back of your hand, "and real-life taehyun would never do that to you."

"promise?" you know you sound childish, maybe even a little irrational but it's the way taehyun nods with such firmness and genuity, even locking pinkies with you that makes you feel at ease, "promise."

[🐧] kai kai is the definition of clueless and flustered upon being smacked to wake with a pillow to the face. though, he's surprisingly not as panicky as imagined when he sits up with a sharp intake of breath, eyes rapidly blinking as he adjusts to the darkness of the room and calls for your name softly.

"are you okay?" he mutters, rubbing his eyes as he sits up, half-lidded.

"no, because you," with another pillow hit to the chest, he oofs back onto the bed despite trying to sit up, "cheated on me."

he remains laying down on the bed, moving his hand from his eyes with a chuckle.

"what's so funny?" you huff, nudging him with your weapon (pillow).

"me cheating on you is like saying soobin-hyung willingly signed a gym membership."

"...do you think this is funny?"

"y/n," he sits up, testing the waters to see if you'd hit him again but when you lower your weapon down, he smiles at you so sweetly, it's making you feel a little guilty for waking him up like this and he's still so sweet to you. "i literally flew back ten hours just so i can be with you for two days before i'd have to leave again. i'd still do it again and again because i love you so much. do you think i'd cheat on you?"

"then why'd you cheat on me in my dream?"

he shrugs, "i can't answer that. that's not me."

when you don't say anything, he sighs and peels the pillow from your hands so he can place it back on the bed. then, he crawls over to you, wrapping his arms around you to carefully lure you back to where you belong; in his arms, side by side in bed.

"you don't actually think i'll cheat on you, do you?" he murmurs, rubbing your stomach as he hooks his chin on your shoulder.

you shake your head and lean back to his touch, "no, but it felt real. and i didn't like that feeling..."

"mm..." he hums, "that doesn't sound like it feels nice. but do you feel a bit better now?"

you nod, lapping your hands over his as your eyes close, "yeah, much better now."

[jinhyun]

—daisies.

pairing: hwang hyunjin x reader

genre: fluff, suggestive, college au, dance major hyunjin, art major reader

word count: 7.8k

summary: sometimes things do not go to plan, hyunjin realised. not even when he had so carefully prepared a date to ask you to be his girlfriend for once and for all.

warnings: mentions of sex, mentions of condoms lol, MINORS DNI!!!!

a/n: you know what, i've decided to embrace the word count and i'm not even apologising this time bc we all saw it coming :') also!! i couldn't come up with any proper title for this so i just went with this basic one (if you get it, you get it). i hope you guys enjoyyy, please let me know your thoughts on this, your comments and reblogs make me the happiest<3

You enjoyed your 10 A.M. class on Fridays, you really did.

You enjoyed listening to your professor and taking notes of everything he explained. You enjoyed learning a little bit more about art with each class, and you certainly enjoyed getting to put it all to practice.

Today, however, you could not seem to be able to pay attention — neither to your professor, nor to the hardly touched canvas in front of you.

And how could you? The man you were in love with had just told you last night to pack an overnight bag and wait for him after class.

Not only that, but the conversation that had preceded his sudden outburst had left you restless, too — in the best of ways, of course. You could only anticipate what was to come during the little date he had planned. An entire day of only you and him, in whatever place it was he was taking you to.

An entire night, too, of only you and him. That you were also looking forward to.

A whole day and a whole night… He was definitely dropping the question at some point, right? He wouldn't be going through all this trouble not to ask you to be his girlfriend by the end of the day, would he?

Almost like he was reading your thoughts, you felt your phone buzz in your pocket. You didn't need to take it out to know it was Hyunjin letting you know he had arrived at your building and was already waiting for you, but you did anyway — smiling wholeheartedly at his addition of the pet name 'baby' at the end of his text.

The whole ten minutes left of the class were hell after that.

In between small strokes of colour on your canvas and looking at the clock every twenty seconds, you managed to make it through. And as soon as your professor said the class was over, you picked up your bag and flew outside of the studio.

Hyunjin must've noticed the class was done as well, for he was waiting right in front of the door, wearing a smile that only grew wider the moment his eyes met yours.

"Hey, cutie…" he greeted you softly, reaching an arm out for you to hold.

"Hey…" you smiled shyly, letting him pull you to him and press a brief kiss to your lips. "You've been calling me that a lot lately".

"Well, you did say calling you that would take me places" he smirked, getting a roll of eyes from you.

"You don't even know what places I was talking about" you bit back.

He chuckled, leaning in to brush his mouth against yours. "Hm… I think I'll take the risk".

Laughing under your breath as his lips pressed on yours once more, you rested your hands on his chest. "If anything, you're the one who should be taking me places now".

That got a throaty laugh from him. "I am," he confirmed, sliding your bag down your shoulder and hanging it on his instead. "Shall we go?"

Biting your lip to try and conceive the smile that was threatening to show at both the sight of his hand waiting to be held by yours and how cute he looked wearing the pastel pink bag you had brought that day, you nodded, no longer fighting your smile when you held his hand and his smiley lips pressed softly to your cheek.

"Where are you taking me?" you asked as you made your way out of the building.

"First, we're getting lunch".

"You know what I mean," you squinted your eyes. "What are we doing after lunch?"

"You'll see" he smirked.

"Babyyy~" you pouted, earning an amused roll of eyes from him.

"Not gonna work".

"Please?"

"It's a surprise".

"Can we go now then? We can get something to eat later".

"Aish, so impatient" he pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closing in feigned annoyance.

"Jinnie…" you pouted once more.

"We can't skip lunch" he denied. "I'm not having you starve during the train ride".

"Train ride?!" your eyes sparkled and a proud smile curved up his lips. "Where are we travelling to?"

Throwing an arm over your shoulders, he pulled you to him and pressed a kiss to your temple — one that any other time would've been sweet, yet this time around seemed more taunting than anything. "That's as much as I'm saying".

-—-—-—-—-—-—-♡

You were not even halfway into the day and it already felt like a dream.

Sitting by the window of a train, head resting on Hyunjin's shoulder while you looked at the passing scenery outside and listened to one of his playlists as you shared his earphones… everything about it truly felt like one of the many daydreams you used to have with him back when everything was one-sided.

And it could only feel even more surreal when you recognised the landscape outside; one you had not visited in over a year now — the last time being for the birthday party Innie's parents had prepared for him.

Busan.

For some reason still unknown to you, Hyunjin had taken you to Busan.

You found yourself having to ask him if he was serious when you first heard the destination at the train station, not believing your ears when you heard the name of the city through the speakers. And a part of you did still not believe he was taking you there until you saw it with your own two eyes.

You enjoyed the ride from the station to the place Hyunjin had booked for the two of you to spend the night, which turned out to be a very nice modern building that was a few minutes away from the beach. You took a mental note to visit it later that day or at least before leaving the next one, as going to the beach with him had just become a fundamental point of your couples to-do list with him.

The hotel room was bigger than you expected, yet not enough to take that coziness you craved so much away. The open curtains and beige walls brought just the right amount of brightness into the room, and it went well with the white sheets of the king bed in the middle.

The king bed.

You couldn't help the heat in your cheeks at the sight of it. You had been hoping there would be only one bed; you had actually supposed so at first, for you had slept together a few times by now. But actually being met with one bed only, regardless of it might being obvious, had sent a rush of heat through your body.

Watching as Hyunjin placed your bags on the small couch by the window, you decided to take off your shoes and lie down on the mattress for a bit. For some reason, the train ride had left you exhausted.

Hyunjin's lips curved up into an adoring smile the moment he turned around and saw you laying down on your back — arms stretching out above your head as if you had just woken up from a deep slumber, and managing to drag your black top up enough for half your abdomen to be uncovered.

"Don't tell me you're tired now" he teased, crawling right next to you.

"And what if I am?" you dared.

He smiled, resting his hand on your bare waist and drawing small circles on your skin. Goosebumps were fast to show under his touch. "It's not even dark outside yet".

"So what, I'm tired and this bed's too comfy" you snuggled up closer to him, receiving a tender kiss to your forehead.

"It is very comfy, I'll give you that".

"Can't believe you booked a hotel room for us" you smiled incredulously.

Hyunjin smiled as well, shrugging lightly before he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you to his chest. "I figured we could stay the night and that way enjoy the city all day today and some more tomorrow".

"I love that…"

"I was hoping you would…" he mumbled, resting his chin on your head. "Besides, getting to sleep with you is a nice plus to it".

Your cheeks heated up. "We've slept together back in Seoul, though".

"Yes, but not like this".

"Like what?"

He didn't need to say anything back. The single look he gave you when your eyes went up to meet his was enough to let you know what was so different this time. And you wanted it to be like that.

You had been taking it slow for a while now, and you'd be lying to yourself if you said you didn't miss his naked body against yours and the entire different level of intimacy that came with it.

Hyunjin missed it like crazy, too, and he couldn't help but show you with a kiss. After all, he had only been holding back all this time because you wanted to take things slow and he was willing to do that for you.

If it were up to him, though, you'd have spent endless nights tangled up in bed by now.

Your hands went to his nape in a second, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. Your heavy breathing mixed with his hot one, pressing your mouth to his once more and feeling a shiver run down your spine when his hand moved from your waist to your ass.

That's all you needed to push him down on the mattress and crawl on his lap. The low moan that slipped past his lips was music to your ears, and his hands squeezing your ass before he pushed you down on his crotch was enough to get a muffled moan from you in return.

Your hands travelled down from his chest to his waistline, where you reached his pants.

"No, no… wait…" his breathy plea against your mouth stopped you from pulling the zip down, looking at him in confusion instead. "I didn't bring you here to have sex".

The look on your face must've been accusing as hell, for he couldn't hold back a laugh.

"I'm serious!" he said in between a giggle, hands unconsciously digging under your top and resting right above the curve of your waist.

"Your hands tell me otherwise" you teased.

Hyunjin bit his lip, contemplating for a moment before he stole a chaste kiss from your lips and removed his hands from under your top, bringing them up to your shoulders instead.

"I'm supposed to take you somewhere else today," he confessed. "Right now, actually. We're already running a bit late if we wanna see the whole thing".

You cocked an eyebrow, suddenly interested. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise" he smiled, giggling once again when you squinted your eyes daringly. "Last surprise of the day, I promise".

"But I wanna stay here…" you pouted.

Leaning in to press your lips to his in a lingering kiss, you felt him sigh against your mouth — already regretting having to take you somewhere else and considering just staying here in bed with you for the remaining of the trip.

"Don't do this to me…" he whined, hands travelling down again and fingertips pressing hard against the flesh of your hips as he lost the battle against himself and leaned in to steal another kiss from you. "If we're staying in bed all day we could've just stayed in Seoul".

You pouted. "But I want you".

"Couldn't you want me this bad back home?"

"I did want you this bad," you confessed, lips lightly brushing his. "I just have a lot of self-control".

Hyunjin chuckled, nuzzling the crook of your neck before pressing a soft kiss to it. "You're gonna have to keep that self-control up for a little longer then".

"Hyunjin…"

"Ugh, don't say my name like that when you're on top of me" he pleaded.

"That is your name, though" you laughed.

"Mhm… play innocent all you want, baby" his grip on your hips tightened playfully. "You're gonna love the place I'm taking you to much more".

"More than staying in bed with you for what's left of the day?"

A heavy whine escaped his mouth this time, one that was followed by a feigned cry as he threw his head back in exasperation — clearly having failed at trying to convince himself of it.

You laughed loudly at the very troubled sight of him, but it didn't last long, for he was fast to turn you around so now your back was pressed against the mattress and he was on top of you.

"Don't play with me, baby…" he whispered, and this time you couldn't tell whether it was a plea or more of a threat. "I promise you we'll have all night to ourselves".

"All night?" you pushed it.

He smiled, leaning in to kiss you gently. "All night".

"Okay then…" you sighed, gently running your hands down his biceps. "Since you promised".

"Trust me, there's nothing I'd want more than to stay here with you right now" he kissed you again. "But there's a reason I brought you all the way here, so…" he sat up, holding a hand out for you to hold. "Let's go?"

-—-—-—-—-—-—-♡

It only hit you how perfectly Hyunjin had planned everything out when you finally arrived at your destination.

The hotel you were staying at was hardly ten minutes away by foot, and you had surely enjoyed the hand-in-hand walk over there. You could honestly enjoy anything as long as you were with him, and you were definitely having the time of your life looking around the city to realise the place Hyunjin had stopped in front of.

Bon Davinci Museum.

More particularly, the Van Gogh Village Exhibition. The same one you had missed last year back in Seoul and had no idea was now back for a while in a different city.

The look you gave Hyunjin at the realisation was one of pure adoration, and you wondered how expressive you actually were, given you could clearly see the effect your eyes had on him — bringing a bright pink to his cheeks and that cute dimple of his was not something you achieved on a daily basis.

He cleared his throat, trying to control his shy smile at that. "Let's go".

Too stunned to speak, you let him guide you to the line of people who already had their tickets. He had truly left no details behind, and your heart could only soar over how much effort he had put into this.

"I can't believe we're here," you squealed, quietly enough not to bring people's attention to you — that didn't stop Hyunjin's attention and heart eyes from focusing on your beaming face. "God, Innie's gonna be so jealous when he finds out".

Hyunjin chuckled. "Now I feel bad because he gave me his ticket for Nam June Paik's expo and I didn't invite him here".

"He couldn't go to his expo, the ticket would've gone to waste anyway" you squeezed his hand, walking forward as the line in front got shorter. "And let's be honest, he would've third wheeled so hard if he came here with us".

"I'm telling him you'd make him third wheel with us" he smirked.

"Do that and I'm making you third wheel when I'm with him".

"I would like to see you try" he gave you a cynical smile.

Mirroring his attitude, you stuck your tongue out to him before he loosely placed his arm around your shoulders. You lightly rested your head on his shoulder.

"I need to record the Almond Blossom room for him, that's what he wanted to see the most" you nodded to yourself, then looking up at Hyunjin with hopeful eyes. "You think they have the Vase with Daisies and Poppies?"

"I knew you would look for it first thing" he shook his head in amusement.

"Do they?" you perked up.

He shrugged, not even trying to hide his will to tease you. "I guess we'll find out".

"You so know the answer and don't wanna tell me".

"Aren't you the one who wanted to visit so badly in Seoul? Shouldn't you know that, baby?"

Your jaw fell in offense, and you wasted no time in pulling away from his hold. "I hate you".

Hyunjin chuckled, pulling you into his embrace once more and then pressing his lips to your temple. "I know you don't".

Rolling your eyes as you silently rejoiced in his touch, you didn't pry away from it — instead, you wrapped your arm around his waist right as you reached the girl who would scan your tickets.

From the moment you step a foot inside, it was everything you had hoped for.

You remembered how bad you and Innie wanted to go last year when it was in Seoul for a couple of weeks, but it just so conveniently happened to be during finals season, and so you both had to give up enjoying this anticipated art exhibition over your art courses, as ironic as it sounded.

Hyunjin had found out about it one evening when he was lying down on your bed while you worked on a paper — Van Gogh being brought up as you mindlessly chatted and then you casually mentioned your and Jeongin's tragic story.

It had been just that. A light conversation while your attention was mostly focused on your research and Hyunjin's eyes remained focused on his phone, as he had only come over to keep you company. You had mentioned it and moved on. Just that.

You didn't expect him to remember, and you most certainly weren't expecting him to go out of his way to take you to a completely different city so you could finally see the exposition you had missed a year ago.

If he only paid attention, he would see in your eyes just how much harder you had fallen for him right then.

He was too excited making sure you'd admire every masterpiece that was portrayed on the multi-screens, however — far from looking into the way you would stare at him and instead getting lost in the way your smile would take over your face and your eyes would sparkle with every piece you reached.

He was personally most excited about the Starry Night, but when you finally reached the room it was in and you were suddenly covered under the blue and yellow lights, he couldn't help but admire you instead.

Funnily enough, you were doing just the same with him. The difference being you couldn't contain yourself and ended up taking your phone out of your pocket and snapping a picture of him. A picture that turned into five more as you asked him to pose for you and he complied, and which then turned into some more when he took out his phone and had you as his personal model for a while — later pulling you to him and snatching a few selfies together that would make it to his favourites folder.

It made him almost wish you could stay in that moment forever, but there was one last piece you were the most excited about and he was taking you there.

Your face the moment you saw the one painting you had asked about earlier was all Hyunjin needed to know bringing you here was worth it.

"Jinnie, oh my God, they do have it!"

You heard his quite loud yet shy giggle as you rushed towards the huge projection of the Vase with Daisies and Poppies.

Being quite lost in the sight of it, you missed his presence coming up closer to you — jolting up for a moment there when his arms sneaked around your waist from behind, before your body relaxed under his familiar touch.

"I knew they had it" he admitted the obvious, just as his chin rested on your shoulder.

"I knew you knew whether they had it" you side eyed him.

He laughed under his breath, pressing his lips briefly to your cheek. "I just wanted to leave the best for the last" his thumb ran up and down your sides. "Although in my opinion the best was the Starry Night".

"That's because you're basic".

He gasped, tightening his hold on your waist as he leaned back and pulled you slightly away. "You did not just call me basic, daisy girl".

"No, don't bring daisies into this" you warned him.

"They're like the most basic flower out there".

Once again, you were the one to act offended. "You know, you just lost all the points you had gained by calling me 'cutie'".

"Come on now, that's not fair".

"It is plenty fair".

"What about all the points I won by taking you here?"

"Oh yeah, those are gone, too".

"All because I called daisies basic?"

"You deliberately attacked my fixation on them, so…"

He pouted once more, and you could not help but smile sweetly and trace his bottom lip with your thumb.

"You do get some points back for being cute, though".

"Oh, that definitely makes me feel better" he snorted.

You laughed under your breath, lightly pecking his mouth before your eyes locked with his. "Thank you…"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What for?"

"For this?" you pointed out the obvious, motioning around the room. "I know I already said that I can't believe you brought me to Busan and all that, but this… I mean, I wanted to see this so badly and I didn't even know it was in Busan right now? How did you…"

Hyunjin shrugged, naturally resting his hands on your waist. "I knew you couldn't go last year when it was in Seoul, and I… to be honest I didn't know it was in Busan either, I just started to look for places to take you out on a date and this popped up and it was just perfect".

"You could've just taken me to any art museum back in Seoul and I would've been just as happy, you know?"

"In between taking you somewhere we can go to any other day and taking you to an exposition that will only be here for a couple of weeks… and which you really wanted to see to begin with… I think I know which one would make you happier".

You laughed lightly, wholeheartedly, cupping his face in your hands and tenderly running your thumbs over the corners of his mouth as your eyes went up to meet his. "I love you".

You felt his breath get caught in his throat, and although he opened his mouth to say something in return —or at least try to, as you could see already his voice would betray him—, you didn't need to hear it nor see him struggle. So, you kissed him.

He kissed you back immediately, tenderly as ever — his warm hand cupping your cheek and deepening the kiss before you could pull away.

"You don't have to say it back" you smiled truthfully. "I've just been really struggling lately not to say it every five minutes and needed to let it out".

"Y/N… I, I'm…"

"It's okay, baby, really" you reassured him, reaching for his hand and eagerly tugging at it. "Now let's go! The beach is close, if we rush we can watch the sunset!"

-—-—-—-—-—-—-♡

I love you. I love you. I love you.

That's what you had said, so effortlessly.

I love you. It's what he wanted to say right back the second those three words had abandoned your mouth, but he froze.

He froze.

Love had always come easy to you. You loved selflessly, effortlessly, shamelessly, fully, and expected to be loved the same. He, on the other hand, had always been an outcast to love and romance as a whole.

In his mind, he had told you he loved you plenty of times. When it came to finally, actually saying it outloud, however, his breath had got caught up in his throat and he could physically not let the words out of his mouth.

To say he was upset was an understatement.

You didn't seem to be upset or slightly hurt at his lack of response. Were you that used to his distance from love? Had you really been expecting him not to say he loved you back? Or were you just one hell of an actress?

Whatever the right answer was, it could only upset him more. God, he wanted nothing more than for you to know he loved you.

The sun had still another few minutes to go before settling, and so you had taken a little detour from your walk to the beach to buy the two of you some coffee — on you, as you did not let him pay for it no matter how hard he fought it. Your date, the one he had planned, was not over yet after all.

Hyunjin couldn't help but feel like he had failed at that, too. He had brought you all the way here with the intent of asking you to be his girlfriend, yet the words 'I love you' had been said and suddenly he was out of words and letting you drag him out without even protesting.

If it weren't for how happy you looked back then and how happy he was to see your bright smile adorning your lips as you enjoyed the entirety of the exposition, he would've felt like it all had been pointless.

But there you were, on the other hand, playfully swinging your interlaced hands and sipping on your iced coffee as you walked to the beach. As if nothing had happened ten minutes ago.

A contagious smile took over your face when you finally reached the beach — one that he couldn't help but mirror, feeling at ease over the way your hand had tightened around his as you fastened your pace towards the sand.

You stopped just before the sand turned wet and the waves could reach your feet, yet were still close enough to feel the small drops of salty water that were dragged by the wind to lightly hit your body.

The sun had just started to go down, creating a blue canvas in the sky that turned darker with each passing second, and which was painted by bright strokes of pink and orange that mixed together at certain points.

You couldn't tell whether this was the most beautiful sunset you had ever seen, or whether it was only the fact that you had Hyunjin with you to watch it what made it so special.

Whatever the answer was, you couldn't take your eyes off of it — only doing so to look at Hyunjin when you felt his arms sneak around your waist and his chin rest on your shoulder. You could get used to this new habit of his.

"I always wanted to do this…" you sighed dreamingly, placing your hands over his.

"Do what?" he mumbled, looking up at you.

"You're gonna say it's corny".

"Tell me" he encouraged you.

"Watch the sunset with the person I… you know…" you laughed timidly.

Hyunjin felt a pinch in his chest, and he couldn't tell whether it was out of the insane amount of love he was feeling for you or out of pain.

He knew what you had wanted to say, and he knew you had stopped yourself from saying it not to make him uncomfortable — because, in the end, although his lack of previous response had not hurt you, it did make you fear you'd put him in a tough place if you kept saying it.

Pressing his lips to your shoulder and then clearing his throat, he pulled away from you. "I brought you something, by the way…"

"I thought you said there were no more surprises?" you cocked an eyebrow.

He chuckled, kneeling down on the sand before he took off his backpack and rummaged through it. "It's not really a surprise if we had agreed on making this for each other".

"You brought me your painting?!" you perked up at that, sitting down right next to him with crossed legs.

Hyunjin nodded, silently taking the painting out and handing it to you. "Your painting now, technically".

One look at it, and it had already become your favourite painting in the world.

You had made many portraits in your life, but you had never been on the other end of it. You had never seen yourself through someone else's eyes, and seeing yourself through Hyunjin's right there sent a million butterflies flying around your stomach.

It was funny how both of you had painted each other. However, both works of art were very different.

You had gone with a darker palette — ocean blue being the main star of it. Hyunjin, on the other hand, had gone for lighter colours like white, violet and yellow.

You had used more of a zoomed out picture of him —not like you had used an actual picture, as you had used nothing but your memory to paint that beautiful face of his you had fallen in love with at first sight—, and he had made your face justice by making it the main attraction.

However, although your face was the first thing that caught your eye, your attention and admiration went to the flowers he had painted around. The very same ones he had called you out about earlier that day.

"So… you like it?" Hyunjin asked softly, unable to hide just how nervous he was over your reaction.

"Baby…" your eyes fixed on his expectant one. "It's beautiful, I love it".

"You do?" he giggled.

"Yes, it's—" your eyes went back to the painting, and Hyunjin's smile grew brighter at the way you admired it. "Fuck, it's so beautiful I could cry".

"Now you know how I felt when I saw the one you made for me".

You smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "I really love it, Jinnie. Thank you".

"Don't make me shy now…" he warned you breathily.

"Aw, can't the guy who lives for the spotlight at Mrs. Moon's class take a compliment now?" you taunted.

"It's different…" he rested his head on yours. "I had never painted something for anyone before".

And the fact that the first time he ever did it was for you did not help his case at all.

Your heart soared, and you couldn't help but press another kiss to his cheek — this time closer to the corner of his mouth.

"Well, I love it" you whispered. "Especially the small details of the daisies".

"Yeah… forget about me calling them basic earlier and all that".

You shoved him away with your shoulder as you laughed. "I want to believe this painting as a whole isn't calling me basic".

"I would never" he murmured against your lips, pressing a soft kiss to them.

"That's good," you smirked. "Because you drew a daisy on me once, so that would've been sad".

Hyunjin looked dumbfounded for a second before he got what you meant — a throaty yet somewhat nervous laugh making its way out of his mouth as he was flooded with memories of the night you first kissed.

He didn't think you'd even remember the small blue doodle of a daisy he had taken his time drawing on your neck.

He should've known better, though, for the first thing you did that night after he walked you home and you said your good nights was to go in front of a mirror and check your neck out. You were expecting to see an embarrassing drawing, the kind middle schoolers would draw on their friends' notebooks when they left them unattended, but you were met with a surprisingly neat daisy adorning your skin instead.

You had loved it, and although you were too shy to ever bring it up to him or to anyone else at all, it was a memory you had kept close to your heart. The first ever thing Hyunjin drew for you —or on you— being something you loved so much. And now the first ever proper painting he made for you had, too, made a beautiful inclusion of it.

"You've just made them your whole thing now, ever since we met" he explained. "So I think of you whenever I see them".

"You do?"

"Mhm… you're pretty like them".

"Just pretty?" you batted your eyelashes.

A low chuckle abandoned his mouth as he leaned in to kiss you. "Pretty beautiful, actually".

"Ew, when did you get so corny?" your nose scrunched up in disgust.

"Oh, don't act like you don't love it" his eyes squinted accusingly.

You giggled, shaking your head in disbelief. "God, I love you".

There it was again.

You had breathed those words out like it was so natural for you. Your eyes were no longer on him this time, though, but on the painting he had made for you instead, which could only make him feel like you hadn't even realised you had said it.

It just came that naturally to you.

"You used watercolor in the end" you pointed out, looking up at him with a smile.

"I don't think it was ever up for debate" he chuckled.

"I thought of using it as well…" you admitted, much to his surprise. "But then I thought about the painting I had started that night you came to the studio and thought I could finish it for you… it was all about you after all".

"That's why it looked so familiar" he brought a dramatic hand to his mouth.

"It's not like you got to see much of it back then" you shyly laughed.

"No, because your pretty face was taking up most of it".

You felt your cheeks heat up at his remark — not only because of the use of the word 'pretty', but also because of how your face lying on the fresh paint had been what led up to your first kiss.

"So, you were painting me in blue back then… should I be worried?"

You shrugged, this time a somewhat sad smile reaching your eyes. "You really did put me through a lot, Hwang Hyunjin".

He smiled sadly, too. "I know…"

"Although it was mostly my fault, because I was the one who kept chasing after you even when you made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me" you nervously fidgeted with the sand under you. "And! The painting is not all blue as you can see, there are some bright colours, too. I added the yellow moon to the sky after that same night".

"Why the yellow moon, though?" he asked.

"Yellow makes me happy" you shrugged nonchalantly. "And the moon reminds me of you".

A bright smile parted Hyunjin's lips. "So you're saying I make you happy?"

"Shut up" you warned him.

"Do I make you happy, baby?" he cooed tauntingly.

"Of course you do…" you murmured, not meeting his eyes. "Now leave me alone, I'm embarrassed".

A throaty laugh escaped his mouth, not letting you push him away like you had playfully tried to do, and instead tugging at your wrist. "Noo, come here".

Before you could even protest, he was pulling you to his lap. You straddled it like he wanted, arms naturally resting over his shoulders while his hands fell loosely over your lower back.

You couldn't help but look around for a moment, suddenly hitting you that you were in a public place and anyone could see how lovey dovey you were being.

Luckily for you, the sun had just set completely and the beach was pretty much dessert — the only people who were still there were either friends catching up on their lives or couples who were already too into their own worlds to pay attention to anything else.

Two fingers on your chin brought your attention back to Hyunjin. His nose rubbed gently against yours and his lips brushed yours ever so softly.

"Kiss me" he whispered.

You rested your forehead on his and cupped his cheek before you whispered, "In front of all these people? While I'm sitting on your lap?"

"That's what I said".

"You think you'll be able to control yourself?"

He snorted quietly, shaking his head in amusement before he cupped your cheek instead and pressed his mouth to yours.

Guess you would just have to find out.

The hand of yours that was still over his shoulder tightened around his neck, right as his hand on your back pushed your chest closer to his and his tongue traced your bottom lip for you to open up. Once you did and your tongues met one another, he couldn't hold back the small contented sigh that abandoned his mouth.

The kiss was soft, slow, tender — not a single rush in the world as it felt like you were the only two people in it that night.

"I love you…"

It wasn't coming out of your lips this time, but out of his.

It came out as a whisper, barely audible if it weren't for his mouth being attached to yours, but there was not a single hint of hesitation in his voice.

Your eyes opened in a heartbeat, being met with his genuine yet surprised ones, as the words had seemed to have slipped out of his mouth before he could even notice.

Maybe it was that easy to say those three words after all.

"What?" you asked in a whisper, pulling him slightly away by his shoulders. "No, Jinnie, I didn't… I wasn't expecting y—I wasn't trying to pressure you when I said—"

Your trembling rambling was shut down with a soft kiss of his.

"You really think I would say it if I didn't mean it? After how fucking hard I tried to avoid love all these years?"

"Why didn't you say it back at the exhibition then?" you frowned.

"I froze," he shamefully admitted. "I wanted to say it back so bad but I just couldn't get the words out".

"You mean it?" you whispered, still in disbelief.

"Of course I mean it. I've been struggling not to say it for a while now, too, but then you said it first… twice… and I guess I got too stunned to say anything back".

"Seems like I'm always one step ahead of you when it comes to love" you proudly stated.

"That you are" he agreed, smiling sweetly while his thumb drew small circles on your chin. "I really love you, Y/N".

You pouted, feeling like you could cry out of happiness right then and there. "I love you, too".

He pulled you into a kiss, probably the happiest one you had shared, as the curved up corners of your lips and the breathy laughs escaping them made it hard for you to suck on them.

"Is that why you brought me here?" you asked against his pink mouth. "To tell me this?"

He bit his lip, lowering his head and fidgeting with your fingers. "It was actually so I could ask you to be my girlfriend…"

Your heart skipped a beat, having to take a moment not to let out a squeal. "You planned to ask me at the beach all along?"

"No, um… I was supposed to ask you at the exposition, actually" he tilted his head. "But then you told me you loved me and I froze and, well…"

"You really had that much of a hard time trying to ask me?"

"No, I mean, I don't know?" he whined. "You're just, you".

"What is that supposed to mean?" you laughed under your breath.

"It means that I wanted it to be perfect but then again I still get so nervous around you and feelings are still ugh, and I get all—you make me so flustered, woman".

You threw your head back, this time laughing with your whole chest over how cute his troubled expression was.

"Aw, I love that" coming back to look at him, you pulled him in to kiss his nose. "You're adorable".

"That's not really the reaction I was going for…" he joked.

"You know it didn't have to be perfect, right? You could've just asked me while we were hanging out back at yours or mine, or even after class for all I care" you tenderly pushed back a strand of hair that was covering his eye. "I would've said yes regardless".

"I asked you when we were in bed the first time and you said no" he pouted.

"You were drunk," you reminded him, earning an obnoxiously cute shrug from him. "I wanted you to mean it when you said it".

"I did mean it" he fought.

"I wanted you to say it without the influence of alcohol in the middle then".

"Alcohol made it easier, though" Hyunjin pouted.

You cupped his face as a small laugh escaped your mouth. "I bet it did" your thumb traced the corner of his mouth, where you pressed a light kiss to. "And for the record, I never said no".

"You told me to ask you again when I was sober".

"Which made it implicit that I was saying yes".

"Are you saying yes now then?"

"If you ask me properly…" you sighed over-dramatically. "Then possibly".

"You're just playing with me at this point" he recriminated, earning an amused chuckle from you.

"Maybe…" you taunted him, wrapping your arms around his neck. "Do you know the implications of me becoming your girlfriend, though, Hwang Hyunjin?"

"Of course I know," he smirked, pulling you in. "It means you'll be all mine".

You bit your bottom lip. "It also means you'll be all mine, though".

He shrugged. "I've already been for a while now".

"I've also been yours for a while now. A pretty good while, actually".

Hyunjin chuckled, his hand running up and down your back. "Maybe, but now I'll be able to go up to any douchebag who tries to hit on you and let them know you're mine".

"Haven't you already done that?" you chuckled, and his smirk only grew. "You even used the word 'girlfriend' if I'm not mistaken, which I was not back then".

His plump lips trapped your bottom one in between, gently sucking on it before he slowly pulled at it with his teeth.

"Be my girlfriend then? For real?" he mumbled against your lips, and you felt like you would die when his hungry eyes stared at your mouth for a couple of seconds before they went up to your eyes.

You nodded, because words were not something you could speak anymore.

"Words, baby" he pushed it. "I need you to say it".

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend, Jinnie".

His eyes turned into two crescent moons, and suddenly you realised why the moon reminded you of him. With a breathy giggle leaving his mouth, he pulled you into another kiss — the first one you would share as an official couple.

Looking back at it, you couldn't believe you were living all this with the guy who used to avoid your attempts —or avoid you as a whole— and who claimed not to want a relationship, ever. You couldn't believe your feelings were returned in the end, and that he actually wanted to be with you in a serious, formal relationship.

But here you were, in a Busan beach after the sun went down, sitting on his lap while one of his hands remained on your lower back and the other one on your nape, sharing a kiss that somehow managed to be more special than all the others you had shared that day.

"What's so funny?" he wondered when a small, breathy laugh ran past your lips.

"I managed to get you in the end, huh?" you giggled, earning an amused roll of eyes from him. "Was I too charming for you not to fall for me, baby?"

"Don't let it get to your head" he warned you.

"Oh, I would never" you smirked.

Hyunjin shook his head in amusement, pulling you in to plant a kiss on your forehead right as you shivered. "It's getting cold..." he pointed out, looking around to realise there was no one else at the beach anymore. "Let's go back to the hotel, yeah?"

You nodded, standing up from his lap and offering him a hand to help him up before you could pick up the half emptied cups of coffee. "Should we get something to eat?"

"You're hungry?" he asked while putting his backpack on.

"Not really," you shrugged, handing him his coffee. "But it's late…"

"We could order some food later" he suggested, pulling you closer and stealing a lingering kiss from your addictive lips. "Just want to head straight to our hotel room now".

"I'm guessing you did bring a condom this time around?" you teased, although you both knew you were half serious.

"Tsk. Of course I did. Learned my lesson the hard way with you" he shook his head. "Besides, I was being quite optimistic about today".

"Oh, were you now?"

"Mhm..." he nodded, interlocking his fingers with yours before you started walking back to the hotel. "I actually brought like fifteen of them".

You laughed. "Don't test your luck, Hwang Hyunjin".

"You did say we had all night to ourselves".

"You said that".

"And you agreed".

Hearing your laugh right then and feeling you lean closer to him in look for warmth, he could only feel the luckiest to have you with him.

Things had not exactly gone according to plan today, and despite it making him upset at first, it was that little detour what allowed him to hear you say you loved him. And although it took him a while, he, too, had told you he loved you.

It was that little detour what allowed him to ask you to be his girlfriend without feeling like his heart would break out of his chest at any given moment — though he did still feel nervous when he asked you anyway. But it was natural, the words had made their way out of his mouth effortlessly, not even giving him time to chicken out like he had done a couple of times by now.

And somehow, that little moment of yours at the beach, ignoring the world around you as nothing and no one else seemed to matter, had been so much more special than anything he could've ever planned.

In the end, he realised he didn't have to try so hard and instead let things take their own course and go on their own pace. When it came to you, no matter what happened, you would be able to find your way back to each other. The two of you could always count on that.

tag list: @blaaiissee @hyuneytoast @staysuki @tardiscompanion @princehyun-jin @hyuka-luvbot @halesandy @nattisbored @berryberrytan @hibuki-chan @purenjuniverse @seungly @suhnnyskiess @midsoulz @kwanisms @esme-ordaz @candyapletree @firnze @soobin-chois @moon-320 @ohmyteez @elviransworld @valewoos @ktttwwn @hazzaloveschopsuey @hannahdinse8 @zoe8stay @leechanniee @phenomenalgirl9 @aeminju @threevracha @laryisthinking @wolfietara @iam2out @peterparkoure @cosmic-railwayxo @straykidsficsrecsbaby @marsophilia @choibeomgogi @ddaengpotate @oceanyocean @rinsdesires @jhslmhbtsskz @lixlovesworld @keenlampponyclam @yerimselgi @mal-lunar-28 @littlestarhyun @mingiholic @euphroseia

[marie-swriting]

Waste Of Time - Jake "Hangman" Seresin [1/2]

Top Gun Maverick Masterlist

Emails I Can't Send Masterlist

Part two

Part one - two (French version)

Summary : You can't stop reminiscing your relationship with Jake despite your break up.

Warnings : angst, sad ending, Jake being a dick, maybe some grammatical mistakes as English is not my first language, tell me if you see some or if I missed any warnings.

Word count : 1.9k

Song inspiration : Things I Wish You Said by Sabrina Carpenter

Sitting on your bed, you’re holding your phone in front of you with Jake’s contact picture on the screen. You’re so excited to talk to him again that you have a big smile on your face. You’re currently on deployment so you haven’t been able to communicate properly with your boyfriend for the past few days. 

After a few seconds, Jake’s face appears and you see he’s sitting on his couch.

“Hey, I’m sorry for not calling earlier, it’s crazy out here.” you apologise.

“Don’t worry, I totally get how complicated it can be to call.”

“Anyway, what’s up?”

“Not much, it’s pretty calm.” Jake says before avoiding your gaze. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“I… Look,” he nervously starts and you stand up, fearing what’s about to come next, “I don’t know how to tell you this so I’m just gonna rip the bandage off; we should break up.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“It’s not you, I swear, it’s me.”

“What kind of bullshit is this?” you say, angry and confused. “Everything is fine between us. I don’t understand why you want to break up. Did I do something?”

“No, like I said, it’s not you. I just want to focus on my career and-”

“And what? I’m some kind of distraction? You can’t be in a relationship and work like a big boy?” you retort, annoyed.

“You’re mad and I understand it but it’s for the better.” Jake calmly replies which makes you even angrier.

“Clearly.”

“Y/N, you’re a good person, I don’t want you to doubt it for one second.”

Jake’s sentence should bring you some kind of comfort and yet, it just makes you turn on him even more. You don’t even look at your phone anymore, a million emotions going through your head. You don’t know if you’re more devastated or mad. Understanding it’s of no use to insist, Jake sighs before talking one last time:

“I’m gonna leave you alone now.”

You glance at your phone again, waiting for Jake to say something else and yet, nothing comes. Jake doesn’t even add a “I’m sorry” before hanging up, leaving you in your bedroom alone and in a heavy silence. You keep your eyes on your phone, still in shock by what just happened. You can’t grasp it. 

You met Jake four months ago and everything happened so quickly, but you both didn’t mind it. Some people tried to warn you by telling you about his reputation with women, nevertheless you ignored them. You and Jake clicked instantly and that’s what mattered. And also, you’re not going to lie, he knew how to get you hooked in one conversation. You felt like it was the same for him, that Jake was as attached to you as you were to him, now, you have some doubts. What bothers you the most is that your relationship was becoming more serious - until now. You were seeing each other whenever you could, you even talked about owning a house together. You had begun to imagine a future together and with just one phone call, Jake threw it all away.

That night, you don’t shed a tear. You tell yourself you made this phone call up. Though, the next morning, once you wake up without Jake’s usual morning text wishing you a good day, you realise it was, indeed, real and you break down the second you come home from work. Never had your heart known such heartbreak, it didn't see it coming.

Five months passed since this sinister call. Every night, your last conversation is stuck in your head, you think back to your relationship with Jake, searching for what you could have done wrong and the more you think about it, the more you realise you always put more energy in this relationship than Jake did. Now, you consider yourself stupid for hoping for something beautiful when you had been warned that Jake couldn’t commit to someone. You thought you were different. You are not. You find yourself even more pathetic because Jake is always in your head. Even when he’s not with you anymore, he still manages to make you waste your time. 

Tonight is another proof of it. You ran into Jake at a Navy event. Unfortunately for you, you saw Jake there and now, here you are, laying on your bed, thinking back to him and this event and more specifically the moment you saw him in the parking lot when you left the party, a moment that won’t leave your mind for the next several days.

You went to this event without much conviction. You were accompanied by your new friend Scott whom you had met during your last mission.

At first, you didn’t want to be here, then you saw Jake and the second you recognised his laugh from the other end of the room, you wanted to run far away from the get-together. Scott, always a good friend, stayed by your side and distracted you. He even managed to make you laugh, although internally, your heart was breaking all over again. You didn’t talk to Jake all night. In fact, you didn’t even get close to him, you avoided him like the plague. You did until it was socially acceptable to leave the party. The second the evening began to wind down, you wanted to bolt far away from this place. While you were walking to your car, you found yourself face to face with Jake. At first, you both stood there, looking into each other’s eyes without talking and then, as you weren’t ready to confront him, you started to walk away to your vehicle when Jake held you back.

“Can we talk, please?”

“I don’t have anything to say to you, Jake.” you had told, on your guard. 

“Yeah, I imagine talking to me is the last thing you want to do but I need to tell you something.”

“You said more than enough last time.” you had declared, turning on your heel to go in the opposite direction to him.

“Actually, I didn’t say enough. You deserve an apology.”

At his sentence, you turned to him, surprised. Getting an apology from Jake was the last thing you expected. You stood in front of him, your arms crossed over your chest as a way to show him you wouldn’t let him get under your skin so easily - when in reality, this felt like doing something impossible.

“I’m sorry I left you in the dark when I broke things off. I’m sorry I pulled the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’. It wasn’t fair to you. And I’m…” Jake had sighed, “you deserve a real apology, better than this one, though I had to, at least, tell you this. Maybe I’m going too far but I’d be happy to make it up to you correctly by meeting each other someday soon.”

“Jake, I don’t think it’s a good idea.” you had refused, looking down for a second. “But thanks for what you just told me, it’s always nice to hear it.”

Following your sentence, you thought the conversation was over so you took out your car keys from your purse when Jake’s voice resonated in the parking lot once more:

“Is it because of the guy you were with tonight that you turned me down? Have you guys been together for a long time?”

“Scott? He’s just a friend.”

“The way he made you laugh…,” Jake had scoffed, “it didn’t feel like you were just being friends.”

“And yet, there is nothing between us.” you had replied, defensive. “And anyway, why does it bother you so much? We’re not together anymore, do I have to remind you this was your decision?”

“And it was a dumb decision. I miss you so damn much!” He had exclaimed with a guilty look on his face. “God, you have no idea. Everything reminds me of you. The second one of your favourite artists is on the radio, I can still picture you singing the lyrics with a huge smile on your face. What I wouldn’t do to see that smile again!” he had added more softly. “Even now, I always reach for your leg over there on your side of the car then I realise you’re not here anymore because I fucked up. I’m watching everything that you do, every achievement you make, I make sure to know them. I’ve always known you were a damn good pilot but you keep impressing me. I should’ve realised the chance I had when I was with you before ruining it. I can’t move on, I can’t even stomach loving somebody else beside you.” Jake had confessed, taking a step towards you.

As soon as you saw him getting closer, you couldn’t help but look at his lips, oh, how you’ve missed those lips so much! Looking at him more carefully, you also noticed he wanted to touch you, too. Several times, his hands had almost reached over for yours, nonetheless he held himself back, not wanting to ruin anything with you by acting impulsively. Listening to Jake’s confession almost made you fall for him again and forget about the pain he caused you. Though, you stayed silent, knowing that if you opened your mouth, you wouldn’t know how to resist him. With a desperate voice, Jake tried to go all in by stating one last time:

“I swear if you gave me one last chance, I would do better for you. I will be the man you deserve, I won’t break your heart. I learned from my mistakes, I promise.”

“Jake, you hurt me.” you had said with a weak voice.

“I get it but if you ever were to change your mind, I’d always be free. Again, I’m sorry.”

With this last apology, Jake left you alone and you got in your car with teary eyes. You hold them back until you left the parking lot.

Unfortunately, this is not what happened. 

You did run into Jake in the parking lot but he stayed silent. At one point, you thought he was about to say something nevertheless he just walked away, a guilty look on his face.

And here you are now, in your bed, fantasising about things you wish he said to you. Despite the break up five months ago, you’re still desperate for his love. Despite the pain he caused you, you yearn for his apologies, but especially you wish he’d still want you and even if in the scenario you made up, you refused to see Jake again, you know that once you would have gone home, you would have called him and said yes. You still love him and you wish you didn’t. He’s still playing with your feelings when he’s not even talking to you anymore. Your heart conspires against you by torturing you and making you long for a Jake who would know how to fix his mistakes and be the man you deserve. Yet, it’s of no use. Jake will never change and if he came back, it’d be just to play with your feelings before leaving you hanging again. You waste your time on idiotic things. It’s a waste of time to hope for him to change, it’s a waste of time to think of things he never said and things he’ll never say to you. Jake is a waste of time and you’re mad at yourself for dedicating so much time of your life for a man who stopped thinking about you a long time ago. You just hope one day you’ll be able to feel lighter, away from Jake and your feelings for him.

Top Gun Maverick Masterlist

Part two

Emails I Can't Send Masterlist

[regularconvexheadcanons]

Headcanon 23

A tradition of Hermit parties is that, ever since Doc couldn't get himself an outfit, asked Ren to get something for him, and ended up going to the party in a full maid outfit, you can 'princess'.

This means that, if a hermit decides, another hermit of their choice gets full responsibility for outfit/hair/makeup for a party. But, the princessing hermit doesn't get to know what they'll be wearing until they're dressed up in it. So normally that meant they ended up with a joke outfit.

This evolved quickly into that the Hermit princess HAS to wear a dress/skirt, and some kind of makeup, Scott gets control over makeup/some element of the outfit to make sure they slay, and the other hermits get to see the outfit at a certain point beforehand, but have to keep it a secret (and normally mislead the Hermit princess). Some Hermits do it due to a lack of time, some do it for fun, some do it for both, and some as a dare/punishment.

At a recent party, Cub realised he was never going to have time to complete all his projects he wanted to and make a good enough outfit, so he decided, very unwillingly, to princess, with Scar deciding what he wore.

Cub got very stressed about princessing, because he didn't know what kind of thing Scar would do, and last party Impulse had dressed Skizz up as a guess-the-build giraffe. It didn't help that the hermits were being very, very crypic about it.

Scar knew how stressed Cub was about princessing and coming in a dress at all, and wanted to make something as beautiful as he could for Cub – no jokes, no silly elements. He also made absolutely sure that nothing would make Cub uncomfortable - to the extent of teaching himself how to make gloves to cover the scars on Cub's arms.

And alongside everything he was making for Cub, to make his friend less self-conscious, Scar made himself a simple matching toga-dress from leftover fabric.

However, Cub was unaware of how much effort Scar was putting in and unable to accept what hermits trying to calm his nerves were saying about how stunning he'd look. To the extent that, on the day of the party, after a particularly bad dream, Cub started trying to find another outfit and get out of princessing. He ended up in Skizz's base at the time Scar had told him to meet, searching for something that looked good and would fit him. And Scar started messaging a lot asking where he was, if everything was ok, until Cub stopped and realised it was Scar making his stuff. Did he really not trust that Scar would understand his worries and make him something he'd like?

So, half an hour late, Cub shot away, in a mess, apologised a million times to Scar, who forgave him instantly. There was a lot of washing hair and setting comfort ground-rules with Scott (yes, Scar is doing all my face makeup. And yes, I'm going to wear my glasses no matter what you say about contacts looking better). Even with his epiphany earlier on, Cub was still nervous, especially when he had to be given blindness as Scar got him into his dress. But soon everything was on, the hair and makeup done, the accessories added. Scar disappeared to get into his own dress, returning for the reveal in a big room of mirrors. Scott was waiting outside, and the dress was revealed. Then Cub noticed Scar behind in his own dress, realised so many of the little details Scar had added, and how stunning his friend looked.

And maaaaybe kissed Scar and professed his love before the two walked out to the party and had the most magical night ever.

Also this headcanon will become a oneshot on my main's Wattpad and Ao3 accounts.

@emberdragon34 check me out.

Latest art on there is of this headcanon.

Pfft 'headcanon' aka story summary because I have wholesome Convex on the mind.

[i-have-a-wonky-eye-too]

Heyyy!! Can I request a Lloyd Hansen x reader where they both meet in a museum in france and he takes her on a date not expecting to be attracted to her so much

Okay... This got away with me and I regret nothing! Thank you for this request. I've been wanting to write for Lloyd for soo ooooo long!

Better Believe It... Lloyd Hansen x F!reader

Warnings: 18+ readers only, swearing, Lloyd Hansen!, smut, oral (f-receiving), Lloyd's clit tickler, unprotected sex (wrap it), rough sex, choking, spanking, Lloyd threatening to shoot someone, reader being a slut for Lloyd, Lloyd!!, soft!Lloyd, nicknames (sunshine, Princess, angel)

Lloyd had his sights set on his target as he carefully made his way through the crowded museum. If it wasn't for the less than useless team he'd been assigned for this mission, he wouldn't have to be getting his hands dirty. He was more than happy to sit back on this one and bark orders at the little twerps from the comfort of the safety house instead of freezing his dick off walking around Paris, waiting for the right moment-

Lloyd let out a heavy huff as someone walked into him. They fell backwards onto their ass in front of him with a squeak making him roll his eyes in frustration. Great, he'd lost his target. "Oh, for fuck-" The words died in Lloyd's mouth as his gaze fell onto one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen.

You scrambled onto your knees and quickly began to gather your belongings, feeling your cheeks blush as you tried not to let the embarrassment eat you alive. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I was trying to put my things in my bag and I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings and I should have been. I am so, so, so-" You finally looked up from where you knelt on the floor and gasped. Fuck, he's beautiful.

Lloyd gulped, feeling his heart pound in his chest and his dick stir in his pants as he stared down at you on your knees before him. He cleared his throat and held his hand out to you. "Let me help you up, sunshine." You gave him a timid smile and accepted his hand, immediately tearing your eyes away from his as your blush deepened. "Are you hurt?" He asked once you were stood up in front of him. 

You shook your head, "No, sir." You whispered, feeling nervous as you realised how much big the man was than you.

Lloyd held in a groan, wishing he could hear you call him that as he devoured your cunt. He was sure it was as sweet as your honey laced voice.

"M'sorry I walked into you." You looked up at him through your eyelashes.

Lloyd gulped and shook his head. "I should be the one apologising for knocking such a pretty gal over." He smiled, cursing himself on the inside. Gal? This isn't the fucking 40s, Lloyd. Pull your shit together.

You let out a shy giggle, once again lowering your face as you brushed your hair behind your ear. "I don't know about that... But, thank you..." You cleared your throat. "I should be going." You nodded and stepped around him.

Lloyd frowned as he looked ahead of him to where he last saw his target, not surprised when he didn't see him there anymore.

You'd barely walked ten steps away when you felt a gentle tap on your shoulder. You looked back and smiled, "Did I forget something?"

Lloyd nodded a playful smirking curling at his lips. "As a matter of a fact, you did, sunshine." Lloyd handed you his cell that already had the keypad loaded. When you raised your eyebrow at him, Lloyd chuckled. "How else can I ask ya' to dinner?"

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

"So, are you here for business or pleasure, sunshine?" Lloyd asked as the pair of you sat at a table in one of the most renowned restaurants in Paris.

There usually was a three month waiting list if you wanted to done there but Lloyd said he 'knew a guy' and that's how the pair of you ended up getting a table out on the balcony, overlooking the Eiffle Tower as it lit up Paris' night sky.

"Pleasure." You smiled to yourself. "I've always wanted to visit but never had the chance."

"What changed?" Lloyd asked.

"I dumped my lying, cheating, free loading ass of a boyfriend." You smiled at him.

Lloyd chuckled, "Ah, I see."

You nodded. "What about you?" You asked.

Lloyd sighed, "Business."

"Oh, sounds fun." You joked making Lloyd chuckle.

"Usually it is." He smiled.

"What is it you do?" You asked as you picked up your champagne, something else Lloyd surprised you with.

Lloyd stared at you in silence for a moment as he tried to think of what to say. For the first time. I'm Lloyd's life he found himself not wanting to lie to someone but also wanting to keep them safe. Why? "I, uh... Can't really tell you, without putting you in danger."

You frowned, "Are you being serious?"

Lloyd nodded. "I work for a government agency... And that's all I'm saying."

"What? Like... NCIS? Or James Bond?" You asked with a playful smile making Lloyd scowl.

"Way better than, James Bond, sunshine." He winked at you making you laugh. "What about you?"

"I'm certainly no, James Bond." You blushed. "I own and work in a computer repair store with a friend from college." You smiled proudly.

Lloyd's eyes widened a little, "You're a nerd?"

You rolled your eyes with a huff. "And what if I am?"

Lloyd held his hands up. "Nothing, you're just, way too hot to be a nerd." He smirked at you making your head fall back with a laugh.

"That's the first time I've been told that." You blushed, "Can I ask you something?"

Lloyd nodded, "Sure, but I might not be able to answer it."

You bit your bottom lip. "Is there a reason you have your mustache that way or do you just like it?" You asked as you leaned forwards on your elbows, subconsciously pressing your breasts together, giving Lloyd the perfect view down your dress.

Lloyd gulped as he took a quick glance, licking his lips as he looked you in dead in the eye."Why? You got a problem with it?" He'd shave it off in a heart beat if you did.

You shook your head. "Absolutely not. I was just wondering if it felt as good as it looked." You smirked at him.

Lloyd's lips curled into a grin. "Wanna find out, sunshine?"

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

Lloyd could spend the rest of his life with his head buried between your legs. You really were as sweet as he first thought and the noises you made were the icing on the cake for him. There was no way he was letting you go.

Your eyes rolled backwards as Lloyd brought you to yet another orgasm, the number you weren't sure of. After the second mind blowing orgasm, you went dumb. Fuck, you love that clit tickler.

Lloyd moaned from deep in his chest as he sat back on his knees. He wiped his hand down his chin and smirked at you. "Fuck, sunshine, your pussy is perfect." Lloyd crawled over the top of you, pressing kisses up the length of your body. He gave your pebbled nipple a few kitten licks before suckling on it with a soft moan.

"Fuck," You let out a breathy moan, arching your back. You reached up and tangled your fingers through his hair tugging his head towards yours. "Fuck me, Lloyd." You begged before crashing your lips against his.

Lloyd quickly took control of the kiss as his large hands kneaded your body. He pulled back with a smirk, "Patience, sunshine." He gave you a quick kiss before he got off the bed. "Knees. Facing me." He order, pointing to the floor before dropping his briefs to reveals his long, thick dick.

You licked your lips and quickly scurried off the bed and got on to the plush carpet. You didn't need Lloyd to tell you what he wanted you to do next.

His breathe caught in his throat as you wrapped your hand around his hard cock. You bit your bottom lip as you looked up at him.

"Fuck," He moaned softly, his head falling back as you gave him a soft squeeze.

You slid your hand down to the base of his cock, spitting on the head before sliding your hand back up to gather your saliva. Lloyd moaned softly as you repeated the action before cupping his balls in your palm. You looked up at him with a smirk then ran your tongue down the length of him and back to the tip. Lloyd groaned deeply. You teasingly repeated the action until Lloyd huffed and wrapped your hair around his fist, tugging your head back making you giggle.

"Stop teasing."

You gave his head one more kitten lick before wrapping your lips around him and began sucking.

"Fuck," He moaned with closed eyes.

Lloyd's cock was on the large side (certainly larger than any previous you've had) so you weren't able to fit some of him into your mouth straight away. As you took what you could in your mouth, you used your hand to stroke him.

"Easy, angle." Lloyd cooed, gently stroking your cheek as you worked him in your mouth. "Fahk." Lloyd groaned as he watched you deep throat him before pulling off to stroke him again.

Your eyes water a little as you caught your breath but it didn't bother you, the sounds Lloyd made spurred you on. You wanted to please him. You used your other hand to play with his balls as you licked up the length of him before taking him back into your mouth. You bobbed slowly up and down, adding light pressure to his balls as you did.

"Shit. Angel, don't stop," Lloyd gently large tugged the makeshift pony tail.

You moaned, the taste of him on your tongue making you even wetter than you thought possible.

Lloyd's hips began to move and back forth, his cock slipping in and out of your mouth as he fucked your throat. "Fahk!" His head fell backwards. "S'good. I'm go-"

Suddenly the door to Lloyd's hotel room burst open. Lloyd quickly pulled his cock out of your mouth and grabbed the covers from the bed, covering you up as four men marched in with guns pointed at the pair of you.

"What the shit?!" Lloyd shouted at them as he covered his dick with a pillow.

"Shit. Sorry, boss." One of the men said as he stared at you.

"Stop looking at her!" Lloyd glared at them angrily and moved to stand in front of you where you were now sat on the floor.

You licked your lips as he gave you the perfect view of his ass, tempted to take a bite of it.

The four men spun around. "Sorry, sir... We didn't know where you were. When you didn't answer our calls, we thought the target might have-"

"I DON'T CARE! GET THE FUCK OUT!" Lloyd screamed at them.

"But boss-"

"GET THE FUCK OUT BEFORE I PUT A BULLET IN YOUR HEAD!" Lloyd screamed at them, making the men quickly leave the room, shutting the door behind them.

As Lloyd took a deep breath you stood from the floor, letting the covers fall from you.

Lloyd turned to face you letting the pillow fall to the floor. "M'sorry 'bout-"

You practically threw yourself at Lloyd, wrapping your arms around his neck and crashing your lips against his. Lloyd's hands dug into the backs of your thighs and hoisted you up, wrapping your legs around his waist as he once more took charge of the kiss, forcing his tongue into your mouth.

He dropped onto the bed with you, pulling back from your mouth with smirk. "You want my cock that much, Princess?"

You nodded, "I never knew death threats could be such a turn on." You giggled.

Lloyd chuckled, "Then you should stick around..." He ran his tongue up your throat before buying lightly.

"You speak to them like that often?" You asked with a soft moan.

"All the fucking time." Lloyd nipped your throat.

"Then I might just stick around." You held the back of his head and crashed your lips against his this time your forced your tongue into his mouth. You pulled back with a smirk. "Fuck me, Lloyd."

Lloyd smirked down at you. "Hands and knees. Now." He ordered.

You quickly untangled yourself from Lloyd and with his help you flipped over onto your hands and knees. You raised your ass in the air and gave it a little wiggle, letting out a high pitched moan as Lloyd slapped it.

"I won't be soft." He warned, taking a handful of your ass cheek.

You shook your head and looked back at him, "I don't want you to be."

His eyes darkened as he licked his lips. "You might regret saying that, angel." He gave your ass another smack.

You cried out in pure ecstasy.

Lloyd spat onto his hand and gave his hard cock a stroke as he shoved two of his thick fingers inside your pussy, letting out a deep moan. "Fuck, you're gonna strangle my cock." He twisted his wrist, giving his fingers a scissor.

You moaned. "Just fuck me already, Lloyd. Please."

Lloyd rolled his eyes and pulled his fingers out and replaced them with the head of his cock. "So..." He began to push his thick length inside your pussy making you whine. "Fucking." He bottomed out with a groan. "Needy." He pulled back until just his bulbous head was left inside before he rammed back in.

"Fuck!"

Lloyd wrapped his hand around your hair tightly as he slammed into you. His other hand held onto your ass cheek, definitely leaving bruises. He wanted you to remember him. You looked so beautiful with your head held back as you muttered incoherent words. Lloyd looked over into the mirror with a devilish grin, your breasts jiggled with every thrust of his hips that hit you deep inside. You cried out in pleasure as Lloyd occasionally hit your ass as he growled like a wild animal when he felt your pussy squeeze around him.

"Fuck, Princess, it's like your pussy was made for me." He groaned.

You nodded, pushing yourself back onto his cock. "Made for you."

"You're squeezing my cock, so, good, Princess." He whispered. "Fuck, you're gonna cum, aren't you?" He smirked against your ear. You nodded with a whimper, your voice lost because of the pleasure. "C'mon, angel, soak my fucking cock." Lloyd panted against your ear.

You nodded with a moan pushing yourself back onto Lloyd's cock.

Lloyd let go of your hair and moved his hand round your front and over your breasts and wrapped his hand around your throat, pulling you up so your back was against his chest. Lloyd moved his other hand over your stomach and pressed his fingers against your clit.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you felt Lloyd tighten his hold around your throat and after another few sharp thrusts, you came with a loud cry, your entire body shaking as your orgasm ran through you and Lloyd released his hold on your throat.

Lloyd gave a few more strokes of his hips before he came, cursing as his cock twitched inside your warm walls. "Fuck, sunshine-"

The pair of you collapsed in a sweaty heap in the bed, panting as Lloyd kept you in his arms.

"So... You wonna stick around for a while, angel?" Lloyd asked and pressed a kiss just behind your ear. His mustache tickling your sensitive skin.

You gave a tired hum. "Depends. You gonna fuck me like that if I do?"

Lloyd chuckled and pushed himself up so he was over you. "Oh, sunshine," He said with a shit eating grin. "You better believe I'm gonna fuck you silly."

[hoedamn-eron]

what he didn't do

Being Miguel O’Hara’s partner was exhausting.

Warnings: Angsty. Not a happy ending. Edited on phone so prone to mistakes. Word count: 2,441 GN!Reader, no use of Y/N.

Inspired by What He Didn't Do, by Carly Pearce. Sorry this is also late, I was supposed to post it yesterday.

Your relationship with Miguel O’Hara was…stagnant. Unaffectionate. One-sided.

But it never used to be. You both used to be head over heels in love, almost sickly so. Everyone would say that you were ‘good for each other’, that you were both what ‘everyone wanted to be’, and you would always shy away from the compliments, but you knew they were right. You and Miguel were soulmates, and you couldn’t help but feel a little smug when your friends gushed over you both.

He used to show up at your office, randomly, with flowers or a new outfit, claiming you would be going on a date after work. He’d take you away on spontaneous romantic trips, and you would be all over each other when you were together. How could you not be? He was gorgeous, and a wonderful man. You knew this was the man you wanted to settle down with and marry.

But now he was distant, and ignorant, and you barely spent time together. You didn’t know what changed.

You grimace to yourself. That was a lie, you did know what changed. He became obsessed with keeping the canon events rolling, so much so that you hadn’t really seen him in months. You don’t even remember the last time you kissed. All he did was spend his days sat by that screen, watching old memories of him and his daughter. You felt for him, truly, but he was so obsessed with the past, that his future was fading from him, and fast.

The last straw for you was when he missed your anniversary. You waited for him for two hours, in your apartment, where he said he’d pick you up after work. Your calls got ignored, and you eventually stopped leaving a voicemail every time. When you saw him the next day, coming home to your shared apartment late and in a blatant bad mood, obviously having no idea what he’d done the night before, you mentally checked out of the relationship.

You moved out of the apartment in Nueva York slowly, not that he’d notice, since he was never there anyway. You managed to wrangle the help of Peter every now and then, for the bigger pieces of furniture. After a month and a half, you were gone. You took your name off the lease and emailed a copy of it to Miguel. If he didn’t think so before, he definitely knew now that you were done.

But he didn’t…do anything. It was as if you were strangers. He didn’t approach you, didn’t come and beg you to take him back. He didn’t apologise, didn’t make it up to you. You gave this man years of your life, which now, you realised, obviously meant more to you than they did him. After this devastating conclusion, you tried to avoid Miguel as much as you physically could. Despite how pissed off you had been and how you had already mourned the relationship, it still hurt to see him, or even talk about him.

However, you worked within the Spider Society as a general PA. It was tough to get through this particularly tough period of your life when your friends kept talking about him.

“He’s more pissed off than he usually is,” said Jess as you meet up with her and Peter for your weekly lunch date at your local Spider King.

You choose not to answer her as you eat your fries.

“He isn’t getting laid anymore,” joked Peter before giving you a wince. “Sorry.”

You shrug. “It’s whatever. He wasn’t getting laid anyway, at least not from me.”

“Is that why you broke up?” Jess asked. “Did he cheat on you? I’ll kill him for you, if he did.”

“No, he didn’t,” you say quickly (you don’t want any rumours floating around) before you shrug.

“So what did he do?” Jess asked.

The question through you for a loop, and you frowned, thinking about it.

It wasn’t what he did, really. It was what he didn’t do.

He didn’t put you first. It was always about the canon events, how they had to keep ticking over. Despite there being thousands of Spider People, Miguel seemed to always have to be the one to fix it. He couldn’t just be with you, at home, just because he wanted to be at home, where you would have planned a movie night, or arranged a date night for you both. He didn’t fight for you when he found out you had left, he didn’t hold on to you for dear life, that you were worth something; he just seemed to accept the fact that you were gone.

But you won’t tell anyone that. You won’t tell them the Hell that Miguel had put you through, that you’ll leave people to guess about what happened. So you shrug at Jess’s question. “We just...fizzled out.”

It wasn’t technically a lie.

“That’s a shame,” Jess said. “I thought you guys would be end game. I was sure you were both going to get married.”

You snort an unamused laugh. “Me too.”

Your tone indicated that you didn’t want to carry on the conversation, and Peter, bless his soul, changed the subject to Mayday’s new daycare, since MJ decided she needed to socialise with ‘regular people’. She’d apparently found it hard to fit in. After lunch you give your friends a goodbye before you make your way back to your office. You try to keep your head down these days, since you want to avoid conversations like you just had with your friends (and honestly, you still couldn’t bear to bump into Miguel). You usually had no problem avoiding anyone but today, someone, somewhere, just wanted to see you suffer.

He was stood, outside your office, looking as gorgeous as he always does. For once, he wasn’t in his Spider Suit, just a pair of sweatpants and a too tight white t-shirt, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking down at the floor with that frown on his face, then one where he was deep in thought. Back in the day, you would have jokingly ‘smoothed’ out the lines in his forehead before giving him a kiss, telling him he needed to come out of his own head. You push the feeling of familiarity away before clearing your throat, pulling out your keys to unlock your office. “Can I help you, Miguel?”

“We need to talk,” he replied, his face as stony as always.

“What about?” you ask as you open your office door, walking through, still not looking at him. You felt sick. You weren’t expecting this today. You thought he had moved on, since he hadn’t spoken to you since you moved out over a month ago.

Miguel strides into your office and closes the door. “You know what about.”

You pause minutely before taking a deep breath and sighing through your nose. “Right. Okay.”

You take a seat at your desk, finally looking at him as he sat opposite you. He looked tired; or more tired than usual. Those dark circles that were now a permanent feature on his face were darker than when you last saw him. You wanted to tell him he had to take it easy, to start looking after himself, but that wasn’t your job. He wasn’t yours to worry about anymore.

You cross your arms and lean them on your desk, trying to come across as nonchalant, but you probably looked uncomfortable. “You wanna talk about the break-up?”

“Yes,” Miguel said. You both stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Miguel breaks it with a, “You broke up with me.”

You’re study him for a minute before you nod. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“If you have to ask, then it was the right decision.”

He gives you an incredulous look. He was always more emotive with you. “I know that I was working more - “

You couldn’t help it. You let out a snort of a laugh, shaking your head in disbelief. “That’s an understatement. By the time I moved out, I hadn’t seen you in person for at least a week. And I was taking my stuff slowly for a month before. You didn’t notice.”

“I have to keep the canon events going, I can’t...I can’t not,” he says, sounding fed up; drained. “And coming home to you was the only thing that kept me going.”

You shake your head. “Don’t say that.”

“Say what?” he asks, his tone slightly harsh.

“Saying that I was the only thing that kept you going, like I was everything to you,” you say.

“You were - “

“Do you know how many times I caught you staring at your screen of old memories of you and Gabriella?” you asked. “How I waited for you every night for you to not come home? How you forgot important dates, like our anniversary?”

He cringes at that.

You look at him with an almost desperate look on your face. “I know that Gabriella was an important part of your life. I understand how you’re hurting, and you blame yourself for what happened, but you cannot let it overtake your life, Migs. You’re letting your past affect your present, your future, and look what’s happening.”

“What am I supposed to do? Just let universes collapse?”

“No, Miguel, I’m not – “ you sigh, closing your eyes as you pinch the bridge of your nose in frustration. “I know that you need to keep the canon going. I understand that it’s your job, but…it’s not your only thing to worry about.”

You open your eyes and his expression breaks your heart, especially after a few moments he whispers out, “I’m sorry.”

The room falls silent again. Your heart skips a beat like it normally does when you find yourself staring at him; he was so good looking, and rough around the edges, his soul calloused and scarred from years of hard work and demanding tasks, and the battles he's fought but you know he’s not as tough as he seems. He’s a real softy, really. You knew from when he used to be with you more, earlier in your relationship, when he would come home after a rough day and practically whine to be in your arms, his face snuggled in your chest.

Or when he would come up behind you when you were cooking in your kitchen, and he would wrap his arms around you. He towered over you, so he practically enveloped you every time he did it. And he’d always slowly sway you, even though there wouldn’t be any music. You’d always end up having a slow dance break from cooking, and you’d always end up giggling before telling him to go wash his hands because dinner would almost be ready.

And he was soft in the way that he used to whisper to you how much he loved you, how he was so happy to have found you, that he felt whole to have you, that he truly felt at home when you were around. He used to give you this smile, that you never saw around everyone else, but only when you were alone; it was a reverence that showcased the depths of his affection for you, that he trusted you, that he was safe with you, and you with him. You found solace with each other.

But that was gone now.

“All I wanted was to be put first,” you whisper, your eyes swimming in tears you hadn’t realised were there. “Just once in a while.”

“I can work on that,” Miguel says quickly. “I can…I can take a few less jobs, I can be at home more – “

“Migs,” you say, already shaking your head, a few tears slowly falling.

“Please, mi amor,” Miguel whispers, reaching over your desk to hold your hands tightly. Your chest tightens at the familiar nickname you hadn’t heard in so long. “Please, come home. I’ll get better, I’ll be better. I’ve been miserable without you.”

You want to make a quip about how he’s miserable most of the time anyway, but you hold back the comment. It would be spiteful, and you had moved on from being angry, and upset, and you were far from being spiteful. “I can’t, Miguel.”

“Please, mi amor,” he says again, his hands squeezing yours just a little tighter.

You don’t know what to do. This was the most you’d spoken to him in weeks…probably months, and he was begging you to come back to him. You were so torn. What if you take him back and he goes back to his old ways again, down the line? Would you be willing to give up more years of your life for Miguel O’Hara for him to throw them in your face again?

You’re ready to tell him no, to tell him to never contact you again, but you remember your relationship before. Now that he’d seen what his actions had done, would he put in the effort? Would he be willing to work on himself, to work on your relationship? You know that you couldn’t go back to the way things used to be, your trust in him has dwindled to almost nothing. And you were alone, picking up the pieces of your broken heart and he hadn’t even realised until you were long gone.

“I can’t,” you finally say, removing your hands from his. You swiftly wipe at the tears on your face, averting your eyes from his. “I can’t…put myself through that again.”

You can see his chest rising and falling just a little more heavier than before, and you knew you couldn’t look at him. If you looked at him, you would cave, and you’d be back to square one.

After a few moments, Miguel answers. “Okay.” He stands, and you still can’t look at him. You hear him walk away from you, reaching your door but he pauses. “I’m sorry, again. For everything. And for bothering you today.”

He quickly opens your door and stalks out, and you wince as he closes it with a slam. You feel your shoulders go slack, unaware that you were so wound up in the first place. You let yourself sit alone, silently crying for the end of your relationship with Miguel, romantic and otherwise. Maybe with some space and time, you could look into being friends again, but for now, you will close this chapter of your life and think back on your relationship with Miguel as a hard learning curve.

In the end, you’ll be okay. You always are.

[agustsmuse]

She's In The Rain | KNJ

Pairing: Boyfriend!Namjoon x Reader

Genre: Unspecific AU.

Synopsis: Namjoon never broke you, but he'll be the man that helps you heal.

Warnings: Mentions multiple forms of domestic violence. [no actual actions written]

WC: 1.5k

Posted: 1 November 2023

Love is hard.

Love is complicated.

Love gives the power to heal, but it gives the power to destroy.

You were running from it, mile after mile, in the furthest possible direction.

Entirely broken.

A shadow of your former self.

It had been five years.

Then HIM.

Kim Namjoon entered your life in the middle of summer, the days were stifling but the night brought a comforting warmth you both enjoyed. A quiet bike ride in the middle of the night was the last place either of you were expecting to find friendship, never mind love.

But it happened.

You tried to find comfort and solace in many things, it didn't come in the form of movies, food or places that had long since been tarnished with bad memories but much to your surprise, a stranger who came to be so much more.

As summer turned to autumn, bike ride meet ups with smoothies and street foods turned to dinner on Wednesdays and Fridays after work and, as winter came round, Namjoon knew everything there was to know about you and you, him.

Even after all you told him, he stuck around.

He was already head over heals for you and he'd do anything for you to he his.

It had been a long few days, an unexpected workload increase at work had you drained and normally this would be the time you'd tell your date you couldn't make it but you were surprisingly looking forward to a chill night with the person you'd soon realise you were falling in love with. No matter how much you didn't want to love again, it was happening and happening fast.

Before you knew it, you were in his home, side by side, pizza and hands down the worst chick flic you'd ever seen playing in the background, it was comforting in an odd way, or maybe it was just odd to you. Namjoon rested his arm on the back of the sofa, picking at his food with his other hand, You shuffled yourself slightly, leaning into his side.

The smile that made his dimples show, confirmed that it was what he wanted.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked gently, so not to startle you.

You looked up at him with a soft smile and puffy cheeks, nodding as your mouth was full.

Namjoon chuckled lovingly, like Jimin at anything cute that his Yoongi Hyung does. He raised his hand slightly to wipe a bit of sauce from the corner of your lips.

The instant you flinched, he lowered his hand and apologised immediately.

"I'm sorry, you just had a little.." He gestured to the corner of his own lips.

"Oh" you quickly wiped the corner of your lips, a pink blush flushing your cheeks.

He didn't have to ask why you'd flinched. The ache in his chest was nothing he'd experienced before, it was like a burning anger but it was hurt too. It was then that he began to realise just how much you'd been through.

He reached for the remote, pausing the movie before direction his attention back to you.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"Is everything okay? Did I do something? I did something, didn't I? I shouldn't have came, I knew I'd fuck this up, I fucked up, didn't I?" You quizzed him in quick, anxiety filled succession.

"You haven't done anything wrong, just breathe, okay?" Namjoon reassured, a little reluctant to take your hand but did it anyway. You let him but you didn't hold his hand in return, you just let him hold yours.

His smile reassured you a little but not much, it was a response you couldn't help.

"I like you, a lot. A lot more than I let on because I don't want to overwhelm you or make you uncomfortable but I need you to know that I'm here and I'm waiting for you."

"Me?" You don't know why you said that. Of all the things you could have said... Me??

"Yes, you."

"Namjoon, I love spending time with you but.."

"Ah, the but" Namjoon sighed, the look of defeat and hurt written all over his face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed that this wasn't just friendship."

"It's not like that, I promise"

"It's him, isn't it? The one you told me about?"

You could only nod, the mere mention of him making you physically uncomfortable.

"I want to repair every last piece of you that he broke. That's the difference between him and I. My love is unconditional, free. I'm not gonna fight you when I don't get my way, I would never dream of laying a finger on you like that. Especially for sex, I don't care if I have to wait a week, a month, or a year to be intimate with you."

"Namjoon..."

"Please let me finish" He held your hand that little bit tighter.

You nod for him to go on, tears welling in your eyes.

"Your trauma will never be too much for me. It will never be an effort for me to communicate with you and I don't care if its something as simple as me leaving the room to get my phone or to go to the bathroom, if that's the communication you need from me, you'll get it. I know your trust is broken, I'll help rebuild that too. I don't need you to be the perfect girlfriend or human, for that matter. I just want to help you to heal so I can love on you the way you deserve without you feeling shit or like it's undeserved because you do deserve love, you always have. It just so happens that up until now you've had a diabolical taste in men."

You laugh softly through your tears which of course, Namjoon softly wipes away.

"Look at that, we've already took a step forward, you didn't flinch."

"I'm sorry, I can't always help it." You explain.

"Don't be, I understand." He presses a kiss to your forehead before leaning his on yours. "You're gonna be okay." Butterflies filling his stomach at the fact you even let him.

Your mind was telling you no, a million times no. It will only end up like the past but here in front of you was the man you felt comfortable enough to tell your while life story over a strawberry smoothie the second time you met him. He being a man you already knew to be the most loving, tolerant, gentlest, clumsiest man you'd ever met. You'd be a fool not too, your heart told you.

Maybe it was time to have a little faith.

"Ask me." You blurted before you changed your mind.

"What?" Namjoon looked utterly stunned.

"Ask me." You repeat, a smile growing on your lips.

"I.. like this? now? I had this whole date I wanted to take you on... I..."

You leaned further into Namjoon's space, bringing their lips together. It had felt so natural that any fear disappeared the minute your lips touched his, Namjoon accepted the kiss without a second thought, his hand took yours up to your cheek, his over the top of yours. He thought it would be more comforting that way, it wouldn't ruin the moment. Your hand slipped away from under his, falling to the hem of his shirt to play with to take the nerves away.

His lips were soft, you had to hold back a giggle at the cheese, tomato and vanilla taste of his Chapstick peaking through. It was comforting, easy. You had that buzzing feeling in your stomach again.

Namjoon could sense you easing your anxieties and it didn't take him long to deepen the kiss, asking permission with the pass of his tongue across your bottom lip, which you granted surprisingly in the haze of it all.

It was Namjoon that pulled away first, biting his lip shyly, chuckling softly as he looked down. "Sorry, I.. You.."

"Yeah" you giggled at his inability to form a coherent sentence, burying your face in his chest.

"So yes?" He asked as he pressed his lips to the top of your head.

"Absolutely not. I want that date first." You teased with a playful smirk.

"Jagiiiii" He whined with a pout.

You weren't healed yet but Kim Namjoon was the perfect start.

And he was damn sure that date was going to be the best one you'd ever had.

Tagging: @sopebubbles-reads @lifeinakpopbubble

A/N: The title of this fic coming from She's In The Rain By The Rose. It was suggested to me while writing and helped piece it together. Ignore time stamps.

[kezzywrites]

I am so totally in love with her.

Steve had been acting strange for approximately two weeks and four days. Or at least that's when you had first noticed it. He’d gone from hardly ever being apart from you unless he was chauffeuring Dustin around, or at work with Robin, to avoiding you at all costs. 

Although to be fair to you, it wasn't your fault. The only reason he was totally blanking you is because three weeks ago he was hit square in the face by a realisation that Robin had been waiting for him to come to for the last two years. 

THE REALISATION. 

Steve stared as you walked out of Family Video, head resting on the palm of his hand. 

“You are so totally in love with her.” Robin said, smirking at Steve from where she was restocking the shelves to his left. 

“I so totally am not.” he said back, a small pout forming on his lips. 

“You so are! I can’t believe you don't see it. You spend practically all your time with her, you always hold her favourite movies when they come in, and i'm 98% sure if she asked you to run into a flaming building to grab a sweater for her you would do it.”

“I so would no-”

“Yes you would! Example A, when her car broke down in that blizzard last year and she called you because she didn't know the number for the garage and you drove all the way across Hawkins to come pick her up even though there was a weather warning for the whole of Indiana and the news weather guys told people not to drive! Example B, the time that she got stood up on a date and she didn't tell you because she didn't want you to do anything stupid but when you found out from me, you bought her all her favourite snacks, rented FIVE of her favourite movies and didn't leave until she felt better about herself. Example C, when she got that date in the first place you totally grilled her about him and then sulked to yourself when he sounded like a decent person! And I know this is awful to say but I'm kinda glad you were right about not liking him because I don't think I could have dealt with listening to you complain about another guy she dates. Now are three examples enough for you to admit that you’re in love with her or do I need to carry on.”

A beat passed.

“I am so totally in love with her.”

NOW. 

The party had arranged a movie night and to put it lightly you weren't looking forward to it, you were obviously going to go because you couldn't let the kids down but having to sit next to Steve for a few hours in awkward silence? No thank you!

 You weren't exactly sure what you did that Steve gave you the cold shoulder for but it was kind of getting to you. The two of you had become friends after the first annoyance of saving the world together, to people in the wrong place in the wrong time, you dropping something off at the Byers house for Joyce after hearing about Will, courtesy of your mother, and Steve trying apologise to Johnathan after the fight they had. It was after that that you and Steve became practically inseparable, joined at the hip. You did almost everything together and you think it's because at the time of your meeting you both felt this void of loneliness but when you were together, it seemed to dissipate. 

It only took a month and a half after his break up with Nancy to realise that the feelings you had towards the boy were not completely platonic. There was no ‘Oh you’re falling in love with him’ moment it was more of an ‘Oh you’re already in love with him but you’re going to completely ignore it, push it down, and pray to whatever god is up there that it goes away because he's your best friend and you don't want to lose him’ kind of moment. So that’s what you’d done, you'd shoved down your feelings and got on with being friends, up until almost three weeks ago. You’d gone into family video to rent ‘The Breakfast Club’ for what felt like the hundredth time and as you had been talking to Steve, he had been short with you, treating you like he didn't know you at all, so you'd left, watched the movie, and when you came to return it, the second he saw you walk through the doors, he’d called for Robin and taken his break. It confused and upset you. Your next few interactions had gone the same way; he had dropped Dustin off at your place because he wanted some help on an English presentation that he wasn't too fond of doing and Steve hadn't even gotten out of the car to say hello. That was when you'd given up trying and that was how you ended up not really seeing each other until tonight. 

You were having the movie night at Steve's place because he had the biggest TV and the most room so it made sense, but that also meant you had to deal with the awkwardness of not knowing what to do with yourself again, just like you did the first time you were at his house; perching on the edge of sofas, waiting for him to offer drinks instead of getting yourself them and the conversations you used to have that couldn't have lasted more than 10 words. 

 You knocked on the door and waited patiently until you saw a flash of hair that most definitely wasn't Steves. 

“Hi! Do you have the snacks?” Dustin said as he almost flung the door of its hinges. 

You had been assigned the role of bringing the junk food for the seven thousand four hundred and six children the seven of you adults shared. 

“Yeah, I should have brought enough shit, I-I dont know you'll need to check but don't expect me to run and get more if there isn't, im sure youll survive with one less bag of chips.”

Dustin grabbed the plastic bag full of snacks with a grin and led you inside. The familiar house made you feel on edge, you'd not stepped foot in it for over a month and filled you with dread knowing what came next. Steve. He sat on his sofa, in conversation? Argument? With Eddie. To their right sat Nancy and Robin, on two comfy chairs, they smiled at you as Dustin dragged you further in the house. On the floor in the corridor you saw Jonathan and Argyle, the two of them had been high pretty much since they got back from california and you could smell the weed on them from feet away. 

You made your way into the kitchen as Dustin poured the snacks out of the bag, you heard the door click behind you. You turned around to see Robin with a small smile on her face. 

“Hey, how are you? I feel like I haven't seen you in literal ages!” she reached forward to give you a hug, which you gladly returned. 

“Yeah, Steve and I haven't really been speaking lately and I'm not sure why, I don't know if it was something I said, or something I did or even something I didn't do but he's avoiding me like the plague” You watched as Robin's face dropped while you were talking. 

“Oh you have got to be shitting me! I totally cannot believe him!” She started to head out of the room, undoubtedly to go and hopefully knock some sense into him but right before she hit the door she turned back, looked at Dustin and told him to scram. She then looked back at you and said “I swear by the end of tonight you’ll be talking again he just needs to get his head out of his ass”

“Wha-” 

But before you could ask any questions she was out of the door. 

You made your way into the living room and sat down on the end of the sofa, next to Max. She looked up at you with her eyes that were a little bigger courtesy of her glasses and smiled which you returned and gave her a shoulder hug. You were going to ask her how she was and about her day but Steve already had the remote in his hands and all the kids were sitting on the floor ready and excited. 

 You all silenced as the opening credits of The Labyrinth started playing and everyone made themselves comfortable. 

It got to maybe twenty minutes in the movie when Steve whispered to you all that he was getting a drink and he'd be right back. You shot a glance at Robin and she was very ardently giving you hand gestures, shooing you to follow him. So you did. Because quite frankly you were sick of being ignored by someone you were so close too. 

You step into the kitchen quietly behind Steve and watch him pull a glass out of the cabinet above him. You watch him fill it with water from the fridge and as he turns around you see him jump when he sees you. 

“Christ you scared the shit out of me”

“Have I done something wrong?” You ask 

You watch as his face morphs into one of confusion

“Wha- No! Why would you think that?”

“Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you've ignored me for three weeks, we went from talking everyday to not talking at all steve. Why?”

“I- um well-” he stuttered, he had a nervous look on his face, almost as if he'd been caught. 

“I just don't understand” you say with frustration, “Is it something I did? Or something I said? Or even something I didn't do just tell me so I can fix it! It's been killing me! I just don't understand why you've been avoi-”

“I'm in love with you.” he blurts out. You watch his features go from panic to relief to panic again. 

You pause and look up at him. You can feel your stomach twist. 

“That's not funny Steven.”

“Wasn't supposed to be.”

“So you've been avoiding me because you love me?”

“Yep” he nodded 

“And you didn't want to tell me?”

“Yep”

“You are so fucking stupid.”

“Ye- No! Wait hold on, I'm not stupid I thought I was doing the right thing! I thought if I ignored you it would go away and we could be friends again” he spoke, flailing his hands around. 

You stared up at him as he continued his rant about how he didnt want to sacrifice his friendship with you because he was completely sure you didn't feel the same way and you were just getting more and more frustrated by the second so you did what anyone would do. 

You grabbed his face and kissed him. 

You felt him tense as his words got pressed against your lips and then relax as he grabbed your waist. His mouth slid against your own with passion as you shoved your hands in his hair and tugged gently. He groaned against your mouth and you could feel him smile against your lips. You pulled away for air and he chased you a little, only opening his eyes when he couldn't feel you where you were before. 

“I told you you were really fucking stupid”

He gave you a breathless laugh, his nose pressing against yours. 

“Yeah, maybe i am” 

You both giggled as he pecked your lips again. 

“You know I love you too right?”

He grinned.

[reg-arcturus-black]

Enough is Full of Romance Part 4 - Drunk on Laughter

Where 2 brilliant talented people fall in love and navigate a life filled with paprazzi, rumors and a private romance after being introduced by their common friend. They say wrong person, right timing is a real thing but Ben and Y/N know they have a deep connection and they will wait for however long it takes!

Warnings: mentions of alcohol

Words: 1.8k

Series Masterlist

Image not mine

Ben took a moment to register what just happened. He knew for a fact that he was not interested in kissing Addison at all. Or was it Madison? He had not even leaned in towards her. The game was a bad idea. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't even agreed to play it.

His disinterest in Madison was not the only reason he didn't want to kiss her. It was also you. You were right there in front of him. How could he even think about someone else. It had been some time since he saw you last but you were like the one habit his mind kept coming back to.

His friends had tried setting him up on dates but it would never go past the second one. Or the first one, in most cases. When it did reach the second one, something would go wrong. The girl would either slip up and confess that she was after fame or he would realise that it wasn't a good match. It was times like those his mind would wander back to you and remember how you made him feel. How at ease he was with you.

He didn't know if he had done the right thing that night or not. He knew you were still trying to get over your ex and this would have been the wrong time to enter into a new relationship.

You had been too engulfed in grief to make sense of your feelings, romantic or otherwise. So you believed that Ben leaving that night was the right thing. Tonight, however... You didn't know how or what to make of it.

When Madison sat back next to you after kissing him, she gave you a huge grin. One which had 'victory' written all over it.

"I need a drink," you said and got up. You went to the kitchen as fast as you could without making it seem like you were running away and took out your favourite bottle of vodka. You rarely ever drank, be it wine or tequila or vodka. But tonight's events were too much to not drink. You took the biggest glass you could find in your cabinet and filled it almost halfway.

You were aware that drinking on an empty stomach was not good. You also couldn't care less. The first sip burned your throat but the next made your body feel warm and the one after that made you brain go fuzzy. Honestly, you were just glad that Madison's head was in front of you so and you did not see them actually kiss. Just knowing that they had had this effect on you, you didn't want to think about how you would have reacted if you had actually seen it, too. You took another sip to make that thought go away.

"That's quite a lot of alcohol, don't you think?" You heard Ben ask and turned around to face him.

He had a small, playful smile on his face but something told you he didn't like what happened either. So wordlessly, you handed the glass to him.

"Look like I could use some, too," he sighed.

"I am so sorry this happened... Madison can be... Well, a bit Madison at times..." You explained.

"Oh, no, please, you don't have to apologise. It's not like it's your fault." He said, handing the glass back to you.

"But you did come all the way to my place. The least thing you should have gotten was a decent party. Instead, you get this," you shrugged, pointing your finger towards yourself.

"Eh, well, I like this far better than any party," he winked.

If you thought you were being strong and immune to his charms till then, which you weren't. His wink melted away the last line of defenses you had. You were a teenager with a crush all over again.

A serene silence settled in your kitchen. You could hear Madison and Andrew shouting and arguing distantly but you could not care less. This was like that night all over again, except you weren't feeling as hurt and heart broken over someone else. This time, however, your bestfriend had kissed your crush.

"So... What's the deal with Madison?" He asked cautiously as if taking her name would ruin the peaceful moment.

"Well, we met a few days after you and I did and she has been my best friend ever since..."

Ben pondered over the word 'best friend' for a while. Surely, a true best friend wouldn't have kissed him. She wouldn't have her pictures put up on the wall. What even was the deal with that whole thing?

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he focused on the person in front of him. He liked you with his whole heart and wanted to give it a shot. He wanted to see where and how things could develop if given the chance. He was too nervous to ask you out because he had done it the last time and the night didn't exactly end the way he had wanted. Which told him that he needed to address what happened. Perhaps after that, he could ask you out again.

You were on your phone recording something when you caught him looking at you. You gave him a guilty smile and put the phone down. "Sorry, too good of an idea to not record."

"You don't have to tell me," he laughed. "I know all about it." Your dedication and passion towards your music was something that had really stuck with him ever since he met you. It had inspired him and deepened his desire even more to create his own music.

"You feel like going for a walk?" You asked all of a sudden, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, sure. I was wondering if we could talk about... You know, that night?" he could see how your cheeks has started getting a hint of red due to the alcohol but you seemed to have a pretty good control over yourself. He would soon find out how much control you didn't have.

You nodded. As much as you were dreading that conversation, you understood how important it was to talk about or at least acknowledge what had almost happened and why it did not. "We can't actually go outside but maybe the roof?"

"That works," he said, following you up the spiral staircase with a wine bottle and two glasses in his hands.

"You will have to be careful at this one step because it curves and -"

CRASH!

"-and you might fall..." you completed, looking back at him. He was sitting on the steps, wine bottle broken and it's contents on the stairs with the glasses still in his hands.

He looked up at you while you examined the scene just 3 steps below. Your lips pursed as you met his eyes and heard his overly dramatic sigh.

"Ben, I promise I am a good person," you started, your voice changing.

"I know."

"I don't do this when people fall..."

"I know."

"But I am drunk already..."

"I know."

"And the way - I mean, the sound of the bottle shattering and you falling..."

"I know. Go ahead. I won't mind." He took another heavy, dramatic sigh and that was what finally broke you. You couldn't keep in your laughter anymore. You laughed and you laughed. Something that made him laugh once he had recovered from the sudden shock of falling.

Wait, did he just hear you snort? He noticed how you could barely keep your eyes open while you laughed. He noticed how your entire body reacted when you laughed. He noticed how your cheeks flushed even more with each passing second.

"Just, just wait here a second," you said and ran upstairs. "Smile..."

When he looked up and saw you against the railing, barely able to stand straight and on the verge of falling with a camera in your hand, he laughed out loud and was suddenly blinded by a flash.

You instantly put the camera down and ran to him. "Look at this!" You exclaimed, handing him a piece of paper.

Only when he looked at it, he realised it was a Polaroid picture you just took. He was grinning like an idiot on your fancy, spiral staircase. "I didn't know it was a Polaroid camera you had!"

"You didn't know it was a Polaroid camera I had!" You repeated and before he knew it, you were laughing again. You were laughing so hard that you had to lean against the railing to sit down or you would have fallen, too.

Ben watch mesmerized as you had to physically restrain yourself from slipping down due to laughing so hard. Your laugh was the most beautiful sound he had heard. It drowned out whatever happened in the party and he just knew he could listen to it forever. It symbolised how happy you were and he wanted you to be forever. And oh, how he wished he could be the reason for your happiness.

"Holy shit," he said softly.

You were wiping away your happy tears while still bursting with laughter but managed to catch his voice. How could you not? He had the most perfect voice with a gorgeous accent. You were aware you were getting a bit carried away but you couldn't help it. You were happy. Ben Barnes made you happy.

"What is it?" You asked.

"I think I am falling in love with you..."

"Oh," you said, your expression turning serious. You stood up and started walking up the stairs.

Fear gripped Ben's heart like it had never before. Had he said something wrong? Or something he shouldn't have said? Maybe he got too lost in the moment or used words that were too big.

"Wait, Y/N, I am sorry... Where are you going?" He put the glasses down and ran after you, trying to think of ways to make it up to you. He did not want to lose you again. "I - I don't why I said that... I mean, I know but I am sorry... You are so beautiful and your laugh is the best thing ever and I - I couldn't help it... It just slipped out... I am sorry..."

"Did you mean it?" You asked suddenly, turning around to face him in the hallway.

He looked at you for a moment. Taking in your features. Your eyes, the way your hair framed your face, the way your lips were bent in half a smile.

He nodded. "I - I did."

"Okay, then. Good," you said and started walking again.

"Wait, what? Where are you going?"

His question was answered when you took a turn and pulled him into a... room?

"You saw my awful party but now," you said, taking his hand and shutting the door behind him. "Welcome to my bedroom..."

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

taglist: @padfootagain

PS: I promise I know Ben is a gentleman and it will be reflected ❤️

[koolades-world]

(1/2) Eclipse anon here! I'M FREE TO COMMENT!!! My Demon brothers comforting their s/o after a particularly hard day at work (part two) request is so good! Don't worry about it! I don't mind your style changing either! You also had great timing because I had a bad day so this helped so much 🥹 I love this especially Diavolo would be the best person to go to, he send them to get changed & gather all their favourite stuff for them, he would talk their ear off & do whatever to make them smile, he asked if they had a bad day when they came into the kitchen, they asked with a weak smile how did he know, he said he's been preparing for this moment before telling them to bathe & go to the living room, he took their stuff & gave them a quick hug, they thanked him as they hugged him back, he send them to the bathroom before going to a nearby closet to retrieve a gift basket for them, they hugged him again & went to the bathroom with it, they opened it after he left, the basket had sweet notes from him, robe, some bath products, and snacks before starting their night routine, he transformed the living room to a place that they will enjoy with their favourite food & items, he sat at the center while being excited about their reaction, they were speechless before calling his name, he got up & hugged them, he said he couldn't think of anything else that would make them happier while they hugged him tighter 😍, they thanked him & reassured him that they loved it, he told them how he hates seeing them upset & he would do it everyday if it makes happy 🥹, he lead them to where the food is, they looked at it to decide which one to eat first while grinning before kissing him on his cheek & thinking he's the best, Barbados is both attentive & caring, he won't mind if they vent to him & he would offer solutions if they want to, he would do anything they want him to do, he would understand if they didn't want to go tomorrow & make arrangements for them, he was cleaning as usual, the reason why they would meet him at some point is because he purposely left those locations for last as an excuse to see them ☺️, he waited at the kitchen since they normally grab a snack & left their bag & coat at the door, they didn't appear so he was about to look for them when he spotted them, he didn't acknowledge him when they would greet him 😔, he went to them & they said something to him, he asked what's wrong but they tried to dismiss it, they did answered his question which he said they don't need to hide from him as he wants to help, they apologised which he had a small smile, he reassured them before leading them to the kitchen table, he sat them down on a chair before preparing a cup of tea for them, they checked with him if he minds since it would sound like complaining, he reassured them with a smile before they explained, their head is on the counter when they're done, he said they don't need to go tomorrow which they still need to but they appreciate it, they realised he's serious when he clarified, they tried to protest although their heart says otherwise, he said he does before saying to get ready for dinner & to plan their day with him tomorrow, he kissed their forehead before sending them to the bathroom, they thought of how lucky they are with a giddy smile 😁,

HELLO!!!! so glad you're still around!! I was a little worried since I took so long. still working on your request for the moment they realized they fell in love with you because I've been short on time lately and the little things are so much more approachable

ahhhh you're the best!! I'm so glad you love it! it makes me so happy when people pay attention to the details that I put my heart into. I always think about the reasons of why into every detail even if it doesn't make it into the final product!

[lif3withm3ntalh3alth]

Born into a Shit Storm

*TriggerWarning* Funny enough I need to take you back before I was brought into this world kicking and screaming. It first starts with my Mum and Brother, my mum still lived with her Mum and Dad and had gotten pregnant by who we'll call Sperm Doner. He wasn't around when my Big Brother was born or most of his life in fact, sperm doners parents weren't happy about it and I guess Sperm Doner did everything Mummy and Daddy said, no matter how wrong they were. That's the story I was told.

My Mum then met my Dad when my brother was three. He loved and treated my brother as his own, taught him to ride a bike, to fish, to swim, he was the God Send and saint my mum wasn't looking for, but sure enough they fell in love, got engaged and decided to add to the family before marrying.

I was born on a sunny day in August early hours of the morning and a big brother six and a half years older then me. I was to be the only Girl on my Dads side and to live across the Road to my Nan and Grandad (My Dads Parents). I don't have much memory of my childhood, my memory's crap, due to the trauma I've suffered through my childhood, apparently it's a coping mechanism I wasn't aware of until my middle 20's, but before the age of seven I was blissfully unaware of the problems my family had and despite the dark cloud waiting to open up a shit storm I do have happy memories, I just wish I could remember them all.

So when did the turning point happen? Where did I realise something wasn't right? The day my Dad bruised me.

I know some parents in this world believe a smack is a reasonable form of punishment and I'd been smacked many times before and this was normal for me, especially cause I was a little terror as a child, but except... the bruise changed everything. I still remember the purple and blue hand print now, scorched in my brain.

It starts at around 17:30 the day before, my Dad comes home from work and my Mum slaving in the kitchen to provide her family with a meal. First thing my Dad always did is pick up the remote to the box shaped TV we had and searched for something to watch. That's when he decided War of the Worlds was a great film to start watching as his young children are playing downstairs waiting for Tea time.

My Mum pleaded with my Dad to turn it off and watch it another time, but Dad did what he wanted and screw anyone else who might stop him doing what he wants in his own home, I still remember now the Alien robots towering over buildings and picking up there victims, the last straw for me was when the claw comes through the window and searches for people in the house or basement ? I screamed and began to cry, convinced this was real. I already had trouble sleeping at night from nightmares and an overactive imagination and now this to add to the terrors that come when sleep is needed. I would like to say he turned it off and apologised and comforted me in what felt like real horror in front of my eyes, but instead my very tall Dad towered over me like the the aliens did and screamed for me to go upstairs. I remember begging him that I didn't want to be on my own, he grabbed me by my wrist, dragged me to the bottom of the stairs and told me to go up. I had no choice. I closed my curtains and curled up in the corner of my room on my bed.

I'm pretty sure that's the first time I had ever experienced a panic attack, I remember my body shaking uncontrollably, my clothes wet from tears and the noise of everything around me heightened. Every noise was a bullet, convincing me the end of the world was coming. Like I said, my imagination was great as a kid, but I was also gullible.

Then night came and it became a whole new kind of scary, I remember taking forever to get the courage to even come out my bedroom in case the claw was waiting for me, but I eventually did and pleaded with my parents to sleep with them. My Mums annoyance at my Dad for what he had done didn't help and after what felt like hours of crying and pleading, he snapped. He dragged me to my room, bent me over his knee and lowered my pants. I was kicking and screaming, knowing what was coming. *SMACK* this pain was different, it made my leg go dead this time. Like I said, I'd been smacked before, but this. THIS took my breathe away. I eventually cried myself to sleep and when I awoke, Mum was downstairs making my breakfast and Dad had gone to work. A new day and my friend was coming over for a bikini and paddling pool day, we'll call her Nadia. I rushed up stairs, got undressed and put on my bikini and as I slid my pink and white bottoms on they brushed over the back of my thigh and bum and I remember wincing. I turned to face my mirror and there it was, a purple and blue hand print.

I don't know why, maybe because I thought it was normal, maybe I was just a kid and all I could think about was the fun I was going to have, maybe it was my way of trying to forget, but I just went back to normal, like nothing happened. I didn't tell my mum, I didn't cry, I shrugged it off and came downstairs again, I ignored the whole thing and didn't say a word. My Mum eventually saw it and gasped my name and asked what I had done. I told her "I don't know" ignored her concerned face and greeted Nadia and started our tea party's and dipping in our VERY small pool.

My Dads car rolled up the driveway eventually and he sat down on the swing outside to take his shoes off, my Mum was on him like a fly on shit. "Have you seen this?" She spun me part way around and showed him the bruise, now slightly going green and yellow round the edges. "Yeah" I remember the confidence in his voice and the unconcerned look. "Well how did it happen?" at the time I generally thought my Mum was clueless, but now I think it was her way of confronting him. "I did" he smiled. HE SMILED. He was proud of it. I remember my face burning with embarrassment, Nadia had witnessed this and I wanted her to go home in that moment and never speak to me again. THAT. That was the moment I realised my family was different, that was the moment my life changed. Not the stupid Horror film, not the nightmares, not even the smack or bruise itself, it was that smile. My Mum quickly gave us some money and sent us the shops for sweets, I didn't cover my bruise or even mention it to Nadia again. I look back now and wished someone else had seen or wished Nadia had maybe told her parents and if she had, they would of done something. I also wish that was the last and only time I faced my Dads rath, but I can't. Maybe my life would of been different, maybe I wouldn't be writing my story down on a Tumblr blog that probably no one will read, but it didn't happen like that and I can only hope that what happened to me made me stronger. Thank you for reading.

[nightcall99]

Dream from 23.9.23

I went out for a walk in my neighbourhood and then on my way home, I saw there was a baked goods stall inside of a restaurant. I could see it through the window. I was particularly excited about the cherry pies on display, which are my favourite. I went inside to get some and while I was waiting in line, I discovered that AT was there with her mother. I had been avoiding her for months and months with no explanation (IRL), so she looked a bit hesitant to see me. What I'd done was hanging like a bad smell in the air, and I try to avoid the elephant in the room by making small talk about the assortment of delicious baked goods on sale. Everyone who is trying to make their purchases are standing all around the display table. I didn't realise how popular this place is, because the stock seems to be disappearing pretty quickly.

I decide with AT that I'll be semi-honest (she's an NPC now). I tell her that I've been really depressed and that I just have nothing to say to anyone in general, and it's not personal. I don't think she believes me. Her mum seems to know something is up between us and seems to be giving us a bit of physical space to work it out. I try to apologise about it all but honestly I don't really care. The baked goods continue to disappear whilst I'm having this unwanted conversation and then suddenly there's none left of the cherry pie I had been coveting.

Then my dad appears, but somehow it's her dad at the same time. Then it makes things even more awkward between AT and I, because it's plain as day that he dotes on her more than he does me. We're the last people at the stall now and it seems like the T family (AT, her mum and my-not-dad) have picked the cream of the crop of the goods that were on offer and I'd only been able to select a few things. I even saw that there was even a massive loaf of fresh bread and the T family just tore some of it off, and left the part they didn't want back on the table. Would someone else really purchase that torn-off piece? And surely enough, that piece of bread seemed to disappear within seconds.

It seemed like the T family were buying everything that was left in the stall. There was even a huge frying pan (with the cooking utensils still in it) from the restaurant kitchen that had been used all night to cook pasta dishes. I can see a thick layer of 'fond', the caramelised bits left at the bottom of the pan. I think about how flavourful it must be. They're probably going to use that as a base for cooking meals at home. Otherwise, I thought it a bit weird that they were buying the crockery too...

The my dad, who is also her dad, is demonstrating how high-tech my iPhone is, the one he'd gifted me earlier this year (IRL). There is some guy, a stranger who was also waiting in line at the stall who seemed to be interested in me. My dad spots him and uses him to demonstrate the iPhone's top-of-the-line security features, which at the press of a button, houses the ability to snap a photo of your attacker's face within seconds. He puts my phone on the table and then the guy is pretending to run away, as if he is an attacker or thief. My dad quickly picks up the phone, somehow incorporating a backflip in this fake-chase scene, and the guy is continuing to mime running away, while my dad aims the phone at him, clicks the side-button and then the guy's face appears as a capture on my phone. It's basically just taking a photo like normal, IDK what is going on. The guy, upon seeing his face appear on my phone, (and seemingly amused at how he even got hustled into this bizarre re-enactment), looks at me and says, 'hi junior'.

Then my dad/not my dad, gives me a slice of blueberry pie that was originally from the T family's haul of goods, as if he is acknowledging that I'm his daughter too. Maybe he feels bad at how selfish his other family looks. It looks delicious, just as good as the cherry pie I never got, so I'm really glad I was gifted a slice. I’ve got the packages in my arms, wrapped in tan brown paper. I’m going to walk back home now.

[octarianstrength]

Yulia decided it was time to restock her fridge as well as a couple other things after work today. However, she made the critical mistake of not going home to change before heading to the shop. Once inside, it didn't take long for people to recognise her position thanks to her armour. While a few people did end up shying away because of it, their numbers were easily doubled by the amount of people that wanted to get a closer look.

Within minutes she'd been bombarded with questions from adults and children alike.

"How strong are you!?"

"Can you bench press me????"

"Is it true you rode the Great Zapfish here all the way from Inkadia?"

"When's the invasion starting?!"

It began to get on her nerves very quickly.

"STOP— Please, I'm just trying to get some shopping done. And... do you all really think I can just leak military secrets like that...?"

The droves of people surrounding her looked rather disappointed at that... perhaps maybe even a little hurt. Yulia couldn't bare to be too harsh on them, especially since most of them were likely civilians.

With a heavy sigh, she pointed to the front door of the shop.

"I still can't tell anyone our secrets, but... Wait for me to finish in here and I'll bench press anyone that wants it when I'm done. Sound good?"

The reaction from the mob would've been unclear if it wasn't for the excited murmurs from a few of them. Some people left the store immediately, whilst others tried to finish up their own shopping so they could meet Yulia sooner.

Once Yulia had payed for her goods and apologised to the store-owner for the commotion, she headed outside to deliver on her promise. To no one's surprise the group of people was about the same size as it was before. Perhaps a small number of people had left, the few who had only been interested in military gossip. But the vast majority that made up the rest of them? Yulia would quite literally have her hands full with them in a moment.

Yulia busied herself with the orderly line that had formed, impressing each member with her considerable strength for a short while, before moving onto the next. However, she soon came to realise a flaw in her plan. The line didn't seem to be shrinking. And it wasn't a case of people going back for a second round, shoppers were near constantly queuing up after getting their groceries but Yulia didn't have the hearts to tell anyone to leave after waiting for so long, so she endured.

...She didn't get to go home until the shop had closed and every last person had been served. By the end of the night, it was just her and the shopkeeper left.

"Well! Mighty big thanks for that, Kraken! This was the best business day I've had in years! And it was all because of your little theatrics!"

Yulia sighed, wiping the sweat from her face. Normally something like this wouldn't bother her at all, but she had been working all day and her endurance does have limits.

"Glad it went well for one of us... You've a nice shop, sure. But I didn't really want to be here for... four hours."

The shopkeeper twintacle laughed and gave Yulia a pat on the back.

"Well I ain't complainin'! Say, why don't you come on back next time you're thinkin' about puttin' on a show?"

"Yeah I... Don't think I'm gonna be doing anything like that for a while. I think just getting my groceries and leaving will be enough for me next time."

The shopkeeper laughed some more. So much so that they near broke into a coughing fit. They're having a good time.

"Sure thing! Ooh— I'll have to make a sign for next time! That'll bring the customers rollin' in!"

"Oh cod... please no..."

Yulia took the opportunity presented by their next fit of laughter to start making her escape. At least she got to serve the Octarian people today... albeit in a very, very odd way.