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lovelookspretty · 18 days ago

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hate to be lame

rafe cameron x reader

— in which y/n, caught in a situationship with rafe, struggles to admit she might love him, constantly holding back her feelings while fearing that confessing could make things more complicated.

inspired by: “hate to be lame” (major) & “ceilings” (minor) by lizzy mcalpine

warnings: super long omfg, me treating this like a music video again LMAO, situationships, swearing, mention of drug use, no hard concepts just rafe who can’t commit to you (yet)

authors note: this has been in the works for a good few weeks lowkey. i literally studied lizzy mcalpine mvs top to BOTTOM to rly portray this mini story as best as i can. hope u guys enjoy!!

i tried to add as much as i could for ppl to notice (hopefully), but ESPECIALLY like parallels of the beginning n the end of the oneshot with the opening of the door and saying “hey”!! i wanted this to be little short film core

your room is cold, and you feel your fingers tingling as you pull the blanket tighter around your shoulders. the clock ticks softly, but each minute feels slower than the last.

you aren’t sure why, but today you’re more anxious than usual, counting down the seconds until rafe shows up. it’s not like you have any real plans, just the usual aimless drive or hanging out.

but the thought of seeing him again—his smile, the way he looks at you, even when he’s not saying anything—makes waiting almost unbearable.

you’ve been more than friends but less than boyfriend and girlfriend for the past five months now. you know it’s wrong, but you know you’ll do the same thing you’ll be doing until you reach six months: push it aside and just enjoy the moment.

you can’t tell if rafe is only there for the pleasure, but if that’s the case then you wouldn’t be hearing about his dreams or the way he struggles with trust. and you’re foolish enough to believe that maybe he’s just scared, and that’s why he can’t commit.

right on time, his texts come in one after the other.

‘ hey ’

‘ otw ’

‘ 5 minutes ’

a faint smile tugs at your lips as you send him a quick ‘okay,’ watching the message sit there, unread. but when the notification changes to ‘read’ and there’s no reply, you drop your phone on your bed and get up.

just as you’re finishing, the faint sound of a knock echoes through the house, and you know that it’s him. you head downstairs quickly, and when you finally reach the front door, your hand hesitates on the handle, but you push them down and swing it open, revealing him standing there. his gaze flickers over you, a small smirk playing on his lips.

“hey,” he says.

and there’s that smile again, “hey.”

rafe’s ring-clad hand grips the steering wheel tightly, veins visible beneath his skin as his knuckles flex. his other arm is draped out the open window, resting easily on the door. you glance over at him, watching the way he seems so effortless behind the wheel, like he was born to be in control, and the engine hums beneath you.

you can’t help but steal glances at him, the way his jaw sets when he focuses, the flicker of light as it catches on his ring every time he turns the wheel. you wonder if he knows how these small details, the smallest shifts in his posture, have started to consume your thoughts.

you know what this is supposed to be—casual, undefined—but sitting here, so close to him, makes it harder to convince yourself that it’s just that. just casual.

and sometimes it makes you wonder—does he feel it too? does he fight the same pull you do?

you and rafe end up at a two-story building, bright and welcoming downstairs. it’s one of those places you’d mentioned a few times, new on the island, somewhere you’d been dying to try.

upstairs, you grab a table in the open air, no roof above, just the sky. pillars hold up a net laced with flowers and plants, the same ones woven into the building’s logo on the far wall. a bar counter curves along that wall, half-circling it. it’s gorgeous.

you’re laughing, enjoying lunch with him. he looks beautiful, just by being there, the way he always has. doesn’t matter what you are—friends, strangers, stuck in this limbo of a situationship—you’ve always felt this way about him.

rafe leans forward, arms crossed on the table, telling you a story that keeps you laughing, each detail funnier than the last.

eventually, the day drifts into the afternoon, and you find yourselves in town, just hanging out. you drag him into a bookstore, then a music store, even a museum, wandering from place to place. hours later, when you’re hungry again, you make a quick stop a small convenience store.

you’re tucking your phone into your purse when you glance outside, noticing the sky’s turned dark, and more importantly, it’s raining.

“alright, catch you later, simon. thanks!” rafe says, grabbing the snacks off the counter. he raises his free hand in a quick wave as he turns, glancing down at you with a smirk while you follow him out.

rafe hands you your snacks, and you take them with a small smile, watching him closely to see his reaction when he realizes it started raining while you were inside. his brows raise as he looks outside, then down at you again. both of you are thinking the same thing—you parked a block away, and now you’ll have to rush to the car without getting soaked.

you pop a piece of candy in your mouth, staring at the rain across the street, when rafe reaches out. “c’mon,” he murmurs, and you take it without hesitation.

the two of you make a break for it, trying to walk as fast as possible without slipping or getting in the way of traffic. the rain pelts down around you, but you’re laughing, and rafe’s grinning as you both duck under the first marquee for cover.

you both continue walking, the car finally coming into view just up ahead. he has to jog around to get to the driver's side. as he moves, you step out from under the last marquee and into the rain, letting it soak through your clothes and into your skin. you tilt your head up, eyes clamped shut, nose scrunched, savoring the moment, even if it’s just a few seconds of quiet, cold rain.

“get in the car,” rafe calls out, his voice cutting through the sound, and you glance over at him, already opening the door.

you shoot him a look, digging into your bag of candy, before tossing a piece at him like he’s ruined the moment. it bounces off his shoulder and he slides into the car without another word, but you can tell he’s amused. with a sigh, you climb into the passenger seat, still dripping wet.

before you know it, the car slows, the tires crunching against the gravel as rafe pulls up to his house. it’s massive, even more so than you remember. cold and impressive, it stands there like a fortress—his world.

for a second, you’re lost in thought. rafe pulls into the garage, parking to avoid the rain still pouring outside. he gets out, crumpling the empty chip bag in his hand, twisting off the lid to his drink with the other to take a few gulps before shutting the car door.

you linger inside a bit longer, popping another candy into your mouth as your eyes wander around the camerons’ garage—messy, yet somehow still clean and wide open.

rafe rounds the front of the car, heading for the door that leads into the house. without a word, he slips inside, leaving you behind in the garage. he does leave his keys on the table beside the door, trusting you to lock the car for him since you’re still in there.

you sit there a moment, your head tilting as you look over at the driver’s seat, replaying the small moments in your mind—running across the street in the rain, how he’s paid for you, or the simple ‘hey’ when he picked you up earlier.

a small, soft smile touches your lips before you finally get out of the car. you crush the candy wrapper in your fist, grab the keys to lock the car, and slip inside the house, the garage door clicking shut behind you.

after hours of being at the cameron’s, only the soft patter of raindrops now begins tapping against the glass, just as you settle into the familiar bay window. you tuck your legs beneath you, leaning your head against the window frame as you stare out into the backyard.

you’ve sat here so many times before—usually with sarah, the two of you giggling about nothing in particular, watching the sky and talking about anything. but tonight, it’s just you and rafe.

the house feels quieter without her, without anyone really, except for the occasional murmur of rafe’s voice as he takes his phone call from the other room. he was quick to excuse himself when the phone rang, retreating upstairs where you couldn't overhear. not that you’d pry, but it’s not like you don’t know about rafe’s involvement with deals in the outerbanks, drugs, cash, or both. you turn a blind eye.

he walks back into the room eventually, his footsteps quiet but still pulling your focus from the window. you feel him glance at you, almost like he's about to say something, but he hesitates when he notices the way you’re sitting there, staring out at the rain.

he knows you too well—years of history have given him that advantage, not just the past few months of this undefined mess you're both tangled in. he’s seen you like this before, especially today, always itching to be outside when the rain falls, drawn to it in a way he’s never really understood.

without a word, he walks over to the door leading to the backyard. the soft creak of the door handle catches your attention, pulling you from your thoughts. you watch as he stands there for a moment, his hand resting on the doorframe, looking at you.

no words pass between you, but the way he gestures outside, a playful tilt of his head, says everything. it’s almost like a silent ‘after you’ as if he’s jokingly daring you to go out into the rain.

a smile breaks across your face, and before you know it, you’re up. you brush past him, feeling his presence right behind you as you step outside. the cool rain meets your skin, soaking into your clothes almost instantly, but you don’t care. rafe is close, following you out into the yard, his chuckle barely audible over the sound of the rain as it picks up.

the two of you don’t need to say anything. you just move, running across the wet grass, spinning around to feel the individual drops as they fall on your face. you pause every now and then, standing in place, arms spread out wide to feel the rain cover you like a blanket. but the peace never lasts long before rafe is at your side again, tackling you to the ground with a sudden burst of energy. you both fall, rolling across the grass in a fit of laughter, his weight pressing into you briefly before you push him off with a shove.

you end up on your backs, lying there side by side in the rain. your breath comes in short bursts from all the laughing, and there’s a calmness that settles over the two of you. you turn your head to look at him, and there’s something in the way he looks back at you, rain dripping down his face. it’s just you and him, the world around you disappearing into the sound of the rain, the hum of your heartbeat in your ears.

in that moment, you feel something deeper. something that goes beyond the undefined territory you’ve been navigating for months. there’s a connection—stronger than before, pulling you in, making you wonder how you ever let yourself fall this far. you feel it with every glance, every brush of his hand against yours as you lay there.

and then, almost without warning, it’s over. you’re in the car again, the engine quietly rumbling as rafe drives you home. the rain hasn’t let up, the windshield wipers swishing back and forth, and the streetlights blur past as you sit in silence.

you sit in the passengers seat, wrapped in rafe’s oversized hoodie, the warmth of it settling against your skin, but the comfort feels fleeting. your clothes had been drenched from the rain, and now, you’re dressed in his.

you don’t want it to end. when you were out there with him, laughing in the rain, time seemed to stretch. it was simple, effortless—like the world stopped just for you. you find yourself wishing it could stay that way, even for just a little longer.

but now, here you are, in his car, the night creeping closer to its end as he drives you home. you rest your head against the seat, staring out at the blurry glow of the streetlights through the rain-streaked windows. in your mind, the memories play on repeat, each one a familiar echo of nights like this.

there’s a pattern—you recognize it now. the closeness, the laughter, the silence when neither of you acknowledges what this really is. a situationship, something more than friendship but never quite a relationship. yet, despite it all, you don’t care. being with him in this confusing, undefined space feels better than being without him.

the car slows as he pulls up to your house, and the quiet reality hits. you glance at him, but he doesn’t say anything, just pulls out his phone when he gets a phone call, but he glances at you when you just sit there. it’s enough. you step out into the cool air, the dampness of the rain lingering in the night as you head inside.

the house is quiet, save for the faint clink of dishes in the kitchen. you walk in, and as you make your way to the fridge, your mom looks up from the counter, her eyes catching on your borrowed clothes. “whose clothes are those?” she asks, her voice casual but curious.

you shrug, opening the fridge and grabbing a water bottle. “rafes,” you reply simply, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. you don’t stick around for her reaction, turning and heading for the stairs, the sound of your footsteps fading as you make your way up.

as soon as you reach your room, you dive onto your bed and roll onto your back. your phone buzzes in your pocket, pulling your attention. with a sigh, you pull it out and open a group chat with your friends. for a second, your fingers hover over the screen, and then, without thinking too much, you begin typing.

how do you know when ur in

your fingers pause over the last word. the L word. it feels too heavy, too real to even finish typing. your thoughts stumble, second-guessing. do you really want their advice on this? what would they even say? maybe it’s not something your friends can help you with. not this.

with a slight shake of your head, you delete the message, watching the cursor blink on an empty screen before you lock your phone and drop it onto your chest.

just nights later, you get word that some pogues are throwing a party at the boneyard, but it’s not just any—it’s sarah’s friends.

you look over to rafe as he gets out of the car, his eyes scanning the beach. topper and kelce are already talking by the car, but rafe’s focus is sharp, as if nothing really starts until he steps into the mix.

he walks around to your side, opening the door and offering his hand. you take it so he can help you out of the car. his grip is firm, the way he holds you close as you step onto the soft sand beneath your shoes.

his arm is slung across your shoulder, and he gives you a playful shake as he leads the way toward the party.

even though he doesn’t say a word, the pressure of his touch says enough. it’s protective, almost possessive, like he’s staking a claim. you glance at him.

he wants you close, needs you to be within his reach, and you know it’s not just casual. it’s the way he is, the way he’s always been with you—controlling, protective. he walks slightly ahead, his arm guiding you forward as if he’s leading you, ensuring you’re exactly where he wants you to be.

and despite the way your body tenses beneath his touch, despite the chill that runs through you as his fingers press into your back, you let him. you tell yourself it’s just rafe being rafe—always wanting control, always needing to know where you are. it’s intoxicating in a way, the way he holds you there, the way he’s so sure that you belong with him.

your skin prickles, not because you’re afraid, but because there’s a part of you that knows this isn’t normal—this isn’t how it should feel. yet, despite that little voice in the back of your mind, you follow him. you always do.

you make your way into the heart of the party with your friends. the air smells like salt and smoke, laughter and music filling the space between the flickering bonfires. rafe’s hand slips from yours, but he doesn’t stray far, keeping close as he weaves his way through the crowd.

people greet him—some with a nod, some with a smile—but it’s like there’s an invisible line drawn around the two of you, keeping the rest of the world at arm’s length. and you don’t mind. not when it feels this good.

it doesn’t take long before rafe comes back with some drinks, and without missing a beat, he pulls you in closer to him. you laugh, sip your drink, and enjoy the chaos of the night, but there’s a quiet satisfaction that hums underneath it all. it’s the feeling of practically being his—of knowing that he knows it too.

the night spirals into a blur. somewhere between the music and the shots, you’ve lost count of how much you’ve had to drink. the warmth of the alcohol buzzes through your veins, making everything feel softer, the edges of reality blurring. but topper is there to catch you when you start to sway just a little too much.

“you okay?” he asks, his voice warm as a faint smile appears on his face.

“yeah, just a little tipsy,” you giggle, leaning into him, feeling the world tilt slightly.

as the night wears on, you find yourself laughing at everything, dancing wildly under the stars, the sound of waves crashing nearby blending with the music. but by the end of the night, it’s clear you’re done. you’re not sure if it’s the drinks or the way rafe is nowhere to be seen half of the time.

“this party is lame,” rafe comments as he finds you, topper, and kelce by a bonfire. he’s holding one of the red solo cups but he’s uninterested.

kelce shrugs, “to you, maybe. ‘cause there’s no snow.”

rafe weaves his way through the boys to reach you. “you’re staying with me tonight,” he says, and you don’t argue. you just nod, letting him guide you to the car, his hand gripping yours like an anchor.

once you reach his car, he opens the door for you, his hand lingering on your waist as you slide into the passenger seat. “you really had a good time, huh?” he teases, starting the engine.

“best night ever,” you reply, a goofy grin spreading across your face. you look over at him, feeling a warmth blooming in your chest, the alcohol making everything feel more intense. you just wish you saw more of him that night.

when you arrive at his house, he helps you out of the car. you stumble slightly but he catches you. “easy, easy,” he mutters, leading you inside.

even when his words are dry, and his touch is barely there, you cling to moments like this, convincing yourself it means something.

still, being this close feels good. it always does. you want to tell him—everything. to spill out the truth that’s been gnawing at you for weeks, months. but you know better. don’t ruin the moment, you think, your teeth worrying your bottom lip. it’s too good to ruin. too fragile to risk.

you want to tell him everything, to let it all out. but you can’t. not when he’s like this, not when he looks at you like nothing’s changed.

and now, you’re lying in his bed, the room spinning just a little. the pillows are soft beneath your head, and rafe is standing at the edge of the bed, watching you. his expression is unreadable, but there’s a slight furrow in his brow, like he’s trying to figure something out.

“just get some rest. you’ll feel better in the morning,” he says.

he’s standing over you, and for a moment, your thoughts are louder than the room. he looks at you like he always does—unreadable. it feels like the words are stuck, heavy and burning at the back of your throat. maybe he already knows. he has to. with how often you’re by his side, how you’ve never left, even when he’s cold and distant. it’s so obvious, isn’t it?

“okay. thank you for taking care of me,” you murmur, your words slurring slightly, the alcohol clouding your mind. you look at him, trying to read his expression, wanting to see something—anything—that suggests he cares.

you bite your tongue, trying to keep it all inside, but then the words start slipping, slow at first, like they have a mind of their own. “i love—”

you catch yourself, the words teetering on the edge of your lips. your heart races as you realize what you almost let slip, a rush of fear flooding through you. what are you doing? your heart is pounding and you feel like within a second, you’re able to turn completely sober.

silence. it’s so loud it’s almost suffocating. you force yourself to look up, desperately searching his face for a reaction, anything. but there’s nothing. his expression doesn’t change, not even a flicker of surprise or discomfort. just that same calm, indifferent look he always has.

it’s like he didn’t even register it—or something worse.

“go to sleep,” he says, his voice flat. he takes a step back, glancing towards the door, like he’s already moving on. “i’ll be back.”

all you can do is nod, your heart still racing from the near-slip. “okay,” you whisper, and you pull the blanket tighter around you.

you can’t breathe. you can’t move. your heart is still racing as you watch him leave, the door closing softly behind him. you sink back into the bed, pulling the covers over yourself, but the warmth is gone.

your head spins with everything unsaid, and you can’t shake the feeling that it’s too late.

he doesn’t care. he doesn’t care the way you do. the words hang in the air, heavy and unspoken. a chill runs down your spine as you replay the moment in your head, the way he dismissed your feelings without even a second glance.

he doesn’t care that you almost admitted you loved him? that, or . . . yeah, rafe already knows. and in some way, that scares you more than anything.

you can remember the first time you met rafe—back when you were kids, in middle school. you’d known of the cameron family, but you’d never been around enough to meet rafe specifically. for so long, it felt like you were in two different worlds. but in middle school, rafe finally noticed you, only to say something rude.

it stung, but you were kids. that was the odd beginning of your friendship. it was rough at first, barely getting along most of the time as barely acquaintances. still, you liked being friends with sarah, even if she was a few years younger. you two weren’t super close because of the age gap, but once you hit high school, you didn’t mind looking out for her when she needed it.

only then did rafe approach you again since middle school. he told you to stay away from his sister, as if you were some kind of bad influence. you weren’t, and you told him as much, calling him stupid. that was the end of it—for that day, at least.

you two shared more classes that junior year than you would’ve liked, which meant seeing him nearly every day. you never went out of your way to be rude unless he started it, and he always did. if he saw you, he usually took the chance to say or do something to get under your skin. still, it wasn’t like he was out to get you—it was more like an unspoken routine.

things only lightened up in senior year. you ended up helping him at some volunteer event he didn’t want to go to, and neither did you. you’d brought a flask, figuring it would take the edge off the boredom, and it helped break the ice between you two.

by the next week, you crossed paths again. you drove yourself to and from school, but your tire went flat one day, probably from driving over something sharp in the parking lot while pulling in during the morning.

you didn’t know how to change it, and as luck would have it, rafe spotted you on his way to his friend’s car. he stopped and helped you out. ever since that day, it felt like something shifted, and the foundation for your friendship started to take root.

“y/n,” rafe calls, snapping you out of your thoughts. you immediately turn to your window, tearing off your blankets as you make your way over to peek between the blinds.

there he is, leaning casually against the door of his truck, chewing some gum and fiddling with the wrapper. without wasting time, you rush to pull on your shoes and grab your bag, ready to head out.

now, you’re leaning against the rail of kelce’s boat, staring into your cup as the wind whips around you. it’s the usual sandbar party, and you’re already en route, cruising across the water.

the sun is bright, forcing you to squint when you glance up, scanning the boat for familiar faces. kooks everywhere—laughing, drinking, pre-gaming before the afternoon on the beach. in one hand, you clutch your drink and a pair of sunglasses, in the other, your phone.

you absentmindedly toss your hair off your shoulder, then peer over the rail to watch the water rush past beneath you. two people approach—a boy and a girl, probably friends of kelce’s since everyone got an invite to ride with him.

they linger nearby, the girl shifting nervously until she finally speaks up, “i like your top.” her words come out fast, almost as if she’s afraid you won’t hear her.

you glance her way, taking her in with a brief nod. “i like your . . . shoes,” you reply, offering a small smile. the girl’s wearing sneakers—not exactly the best choice for a day at the beach, but you’re just poking fun.

she seems to miss the teasing tone, accepting the compliment with a hesitant, “thanks.”

the boy steps forward now, smoothly joining the conversation. “how long you been in the outer banks?” he asks, like it’s no big deal, just another casual question.

you tilt your head slightly, thinking for a moment. “most of my life. you and your girl new to the island?”

the boy looks quickly at the girl, and she immediately looks away. “no, we’re just friends,” he says, glancing back at you while you watch them both closely. there’s something unspoken between them, though—especially when the girl throws him a quick, hurt look. clearly, there’s more to their story.

you extend your hand, breaking the tension. “y/n.”

“jasper,” he says, shaking your hand, and for a moment, his gaze locks with yours. but your attention quickly shifts to the girl beside him. you hold out your hand, waiting for her introduction, and after a brief pause, she reaches out.

“i’m isabelle,” she mumbles softly, her voice almost getting lost in the wind.

you give her a genuine smile. the teasing earlier probably didn’t help, but this feels like a better moment. you shake her hand, but something catches your eye. the light glints off the bracelet on her wrist, a delicate piece of jewelry that stands out against her skin. instinctively, you pause, twisting her hand gently to get a better look.

“that’s really pretty,” you say, your voice filled with genuine admiration. isabelle looks a little flustered, glancing down at the bracelet herself before offering an awkward smile.

“my mom gave it to me recently,” she explains, her voice soft, almost like she’s revealing something personal.

you raise your eyebrows, nodding like you figured. “she has good taste,” you say, pulling your hand away and giving her a playful grin. “i wish i had one like that.”

isabelle smiles, this time with a bit more warmth, as you take a sip of your drink. beside you, jasper checks his beer can, frowning slightly.

“i’m out,” he says, looking toward where kelce and rafe are talking. “kelce said he had some in the cooler. be right back.”

you watch him go, your eyes drifting toward rafe as he talks with kelce. for a second, you catch him looking at you, the briefest flicker of attention before he refocuses on jasper approaching. jasper’s probably asking where the cooler is.

you glance over at isabelle, who’s now standing beside you, her posture awkward, her drink clutched tightly in her hand.

you tilt your head at her, curiosity getting the better of you. “is he sure that you and him are just friends?”

isabelle looks startled, her eyes widening as she whips back around to face you, blinking rapidly like she’s been caught off guard. she looks away, the blush creeping into her cheeks as she stares down at her drink.

“he’s sure,” she mumbles, her voice small. “i’m not.”

you wince. the way she said it, the quiet frustration—it all sounds way too familiar. but you wave the thought off. it’s not about you right now.

isabelle looks at you, her lips twitching upward in a shy smile. “i’ve liked him since we were kids,” she admits, the words spilling out now like she’s been holding onto them for too long. “we’re only here for the summer, and our parents are best friends with kelce’s, so . . . i don’t know. it’s just complicated. i don’t think he can even read any of the hints i throw at him.”

you place a delicate hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. “well, if he doesn’t see that, then he’s stupid,” you say with a small smile, your tone light but firm. “seriously, he’s an idiot if he can’t tell.”

you give her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “he’ll either figure it out, or you’ll find someone who’s not blind,” you say, shrugging. “either way, you’ve got it.”

isabelle shakes her head and looks down at her drink, swirling it gently, the ice clinking softly against the plastic cup. she’s quiet for a second, like she’s not sure if she should even bother saying the rest. but then she lets out a sigh, giving in.

“you know,” she starts, voice low but steady, “sometimes i wonder if he even notices. like, i’ve tried. i really have. but sometimes i feel like he’s just choosing not to see it. maybe it’s easier for him that way, not having to deal with what comes next. and . . . what if i’m wasting all this time waiting for something that’s never going to happen? that scares me the most. i don’t want to look back and feel stupid for hoping.”

isabelle glances up, her brows furrowed, a soft laugh escaping her that sounds more like a breath of frustration. “but what really gets me is the fear of losing him completely. like, what if this—this friendship, or whatever it is—is all we’re meant to be? if i tell him, and he doesn’t feel the same . . . i ruin everything. so maybe i should just keep this, even if it’s not everything i want, than lose him altogether.”

you listen in silence, your chest tightening as isabelle’s words sink in. you nod slightly, acknowledging how close to home they hit. it’s like she’s pulled the thoughts straight from your own mind and laid them out between you.

all those late nights you spent wondering the same thing about rafe, the moments you brushed aside the hints you were giving him, thinking it was easier for him not to notice. you regret the other night at the party. that’s probably the furthest you’ve gotten to practically telling him how you feel.

because dealing with what comes after—if there is even any after—would change everything. maybe you’re scared of that too. of ruining whatever it is you already have, even if it’s not enough anymore.

isabelle takes an innocent sip of her drink, like she hadn’t just spilled her deepest fears. she glances around, shrugging softly. “anyway, that’s how my love life is going.” she laughs, but it’s hollow, like she’s trying to play it off as nothing, like it doesn’t really matter.

you don’t respond right away. instead, you find yourself staring at her, watching as she shifts uncomfortably, unsure of what to do with the vulnerability she just shared. your gaze drifts, following the trail of sunlight dancing over the water as the boat cuts through it.

isabelle’s words replay in your mind, over and over, threading together with every uncertain feeling you’ve been holding onto about rafe. you’ve been walking this fine line with him for what feels like forever, stuck between wanting more and being afraid of losing what you already have. and now, you’re not sure which way you’re leaning anymore.

you pause for a moment, thinking. the words hang on your tongue, but you’re not sure if you should ask. finally, you look at isabelle, your voice careful, like you’re testing the waters. “so you’re just never gonna tell him?” you ask, the question feeling like it’s aimed at both of you.

isabelle shakes her head quickly, like she didn’t mean for it to sound that definite. “no, not never,” she says, shrugging. “this isn’t something i’d take to my grave or anything. maybe when we’re older, when things aren’t so clustered for us right now. i think if we were around each other more often, maybe then i’d say something, but that’s not something i can risk under our circumstances right now.”

you just nod, absorbing her words. there it is—that’s what sets you and isabelle apart.

you get it, the fear of telling someone how you feel, whether it’s like or love, especially when the timing is off or the distance makes it easier to hide. but you and rafe? there’s no distance, no gap keeping you apart. you’ve been inseparable for years, always around each other, no excuses. and yet, here you are.

you blink a few times, but you don’t say anything, the weight of it settling between you and isabelle like a silent understanding. you both turn your attention to the horizon as the boat nears the shore of an island not far from figure eight.

you lean into rafe’s side, his arm draped casually across your shoulder, pulling you in closer, while he talks to the group—kelce, topper, isabelle, jasper—all standing around in a loose circle.

laughter flows freely, and the air smells like sunscreen and the salt of the ocean. people all around have set up umbrellas, towels, coolers—transforming the stretch of beach into a party that’s as chaotic as it is carefree. music blares from portable speakers, the kind you feel in your chest, vibrating through the sand.

volleyball games erupt further down the beach, and the sound of drunken laughter and splashing water fills the air as people float lazily on oversized inflatables.

someone cheers as a girl stumbles down to the water, pulling up her shirt in a flash of skin before diving in, the moment met with more hollering and clapping. it's all easy, light—everyone’s just letting loose, and you’re swept up in it.

you find yourself spending most of the afternoon alongside isabelle, both of you lounging in the sun, sipping drinks and sharing amused glances as the day carries on. there’s this unspoken ease between you now, something that started back on the boat. you talk without pressure, just floating through the day’s moments together.

but there are moments with rafe too. he finds you in the crowd, his hand slipping into yours as he tugs you away, guiding you through the chaos. he hugs you close, his breath warm against your ear as he leans in to say something you can’t quite hear over the noise, but it doesn’t matter. wherever he goes, you follow, and the two of you string each other along from one spot to the next, like you’re tethered together.

and then there’s that kiss. it happens just before you leave the sandbar, when the sun has started to dip lower in the sky. it’s abrupt, initiated by rafe, but it feels like something he needed to do, like he couldn’t let the day end without it.

his lips are warm, lingering on yours longer than usual, and everything else falls away. it’s like you’re the only two people left on the beach, the distant chatter and music fading into the background.

when he pulls back, it’s only for a second before he leans in again, his hands tightening on your waist, not wanting to let you go. you stare up at him after, your heart thudding in your chest, adoration in your eyes as you hold his gaze.

but now you’re home, and the contrast is stark. the dim lighting making the space feel colder, emptier. the energy of the sandbar is gone, replaced by an unsettling quiet. you sit on your couch, your leg bounces up and down, restless, as you stare blankly ahead.

the silence of your empty house is deafening. the faint ringing in your ears from the silence draws you into your thoughts—back to yesterday, back to the way rafe held you close, the way his presence felt like an anchor.

you felt safe, maybe even whole, when you were with him. but now, sitting here alone, the difference is almost suffocating. it’s strange how quickly it can shift—one day surrounded by people, warmth, noise, and the next, alone with only your thoughts, replaying every detail, every touch, every feeling.

the way things are now, it’s safe. there’s no risk, no line to cross that you can’t uncross. but if you were to tell him, to lay it all out there, could you handle the fallout?

because what if he doesn’t feel the same?

but then he kissed you. like he did yesterday, so suddenly, so effortlessly, pulling you into him like it’s second nature. it’s like he knew exactly when to pull you back in, just when you were starting to think too much. and just like that, all those questions you’ve been holding onto, the ones that sit heavy on your chest every time you’re near him, dissolve. because when he kisses you like that, it’s easy to forget everything else.

they vanish, swallowed by the feeling of him, so close, making you feel like maybe you don’t need to figure it all out right now.

but even then, just for a second, it’s on the tip of your tongue. you almost say it, almost let it slip, but you stop yourself. you always do.

i love you.

you convince yourself it’s not the right time, not the right moment, or maybe it’s not something you should say at all. and just when you’re about to pull away, to push the thought down like you always do, he kissed you again.

and just like that, you’re right back where you started. questioning, doubting, but never fully letting go. the feelings circling around inside you, waiting for the next time you’re close enough for them to surface again.

the next few days blur together, each one melting into the next. it feels as though you’re standing still, trapped in your bubble of emotions while everyone else rushes past you, moving faster and faster.

your best friend’s voice cuts through the fog of your thoughts, calling your name with a playful urgency, like she’s been doing for the past few moments. you blink, looking away from the raindrops on the window and finally focusing on her, the light in her eyes breaking through your haze.

“what?” you ask, your voice barely above a whisper, still slightly disoriented.

she laughs, a warm sound that pulls you back into the moment. as she continues talking, you lean into your pillow, letting the comfort envelop you.

the conversation drifts toward summer plans—what they have been up to, the adventures they’ve had. your friend shares her own stories of beach trips and spontaneous late-night drives.

“we should definitely go to that new froyo place tomorrow,” she suggests. “i heard they have all these crazy flavors. oh my g— remember last summer when we tried to make our own?”

you smile at the memory, letting it wash over you. just as you’re settling into the rhythm of the conversation, your mom pops her head in, breaking the moment. “dinner’s almost ready,” she calls from the doorway.

“thanks, mom,” you murmur, your voice soft as you turn your head slightly to give her a smile. she nods, and with that, she slips away, leaving the door ajar.

as soon as she’s gone, you lean back down, resting your elbow on your pillow and propping your head on your hand. your gaze drifts to your phone, almost expectantly, fingers itching to scroll through your notifications. you’re not even sure what you’re hoping for, but the silence feels heavy, and a part of you longs for a message.

your friend watches you closely, an amused smile creeping onto her lips. “do you want to text him?” she asks casually, the knowing glimmer in her eyes saying she’s onto you.

“him?” you feign innocence, raising an eyebrow. there really isn’t anyone else in your life who fits the bill like rafe, but you can’t just assume. she, however, sees right through you.

“come on, y/n. you know who i’m talking about.” she gets comfortable on your bed, sinking into the pillows as she watches you, her interest piqued. “what’s the deal with him anyway?”

you hesitate, slow to respond, feeling the weight of the question. you can’t seem to pinpoint how to explain what’s been going on. “things are good,” you say finally, the words feeling vague and hollow even as they leave your lips.

the look on your best friend’s face shifts immediately, arching an eyebrow. “good? really?” she prompts, tilting her head as if trying to pry more out of you.

you roll your eyes, exasperated by her unwavering gaze. “fine, it’s complicated,” you admit, the truth slipping out before you can stop it. you grab your phone, sinking deeper into your pillow, scrolling through your notifications as if the action could distract you from your tangled thoughts about rafe.

or maybe even check if you even have a notification from him.

she watches you scroll through your phone, her eyes flicking to the slight frown on your face. she doesn't speak right away, just sits there, observing. then, she reaches over, placing her hand gently over your phone and setting it back down on the bed.

“nevermind. you know, you’re gonna drive yourself crazy overthinking like this,” she says softly, shifting to face you more. “sometimes you just gotta rip the band-aid off and stop worrying about what might go wrong. otherwise, you’ll be stuck forever.”

you glance at her, unsure if you want to hear it. but she’s already readjusting her position, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she continues. “god knows i would’ve done things differently with cooper, but you know.”

you lean your head back, letting out a dramatic exhale at the mention of his name—cooper. you’ve heard enough stories to last a lifetime. but you pull your head forward again, looking at her as she reaches over once more, this time placing her hand over yours.

“i just think you should really do it,” she says, her tone more serious now.

you sigh, rubbing your eyes with the arm you’ve been propping yourself up on.

“whatever,” you mumble, shaking off the tension. “let’s go eat dinner. i’m starving.”

after dinner, your friend excuses herself to use the bathroom, leaving you and your mom at the table. your mom finishes up her plate before glancing at you, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “was it good?” she asks.

you don’t say anything, just smile softly and nod. she smiles back, the corners of her eyes crinkling with affection as she gets up to collect the dishes from the table, already moving to tidy up and call it a day.

you stand too, silently helping her by stacking the plates and utensils as she handles putting the leftovers in containers. the clink of dishes and quiet movement fill the space.

when you walk over to the sink, you place the plates inside, fingers lingering on the faucet handle. but you stop. turning around, you fiddle with your hands, the words you've been holding onto threatening to spill out.

your voice is quieter than usual when you finally ask, “how do you know if you love someone?”

your mom pauses in her search for containers, her hand resting on the cabinet door as she looks over at you. she sets down the lid she’s holding and turns, studying your face carefully. “what do you mean?” her tone is soft, open, and it catches you off guard.

you bite the inside of your cheek, unsure of how to phrase it without sounding like some naive girl, like a kid who thinks she’s in love. you lean back against the counter, gripping the edges behind you. “i’m in this situation—literally—with this boy, and—”

your mom cuts in, a knowing smile spreading across her face. “is it rafe?”

you freeze for a second, caught off guard, but the way she says it, almost amused and without judgment, relaxes you. of course she knows. it’s not like you two ever really tried to keep anything a secret. the island knew, your friends knew, but hearing your mom say it so casually makes your lips curl into a sheepish smile. “yeah,” you admit quietly.

your mom crosses her arms, leaning against the counter opposite you, still smiling. “what’s going on?”

you exhale softly, unsure where to even begin. “i don’t know,” you start, “we’re close, obviously. and he’s been . . . we’ve been spending so much time together lately, more than usual. but it’s confusing, you know? like, he doesn’t commit, but then there are these moments, like, i feel like there’s more between us. and i don’t want to ruin what we have, but i also don’t know if what we have is enough anymore.”

your mom watches you carefully, absorbing everything you’re saying. her expression softens as she considers her words. “i remember when i was your age,” she begins, her voice taking on a reflective tone. “i was in a similar situation with your father. we weren’t perfect—far from it—but i knew i loved him. i knew it because i was scared of losing him, but more than that, i was willing to fight for him. and i did.”

you blink at her, surprised. she rarely talks about how she and your dad got together, and when she does, it’s usually brief.

“we had our ups and downs,” she continues. “but in the end, it was worth it because i didn’t give up on what i wanted. and that led me here,” she says, her smile widening as she gestures lightly, “to you.”

you look down, her words settling in. “so you’re saying i should, what? take a chance?”

“i’m saying if you think it’s worth it, if you believe in it, then don’t be afraid to fight for it. but you have to be sure, really sure. because if you’re not, it’ll show. and rafe? he’ll see it.”

your mom moves toward you, placing a gentle hand on your arm. “whatever happens, just remember, you deserve to be happy. don’t settle for anything less.”

you’re still absorbing your mom’s words, turning them over in your head, when she leans slightly, nodding toward the back door. “go,” she says, her tone gentle yet resolute.

you blink, caught completely off guard. “wh— now?” your voice comes out confused, almost a laugh. you glance toward the window, where rain streaks down the glass. “mom, it’s pouring.”

she waves a hand, like the rain is the least of your worries. "i know. go put on a jacket. tell rafe how you feel."

your chest tightens, a swell of uncertainty rising up again, but there’s something in the way she looks at you—something that makes your heart stutter. “mom,” you start, your voice uncertain, but she interrupts, her expression soft but determined.

“listen,” she says, stepping closer, her hands gently shooing you toward the door, “it’s when you get to the end of your life that you realize how important the choices you made at the beginning were. you’re young, y/n. you have your whole life ahead of you to figure things out.” she pauses, her eyes meeting yours. “but you don’t want to look back, wondering what would’ve happened if you’d just taken that chance.”

your breath catches in your throat. you can’t deny that a part of you has been afraid—afraid of what admitting your feelings for rafe might do to your friendship, to the years of closeness you’ve built. but there’s something about the way she says it that strikes deep, a kind of clarity you’ve been avoiding.

“and,” she continues, stepping back just slightly, "even if it doesn’t turn out the way you hope, you both know you’ll always work out as friends. you’ve known that for a long time now.” she smiles then, soft but sure. “so go.”

you stand there, rooted in place, feeling the weight of your indecision lift—just a little. your mom knows. she’s always known. and the more you think about it, the more you realize she’s right. the fear, the hesitation—it doesn’t outweigh what you already know about rafe. about how solid you two are, even in uncertainty.

without another thought, you step forward, pulling her into a tight hug. “thank you,” you murmur into her shoulder, voice muffled but heartfelt. you linger for a second longer, breathing in the familiar scent of home, of comfort. “i owe you for this. and for the dishes next time.”

your mom chuckles as she pulls back. “all you owe me,” she says, brushing a strand of hair from your face, “is handling your friend when she gets back from the bathroom and realizes that you’re not here.”

you grin at that, shaking your head slightly as you turn away. then you rush toward the front door, grabbing a jacket from the table, your fingers fumbling for your car keys. the adrenaline starts kicking in, buzzing beneath your skin, and your heart beats faster—not from fear, but from excitement. clarity.

the rain hits your face as soon as you step outside, cool droplets splashing against your skin, soaking through the jacket almost instantly. but you don’t care. not this time.

you hurry toward the car, slipping behind the wheel, and as the engine roars to life, there’s only one thing on your mind. you’re not running away anymore—you’re going straight to him. straight to rafe, to tell him everything.

your mom is still standing in the kitchen, smiling to herself as she wipes down the counter. your friend emerges from the bathroom, stretching dramatically.

“ugh, i have the biggest food baby right now,” she groans, rubbing her stomach with an exaggerated pout. “like, seriously, i think i might be in my third trimester.”

she stops mid-step, suddenly noticing that you're nowhere to be seen. her gaze flickers around the room, confusion settling on her face. “where’s y/n?”

your mom just smiles, glancing up from the counter with a knowing look.

the rain pounds against your windshield and your fingers grip the steering wheel tighter, knuckles white, as the tires cut through puddles, water splashing up on either side of the road.

it’s dark outside, the kind of dark that makes the world feel like it’s closing in, and yet you drive, the rain blurring everything except for the weight of what you’re about to do.

you can hardly believe you're doing this—driving to rafe’s house, of all places, on a night like this. it’s pouring. but the rain, the storm, the darkness—they almost feel fitting. like the weather outside mirrors the chaos that’s been brewing inside you for months.

you think about him. about rafe. about the time you’ve spent together—the laughs, the touches, the kisses, the way he makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world.

you think about the nights he’s held you close, his breath warm against your neck, and the mornings where he pulls away just a little too soon, leaving you wondering if you imagined it all. it’s like being on a tightrope, balancing between something beautiful and something terrifying.

this thing with him, it’s not really a relationship, is it? it’s more like a maze with no exit, a constant loop of confusion and longing, of wanting more but being afraid to ask for it.

you’ve told yourself a thousand times that you’re okay with it—that whatever this is, it’s enough. but it’s not. and deep down, you’ve always known it’s not.

you’ve spent so long trying to figure it out. is this love? do you love him? or is it just the idea of him? the way he makes the world feel quieter when everything else is so loud, so overwhelming. you’ve wondered if maybe you just needed someone, anyone, to make you feel like you weren’t going through life alone. you’ve questioned if it’s love or if it’s desperation.

but then you remember the way his eyes soften when he looks at you—like he’s seeing past every wall you’ve ever put up. you remember the way his touch feels like it’s grounding you, like it’s the only thing keeping you tethered to reality. and it hits you, harder than you’ve ever allowed it to before. you do love him.

you’ve probably never loved anyone as much as you love rafe cameron. and it’s terrifying.

because how do you tell him that? how do you tell someone you love them when you’ve spent months pretending you’re fine without a real answer, pretending that this . . . undefined space you’ve both been living in is enough?

your mind is racing, your heart too, as the road blurs in front of you. the rain is relentless, but you barely notice. all you can think about is him. about how you’ve spent so long holding back, holding yourself in this limbo, waiting for something—anything—to change. but nothing will change unless you make it change.

you’ve waited for him to make the first move, to say something, to define what’s between you, but you’re done waiting. you love him, and whether or not he feels the same, you need him to know. you need to say it out loud. maybe for yourself, more than for him. you can’t keep living in this. you deserve more than that.

the rain is pouring harder now, like the sky is trying to drown the world, but it doesn’t matter. nothing matters except for the fact that you’re almost there. almost at his house. almost at the point of no return.

your heart is in your throat when you pull into his driveway. you sit there for a moment, the engine still running, the rain beating down on your car, and you just breathe.

but then you remember his smile. his laugh. the way he makes you feel like you’re floating and falling all at once. and you know you have to do this. you can’t keep living in the in-between.

you throw your jacket over your head as you step out into the rain, the cold water soaking through your shoes, your pants, everything. it’s freezing, but you barely feel it. you walk up to his front door, your steps heavy, heart even heavier. you knock, once, twice, and then wait.

your heart feels like it’s about to explode. everything you’ve wanted to say, everything you’ve felt—it’s all bubbling up inside you, ready to spill out the second the door opens. you’re nervous, terrified, but ready. so, so ready.

the door creaks open, and there he is. rafe.

he looks at you, rain-soaked and trembling, and it’s like something clicks in his eyes. like he knows exactly why you’re here. like he’s been waiting for this moment, too.

you smile, a soft, trembling smile, your heart in your throat. “hey.”

he stands there, staring at you with that familiar look, the one that’s always made you feel like maybe—just maybe—he’s been feeling the same way all along. and then he smiles back, a small, understanding smile that makes your heart skip a beat.

“hey.”

911 notes · View notes

leahrintarou · 2 months ago

Note

Hi there! How are you? I love your works and I wanted to request a Dabi or Hawks x Reader NSFW oneshot please? Also could you have the font not too small? It’s just I can’t read anything in small fonts.

✩₊˚.⋆ BESTFRIEND'S BROTHER - dabi/touya todoroki

CW: unprotected sex, oral (dabi receives), soft/hard! dom dabi, female reader with female anatomy, fingering, a lot of sexual tension, makeout sesh, stimulation & penetration, uhh...thats it lol

Word Count: 6.2k (no regrets tbh lmao)

Author's Note: hi! i hope you enjoy. this ended up being WAY longer than expected. if you have a request, send it in and i'll be happy to write it!

the weekend at y/n's best friend's house always felt like an escape from her regular life. it wasn’t just the familiar sound of the tv in the background or the scent of home-cooked meals—it was being part of a family that felt like a second home. she dropped her bag by the couch and took a deep breath, already feeling more relaxed.

"glad you're here," fuyumi grinned, flopping onto the couch with her usual laid-back energy. "this weekend’s going to be awesome. we’ve got a full fridge and no one’s gonna bother us."

y/n laughed, sinking into the chair across from her. "just like old times," she said, already feeling the comfort of the place sink in.

"yeah," fuyumi replied, glancing toward the stairs. "oh, heads up—my brother’s back from college. so, if you run into him, don’t let him get on your nerves, okay?"

y/n shrugged casually, though the mention of touya made her stomach flip just a bit. there was something about him—he had this quiet, brooding presence that always made her feel a little uneasy. not in a bad way, just… aware of him. "touya? he’s cool. no big deal."

fuyumi snorted. "alright, just don’t let him pull any of his usual stunts."

the day passed easily enough—video games, snacks, and laughter filling the hours. but as night fell and the house grew quieter, fuyumi went upstairs to sleep, leaving y/n alone in the living room. she was flipping through channels, trying to wind down, when she heard footsteps approaching. looking up, she saw touya standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.

"still up?" he asked, his voice low and casual.

y/n sat up a bit, startled by his sudden appearance. "yeah, couldn’t sleep," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

touya stepped into the room, moving with that easy, quiet confidence he always had. he sat down on the couch next to her, but not too close—just enough that his presence was noticeable. the air between them felt heavier, but not uncomfortable.

"how’s college going?" he asked, glancing at her briefly before looking at the tv. his tone was neutral, like he was making small talk out of habit.

"good," y/n replied, shifting to a more comfortable position. "busy, but good."

touya nodded, leaning back slightly. "yeah, i figured. you seem different, though. not as jumpy as you used to be."

y/n blinked, caught off guard by his observation. "i was never jumpy," she said, though her voice lacked confidence. she couldn’t deny there had been times when just being around him had made her feel awkward, but that had been years ago, right?

touya smirked, giving her a sideways glance. "sure you weren’t."

y/n rolled her eyes, leaning back into the couch and crossing her arms. "okay, maybe a little, but you’ve always had this weird, intimidating vibe, dude."

he raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "weird and intimidating? great combo," he said, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly in a teasing grin. "yeah, well, you’re not that scary once you get used to it," y/n shot back, feeling more comfortable as their banter eased the tension in the room.

"good to know i’ve lost my edge," he said, his tone light but laced with that usual dryness of his.

the room fell into a quiet lull after that, but it wasn’t the kind of silence that felt awkward. y/n found herself more at ease, the earlier tension slipping away the longer they sat there. she flicked through the channels aimlessly, her focus split between the tv and touya’s quiet presence beside her.

"you come here a lot," he said after a moment, not looking at her this time.

"well, fuyumi’s my best friend," y/n replied easily. "this place feels like a second home."

touya gave a soft hum of acknowledgment but didn’t say anything else. he seemed to be considering her words, his eyes fixed on some distant point on the tv screen. y/n let the silence hang, not sure what else to say, and for once, it seemed like touya didn’t either.

eventually, he stretched and stood up, breaking the quiet between them. "anyway, i should head to bed," he said, running a hand through his hair. "goodnight, y/n."

"night," she replied, watching as he moved toward the stairs.

he paused in the doorway, glancing back at her with a smirk that she couldn’t quite place. "oh, and y/n?" his voice was casual, but there was a glint of something mischievous in his eyes.

"yeah?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

he leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "i’m just curious. you sure fuyumi’s the only reason you come around here so much?" his tone was light, almost teasing, but there was an edge to it that made her heart skip a beat.

y/n blinked, caught off guard. "what’s that supposed to mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. she tried to play it cool, but she could feel her face heating up just a little.

touya shrugged, his smirk deepening. "nothing, just wondering. you’ve been coming here for years—figured maybe there’s more to it."

"dude, seriously?" she huffed, rolling her eyes. "it’s for fuyumi. don’t flatter yourself."

he chuckled softly, clearly enjoying her reaction. "alright, alright. just asking," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "goodnight, y/n."

"goodnight," she shot back, watching as he finally disappeared up the stairs, leaving her sitting there, heart racing a little faster than she’d like to admit.

even though she knew he was just messing with her, the question lingered in her mind longer than she expected. he was teasing, sure—but it felt like he wasn’t completely guessing either. the thought made her stomach flip, but she shook it off, trying to convince herself it was nothing.

turning off the tv, y/n headed to bed, telling herself she wouldn’t overthink it. but as she lay there in the quiet house, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something between them had shifted, even if just a little.

---

"we'll be back later tonight, y/n!" fuyumi said as she gave y/n a quick hug. she was currently going to some kind of convention with her younger brother shoto. y/n insisted that it be just the two of them go for some bonding time and fuyumi honestly appreciated her consideration.

"yeah, be safe." y/n smiled and fuyumi's closed the door after following behind shoto. y/n went to the kitchen to wash up the dishes. afterall, she'd just finished eating lunch with fuyumi. she was lost in her own thoughts until she felt a presence just behind her, making her jump slightly.

“you always zone out like that?” touya’s voice came from directly behind her, teasing and low, startling her out of her thoughts.

y/n spun around quickly, clutching the dish towel a little tighter than necessary. “geez, touya, you scared me!” she said, trying to calm her racing heart. he had this way of sneaking up on her when she least expected it.

touya leaned against the counter, his usual smirk tugging at his lips. “didn’t mean to. just seems like you’re always deep in thought when you’re alone.” his eyes flicked down to the dish towel in her hands, and he raised an eyebrow. “you didn’t have to do the dishes, you know. we’re not that formal.”

y/n shrugged, turning back to the sink to finish rinsing the last plate. “just trying to be helpful. figured fuyumi would appreciate it.”

he made a small noise of acknowledgment but didn’t move from his spot. she could feel his gaze on her as she dried her hands, the air between them once again filled with that same quiet tension from the night before. but there was something different about it this time—something that made her more aware of his presence, more aware of the way he stood just a little too close.

“so,” he started, his tone casual but carrying an undercurrent of curiosity, “what are you doing today? since you’ve got the place to yourself.”

y/n turned to face him, leaning against the counter opposite him. “not sure yet. maybe just relax, watch some movies. it’s kind of nice having some quiet time.”

touya tilted his head slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. “and you don’t mind being here alone? in my house?” the way he said it, so casual yet laced with something almost playful, sent a small shiver down her spine.

“it’s fuyumi’s house too,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “besides, i’m used to it by now.”

he chuckled softly, the sound low and a little rough. “fair enough. but still... feels different when it’s just us, doesn’t it?”

y/n blinked, not sure how to respond to that. the way he looked at her, so direct, so unapologetically confident, made her feel like he was pulling at something she wasn’t ready to confront.

“you’re... really good at making things awkward, you know that?” she finally said, crossing her arms and trying to play it off with a laugh.

touya’s smirk widened, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “oh, am i? didn’t realize i had that effect on you.” his voice dropped slightly on the last word, and y/n felt her cheeks heat up.

“that’s not—ugh, never mind,” she muttered, turning to put away the towel, hoping he didn’t notice her flustered reaction. but of course, he did.

he pushed off the counter and stepped closer, his movements slow and deliberate. “relax, i’m just messing with you,” he said softly, his voice a little too close to her ear. “but you’re kind of fun to tease, you know.”

y/n shot him a glare, though it lacked any real heat. “yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” she said, her heart beating faster than she would’ve liked. there was something about the way he was acting today—something that felt more intentional, more focused, like he was testing the waters.

“we’ll see,” touya murmured, stepping back finally, giving her some space. “anyway, enjoy your quiet day,” he added, turning toward the stairs. but before he left the kitchen, he paused, glancing over his shoulder with that same unreadable look from last night. “and y/n... if you get bored, you know where to find me.”

she rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the small smile from tugging at her lips. “yeah, yeah. don’t hold your breath.”

touya chuckled and disappeared up the stairs, leaving her standing there, a mix of confusion and something else swirling in her chest. it was just touya being touya, right? always teasing, always pushing buttons. but for some reason, it felt like there was more to it now, like he was waiting for her to react in a way she wasn’t ready for.

shaking her head, y/n tried to brush it off and went back to cleaning up the kitchen. but even as she went through the motions, her mind kept drifting back to touya’s words, to the way he looked at her, and to the strange feeling that maybe—just maybe—he was right. something between them had shifted, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face what that meant.

---

after an hour of flipping through channels and trying to distract herself, y/n finally gave in to the boredom that had been creeping up on her. she glanced at the empty living room, then up toward the stairs where touya had disappeared. she really didn’t want to admit it, but the house felt too quiet without fuyumi around, and—whether she liked it or not—touya was the only other person here.

with a resigned sigh, she pushed herself off the couch and made her way upstairs, her footsteps feeling louder than usual on the wooden steps. as she reached the top, she hesitated for a moment before knocking lightly on touya’s door.

“what?” his voice came through the door, sounding both mildly irritated and amused at the same time.

y/n rolled her eyes and pushed the door open slightly. “i’m bored. you wanna watch a movie or something?”

touya, who was lying on his bed with his phone in hand, glanced up at her, one eyebrow raised. “you’re that bored, huh?” he said, smirking as he sat up.

“yeah, well, you’re the only one here,” she shot back, leaning against the doorframe. “so, you in or not?”

he stretched lazily, then stood up, his smirk still firmly in place. “sure, but let’s watch it in here. i’ve got a better tv.” he motioned toward the flat screen mounted on his wall.

y/n hesitated. watching a movie in his room felt... different. more personal. but before she could think too much about it, touya had already grabbed the remote and flopped back onto his bed, patting the space beside him. “come on, i don’t bite. unless you ask nicely,” he added with a teasing grin.

she rolled her eyes again but walked in, sitting down on the edge of the bed, trying to keep some distance between them. “just pick something,” she said, crossing her arms in a show of nonchalance.

touya scrolled through the movie options, his gaze flicking toward her every now and then, clearly enjoying the way she was trying to act casual. “how about a horror movie?” he suggested, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “you know, something to get your heart racing.”

y/n shot him a look. “if you think i’m gonna get scared and cling to you, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“who said anything about clinging?” he smirked, selecting a movie without waiting for her answer. the opening scene flickered onto the screen, the eerie music setting the tone.

they watched in silence for a while, but y/n couldn’t ignore the tension building in the room. she was hyper-aware of touya’s presence next to her—the heat from his body, the way he stretched out comfortably while she sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, trying to act unaffected. every now and then, she’d glance at him out of the corner of her eye, catching the faint smirk that never seemed to leave his lips.

about halfway through the movie, during a particularly quiet scene, touya shifted closer, his arm brushing lightly against hers. y/n tensed up, her heart picking up speed despite her best efforts to keep her cool.

“you okay there?” touya asked, his voice low, teasing. “you seem a little... jumpy.”

y/n scoffed, trying to play it off. “i’m fine.”

but then, his hand moved—slowly, deliberately—and rested on her knee. the touch was casual, almost innocent, but it sent a spark through her that she couldn’t quite ignore. she swallowed hard, focusing on the screen, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her react.

“you sure about that?” touya asked, his voice soft and almost mocking. his fingers brushed lightly against her knee, a barely-there touch that felt far more intimate than it should have.

y/n bit her lip, her heart racing now. she couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose or if he was just messing with her, but either way, it was working. she could feel her composure slipping, her breath coming just a little faster.

“you’re... annoying,” she muttered, trying to sound unaffected.

touya chuckled softly, his hand still resting on her knee. “am i? or are you just bad at hiding how flustered you get around me?”

her eyes snapped to his, and she saw the challenge in his gaze, the way he was watching her closely, waiting for her reaction. he was pushing her buttons, testing her limits, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep pretending it wasn’t getting to her.

“i’m not flustered,” she shot back, her voice a little too defensive.

“sure you’re not,” he murmured, his thumb brushing ever so lightly over her skin now, the sensation sending a shiver up her spine.

y/n clenched her fists, determined not to let him see how much he was affecting her. “you’re ridiculous,” she muttered, turning her attention back to the screen, though she couldn’t focus on the movie anymore.

touya leaned in closer, his breath warm against her ear. “maybe. but you’re not moving away, are you?”

her breath hitched slightly, and she cursed herself for not pulling away earlier. he was right—she hadn’t moved, hadn’t told him to stop. and now, with him this close, his touch lingering, it was harder to remember why she hadn’t.

“i—” she started, but the words caught in her throat as his hand slid up just a little higher, resting on her thigh now, his fingers curling slightly against her skin.

the tension between them was almost unbearable, the air thick with something unspoken, something that felt like it had been building for a while now. y/n’s mind raced, torn between the urge to push him away and the undeniable pull that kept her frozen in place, her pulse quickening with every second that passed.

“still think i’m annoying?” touya’s voice was barely above a whisper now, his lips dangerously close to her ear, the teasing edge in his tone softened by something else—something darker, more serious.

y/n swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. “yes,” she whispered back, though the word came out shaky, betraying her.

touya chuckled, his hand squeezing her thigh gently before finally pulling away, leaving her skin tingling in the absence of his touch. he leaned back against the pillows, his smirk firmly in place, but there was a new intensity in his eyes, one that made her stomach twist in ways she wasn’t ready to admit.

“you’re fun, y/n,” he said, his voice casual again, though the tension in the room hadn’t fully dissipated. “but you’re not as good at hiding things as you think you are.”

y/n exhaled slowly, trying to steady herself. “shut up,” she muttered, but there was no real bite to her words.

he laughed softly, turning his attention back to the movie, but y/n could still feel the weight of his gaze, the unspoken challenge lingering in the air between them. whatever game they were playing, she wasn’t sure if she was winning—or if she even wanted to.

as the movie continued to play, the room felt heavier, thick with unspoken tension. y/n tried to focus on the screen, but her mind kept drifting back to the way touya's hand had felt on her thigh, the lingering warmth of his touch making it hard to think straight.

he didn't say anything for a while, content to watch the movie-or at least, that's what it seemed like. but y/n could feel him stealing glances at her, could sense the quiet anticipation in the air. it was as if they were both waiting for the other to make the next move, teetering on the edge of something neither of them could ignore any longer.

her heart raced as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, catching the way his smirk had softened into something less teasing, more serious. his eyes weren't on the tv anymore- they were on her, and the intensity in his gaze sent a shiver down her spine.

"you're really not into this movie, are you?" touya's voice cut through the quiet, low and knowing.

y/n huffed, shifting in place. "i'm watching," she insisted, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her. she could feel the tension growing with each passing second, her pulse quickening as the weight of his stare made her hyper-aware of the space between them.

or rather, the lack of space.

"really?" touya's tone was teasing again, but there was something deeper in it now-something more focused, more deliberate. "cause it seems like you're a little... distracted."

y/n's breath hitched as he shifted closer, his knee brushing against hers now. she could feel the heat radiating off him, the pull between them growing stronger with every second.

"maybe it's you who's distracting," she shot back, her voice steadier than she expected, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. not yet. not when her heart was pounding this fast.

touya chuckled, the sound low and rough, and she could feel the way it vibrated through her. "you think so?"

finally, she turned to face him, and the moment their eyes met, it was like the air was sucked out of the room. the teasing smirk on his face had faded, replaced by something darker, something she wasn't sure she could resist any longer. his gaze dropped briefly to her lips, then back to her eyes, the silent question clear.

she swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. "what are you doing, touya?"

"what do you think i'm doing?" he murmured, his voice softer now, but laced with a kind of confidence that made her stomach twist in ways she couldn't ignore. his hand reached up, fingers brushing lightly against her cheek, the touch so soft it sent a shiver down her spine.

y/n's breath caught in her throat, her mind racing. she knew where this was headed, knew that if she didn't stop it now, there'd be no going back. but the more she thought about it, the less she wanted to stop. the pull between them was too strong, the tension too thick, and it felt like they'd been building to this moment for longer than either of them wanted to admit.

"touya..." she whispered, but the protest in her voice was weak, barely there.

he didn't say anything, just leaned in a little closer, his thumb brushing against her lower lip, making her breath hitch again. his eyes were locked on hers, and in that moment, everything else faded away-the movie, the room, the fact that this was fuyumi's house. all that mattered was him, and the way he was looking at her, like he was daring her to close the distance.

and then, without thinking, she did.

it was like something snapped inside her, all the tension that had been building between them finally breaking free. her hand reached up, fingers curling into his shirt as she pulled him toward her, their lips crashing together in a kiss that was more desperate than she'd expected.

touya responded instantly, his arms wrapping around her as he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer. his lips were warm, firm, moving against hers with a kind of urgency that matched the wild thrum of her pulse. she could feel the heat of him.

y/n gasped as his teeth grazed her lower lip, sending a jolt of electricity through her, and touya took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth, the kiss growing hotter, more intense. her mind was spinning, her heart racing, and she could barely think straight-only feel the way his body pressed against hers, the way his hands roamed up her back, pulling her impossibly closer.

she wasn't sure how long they kissed- time seemed to blur, the movie forgotten in the background. all that mattered was the heat between them, the way his lips felt against hers, the way his hands gripped her waist like he didn't want to let go.

eventually, they pulled apart, both of them breathing heavily, their foreheads resting together as they tried to catch their breath. y/n's mind was racing, her lips tingling, and she couldn't quite believe what had just happened.

"you-" she started, her voice shaky, but touya cut her off with a soft, breathless laugh.

"you started it," he teased, though his voice was husky, his breath warm against her cheek.

y/n rolled her eyes."shut up," she muttered, though there was no heat behind it.

touya's grin widened, his fingers brushing against her cheek again, softer this time. "you don't want me to," he said, his voice low and teasing, but there was something softer in his gaze now-something that made her heart skip a beat. "and you know that."

she didn't respond, just leaned in and kissed him again, slower this time, savoring the way his lips felt against hers. because as much as she wanted to pretend this was just a fluke, something told her that whatever had just started between them wasn't going to end anytime soon.

as their slow kiss deepened, the tension between y/n and touya became almost unbearable. every touch, every brush of their lips seemed to pull them closer, the heat building between them in a way that felt impossible to ignore. y/n’s hands instinctively gripped the fabric of his shirt, pulling him toward her with more urgency as the kiss grew hungrier, more desperate. touya responded in kind, his grip tightening on her waist, his hands sliding down to her hips as he pulled her flush against him.

the soft, teasing touches from before had given way to something far more intense, more primal, and y/n could feel the shift between them. the air was thick with unspoken desire, and with every kiss, every touch, it became harder to think clearly, harder to hold back.

touya broke the kiss just long enough to murmur against her lips, his voice rough with barely contained need. "you’re driving me insane, sweetheart. if you’re having second thoughts, say it now—or else I’m gonna assume that you actually hate me." there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, like he was giving her one last chance to stop, but the way his hands gripped her hips told her that he wanted this just as much as she did.

y/n’s breath was shaky as she looked up at him, her pulse racing in her ears. the question hung in the air, and for a moment, she considered pulling back, considered the implications of where this was heading. but the moment she met his gaze, filled with desire and something deeper, she knew that there was no going back now—not with the way her body responded to him, not with the way her heart raced every time he touched her.

instead of answering with words, y/n kissed him again, harder this time, her hands slipping up to tangle in his hair as she pressed herself against him. it was all the confirmation he needed.

touya groaned softly into the kiss, his hands sliding from her hips to her waist, pulling her closer as he shifted, guiding her onto his lap. the feeling of being so close to him, straddling him as his hands roamed up her back, sent a thrill through her that made her shiver. she could feel the heat radiating from him, the growing intensity of his touch as he explored her body with a newfound sense of urgency.

his lips moved to her neck, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses along her skin, and y/n couldn’t suppress the soft moan that escaped her. her body was reacting to him in ways she hadn’t expected, and the way his hands gripped her thighs, kneading the flesh through the fabric of her bottoms, only made her want more.

“touya…” she breathed, her voice shaky as his lips continued their assault on her neck, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her. she felt his teeth graze her skin, not quite biting but enough to make her moan again, her body arching against him instinctively. "please..." she practically whined when he only continued to tease her.

she felt the strain of the tented area just beneath her sex. she took advantage of this, forcefully grinding down against him and touya let out a strained moan. "watch it, y/n." he warned, his teeth closing to pinch an area of the skin on her neck. she ignored his words, doing it once more, making him draw back with a deep moan.

touya removed his hand from y/n's waist, his digits firmly grasping her throat. "what did fuck did i just tell you, angel?" he mutters through a heavy breath. she allowed a smile to appear onto her lips. he needed her just as much, but he was dead-set on getting y/n to corrupt before him. he pulled away from her, holding her gaze for a long second.

lust.

the two we're the epitome of that very word. "let's see if that quick mouth of yours is only good for talking shit." touya released y/n from his grip and she slid her straddling position further down to his thighs. he used his hand to gently grasp her nape as she made quick movements to pull down his sweatpants and breifs. she was met with his teased and desperately hard length.

she looked up at him, holding his gaze as her tongue lapped up the leaking pre-cum. touya let out a breathless moan at the warm pleasure to the sensetive area. his grip on her nape tightened when her lips clasped around him, lowering her head as she gradually took in more of his length. she let her jaw relax and shut her eyes tightly as she tried to focus on taking in as much as she could.

"f-fuck." touya moaned, his bottom lip catching between his teeth as he fought to hold his composure. "more." he moaned, breath hitching in his throat when y/n lifted her head before the tip of her nose met with his lower abdomen once again. y/n continued this motion, only stopping to take a deep breath. touya held y/n's nape, not allowing her back up. she reached for his hand, interlocking his fingers with his own. she tried her best to hold out for a few more seconds and finally gave his hand three squeezes. touya imeedietly released her and she came up with a gasp, glaring at him.

"good job, angel." he smiled, eyes focused on her reddened lips. when touya's eyes flickered back up to her own, he saw the small frown on her lips. "don't be like that. I'll let you fuck me, but i tell you what to do." he leaned closer to her, placing his lips against hers. "remember that." he watched as y/n rolled her eyes, making him let out a small laugh.

"say's who?" y/n questioned, allowing touya's fingers to trail just beneath the hem of her shirt. his fingers were warm against her even warmer skin, causing her to shudder slightly. "who do you think?"

"what makes you so confident touya?" it was a genuine question on y/n's part. every action he made was never hesitated and neither were his words. "because you haven't stopped me," he says, fingers trailing just beneath the waistband of both layers of clothing. "not even when i do this." two pads of touya’s digits pressed against her bud, massaging the area as y/n leaned into his touch and pressed her forehead against his shoulder.

she let out a moan of his name and touya pressed his lips against the shell of her ear. "if you don't tell me exactly what you want, angel -- i cant give it to you." touya continue and y/n wrapped her fist around his wrist. she whined, head feeling foggy from the pure feeling of bliss and pleasure. she used a free hand to wrap around touya’s length but he held her hand, stopping her from doing anything.

"you can have me, sweetheart, but you gotta come first."

that only drove y/n to grind herself against his fingers. touya was amused by how desperate she was becoming. he was desperate himself, but he'd hold out for however long it took if it meant getting to see y/n fall apart just from his touch.

as she continued, her moans heightened and her breath quickened, making touya pull his fingers away. "touya, are you trying to kill me?" she groaned. "now why would i ever want that?" the smirk on his lips made y/n feel more vulnerable than before. she needed him and they both knew that. "let me make you feel good." y/n nodded to his words with pleading eyes and lifted herself up a bit to remove her restricting layers of clothing.

y/n let out a small cry at the new sensation of him being inside of her. she was hesitant to relax and let herself take in the rest of him. touya reached for her hands, interlocking his fingers in-between her own. "relax, you can take it. i know you can." while it seemed that he was trying to comfort her, his tone said otherwise.

it was taunting-- teasing even. like he was daring her to do so. like he wanted to prove that he would always be above her when it came to this unspoken competition thats been the blueprint of their relationship since the first time they met. she did just that.

touya let out a sigh of satisfaction at the engulfed warmth against him. his strokes were tedious and slow. with every one, the smile on his lips grew wider since y/n's was completely unraveling beneath his touch. he attempted to control his breaths, but if he was being honest with himself, he could topple over the edge given the right movement.

he swore to himself that he wouldn't let that happen. not until he got y/n to finish first. that task was incredibly easy since the minute he pulled her down to him to give her a long and lustful kiss, y/n bit down on his bottom lip due to the pleasure. the change in positioning allowed touya to reach that spot that never failed to make her entire being weak.

"touya.." she drew out a long whine. he hummed, adjusting for her to face him. she held his gaze as he spoke. "words, n/n." he said, waiting for her to reply. she only let out a small whimper at the lack of pleasure. "what? you goin' dumb on me?" he teased, making her gare. she shook her head, not even caring how weak she looked when it came to he and his words.

"tell me what you want. fuyumi might be coming back soon. i can't give you what you want if she's here and able to hear her bestfriend losing her mind over-"

"shut up, touya." y/n groaned. "make me come. that's what i want. is that good enough for you?" she finally spoke. he analyzed her features, her eyes welled with a coat of tears. "please." her voice barely louder than a whisper.

he didn't bother to reply and only gave her what she wanted. what he wanted as well. but she could never know that, could she? pleasure-filled noises filled the room, the heat of their bodies fueling them all the more. touya held y/n close to his chest as she took one of her hands from his own to ball his shirt into her fist. anything to ground herself to reality. he was pushing her over the edge physically and mentally. call it a sick game of his, it was being enjoyed by the both of them.

the sounds bouncing off of the walls being proof of that.

his toungue dragged over her neck as the warmth in her abdomen heated. the sensation riveting in her core caused the tightening coil to finally snap. y/n cried out and touya gripped her hips tightly as she clenched down on him. "y/n." he groaned at the action. he quickly lifted her from his length despite her reluctance and pleas. he replaced the void with his fingers, shutting her up and helping her riding out her high as she grinded her bud against his palm. she moaned, eyes shut tightly.

as she finally began to settle from her high, she was about to let herself relax, but touya spoke. "that's selfish of you, y/n. besides, don't you think you deserve what you worked so hard for?" his hand was wrapped around his length. y/n wanted to say no. damage his high ego even if it was just a small amount. yet, she couldn’t.

his expanded pupils met with her own as his eyelids were low, capturing every movement she made, including the one where she used up the last bit of her energy to lean down to his lap and once again taking in the current most sensetive part of his entire being. he mumbled small praises to y/n as she pleased him. she let out a hum around him when his hand firmly gripped her nape to pull her off of him.

"y/n, i'm gonna come." he warned. like mentioned before, the blueprint of their relationship was some sort of competition, so when touya couldn't physically stop his body from going over the edge, the warmth of his arousal spouting from the tip of his length and meeting y/n's tongue just before she swallowed, he knew that he no longer was above y/n. they were even once again and y/n knew that. infact, it was her goal.

she released him, chest heaving after holding her breath for such a long period of time. she used the back of her hand to wipe away the remains of his come that had made its way to the corner of her lips. "can't let me have anything can you?" touya rolled his eyes, pulling y/n towards him.

she couldn’t even have control over her weakened body as her head met with his warm chest.

"you can't tell fuyumi about this, touya." y/n said, now serious as they both began to settle down from the adrenaline endorsed moment.

"why would i spoil the fun, angel? I'd love to see how long you can keep your cool."

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watchmegetobsessed · 2 years ago

Text

DECODE

A/N: okay wow, it's actually here, but let me say a ew things first: i am no it proessional so there are some made up stuff so don't come after me if there are untrue things in the story lmao. also, the ending... im not entirely in peace with it, but i've been sitting on this story for way too long so i just bit my tongue and finised it. don't come after me if you don't like it... but anyway! hope it didn't turn out as bad and you'll enjoy the story!

WORD COUNT: 13.7k

SUMMARY: You're up for the promotion you've always dreamt about, but right when you need to prove everything goes downhill. Lucky for you the cute, quiet IT guy, Harry, is there to help you out.

MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!

There’s that feeling when you wake all by yourself, a moment of peace takes over you for not starting the day off with your one true enemy, the alarm, but then panic instantly stabs you in the chest when you realize it’s a weekday and there’s absolutely no way you just woke up before your alarm, feeling this rested.

Your eyes pop open and you sit up in a frenzy looking around in the room, figuring out what happened and what should be done now. First you check the time on your phone and when you see that it reads 8:32 you almost start crying, but there’s no time for that, so you jump out of bed and sprint into the bathroom, stopping on the way when you spot Eric in the hallway, fully dressed, ready to leave.

“Eric?! Why didn’t you wake me up?!” you snap at him. He turns to you with innocence all over his face.

“I thought you were off today,” he simply says.

“Off?! We have the board meeting today, how could I be off!” you practically scream as you rush into the bathroom to get ready in less than two minutes hopefully.

“I’m sorry!” he calls out from outside. “I’ll see you in the office!”

And the next thing you hear is the front door opening and closing.

“Motherfu…” you mumble as you start washing your face like a crazy woman.

You leave in ten minutes, but you’re fifteen minutes late already, no matter how magically fast you got ready. You don’t have time to get a bagel for breakfast and you’re already halfway into the office when you realize you left your lunch at home too. You somehow shorten the route and win a few minutes on your way in, but you still arrive ten minutes late, looking like a hot mess, completely out of control as you make your way to the twentieth floor to your desk, pretending you haven’t just had the absolute worst morning of your life.

The elevator almost closes right in front of you, but before you could smash against the sliding doors a hand sticks out and stops it, letting you slip in last minute.

“Ah, thank you,” you breathe out, your purse sliding off your shoulder and your folder almost falls from your hands.

“N-No problem,” a sweet and smooth voice answers, but your hair is such a mess, it covers your vision and you don’t see the kind man that saved you a few minutes with his move. The moment the elevator arrives to your floor you jump out and rush towards your desk.

“You alright, boss?” Zaya, your intern asks, who is more like a personal assistant at this point. She eyes you curiously from her desk as you gasp for air and try to soothe out the wrinkles on your blouse, though there’s absolutely no use in it.

“Everything is perfectly fine,” you force a smile on your face as you start your computer, emails flowing in like crazy the moment you open your inbox. “Just had a rough morning.”

With Zaya’s help you go through everything at light speed, it’s one of your biggest strengths, being fast and productive, so in just about twenty minutes you reduce the thirty-seven unread emails to just two.

You’ve cleared your schedule beforehand so you can have a practice run for your big presentation. Today’s board meeting is gonna be an important one. There’s a promotion at risk, one you’ve been working your ass off to get and now it’s so close, you can almost feel it between your fingertips. This presentation and what stands behind it all is what you’ve worked for night and day for the past month and you have never been more confident in yourself, though you can’t shake the general nervousness off.

You make your test run to Zaya who says her mind is blown and there’s no chance you won’t get the promotion.

“You got it, boss,” she fist bumps you, something you’ve grown to like, it’s her form of appreciation.

“I hope so,” you sigh. “Alright, I’ll grab a coffee quickly before the meeting.”

You head a few levels down to the main kitchen area that has the best coffee machine in the building. It’s already past the morning rush, so you’re delighted to see that there are just a few people lingering around. Including Eric.

“Hey!” you huff out a smile as you stand next to him at the coffee machine. He peeks at you, just a tiny smile on his lips, but it doesn’t reach his eyes like usual.

“Hey.”

“If you’re curious, I was only just a bit late this morning,” you chuckle to yourself, grabbing a cup while Eric waits for his own coffee to get ready.

“Mm, great. Sorry about… the morning.”

“It’s okay, are you nervous? About the presentation?”

Funny enough you’re running for the promotion against Eric, the guy you’ve been hooking up for the past few months. It’s nothing serious, no strings attached, mostly just sex, though you believe that if you spend at least three nights together every week and spend time outside of bed as well, that has to mean more than just a regular hook up.

Right?

“Not really,” he shrugs, but it doesn’t sound genuine.

“It’s okay, you’ll do good,” you smile at him warmly as you place your hand on his arm and give it a squeeze, but you’re surprised when he moves out of your touch, shooting you a look.

“Not… in the office, Y/N,” he grits through his teeth, looking around to check if anyone saw the tiny gesture while you’re just blinking at him dumbly.

Yes, you usually keep your… whatever it is out of the office, but he hasn’t been this distant to you before. Before you could ask his phone starts ringing and he mumbles an apology before running off.

You write it off as nerves, you know Eric to be highly competitive, it must be a new field for him as well, running against someone he is involved with.

Your heart is racing when you enter the boardroom, welcoming the people that will decide your future at the company, the CEO, the CFO, the head of marketing and a few others you’re not that familiar with, but you know they have power.

For the promotion you had to come up with a plan to boost the numbers on the website that hasn’t been doing much lately. You worked up a plan for a marketing strategy that would reach the target audience in a better way, it’s pretty awesome, you’re quite proud of it and you’re convinced you’ll kick ass with your presentation.

There are a few more minutes left until the meeting, you pour yourself some water and go ahead to open your slides on your computer so you have it all ready when it’s your turn.

“What… Oh no,” you whisper, when your computer starts lagging and the cursor freezes. “No, no, no!”

“Everything alright, Miss?” the CFO notices your panic.

“Yes!” you force a smile on your face. “Everything is… perfect.”

He nods and turns back to his previous conversation while your panic intensifies. You keep pushing buttons and trying to move the cursor, but it looks pretty dead, so you decide to shut it down and try to restart it, hopefully it will come back from the dead.

Eric strides into the room, but as he takes his seat he doesn’t even look at you, just sets out his own laptop and paper notes and stares ahead of him. No matter how you try to catch his attention, he ignores you fully and it’s just another punch in your stomach.

What the hell is happening?

“Alright, everyone ready?” Daniel, the CEO claps his hands together. “Eric, you’re up first,” he gestures at him and while you’re still desperately trying to revive your computer.

Eric sets up and when his presentation appears behind him your stomach drops instantly.

The title, the topic, the colors… everything. You know all of it, because… because you made it. It’s yours.

You forget about your computer as Eric starts talking and he presents your idea, everything you came up with and worked hard on, he hasn’t changed a bit about it and now he is making it look like it’s his own. If you were panicking before now you’re about to set on fire.

That would be probably nice, because you wouldn’t have to go up there and most likely embarrass yourself.

How did he get your presentation? Why did he steal it? You can’t blame him just out of the blue, you need proof and right now the only device that could have it is dead in front of you.

You are so screwed.

“ Holy fucking shit, oh my God!” you keep mumbling under your breath as you approach your desk, holding your dead computer to your chest, eyes wide from what you just went through.

“Boss? You alright?” Zaya’s eyes widen when she sees you all shocked and traumatized.

“No! I’m anything but alright!”

Luckily, the small meeting room near your desk is vacant so you’re quick to take it, Zaya following you right after, shutting the door closed so you can unleash fully.

“Oh my God I can’t fucking believe him! The asshole! How did he fucking do it?!” you snap, throwing everything to the table so you can anxiously start pacing the floor with your hands on your hips. “I cannot believe this, what the hell!”

“Y/N, what happened? You’re starting to scare me,” Zaya eyes you and she actually looks scared which is a new thing, the girl is fearless.

“Eric! He stole my… my whole fucking presentation!” you whisper-yell, throwing your hands up into the air. “Every slide! Every detail! It was all mine! And he sold it as his own!”

“W-what? But… how? And what did you present then?”

“I have no idea! He was up first, as we all knew ahead of time, he went up there, opened his presentation and it was mine! I thought I was about to fall off my seat, fucking hell,” you groan, rubbing your face with your hands. Thanks to your rushed morning you’re not wearing any makeup today so at least you can’t turn yourself into a panda bear. “My laptop died right before the meeting started so I could use it as an excuse and… fuck, I made up a whole other plan on the spot!” You’re about to start hyperventilating, maybe even crying which you’ve never ever done at work before.

“But… that’s good, right? That you came up with something new?” Zaya tries to see the bright side of it, but you shake your head violently.

“You know what I came up with? I said I’m planning to rebuild the whole fucking website! All of it!”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes! I basically set myself up for failure!”

Everyone knows a full makeover could easily be a death sentence, especially with such a short notice. You have no structure to it, no plan and most importantly no IT support to do the actual work. Because you can dream up any idea, but you cannot actually write the code for it.

Zaya tries to cheer you up but you both know you’re not only knee high, but probably neck high in deep shit. She promises to take up extra hours to help you figure out what to do and though it’s nice, the situation still feels pretty much lost.

You’re on the verge of tears when you make your way to the IT department to have your computer checked out, which is still pretty much dead. You’re already dreading the interaction, Steven, the head of the IT department is a real pain in the ass, he never wants to actually help with anything so it’s always a fight to get things done with him.

When you walk into their office he is the first one you see and you almost groan out loud, but manage to keep quiet as you approach him.

“Hi Steven, do you happen to have a moment?” you ask, as politely and nicely as you can in the light of what just happened, but apparently it’s not enough for him, because the look he gives you makes you want to turn around and run away.

“What’s the matter?” he grimaces, fixing his glasses as he leans back in his seat.

“My laptop just died,” you hold up the device.

He stares at you, then at your laptop and then his eyes flicker back to you and he stays silent for what feels like forever before he speaks up.

“I have no time for this now,” he says, returning to his own computer and your shoulders fall forward in defeat, but then he speaks up again. “Go to the back and ask for Styles.”

“Thank you,” you breathe out and are already on your way away from his desk.

Maneuvering between the desks you’re trying to find out who’s Styles or who to even ask to tell you where to find him and you’re just about to stop at one of the desks when you see a big screen, a sticker on the back of it that says H. Styles, so you make your way over there.

As you’re approaching the desk a head full of chocolate curls appear and soon you spot the guy sitting behind the screen, peering up at you with curious, green eyes from behind his glasses.

“Are you… Styles?” you ask, feeling weird that you only know his family name. He stares at you for a second with wide eyes and you start to think you’ve got the wrong guy, but then he nods, the curls bouncing along with the movement.

“Y-yeah. I’m Harry Styles.”

“Great! Steven said you might be able to have a look at my computer, it’s completely dead.”

“Sure,” he clears his throat as he pushes back from the desk while you round it to give the laptop to him. “W-what happened?” he asks as he opens it up and tries to turn it on, but the screen remains black.

“Um, basically it froze right before the most important presentation of my life and then it died and hasn't turned on since then,” you summarize with a sad smile as you watch him grab some kind of cable to connect your laptop with his computer.

Harry hums as he opens some kind of program that has a long, complicated looking code running in front of him and he clicks and searches in it so easily as if he was reading a children’s book.

“Is it fully dead?” you ask after a couple of minutes.

“No, but you got a virus, it might take some time to restore everything and some files might not make it, I’m sorry.”

You let out a shaky breath, feeling like crying again, but you manage to swallow them back as you lean against the edge of Harry’s desk. He looks up at you like a frightened kid.

“I-I can try to get everything back, I promise, it’s just that–”

“No, I know it’s not up to you. Thank you though. I’m just on the verge of… would it be weird if I started screaming right now?” you ask rhetorically as you pinch the bridge of your nose.

“I can set up another one for you to use with all the access cloned from yours, but you won’t have the files in the meantime.”

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”

“Is there any file in particular you want me to try to recover?”

“There’s this folder that would be nice if I had it, here, this is the name,” you say as you grab a post-it and a pen and scribble the name down with all the files in it.

“Okay, I will try to restore it. Give me a few minutes to set your replacement computer up.”

Nodding sadly you wait by Harry’s desk, watching him work on his computer like it’s an instrument and he is pretty much a professional. You know nothing about programming, but Harry seems like a wizard, you have no idea why Steven makes him deal with all the tiny things when he could pretty much redeem the world.

“Here, this is the password, everything is set up,” he hands you the new computer.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll give you an email when I have something about your old one.”

“Okay, my address is–”

“I know, I just… I literally just logged you into your account,” he reminds me with a shy smile and you realize he’s right.

“Oh. I forgot. Well, thank you so much, Harry. And I’m sorry you have to deal with it now.”

“It’s fine, I’m the newest on the team, this is how it goes. Rookies get to deal with all the device issues,” he chuckles shortly.

You nod with a sympathetic smile and pay one last look to your savior. He looks young, around your age, but he’s sporting a slight stubble that adds some harshness to his otherwise boyish face. He’s got kind eyes behind his glasses, the prettiest pink lips you’ve ever seen on a man and his curls are screaming to be touched, though you’re not sure HR would take it well if you were just walking around the office, touching people’s hair. Oddly, it wouldn’t be the first time they would have to deal with a situation like this. Bobby DeMarco was a weird dude who worked in sales and he had an even weirder obsession with playing with women’s hair randomly. He didn’t last too long at the company, luckily.

When you return to your desk it takes everything in you to focus on working and A, not find Eric to claw his eyes out and B, not anxiously wait to hear anything from the board about today’s meeting. They are supposed to give feedback today and approve if you can continue working on your project and they can easily just kick you out of the whole thing as well. If that happened Eric would still have to prove himself to be a good fit for the role, but you’d have no chance to ever step up at the company.

You’re a mess, to say the least. You’re panicking over having to do a full website makeover in just a month, you have no idea where you stand with Eric and honestly, you’re torn between never wanting to talk to him and also screaming at him until your lungs give up.

God, your sister will be so mad, she was right! Jeanie warned you. She said it right at the beginning when you started hooking up with Eric that it’s not gonna end well, but you thought she was talking about being dumped eventually, not getting your promotion stolen from you!

When Zaya comes up to you with a question later in the day you’re still so shaken up you can barely make out an answer for her.

“I think you should report it,” she suggests, holding her notebook to her chest.

“And what do I have as proof? My computer is totally dead with all the evidence I made the presentation,” you groan, leaning back in your seat.

“Let’s hope the hot IT guy can restore everything.”

“Hot?” you chuckle. “How do you know he’s hot?”

“You said it’s Harry doing it, right? Curly hair, glasses?” You nod. “I know him, he is definitely hot,” she shrugs smirking, shifting her weight to one leg. “You know what would be nice? Hooking up with him to get revenge on Eric!”

“H-Hooking up? Why would Eric care about who I hook up with?” you clear your throat, pretending like you haven’t had a thing going on with Eric these past months. Zaya gives you a look that clearly says you shouldn’t think she’s stupid and blind.

“Please, Y/N.”

Sighing you roll your eyes as you give up the act.

“Judging from the betrayal Eric gives absolutely no shit about me.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” she shrugs just when your computer pings, signaling two new emails in your inbox.

One from the board and one from Harry.

“Oh shit,” you gasp as you lean forward so fast you almost fall off your seat and Zaya runs behind your desk to see what’s happening as you open the email from the board.

Your eyes skim over the lines several times before you finally process what was written in it.

They approved your plan. You’re still up for the promotion.

“Congrats! You made it!” Zaya cheers.

“Fuck,” you whisper under your breath.

“What’s wrong? I thought this was what you wanted.”

“The chance and the promotion? Yes. But now I have to do a full website makeover in a month which is practically impossible.”

You’re still moping and silently panicking when you’re approaching Harry’s desk for the second time today. When he sees you he jumps to his feet and you almost break a smile because he looks like a puppy for a second, but then you see that he has taken his sweatshirt off, wearing only a simple black t-shirt that puts his tattoo littered arms on display.

Fuck, Zaya was right. He really is kinda hot.

“Hey,” he waves at you when you finally reach his desk.

“Hi, how did it go?” you ask with a deep breath.

“Actually kinda good, I could save most of your stuff,” he says as he sits back and you walk behind his desk, seeing your laptop still wired to his computer. “I saved the files onto a harddrive, but I don’t recommend you to keep using the laptop, it’s… it’s pretty fried,” he chuckles, pushing the glasses further up on the bridge of his nose and for a moment you just stare at his side profile instead of focusing on what he’s showing you on his screen.

“Uh, that’s okay, I’ll be fine with the files,” you clear your throat.

“So um… I don’t know if it matters or not, but I-I thought you might want to know that you didn’t just get the virus because you clicked on something, it was… well, someone put it on your computer and it started attacking the firmware.”

You blink a few times as you process his words and then it all starts to make sense.

“What do you mean someone put it on my computer?”

“Well, there was a malware hidden on your computer that basically attacked the firmware which made it impossible for you to use the laptop and it also attacked the files saved, I found an implanted code that was giving access to–”

“Harry, I don’t really understand what you’re saying,” you remind him, his words sounding absolutely foreign to you.

“Sorry,” he breathes out with a nod. “So basically, the virus stopped your computer from working and it also gave access to a third party to reach your files.”

“So someone could use my files?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

You feel like fainting again, because now it all makes sense. And you’re starting to see red.

“Can you see what files they messed with?”

“Actually, I’m glad you asked,” he smiles proudly. “I was able to find everything they duplicated and there’s a folder they tried to get rid of, but I restored it.”

“Is it by any chance the folder I gave the name to you?”

“It is,” he nods, his fingers starting to type on his keyboard at lightspeed. “Here. See these lines?” he asks, pointing at a code you understand nothing of, but you nod. “It’s basically something they should have paid attention to if they wanted to leave no trace, but I found it so now we know what they were trying to put their hands on. I even have time stamps too. The virus was on your computer for a while and then it was activated to attack the firmware today.”

This is all like a movie, it feels like you’re in Mission Impossible or James Bond, except it’s not a great villain who is working against you but the guy you trusted to let into your bed. The guy you considered your friend and even something more than just that lately.

You made a mistake, you see it now and you want to dwell on it but you know you have no time for that, you have to keep moving forward.

“Do you know who did it?”

“Unfortunately, no. I could only get proof if I had access to the other person’s computer who was hacking yours. I’m sorry.”

Harry seems genuinely sad, as if he failed, but he did so much for you already.

“It’s okay. Thank you so much, can you… like, make a record of all these? So we have all this as proof at least.”

“Already done,” he nods. “Do you want me to file a report?”

“No. No need for that,” you shake your head. “But… I want to ask a favor from you. I know we barely know each other and you probably have a lot of work, so feel free to say no.”

“What is it?”

“Do you want to help me redesign our whole website?”

You’re anxiously chewing on your bottom lip as you wait for the Skype call to be answered, your sister’s name flashing on the screen until her pixelated face replaces it.

And she looks mad, just as you expected.

“Y/N, I told you so! I literally told you so!” she starts off, the voice cracks a bit as the call stabilizes.

“Can we skip the part where you tell me off like a child for hooking up with a coworker who ended up fucking me over?” you flash a smile, but she rolls her eyes at you, leaning back on her couch, her right side getting more illuminated by the lamp beside her couch. It’s past seven in the evening in Tokyo while it’s just six am for you. For the past six months this has been your usual, trying to call each other at a time that’s reasonable for the both of you with the insane thirteen hours of time difference. It’s definitely a hard task and sometimes you have to plan a call days, even weeks ahead.

“No, because I’m so mad!” she groans. “Mostly at the fucker, but you as well!”

“I really don’t need to hear how much I fucked up,” you mumble, looking down at your lap.

“Sorry,” she sighs, realizing she is making you feel even guiltier. “I’m just… you worked so hard for this and now he is ruining it.”

“I’m still up for the promotion,” you shrug.

“Yeah, but you said it’s almost impossible to do what you presented.”

“Well, things are looking a bit better now.”

She listens intently as you tell her about what Harry found on your computer and how you ended up asking him to help you out. You truly didn’t think he would say yes, but he didn’t even think about it before agreeing. So now you have the IT part covered by him, you just have to come up with all the rest.

“This Harry guy…” Sammy starts and you hold up your hand.

“Don’t give me the speech again, I learned my lesson.”

“No, actually I wanted to say that I like him.”

“For real?” you ask, raising your eyebrows.

“I mean, he is willing to work an immense amount of extra time on your project and he basically has no benefit from it. I hope you do realize how big of a sacrifice he is making for your promotion.”

You knew how big of a deal it has been from Harry to help you out but now that Sammy said it out loud, realization hits. It’s not right he gets nothing out of it, so you note to yourself to go over it with him when you meet him in the morning for your first planning session.

“I’ll talk to him about it. Now let’s talk about something else.”

Harry was afraid he wouldn’t be able to wake up so early in the morning and make it into the office for the meeting with you, but it turns out his excitement to be working with you is kicking him out of bed even before his alarm goes off.

He does his usual morning routine, shower, get dressed, breakfast and checking he has everything he needs in his backpack for the day and then he’s on his way. When he walks into the café that’s two blocks away from his apartment the bell gently chimes above his head, catching the attention of the owner, Frida.

“Harry! You’re up early today!” she greets him with a beaming smile, her grey hair is in her signature low bun, her blue eyes twinkling at the sight of him.

“I have an early meeting,” he mumbles with a shy smile, the tip of his ears turning red and she doesn’t miss it, but she knows how closed off he is so she doesn’t even try to tease her about it.

“The usual?”

“Um, yeah, but can you make it two?”

“Of course,” she nods with a knowing smile, her suspicion is getting proven that this early meeting is with someone special.

The two chat lightly while Friday makes the coffees to go, handing the paper cups to Harry once they’re done.

“Have a lovely day, Harry,” she waves after him and he nods back, pushing the door open with his hips, a cup in each of his hands.

He can’t deny there’s a pep in his step as he enters the building that’s eerily empty so early in the morning. He did not expect his day to take such an unexpected turn yesterday. He’s seen you around the office a few times before but he knew nothing about you, just that your laughter is ridiculously contagious. Then you jumped into the elevator with him in the morning, looking a bit messy but very pretty nevertheless. He could only blink as the elevator sped up and moments later you were out of sight.

But then you strolled into the IT department with your ruined computer and he finally learned your name. While he wanted to help with your laptop as much and fast as possible, he was also dreading the moment you’d pick the harddrive up with all your files and then never talk to him again. He felt silly, crushing on a woman he only officially met just a few hours before, but he couldn’t help it. Even when you were visibly stressed and worried he thought you were enchanting.

He was not expecting you to ask for his help, but luckily his brain clicked instantly and agreed without hesitation. For one, he’s been dealing with boring projects as the rookie on the team and this seems like a great challenge for him.

On the other hand, he would have said yes to anything you asked him, literally.

So now as he walks into the meeting room where you’re supposed to meet his excitement is mixed with some anxiety, because as much as he is curious about this project he is nervous to spend so much time with you all of a sudden. He can only hope he won’t seem like a freak to you.

Thanks to the early Skype session with Sammy you’re on time too, arriving to the office building just minutes after Harry. He’s setting his laptop up when you arrive, his head snapping up when you approach the desk and take the seat next to him.

“Morning,” you smile at him warmly.

“Good morning,” he smiles back, fixing his glasses to sit straight before reaching for the extra cup of coffee. “Um, I brought you this. Actually, I realized too late that I don’t know how you like your coffee, so y-you don’t have to drink it…”

“Oh! That’s very kind, thank you! I drink coffee however I can,” you chuckle. “I just need the caffeine.”

You see a small smile flash across his face before he returns to his computer while you settle next to him.

“Before we start, I wanted to go over something with you.” Harry turns to you curiously as you try to figure out what to even say. “This is a huge thing and I know it needs a lot of time and work. I don’t feel comfortable letting you do it without getting anything for the work you do.”

“Oh, I-I don’t need anything, I’m glad to help.”

“That’s very kind, but it still doesn’t feel fair. If there is anything I can do for you, literally anything, just feel free to ask. I would feel better if I knew you’re getting your reward for your work.”

Harry thinks about it for a few seconds before nodding to himself.

“Do I have to come up with something now?”

“No,” you chuckle. “Just promise me you’ll think of some way I can pay you back.”

“Okay.”

In the next hour you learn two things. One, working with Harry is incredibly easy. He is efficient, communicates well and simply a great at teamwork, it’s like a breath of fresh air after some of the people you’ve previously worked with.

The other thing you learn is that he is incredibly smart and it makes him very… sexy.

God, you shouldn’t be having these thoughts after what happened with Eric, but you’re not immune to a good-looking man with so much knowledge, especially when it’s in IT. You know nothing about coding and when he pulls up his miles long codes, types quietly for a few minutes and then shows you what he did, explaining to you the science behind it… it’s making you feel things you shouldn’t be. It’s so attractive when someone knows so much about something and they’re passionate and devoted to the field. It’s clear that Harry’s field is programming and he is ridiculously good at it.

You were afraid the task would turn out to be impossible and every time he spends just a little more time silently staring at his code you’re expecting him to give up and tell you he can’t do it.

But he comes up with something every time and by the time the meeting ends you feel oddly enthusiastic and optimistic about the whole makeover that was scaring you to death just yesterday.

“Harry, you are… truly a life saver,” you sigh contently as you lean back in your seat, a long list of tasks on your screen, but you can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

“I’m happy to help,” he smiles shyly, nodding to himself.

“Do not forget about the payment, I really want to pay it all back to you.”

“I won’t, I promise,” he chuckles softly.

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Tomorrow,” he confirms before packing up his stuff and leaving.

You stay in your seat for a little longer, just having a break before starting your actual work day. Opening up your calendar you check what meetings you have today and that’s when you face what you’ve been religiously ignoring since yesterday’s ordeal.

The weekly marketing sync where most of the time it’s just you and Eric, because Dominik, the third person who should be present likes to cancel last minute.

It’s ridiculous that you still haven’t gotten into contact with him. Part of you was expecting him to come to you, to give you any kind of explanation though there is nothing he could have said that would have explained why he did all of that.

It’s been radio silence on his part and now you have to face him and talk to him.

You’d rather throw up in the middle of the office than do it, but you have to suck it up and deal with him.

He is there in the meeting room when you walk in, typing away on his computer like nothing happened, like he didn’t just try to ruin your career.

“Eric?” you call out, your voice sounds a lot more confident than you were expecting luckily.

He looks up, his face remains completely blank and it just angers you even more.

“Hey,” he nods without batting an eye.

“Hey?” you chuckle, as you close the door behind you, shutting you away from the rest of the people outside. “Don’t you have something to say to me?”

“Y/N, do you really want to do this?” he sighs, as if it was tiring to even think about the situation.

“Eric, you stole my whole presentation and sold it as yours!”

“Are you sure about that?”

You’re seeing red. And you’ve never been this close to actually punching someone in the face.

“Of course I’m sure about it! That was my presentation! Are you fucking kidding me?!”

Eric stands from his seat, taking his sweet time as he walks closer, trying to intimidate you with the height difference, which used to work, you even found it hot when he towered over you, but now it’s like his existence is giving you the ick.

“You have no proof, Y/N. And you didn’t say a word at the meeting. That ship has sailed, now it’s time to move on.”

“It was all just a joke to you?”

“I told you at the beginning I didn’t want anything serious, that wasn’t a lie.”

“But did you do it just to fuck my presentation up? We literally started hooking up when the open position was announced.”

“Does it matter?”

“It does!” you laugh in disbelief, tears stinging your eyes, but you refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing you cry because of him.

“Okay,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I just wanted to get to know you and see what you’d come up with for the presentation, but then one thing followed the other and… I went with it.” He shrugs and then goes back to his computer like you just discussed the weather and not how he used you and then threw you away.

You can’t hold yourself together any longer, so you turn around and get as far from him as possible as you try not to start sobbing in the middle of the office. Fuck, this shouldn’t hurt this much, but you really trusted him, you thought you could have something serious, you were hoping Sammy wouldn’t be right about him, but she was. Unfortunately.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you mumble under your breath as you approach your desk Zaya is not in today, so it’s pretty calm around your desk, but then you spot someone lingering there.

“Y/N?” Harry sees how shaken you look as you finally reach him at your desk. “A-Are you alright?”

“Hi Harry,” you force a smile out, but you can’t fool anyone with it. “Did we… Do we have a meeting or something?”

“No, I just wanted to show something… Y/N, are you about to cry?””

“N-No,” you shake your head, but your lips are already wobbling and you fail to prove your words right.

“Uh, come on, let’s have a break. Want to come up to the roof?” He gently circles an arm around your shoulders and you let him lead you back to the elevators.

“Roof? We can go out to the roof?” you ask, wiping your tears away.

He doesn’t reply, just makes sure to shield you from the curious eyes as you make your way up to the top of the building. You genuinely didn’t know the roof could be used and when you see Harry push the heavy door open that leads outside you’re guessing it’s not exactly a public spot, but you don’t question it.

It looks just like how a rooftop should look, it’s definitely not open for public use but when Harry leads you over the corner and you see a little bench there, facing the panoramic view, you know you have just found a secret spot.

“Is this where you hide from Steven?” you attempt to joke as you sit down with him.

“Sometimes, yes,” he chuckles. “Not my spot though, I think the janitor comes up here to smoke, but I haven’t run into him yet.”

You sit in silence, Harry gives you time and space to pull yourself together, not rushing you to talk at all and you’re grateful for his patience. Staring ahead at the view you take a few deep breaths, telling yourself not to let Eric’s bullshit get to your head.

“I’m sorry you had to… deal with my tantrum,” you chuckle sadly at last.

“That wasn’t a tantrum,” he smiles softly. “And don’t be sorry, everyone could have a bad day. Want to talk about what happened?”

“I trusted the wrong person,” you purse your lips. “Um, the virus you found on my computer. Someone from the company put it there to fuck up my chances for a promotion I’ve been dreaming of for a long time.”

“What? Are you… are you serious?”

“Yeah and the worst part is that… god, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve been kind of… hooking up with him and he said it was all just to get closer to me.”

Harry opens his mouth to say something, but then ends up closing it, processing what you just told him. You don’t blame him for being lost and confused, it’s a shitshow, to say the least.

“That’s… That’s awful, I’m sorry,” he clears his throat, gently shaking his head.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” you chuckle. “I trusted the wrong person. Learned my lesson,” you shrug, and you wish you could actually end it all in your head with that, but you know it will bother you for a while at least.

“Can I ask who this person is?”

“Eric Sonders.”

“I think… I know him. Didn’t think he could be this… vile.”

“Me neither!” you laugh.

“So… he stole your idea and presentation, so now you have to do something else? And that’s the makeover?”

Nodding you briefly tell him what happened at the meeting, he listens intently and then shakes his head in disapproval, probably just as upset and lost about Eric’s behavior as you are.

“You should report him, this is incredibly unethical and unacceptable.”

“I have no proof. We can’t prove that he did it all to my computer, you said it yourself.”

“Shit, you’re right.”

While Harry is deep in his thoughts you just stare ahead of yourself, doing a short assessment of your current situation. This should have been an exciting, professionally challenging time in your life, working on something that would earn you your promotion, but now, you feel like it’s more out of your reach than ever.

“We’ll make it work,” Harry speaks up, as if he could read your mind. “We can do it.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah. It’s gonna be a tight stretch, but… It’s not impossible.”

“You are truly a life saver for agreeing to do it, Harry. I have no idea what I would do without you.”

He turns to you with a sheepish smile and you notice the slight pink shade on his cheeks as he nods.

“I’m happy to help.”

Part of you knew this would be deadly, but even after expecting the worst, it hits you like a train.

In the next two weeks you feel like you spend every waking moment working on the project with Harry. Sometimes you do it together, sharing ideas, discussing them, sometimes you’re together but work in silence and sometimes you do it apart. Whichever it is, you eat, drink and dream with the new website.

While Harry is taking care of the coding, you do everything else, that means content writing, planning, organizing and also designing. It’s been ages since the last time you designed anything, once upon a time you thought you’d end up in that field, but then somehow marketing came into the picture and now you have to combine your two passions.

It’s destroying you absolutely, but slowly it’s starting to add up and you can see the progress.

On a Friday evening you’re still in the office after seven, practically everyone has left by now, but you’re deep in work with Harry beside you. It's one of those quiet sessions, when you’re working together, but only speak when there’s an issue. Neither of you said anything for about an hour when the silence is interrupted by Harry’s ringing phone.

“Ah, sorry,” he mumbles, jumping in his seat at the sudden noise as he reaches for the phone, checking the caller ID before his eyes go wide. “Oh shit,” he mumbles and you look up at him as he answers the call. “Hey Mitch!”

You hear a voice from the phone, but it’s too muffled for you to make out what they are saying.

“Um, I’m kind of still at the office… No, I didn’t forget!” he protests, but the look on his face clearly tells you he did forget something. “I-I don’t know… Yeah, I’ve been just working with Y/N… No, I won’t– Mitch… No!... Uh, okay…”

He holds the phone away from his ear, covering the mic with a hand as he looks at you with anxious eyes, he looks like a reindeer caught in headlights.

“Um, I forgot I was supposed to meet two of my friends for a few drinks. Is it okay if I leave now?”

“Oh God, of course! Harry, it’s so late, I shouldn’t have kept you here so long.”

“You didn’t keep me,” he chuckles, before the worried look returns to his face. “Actually, would you… I mean only if you want to–So do you maybe… want to come?”

It’s adorable how he stumbles over his own words and you see the familiar pink shade tinting his face again, it’s a color you’ve seen a lot lately and you’ve grown to quite like it.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your time with your friends.”

“You wouldn’t intrude, I mean, I’m asking because I want you to join, obviously.”

“I-I’ll just go home and work some more, it’s fine–”

“Y/N, we’ve been working all day,” he chuckles. “You deserve some free time as well.”

You think of his words, these two weeks has been so busy you didn’t even do anything else than working and sleeping practically. Some off time would be actually amazing for your fried brain.

“Only if you truly don’t mind,” you say at last.

“Let’s pack then,” he beams with a smile as he shuts his computer down.

Twenty minutes later you’re walking into a bar you’ve never been to, joining Harry’s friends for drinks and though you can’t put your finger on it, but for some reason you feel a bit anxious.

“Hey guys,” Harry waves at a couple sitting in a dimly lit booth. The woman is the first one to look at you with a beaming, bright smile as she slides out and holds her hand out for you.

“Hi! You must be Y/N! I’m Sarah and this is my husband, Mitch,”

“It’s nice to meet you,” you breathe out as you shake hands with Mitch as well.

You’re instantly bombarded with questions from Sarah as you slip into the booth and don’t even notice that Harry leaves and then returns with two drinks.

“Oh, thank you,” you smile at him as he sits beside you.

“So how is the project going?” Mitch speaks up, lazily draping an arm to the back of the seat behind Sarah.

“It’s going good,” Harry hums with a small nod, very humble about how much he has gotten done in just the first week.

“Mostly because of Harry’s hard work,” you add, praising him the way he deserves and it brings back that pink shade to his cheeks.

Sarah and Mitch are very easy to talk to, they seem curious about the projects the two of you are working on and just you in general. You’re having a great time hanging out with them and you feel like you’ve known them for a long time even though you literally just met.

You don’t even notice how time flies by, only when Sarah checks the time and lets Mitch know that they need to be heading home so the babysitter can leave.

“It was really nice meeting you, Y/N. I hope we can do this some other time,” Sarah hugs you.

“If Harry doesn’t mind me interrupting his time with his friends, then I’m in,” you chuckle, looking at the man in question who just shakes his head with a shy smile, letting you know he definitely does not mind.

“Alright, then it’s settled!”

They say their goodbye to Harry as well and suddenly it’s just the two of you in the booth and Harry is noticeably more nervous than before.

“Um, w-we don’t have to stay, if you want to go home, you co–”

“I’m happy to stay, Harry,” you smile at him without hesitation. He seems surprised, but excited at your answer.

You order another round of drinks and with the previous ones already consumed, it seems like Harry is slowly opening up, leaving his shyness behind and you get to have a peek behind his walls. The more you find out about him the more sure you get that he is truly an amazing, brilliant person and you wish you had met him earlier.

Maybe then you wouldn’t have fallen for Eric’s bullshit. Maybe then you would have fallen for him.

The drinks you’ve had don’t actually let it register, but you’re already developing a crush on him. How could you not? He is sweet, caring, smart, very thoughtful, basically the polar opposite of Eric. It’s making you question what you even saw in that asshole, you really put the bar too low.

“Oh shit, it’s already three in the morning,” you chuckle, when you finally check the time. “I should head home, I can’t sleep all day tomorrow,” you sigh, rubbing your face with your hands, realizing just how tired you feel.

“I’ll call an Uber, is it okay if we share one?”

“It’s more than okay,” you smile at him lazily.

Minutes later you’re out in front of the bar, waiting for the ride to arrive. It has gotten significantly chillier, you did not dress for a night out so you’re holding your blazer jacket tight on yourself. When Harry notices he shrugs off his jean jacket without a word and drapes it over your shoulders.

“No, you’ll be cold!” you try to protest, but he shakes his head.

“I have a hoodie in my backpack,” he shrugs and pulls out a black hoodie, putting it on right when a car pulls up in front of you.

“Thank you for inviting me out tonight,” you quietly speak up on the backseat of the Uber, staring at Harry’s dimly lit handsome face. His glasses slid down on the bridge of his nose and you had enough drinks to have the courage to reach out and push them back gently. The gesture seemingly surprised him, but he doesn’t protest, just keeps his eyes focused on you.

“It was nice hanging out with you outside of the office.”

“Now we know we have things to talk about outside of the project,” you chuckle, making him grin as well. “We’re a great duo, Harry.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure about it at first, I have never had to work this closely together with an IT guy and I was afraid I might be too intense for you. But it all turned out so good, I like spending time with you.”

“Really?”

“Is it that surprising?” you chuckle, letting your head fall back and rest on the back of the seat. “You’re a cool guy, Harry Styles. And very handsome.”

The last comment rolls off your tongue before you could bite it back and though it’s too dark to see it, you just know he is all blushed. Before any of you could speak up, the car comes to a stop, you’ve arrived at your building. Harry gets out of the car with you and walks you up to the door.

“See you on monday?” he shyly kicks the dust, hands in his pockets.

“Yeah. Thanks for tonight,” you repeat yourself and there’s a heartbeat of silence where you feel that moment.

You probably should not be feeling this way, not after getting yourself burnt so bad, but you can’t help it. You want to kiss Harry and for a split second you believe he wants to do the same. His eyes flicker down to your lips and you move just a tiny bit closer to him, time stands still and just when you think he’ll do it, he clears his throat and steps back.

“Good night, Y/N,” he mumbles nodding before he walks back to the car.

You stand there, feeling stupid as you blink after him before snapping out of your trance, forcing yourself to walk inside. As you take a quick shower and get ready to bed you get into a spiral.

First of all you’re such a needy idiot for jumping from one man to the other. You should not be looking at men at all after Eric and yet here you are, crushing on yet another coworker of yours, what is wrong with you?!

And second, why were you expecting him to kiss you? You’ve barely known each other for a few weeks and Harry is a reasonable man, he is probably not at all like you, he probably doesn’t want to get involved with a coworker especially not you. Some signs were giving you a feeling that he might have liked you more than just a friend, but you must have totally misread him.

You have to control yourself and not scare him away, especially since he is doing you a huge favor, the last thing you want to do is to make him uncomfortable.

Harry hasn’t stopped thinking about you all weekend. Specifically about that moment in front of your apartment building where he would have sworn he felt you were expecting him to kiss you, but he couldn’t do it. Not when you were clearly intoxicated.

He didn’t want you to think he would ever take advantage of you like that.

The next week starts oddly. He gets some extra tasks and you get involved in another project as well, so you can’t work together like last week. Monday and then Tuesday rushes by without the two of you meeting. By Wednesday Harry is craving to see you again and it seems like it’s finally happening, because you don’t cancel your morning meeting. He arrives in a good mood with coffee for you and him, excited to show you everything he finished in the past days.

But then he can feel the change in you when you walk in.

You seem off, but at first he can’t tell why. You’re not your bubbly self, you seem very closed off and oddly professional compared to the times the two of you met earlier. Harry tries to tell himself it’s nothing serious, but the more time you spend together the more obvious it’s getting and he can’t take it anymore.

“Y/N?” he quietly asks at the end of the meeting. “Is everything alright?”

“Sure,” you nod, but it’s like as if you didn’t even believe it yourself.

“Did… Did I do something that upset you?”

“Nope, I just…” You sigh, giving up the facade you’ve been trying hard to keep up. “Listen, about Friday, I’m very sorry, Harry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“I feel like I overstepped a line and made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry about that. If I made you uncomfortable. I want us to work well together and my unfiltered mouth was not at all professional that night, so I’m really sorry about that.”

Harry is blinking at you, confused and lost about what you truly meant by all that. He did not see this coming and now he has no idea how to react other than just looking at you with a startled expression.

“Can we just go back to where we were before that?”

“Where… I don’t-I mean, um…”

“Let’s just forget about when we parted ways, please?”

“So… Uh, yeah,” he at last nods, trying his best to mask his disappointment. He thought there might be something more between the two of you, but this conversation is proof that you just had too many drinks and you didn’t mean any of it.

“Thank you so much,” you breathe out in relief. “I wouldn’t want to ruin our work together.”

Harry nods silently and doesn’t ask more about it.

He is trying hard to hide his disappointment and part of home wants to know if you felt even the slightest spark on Friday or it was all just the alcohol, but he is not one to dig into things that might end him up in an awkward situation. He just swallows it all down and pulls his walls up again.

You can feel a bitter taste in your mouth as well after your talk with Harry. Something felt off, but you can’t put your finger on it and soon you have something else to worry about.

You’re surprised to see Eric chatting with Zaya when you return to your desk. Your intern, bless her heart, is trying to keep a straight and professional face but you can tell she wants to scream at the man who definitely thinks he is charming the young girl with his small talk.

“Eric? What are you doing here?” you ask, biting your tongue so you don’t tell him to leave and fuck himself.

“Hey, can we talk? Privately?”

You look at Zaya and her eyes tell you what she thinks: it’s the literal worst idea ever. And you want to say no to him, but judging from his antics lately he would somehow use it against you so you don’t have much of a choice.

“Sure,” you mumble and the two of you take an empty meeting room. “So?”

“Look, I want to apologize.”

What? Is he for real? That was unexpected.

“My behavior was uncalled for and very unprofessional.”

“Do you mean the way you stole my idea and presentation or the way you talked to me when I confronted you about it?”

“Can you not attack me, please?” he gives you a look that would have put you in place before, but now it just annoys you. He is trying to make you be the one in the wrong and you want to snap at him for still being such an ass, but you want to be the bigger person and stay professional. No matter how much you hate him, you’re still colleagues.

“Go on,” you sigh, folding your arms over your chest.

“I know I can’t change the past but I think it's best if we deal with it in a decent way.”

How noble of him, pulling the rug from underneath you and then acting like he is this decent, peaceful man who just wants to work together. You want to throw up, but you swallow it back and force a smile onto your face.

“Sure, of course,” you tell him.

Seemingly Eric is satisfied with the work he did, but he is so tone deaf it hurts. He smiles nodding and heads out of the room with you behind him.

“Great talk!” he enthuses before walking away.

Zaya turns to you with wide eyes and you just shake your head.

“He wanted to apologize, though he didn’t really succeed, but I feel like it doesn’t matter to him,” you shrug as you sit behind your desk.

“You’re not forgiving him, right?”

“Of course not,” you scoff. “But we’re still colleagues, I can’t keep up the beef, it’s too tiring. I’ll just ignore his existence.”

You don’t think much of Eric’s ridiculous attempt to make peace, you keep your focus on your own project.

There’s a bit of awkwardness between you and Harry after your little talk, but you feel like with time it eases and you write it off as just him not fond of situations like the one you put him into on Friday.

Thursday afternoon the two of you are having another session together, working on some details he’s been trying to figure out himself, but he needs your input to finish them as well. It turns into brainstorming which results in a bunch of new things you want to include, but it will also add more work to your plate.

“I’m really sorry I always just keep adding new stuff to your load,” you sigh, truly feeling like you’re constantly overstepping boundaries, but Harry just shakes his head.

“I’m excited about these all. These are great functions and I’m looking forward to writing the code.”

“That sounded so nerdy,” you chuckle, but notice that Harry’s smile has disappeared.

“Sorry.”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that! It’s great, I love it when someone is so passionate about something. I love it when you get deep into the tech talk. I think it’s amazing how much you know about these stuff.”

“But you can always just tell me to shut up, I know a lot of people don’t like it when I talk like that,” he mumbles, noticeably avoiding looking you in the eyes.

“Has… someone told you not to talk about programming?”

“Um…” He shifts uncomfortably and you’re about to tell him he doesn’t need to answer, but then he speaks up. “My ex girlfriend hated it when I talked about IT stuff,” he shrugs, but you can tell it’s something he struggled with.

You can’t imagine ever telling him to stop talking about something that brings him this much joy. It’s clear this is his element and any woman that would try to restrain it is an idiot and can’t appreciate how wonderful this man is.

You watch him quietly finish up on his computer before he starts to shut it down and you know you have to say something.

“She did not deserve you.”

He blinks at you surprised so you continue.

“Anyone who wants you to stop talking about something that makes you happy is not a person you want in your life, Harry, I hope you know that.”

“Uh… thank you,” he mumbles, that lovely pink shade taking over his face once again.

“You can always talk tech with me. I like listening to it.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. It amazes me, because I know nothing about it.” And it’s really hot, you want to add, but then bite your tongue.

There’s a tiny smile on his pink lips and you can tell this moment matters to him more than you could imagine and you’re glad you could make him happy like that.

“D-Do you want to grab something to eat?” he suggests as the two of you head out of the meeting room.

“That sounds great! I’m starving!” you groan. “Let me just grab my bag from my desk.

Harry nods and follows you, he already has his backpack with him. You’re musing about what you should have and Harry is telling you about this amazing bagel place he loves when you spot the familiar figure near your desk.

“Eric, what are you doing here?” you ask, but you’re tempted to phrase your words differently, because it’s quite obvious he was snooping around your desk, not expecting you to show up after office hours.

“Y/N, hi! I was just… I thought I left some papers here the other day,” he clears his throat, stepping away from your desk.

“You had no papers with you,” you simply say, knowing well something is off with him.

“Maybe I remembered wrong,” he chuckles. “Alright, see you later,” he waves and then leaves quickly before you could ask any more questions.

“What was that about?” Harry asks as you launch at your desk, checking what might have changed.

“He was looking for something. He is trying to play me again,” you hiss through your teeth, frantically examining what he could have put his hands on, but you see nothing out of place. But then you realize that he must have thought you left your laptop, that’s what he was looking for. “Oh my God,” you gasp, quickly starting your laptop to see if there is anything wrong with it.

“What? What’s going on?”

“Harry, can you, uhh—Can you check if there is anything wrong with my laptop?” you plead as he rounds your desk and sits nodding, though he is a tad bit lost about what’s happening.

“Like, check if there’s another virus, or something?”

“Yes. I think he was trying to tamper with it again, I can’t know for sure if he hasn’t touched it earlier.”

You knew his half-assed apology was tactic, but you didn’t think he would do it all over again. Eric really isn’t the person you thought him to be.

You watch Harry type away on your computer, anxiously waiting for him to say anything and in the meanwhile you’re planning how you’ll get rid of Eric the moment you finally get your well-deserved promotion. There’s no way you’re letting a snake like him work at the company.

“I don’t see anything,” Harry finally leans back and you exhale in relief.

“I can’t let it out of my sight from now on,” you grumble, shaking your head.

In this moment you feel like you’re running out of energy, all because you trusted the wrong person. Feeling defeated you collapse into Zaya’s chair, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Harry softly says, as if he could read your mind.

“I’m in this situation because I made all the worst choices. I can’t blame anyone else but myself.”

“You couldn’t have known this is how it would turn out to be.”

“I know, but…”

“No but. Just… You know what? I’ll install an extra security program on your laptop so only you can access it, alright?”

“Really?” you sit up straight.

“Yeah, just give me a few moments.”

He gets down to work, works his magic and a minute later he is explaining to you what he got set up on your laptop to secure it.

“Harry, I owe you so much at this point,” you sigh in relief when it sinks in that Eric will not get his hands on your things again. “I have no idea how I will be able to pay you back.”

You notice a slight shift in him as he clears his throat, looking at you nervously.

“About that… I-I think I know h-how–I mean I thought about what… you could…”

“You know what you want in return?” you perk up, happy to do something for Harry after everything he did for you.

“Y-you can say no, it’s okay, I just–Um…”

“Harry, whatever it is, my answer is gonna be yes,” you chuckle, placing a gentle hand on his arm. He looks at your hand and then up to your eyes before finally speaking up.

“Go on a date… with me?”

Harry has been working up the courage to ask you all day, but he didn’t think he would have the balls to say it out loud. Sarah and Mitch urged him to shoot his shot, even after the kind of awkward conversation you had earlier. His friends were convinced you were into him regardless, but he’s been struggling to believe it himself.

It was kind of random he blurted it out, but now it’s been said and he is about to faint, waiting for your response. You’re staring back at him, eyebrows slightly raised, lips parted, but no words have left your mouth since his question.

“Y-You don’t have to, I-I understand–I mean, it’s–”

“Harry,” you cut him off. “I would love to go on a date with you,” you finally tell him and it feels like a stone has been lifted off his shoulders, his heart is about to jump out of his chest any moment.

“But I won’t take it as your payment,” you add and now it’s his turn to be surprised.

“What?” he breathes out, not sure what to make of your words.

“I would never take it as a payment, because I would go on a date with you regardless, Harry. Think of something else and we will have the date as well.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” you chuckle.

“Okay, alright, um… then… it’s a date!”

Harry is late.

He promised to be there at the meeting room on time to support you and answer any tech related questions that might come up in connection with your presentation. Eric is now presenting his (your) idea, he has added some features to it since he stole the whole thing, but it’s still mainly yours.

“Thank you very much for your attention,” he nods as he finishes his talk and the board claps shortly before it’s your turn to stand in front of them.

You’re plugging your laptop together with the projector when the door of the meeting room opens and Harry’s head pops inside. Relief washes over you as you watch him apologize for his late arrival and take a seat. Your gaze meets his and he smiles at you sweetly, holding his thumb up for you as you load the presentation. Now you feel braver, knowing he is here to support you.

You desperately wish you could read minds as you go on with your presentation. You’re met with mostly blank faces, but they were the same during Eric’s presentation as well, so you can’t tell what they are thinking about. It’s going smoothly, you rehearsed it a million times instead of sleeping in the past few days and when it’s time for questions you ace all of them, even the few tech ones. You’ve spent so much time with Harry that you can easily give an answer to everything at this point.

“Thank you for your attention,” you nod smiling at the end and disconnect your laptop from the projector, walking back to Harry.

“You did amazing,” he smiles at you proudly and his approval means the most to you.

“Thanks.”

“I’m sorry I was late, I had to take care of something.”

“It’s okay. I’m just happy you’re here.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have missed it.” The CEO stands up and all heads turn in his direction.

“Thank you for the presentations, I would like to ask the candidates to leave the room so we can vote.”

You gather all your stuff and head out with Harry by your side. Eric ignores your existence, as if he didn’t lie and cheat his way to this moment, but you’re not stressing yourself anymore about it.

You definitely believe in karma.

“You’ve got this,” Harry smiles at you softly and your heart melts at his expression.

You’re planning to have your date tonight. It’s gonna be either a ‘you’ve got the promotion, now let’s celebrate with our date’ occasion or ‘you didn’t get the promotion so let’s cheer you up with a date’, you’re fine with both, truly. You know you put everything you had into this promotion and if they still decide not to choose you, that’s their loss and your sign to move on.

You’re beyond excited about your date. There’s been an obvious change in your dynamic since Harry has asked you out, there are more glances, little touches, compliments and some very apparent sexual tension that’s still within the lines of comfort, it’s not too hard to control yourself, but you keep noticing more and more things about him that are pulling you towards him.

“I will miss our little work session,” you smile back at him shyly.

“Little? They usually lasted hours,” he chuckles, making you laugh too.

“Loved them all,” you shrug and the look on his face tells you he did too.

The board takes some time to make their decision and when the door opens fifteen minutes later your heart skips a beat. The CEO asks you all to return to the room and you take your previous seat, Harry sitting next to you. His hand brushes against your knee shortly and you look at him, your gaze meeting his as he gives you an encouraging smile.

“Thank you all for these amazing presentations, we were very pleased with the plans and projects,” the CEO starts as he stands at the head of the table. “We had no doubt you two are the best applicants for the position and it’s been hard to decide who to choose, but at last we made a decision.”

Oh God, you’re about to throw up. Is it you? Is it Eric? You hope you won’t cry. That could happen in either case, but you really don’t want to cry in front of all these people.

“The person we chose to fulfill the position is…” His eyes scan over the both of you as you hold your breath and then it finally lands on you. “Y/N Y/L/N. Congratulations.”

And just like that, your lungs fill with air again and it feels like a rock has been lifted off your shoulders.

“I told you,” you hear Harry beside you and when you look at him you see pride all over his face and you can’t stop yourself from throwing your arms around his neck to hug him.

“Thank you, it wouldn’t have happened without you,” you mumble as you squeeze him tight before letting go of him, going up to the board to shake hands.

At first you don’t even process it, but then Eric’s voice hits your ear and you realize he is turning red across the table, complaining nonstop about the outcome.

“...The whole thing was so fucking out of the blue! Redesigning the whole website? That’s like suicide!...”

You don’t even have the chance to react to his comments, the CEO speaks up for everyone.

“Y/N’s idea is daring, innovative and brave, just what we need. We don’t want to play it safe and your idea was definitely in the safe zone.”

“His idea,” you scoff under your breath.

“Actually, there is something I would like to show you, if you have a few more minutes,” Harry speaks up as he starts his laptop and moves over to where the board is. You’re watching him completely puzzled.

“There’s been an unfortunate incident about the presentations. Y/N’s original idea was stolen, a virus has been planted on her computer to cover up the deed, but I could not recover enough information about the perpetrator to make accusations, that was until a few days ago.”

What?!

You see Eric’s red face turn completely white as Harry types away on his computer and then shows something to the board. They curiously eye the alleged proof as Harry continues.

“Proof could be only found on the perpetrator’s device and a few days ago I had access to Eric’s computer when he brought it in for a check up, since it’s been working too slow. As expected and told, I make a full check on every device in these cases and found unquestionable proof that Eric stole Y/N’s presentation through the virus.”

Oh lord.

You watch as everyone on the board processes what they see on Harry’s computer and you can feel the switch in them towards Eric.

“Eric, let’s have a chat in my office. Now,” the CEO says and it’s definitely an order and Eric doesn’t try to go against it, just nods and follows him out of the room.

“Harry, why didn’t you tell me you were planning to do this?!” you ask as you rush up to him. The board members are leaving the meeting room, leaving the two of you alone.

“I uh– I wanted it to be a surprise. Eric showed up at the IT department the other day and I got his case without him knowing so I could snoop around. Found the evidence right away so I thought the board should know what he did.”

“Why did you wait until they announced who got the promotion? This could have kicked him out of the contest right away.”

“I knew you’d get it,” he smiles shyly. “I had no doubt they would choose you, I wanted you to experience defeating him after what he did to you.”

To say you’re touched is an understatement. He didn’t just help you immensely to get this promotion, but also went out of his way to serve you justice. He has done more for you than anyone ever.

You just know you can’t let the moment pass and ignoring the fact that you’re still at work, though no one is around to see, you close the distance between the two of you and press your lips against his.

This kiss has been hanging there for a while and you’d be lying if you said you have never fantasized about what it would be like to kiss Harry, but reality is a thousand times more magical. His lips are soft and warm, go so well with yours and once his first wave of shock passes he finally returns it and you melt in his arms.

You had a feeling Harry was a great kisser, but the way he claims your lips just blows your mind. He is sweet and gentle but also demanding at the same time and if only you weren’t in the office you’d pretty much jump into his arms and let him do whatever he wants to you.

Somewhere in the distance a phone rings and it breaks the spell, making you realize that you shouldn’t get carried away.

“Sorry,” you smile, your lips barely just an inch away from his still. “I got… I just–Thank you. For everything you did for me.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he returns your smile and pecks your lips shortly one more time. “And I will always be here to support you.”

You might look like a lunatic as you watch the guy on the other side of the glass door of your office finish up the sign on the door.

Y/N Y/L/N, Head Of Digital Marketing.

God, you still can’t have enough of the sound of it even though you got the promotion two months ago. Okay, the first month you spent in your old job, teaching the ropes for your successor before you could start your transition into your new position.

Now it’s official and you couldn’t be happier about it.

Checking the time you sit back to your computer to finish up work for the day. It’s been one hell of a week, you’ve worked overtime three times so it’s great that today is finally Friday. You answer some more emails and check your calendar for the next week, making sure everything is settled.

There’s a soft knock on the door and when you look up your heart skips a beat, seeing Harry walk in, his backpack on one shoulder.

“Hey. Are you done?”

“Just one moment,” you smile and he nods, walking over to the window, patiently waiting for you to finish everything up.

When you turn the computer off and look up at him, you notice that he is staring at you already.

“What?” you ask, packing up.

“Nothing, just… you look so pretty.”

You still haven’t gotten used to his compliments, though they always just keep on coming and coming. You love them.

And you love him.

Walking over to him you wrap your arms around his waist as you steal a kiss. Usually you try to keep the PDA out of the office, but sometimes he is just too hard to resist. Like now.

You’ve been officially a couple for two months, your first date after your big presentation was like a dream, Harry took you to all of his favorite spots in the city and then you just spent hours stargazing on the roof of his apartment’s building, he had a whole setup with a mattress, blankets and pillows, it was the sweetest thing ever, the best way to celebrate your win. Since then, it’s been endless dates, movie nights, trips on the weekend, you’ve been kind of inseparable. Well, outside of the office, because you try your best to stay professional at work.

“What was that for?” he chuckles softly, his cheeks have that soft pink shade on them that you just want to kiss all over.

“I’m just happy. That’s it.” Reaching up you fix his glasses before taking a step back and heading out.

Usually you just walk side by side to the elevator, but today you feel extra upbeat, so when you step into the elevator you gently take his hand and lace it together with yours and you can’t help but smile every time you’re in here with Harry.

Because he told you this is where he saw you for the very first time that day you overslept before your disastrous presentation. He was the one who held the elevator’s door for you. You were so disoriented that you didn’t notice him then and he likes to tease you about it, saying that he knew that moment he was into you, all while you didn’t even look at him. In return, you always bring up how you were the one kissing him for the first time.

It’s crazy to think how much has happened between those two things or even between that morning and today. He was the quiet IT genius who you dragged into your madness. He is still a genius, but you’ve gotten to know the sides of him others can’t see and you love all of them, it just took you some time to open him up. To decode him.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

#harry #styles #harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles fluff #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles blurb #harry styles au

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lefteagleblizzard · 1 month ago

Text

𝔅𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔲𝔯𝔣𝔞𝔠𝔢

Clapton Davis x gn reader

This was requested from an anon on tumblr: "Hii! I enjoy your stories on wattpad and I was hoping if you take requests, if not that's okay! There's barely any Clapton Davis oneshots and you're really great at writing and I was wondering if you could make one!... Maybe a suggestion could be like you and Clapton are like enemies that hate each other and you go to a party and both have too much to drink. You both forget about your troubles between each other from the drinks and getting along maybe. Sorry I am not that creative lmao. Thank youu!" To whoever you are, dear anon, I truly hope my writing met your expectations <3. Already posted this on my wattpad a couple of weeks ago but did some edits now that I had time.

Prompt number three of the jhutch promptober made by @joshfutturman <3 “Skateboard”

Tags: no pronouns used towards the reader so everyone can read. No use of Y/N. fluff. Very small angst. Enemies to lovers fic. Clapton secretly pinning for you.

Words count: 2000 words

You're moving through the crowd of the school hallway with practiced ease, already mentally preparing yourself for another day of monotony. It's not that you hate school, but lately, everything has felt heavier, more tedious.

And then there's the added complication of Clapton Davis.

As you reach your locker, you spot him down the hall, leaning against his locker like he has all the time in the world.

He's talking to someone, one of his many hangers, no doubt. His attention seems half-hearted, like he's only going through the motions.

His gaze flicks over to you briefly, just a split second, before he returns to whatever casual conversation he's pretending to be interested in.

He's always been the kind of guy who breezes through life without a second thought, always with that infuriating smirk on his face like nothing really matters.

But there's something in the way he glanced at you that lingers in your mind, something almost... hesitant.

You shake it off and focus on getting your books out of your locker. You're already running late for class, and the last thing you need is to get caught up thinking about him.

But as you're closing your locker, you feel a presence beside.

A familiar one.

"Morning," Clapton says, his voice casual with his beloved skateboard resting comfortably on his shoulder.

You glance at him, and there it is again that look, that flash of something in his eyes that you can't quite name. He's got that same lazy grin on his face, but it doesn't reach his eyes. It's like he's trying too hard to appear indifferent.

"Morning," you reply, keeping your tone neutral as you close your locker.

"You ready for that history test?" he asks, leaning a little closer, his shoulder brushing against yours. It's a small gesture, but it sends a jolt of electricity through you.

"More or less," you answer, trying to ignore the way your pulse quickens at his proximity. "How about you?"

He shrugs, the movement almost too casual. "I'll wing it. I usually do."

There's a pause, a beat of silence where neither of you says anything. You're not sure what he's doing here, why he's suddenly so interested in small talk with you. It's not like the two of you are friends, not by any stretch of the imagination. But he doesn't seem to be in any hurry to leave.

"Well, good luck with that," you finally say, turning to head to your first class.

"Yeah," he murmurs, and for a moment, you think you hear something like disappointment in his voice, but when you glance back at him, his expression is as unreadable as ever and he is already skating away in the hallway.

Later that afternoon, after a particularly dull chemistry class, you're gathering your things when you notice him again. He's lingering by the door, pretending to be engrossed in his phone.

"Need something?" you ask as you approach him, your tone a little sharper than you intended.

Clapton looks up from his phone, and for a second, he almost looks... hurt. But then the mask is back, and he's grinning at you like nothing's wrong.

"Just wondering if you wanted to grab something after school," he says, shrugging like it's no big deal. But there's an edge to his voice, a note of uncertainty that he's trying to hide.

You blink, caught off guard by the question.

"I've got plans," you lie, the words slipping out before you can stop them. You don't know why you said it, but something about the idea of spending time with him outside of school makes you nervous.

"Right," he says, his smile faltering just a bit. "Maybe another time, then."

He walks away before you can say anything else, leaving you standing there, your heart pounding in your chest. You watch him go, feeling a strange mix of regret and relief.

And then there was yesterday.

You'd been sitting in the library, working on a paper for English class, when Clapton had appeared out of nowhere. He'd slid into the seat across from you, flashing that grin of his that always seemed to set you on edge.

"Mind if I join you?" he'd asked, not waiting for an answer before he started pulling out his own books.

You'd raised an eyebrow at him, suspicious. "What are you doing here, Davis?"

"Studying," he'd replied, but there'd been something playful in his tone, like he knew exactly how much he was throwing you off. "It is a library, after all."

"Since when do you study?" you'd shot back, trying to ignore the way your heart had started to race.

"Since I decided I might actually want to pass this class," he'd said, his eyes locking onto yours with a seriousness that had taken you by surprise. "And maybe because I figured you'd be here."

That had been the first time he'd really admitted to seeking you out, and it had thrown you off balance. You'd tried to play it cool, to pretend like his presence didn't bother you, but the truth was, it did.

It bothered you because it made you feel things you weren't ready to deal with.

You don't understand why Clapton is suddenly everywhere, why he's acting like he cares about you. And worse, you don't understand why it's affecting you so much.

The night hangs heavy with the threat of rain, the dark clouds above swirling like they're trying to decide whether to break.

You're not sure why you came to this party, really.

It's not like you enjoy being crammed into some stranger's living room, surrounded by people who barely know you. But here you are, hoping maybe this time will be different.

The music thumps in time with your heartbeat as you step inside, the bass reverberating through the walls and into your bones. The living room is packed, bodies pressed together, moving in a rhythm dictated more by the sheer lack of space than any real desire to dance. You push through, grabbing a drink from the first table you see, the liquid sloshing over the rim as someone jostles you from behind. You don't even look at what's in the cup before taking a sip.

It doesn't matter.

It's been a rough week, the kind where everything that could go wrong did. School's been a drag, the same monotony grinding away at you day after day.

You're tired of the routine, tired of pretending that any of it matters.

And then there's Clapton Davis.

You don't know what it is about him that gets under your skin. Maybe it's the way he always seems so indifferent to everything, like the world could crumble around him and he wouldn't even blink. Or maybe it's the fact that, despite his detached demeanor, he's one of the few people who's ever really seen you.

You scan the room, looking for a familiar face, and that's when you spot him.

Clapton, leaning against the wall, one foot propped up behind him. He's got that damn smirk on his face, the one that makes you want to both punch him and kiss him at the same time.

He catches your eye. There's a flicker of something in his eyes again, but just as quickly as it appears, it's gone, replaced by that irritating, lazy grin that drives you crazy.

But it wasn't long before your luck ran out.

"Ah, just my luck," he called out loudly enough for you to hear over the music. "Didn't know this party was open to everyone."

You narrowed your eyes at him, already feeling the familiar tension building. "I could say the same about you, Davis. Didn't think a party like this was lame enough to attract you."

He chuckled, pushing himself away from the counter and making his way toward you. "Careful, someone might think you've been waiting for me."

You clenched your jaw, already regretting engaging with him. "As if. You're the last person I'd waste time on."

"Is that so?" Clapton was closer now, his smirk never leaving his face. "Then why can't you seem to take your eyes off me, huh?"

Before you can respond, someone bumps into you, nearly spilling your drink. You stumble, and suddenly Clapton is right there, his hand on your arm to steady you. It's such a small, simple gesture, but it sends your heart into overdrive.

You hate that he has this effect on you, hate that you can't just ignore him like you do with everyone else.

But tonight feels different. Maybe it's the alcohol starting to hit, or maybe it's the way he's looking at you, like he's seeing something he didn't expect to find.

Whatever it is, it makes you reckless.

"Why do you always do that?" you ask, the words slipping out before you can stop them. "Act like nothing matters?Like you’re better than everyone?"

Clapton's hand drops from your arm, but he doesn't step back. Instead, he leans in closer, his eyes searching yours in a way that makes your breath catch in your throat.

He raises an eyebrow. "I don't act like I'm better than everyone. I just... I don't care as much as you think I do. About all this high school drama."

"That's the problem," you counter, words tumbling out before you can stop them. "You don't care. You never care. About anything."

For a moment, Clapton's face shifts, something flickering in his expression that you can't quite place. He looks at you, really looks at you, in a way he hasn't before. It's almost unsettling.

"Maybe I care more than you think," he says quietly, and there's something in his voice that makes you pause.

There was a moment of silence between the two of you, the kind that made your heart race. You knew you should get up, walk away, and pretend that whatever was happening wasn't real. But you didn't. You stayed there, frozen, as Clapton's gaze drifted to your lips, his smirk fading into something more serious

"I'm gonna do something stupid," he muttered, more to himself than to you.

Before you could ask what he meant, Clapton closed the gap between you, pressing his lips to yours in a kiss that was both unexpected and inevitable. For a split second, you were too stunned to react, but then something clicked, and you found yourself kissing him back, your hands tangling in his hair as the weight of everything that had come before melted away

The kiss was heated, desperate, fueled by the alcohol and the unresolved tension that had been simmering between you for who knows how long.

It's all a blur of movement. His hands gripping your waist, your fingers tangling in his hair.

It's rough, messy, a tangle of emotions that you've both been holding back for too long.

When Clapton finally pulled away, his lips still hovering close to yours, you were both breathless, staring at each other as if trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

"Okay," he breathed, his voice rough, "that was definitely stupid."

You laughed, though it sounded more like a gasp. "Yeah, no kidding."

"Well," Clapton said after a moment, a small smirk returning to his lips, "at least now I can say I've kissed the one person who hates me most."

You rolled your eyes, still trying to catch your breath. "Shut up, Davis."

"Let's get out of here," he said, his voice low and teasing, "This party is lame"

You hesitated for a second, your brain still catching up with everything that had just happened. Leave the party? With him? But before you could fully process it, Clapton had already grabbed your wrist, leading you through the crowded house with his usual nonchalance. He didn't even look back to check if you were following. He just knew you were.

Outside, the night air hit your face, cool and refreshing compared to the stuffy heat inside. Clapton slowed down as you both walked to the edge of the driveway where his skateboard was propped up against a wall, waiting for him like it always did.

"Oh, great," you muttered, eyeing the board with a mix of amusement. "You're not seriously thinking of skating around after everything that just happened."

Clapton shot you a sideways glance, that infuriatingly familiar smirk curling at his lips. "Why not? Thought you could use some excitement, considering how thrilled you were in there."

You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms over your chest as you leaned against a lamppost, watching him pick up his skateboard. "Right, because watching you break your neck on that thing sounds like a blast."

He chuckled, stepping onto the board with practiced ease and starting to roll back and forth on the driveway, his balance perfect. The wheels made a soft grinding sound against the concrete as he moved effortlessly, gliding in circles around you with an almost lazy grace. His movements were smooth, casual, like he had no care in the world. For a moment, it was almost mesmerizing, watching how he balanced himself so easily.

"C'mon," Clapton said after a few moments, pushing off the ground and circling back toward you, the grin still plastered on his face. "You're not just gonna stand there, are you?"

"You think I'm getting on that thing? No way."

"Oh, come on," he teased, stopping right in front of you and holding out a hand, his eyes sparkling with a challenge. "Don't be such a wimp. I won't let you fall."

You stared at his hand, then at him, trying to decide whether or not to trust him. It wasn't that you didn't believe he could keep you from falling, it was more about the principle of it. Getting on a skateboard with him after all this time of hating each others? It sounded ridiculous.

But then again... tonight had already been ridiculous in more ways than one.

"Fine," you muttered, taking his hand before you could change your mind. "But if I fall, I'm taking you down with me."

"Deal" Clapton said with a grin, pulling you closer as he shifted his weight on the board, giving you room to step on. "Now, just relax. I've got you."

His grip was steady, surprisingly gentle as he helped you onto the skateboard. You were tense at first, your legs stiff as you tried to balance, but Clapton kept one hand on your waist, guiding you as the board started to move beneath your feet.

"I swear, if we crash..." you began, trying to ignore the way your heart was racing, but Clapton just laughed.

"We're not gonna crash," he said, his voice light and teasing. "Just keep your balance. You're doing fine."

You weren't sure if he was right about that, but you let him guide you, his hand never leaving your waist as you rolled down the driveway, moving in slow, lazy arcs. The world felt different from up here, the ground moving beneath your feet in a way that was both unnerving and strangely fun. You glanced at Clapton out of the corner of your eye, half-expecting him to mock you or say something sarcastic, but he was just smiling like he was actually enjoying this.

"Don't get too cocky," you shot back, though there was no real bite to your words. "This doesn't mean I like you."

"Sure," he said, his grin widening as he spun the board in a gentle curve. "You hate me. Got it."

"Exactly," you replied, though the smile on your face gave you away.

The two of you kept gliding down the street, Clapton still steering, his hand never leaving your waist as the conversation flowed easily between you. It was almost like you'd forgotten about the months of animosity between you, as if the kiss at the party had reset everything, leaving you both in this in- between place where you could laugh and joke, even as you kept up the pretense of hating each other.

"Remember that time you almost got me detention for that stupid prank you pulled?" you said, glancing over at him.

Clapton chuckled. "You mean the prank you fell for? Yeah, I remember. Pretty sure you're still mad about that."

"I'm not mad," you lied, though you couldn't keep the smile off your face. "I just think you're an idiot."

"An idiot who saved you from a boring party," Clapton countered, his smirk never fading.

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask for that," you replied, crossing your arms even though you were still balancing on the skateboard.

"No, but you didn't complain either," Clapton teased, his eyes glinting in the dim streetlight as he pushed the board a little faster, making you grip onto him a little tighter.

“Maybe I just didn’t have a choice,” you shot back, your cheeks hurting from how much you were smiling.

You both slowed down, eventually coming to a stop near the end of the street. Clapton stepped off the board, still holding your hand as you found your footing again on solid ground. You looked at him, and for the first time all night, neither of you said anything sarcastic or biting. You just stood there, in the quiet.

Clapton tilted his head slightly, his eyes meeting yours. "So... still hate me?"

You bit your lip, pretending to think about it. "I'll let you know tomorrow."

"Fair enough," he replied with a grin, pulling you a little closer. "But if tonight's any indication, I think you might be warming up to me."

Clapton leaned in after that, pressing a soft kiss to your lips, one that felt completely different from the heated one earlier. When he pulled back, his smirk returned, though this time, it wasn't annoying. It was almost... endearing.

"I hate you," you whisper, the words tumbling out before you can stop them. But there's no venom in your voice, just a soft, aching truth that you both understand.

"I hate you too," he replies, but there's a small, crooked smile on his lips, and his thumb is brushing against your cheek in a way that makes your heart skip a beat.

#josh hutcherson #clapton davis x reader #clapton davis x male reader #clapton davis #clapton x reader #clapton detention #detention #josh hutcherson x you #josh hutcherson x reader #josh hutcherson fanfic #mike schmidt x reader #derek danforth #mike schmidt #x male reader #male reader #peeta mellark #x gender neutral reader #gender neutral reader #gender neutral y/n

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yanderes-galore · 3 months ago

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hii!! since asks for GoT/Asoiaf are still open, i'd like to request some Melisandre hcs. idk why but i was crazy about that character lmao

I'll try my best, sure. Sorry if something is wrong, I'm not that far still but I watched a ton of lore and read into her personality :) I hope you enjoy!

Yandere! Melisandre Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Violence, Murder, Sacrifices, People being burned alive, Delusional behavior, Religion, Mature themes, Dubious relationship.

Melisandre, similar to Jaqen H'ghar, would be a yandere who's unreadable and... supernatural in nature.

She isn't anything like her obsession, she isn't normal, yet this powerful priestess is obsessed with you.

A scary thought... considering how/who she is.

Melisandre is someone whose intentions are also dubious with her obsession.

Her origins are unknown but she has been around for a long time.

Quite possibly hundreds of years due to sorcery.

When she takes interest in someone... it's usually for a reason.

She's quite calm and serene despite her devotion to her religion.

Such a trait is actually seen as... unnerving to most people.

The scariest parts of Melisandre is the inability to predict/read her... along with her powers.

If she has a goal, she's ambitious enough to do whatever she needs to do to get it.

Including murder... no one's the exception (Okay, except maybe Stannis or Jon).

She's intelligent and charismatic.

Melisandre has an uncanny understanding of others, allowing her to exploit them for her benefit.

Ironically, while you can't read her, she can read you just fine.

Melisandre tends to hide her compassion, seeing it as a vulnerability.

She doesn't like to be vulnerable and often cares about her appearance.

Even with her obsession, displays of affection are only ever in private.

That, and most of the time, Melisandre is flirtatious or seductive with affection... just for you to listen to her.

Although, if she sees that isn't working for you, she'll relax and try to show a softer care for you.

Melisandre believes the Lord of Light decides all destinies.

While she may view herself as a vessel, she believes it's destiny you two met.

The Lord of Light brought you to her as a gift.

Someone all for her enjoyment, an important part of her journey.

Since you are a gift to her in her mind, she'll do anything to keep you.

The ways she can get rid of "rivals" are... grotesque and cruel.

She has Shadowbinder magic, allowing her to conjure shadow creatures.

She has used such magic to assassinate like two (?) people in canon.

She has pyromancy, she often sacrifices people to her God through sacrificial pyres.

Melisandre is capable of being ruthless and cruel.

She doesn't seem to care for the innocent.

The only people she seems to care about is Stannis/Jon and you.

Some may even call the way she does things sadistic.

Melisandre is amused at being an enigma for others.

She even keeps quiet to her obsession.

You do not need to worry about her origins...

Just that she's on your side.

She makes her obsession uneasy, she knows that.

She's a cryptic woman who knows how to get what she wants.

She would manipulate her obsession, carefully telling them what they want to hear and trying to get them to trust her.

If she feels someone is trying to sabotage her plans with you... She knows how to get rid of them.

Melisandre is someone who believes in doing things for "the greater good".

She would tell you what she's doing is for the best, for you, her, and the realm.

All while she burns someone alive as a sacrifice for her God... Just because they got too close.

There isn't much Melisandre can't do when it comes to you.

She can have anyone killed without a second thought if she wants.

She can easily manipulate you by appealing to you in some way.

You have no choice but to accept her, right?

It's not like you can escape, fate may just bring her back to you in one way or another.

Even if it doesn't... She'll make it so.

She knows better than you, she's stronger than you, and she's overwhelming.

Melisandre would drag her obsession through her journey.

While she sticks by Stannis, offering her magic and services, she keeps you beside her.

Melisandre likes to hold you close, pressing soft kisses to your skin as she whispers to you.

She calls you a gift from the Lord of Light, carefully touching your skin like she's worshipping you..

She tells you she saw a vision of you two together, she claims it must be your shared destiny.

Due to her supernatural magic, she's warm to the touch.

Every touch she gives feels warm, close to burning as she holds you.

Her obsession is akin to the fires she worships and uses.

She burns hot both physically and metaphorically.

You are the fuel to the fire that is her obsession...

Slowly but surely, like wildfire, she'll lose control and consume you...

Leaving you to suffocate and burn in her embrace.

#yandere asoiaf #yandere got #yandere game of thrones #yandere melisandre

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major-floyd-and-lilia-simp · 1 year ago

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Once Upon A Dream

Lilia x Male Reader

Notes: i am primarily going off of what my gf has told me about Malleus's overblot. (Which is a lot lmao) And changing a few things obviously. I play on the international server. So we literally just got like, the first part of it anyway. Plus, im still on Savanaclaw.

Description: after Malleus's overblot happens, those affected are working on recovery. Until Malleus tells Lilia that (Name)—you—still haven't woken up. Lilia can't come to terms with the fact he might've lost (Name).

TW: mentions of war, death and descriptions of hopelessness.

Lilia didn't make a noise when it happened. Hell, his face didn't even move much save for falling into a neutral expression.

If it was anyone but Malleus or Silver who told the elder fae what happened, then they would've thought the man didn't care. But Malleus knew. He's known Lilia the entirety of his short life. He and Silver were the only ones who knew the subtle changes in Lilia.

Malleus knew Lilia didn't blame him. Overblots, they're uncontrollable. At least it wasn't painful. And there was still the chance (Name) was still alive. Just in a very deep sleep. That didn't stop the dragon fae from blaming himself. If he had just been more diligent against his own self-

A small hand on his shoulder pushed through Malleus's quickly darkening thoughts. Lilia was looking up at him, expression unreadable but the careful touch was clear as day.

The elder fae was doing his best to hold himself together, and he needed Malleus to tell the others the news.

Lilia didn't understand why news of (Name) not waking hit him as it did. It wasn't like he was dead. And it wasn't like Lilia has lost people to harder things before. He was in a war for fucks sake.

Perhaps it was because this happened at the hand of someone he held dear. He didn't blame Malleus. It was unintentional after all. So he didn't think it was that. He couldn't say it was just because he cared for (Name), because although he did, he would've had a much more outward reaction had something happened to Sebek or, seven forbid, Silver instead.

So why did he feel so numb. As if his heart had been torn from his chest still beating. As if every nerve in his body was simultaneously electrified and dead. It felt like he had lost something he didn't have in the first place.

The only other explanation, was that he loved (Name), but to come to that conclusion, one he already knew but buried deep, would be to admit that he was too weak to admit it, and now he'll never get that chance.

He was a fool.

He wandered into his room. There was a semi-vacant look in his eyes. That meant that (Name) has been in this deep slumber for a week now. Lilia just figured he was still recuperating, too busy making sure his dormmates and family were okay to spare much thought to the Ramshackle human. And Silver took longer than Sebek or Malleus or himself to recover so he thought nothing of it.

He was such a fool.

He was wandering. There wasn't an aim to where he went, but he found himself pulled towards the infirmary. Perhaps...

He shook his head. It was a one time thing, breaking Silver's curse when he was a babe. He doubted it could work again. He didn't even know how he managed it either. But still his feel carried him to the infirmary and to (Name)'s bed. Grim was curled up on his chest, awake but silent for once, while Ace and Deuce sat at his bedside, fast asleep on each other. They must've been here all week.

Lilia took a seat, staring at the man on the bed. He wanted to reach out so badly. The feeling of hope bubbled in his chest as he thought that maybe he could wake the sleeping human. Maybe.

Seven, he was so much a fool.

He reached out, his hand covering the Ramshackle prefect's, praying to whatever would listen. For what, he didn't know but he chanted "please" like a mantra in his head, nothing passing his lips save for a few shallow breaths.

Nothing happened.

Lilia deflated, the hope dying in his chest as he leaned forward. Waterlogged pain made itself known as it pricked at his tearducts, threatening to break him. His forhead pressed to (Name)'s shoulder, and he released a shaky breath. Grim had fallen asleep. He must've been exhausted as he was silent. The only sound in the room was Ace and Deuces steady breaths and the old fae's own shaky ones.

He didn't notice the change in (Name)'s breathing.

He didn't notice the subtle twitch of his eyelids

He did notice when a cool hand turned under his, and lightly grasped his own.

Lilia's heart clenched in his chest as his head shot up, magenta meeting (eye color). "I had the strangest dream." (Name) whispered, his voice raspy from misuse. "I dreamt that we were dancing in the woods...and it was only us."

Lilia didn't notice when the tears finally fell as he dragged (Name) close into a tight hug, laughter bubbling on his lips.

#☆mfals - writes☆#lilia #lilia x male reader #male reader #lilia x reader #lilia x masc reader #we're gonna ignore that i accidentally posted this without tags at first

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evan4ever · 2 years ago

Note

Heyyyyyy lovely (IM IN LOVE WITH UR WRITING WTH)

I wanted to request a fic for warren, one where maybe the reader and he are exes but the night before the heist he goes to see her one last time just incase the plan goes wrong and they get caught and pff jail time (pls make her fiesty and not fall for him immediately lmao)

If You Love Me

— Warren Lipka x reader

Warnings: little bit of angst, heartbreak, talking about the heist so robbery/theft

a/n: thank you for your kind words!! 🥺 and for the request, I loved writing this!! Not proofread so pardon any mistakes. I hope this is what you were looking for!! 🤍

It’s been months since you’ve seen Warren, your ex. After a 3 year relationship and Warren becoming more and more danger driven, you couldn’t do it anymore. It led to constant fighting, constant worry, constant running from someone — cops included. It wasn’t what you signed up for and it was draining and eventually, you couldn’t do it anymore. So you ended things with him and for your own sake, you never looked back. Until tonight.

It was late, 11pm. You were in your usual sleepwear — large tshirt and shorts. Your hair up in a messy bun and makeup off revealing your natural face. You definitely weren’t expecting to see anyone tonight considering you were readying yourself for bed, but your plans quickly changed when you heard a knock at your door.

You glanced at the time on your phone and furrowed your brows together confused, but made your way to the door anyways. You didn’t have a peep hole and your window didn’t allow you to see who could be standing at your door, so you answered hesitantly after being sure you had something near you for defense just in case. Could never be too safe.

Though when you finally opened the door just enough to see who it was, you saw your ex. You could tell he was just as hesitant and maybe even a bit nervous. You squinted your eyes curiously to yourself before opening the door completely so you could stand before each other, crossing your arms in the process. You didn’t hold any ever anymore, but you weren’t ready to face him quite yet so this was a surprise.

“Hi. Hey. Just hear me out” he held his arms up in defense before you’d decide to close the door on him. You sighed and shook your head.

“What are you doing here Warren?” You questioned in a tired annoyance. “I was about to go to bed.”

“Sorry. It’s late I know. And I’m probably the last person you want to see —“

“What are you doing here” you cut him off, questioning him again not in the mood for his rambling.

He stayed silent for a moment, your eyes taking note of his obvious inability to stay, his nerves maybe? You could tell he was nervous but you weren’t sure what about. After another moment of silence, you sighed more loudly and stepped aside allowing him to enter your home, which he quickly obliged, walking past you and straight to your kitchen where he began pacing. You closed your door slowly and made your way into the kitchen, leaning against the counter while watching him.

“What’s going on?” You could tell something was wrong, not a surprise when it came to him, but he was obviously in panic mode and he was here for a reason and you quickly grew eager to know. “Warren.”

He stopped and turned towards you, an unreadable expression on his face which only concerned you further. You raised your eyebrows urging him to speak up.

“We’re going through with the heist tomorrow night.”

Your eyes widened in the bringing up of the heist, something you hadn’t heard for months. Warren and Spencer had mentioned it a few times but never went through with it, which you were grateful for. You had no idea they’d decide to go through with it eventually. The idea scared you, for his safety, for his freedom. There’d be no going back if they were to get caught, he’d go away for at least half of his life if not all of it.

“Okay.. why are you telling me this? You know how —“

“I know how you feel about it I get it and I’m not asking you to come along. I just… I had to see you before. I needed to.” You pressed your eyebrows together tightly as you thiught over what he had just said. It didn’t make sense, he didn’t owe you anything, you made it clear that you weren’t going to stop him but that you weren’t going to stay to watch him destroy his life. He owed you nothing and coming to you the night before he robbed a place of the most valuable books one could own just didn’t make sense. You honestly didn’t want to know, because you knew that you’d worry the entire time and once again be in the spot that you pride yourself from despite being so in love with the man in front of you. Your peace at mind was important and with Warren it was nonexistent.

“Why?” You whispered, your eyes closed at this point so you wouldn’t have to look at him. You already felt sick, and it led to an intense anger that he’d do this to you after you made yourself clear months ago. “Why would you do this to me again after I told you I wanted no part, including being informed of your reckless decisions?”

“Y/n I just had to see you, that’s all. In case things go bad, in case we get caught and I go away for life. I needed to see you one last time.” He spoke slowly, cautiously, but full of truth and sincerity. Your eyes were still closed and you didn’t dare open them knowing they were already full of tears that would shed if you did.

“You’re a fucking asshole Warren” you still spoke in a whisper, your anger seeping through with every word. Warrens looked down immediately, knowing coming to you would put you in a fit of rage. He couldn’t help himself, he was still so in love with you and so angry at himself for choosing his bad decisions and ideas over you, for choosing money and recklessness over you. He blamed himself entirely when you walked away, but he never fell out of love with you.

“It’s stupid.” You snapped, Warren looking up to meet your now open and angry eyes. “Your idea? It’s stupid. You value the wrong things in your life and you don’t even see it?” You spoke in disbelief and disgust. Warren pressed his lips together tightly deciding to let you speak without objection. “Did you think I was going to talk you out of it? Is that what you came here looking for? Because you’re wasting your time. I’m done trying to help you. I’m done trying to pull you away from the edge. If you want to fuck your life up, that’s on you.” You had made your way toward him at this point, ending your statement with a finger jab to his chest. Your eyes were on his, staring daggers into them. Angry ones. You showed no remorse, no sympathy, just anger.

He swallowed the lump in his throat but nodded. “I didn’t come here for you to talk me out of it. It’s a done deal, the decision was made. We’re going tomorrow night. Please, y/n.. I just needed to see you before.”

“So you could interrupt my peaceful life?!” You shouted and he quickly shook his head.

“No! That’s not what I was meaning to do.” He defended and you just shook your head with a scoff, still unbelieving. “I wanted..” he started and trailed off, you looking back at him and once again crossing your arms and raising your eyebrows waiting to hear what else he has to say. He’s already managed to piss you off, you were curious just what more he could possibly do. “Look. If things go good, if we don’t get caught, then I’m done, okay? I’m done with the risks and the danger. I’ll be ready to put all of it behind me.”

“And what? You want me to come back to you, trusting that you won’t fuck up some more?” You asked mockingly, but when he didn’t say anything, your face dropped more and your jaw clenched. “Are you kidding me?”

“We can try again! I’ll do it right this time, I’ll put you first and I’ll never put either of our lives at risk. I swear to you.” He pleaded, but you just shook your head and let out a huff. You just simply couldn’t believe him.

“I think you need to leave.” You said, not looking at him though his eyes scanned your face worriedly.

“No wait just, Jesus Christ, just hear me out y/n!” He raised his voice now in realizing you were standing your ground.

“I don’t want to hear you out Warren!” You screamed back. “I don’t fucking trust you? Since walking away from you, my life has been good! I’ve been good! I can’t believe you actually want me to even think about going back to that?!”

“It won’t be like that! That’s what I’m trying to say if you’d just listen to me!”

“I’m done listening to you. I want no part of this, I want no part of you. I’m trying so hard to heal the parts of my life that you managed to break! And here you are, telling me your about to rob a freaking school and wanting me to come running back to you IF you don’t get get caught. That’s a big if. You want me to sit here over the next 36 hours wondering whether your plan is going to work, waiting to hear whether you’re going to prison or not, and then come back to you IF you don’t fail. Do you hear how fucked up that sounds?”

Warren just stood there, realizing that it does sound crazy and that it’s a big ask. But he had to try. He felt he’d succeed with the heist if he knew he had you there ready for him to scoop up and take home after. It was like a motivation. He wanted you back so badly, and he hated himself for not being able to just choose you. He hated that that couldn’t be enough, and he was making that clear to you by asking you to take him back if he managed to succeed. It was fucked up.

“I don’t want this anymore Warren.” You started again slowly, much quieter than before. He glanced up at your eyes but stayed silent. “I don’t want you anymore.” He felt the air leave his lungs, as if he was unable to take a breath because your words robbed him of the ability. You watched his face turn as he looked away from you, eyebrows furrowed in hurt and anger now. How could you not want him when he wanted you so much? “I’m not risking my sanity for you. I don’t care how many times you tell me it won’t be like it was, I refuse to put myself back into that spot. And if you love me..” you sighed now looking down at your feet feeling the lump in your throat grow larger and clearing your throat to rid it, “if you love me, you’ll leave me alone.”

The words stung as they left your mouth, a taste of metallic burning your tongue and your mouth going dry. It fucking hurt you to be the bad guy here when you were so in love with him. You’ve been through this before. You thought it was done and that you’d never have to do it again, but here you were, repeating the same painful words, making the man you love walk out of your life this time, feeling your heart break all over again. But you just couldn’t do it.

You held your ground, though, not saying another word so you would stick to your previous ones. It was silent again. Warren just staring at you as you stared at the ground feeling his eyes burning into you as if you’d change your mind the longer they burned you. But you wouldn’t, and he realized it, finally looking away from you and allowing you to let out the breath you held.

“If that’s what you want—“

“It is.” You confirmed, his eyes flickering back to you before blinking away and nodding. He began for the door, slowly, each step sending a pain through your whole body but holding yourself to your word. You weren’t about to go back on them now and make yourself look weak.

When he reached your front door, you still standing in your kitchen but able to see him, he grabbed the knob and turned it, pulling the door open.

“Warren” you called out, his head turning to you with raised eyebrows. They weren’t hopeful, he knew you weren’t changing your mind, but he wanted to know what you had to say. “Be careful.”

He blinked a few more times surprised at your request. It hurt, still. It felt like someone squeezed his heart and it dropped into his stomach. But he gave you a tight lipped smile and a single nod, you returning it, before he turned back and walked out the door closing it behind him, leaving you alone in your home.

The second you were alone, you let out a muffled sob, your hand flying to your mouth and holding it in an attempt of quieting yourself or hold it in while your other arm hugged yourself tightly.

Your heart shattered once again, you wanted nothing more than to run into Warrens warm arms, feel him again, openly love him again. And it sent pains throughout your chest to have watched him walk out per your request. But he loved you, he proved that by leaving you alone. And you were grateful that he didn’t insist more, respecting your choice. But it still fucking hurt.

—

Tags: @evanpetersmood @witchsbitchestime @demxnicprxncess @yes-divine-ruler @shjjpm @evanpsrealwife @iruzias @jangsuzchap @quicksilversg1rl @submissiveforahsmen @angelmenace @lovelizzie-blog1 @justa19 @daylas-life @simp4petermaximoff @totta69

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haveateadude · 3 months ago

Text

i should put it all behind me, shouldn't i?

summary *. ⋆ ⋆·˚ where ellie and dina have been letting the past linger for too long

warnings *. ⋆ ⋆·˚ ptsd—it's not mentioned but it's definitely there. a little bit of angst and the rest is fluff, though. this is sweet with sad undertones i would say

author notes *. ⋆ ⋆·˚ sorry for not being active, i really wanted to post stuff but i had school (i'm finally on break!!) and my mental health got so bad i stopped enjoying literally everything lmao. but dw i'm going back to therapy and luckily i'm alright now and i have huge urges to write so. also the coffee i had is giving me so much anxiety🙄like fucking bitch can i enjoy one cup of coffee in peace?? damn, let a girl live. also i'm shaking ass to guess rn, literally best collab fucking EVER, the mv got me giggling and blushing and shit

Ellie is trying, Dina can see. She's trying to get better—better at whatever they have, whatever this is. Still, she's trying to become a better person, blend into the lives they now have, leave the past behind.

Dina can see it in the little things, in the little actions: when Ellie gets up to cradle JJ when he's crying, waking up earlier than she should to cook breakfast, water the plants, and helping Dina clean. It's subtle, but it's there. The effort. It's somewhere.

But you know what's also somewhere? Ellie leaving her. Ellie leaving for revenge. Ellie leaving. Ellie leaving. Ellie leaving. It creeps through the cracked floors and broken mirrors like the sun coming from a window.

Dina trusts—maybe more than she should—Ellie. A lot. And it fucking scares her. Ellie is so predictable yet unreadable in a way that makes her bones itch. She knows it's not Ellie's fault. Because it isn't. Grief leads to places some of us can't reach, it plagues your mind like poison ivy—like an illness you cannot control, it leaves you stranded, wordless, sick to your stomach, knots in your throat; or like a friend, someone you don't know when they're going to leave or know when they're going to come back, if they ever do.

So, Dina, by default, is scared when she doesn't find Ellie anywhere in the house. She tries not to worry but fails at it. Fear fills her body from head to toe.

She left again, is her first thought. She left again, there's nothing I can do. Where is she? Where is she? Where is she?

Finally, she sees her. She sees Ellie, sitting at the outside stairs, playing the guitar—or trying to, at least. The sky is still dark, and the stars shine brighter than ever. Dina takes a second to calm down and breathe. When she feels ready and her beating heart has come back to normal, she opens the door.

"Ellie?" She asks, with her hand still on the doorknob.

Ellie turns around, and then breathes out, "Dina."

She puts the guitar aside like she's embarrassed. Her cheeks are flushed under the moonlight, Dina can see.

"You okay?" Dina asks as she sits next to Ellie.

Ellie nods, crossing her arms and looking ahead, eyes staring into nothing. Dina's heart aches at the sight.

They sit in silence for a while. The sky is beautiful. Dina used to dread it because that was the way it looked when Ellie left—the moon looked lovely, and the constellations had seemed to wake up all of a sudden and they were all over the night sky. The wind was nice, also. That night she sat outside, hoping for Ellie to come back, and cried when she realized that Ellie wasn't coming back until she was gasping for air—until she ran out of tears. She then prayed for Ellie's safety and went to wake up JJ.

"It's never going to end, isn't it?" Ellie suddenly speaks. She isn't crossing her arms anymore, more so hugging herself. Dina frowns. "The fear you have… about me leaving, I mean."

Dina sighs because she thinks that might be true.

"Well," she starts saying, "if it makes you feel better, I have a lot of fears."

Ellie nods, holding a guilty look as she looks at Dina, "Right."

"I do get…" She stops herself, trying to put into words what she's feeling in the best way—in a way that wouldn't sound mean. "I do get why you left, I just think it wasn't fair for me. We had a baby, for fuck's sake. And you were going to leave without saying anything!"

"I know," Ellie acknowledges it easily, like she has thought about it a lot. Her voice shakes.

"God, I'm not even mad at you," Dina lets the tears fall and lets the sadness and anger and all of the emotions she hasn't been allowing herself to feel sit with her. "I'm fucking pissed. And I love you, and it's fucking me up, Ellie."

Ellie looks down, fidgeting with her index finger. She sighs, looking guilty, and for a moment Dina enjoys it. She enjoys the fact that Ellie regrets leaving because a part of her was scared that Ellie didn't feel anything about abandoning her with a kid.

Ellie opens her mouth to say something, then closes it instantly. After shaking her head she decides to speak again. Her voice is less soft than it was in the whole conversation. "I'm so fucking sorry, Dina. I just—I had to do it. I wasn't gonna be capable of living with myself if I pretended that revenge wasn't all I thought about... I didn't kill Abby, by the way."

Dina sucks in a breath as she hears Ellie, even though she isn't in much shock. Alright, well, that's new. Ellie never talked about Abby ever since she had come back. Dina just guessed she was dead.

"Why?"

"It wasn't gonna change anything, was it?" Ellie answers, shrugging.

Dina moves closer to Ellie, quietly wrapping her arms around her, and sniffling. Ellie hugs Dina back and takes a deep breath, as if she hadn't been letting herself breathe properly this past few weeks—her shoulders slump, the weight finally off her back.

"Promise me you'll never leave like that again?"

"I think leaving made me realize how much I love you," Ellie says, staring into Dina's eyes and pulling away gently, wiping Dina's tears with the pads of her thumbs. "I promise."

Ellie's forehead rests against Dina's and Dina's mind wanders to the day she left, but this feels so much different. This doesn't feel like Ellie's gonna leave and that everything is going fucking wrong; this feels like love, like real love—the type of love that you can feel and see and touch, the type of love that feels too real to be true, the type of love that makes you wanna rip out the skin on your chest and show the word that you've got a heart underneath and that that heart is capable of loving someone.

This feels like things can be okay again.

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aneenasevla · 2 months ago

Text

Red Velvet - Chapter 6

MasterList / Akane’s profile / Last chapter here

Chapter 6 - Afterglow

When he finally managed to regain some coherence, he decided to take a look at his phone, just to kill time. There were several unread messages in his friend's group chat.

EggHead:

I'm heading to the airport

any sign of rihito?

GiantKiller:

He must be sorting things out with Miss Agata

Gigolo_Master:

he's taking too long

maybe something happened?

if it did, I hope it was something good 😎😎😎

EggHead:

I hope not

or I'll have to go back to give a statement to the police

Dickhead_Tokita:

huh

were you arrested again okubo?

EggHead:

nope

but maybe rihito is inside a ice-filled bathtub right now, after having his internal organs stolen

Dickhead_Tokita:

wait what do you mean?

is she a cannibal?

GiantKiller:

OKUBO YOU'RE SCARING US

Dickhead_Tokita:

what

wait is it true then?

Gigolo_Master:

ffs okubo just say it's a joke

before kaneda starts to cry and ohma believes you

Dickhead_Tokita:

damn it, is it true or not?

Gigolo_Master:

it's not, okubo is just dicking around

she's just a normal woman

and okubo you jerk

stop being an anxious wreck and just wait for rihito to appear

you being scared of this chick is annoying the shit outta me

we can’t be like that just because she's hornier than what we're used to

Dickhead_Tokita:

oh alright then

fuck you scared me

I was already thinking about calling raian to hunt her down

GiantKiller:

For god’s sake

Quit the organ trafficking nonsense already!

Dickhead_Tokita:

I'll be off, I have things to do

see ya

(@Dickhead_Tokita has left the chat)

GiantKiller:

See what you did? He got mad!

It's your fault, Okubo!

Ohma is well-connected

If he gets things wrong, we'll be screwed!

Gigolo_Master:

wait he didn't seem mad...

I'll talk to him, just a sec…

holy fuck he left the chat just cause he thought it was like turning off a phone LMAOOOOO

did no one teach that dumbass that you don't need to leave a group chat like that?

GiantKiller:

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

This guy, I swear to God…

He's worse than my grandfather, I’m not even joking 🤣🤣🤣

EggHead:

LMFAOOOO

I can’t with this dude XD

@Mr_Iron_Fingers put him back on the chat when you see this

Lihito laughed to himself, a little quietly, because he hadn't yet fully recovered the strength to laugh out loud. It was a good thing he had turned off notifications on his phone, because otherwise he would have been forced to tear up his friends faces for ruining his fun. He sits straighter on the couch and starts typing.

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

for fuck's sake

I'm here and I'm fine

calm the fuck down

GiantKiller:

Thank God, man 😭😭

Gigolo_Master:

hey dude

what happened?

did you talk to her?

you were pissed the other day

GiantKiller:

Yes, we were worried about that too

I hope you two managed to talk it out 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Gigolo_Master:

Yes. You seemed to enjoy her performance…

oh yeah, add Tokita again cause the idiot threw himself outta the chat ¬¬’’

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

lmao alright

fuckin dumbass

but anyway

we talked

got everything outta my chest

then some things happened

and I kinda forgot about my phone, sorry

but everything’s fine, don’t worry

I settled things down with her

(@Mr_Iron_Fingers added @Dickhead_Tokita to the chat)

GiantKiller:

Again, thank God, man

Gigolo_Master:

Yeah. Okubo must be boarding the plane right now

he'll show up later

hey, ohma, rihito is alive and well

Dickhead_Tokita:

oh alright then

so the woman’s nice

GiantKiller:

Yes, Ohma. Okubo made a stupid joke, but everything's fine now

Dickhead_Tokita:

got it

Gigolo_Master:

and you don't need to leave the chat, man

disabling notifications if you're busy is enough

we thought you went looking for the Kure to save him or smth

Dickhead_Tokita:

not yet, I was all confused

I didn’t know if you were joking or not

but ichiro’s fine, so it’s okay

GiantKiller:

I don’t know about you guys, but I feel really good about having a friend who can call professional assassins to help us

Gigolo_Master:

or to kill us if we annoy him enough…

GiantKiller:

😳😳😳

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

It’s Rihito, Tokita!

ffs dude

and yeah, I’m fine

but I’ll warn you guys so I don’t scare the crap outta you next time we meet

I kinda had an accident

my arm's all bandaged

a motherfucker slashed it while I was in the hood

GiantKiller:

Seriously? 😳

Are you okay??

Gigolo_Master:

oh shit O_O

Dickhead_Tokita:

better your arm than a kidney

you were lucky

I'll leave now (not the chat)

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

you better not dumbass

and I'm not lucky, my arm's all fucked!

I might not be able to do any manual labor for the next few days

I'll leave ivan and komada in the lurch, damn

anyway, her ex-fuck buddy showed up while I was talking to her

dude was a fuckin pos, he was trying to beat her up and everything

I didn't let him, so he cut my arm with a fuckin pocket knife

then I broke his nose

that's what you get for trying me, bitch

Dickhead_Tokita:

Hell yea!

Gigolo_Master:

oh shit O_O x2

chick seems popular, just like me lmao

on the other hand, did you take care of your arm?

GiantKiller:

I guess so, if he said they sorted things out…🤔

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

yeah, like I said, my arm’s all bandaged

she helped me with that

guess that’s what you call gratitude LOL

a knight in shining armor, as they say

fuck

that sounded so fucking gay

forget what I just typed

GiantKiller:

We can’t, it’s literally written here on the chat 🤭

Gigolo_Master:

we'll let it slide cause we know that wasn't all that happened

your arm got slashed, not your balls

and since that chick has a "velvet mouth" and everything...

I've got your number 😏😏

Rihito looks to the side with an unimpressed face. Himuro liked to act like a respectful friend to all women, but he was the one who picked up on perverted nuances faster than everyone else in that group.

Dickhead_Tokita:

🍹🍹

I can't actually drink right now

but kanami said these emojis get the point across, so cheers, dude

GiantKiller:

Haha, good one

I’m a lightweight drinker, so I’ll drink some water

But just pretending is fun 🍹🍹

Gigolo_Master:

me too 🍹🍹

Cheers to Iron Fingers, who got lucky and fucked

…without getting too fucked up in the process!

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

LMAO you guys are so full of shit

and to answer you, himuro

now you get why I went MIA right?

daddy was getting busy here!

she let me breath a little and went to take a bath LOL

Gigolo_Master:

holy shit dude you just said your arm is all fucked up

you should've settled and went only for a “banana smoothie” or something, if you go right for the main course your pressure would skyrocket

you’d bleed all over her floor

GiantKiller:

Yeah man, I don't know the extent of your injury but go easy

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

but I went only for a "banana smoothie", guys

and for a "mango smoothie" too LOL

idk if she'll ask for the full package

but I can manage without pushing myself too much

don't you all say that I look like a bull?

bulls were made to be fucking ridden 🐂

Gigolo_Master:

y'know there's two ways to ride a bull right? LMAO

from above and from behind 😏

GiantKiller:

Oh my God 😳

too much details, guys

Gigolo_Master:

he's the one saying he's a bull

the joke wrote itself LOL

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

GO FUCK YOURSELF HIMURO

FOR FUCK’S SAKE

DON’T EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT STUFF

Gigolo_Master:

you’re the one who started with that bull shit, literally LMAO

anyway, we’re more relieved now, right, guys?

GiantKiller:

Yes, and so will be Okubo when he reads all these texts

Dickhead_Tokita:

👍🏼

call us if you need anything

but not now cause I’m eating 🍖🍖

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

yeah, I will, thanks

and egghead's such a worrywart

tell him that I’m fine, when he’s back

he needs to focus on his press conference

if he loses that championship belt I'll beat the crap outta him

GiantKiller:

He will see the messages when the plane's staff allows it, don't worry

At least you let us know you're alive, so we're good

Mr_Iron_Fingers:

alright then

she turned off the water

I’ll go now

talk to you guys later

…

Akane came out of the bathroom about ten minutes later, a towel tied around her torso, feeling refreshed. And she finds him sitting on the couch, looking relaxed and with his pants back up again, but his sweatshirt was still on the floor. He seemed to have loved the softness of the plushy upholstery, as he was looking at his phone, laughing to himself.

She looks at him for a second and decides not to bother, opening the bedroom door just a little, enough for her to hear his voice. She hears him letting out a tired groan, the sound of the upholstery creaking indicating that he was stretching.

"Hnnn... this porn-ish couch feels really nice..."

"If you want, I know where to find more of these, and even cheaper than this one," She says from inside the room "And less 'gay' too, since you worry so much about that."

She hears the upholstery creak again, louder this time, and was amused to imagine him jumping in surprise.

"Uh... that would be nice, 'cause the couch in my apartment is as hard as a rock, haha... and a discreet one would also be good. You understand, right? But look, this furry monster here is awesome! My back couldn't be happier..."

"Yeah, I got that, Rihito," He hears her laugh, and her hand appears on his field of vision, opening the door and getting out of the room, leaning against the door frame "And yes, there are pretty nice couches that look more sober. I've already found several, this one was just really 'me', y'know. And you can stretch out as much as you want in it," She was wearing a shirt with the phrase 'Don’t be scared, my tits are big because of my heart' written on it, and it was so loose that it looked like a dress on her. Her loose hair had lost the shape of those spring-like curls, now looking more naturally curled... and the heavy-ish makeup was gone; in its place there was only a pair of glasses shielding a pair of light brown eyes. She was still that blonde, dark skinned with well-painted nails Gyaru, but the look was completely different.

"... Huh?," He blinks, caught completely off guard when he sees her in that casual attire, without being all dolled-up... and with those glasses on her face "Uh.. jeez, is it really you? Damn, for a second I didn't recognize you, haha!"

She laughs "Well, every heroine needs a secret identity, right?," she winks at him again "Or did you think that I get all dressed-up to go to the bakery every morning? Come on, buying bread dressed like that, on top of being a waste of looks, is ridiculous."

He blushes a little at that, looking away.

"Well, can you blame me? You could've been committed to the gyaru style twenty-four seven for all I know! But it's okay, I was just a little surprised... and oh, so you actually were using contact lenses," He smiles, gesturing to her glasses.

"Well, yeah. And who said I'm not committed? It's my way of life, man," she approaches him, leaning over to look at him in a serious way, albeit not angry "And I go to work just like you saw me. This is my 'homey' look," she adjusts her glasses, looking like Kaede for half a second "Besides, it's a pain to keep adjusting glasses like a secretary, so the lenses are more practical. Why not commit to the style too?"

"Oh... fair enough," He nods, his mouth suddenly dry. Holy shit... did he have some type of fetish for women who wore glasses and was only realizing it now? That would explain his long-ago crush on Kaede... and why was he suddenly overcome with a sudden urge to hold Akane's face in his hands and kiss it, right there, on the bridge of her nose...

Holy shit, where did that outbreak of sissy thoughts come from?! He shakes his head, trying to smile to hide his embarrassment.

"But seriously, they look really good on you."

"Thank you," she smiles "I like to look good in everything I wear. From head to toe," she sits next to him, close to his good arm, and fixes her hair, sighing in a satisfied tone.

"Hehe... a total commitment, right? I like people with this kind of mindset," He leans a little towards her, smiling sideways "I'm into that too. That's why I never stopped bleaching my hair, not after high school or college..."

"Huh?," she blinked, surprised "Wait, you went to college? "

"Uh… yeah?" He turns to her, a bit confused "I majored in Business Administration in Teito University, no big deal…"

"TEITO!?," she shouts, jumping a little on the couch "Oooh yeah, that's just one of the biggests universities in the whole country, no big deal at all.. man, you're either a genius or a lucky bastard," she looks to the side "I think the former is more likely...," she raises an eyebrow smiling.

"Bro, why is everyone so surprised when they find out about this?," He snorts, grunting "And yeah, I'm just lucky, I came in last place on the call list. As I said, no big deal."

"But you still got in, man! That already makes you a bit of a badass, you know? I barely graduated high school, I even got held back a grade," she pushes him to the side, pouting a little "But that doesn't mean that, despite knowing a lot, you don't have things to learn... and that I don't have things to teach," She smiles, now looking happier "I hope you liked the lessons. I want you to become a 'Hot Blonde' from now on."

He blushes a little, again making that adorable expression of an idiot who wasn't used to receiving a sincere compliment, especially from the opposite sex. He scratches the back of his head.

"Haha, thanks! I almost got held back too, both due to low grades and absences, so you don't need to think badly of yourself for that, hehe. And...," He turns his head a little to the side, smiling lasciviously "And I liked the lessons. I really, really did. So much so that I would love to have a few more of 'em, just to reinforce the contents…"

Akane smiles, also in an adorable way "Okay...," she smiles even more, mainly because she had gotten exactly everything she wanted. A cool, fun friend, who didn't find her way of being strange or off-putting, and who also had good attributes... and who also wanted to bang her more often, of course. She then made a decision "Oh, since you gained a little bit of my trust... here," she gets up from the couch, going to grab her phone from the kitchen counter "My main number. Now you can send me a text to make an appointment, if you feel like it. Then we'll meet for a friendly Match of Kama-Sutra," she laughs at her own joke.

Rihito stares at her phone with an expression of absolute disbelief, his mind freezing like an overloaded operating system, taking a while to process what was happening.

Did... did he had just gotten a girl's number? Her real phone number, without it being a fake number given to mislead him, or a telemarketer number or some shit like that?!

Damn, he had definitely died and gone straight to heaven! His friends would raise bottles of sake in front of his grave in celebration of his success in the afterlife!

"Wow... here, take mine too!," He grabs his phone from the pocket of his sweatshirt on the ground, all smiles "This way we can keep talking. And I'm up for this friendly match. But I'll let you know that I have a great history of victories," He laughs mischievously.

Akane laughs too, leaning against him "Can I consider myself a Master, then?," She laughs louder "Alright, here," she gives him her number "I mean, you might also want to gossip about your friends to someone, or you might want to ask for tips about Gyarus in general. That's what a F.B. is for too," she playfully touch his arm with her elbow.

"F.B...? Oh, fuck-buddy!," He nods, now felling even more exultant "So we're fuck-buddies now? That's great to know, hehe. It's hard work, but I'm willing to do it," He jokes, lifting his chin a little and then laughing. And then he leans closer to her, one hand reaching up and caressing her thigh slowly. Yes, her teachings had really penetrated that thick skull of his "And of course you are a master. A master of the Leg Lock freestyle..."

She laughs loudly, her hand over her mouth "You bet! and you're going to be a master of the Hip Wrench style. Seriously, your strongest points are your hips and fingers, so don't be shy about using them. And don't be ashamed of it because no sane woman who has tried it will say anything bad about it. I guarantee you that."

He had to hold himself back from rocking back and forth on the couch, he was so happy. He tries to compose himself, clearing his throat and nodding, his hand still firmly on her thigh, "You can leave it to me, you'll be proud of your student. And yes, fingers are my ace in the hole, as you've already seen for yourself, hehe. I just want to know if the main part needs some polishing too. It turns out that we haven't gotten to that part of the subject yet, haha."

"In general, no," She says after pondering "Just the basics about not getting too carried away too soon is good enough. Oh, and varying rhythms is great. This way you can guess which one makes her moan louder. Some women cum with your pace alone but others don't, so you have to start slow. It's not an exact science, so it's really about following the rhythm of the dance. Oh, and of course, hearing “ooh, Rihito, harder” is always a great sign," she laughs again.

He laughs too, in a playfully tone "Hahaha! Okay, noted! Seriously, it was really worth it. I was pissed a few days ago, and a little upset... but now I understand that that's just the way you are. Honest as all hell..."

"Hnm-hmmm," she nods while siting on his lap, without really touching his body with hers "And honestly, I no longer have the patience to sugarcoat things beforehand, you know...? Yes, friendship, respect and mutual consent are still perfectly valid, but once everything is right...," she looks at him in the eyes, one hand on the wall behind him "It seems much more practical that way," the other hand puts his good arm around her waist, without actually teasing him. He could feel the difference clearly.

Rihito swallows a little, his throat dry again. What she didn't know was that he tended to get aroused by the smallest of stimuli... and it was better if she remained unaware, otherwise she would think he was as desperate as a virgin teen.

The truth was that he was happy to know he wasn't dealing with a woman who cared more about playing coy than delivering clear messages. He was a very simple man, after all, and mixed signals left him confused, frustrated and prone to doing stupid things that scared off the women around him... but it wasn't like it was their fault. The conclusion left him somewhat amazed.

"Yeah... I agree... and seriously, I'd give you a good shag right now if my arm wasn't fucked up. Leave it for another time, haha."

"Hm-hmm… we'll have other opportunities," she gives him a peck, then looks at his hair "Hey, can I take a closer look?," She asks; he seemed to care about his hair as much as she did about hers...

"Oh... sure, go ahead," He nods, lowering his head to let her take a look at his roots, his hands on her hips, but not holding her in place. He seemed to be following her lead, allowing closeness without sexual overtones behind it. It was a Herculean effort, but Rihito really wanted to improve, and there was no better time to start than now.

His hair was cut messily, unruly and spiky, arranged in a classic mullet at the nape of his neck. Amateurly bleached hair could become dry and brittle, and although she concluded that it would need moisturizing soon, this particular job wasn't done badly.

"Hmmm," she evaluates "It’s… actually better than I expected. You said you’ve been doing this since high school, right?," When he confirms, she nods "Yeah, the experience paid off here, and it seems to have good fiber (gosh, I envy men's hair at this point) but you'll need to take care of it later. And you better go to a barbershop soon, you need a haircut. And also touch up the hairdye, the roots are starting to show their color. Overall it looks good on you, and since you like this style, it's better to keep it well-groomed, right?"

"Uh... yeah, true. But I had never paid much attention to these things," He comments, and she notices that he had become limp on the couch, since she started running through the strands of his hair with her fingers with long, well-manicured nails. He had even closed his eyes, his tone of voice a little sleepy "I just bleach it, go to the barbershop and tell the barber to do his thing, nothing more. I'm not a woman or a fag to worry about this sort of thing, haha..."

"That's where you're wrong...," She squeezes his cheeks "A guy with good hair is a sign of good health and care with personal hygiene, you know? Or do you think we don't notice these things?"

"... Really?," He blinks, looking sincerely surprised "I thought women only care if the guy take showers or if he has a big dick…"

"Haa-ha-haaa!," she tightens her grip "Not really, my dear. The thughs from my hood are all macho and what not, but for what?," She pretends to do that classic pose with a comb in her hair, pouting a little "Their hair looks like stone blocks, but made of gel. And it sucks. In fact, I saw two of your friends who have wonderful hair too."

"Oh... if you're talking about the tanned guy, Himuro, that metrosexual jerk uses more products in his hair than all the woman I know," Rihito snorts "And the worst thing is that it's not even funny to make fun of him, he bangs more girls than everyone in our friend group combined. But... wow...," He suddenly opens his eyes wide, seeming to realize something "I wonder if that's why he... holy shit..."

"Huhum, exactly, darling. That's why we call him Hot Stuff," she laughs, now absentmindedly working his jaw with her nails, while looking at him "And the guy with black hair too, is he your friend or is he just Butch's boyfriend? I only saw him in a pic."

"Tokita? Yeah, he's one of my friends too, despite being an asshole who refuses to give me a rematch," He snorts again, but without so much indignation this time. He was still flabbergasted by his discovery "And yeah, he is Miss Kanami's boyfriend. How he managed to get a girl like that, being such a dumbass, is a mystery."

"Oh, so he's like you?," She laughs in his face.

"What- fuck, woman, you’re awful, y'know?!," He complains with a pout "One moment you soften my ego, and the next you kick it's ass. You're a master of this game of praising and criticizing..."

"Leopards are like that... I thought you liked it," she smugs "And you also have the potential to become hot, you just need to use what you have well."

Although he was slightly offended at not being classified as one of the “hot” ones, her making it clear that he had the potential to reach that level served to cushion the blow. He smirks, running a hand up her back in an insinuating caress.

"Heh, I'll try. If I'm fuck-buddies with a hot girl now, it's only fair that I work to stay at her level too."

"Of course…," she kisses him, a little more willingly, but then she pulls away, her hand patting his face "Now let’s eat, I haven’t had lunch yet because of that shit at the salon's door. I went to grab my lunch, and then I got back only to see Mrs. Jin kicking you out."

"Oh... I kind of already ate before coming here and...," He starts to say, but he's interrupted by his traitorous stomach, which growls loudly. His face heats up as if it had been placed in a pan of boiling water "Uh... but I accept the invitation."

Shit, he always forgot he usually got hungry after sex. He sits at the counter that was the house's dining room/kitchen. The funny thing is that he didn't even need to take half a step to get to that space, it was a hilarious observation, but he kept it to himself. She picked up the bags and began to pull the contents out.

"Good thing you brought cookies. We can share my plate and then have dessert. I don't think I can cook something quick and good enough for both of us, I didn't even go grocery shopping this week," she says, looking embarrassed "I didn't even expect you to come to my house either, but I'll prepare myself better next time," her cheeks get more flushed.

"It's okay, I'll settle for just a few bites. I ate before I came here. And... jeez...," He suddenly laughs, putting a hand on his face "I even made fun of Tomori, pretending I was going to steal some cookies from that box, and now here you are, offering them to me, hahaha! Her threats were of no use in the end!"

She laughs "Seriously, would you steal my cookies? Tomori would choke you if she knew," She arranges the food on the counter "She is very overzealous with her creations, and she takes the things she does really seriously."

"No, I just said that to annoy her. And yes, that girl gets pissed as hell if you mess with her orders, so I wasn't going to miss the opportunity, hahaha!" He shakes his head, still laughing "The good thing about having a friend who's dating is that you get some quality material for your jokes."

"Heh," She smiles "There you go. Bon appétit," she put a plate on the counter, and there were a rice cake, some side dishes and some biscuits on it.

He doesn't wait for a second invitation, helping himself and eating happily. And as he promised, he takes only a few bites, more to try it than anything else.

"Hnnn... her cookies are really good, aren't they?," He comments with a smile "We usually make fun of Okubo, saying that she won him over first by his stomach before any other part of his anatomy, hahaha."

"It’s one of the truths of the world," She responds, agreeing "That saying is real, after all. But I'm terrible at cooking something like Kanami and her, so I have to conquer it by being eaten myself," she laughs, her hand in front of her mouth "I think I have other good qualities too, but when they look for my bed, it's because of my mastery of the Kama Sutra," she winks at him.

He swallows a little too loudly, and picks up another rice ball, laughing again.

"Your Leg Lock is something worthy coming back for, not gonna lie. But it's nice to talk to you too. And you're a good listener. It's something I had to learn too...," He scratches the back of his head again "I talked a lot about myself, but I heard almost nothing from you..."

"What do you want to know?," she continues eating "It's not like I hide much, either," she adjusts her glasses.

He nods, seeming to think hard... and then he asks, arching an eyebrow, genuinely curious, "Is it true that Tomori and you were rival delinquents during high school? And that you fought each other before becoming friends? Because holy shit, I thought only guys made friends like that!"

"Yes, women too. Now, you've probably never seen two girls fighting. When boys fight, you just need to separate them, and that's it. They'll probably say shit about each other's mom's afterwards, but the fight is pretty much over after that. But when girls decide to throw hands... bro...," she puts her hands on her face "They go for the fucking kill! They wanna destroy each other because other tactics didn't work. When a woman decides to fight physically, it's because things have escalated to an absurd level. Scratching, biting, pulling each other's hairs, choking, that's all we have. It's wild, to say the least."

He laughs in disbelief, out loud; the mental image was quite a scene "Yeah, I can see that, hahaha! But it's too surreal to think of that cute girl trying to beat the shit out of someone clearly taller and stronger than her. You, on the other hand, look pretty badass. I had those scratches on my back for a few days to prove it, hehehe!"

"Yeah, I've always been a Gyaru, you know? Since birth, because my skin was always tanned like this, and then I went to the beach every weekend to increase it. I hate artificial tanning, you know. And Tomori went through a phase where she was basically Satan's spawn, and she liked boys like the ones from my neighborhood, she even got a tattoo, hehe... so I think you already know the story, but still... we started liking the same boy. He acted all grown-up and cocky, and we thought it was the coolest shit ever," she blushes with embarrassment "That was when we became rivals. And yes, when I finally got a kiss from him, that crazy bitch came at me with a fucking baseball bat. I didn't let that slide, of course. We beat the everloving shit out of each other and got suspended from school for that."

"Wow, so you don’t do artificial tanning? It's just excess melanin then, like with Himuro. In your case, it's hot as hell," He smiles a little mischievously, before continuing "And yeah, Okubo said that Tomori told him that she was unhinged when she was a teenager, but we didn't really believe it. At least until I saw the tattoo myself, one day when we were at Miss Kanami's house and she was wearing a skirt. I was so stunned that I kept staring, and Egghead thought I was ogling his girl. Dumbass almost punched me! Anyway...," He shakes his head "Fighting over boys, huh? That dude mustn't been worth it, if you became friends and he's nowhere to be found nowadays."

"You hit the nail on the head," she snorts "Especially a few days after, when we went back to school, and we discovered that the fucker had five… five!," she spreads her hand, pointing to each of her fingers "Five different girlfriends, one in each place. And they weren't just fuck-buddies, each one of them gave him a Valentine's Day gift and everything. And neither knew of the other's existence, dude was a piece of shit of the highest caliber."

Rihito, in another situation, would laugh and congratulate the guy for his courage and cluelessness. But he felt that was not the right answer. And he really needed to stop having those kinds of thoughts, if he wanted to be someone better and more interesting to the opposite sex. He simply shakes his head, his eyes bulging.

"Holy shit, five? Is he still alive even after being caught? Where I come from, a motherfuck would've his dick chopped off for something like that.

"Oh, but we didn’t let it lie. Tomori and I joined forces and beat the crap outta him, so much so that he ended at the hospital. We caught him outside of school, so the school board didn't find out. And he didn't say anything either, 'cause a man who got his ass beat by a woman would become even more of a laughing stock back then. But we gave him a black eye and if he hasn't had a child to date, it was because Tomori was the one who hit him in the nuts with her trusty baseball bat. Then after that we went to drown our sorrows at a Ramen restaurant. We've been best friends ever since."

He sees when Rihito shivers, closing his legs tightly, a hilarious expression of horror taking over his face, which has turned pale.

"Holy shit... I will never make fun of that girl again in my life. And I'm going to warn my pal about that too, damn it... but anyway...," He swallows hard, laughing with a certain nervousness "Friendship forged in fire, right? Few bonds are stronger than that, hahaha. I should've imagined it, but when she told me about you, the first image that came to my mind was of someone as tiny and cute as her... I'm glad I was wrong!"

"Hahaha... I can be cute too if I want," she smiles, adjusting her glasses out of habit "But my cuteness is much less... cute than hers. But we share many common tastes too. She and I love dancing, playing baseball (it's fun), going to the beach, going out shopping or to restaurants... one of our favorite pastimes when we were teenagers was buying clothes at thrift stores or getting materials to customize our own clothes. I still make my own to this day."

"Heh... yeah, I can’t deny that I thought you were cute when you were patching up my arm. It almost made it worth getting razored. Almost," he hardens the biceps of his good arm, the muscles becoming even more prominent "But otherwise, these are very feminine, normal pastimes. I even think she helped you choose that pink monster back there," He indicates the pink couch in the living room with his thumb.

"Hahaha, no, I chose it myself, but Tomori was with me at the store. That's when I got this apartment. Of course, we went to furnish it straight from the thrift store. Usually in stores you only find standard, boring things, but in thrift stores there are even custom-made things that people throw away on a whim, still in excellent condition. I just had to clean it, and then it was brand new. Now it's my favorite furniture."

"Yeah... it kind of became my favorite too," He gives her a wink, smiling naughtily "That vintage, 'straight out of a porn movie' couch..."

She laughs "Yeah, if you think like that... and as you've seen, it's pretty comfortable. But anyway... you know where I work, but what about you? You majored in Business Administration, so you're probably an office guy, am I right?

"Nah, I actually work at a fridge. Have you heard of SF Cold Storage? That's the place," He smiles "It's me and two other guys, just earning our daily bread and working out a little after the workday is over."

"Never heard of it, but maybe one day I'll pay you a visit," she nods "And wow, you're actually a pretty decent guy. I was prepared for anything, I knew almost nothing about you, and it's always good to be careful around these parts. But it's not like this is the middle of hell, it's a liveable place."

"Hey, I try! If I were to live solely on fight commissions, I wouldn't have enough to cover all the bills. And trying to be nice isn't a sacrifice, c'mon," He scratches the back of his head "I'm a perverted bum, but even a perverted bum has to know how the real world works... and seriously, be careful, okay?," He looks at her, suddenly worried "If this place is as dangerous as you say, you have to watch for fuckers like the one at the salon...

"Nah, he was an odd case, and I know how to take care of myself. I've lived here for years. Eight, I guess... yeah, something like that. And I have some friends here, from my high school days. Didn't I tell you I was a delinquent? Nowadays, these friends of mine are hard boiled thugs. They didn't even finish school, but everyone around here knows who I am. In fact, the jerk you beat the shit out of was one of them, but he had been kicked out of the gang when he tried to force himself on a random chick. The gang leader was fucking pissed, he was out of line with their principles. And as he was my fuck-buddy before that, he thought I wasn't in the gang's 'no touch' list and decided to try his luck. Thank fuck he found your fist instead of my mouth, hahahaha," she laughs devilishly "No, really, thanks for that. That bastard thought I would want swaps after I got rid of them... "

"Damn, girl... that's some crazy ass story," His eyebrows were high up, very close to his hairline "And it's a good thing that son of a bitch was kicked out of that gang, because me beating him up could cause problems for you... and for me too, now that I'n stoping to think about it," He blinks. And then he shrugs "Eh, fuck it, I can take care of myself too. And you're welcome," He smiles again "Again, it didn't cost me anything other than a few days taking care of my arm. Although the Hairspray Squad in that salon could take care of that fucker and leave him in an even worse state than I left him in."

"Yeah, you bet. We came together for that very reason. Like I said, decent men are in short supply here in the neighborhood," Akane sighs, and then smiles again "That said, I'm happy you came. I got a fuck-buddy and the rest of the day off. I think I'm going to buy something at the supermarket and take care of a few things... since...," she looks at his arm "I'm going to have to settle for just foreplay today."

"... You know you don’t need to, right?," He suddenly leans towards her, his gaze lewd "Since I'm playing the student and you, the teacher, we can continue in the same way. I promise I'll behave and stay quiet while you have fun with me," He smugs, showing those “little fangs” again "If I'm your fuck-buddy now, I have to play the part accordingly, hehe."

"Oh, but today’s lesson has already been taught," she pushes him back to make him straighten up "And look, can I be honest with you?," She cuckles in a sudden fit of shyness "I don't think I'll ever want to keep doing it the whole night long again. Not that I didn't like it, quite the contrary, but I was a wreck the next day, and I really don't have the stamina for that," she laughs coquettishly again.

He blinks. And then he laughed heartily, practically swelling with pride right before her eyes.

"Ahahaha, sorry about that! I kind of forget that not everyone has the stamina of a fighter. But remember that it was you who asked for it, and for an encore the next morning. I only met the demand," And again he goes to touch her thigh.

"I know!," she laughs again "I thought I could handle it, and I actually did, c'mon. And you must have seen that I was on a roll, even more so after I saw the whole package, if you know what I mean. No, it's not just your dick".

He laughs even louder, and she's surprised when he grabs her, his arms around her waist, and brings her close to him. But she realizes that he wasn't groping her or getting too carried away. It was a bear hug, pure and simple. She gasped for a second, her eyes wide and her glasses misaligned, but she calmed down when she noticed his intentions.

"Yes, I saw it, and it was that night that I decided I wanted to see it more often, because I also was on a roll because of you! I take back what I said at that time, you hit hard, but you know how to care for wounds a lot more, hahaha!"

"Oh, of course," she smiles "We hit to correct and we care to conquer, that's my ninja way, after all...," she laughs softly at the reference. And she stays quiet, still blushing, while he hugs her.

"... Did you just quote Naruto at me? Really?," He stares at her, then laughs again "But the reference was good, I'll give you that, hahaha! And you can hit when you need to, as long as the caresses at the end are pleasant... and...," He then realizes the situation they were in, with him grabbing her and keeping her pinned against his chest "Shit, my bad. I forgot again," He let go of her, all awkward."It was just a hug, I swear."

She pulls him back, but only to lightly bite his nipple. "Rawn," and she lets him go when he jumps, smiling to herself "We're even," purrs, adjusting her glasses.

He touches the area where she had bitten him, dumbfounded... and then he opens a huge smile, his slightly sharp teeth practically sparkling "Oh, you fuckin' minx... I'm going to have so much fun with you from now on, just you wait..."

Next Chapter Here

#kengan omega #kengan ashura #kenganverse #heavybakery #fanfiction #kengan oc #redvelvet #lihito #rihito

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obstinaterixatrix · 1 year ago

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hey if you can i was wondering if you had some bl/gl/general manga recs for a particular kind of tonal vibe, given your like. expertise. ok so there's this manga by nemui asada i reread every so often called my little inferno and i really like it but the problem is the beginning is p much unreadable because she throws sa in there for no reason? esp since the sa is so disjointed from the rest of it which is fun and fairly normal beyond that. i wanna read something like it with the same tone but without the sa and longer if i can help it. i liked that it was a situation that was like Off and arguably fucked up but weirdly functional/mutually fulfilling without veering too far into the domestic but finding something like it has been harder than expected

yea lmao I really like asada nemui’s writing but sometimes it’s a little much. for kinda fucky vibes that don’t lean into assault, what immediately springs to mind is Tokyo Hikari Auction which is in progress, kind of similar dynamic with one person being more reluctant and wanting to drive the other person away and the other person Just Parking Here. the setting is… well I don’t get the logistics but it’s a black market auction that the main character runs and the love interest tries to sell himself on.

this isn’t the same tone but it’s the same kind of… weirdly functional relationship with dysfunctional characters, ‘Kiraware Joushi to Perfect Buka’ is a one volume manga about a rancid boss and his younger subordinate that’s infatuated with him. the state of the scans are kind of strange but they’re floating around

this one’s a oneshot, ‘Just when I thought I came here to die’ is really fun horror romcom vibes where it’s kind of off in that the love interest does in fact kill some random people that show up, and the main character starts out terrified of the love interest

actually, I think limo has really similar writing to asada nemui, in that it can get really intense and fucked up and sometimes probably too far for a lot of people. but check out chapter 2 of ‘Soine Lovers’ for something more lighthearted, it’s about a guy with a lot of debt being hassled by his rich classmate who he hasn’t seen in like 10 years. and don’t check out anything else unless you want to spin a roulette wheel of content warnings.

‘Kobamanai Otoko’… well it’s more on the manipulation side of fucky relationships but I’d say give it a go

‘A Declaration of Revenge’. lol. lmao. I hope they break up for real. extremely good weird rancid vibes. I am ignoring all of the police politics tho.

‘Never Good Enough’. has a college student/teacher relationship so depends how much that’ll put you off but I actually thought it was interesting how the writer kind of deconstructs the… framework of the love interest being obsessive and presented as unstable by others?

there’s your starter lemme know if any of em stick. oh wait I just realized you didn’t specifically ask for only bl hang on I got a couple of GL

‘Black and White: Tough Love at the Office’ has office ladies that just beat the shit out of each other and start making out lol

‘"The Villainess" and the Woman Who Would Do Anything for the Sake of Love’ it’s time prison deathloop and the main character gets kind of nuts about it. Might skew too far into the fucky relationship side of things, it does have confinement…?

Hm. Hmmm. ‘Qualia the purple’. not necessarily off and rancid, but I think the intensity somewhat matches. Look up content warnings tho. Okay now I’m done that was more than I thought I’d dig up and I’m off to do something else

#ask #anonymous #hard to strike the balance between #‘ehhh the vibes wouldn’t be off enough’ and ‘well this would probably be too rancid’#ALSO ASADA NEMUI WHY DID YOU DROP THE MOM’S BACKSTORY IN THE A/N #BISEXUAL MOUNTAINEER??? HELLO????#I might have some gen recs for fucky stuff but I got bored and wanted to do smth else #oh immortal days is a proxy rec for gen #recs #mm recs #ff recs

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nyoomfruits · 10 months ago

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23 for the fic writer asks?

23. share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. what about it was challenging? are you happy with how it turned out?

the first thing that came to mind was this exchange from you'll be alright

(under a cut because this answer got a little long lmao)

“Fuck,” Charles says, falling down on the couch. “There’s just so many things you have to know and do and I feel like I’m just doing terrible at all of it.” Max sits down next to him and shrugs. “You’re doing the best you can.” Charles feels that same annoyance he felt last time, when he’d found Max folding Julie’s baby clothes, bubbling up to the surface again. “That’s easy for you to say, isn’t it? Mister ‘I’m perfect at fucking everything I do’?” Max frowns. “What do you mean?” “What do you think I mean?” Charles says, desperate to get under Max’s skin the way Max has consistently gotten under his these past few weeks. “Three time WDC winner and now guess what! He’s good with babies too!” It’s unfair, especially after Max came over here to help Charles, but Charles is tired and stressed and frustrated and it’s all pouring out of him in the worst way possible. Max squints at him. “Why do I have a feeling it’s less about me winning, or me being good with babies, and more with you not.” Charles simply glares at him, and Max sighs. “Listen, you’re a good driver, and I’m being dead serious when I say you absolutely could have won, you’ve just had some absolutely shit luck and, admittedly a few terrible team fuck ups. But you have to stop looking backward and start looking forward, otherwise all that overthinking is going to eat you alive. As for the baby thing; I have nephews, Charles. Baby nephews. So yeah, I’m good with babies because I’ve actually been around babies. A lot. Also Victoria talks about them all the time, so there’s that.” Charles shifts in his seat, and Max deflates a little. “What I’m trying to say, with the resources you have, you’re doing fine, okay? Yeah, you don’t know everything there is to know about babies, but there’s people in your life that do. Maybe stop beating yourself up over not knowing everything all the time and start accepting help. That’s not a weakness. That’s not you being shit at something. You’re not losing when you have to lean on your support system every now and then. They don’t say ‘it takes a village’ for nothing.” “Fuck,” Charles says, letting his head fall back against the pillows, covering his face in his hands. “Fuck, god damnit, stop being so sensible.” He pulls his hands away, and finds Max looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face. “Jesus Christ, I’ve been a terrible host, haven’t I? I call you for help, and then when you do, I just yell at you, fucking hell.” “It’s fine,” Max says, waving him off. “I get it, you must’ve been stressed as hell when Julie was so upset. Anyway, I should go, leave you to it. I have-“ “Stay,” Charles blurts out. Max, who was halfway getting off the couch, freezes. “I mean, uh, I’m. Fuck, stay for lunch? Let me make it up to you. I uh. There’s salad?”

what i wanted from this scene, and what i hope it eventually delivered on, is just an exhausted out of his debt charles snapping at max because of well. the exhausting and out of his debtness. but a lot of the earlier version of this scene charles was much more personal about his struggles and not as angry? or annoyed? and it didnt really work for what i wanted this scene to be. so i ended up rewriting it like five times lmao

fun fact!!!! i kept one line that i had originally written from this scene, and later used it in the scene where julie calls max dad. it's this line:

“I just keep thinking.” He pauses. His hands have found their way to Max’s waist, somehow, and he grips the hem of Max’s shirt, desperate to cling on to something. “What if I’m just not cut out for this? What if I’m just a bad dad?” The words sound loud in the small room, in the intimacy of Max’s embrace.

although obviously in the original scene they weren't like. hugging.

#ask game #fun to revisit this stuff

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safyresky · 4 months ago

Text

Happy June 13th on July 2nd, apparently ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Year Six

Just managing to avoid detection, Jacqueline escapes! Only to find herself face to face with a very shocked and concerned Blaise and Winter. Preferring to avoid explanations, Jacqueline hides in the Pole in the hopes of working with Bernard to somehow put a stop to Jack's plans…

I'm getting very bad at going by this particular ah, aesthetic, aren't I?

Anyway! Frostmas Y6 is now up on ao3, freshly swept and tweaked here and there! It's all neat and tidy and up to SafyreSky Industries 2024 Standards so that's lovely! Check out Year 6: 2024 Edition HERE on ao3 and, yes, ff.net has been updated to match :)

What's 🆕 NEW 🆕 for Year Six?!?!

Word count has swung up: went from 16k to 21k. All I did was add a bit more dialogue lmao, WHOOPS!

Once again YEETING any instances of third person POV! It's all Jacquie baybe

hehehe. ANYWAY

Made the motivations STRONGER; upped Jacqueline's "ANNOY JACK" mode to MAX HIGH HEAT BABY!

Also refined the B-Man/Jacquie chat where he's like "hey man what are friends for" and she's like "😲😲😲 we're FRIENDS?!?!?"

YEAH JACQUELINE. ALWAYS HAVE BEEN

(this may or may not be one of my fave memes lmao)

And I think that about covers it NO WAIT I LIED! A Year Six BTS HERE.

(As a heads up it IS a little bit (a lot) personal—a literal diary entry prefaces the post because there was a nasty gap between Y5 and Y6 bc of some personal shit? So heads up! I did make it VERY clear where personal shit ends and BTS begins so you can skip the Dani rambles and get right to the BTS rambles :)

Frostmas? You are saying. This thing again? Aren't you the Crystal Springs person? What's Frostmas? I am SO glad you asked. Let me share the summary!

The Twelve Years of Frostmas

Nobody but he and I knew the truth. Jack wasn’t supposed to be Santa; I wasn’t supposed to be Jack Frost. He thought being Santa would fix everything. He was horribly, horribly mistaken. [My take on Jack’s reign as Santa during the Escape Clause. MAJOR OC involvement AND First Person POV from said OC. Finally cross posting THIS behemoth! Enjoy!]

Intrigued? Take it from the top: [ao3 | ff dot net]

And here's a Year Six snippet for you, chosen with utmost care (MAXIMUM ANGST) in mind :)

"You know, I really didn’t think you’d do it!”

“Do what?!”

“Freeze that elf! I never even thought you’d agree to it! And when you did I thought wow, she’s really ready to go far for this whole fake freeze thing,” he laughed. “And then! You actually did it?! A little extra, but, I’m a fan of the style that went into it. You took the ice sculpture thing and, and ran with it!”

“Then why keep me here too? What, you still think I’d go to the Council with everything? That I’d stop this?”

“Uh, duh. What do you think I am, stupid?”

I opened my mouth to reply in the affirmative.

“It was rhetorical. Don’t answer that.”

I shut my mouth and pulled a face.

“Besides! I’ll need your help getting all this ready! What with your easy access to our shared heritage. It’ll take AGES if I attempted to do this on my own. Between decorating and the airport—"

I could barely focus as he began listing everything he needed my help doing, and continued walking. I could feel the beginnings of a sprite sleep clawing its way to my eyes as I stifled a yawn, trying to keep my two feet moving forward as I followed Jack down the corridor.

“—and I simply cannot do this all in time if you're out and about all willy-nilly. Also, just in case you're that good.”

“That good?”

“Y’know, actually faking it! Willing to go the distance to keep this up! Then the moment I let you go you’d run to the Council and we can’t have that.”

“Okay so, let’s say, theoretically, I WAS faking it. How would all that—” I gestured back towards the steps, where ice-Mason still sat beyond the walls and halls and twists and turns— “Convince you otherwise?”

“Because it’s exactly what I would’ve done.” The full impact of what he said hit as he turned around, surveying me with an unreadable look. “And you did it.”

I came to a grounding stop, my heart falling in my chest.

Jack chuckled quietly to himself. “Exactly. Now, I’ve got tons to do! We will chit chat later, Jacqueline—I’ll make sure your rooms are done up for your stay. Ciao!”

And, shooting me a smile and double finger guns he disappeared, leaving me alone in the corridor as the crushing weight of what I had just done—and what I had agreed to do—came falling down on me.

I stood in the hallway, motionless. The sounds of the chaos of the Workshop dulled before disappearing completely, nothing but a white noise as the world faded out from me and I realized that yes, Jack would've done it.

And I had done it.

I was turning into Jack.

---

>:D ANGST!

Check out Year Six HERE. ENJOY! 😘😘

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dangerously-human · 10 months ago

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You're amazing. My AO3 inbox sits at 230, and counting (although probably half are replies to my comments). Can I hire you to reply for me lmao

That is so many comments! A good problem to have but also overwhelming, I imagine. I don't think there's any expectation that you reply to every comment, and all the usual things people use to encourage readers to leave comments apply to the replies, too - it's okay to reply with keysmashing or a string of emojis/exclamation points or an "ahhh thank you!" I personally find replying to comments rewarding because it gives me a chance to talk about my writing process and all the behind-the-scenes stuff that doesn't make it into the page. But I don't always have the energy or extra info to add for that, so not all my replies are in-depth, any more than all my comments are - that's unsustainable and would burn me out to try to keep up. All of this is my way of saying not to feel guilty about having a lot of unread comments and not to hold yourself to an unreasonable standard, especially if that's going to take the joy out of it for you. Oh, and also, I never mind getting a late reply, even years later, it's a fun reminder of something I enjoyed before and get to enjoy thinking about again, so I hope that removes some shame for you too!

#personal #writer probs: fanfic edition

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milflewis · 2 years ago

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omg i hope it’s love. i’m trying really hard to make it love for the wip game?

ok so far this is just 6k of charles and pierre trying to woo lewis into their bed and lewis not trying v hard to resist it lmao. (read: lewis fluttering his lashes and falling into their bed and on their dicks like oopsie! how did i get here! i'm soooo silly) and it’s v nearly finished ! i just need to sit down and tip tap tap out the remaining 2-3k tbh. a little stuck on a talking part between charles and pierre and the overall sex scene at the end and tying it all together but this is mainly just me being lazy bc i wrote most of this fic months ago in one go and then got distracted and now here i am

George: charles mate what the fuck

George: could you be any more embarrassing

Alex sent a photo

Alex: u r so red

George: AGSJKDKAHAJKD

George: LOOK AT HIS FACE

Alex: I KNOW

Lando: aw charles

Lando: wot r u doing

Lando: not like u guys can say shit

Lando: ur just jealous that it’s charles who made lewis look like that

Alex: we r not

George: piss off

“What are you looking at?”

Charles startles, fumbling with his phone, nearly dropping it. Lewis laughs, knocking his shoulder into his.

“Nothing, nothing,” Charles says, gripping his phone so tightly the edges of his case dig into his hands.

Lewis hums, eyebrows raised. “Okay,” he says, drawing out the ‘o’. “It wasn’t porn, was it?”

Charles chokes on his own spit as Lewis cackles. “No!”

“Chill, man, I didn’t think it was.”

Charles laughs with him, “You’re not funny.”

Lewis waves a hand, scoffing, “I’m hilarious, actually, but whatever.”

Charles glares at him and they start walking, towards their garages. Charles makes sure he isn’t looking at Lewis too much, paying attention to the people around him. The only thing worse than that press conference would be if he walked into a pole or something because he was too busy drooling over Lewis. He can already hear Alex and George laughing at him.

“I meant it, you know. What I said in there,” Lewis says, hands in his pockets, shoulders loose. People move out of the way as they walk down the paddock, some of them not even looking at them before moving, as if Lewis has this pull, this way about him, that lets you know he’s there without even seeing him. Charles is used to his picture being taken, but with Lewis, it’s always more than normal. He ignores them.

“I know,” Charles says, watching Lewis not look at him. “I meant it too.”

Lewis’s eyes flicker over to him then, face still relaxed. Charles wants to break all the cameras and close the door to everyone and tell Lewis to show what he’s feeling, tell him that he can. He keeps watching him instead.

“Are you sure?” Lewis asks and his pearls shine in the sun. Charles wants to reach out a hand, tangle his fingers in them, and pull Lewis in. He doesn’t do that either.

Charles makes sure he’s looking at Lewis when he says, “I’m sure.”

Lewis nods, eyes flickering away. “Okay,” he says, a grin lighting up his face, starting in his eyes. “Okay.”

Charles tells him about the latest thing Arthur has done that has given Lorenzo grey hairs, or so he says, because Charles has yet to see them. Lewis is laughing as they get to the Mercedes garage, the Ferrari one still further on.

“Here you go, Monsieur,” Charles declares, with an exaggerated flourish of his hand, just to make Lewis keep laughing. He does, head thrown back, hand on his stomach. Mercedes mechanics look up from what they’re doing and watch them. Charles ignores them too.

“Merci beaucoup,” Lewis grins at him, the words foreign and strange on his tongue, but his pronunciation near perfect. Of course it is, Charles thinks, he could never do anything by halves.

Lewis starts to walk away, waving to Bono, who stares back at both of them, face unreadable, before saying to Charles, “After the race? Your room? You’ll tell Pierre?”

Charles nods because what else are you supposed to do when Lewis Hamilton smiles at you like that, small and hesitant, and invites you and your boyfriend to his room. “I’ll text you,” Charles calls after him, walking backwards, and Lewis laughs. Some of the mechanics are still watching them and Charles keeps ignoring them.

He’s grinning to himself as he jogs back to the Ferrari garage. He’s got a date with Lewis Hamilton. He’s got a date with Lewis Hamilton. He can’t wait to tell Pierre.

He nearly walks into one of his mechanics as he gets to his garage, body going cold. Oh, god. He’s got a date with Lewis Hamilton! A date. With Lewis fucking Hamilton.

#i hope its love. i'm trying really hard to make it love #ft. lewis thinking he's funny while charles is Gay and Flustered and the twitch quartet are Annoying #wip ask game #niamh.asks

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lionhanie · 4 months ago

Text

han taesan ; back 2 u (part three)

you can’t help but find yourself coming back to taesan everytime

this is part three of my series, back 2 u! read the previous part here!

fuckboy!taesan x fem!reader, college au

...featuring! BFFS jaehyun + woonhak, fuckboy leehan (AND he's taesan's roommate), and lovely roomies sungho + riwoo <3

word count: 3.7k

warnings: cursing, woonhak is also in uni (lol sorry had to make my life easier), toxic (?) behavior, mentions of enha jake LOL, y/n is delusional

a/n: i’m alive

likes ♡ and reblogs ↺ always appreciated!

The clinking of plates and someone gently singing along to music from the kitchen wakes you up. Head pounding slightly as your eyes adjust to the brightness of the room, you groan as you stretch out your limbs from your spot on the couch. There’s a pair of footsteps dragging against the floor from down the hallway; likely belonging to Riwoo, knowing he wasn’t going to be the one awake in the kitchen considering how much he drank last night. You yawn, finally sitting up properly and reaching for your phone resting on the coffee table.

5 unread texts from “Han Dongmin”! [2:15AM] hope ur feeling better y/n :) [2:15AM] get back safe [2:21AM] u aren’t walking back to ur dorm alone right? [2:34AM] just stay at their apartment or smth [2:38AM] or i can come get u

Why is he… literally in love with you? Surely he wouldn’t care this much otherwise. The gaps in time between the messages make you laugh; imagining Han Taesan, supposed resident heartbreaker on campus, triple texting a girl in concern for her wellbeing. After last night, you’re convinced that Taesan’s too big of a softie to actually match the rumors about him floating around. His roommate, on the other hand… You wouldn’t be surprised if Kim Leehan lives up to his reputation to a tee. You smile at the notifications on your lockscreen, sending him a couple messages in response.

to: “Han Dongmin” sorry didn’t see these last night, was busy helping sungho handle riwoo LMAO dw i stayed the night here

Much to your surprise, your phone lights up a couple minutes later. “Han Dongmin” loved “dw i stayed the night here”! An exaggerated gasp comes from a clearly hungover Riwoo, who’s currently standing at the kitchen island. “Sungho, I think I love you.” The roommate in question coughs at the sudden words of affection. Upon making your way from the living room over to your friends, you let out a similar gasp at the spread of food currently splayed out on the dining table. You think you love Sungho too.

“Let’s eat, the pancakes are gonna get cold soon.” You and Riwoo shuffle over to the table, each taking a seat and grabbing a plate and set of utensils.

“Sometimes I wonder what I did in my past life to be given such a good roommate,” Riwoo’s mouth is full of food as he rambles on, “Let’s live together forever, Sungho.”

“Oh my god, I just got goosebumps. Don’t say scary things like that while we’re eating.” You can’t help but giggle at the dynamic at the pair across from you. The three of you were randomly assigned together for a group project last fall semester, hitting it off immediately. Riwoo and Sungho decided to live together at the start of this school year-- you would’ve joined their lease if you weren’t already planning on dorming with a friend from high school.

The meal is accompanied with various stories from last night, primarily following Riwoo’s main character moment when he was the center of attention in the dance circle. Maybe it’s the hangover, but the dancer suddenly feels shy after having talked about himself for a little too long. “Okay, enough about my night,” He wipes his mouth with a napkin before throwing it onto his empty plate, “Care to explain how you ended up in Taesan’s room last night, Y/N?” Riwoo wiggles his eyebrows suggestively from his seat.

Your movements still, fork lingering in your mouth for a moment before taking it out, chewing your eggs slowly and analyzing the looks you’re getting from around the table. “Come on, that’s none of our business.” You send Sungho a thankful smile, earning a grin from him in response. Your current savior can’t deny that he’s equally as curious about why they had to find out from Leehan that you were swept away to the confines of his roommate’s bedroom.

“If you want me to be completely honest, I don’t remember how exactly I ended up there either.” It’s a complete lie; you spent roughly two hours laying awake on their living room couch recollecting everything that happened. Getting your kiss rejected, being so overstimulated to the point of almost crying, an awkward conversation in the middle of his room, and last (but definitely not least), the kiss Taesan gave you goodbye.

You probably replayed the end to your night over twenty times, fighting back the urge to squeal into your blanket. You felt like a middle schooler experiencing their first crush. You hope that they don’t catch your bluff, or at the very least refrain from prying any further.

The pair share a look with each other, definitely aware of the fact that you’re withholding information. “Alright, but just… Don’t fall too hard for him.” The atmosphere suddenly feels serious, making you anxious in your chair.

You let out a scoff at Riwoo’s warning, finding it ridiculous. “Fall for him? I literally met the guy on Thursday,” The fork you're currently holding is used to push around the remnants of food on your plate. “I find him interesting, that’s really it.”

“He’s a good friend, but I’ve seen the way he can talk to women,” Sungho stands up, already moving to pile up the dirty dishes on the table to take them to the sink. “He isn’t just well-known ‘cause of his looks.” You know exactly what he’s referring to, but you dismiss the thought. Right then and there, you swore you weren't going to indulge in the way you were currently feeling for Han Taesan. You knew better than to do that to yourself.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

Though here you were, a week after the party, laying stomach down on your bed as you complained to Woonhak and Jaehyun about the boy who plagued your mind for the past couple days. A week since you’ve heard from Taesan. No texts, no library run-ins, nothing.

Jaehyun’s playing around with the things you have scattered around your room, even going to rummage through your closet full of clothes that (most likely) would not fit him. “This is nice,” You look up to see him holding the jacket Taesan lended you that night sitting neatly on a hanger. “Look Woonhak, it actually suits me pretty well!”

A groan escapes you at the sight of Jaehyun putting it on and flashing you various poses, modeling the jacket before returning it to your closet. "Damn, just say you think it looks bad on me next time." You drop your head back down to the bed, not wanting to be reminded of the intimate moment you associated with the jacket for the thousandth time that week.

“Guys, can you be so serious with what I’m about to say right now?” Your voice is muffled by the fact that your face is currently shoved into your pillows.

“Yeah, but only if you get the hell up so we can hear you properly.” Woonhak giggles at Jaehyun’s comment from his spot on the carpet, where he was currently laying with his phone raised up in the air. “Is it about that random from last weekend?”

When you initially told them about Saturday, you spared them a couple details to spare you from the inevitable jokes they would’ve made at your expense. And by a couple details, you actually only told them that you "went to a party with Riwoo and Sungho, got drunk and kissed a mystery guy at the end of the night".

Ignoring Jaehyun’s question, you sit up properly on your bed, hair disheveled as you reach for one of your plushies to hug for comfort. “Okay, so I’m going to give you guys a hypothetical scenario right now.”

“And by hypothetical, you mean it happened to you, but go on.” Woonhak calls you out, making Jaehyun snort in agreement.

“Wow. Woonhak, I don’t think I’ve ever agreed with anything you’ve said more,” Jaehyun pats him, as if he was praising him for saying something right for the first time. “You used to do this all the time in high school… The whole ‘fake’ scenario that fully described your current internal turmoil, it’s too funny.”

Jaehyun wasn’t wrong, but you still smack the top of his head with your plushie in retaliation.

You and him were nothing but rivals when you first met, both fighting for the spot of class president in your freshman year of high school-- You unfortunately lost, but were appointed as vice president, which meant you were going to spend a lot of time together from that point onwards. The competition quickly ended once you realized how well your personalities bounced off each other; the two of you were like brother and sister.

Woonhak was brought into the picture on a random spring day; he was one of the new members of the school’s basketball team, which Jaehyun was a part of. At some point, he started following Jaehyun around outside of practice, finding enjoyment in bothering the upperclassman. Eventually, he found his way to one of your after school hangouts, and the rest was history.

He hates when you guys bring it up, but Woonhak cried like a baby at you and Jaehyun’s graduation, cursing at both of you for leaving him all alone… Only to enroll in the same university the following fall, properly reuniting the now-inseparable friend group you had.

The boys couldn’t remember all the times you’ve been in this exact state throughout the span of your friendship. The two knew you as someone who got attached far too quickly, putting an unreasonable amount of meaning into minor interactions, so the situation wasn’t unfamiliar to the two friends hanging around in your bedroom on a random afternoon.

“Imagine you’re me, okay, and some guy tells you to come to his party after renting out a book at the library.” It’s sweet how the two boys are now seated by the foot of your bed, listening intently like puppies waiting for their next command. “Then you show up, and the chemistry between you two is there, like seriously. You could cut the tension with a knife-type thick.”

“Okay, pause,” Jaehyun shoves his hand in front of your face to stop you from continuing, “Are we talking about actual tension, or is this just Y/N tension?” Woonhak fails to hold in his laughter at the term Jaehyun just made.

“It was very real to me, for your information.” You send a glare to the younger boy cackling on the bed, making him shut up once he catches your gaze. “And then you’re drunk, and you’re dancing with him the whole night.” Jaehyun playfully gags at your description, making you frown. “Fine, if you’re gonna be like that, we can just talk about something else.”

“Ah hyung, don’t be mean. Continue, Y/N.”

“...And the whole night you’re lowkey tweaking because this guy is being really sweet to you even though you kind of just thought he wanted to sleep with you or something.”

“Y/N, I thought you don’t like guys like that though?” Woonhak knows you too well. Nothing can ever be just casual for you. The mere existence of a man like Han Taesan should’ve been your first red flag, but you’re also not one to deny your heart from what it wants.

You give him a shameful look, feeling like you were just caught red-handed doing something you weren’t supposed to be. “Okay, you’re right, but let me continue. At the end of the party when there’s basically no one there anymore, he gives you his jacket, and kisses you goodnight at the door. Like what?!”

“Dude, why’d I just get chills?” Woonhak looks dumbfounded as he places his hand on his friend’s shoulder. Jaehyun shrugs his hand off in faux-disgust, rolling his eyes at the action. “It’s kind of romantic, no?”

“Exactly my point! And to top it all off, he texts you afterwards making sure you got back safe… And even offers to pick you up so you don’t have to walk home by yourself,” Your voice is filled with frustration as you bring your plush up to your face to yell into it. “Like… Does he want me?”

The boys in front of you sit in silence for a moment, analyzing the scenario you presented to them. “Ah, so that’s why that jacket I wore earlier fit me,” Jaehyun looks back at your closet, still open from his fashion show earlier, “Well, I wouldn’t say he doesn’t want you, but is there nothing else to the story?”

“You’re telling me this guy did all that for him not to want her? That doesn’t make sense, Jaehyun hyung!” Woonhak looks to Jaehyun beside him, shocked that they aren’t on the same page. “This is one of the few times I actually think Y/N’s delusions might actually be real.”

Ouch. Jaehyun brings up a good point, though. Other than the few texts you shared the morning after, there was nothing but radio silence between you and Han Taesan. “First of all, I hate both of you, but that’s kind of why I need your takes on this. That’s the end of my interactions with Tae-” You cut yourself off before you carelessly expose the identity of the "hypothetical" man in your story. “...The guy who kissed me that night. I haven’t heard anything from him in seven whole days.”

“Don’t you have his number? If you think he’s into you, why don’t you just, I dunno, ask to hang out or something?” Woonhak’s suggestion is valid, but it just isn’t like you to do that kind of thing; Asking out the guy you’re into, that is. Not only that, Taesan doesn’t seem like the type of guy to go out on dates like that… Maybe he would, if he knew he could get you in his bed by the end of the night.

“I guess, but doesn’t that seem too random? I don’t even know if we could keep up a normal conversation if we hung out.” At that moment, you’re faced with the reality that you still didn’t know much about Taesan. It’s clear that you’re attracted to each other, but could that be the only thing you have in common?

“Hm, you said he borrowed a book from the library when he invited you to the party, right?” Jaehyun inquires. You can practically see the gears in his head turning before he seems to come up with an idea. “Has he returned the book yet?”

“Myung Jaehyun, you’re a fucking genius.” Your friend brushes off his shoulders cockily, letting out a prideful laugh at the praise. “I doubt he even finished it yet, so I could remind him to bring it back to the library when I’m working!” Woonhak hums in acknowledgement of the recommendation, nodding his head at you. “...Do you guys think that’ll make me look too desperate?”

“Well, you’re looking for any reason to text him without sounding like you’re obsessed, aren't you?”

“Fuck it.” You don’t think you’ve ever been so eager to talk to a man when you grab your phone from your nightstand. Your high school friends hover over your shoulder, watching you pull up Taesan’s contact.

to: “Han Dongmin” btw that book u borrowed is overdue there’s a fine if you don’t renew it soon

You’re embarrassed to say that you throw your phone across the bed from you after pressing send. “I’m having crazy deja vu right now, Woonhak. This feels like we’re in high school again.”

“You’re right… Who was it again? That Jake guy from our basketball team?”

“Yeah! Sim Jaeyun, right? Gosh, can you believe Y/N only started coming to our games when she found out he was the point guard?”

You’re about to scold them for bringing up a former high school love interest nearly two years later in the midst of your college love predicament, when you hear a familiar ping come from your discarded phone.

2 new notifications from “Han Dongmin”! “Han Dongmin” emphasized “there’s a fine if you don’t renew it soon”! u working tuesday?

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

The next three days are brutal. You find it hard to concentrate on anything too important when you know you’re going to see Han Taesan show up during your shift Tuesday afternoon. The nostalgic feeling of being a girl far-too-excited to see the boy she’s got a crush on washes over you as you pick out your outfit the night before, settling on one of your prettier cardigans and your favorite pair of jeans. Might as well feel cute if this is going to be the first time seeing him in over a week. The morning of, you wake up twenty minutes earlier than usual to fix your hair and alter your makeup routine slightly. It’s nothing too crazy, but it satisfies your hopes to be complimented again by Taesan.

5:28 PM. The library’s help desk was supposed to close in half an hour (not that Taesan knew that), and still no signs of the dual-tone haired boy walking through the doors. You spin around in your chair, eyes following the hands of the clock hung up on the wall behind your desk. You were looking forward to seeing him, and your five-hour shift was nearly over after having anticipated it the entire weekend.

“Hey, stranger.” You feel a smile creeping up on your face at the familiar voice belonging to none other than Han Taesan. You mentally curse yourself for not touching up your makeup while you were waiting, but quickly find the composure to shoo away your excitement before swiveling back around. He’s wearing an oversized black sweatshirt, intricate details painted onto its sleeves. Even when he’s dressed down, his attractiveness is hard to ignore. “I didn’t realize a week had passed already, sorry.”

Yeah, you didn’t talk to me for a week, is what you wanted to say, but you soon understand he’s referring to the book he borrowed when he places it on the counter in front of you. “Do you want to extend your rent period?”

“Hm, yeah. I don’t think I’m done with it just yet.” There’s a moment of eye contact shared between you two as he answers. You go to click a couple buttons on your screen, bringing up the data log of all ongoing book rentals.

“Your makeup’s nice,” Taesan rests his elbows on the counter, peering over to watch you type. The scene feels reminiscent of when you first met. “Did you get all dolled up for me, angel?”

Is it that obvious? “Maybe you just think I look pretty today, Dongmin.” You accused, hoping the heating up of your cheeks is mistaken as the blush you put on this morning.

“I wouldn’t be calling you angel if I didn’t think you looked beautiful all the time, hm?” Damn. He’s good. Taesan laughs as he watches you avert your gaze, clearly struggling to respond to his barrage of compliments. “When do you get off work?”

“I clock out at six,” You look at the time in the bottom corner of your screen. Only twenty more minutes. Maybe this was your chance to ask to hang out; to properly talk to him while you’re sober. “Are you busy after this? Would you want to-“

“Hold on, someone’s calling me.” Your mouth presses into a thin line as he stops you to answer his phone. “Yeah?” The boy answers the unknown caller after taking a couple steps away from your desk in doing so.

The abrupt pause feels oddly humiliating; You almost didn’t want to bother finishing your question after he’s done. You renew the book under his name quickly, printing out his receipt and slipping it under the cover like you did the first time you spoke. Noticing a pad of sticky notes to the right of your keyboard, you peel one off and begin to write.

want to get lunch sometime this week? :-)

“Told you I had to stop by the library earlier, no? I’ll come after I’m done, promise.” It’s hard not to eavesdrop when he’s standing close enough for you to hear everything he’s saying. “Come on baby, don’t be like that. I’ll be quick.” His voice is quieter now, but you’re still able to make out what he whispers into the phone.

Baby? Who’s he talking to? Whoever it is, you can’t help but feel your previous confidence deflate at the realization that you’re not the only one he’s been sweet talking. It’s something you should’ve seen coming from a mile away, but a part of you really wished you minded your business before shamelessly listening in on his phone call. You look down to the note you just wrote, feeling disappointed as you crumple it up into a ball and discarding it to the side of your desk.

You’re snapped out of your thoughts when you notice he’s standing back at the help desk. “Sorry, Leehan’s calling me about some dumb shit again.” Oh, so now he’s lying. That, or he just happens to also call his roommate baby in the same sugary tone he uses on you. Surely, he doesn’t think you’re that stupid.

“It’s all good,” You force out an awkward laugh. “You’re all set for another couple days.”

“Thanks for reminding me about it, by the way.” Taesan flashes you one of his signature smiles, and you hate the way it makes your heart beat a tad faster. “Sorry to cut you off mid-sentence just now. Were you saying something?”

“Nah, just wanted to let you know that there’s a two day grace period for the late fee if you miss the return date again.” You hold out the book for him to grab.

He reaches out to take it, fingers brushing over your own as he does so. There it is again. Sparks. “What would I do without you?” Reaching behind him, he unzips his bag to throw the novel inside, closing it up afterwards. “I’ll see you around?”

You only hum in response. His phone goes off again in his pocket, presumably from whoever he was previously talking to. You watch as he does a 180 to walk towards the library’s doors, grinning as he picks up the call outside. Guess Han Taesan’s found his new girl of the week.

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