#i just need to get one (1) pair of sock started so i can watch mota while i knit

[separatist-apologist]

The Sweetest Con

Summary: Nesta Archeron has been trapped in witness protection for the past five years, hiding a secret no one can ever learn. All she has to do is wait out the criminals back home determined to punish her and her sisters for a lie they told years before.

She can handle anything- even the new agent sent to keep her safe.

Read on AO3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Nesta woke with a start to frosted windows and her ankle tied to a bedpost. “CASSIAN!” she screamed, voice hoarse from disuse.

“No need to shout,” he replied, sitting in a leather chair by an unlit fireplace. “I’ve been here the entire time.”

He had his wounded leg propped up on an ottoman. Shirtless, Cassian had on a pair of loose black basketball shorts and a pair of ankle socks, and his thigh was wrapped in a clean, white bandage. A prick of guilt slithered through her that she couldn’t quite banish despite what he’d done in response. Maybe they were even, she reasoned.

Or maybe he was a bastard who’d infiltrated her hidden life and now had her tied to a bed.

“Untie me,” she ordered, heart hammering in her chest.

Cassian cocked his head, dark hair spilling over broad, tattooed shoulders. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” “I’ll kill you,” she snapped.

He laughed. “You could have killed me days ago and you didn’t. You can’t kill me anymore than you can leave me, Nes. You know it.”

Looking up at the ceiling, Nesta reconsidered all her life choices. “Not killing you doesn’t mean I want to be with you.” “I assumed you wanted to be with me when I bent you over the kitchen table,” he deadpanned in response. 

“Let me go.”

He shrugged. “Okay. But there’s nowhere to run, Nes.”

“I’m not going—”

“Do me the favor of not lying to me,” he replied.

“Oh? Like you did?” she snapped in frustration. Cassian’s eyes widened ever so slightly, his guilt plain. “When did you decide you weren’t going to kill me?”

“Fuck, Nes, I was never planning to kill you. Ever.”

“Bullshit. Rhys sent you—”

“To keep tabs, that’s all. He wants your sister and she wants to be reunited with you and Elain. I was just watching until it was time to bring you back. I never had orders to kill you.” Nesta didn’t know how much of that she believed, despite the almost pained look on his face.

“And if he called you right now–”

“Christ, Nesta,” Cassian exploded, wincing as he rose to his feet. “Is it that difficult to believe I prefer you alive?”

“It’s difficult to believe you wouldn’t betray me if your boss told you to,” she sneered, heart racing. Nesta knew the truth—knew Cassian was no better than every other man she’d ever been with. They had no loyalty to her, and Cassian would betray her for his friends if they asked. All men did. 

Cassian untied the rope against her ankle, leaving Nesta to scramble to her feet, furious with him. She’d prove she was right. “I told the lie.”

Cassian sucked in a sharp breath. “What lie?”

Was he stupid? “The lie, Cassian. It was me—all my idea, my plan, my lie. I told Feyre to blame the murder on Rhys, I told the police it was him. This is all my fault. Does your precious Rhysand know that? Did you?”

Cassian took a breath, and then another. “So?”

Nesta blinked. “What?” “So fucking what, Nesta?” Cassian replied, crossing his arms over his naked chest. “Rhys thinks Feyre told the lie and you know what he’s doing right now?”

Nesta was too afraid to speak, to swallow the pooling saliva in her mouth. 

“He’s probably fucking her—”

“Don’t talk about her that way!” 

“No one cares about the goddamn lie, Nesta!” Cassian exploded, temper getting the better of him. “Did you think it would change my mind? Your father was a bastard—”

“Don’t talk about him that way, either!” she yelled back, not disagreeing with him. She merely wanted to fight him—if he’d told her his name was Cassian she’d have disagreed with him simply on principle. Nesta wanted to see how far she could push him before he inevitably backed off. Before he realized he wanted a fantasy and the woman beneath was no prize, nothing special. No one worth chasing across the country or obsessing over the way he was. 

“He was,” Cassian snarled as he stalked forward. “He would have done the same to you—would have traded you to someone worse if it suited him. What kind of father—”

Nesta slapped him. “Don’t,” she warned him, unable to listen to Cassian defend her. 

“Did it feel good to see his body?” Cassian asked her, gaze sharp and lethal. “Did you feel relieved knowing he couldn’t hurt you anymore? Or did you feel guilty, Nesta, that Feyre did the thing you’d always wanted to?”

“You don’t know anything about me,” she whispered, voice trembling.

“I know more than you think. I worked with your father, you forget,” he replied, coming closer still. Close enough she could feel the heat radiating off him. Nesta wanted to press her face against him and tell him everything. The life before her mother died, when her parents made it clear they loved each other first and their daughters second. Realizing the blatant favoritism and how even their attention felt like a curse. The downward spiral when her mother died and the different ways he played them off one another while acting hapless and confused.

And Cassian was right. Nesta did feel relief. And guilt, because what kind of terrible daughter wished her father was dead? What kind of horrible person wished she’d had the strength to do what Feyre had? 

Cassian’s callused palm caressed her cheek. “If I had known…I’d have done it for you,” he murmured. “You’re too sweet.” “No one thinks that about me,” Nesta bit back, hating the way tears were gathering against the corner of her eyes.

“No one knows you. Not like me,” he replied, his expression cautiously guarded. This time, when Nesta raised her hand to hit him, Cassian caught her wrist. It wasn’t a bruising hold but it was firm, his eyes flashing with warning. 

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Cassian breathed, crowding her personal space. “Push away everyone who loves you until you’re alone just to prove you deserve to be alone. The only person who thinks you’re unworthy of love is you, though. Not me, not your friends, and not your sisters, either.”

“What do you know about it?” she whispered, hating the hitch in her voice. Fuck him. Nesta hated him. She hated him for speaking about her insecurities with so much confidence, as if he had the right. 

“I know what it's like,” Cassian whispered in response, thumb rubbing a soft, soothing circle against her wrist. “My mom was murdered and my dad…I killed him. Hunted him down, let him see the man he refused to raise and the monster everyone said I’d be. He deserved it.”

Cassian spoke the words with such relish, his eyes bright as he conjured up memories of the past. “Would you do it again?” she asked him, throat dry.

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “The only difference, I guess, would be my methods. I was too angry—I didn’t savor his pain. If I could go back, I’d prolong his suffering.”

“I think I’m a bad person,” she whispered, hating the way her body started to shake. “I couldn’t keep them safe. It was Feyre—Feyre who saved us. And she’s still…she’s in danger and I’m here, useless—”

“Don’t,” Cassian interrupted, his expression fierce. “Don’t talk about yourself that way. Not in front of me.”

“Someone should,” she snapped, wrenching her hand from his grasp. “What good is it to pretend otherwise?”

Cassian shook his head. “No one thinks half as harshly about you as you do.”

“I should have—”

“You’re sweet,” Cassian insisted, stepping in front of her as she tried to leave the bedroom. “My sweet Nesta.”

“No one thinks that.”

“No one knows you like I do. Someone told you you were cold and harsh, once, and you’ve never forgotten. But they were wrong about you. Let me be your weapon, Nes. Please.”

“And what do I do, then? Sit at home and—” “You asked me if I’d kill you if Rhys ordered me to?” Cassian began, eyes glittering with something that looked like triumph. “Ask me if I’d kill Rhys if you told me to.”

She just barely got the question out. “Would you?”

“Yes.” Spoken easily, without hesitation. “If you had a sword, I’d kneel and allow you to knight me. If you were a Queen, I’d beg you to make me your General. Your enemies are mine, your banner the only loyalty I know, your command my edict.”

“You like poetry now?” she asked, strangely embarrassed by his declaration.

“I read too, you know,” Cassian told her gently. But Nesta didn’t know that. While he’d been studying her, she’d been largely ignoring anything to do with him that didn’t involve his body laying atop her own. 

“You’re a bad man, Cassian,” she murmured, trying one last time. One last test, just to see, at least for now. Maybe there would be another someday, and maybe he’d let her down eventually.

But right then, Nesta saw his determination coupled with his realization he nearly had her. Damn him. 

“I never said otherwise,” he murmured, eyes soft. “I’ll be good to you, though.”

“Is this what you call good?”

He grinned. “How long did you know?”

“The minute you walked to my door,” she replied as he stared back at her incredulously. “You look nothing like a cop—”

“A compliment—”

“And also I can google. Do you think I didn’t look you all up years ago?”

“Ferye didn’t,” Cassian said with a smug smile. Nesta bit back the urge to scream a little. Feyre didn’t even google Rhys? It was so like her, to just put it all from her mind and trust that fate would guide her. And Rhys… “Is she safe?”

“Yes,” Cassian said solemnly, and Nesta believed he wouldn’t lie to her. Not about this, anyway. Nesta felt off kilter, unsure what to do or say next. It took her a moment to remember it all—he’d put a cloth over her face filled with chloroform and Gwyn and Em—

“My friends—”

Cassian grimaced. “Mor and Em are fine…well…Em is fine. Mor is…getting what she deserves, I think.”

“And Gwyn?”

“Az took her with him.”

Nesta was going to kill him. “Took her where?”

Cassian’s eyes slid to the floor. “I uh…I’m not sure.”

Nesta punched him hard in the shoulder.

“Ow! I didn’t kidnap her!”

“No, but you brought him to us!”

“Well, shit, Nes, I didn’t know he was gonna get obsessed when she put a gun in his face. Though…now that I think about it…I probably should have known,” Cassian mused, hazel eyes far away. “He’s always been…”

“Cassian, I don’t think you can judge him,” Nesta said, mind racing. Gwyn would be fine…right? “He’s not the…he wouldn’t…he respects the word no, right?”

Cassian’s eyes widened. “Of course. I’m sure he wouldn’t…do that.”

“How sure?”

Cassian’s gaze searched her own, face serious. “If he hurts her, I’ll kill him for you.”

Nesta wasn’t sure she believed that, but his words soothed her a little.

“Besides, from the last update we got, it sounds like she’s giving him a difficult time.”

Nesta was tempted to press him, but Cassian turned and asked if she was ready to go home with a wariness that betrayed how nervous he was. She wasn’t leaving him, though—even if it was a betrayal of her time in witness protection. She was ready to go back to living her actual life, to stop pretending to be Agnes, a woman she hated, and living in a place she loathed.

Rhys knew the truth and he didn’t want them dead for it. And Cassian…a million memories slithered through her mind. He’d cooked with her and done yoga, and—

“Did you kill Tomas?”

“Of course,” he replied easily, tossing a couple things into an open canvas bag. Nesta didn’t know why it mattered, but she crossed the wood floor all the same to fling her arms around his neck. 

“Thank you.”

Cassian hugged her back warmly and without hesitation. She felt him inhale the scent of her hair, hand spanning the entirety of her back. “For what? I love killing.”

“Cassian…you know thats fucked up, right?”

He shrugged. “We all have our talents.”

“Take me home, Cassian,” she murmured. Cassian only smiled, lips in her hair.

“Consider it done.”

CASSIAN:

In his wildest dreams, Cassian never expected Nesta to come as easily as she did, in the end. Perched in the passenger seat, Nesta complained about the music he listened to—Divorced Dad Rock, she claimed—the route he took—What is your obsession with backroads—and the way he drove—Get your hand off my knee, Cassian. 

With any other woman, in any other circumstance, it would have been a nightmare. He’d have been ready to commit a trail of homicides before he ever reached home, but listening to Nesta settled something restless and wild in Cassian’s chest. After a lifetime of violence, she made him feel safe, somehow. 

It didn’t hurt that she had a gun holstered to her thigh and those sharp eyes kept vigil even at night. Nesta didn’t relax until the doors were locked, the curtains drawn, and the closets checked for monsters. Was it him, he wondered, that made her look? Or the life she’d lived before him? Cassian drew up the courage to ask the night before they arrived home, holding Nesta in his arms.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked into her hair, unsure what he’d say if she did.

Nesta snorted. “Of you? No.”

“Then why—”

“Habit,” she replied, reading his mind. “It doesn’t hurt anything though, does it?”

“I just needed to know.”

They fell back into silence, half asleep even as Cassian’s mind whirled. What was Rhys going to say when he came home like this? Maybe he ought to put a ring on Nesta’s finger…just in case. 

“Nes?”

She merely hummed in response.

“We should get married.”

There was a very pregnant pause in the dark. “Is there a question in there somewhere?” Nesta finally asked, rolling over so she laid on her back.

“If I ask, you might say no. I’m telling you we’re getting married.”

Nesta leaned up on her elbows while Cassian tried to suppress his grin. If he wasn’t careful, she’d shoot him again. Why did that turn him on? 

“You’re telling me?” she repeated, her voice lethally soft. “Do you want to try again? I’ll pretend I never heard you say that.”

“No.”

In that, Cassian was certain. If he gave her the option, it was too risky that Nesta would say no. She’d fight him no matter what, but this way, at least she knew the outcome. He’d take her to the altar kicking and screaming if he had to. But Nesta was going. 

“Cassian—”

Cassian had her before she could raise her fist, pinning her beneath him quickly. Using his knee to spread her legs, Cassian settled himself between her thighs before lowering her head.

“Do you imagine a life without me, Nes?”

“Maybe.”

That wounded him, though he was determined not to show it. “Oh? And how do you figure?”

“Maybe I’ll get bored of you,” Nesta said in that flippant, bratty way of hers. The words shot straight to his balls which irritated him. He was never going to win a fight against her if he couldn’t keep his body in check. 

“Yeah?” he questioned, teeth tugging roughly at the lobe of her ear. “Do you think I’ll ever be bored of you?”

“Probably,” Nesta said, though there was a breathless quality to her voice. “Maybe you’d prefer someone less difficult.”

“Don’t sound so hopeful, Nes. There will be no one else. For either of us,” he added, just in case she thought he was giving himself some sort of out. 

“Cassian—”

“You shot me, remember?” he said, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. He would like a recreation of that moment. Nesta, gun pointed at him, Cassian, helpless. Though, he’d prefer it ended with him fucking her against a wood floor rather than picking a bullet out of his leg. 

“And that made you want to marry me?” Nesta asked, fingers brushing the stubble of his cheek.

“No,” he admitted, “though it certainly didn’t hurt anything. The sight of a gun in your hands, I just…fuck. Tomorrow. We’ll get married tomorrow.”

“How do you think we’re going to get married? We don’t have paperwork, a license—”

“I’ll figure it out,” Cassian interrupted. 

“Do I have a choice, Cass?”

“You could shoot me again. Run off, if you want. But I’d find you,” he added, just in case there was any doubt. “I’d bring you back.”

“Seems you’ve got it all figured out.”

“I’d like it better if you were excited,” Cassian murmured, kissing just beneath her jaw. “If you said yes.”

“You’d have to ask me a question if you wanted that,” Nesta replied blithely. 

Fuck he wanted her.

“Marry me?” he asked, changing his inflection just enough it was a question.

“No.”

Cassian covered her mouth with his own, kissing her with a brutal intensity that left him breathless. Desperate. Of course she said no. She likely had to, couldn’t have said yes even if she wanted to and still it did something for him. 

“Marry me, Nesta?” he whispered again, lips inches from her own.

“No,” she said again, though there was a whine to her voice that hadn’t been there before. Cassian kissed again, and again, his tongue stroking her own as his hands began skimming down her sides. How long before she said yes? Would they be fifty years in before Nesta finally admitted she liked being his wife? Three kids, eight grandchildren later?

Cassian ignored his desperate need to hear her say yes in favor of making her want him again. It felt as though it had been a lifetime since he’d last felt her beneath him, but right then he thought if he didn’t touch her, taste her, he’d go mad from wanting. Why was she wearing so much clothing? Nesta was in one of his t-shirts and a pair of underwear, all of which felt criminal right then.

He’d marry her, and then he’d keep her naked in his house, he decided. She could do whatever she wanted so long as she did it without a top. Cassian pulled it off over her head, dislodging the bun of hair she’d set just before they’d fallen asleep.

“I put moisturizer on—”

“I don’t care,” he growled, kissing her again. Fuck her skincare routine, and her pretty hair, and everything else. Cassian liked Nesta when she was fussy because it made undoing her all the more fun. Raking his fingers through her silken hair with one hand, Cassian used the other to palm her large, soft breast. He was painfully erect and making it her problem, grinding himself against her pelvis until he could feel her arousal through the thin fabric of her panties. 

“Cassian…” Nesta breathed, arching her neck as he began to drag his mouth down her skin.

“Marry me,” he replied, certain he’d be repeating this well into fucking her. 

“Shut up, Cassian,” Nesta replied, just in time for Cassian to lick her nipple. He sucked a little harder than he needed to, groaning when she arched into him. Her hand slid between his legs for his cock, squeezing a warning.

“Do that again,” she whispered, her eyes somehow bright even in the pitch dark. “I dare you.”

“Fuck,” he panted, wishing she’d keep stroking. Nesta released her grip in favor of raking her nails down his back before her palms settled on his shoulders to push him lower.

Cassian settled between her legs, peering up at her in the dark. “Are you going to marry me?”

“I guess it depends how well you do tonight,” she replied, which was an improvement from the outright no of before. 

“When have I ever done a bad job?” Cassian asked as he slid the fabric of her white panties to the side. There was something about letting her wear them that turned him on. Like he was doing something he shouldn’t, touching something forbidden. Nesta was a lady—she should have been off-limits.

And there he was, running his bloodstained hands all over her immaculate skin. This was Cassian’s religion, his home—his purpose. How could she not want to marry him when he’d never been more sure of anything in his life? That first taste of her felt holy, and when her legs fell fully open, Cassian truly believed there had to be some sort of higher power.

How else did you explain a woman like Nesta Archeron? 

Nesta’s fingers found his hair as he began to lick at her, taking his time in the dark. Where did he have to be? Outside of just returning home and telling Rhys what he’d done, Cassian didn’t need to be anywhere at all—and Rhys could wait, besides.

Rhys would wait. 

Cassian took his time, eyes adjusted to the dark as he licked slow circles around her clit. His fingers teased, using the fabric of her underwear to rile her up until Nesta was panting, thighs squeezed tight around his face.

“Cassian—”

“Are you going to marry me?”

“Cassian!” she replied, but he’d pulled away entirely to look at her. He wanted to hear her say yes—it was killing him that she wouldn’t, and if that was the only way he’d get that answer, well…

He’d done worse things than this. 

“Cassian, please,” Nesta all but begged, and he couldn’t stand that, either. Maybe it was just his aching cock begging him to get on with things, but Cassian returned his mouth to her pussy, licking faster this time because he wanted to hear her come. He’d missed the sound of her breathy sighs and the way her chest flushed red when she got close. Nesta’s legs trembled, arching and rolling against him in a mimicry of fucking. 

He needed to be inside her more than he needed anything else. Cassian pulled her close, wishing he’d sat her on his face so at least she could touch him. That was heaven and hell all at once, the desperate need to taste her and the frantic urge to fuck her. 

Cassian pulled back moments before Nesta came, panting roughly as he pulled his cock from his pants. Nesta whined, arching her back so her nipples pointed directly at the ceiling. Fuck.

“Marry me, Nesta.”

“Yes,” she replied, too lost to pleasure to think about fighting him. Cassian was quick to slide his cock into her body, using the pad of his thumb to rub her clit so Nesta came as he was entering her body. He felt her tighten around him, the sensation causing his eyes to roll up into his head. She was so wet—so warm. Cassian laid himself against, letting himself feel the waves of her pleasure against his otherwise still cock—he was too close and he hadn’t done a damn thing. 

“No take backs, Nesta,” he whispered against her ear.

“We both knew I was going to say yes,” she replied, eyes fluttering open to look at him. “I just wanted to give you a little hell.”

“I like hell,” Cassian murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth. “And I love you.”

Nesta smiled, a sweet smile on her lips. “I know you do.”

If he’d been in his right mind, Cassian might have demanded she say it back. It was very Nesta not to say it, to let him wonder if she meant it. But he knew, as she reached for him, that Nesta felt the same. He didn’t need words—her actions screamed it. 

Cassian had pulled himself out and was simply too drunk on the woman beneath him to care about anything else. Especially when her whole body tightened as he reentered her body, drawing a ragged whimper from Cassian’s lips. Somewhere in his head, he thought he heard Nesta asking for more. Maybe that was merely wishful thinking—Cassian couldn’t be sure.

He pumped, though, fingers slipping between their sweat slicked bodies until he found her clit again. He needed to hear her, needed to feel her. He was dangling on a precipice and yet he couldn’t finish, in part, he thought, because he wanted to feel the rhythmic clenching on his cock again.

Nesta came loud enough that if they had neighbors in the hall, they certainly heard her. Assuming, of course, the headboard knocking against the wall hadn’t alerted everyone to what they were up to. Cassian didn’t care, spilling himself right behind her the moment he felt her tighten around him like a vice. His orgasm ripped through him like a bomb, making a fool of him as he panted and pleaded her name. 

Nesta, Nesta, Nesta. 

Reality slipped back in like an unwanted house guest, forcing Cassian out of Nesta so she could quickly make her way to the bathroom, complaining about how much he’d come. As if that was a bad thing. 

“Cass?” Nesta asked, naked and illuminated by the harsh glow of the bathroom lights. He was once again struck by how beautiful she was. Ethereal, like some kind of angel sent from heaven to shoot him with his own gun. 

“Yeah?” he said, eyes on her face though he was looking at her boobs through his periphery.

“Can we…stay…for a day or two? Before we go back? Just us?” she added.

Cassian grinned, beckoning for her to come join him in bed.

“Whatever you want.”

And he meant it. Whatever she wanted.

Forever.

[thirstyvampyr]

pairing yarn to patterns shouldn't be this agonizing ahhhhhh

[undead-supernova]

Bullshit! / Masterlist / 18+

part 1 / part 3

Playlist

pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!reader

plot: eddie runs into you unexpectedly and you think it's time to have that date a little early

contains: eddie lacking confidence, confident!reader, get to know Eddie and the reader a little better, making out, kids this is a bit more than pg-13 I'll tell you that much without spoiling it

note: sorry guys, I'm not done with this. maybe far from it. they have a dynamic unlike any other and I'm here for it.

wc: 4k

The library was maybe the last place Eddie wanted to be at one in the afternoon on a Tuesday. It was always overcrowded, riddled with students running around with coffee from the adjoining Starbucks. 

But Eddie needed a new book, having told himself that rereading The Hobbit the third time this semester was…unnecessary. Plus, his English professor told him that “we can only enact change ourselves.” 

Maybe it was a sign. Because as Eddie passed the large glass windows, he saw you sitting at one of the booths.

You looked different from every Saturday night. No makeup, hardly any jewelry except for a thin gold necklace and several rings. An oversized sweatshirt and, from his vantage point, you were wearing a pleated skirt. He even noticed that your high-top Converse were placed next to you, mismatched patterned socks adorning your feet. 

And, fuck, Eddie couldn’t help the excitement rising inside him. It should’ve embarrassed him when he started jogging towards the front door, but he couldn’t find it in him to care. All he could think about was the sound of your voice and your eyes and your touch and your kiss.

He slowed his pace as he walked past the printers and computers and found your head down in some textbook, blissfully unaware.

“Working hard or hardly working?” he asked.

And when you looked up and smiled, he could’ve sworn his heart swelled and burst like a goddamn balloon.

“Oh my gosh, hi!” you exclaimed, jumping up to give him a hug. “What the fuck are you doing here!”

It was only for a few seconds, but he couldn’t resist breathing in your intoxicating perfume and memorizing the feel of you. The curve of your back, the soft fabric of your sweatshirt scratching against his calloused fingertips.

And as you sat back down, he realized quickly why your mere touch was so alluring. It was a reminder that Saturday had been real and, on this grueling Tuesday, you still cared about his existence. You still noticed him.

“I was coming to look for something new to read,” he answered, trying to figure out what to do with his hands and failing. “What about you?”

Eddie couldn’t decipher your now raised eyebrow, watching as you lifted your pointer finger. “Sit down,” you nearly demanded, eyes flickering from him to the booth. His heart hammered in his chest as he complied, eyeing your finger following his movements. 

It was despicable how easy it was for you to get him to do whatever you wanted. Even just fucking sitting down. But he loved it. Every. Fucking. Second.

“I was in the stacks looking at the archives,” you explained. “But everyone in my class took them already.” You sighed, rolling your eyes. “Such bitches.”

“How rude,” Eddie said, all teasing with an amused smile.

He could tell you liked it, biting your lip slightly before playing along. “I know, it’s offensive.”

There was something he noticed in your expression, placing your lip back between your teeth as you scanned him up and down. Eddie was unable to keep a smile off his face, overwhelmed by the attention you gave him. Like he was a meal, but something to be savored rather than merely devoured.

He couldn’t help it when he returned the sentiment, glancing down at your skirt that was riding further and further up your thighs. It wasn’t the time to think about you like that, spread wide for him as he got on all fours. Having you barking commands at him to do it properly, rewarding him with endless praise once you deemed it good enough.

Your thighs parted just a bit more, head tilting to the side as you gave him a smirk. As if you knew exactly where his thoughts were and wanted him to keep going. And, wow, were you two really just eye-fucking each other in the library?

“Want some coffee?” he asked, trying to distract himself. Practically flinching, pulling himself back from the table. “I was gonna head to Starbucks afterwards.”

The sexual tension broke at the question and he watched as you fiddled with your pen. But you didn’t flounder like he did. He wondered if you ever could. 

“Yeah, I’d love to. I have to finish something up but—”

“Oh, I’ll go by myself,” he offered.

“You sure?” you asked, clearly surprised.

“Yeah, no biggie,” he assured you, standing up.

Expression turning a bit sheepish, you said, “I will warn you… My order is complicated.”

He shrugged. “Hit me.”

And the order wasn’t complicated, per se. Eddie just wanted to know how the hell had you come up with a “dirty iced chai with oat milk and two pumps of cinnamon dolce”. Regardless, Eddie tucked that into his Notes app for later. If there was a later.

After grabbing himself a large black coffee and the concoction you'd asked for, he made his way back over to you. Rounding the corner, he noticed the way you moved back and forth between a book and your laptop, sighing and mumbling something to yourself. But as if you could sense him, you turned and watched him approach, a smile appearing on your lips.

“Oh, a Venti, huh?” you teased, making grabbing motions at him anyways.

He shrugged, sitting back down. “You deserve it.”

“You know what? You’re right.” You took it from his hand, taking a long sip. “I hate Starbucks coffee,” you said, licking your lips. “It’s awful. But this is the best thing on the menu, so thank you.”

“Yeah, of course.” Eddie hoped you couldn’t see him blush. "I hate it, too. It's just the only thing we got." 

“God, I know. Also, I can Venmo you or—"

“Absolutely not,” he interrupted, waving you away. 

“Okay,” you conceded, not bothering to argue further. Just took another sip and sat back. Glanced out the window before back at him. “Wanna go on that date today?”

“Today?” he asked, nearly gobsmacked.

Nervousness ran along his limbs, not fully prepared to be with you. Alone. Just the two of you. It’d taken him hours to go to bed after dropping you off the other night. Any time he thought he was done masturbating, it just came with another round. Like a goddamn creep.

“Why not?”

“Aren’t you doing research?” he asked, feeling his face grow hot.

And if you noticed, you didn’t say anything about it.

“Oh my god, I would rather die than look at this shit any longer. I’ve been here since eight.” You paused before throwing a hand over your face. “Unless you’re busy. Sorry I didn’t ask first.”

“No, no. I’m free,” he lied, deciding at that moment to skip his class. He’d catch up on Algebra with his tutor—it’s not like he paid attention anyways. That damn tutor was the only reason he understood a fraction of it. Pun absolutely intended. 

And he swore you nearly jumped up, grabbing your shoes and shoving them on before packing up your backpack, the weight of it starting to look daunting. Book after book, plus your laptop and pencil case and…

Without thought, Eddie grabbed it for you, slinging it over his shoulder. Fuck, it was heavy. “Here, I got it.”

You stared up at him, clearly shocked. “Oh, you sure?”

But Eddie gave you a smile and gestured towards the window with his head. “Yeah, come on. I’ll drive.”

By all accounts, Eddie was actually…sweet. It was nearly sickening how sweet he could be, carrying your backpack for you and opening the car door (despite it being a stalker van). Asking what music you liked to listen to—everything, was the answer. And you didn’t just like every genre, you loved it— Fiddling with the air conditioning and telling you to change it if you get too hot or too cold. Asking if his music was too loud, asking how you were doing now, away from your books.

You were starting to find him ridiculously intriguing, unsure how to take his kindness. It wasn’t a bad thing by any means. You just…weren’t used to a man being so considerate of your feelings. 

It wasn’t like you didn’t think you deserved it—that was obvious every time a man got a little too close for comfort and you had to humiliate them. 

But there was just something that felt new about Eddie. When he’d approached you at the party, you sized him up like every other guy shooting their shot. But he caught your eye immediately when he stumbled over his words. And when a jolt seized your veins at that first touch on his arm, you knew you were hooked. 

You’d gone to bed that night with a smile on your face, softly licking along your lips to savor the lingering taste of Eddie’s mouth. It was tinged with beer, something you used to hate. Something you now loved, thoughts echoing one word:

New.

Eddie helped you out of the car once he’d parked, even insisting that you let him get it for you. It made you feel quite warm in the face, surprised by his assertion. Made you feel like a lady, something you hadn’t ever felt at the hands of a man.

As you moved through the museum, you were quiet, whispering now and then about certain art styles and their importance during their corresponding time periods. And you were glad that Eddie wasn’t a douchebag about noise level inside a museum.

He never interrupted, never poked fun at your intelligence. He’d even asked more questions, all hushed and contained, some even you didn’t know the answer to. Pocketing them for later to ask your professors. 

But Eddie rarely gave up any information about himself, leaving you to tap his foot with yours and ask him questions. Every time, his face got hot and he murmured responses with a shrug, as if he didn’t think it was anything special. 

How was it not? He was still undecided, having dreams of working on video games and helping direct the narratives in new and innovative ways to engage with the player more. You didn’t know much about video games, but you still listened. Still gave him the attention he’d given you. It wasn’t even hard—he was so animated once he got into something he was passionate about. It was endearing, actually.

You ended up sitting down on one of the benches together, staring at an abstract painting by an artist you’d never heard of. 

“Do you like abstract?” you asked him, whispering despite the empty room.

Eddie shrugged, eyes trained on the swirling colors. “I think so? I mean, it’s cool to look at. I just don’t really know what I’m looking for. Or what I’m looking at, for that matter.”

That brought a smile to your face. His statement wasn’t judgmental or dismissive. It was…pensive. Contemplative. 

“I think of it like music,” you said. “The different colors and movements are like different instruments. They’re all separate but they come together to make something magical.”

For emphasis, you leaned in closer to him, your face and shoulder fully pressed against him. Raised your arm to point at the sharp flicks of red hurling towards the top right of the canvas. You could’ve sworn you heard Eddie suck in a breath, having to suppress a smirk at the effect you had over him. 

“That’s like a trumpet, bright and loud. Furious in nature but soaring off the page.” Then you pointed toward the royal blue splatters, more round than some of the other scattered pigments. “And this is like, oh, I don’t know. I guess, a trombone. Low and sultry. Rounded. Keeping everything together.”

Eddie turned his head, your noses nearly touching. You couldn’t help the shiver running down your neck at the tickling sensation you got from his hair. A smile you hadn’t seen before enveloped his face as you made eye contact.

“So, you’re saying it’s like jazz.”

A breathy laugh left your lips, finding yourself intimidated by his pointed gaze. By the way you could study the rich brown in his eyes, all bright and energized despite his calm demeanor. The stubble rising from his pores, all scratchy and wicked. 

“Well, uh,” you murmured, surprised by your inability to form words. “It doesn’t have to be, but, um, I guess this one made me think of jazz. The way it kinda…” your voice trailed off as he seemingly leaned in further, his scent like smoke fogging your senses. “It’s not so rigid. It’s improv. It’s, um…”

“Varied?” he offered, his smile growing. “Unique?”

You nodded. “Yeah.”

Eddie let out a hum. “I think I get it now.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s beautiful.”

For once, you had to look away, back at the painting to try and control your breathing. There were flashes of things you wanted to do, both tender and wildly too inappropriate for the setting. Things you wanted beyond physicality, beyond the limits you’d always set for yourself.

And as if he could hear the pounding of your heart, his fingertips touched yours. Slowly weaved his fingers through the spaces left open. Took a piece of your heart with him.

Eddie might not be exactly forward with his actions, but he knew what he wanted. All you could do was squeeze his hand and hope that one day you’d get to see him in full bloom. 

“Why do you do that thing?” you asked.

Eddie glanced over at you, one hand on the steering wheel. The other fiddled with a hole in his pants, needing something to grasp onto. His heart rate just started to slow down, giving him a chance to breathe. 

There was just something about you that drove him mad.

“What thing?”

“Act like you’re not interesting.”

Sheepishly, Eddie shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know. I guess it’s ‘cause you’re way more interesting than me.”

“Bullshit,” you said sternly, a scoff leaving your lips.

“What!” he exclaimed, looking over at you again. “It’s true.”

You shook your head, crossing your arms over your chest. “You highly underestimate yourself.”

Eddie snorted. “I’m a stereotype.”

“Bullshit,” you repeated, starting to sound genuinely frustrated. “Who the hell told you that?”

He didn’t know where to start. 

Being a loser wasn’t a big deal for him in high school. Grew up with his father’s reputation preceding him. Got through it the best he could with some awesome friends along the way. Finally graduated high school and raised his GPA enough to come here. It was simple. In his mind, he was simple.

But spending the latter half of summer, the one he dared never to speak of, without his friends and then coming here without anyone else… Well, he struggled to find anyone willing to be his friend. He tried. Really, he did. But it never came to fruition.

And what was more embarrassing than joining a D&D club before being told he didn’t belong within the first hour? Him, the DM of Hawkins, hell, Indiana, being told he didn’t belong. That he didn’t play right. That he just didn’t fit.

He spent so much time alone. It was starting to make him miss Hawkins, the nostalgia starting to kick in. Hawkins, the place he loathed. The place he wanted nothing to do with. 

He was a nineteen-year-old Freshman with no friends and an undecided future.  

His silence must’ve lasted longer than he thought because you pointed at the nearly empty Walmart parking lot and asked, “Actually, would you pull in for a sec?”

“Yeah, of course,” he responded, heading towards the very back row, far from any remaining cars. Giving the two of you privacy just in case you started to yell at him for being a loser or something. He didn’t know. You were just so unpredictable.

But once he parked, you were unbuckling your seatbelt and grabbing his chin. Squished the bottom of his cheeks in one hand as you pulled his face closer to yours. He must’ve stopped breathing, hands slipping from the steering wheel.

“You better start listening to me, Eddie,” you breathed, all low and sensual, moving your lips to barely graze his bottom lip. “I really don’t like you talking about yourself like that.”

Eddie could feel sweat collecting beneath his bangs as you continued your torture, raking your fingernails down his throat before wrapping your hand around it. He gasped, earning a small smile out of you.

“I don’t waste my time with boring people, as conceited as that sounds,” you continued, the left corner of your mouth lifting. Eyes flickering between his eyes and his lips, eyelashes fluttering with each micromovement. “But I never claimed to be the nicest person, did I?” Eddie still wouldn’t speak. He didn’t know if he could without moaning. “You’re one of the most interesting people I’ve met. And the nicest, which is probably more than I deserve. You’ve seen the way I treat other men.”

“They deserved it,” he whispered, feeling his cock twitch when your grip tightened. “Every one of them.”

“Yeah, they did,” you replied, raising the pitch of your voice. Like you were taunting him. “But you’re different, aren’t you?”

“I-I am?”

“You’re sweet,” you breathed, giving slow kisses to his cheeks. Giggling when you noticed the blood rushing into them so rapidly. “And you’re a real nice guy, you know that?”

“I, uh, I try to be,” he stumbled as you moved your lips past his jaw and against his ear. Went limp at the feeling of you biting the lobe, fanning your breath over it.

“You do such an excellent job,” you whispered. “So nice and kind and funny. You really get me going, Eddie. I didn’t think I’d be so affected by you.”

When you pulled back to face him, you chuckled. He couldn’t blame you. His eyes must’ve been popping out of his head, mouth agape at your pretty words. What was even more fucked up was how genuine you sounded, like you weren’t just saying these things to say them. You meant it.

“I thought about you a lot this weekend,” you said breathily, removing your hand from his neck to start coiling his hair around your finger.

“Me?”

“You,” you said with a nod.

He licked his lips. “W-what about me?”

“About how interesting you are. And not to get too vulgar,” you said with a giggle, all teasing and devilish. “But I couldn’t help but think about taking your cock down my throat.” Another giggle as you tapped your fingers along his collarbone. “Thought about what it looks like, if it’s half as pretty as you.”

Eddie couldn’t stop the way his cock strained against his jeans, the neverending praise overwhelming him. “T-thank you,” he responded, unable to suppress the whine that he’d tried to contain when your other hand began palming him over his jeans. 

“You, um,” he tried to continue, taking a deep breath through his nose to keep his composure. “I-if you want, you can. Anytime. Any time.” 

“It’d be so easy like this, you know,” you nearly purred. “To ride you, to leave you a blubbering mess and thanking me for taking care of you. I think you’d really, really like that.”

“You’re killing me, sweetheart,” he groaned, fingers now reaching out to white-knuckle the steering wheel. 

“Am I wrong?”

A tiny scoff left his lips as you nearly massaged his cock, knowing that if you didn’t stop soon, he was going to burst. “You already know the answer to that.”

“I want to hear it, Eddie.” You nipped his neck, causing him to jump a little. But you wouldn’t stop, whispering filthy words as you continued to mark him. “I want to hear you tell me how good it would feel for me to suck you dry.” He continued to nod, each word sending him further into the deep end. “Before getting you hard again, just ‘cause I can, and getting on top so I can milk you with my pussy.” He moaned at your vulgarity. “Which is dripping, by the way.”

Without any warning, Eddie was cumming, an explosive rush that had him twitching and jerking. Panting and dry mouthed. You didn’t remove your hand, merely chuckling and rubbing him through his jeans until he was able to breathe normally again.

Before Eddie could get the chance to apologize for his behavior, you were pulling him in with an agonizingly slow kiss, your fingers damp from the cum seeping through his jeans. 

You tugged at his lower lip with your teeth before letting out a hum. Gazed up into his puppy dog eyes and said, “Good boy.”

After a few moments of Eddie being able to think clearly again, you found your eyes wandering around his console before settling on a pack of cigarettes. 

“You smoke?” you asked, plucking them from the cupholder and shaking the box in front of his face.

He nodded, seemingly quiet despite what transpired. “Want one?”

“Absolutely,” you responded, quick to take two out and hand one over. Watched him roll the windows down. Even went so far as to light both cigarettes for you like a gentleman. 

You knew he was still coming down from that high. It wasn’t like you could judge when the wetness collecting between your thighs was probably staining the carseat. It took everything in you not to beg him to take you right then and there. But you were a lady (of sorts) and as a lady, you were content with saving yourself for another day.

Besides, it was nice to see him so calm now. Like a weight had been lifted, if only for a moment. It was still a moment.

“Post-nut clarity cigarette,” you joked, taking a slow drag and glancing out at the afternoon sun. 

“Was that…not embarrassing?”

That was when you realized what was happening.

“Are you kidding me? That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” you said truthfully. 

“I’m sure it’s totally hot,” he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Ah, yes. You supposed it was embarrassing for a guy to have creamed his pants without so much as a kiss. But that didn’t bother you at all. You knew it would be different once you were alone, edging him until he was begging you for more. Nothing would make you happier.

You ignored him. “You know, if you want us to go any further, you’re gonna have to earn it,” you said plainly, checking over your nails to make sure the paint hadn’t chipped too bad.  

“How?”

“Once you learn to be nice to yourself.” You shrugged before glancing back over at his wide-eyed expression. “I know there’s something more to you than what you think of yourself. I saw it at the party and I’m seeing it now. You just have to see that, Eddie. That’s really all there is to it.”

Eddie’s lips seemed to form a pout before he took a few hearty puffs, the smoke billowing around you. Looked around. Looked down at his lap. Looked back up at you. Mumbled, “So I can’t, like, go down on you right now?”

A laugh surged out of you so quickly that you started coughing. You waved him away when his concern sounded, ending up laughing harder before you could contain yourself.

“As much as I’d love to give you the privilege of eating me out right now, I think it’s best to wait until you’ve shown some improvement.”

“So there’s a chance?” he asked. 

You leaned back in towards his face, opening his mouth with your thumb. Taking another drag, you put your lips to his and blew the smoke into his mouth. Felt him breathe it in before letting it out through his nose. 

You smirked. “If you’re desperate for a piece of me, you could always lap up what I left behind on your car seat.”

He groaned, taking a deep breath while rolling his eyes. “God, you’re a fucking menace.”

“Honey, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

as per usual, thanks to @strangergraphics for letting me use her dividers and looking over my work hehehe

[wonwoosthetic]

series masterlist

word count – 13.8k

a/n – you guys are really loving this omg😭😭😭 I’m so grateful, thank you thank you thank you🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 just a little side note: I haven’t been able to watch anything past EP2-4. yet, I’m SO BEHIND, I KNOW😭 but I didn’t want to not upload since I promised it to you guys! So pls just know, that EP2-5. will be added at a later point probably next week ˙ᵕ˙

Go Together NANA TOUR EP2 🌷Minnie

parts written in italics were out of camera shot ˙ᵕ˙

EP2-1. Good Morning

Gathered around the table, the idols passed each T-shirt to the designated member until everyone was in possession of their personalised top for the show. Minnie had gotten her own as well, holding it up to look at her name in big black letters printed across it. Before her eyes even found the little icon that was different for each singer, Joshua had looked over her right shoulder and caught a glimpse first.

"Aww!" He pointed at the shirt, making her look down, finding a small drawn mouse holding onto a much bigger flower, what appeared to be a tulip.

"Oh my God, that's so cute," she smiled at the clothing item, before turning her head to the producers, "Thank you!" Beaming at them with a bright smile.

After they all got to admire their T-shirts and got a hold of a charger for their own, the group split up again to their designated rooms. Next on the list was getting bedtime ready. After not having lived together as a group all together, the idols had almost forgotten about the struggle of sharing a bathroom. The apartment they were staying at had two, thankfully, but still... 13 people and only two showers... it was about to get stressful.

Thankfully, sleeping in a room right next to one of the bathrooms, Minnie got the privilege of being one of the first members to wash up. She had washed her hair and went through some steps of her skincare routine with the products in the pouch she had taken with her from the plane. While the rest of the members were looking for time slots to jump into the shower, she was on her bed, now in the shorts and shirt provided by the producers as she put on a clean pair of socks, not wanting to walk around in shoes anymore or barefooted.

She had her hair wrapped up in a towel, trying to dry it as much as possible as she had yet to find a hairdryer. After a few minutes of looking around the flat, she had given up the search and retreated back to her room, using the towel to squeeze out the last drops of moisture that were left in her long hair. That's when Mingyu suddenly walked in, making her turn around to look at him.

"What are you doing?" Minnie asked him.

The rapper passed her, and crouched down right behind her, "Your room is the only one with a socket close to a mirror." As he stood back up, the girl's eyes dropped to the device his hands were clinging on. So that's where the hairdryer had suddenly gone. Mingyu turned it on and started drying his hair with the hot air, brushing through it with his fingers.

Minnie got up from the bed and walked over to him. With her hand on his upper arm, she looked up to meet his gaze through the mirror.

"Can you leave the hairdryer here after you're done?" 

He must've not understood her probably, the blasting air being way too loud, as he turned to the side, subconsciously crouching down slightly as he had done so many other times before.

"Huh?" He raised his eyebrows in wonder.

"Leave the hairdryer here when you're done. I need it too," Minnie raised her voice to speak clearer before moving away to walk out of the room.

A sudden soft grab of her arm made her stumble back slightly. Looking back, she glimpsed up at her fellow '97 Liner, who motioned for her to turn around. With a gentle push on her back, she turned, now facing the door. Only a second later, Mingyu had moved the hairdryer from blow-drying his own hair to hers, using his fingers as a brush to detangle some of her strands. Carefully, he moved some of her hair to the side, splitting it up into sections, to make sure he was drying it correctly. Minnie moved her head along, leaning it to one side, so the hair would stay in the position Mingyu had put it in.

Once she noticed, it was getting harder for his fingers to glide through her strands, she turned around to stop his movements. Pointing over to her bedside table, he found the brush the girl was trying to tell him about. He handed her the blowdryer for a second as he walked over to get the brush, only to hold it in his own hands a few seconds later, getting back to help her with her hair.

The two members moved in complete silence the entire time. No talking, only grinning at each other through the mirror at most or Mingyu mouthing a 'sorry' whenever he'd get stuck on a knot in her dark mane. The only time either one of them had opened their mouth to speak was when Wonwoo appeared in the doorway, smiling over at the duo before knocking on the bathroom door. He asked who was inside, but had only gotten an incoherent answer back, so Minnie had to help him.

"Jeonghannie-hyung!" She called out to the '96 Liner, who turned to glance at her with awaiting eyes, asking her what she had said.

"Jeonghannie-hyung is in the bathroom," she repeated louder, getting a nod back in return.

-

After most of the members had each finished their shower, they moved on to brushing their teeth, which turned out to be another hurdle as there was only one tube of toothpaste. They had somehow managed to get a little bit for each one of them, brushing their teeth while walking around the apartment or sitting in their rooms.

Finished with everything, and even almost completely dry hair, Minnie had found herself in the kitchen, sitting between Wonwoo and Jeonghan, while Hoshi had taken a seat on the opposite side of the table, his toothbrush still dangling in his mouth. In the middle of their conversation, Dokyeom walked out of his room, joining the small group of four. He stopped by the table to look at his fellow members.

"It would be too greedy to ask for hair essence, right?" He asked everyone.

Right away, a nod and a hum came from the rapper, followed by an agreeing, "Yeah," from the Vice-Leader.

Minnie chuckled softly, "What? No, it's not. I asked for some too," turning towards the '96 Liner to her right before glancing over at Dokyeom again. "I put it in the little pouch on my bed. You can use it."

"Really?"

The girl nodded, "Of course."

[sharing is caring with SEVENTEEN]

As soon as the main vocalist left the room, Hoshi spoke up, "Wishing for too much is not what a vacation is." His voice still muffled by the toothpaste foaming at his lips. "You need to give up on things you can."

The girl leaned back with a deep breath in, stretching her shoulders. "Some of us just want to still look presentable. Even if we're on vacation."

"You shouldn't worry about that," the performance leader commented back.

"If I didn't use any hair essence, I'd look like a lion," the girl stated, referring to the long mane on her head, that would quickly turn into puffy dried weed if not being taken care of properly.

With scrunched eyebrows, Hoshi took the toothbrush out of his mouth, looking at her in confusion. "What's wrong with looking like a lion?" To which Minnie could only shake her head with a chuckle, the other two members following her, laughing along at the sound of pure offence coming from the '96 Liner.

-

Most of the group was already snuggled up in their individual beds. Only a few were still walking around, cleaning up after themselves or laying out their clothes and wet towels to dry somewhere in the apartment. Wonwoo and Dino had found comfort in sitting in the kitchen, with the only source of light coming from the hallway and music from the maknae's phone.

Before she would let herself get a good night's sleep, Minnie decided to keep up her habit of having either a glass or bottle of water next to her bed. She made her way into the kitchen, not expecting anyone in there anymore as it was dark, explaining her wide eyes when she entered and found the duo by the table.

"Oh," her hand came up to her chest in surprise, "What are you guys still doing?"

"Drinking," Dino answered her, nudging his head to the beer bottles on the table. 

Followed by Wonwoo, who just got done with his next bite of the Ramen he had made, "And eating."

With a nod, the girl chuckled, walking over to the sink without another word. The room had fallen quiet as the rapper was focused on his food and the maknae had turned his full attention to the '97 Liner moving around the kitchen, looking for a glass or anything remotely close to a cup.

The sound of Wonwoo slurping his noodles got a chuckle from the youngest in the room.

"Noona, did you know Wonwoo-hyung doesn't chew his Ramen?" He asked her.

From her place by the counter, up on her tippy toes, she turned around, "Yeah," she smiled, "He inhales them." Getting a laugh from the maknae in return.

"Exactly! That's what I said."

"Why are you two making fun of me?" The oldest of the three joined the conversation, glancing over at the girl to see her struggle of not being able to see to the far back of the overhead cabinet. He got up from his chair in an instant.

"We're not making fun of you," Dino argued.

Wonwoo got next to Minnie, easily reaching to the back of the cabinet, where a few glasses were, reaching for one before handing it over to her.

"But I told you it's bad for you," she smiled up at him, taking the cup from his grip. "Thank you."

Without another word, the '96 Liner sat back down and his focus was back on the food in front of him.

Minnie turned on the Fausset before she let her backside rest against the counter, taking a sip of the glass she had just filled up.

Dino's eyes were locked on her form. "You're drinking straight from the sink?"

The female member nodded, "You can do that here. The water is clean." Making the maknae nod, clearly impressed by the info he had gotten.

"Do you want to drink with us?" He asked her, sitting up a slight bit straighter, ready to get another beer out of the fridge. But Minnie shook her head,

"No, thank you. I'm tired, I'm gonna go to sleep."

"Ah, ok." Defeated, with his arms crossed, the youngest sank back into his seat.

Before she made her way back to the room she shared with Jun and Dino, Minnie took a few steps forward until she was right behind Wonwoo's seat, placing a hand on his shoulder, to make him look up. 

"Good night," she whispered. As soon as their gazes met, she leaned down. The rapper straightened his back to meet her halfway where their lips touched for a soft kiss. She could feel the palm of his hand resting on her left hip.

Dino's hand immediately came up to cover his eyes, even turning his head slightly away. Once they separated and their eyes fell on the maknae, the two chuckled in unison. The teasing would never find an end. Even in a group like Seventeen, where open displays of affection in any way, romantic or platonic, weren't a rarity.

Minnie shook her head, smiling at the maknae, while Wonwoo went back to eating the last bites of his cup noodles. Checking for clear waters, the '99 Liner dropped his hand, smiling at the couple before the girl turned her back to them to leave the room.

-

Early in the morning, every member was still deep in their slumber. Well, everyone, but two - Minghao and Vernon. The roommates had gotten up earlier than the rest, with a specific plan in mind. A plan that required money from the 'manager'.

Thanks to the girl's light sleep, she was woken up by the sound of footsteps around the room. Opening one eye at first, the sun that had just started rising, hit her view, making her squint, wanting to close them immediately again. But another footstep made her whip her head around. Her eyes landed on the intruder.

"Hao?" Her voice was still raspy and laced with sleep. To get a clearer view, she rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust them to the brightness of the room.

Minghao raised a finger to his lips, begging her to stay quiet to let the other members rest.

"What are you doing?" Minnie whispered.

"Vernonnie and I want to go out for breakfast, but we need money," he explained, tapping the shoulder of the maknae as he whispered out his name to wake him up. Right after he had given his 'okay' to take the money they'd need, Dino closed his eyes again to fall back asleep.

Minnie stayed sat up on the mattress, her hand running through her hair as her eyes were focused on the sunrise outside of their window.

"Minnie-ya," Minghao's voice drifted her attention back to him, "Do you want to come too?"

For a quick second, the girl stayed quiet, trying to gather her thoughts before nodding her head.

"Sure."

Hao copied her action, his light footsteps carrying him to the other side of the room where he had seen her personalised shirt hung up on the handle of the closet. Minnie had decided to only sleep in the Calvin Klein sports bra the producers had provided her with. That way, she could feel comfortable wearing the T-shirt around the city that day.

He pulled it off the hanger, "Here," he threw it over to her on the bed.

"Thank you," she whispered back to him before he disappeared through the doorway again.

-

Out in the warm morning air, the three members started looking for a breakfast place in the area. While the temperature was slowly rising, getting up to the normal summer heat Rome was faced with each year, there was still a fresh breeze blowing past the old buildings. Minnie pulled the black zip-up hoodie she had thrown over her shirt closer around her body. The sleeves were long enough to cover her entire hands as well.

Minghao found a restaurant around seven minutes away from their current location that was already open, even at the early morning hour they had decided to get up. The close distance let the trio walk through the ancient streets of the city, taking in the old-stone structures that were so iconic for Italian architecture. 

Each building they passed was more fascinating than the one before. From normal apartments to churches, or even just stores and supermarkets. The vintage design of downtown Rome was too different from their home in Seoul to not let them be amazed by everything they saw.

Arrived at their destination, the group found the restaurant to be relatively empty, making finding a table much easier. Minnie and Vernon took the booth seating up against the wall, while Minghao sat across the table from them. The waiter arrived only shortly after they had settled down and greeted them with a kind smile. Ordering was easy, thanks to the older man understanding English, and done by the youngest of the three. They opted for three orange juices, pasta, a chicken meal, and a serving of ravioli.

It was then, that the girl noticed the clothing choices of each of them, giggling to herself before commenting. "Why am I the only one wearing the shirt we got?"

All eyes fell on her, eyeing her outfit.

"I thought we had to wear them all the time," she whined out loud, getting a round of quiet laughter from everyone around her. Minnie glanced over at the cameraman, who just shook his head. "You're telling me I could've looked cuter than this."

Vernon, next to her, hit her shoulder with a chuckle as Minghao smiled at her. "It's okay, you wear it very well," he reassured her.

Their food arrived a short while later. The waiter gave each plate to each member, letting them finally admire what they had ordered.

"It really looks so good," Hao commented, taking a quick picture of his plate before putting the phone to the side again.

Minnie, who was focused on her own device, typing away on the screen, looked up, "Yeah," she nodded, "You can tell how fresh everything here is."

The three started to eat, splitting their meals up between them, giving each other a small portion of everything on the table.

Lost in the smooth taste of their food, taking in each small flavour their tongues picked up, the group enjoyed their moment of silence together. For a few seconds, they were too focused on the lunch meals turned breakfast, to even engage in a simple conversation.

Vernon was the first to break the quietness when a thought hit him like a brick, whipping his head to the girl, who was pouring herself a glass of water.

"You can speak Italian, right?" He wondered, gaining the attention of the entire table.

She nodded. "A little bit. The basics I learned in school. Why?"

The younger member chuckled with a scoff, "Why did you let me order then?"

The sip she was taking from the glass was interrupted when she came to stop, her mouth closed as she giggled, trying to swallow before she could speak up again. 

"You didn't ask me to," Minnie smiled. "Also, I think I would be too shy to speak with an actual person from Italy. My Italian isn't that good."

Vernon was just about to say something when Minghao shook his head. "But you should. You should get more confident in speaking foreign languages."

"Yeah, you're good at learning them anyway," the youngest added, referring to the only academic 'gift' the female member had. But she just shrugged.

-

A bigger group of members that had split up from the rest, found themselves in a shop recommended by Na PD himself. They had ordered sandwiches for each one of them, along with a few bottles of Coke Zero and some wine - not caring about how early in the morning it was.

Amid their meal, Mingyu suddenly found the urge to contact the leader, who was in Korea, where it was now sometime in the afternoon. He picked up the Facetime call after only a few rings but kept his face hidden as he was sitting in a salon chair, getting his hair re-done.

"Show us. Let me see your face," the '97 Liner repeatedly kept on nagging the oldest member, showing the screen of his phone to the camera to reveal his face once he'd shown it.

"But I'm getting my hair dyed!" Seungcheol argued back.

"So let us see it!" The younger rapper argued again.

"You guys keep on contacting me!" The leader whined out. "Minnie has been texting me already. I sent her a picture."

"But she's not here with us. She went out with Vernon and Myungho, so show us your face now," Mingyu told him, continuously demanding a face reveal. Cheol finally gave in, turning his camera around to film himself in the chair, while two hairstylists were working on bleaching his hair.

-

EP2-2. Roman Holiday

"Everyone's here!" Na PD called out after counting the members on the bus. Everyone had found a seat for themselves and was enjoying the passing view outside of the windows. "We're going to see the Arch of Constantine and take pictures today," he explained further.

Due to the large number of members, the producer split them up into smaller groups, depending on where they were currently sitting. Jeonghan's group on the left side of the bus consisted of four, as well as Seungkwan's group on the right.

"And Group 3, the line in the back," Yeongseok pointed at them with the little flag he was carrying around with him. "The members who don't listen."

"Let's gooo!" Mingyu and Dokyeom shouted out together.

"Huh?!" Minnie wondered loudly, glancing over to the loud duo on the other side of the row, who seemed to be proud of the reputation they had gained.

Dino, who was sitting in the middle caught the shocked face of the female member, "Ah, noona!" Making him laugh out loud. "She doesn't like that title, hyung!"

"Who? Minnie-ya?" The producer looked at the very back of the bus, seeing the head of the girl peeking over the row in front of her.

"We listen well!" She argued back, getting a chuckle out of the older man and the rest of the group on the bus. Everyone knew, there was only a small amount of truth to her claim.

He shook his head, "I don't think so," getting another round of laughter from the members, while the girl had to fight a smile as she sunk back into the chair.

-

Each group had made their way off the bus, now walking around the ancient ruins toward the arch they were supposed to take pictures at. The hot weather had let the members only walk around in their individual shirts, with some of them also wearing the different kinds of hats they had bought in souvenir shops around the city. 

Minnie had put up her hair in a ponytail, and a pair of sunglasses high on her nosebridge as she looked around the open area. She decided to just enjoy the view while letting her fellow '97 Liner run around and take pictures. Na PD was close by her. A chuckle from the older man made her turn around, only to find out why. Mingyu was a few steps behind her, crouching down on the floor while his phone was directed at her.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, but he just shook her off with his hand,

"Keep on walking."

With a confused look on her face, she did as asked, continuing her casual walk, while the older man next to her kept on laughing at what was happening.

"Wait!" The rapper suddenly called out, running up to the girl. Dokyeom was still behind all of them, taking pictures of the scenery with his own phone. "Turn around and look over there," he tried to usher her to stand in the right position, moving her around with two strong hands on her shoulder. "Oh-", he turned her around for a split second, fixing a strand of hair that stuck out from the top of her head.

"You're really passionate about this, Mingyu-ya," Yeongseok commented with a chuckle, standing back with his arms crossed, watching the duo closely.

He nodded with a proud smile, "We need to get good pictures." Taking a few steps back, he crouched down slightly once again, tapping on his screen a few times while Minnie continued to pose on the opposite side of the makeshift dirt road they were walking on.

"Look here!" He called out. "And over your left shoulder!" His directions made the girl roll her eyes, a chuckle tumbling from her lips quickly after.

"Mingyu, you're being too much," she smiled at the man, who still had his knees bent, not stopping taking one pic after the other, even as she continued to get him to stop.

"You'll thank me for the pictures later," the rapper nudged his head provocatively at the '97 Liner, who took a deep breath in before fixing her hair and going after his demands of posing in front of the camera.

"Hyung!" She called out to the producer, motioning with her hand for him to come closer. "Take a picture with me! Please!"

With a shake of his head, he quickly gave in to the girl's request, jogging up to stand beside her before he slung his arm over her shoulder, posing together with her for another few pictures taken by Mingyu.

They resumed their journey through the open field with Na PD, Minnie, Mingyu, and Dokyeom walking all together.

"Ah...," the rapper sighed out in relief, "Isn't this so nice, guys?" Throwing his arms over the other two '97 Liners.

"It's really nice," DK agreed. "It kinda really feels just like youth. Like it's the last in my late 20s before ending our lives."

"What?" Minnie and Yeongseok glanced over at the singer in surprise, "What did you just say?" The girl wondered.

"Why are you ending your life? Hey!" The producer questioned the sudden statement.

Dokyeom quickly excused himself, trying to get the meaning he had originally wanted to express right, getting a round of laughter from the people next to him. Minnie shook her head with a smile, mumbling something under her breath.

"You mean, ending your late 20s well," Na PD explained for him, to which the members agreed.

The girl had kept her head down, following a stone she was kicking along with her feet as they were walking. "Yeongseok-hyung is so wise."

Her comment got a whole-hearted laugh from the older man, his hand petting her back, making her look up at him with a big grin. "Ah... that's very sweet of you Minnie-ya." Her right arm slung across his back to lean into him, pulling him in for a side hug and joining the chain the four had created.

-

The Arch of Constantine was even more magnificent than any of the members could've imagined. They had split up, each to be on their own or in smaller groups, taking pictures or just taking in the structure right in front of them and next to the Colosseum. Their eyes raked over each detail engraved into the old stone, pondering how it was even possible to create masterpieces like this such a long time ago.

The producers asked them to gather for the group photo, having to recall their position in the line they had decided on the day before. 

A picture, a video clip, and a few more personal pictures later, they went on their way further around the city, when some of the members found a cute little ice cream stand. The members who were craving the famous Gelato were quick to get in line, their orders already in their heads. Manager Dino was right next to them, using the pocket money they were gifted to pay for each treat.

With the refreshments in their hands, they continued their way through the streets of Italy. Passing blooming gardens, trees on the side of the roads, smiling people, and more ancient buildings that made Rome oh so special.

"I think I can really go on a world trip with just a camera," Wonwoo suddenly spoke up. Minnie, only a few steps in front of him, chuckled on slowed down her walk as the rapper reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder to walk right beside her.

"How many pictures have you taken yet?" She asked, to which he looked down at the apparatus.

"I don't know, to be honest. A few."

In the next moment, the female member was standing in front of a colourful they had found along their way. Decorated with graffiti and drawings by multiple different artists, it seemed. Wonwoo, in his usual fashion, was holding up the camera, looking through the lens with one eye, taking a few steps back and forward again, trying to find an angle he'd like. Minnie smiled brightly, her sunglasses still high on the bridge of her nose. While she turned away to continue their walk, the '96 Liner kept his hold on the device tightly, taking a few more shots of the girl before putting the camera down to glance around the area, trying to look for the next beautiful thing to photograph.

-

The group had finally made their way back into the much cooler bus. Some of the members sighed out loud in exhaustion, complaining about the heat they were enduring. Everyone took the same seats as before, letting their backs rest against the cushions.

Next on the list: Lunch.

Na PD revealed the restaurant they were heading to to be a celebrity 'hot spot'. Multiple stars, including singers, actors, football players, etc. had dined there, making it become a very popular destination for others. As an example, he mentioned Leonardo Di Caprio. The members hollered out in excitement.

"Vernonnie,"

"Vernonnie!" Dokyeom and Mingyu commented, getting a round of chuckles from the other members. Minnie, grinned at the younger member next to her, watching his lips curl up as he shook his head slightly. With a giggle, she patted his shoulder.

-

"Let's go eat!" Jun called out as soon as the bus came to a halt. They had arrived at their lunch spot for the day. Waiters ushered them in and brought them to the table reserved for the big group in a slightly more private area of the restaurant. The female member to her seat opposite Na PD, next to Wonwoo, at the other end of the table.

The members were more than excited. Hours of walking around the hot city had brought hunger to their stomachs, ready to get a taste of even more traditional Italian cuisine - some had already gotten a taste early in the morning.

One of the waiters came back into the room, greeting them in true Italian fashion. He rounded the table, handing out a few of the menu cards so that at least two or three members could look at one together. That's when they found a catch. Everything was written in Italian.

"Oh... I really have no idea. There's no English at all," Vernon noticed. Minnie reached for the card Wonwoo had just put down, her eyes scanning the words.

"Ah...," she repeated with a nervous chuckle, "there really isn't."

Different possible solutions for their situation were thrown around. While some members were trying to make some sense of the words they were seeing, Mingyu suggested just ordering the most expensive items of each category. What part of them forgot though was that they had two people who could converse in a basic conversation with their language knowledge.

"The one that says 'fritti' is kind of fried," Joshua explained to his half of the table. "I think it means fried." He continued to go over the menu, explaining what he thought each meal would translate to.

"Funghi Porcini," Minnie read out, just to herself and whoever would catch her voice, "is with mushrooms." 

"What is Pomodoro?" Woozi wondered out loud. As Shua was still busy talking to the maknae on his right, the female member decided to answer.

"Tomato. So it's like... probably like pasta with just tomato sauce and basil."

With scrunched eyebrows, the '96 Liner glanced at her. "You understand this too?"

She shrugged, "A little bit."

Back in her own world with Wonwoo right next to her, they went through the meals together, him asking her what some of the things meant and her translating everything for him. Lost in their little convo, she didn't react when her name was first called out, only when the man next to her nudged her before pointing at Joshua, who was trying to get her attention.

"Hm?"

"Can you order for that side of the table, and I'll order for this?" He pointed to each side, as he asked her. "Is that okay?" Joshua apparently didn't forget about the mere two years she had to study the language in school.

Slightly lost in his question, the girl nodded before she could even say what she actually wanted. Because doing what he had asked of her was definitely not a thing she was ready to do. She didn't have the confidence some other members, *cough* Mingyu *cough*, were blessed with. She had never been one to just talk to random people, ESPECIALLY when those people spoke a language she wasn't fluent in. Just thinking back to her first days at Pledis. Seungcheol was the one who had to come up to her. Back then, he was surprised to find out that her Korean skills weren't half as good as he had thought. It hit her like a kick back into the past - now having to converse in a language she had spoken the last time when she was in school.

Vernon chuckled when a heavy sigh fell from her lips as she sunk into her chair. "Now you have to talk in Italian." Referring back to the morning they had spent together back at that breakfast place.

"This is gonna be so embarrassing." With a pained facial expression, she leaned over to put her forehead against Wonwoo's shoulder, taking a deep breath.

"They're not going to make fun of you," he tried to assure her, his hand patting her thigh in comfort. "They're nice. Just try it."

Minnie straightened her back again, almost quivering as her eyes fixed on the waiter walking into the room again. "They might not make fun of me openly, but they'll talk about it later. I have the worst accent when I talk Italian!" She shout-whispered, her fingers fidgeting in her lap.

Wonwoo tried his best not to chuckle at her reaction. He knew the situation was only half as bad as she interpreted it - always an overthinker. With a soft smile, he placed his hand on top of hers, trying to get her to calm down with his thumb running across her knuckles. 

"We all have accents when we speak English. But has that ever stopped like Seungkwan or Mingyu from speaking it?"

"Dino sometimes doesn't want to."

"But you're not Dino," he argued softly, just wanting to lean forward and gently kiss her pouty lips, but there couldn't have been a worse time or place for it than then.

"And I'm no Seungkwan or Mingyu either," she threw back, making him take a deep breath, but before he could say anything, Minnie shook her head. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Stop," he squeezed her hand. "Just don't overthink it, it's all good."

Their moment had to be cut short as the waiter had made his way over to their side of the table.

With a big smile, he greeted the group in his native tongue, forcing everyone to do the same. Minnie was handed the menu by Wonwoo, now at least able to point at the meals she possibly wouldn't pronounce correctly. She started off easily, talking slowly and trying to speak as clearly as she possibly could. Showing him the words on the card most definitely helped her. Every now and then, the man would ask questions as well, taking her back at first, but as he was just trying to get the order perfectly right, she warmed up to the situation. 

"Jeonghannie-hyung, what do you want?" She leaned forward to get a look at the oldest member. He had not given her his order yet.

He shook his head, "I'll eat anything you order for me, Minnie-ya." A quick glance at Woozi, he told her the same thing.

"And you, hyung?" She directed her attention to the man sitting across from her.

"Oh- this one please," he pointed at the menu he was holding onto, showing her the pasta meal he would want.

As scared as the female member was of messing up, she had only stuttered twice, and that was purely because she was unsure of the correct grammatical ending she would have to use in the sentence. The waiter nodded along with her order, writing down everything she mentioned on the menu before thanking her with another kind smile and disappearing again.

With a deep breath, the girl hunched over the table dramatically. Wonwoo chuckled at her antics, his hand coming up to rub her back.

"Damn," Vernon grinned, nodding his head at her.

The oldest man at the table couldn't take his eyes off the female member. His eyes were wide and a proud smile lit up his face.

"Woah... Minnie-ya," his voice made her look up. "How- I didn't know you spoke Italian so well."

She shook her head, "No... it's no- I only learned it in school for a bit."

"But that was really good!" He complimented her.

Minnie chuckled shyly, her shoulders lifting as she subconsciously leaned to the side.

Wonwoo patted her back one more time. "Good job," sending her a warm smile that she couldn't help but reciprocate.

-

Even though they had already gone through multiple jugs of the homemade house wine the restaurant had to offer, Na PD had ordered another few different types. The members only noticed it when there were new bottles put down on the table, along with more glasses as well. A green bottle and the same in red again were right in front of Minnie and Wonwoo, letting them try to read what the calligraphy around the logo said. As their side of the table was the first to receive the ordered wine, the other members got curious.

Mingyu got up from his seat, making his way over to stop in between his dormmates.

"Try and see which one is the expensive one," Yeongseok challenged them.

"Oh," Minnie chuckled, her hand placed on the arm of the '97 Liner as he leaned forward to get a better look at the bottles. "Mingyu will be good at this, I think."

Minghao joined them only shortly after.

"These two are different?" He wondered while Mingyu was already taking the first sip of what he had poured.

Minnie glanced up to her left, expecting her dormmate, only to be met with Dokyeom, who had also come along to the taste test. A pat on her shoulder made her look to the right. Mingyu handed her his glass of wine without a word, which she graciously took, taking a sip of the little bit he had left for her.

"Mm," she hummed, "I like this one."

He nodded, leaning against the wall as he looked down at her. "Me too, but I think it's the slightly cheaper one."

"I want to try the other as well. You too?" The girl wondered, getting a nod in return. She reached out to get a new glass and went to pour in some of it from the other bottle when it was suddenly snatched from her grip. Wonwoo got a hold of it, placing the glass closer to him before he let the liquid fill it up with a good amount.

"Don't pour yourself alcohol," he remarked before putting the glass back down in front of her. 

She nodded. "Thank you." Just as she was about to hand it over to Mingyu, he brushed her off with a motion of his hand.

"You take a sip first." Not fighting him back on it, she brought the rim up to her lips, tilting it back until the slight bitter taste hit her tongue. She took a small sip, her face scrunching up a bit as she put the glass down again.

The '97 Liner reached out to get it. "Not good?" He chuckled at her expression.

"That tastes like the red wine I usually don't like," she stated, taking a big gulp from the glass of Coke Zero by her plate.

"Oh," Mingyu commented, "I like it." After having tasted it and going back to take another sip.

"Then you can keep it," she told him, face still scrunched up by the bitterness, getting another chuckle out of him and a brush over the top of her hair.

-

Meal after meal was brought to their table, even more plates now filling even the smallest empty gaps. The members shared each pasta between them, handing over spoons full of each food they had ordered. 

They all were very well surprised by the tastes their tongue got to explore, but one member seemed particularly happy. Vernon.

"It's so good."

"Wow, it's really nice."

"This is really good." 

He kept on repeating, making the female member chuckle as she watched him closely.

She wasn't the only one to notice though. "He really likes spaghetti," Na PD pointed out, making the '98 Liner nod.

"I really like it."

"I haven't seen Vernon eat that well in a long time," Minnie commented, the corners of her lips still curled up.

-

EP2-3. On the Bus

The members had found themselves back on the bus after their well-enjoyed lunch break. Now, all full and happy, they were making their way up to the North, to their next destination: Tuscany.

Knowing, the drive would take a good 3 hours, some had already leaned back, ready to enjoy the long drive. They were wondering what the house they'd stay at next would look like. Knowing the production team, they probably went all out. Minnie had engaged in a comfortable conversation with Yeongseok during their lunch in the episode before, making them get closer than they were before. The girl had started to realise that this trip truly wouldn't be like the 'Youth Over Flowers' she had watched before. They had talked about the other members, life in general, and just getting to know each other member. She was definitely starting to warm up to him quite a lot. Minnie had been a fan of the man and the shows he had done in the past for quite a while, so getting to know him personally was quite intimidating. But just like the idol group as well, Na PD was too kind-hearted to not like him. The whole production crew in general. In some aspects, Minnie could see the members in some of the producers. How they could turn out in a few years, personality-wise. With shared humour and traits, it was easy to get close to them. They were enjoying a holiday together after all.

"Iced Americano...," Yeongseok suddenly spoke up. 

"I love it so much."

"Is so nice."

"Thank you so much." Came from different members as answers. They didn't know yet, that the drink wasn't being offered to them. 

At this point, Na PD was just showing off, as they had found out. "I really like it, that's just what I said," he commented with a devilish smile already teasing his lips. Some of the members were getting quite desperate, and he noticed it, but it only amused the older man even more.

"But... there might be some members who like it, right?" He wondered teasingly.

"Like it?" Minnie wonders out loud, her head popping out from behind the seats of Wonwoo and Woozi. "Seungkwan breathes Iced Americano!" Getting a round of chuckles from the members, including Yeongseok.

"Oh, is that so?" He asked the younger member who just so happened to sit right behind him. "Well... if there are other members that like it... we brought 13 cups just in case."

The bus was immediately filled with groans of desperation and shock, everyone surprised by the kind gesture. Especially from the members who had been living life on the limit with the caffeine deficit they had been enduring over the past few days as the espresso they'd get in the city was not pleasing their tastebuds.

So, Na PD was holding onto 13 cups of coffee, but he wasn't just going to give them to each of the members, they had found out. The production crew came up with an 'S.Coups quiz' where the prize of each rightly-answered question would be one of the cups. At this point, you could feel the heated personalities of the members rise up and physically watch as the more competitive members sat up straighter in their seats. Minnie smirked.

"As a reference, we don't know the answers either," Yeongseok explained. "We need to do a video call and find out."

"Ooooh," Minnie whispered to herself.

After going through the rules one more time, the first question was thrown at them right away.

"'Coups' quiz!" Na PD called out, "Right now, what is S.Coups doing? In detail."

A few hands shot up immediately, but Mingyu was the first to also call out his name, therefore getting picked first.

"After dying his hair, he's at home," he simply answered.

The producer repeated his answer, making sure he got each detail correctly.

"After he finished dying his hair, he went home," the '97 Liner explained one more time.

"But I'm curious about what he's doing at home right now," Yeongseong told him, making a few more hands come up.

"Minnie!" The female member shouted out, getting picked next. "He's playing video games."

"And what kind of video games?" He nagged further.

The girl sighed out with a smile, "How am I supposed to know that? He plays a lot..."

"I need to know everything in detail," the man clarified one more time.

The next member to try and get the right answer was Vernon, who repeated Minnie's answer with a little addition.

"Computer game," he stated.

"Ah, computer game? And what game?"

With a groan, the '98 Liner leaned forward, tilting his head into the narrow walkway of the bus, holding onto the handles by the seat in front of him, where Wonwoo was sitting. The older member turned to the side with a smirk on his lips,

"LoL, LoL, LoL," he kept on repeating, trying to help the younger rapper. This didn't go unnoticed by the girl, who gasped once Vernon repeated what he had just been told.

"You cheater," she whispered at him as soon as his back hit the cushion of his seat again.

"Blame Wonwoo-hyung. He helped me," he defended himself, only getting a shake of her head from Minnie in return, her lips pressed together tightly.

Hoshi, Jun, Woozi, and Joshua gave their own ideas as well, desperately hoping their answer would be the right one. Before anyone else could even be picked, Mingyu shouted out to grab everyone's attention. He had caught Minghao texting Seungcheol and filmed him to have evidence in his hands. The dancer was thrown out of this round by Na PD, making the other members celebrate in glee.

Wonwoo, Dokyeom, Seungkwan, Dino, and Jeonghan were the last ones to drop their answer - Minghao was still too sulky to give his.

Seungkwan was the one who would get to call the leader via video call. He fixed his hair while waiting for the oldest member to pick up. Dokyeom was hoping he'd be on the toilet pooping. After a good minute of silence from the other end of the line, they were close to giving up on the call when Wonwoo chuckled out loud. He had found S.Coups' 'online' status on the Discord app. They decided to call him that way, but only to tell him to pick up the video call from the '98 Liner, so they'd be able to see him. After another try, they were finally met with his face on the phone screen in the younger member's hands. They briefly went over the quiz they were currently doing before getting to the question they all had been desperately waiting to ask him.

"What are you doing?"

"Right now? Playing games," he told them, getting a loud shout of glee from Vernon in the very back.

"I said that!" Minnie argued with the member next to her, hitting his shoulder as he was celebrating his not-yet-fixed win a little too much.

"What game?" Dokyeom raised his voice so the leader would be able to hear him.

Seungkwan repeated it. "What game exactly?"

"LoL."

That's when the girl scoffed out with an annoyed smirk, letting the boy to her right shout out in glee. 

"I said LoL!" He proudly announced. The girl just shook her head. He was handed over his cup of Iced Americano and took a sip, followed by a happy sigh as he leaned back.

"I hate you so much right now," the girl joked, glancing over at the younger member.

Vernon chuckled, "You should've listened to Wonwoo when he said it."

"But he said it to you! He didn't even try to help me," she whined, the feeling of betrayal hitting her. "Unbelievable," she mumbled under her breath. The '98 Liner couldn't help but laugh at her. 

Thankfully, they were quick to move on to the next question.

"It's 11pm in Korea right now," Na PD started again. "Coups is currently playing a lot of LoL. BUT... before he played LoL... what did Coups eat for dinner?"

Everyone immediately agreed that the answer to this would be too hard for them to guess. After all, there were at least a thousand different things he could've ordered or made. But still, Mingyu was, once again, the first one to guess, giving his answer with, "Chicken breasts!" The leader was on a diet after all. The maknae decided on him probably not eating anything at all since the '95 Liner would be filming his part of the 'God of Music' music video the following day.

Dokyeom, Jun, and Joshua followed right after, each giving a different answer. Hoshi went against Dino's idea and threw out that the oldest of the group enjoyed a heavy meal before starting to play his game. And Vernon was the last one to give his answer.

"Did everyone guess?" The producer wondered out loud, losing count of each of the members once again.

The idols started looking around the bus. The ones who didn't want to give an answer shook their head.

"Minnie hasn't said anything yet!" Vernon called out, earning himself a nudge to his ribs.

"Oh- noona! What's your answer?" The youngest leaned forward as he glimpsed to his left to get a look at the female member.

Yeongseok pushed himself up to glance at the very back of the bus. "Minnie-ya!" He shouted out for her, "What do you think?"

"I don't want to say anything!" She whined back, still sulky from the moment between Vernon and Wonwoo.

"Ah- don't be like that," Na PD sighed. "You know S.Coups well, right?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "Naengmyeon."

"Naengmyeon?!" The producer raised his voice in confusion, followed by the other members who did the same.

"Never mind," Dino shook his head, "She takes that back." His remark got a few chuckles from the others.

Seungkwan turned around, "But he has a shoot tomorrow."

"Well, maybe he wanted to treat himself before work. He likes naengmyeon," she argued back, looking over the seats in front of her.

"No... I don't think so," Mingyu muttered, daring to take a quick peek over to the side, where she was already glaring at him.

"Not everyone can enjoy a boring diet like yours," she threw at him, making Vernon laugh and push her back by her shoulders.

"No fighting, kids!" Na PD demanded with a smile and a shake of his head, mumbling something inaudible under his breath. "Let's find out."

That time, Jeonghan was handed the phone to call the leader. Within only a few rings, he picked up the second video call.

"Oh, Jeonghan-ah," S.Coups greeted the second oldest of the group, his eyes switching between looking at the phone screen and his computer.

"Hey, Coups. What did you eat for dinner?" He got straight to the point.

"For dinner?" Cheol wondered out loud. "Ehm... I had... Naengmyeon."

"Naengmyeon!" Jeonghan repeated it louder to let everyone hear. Loud gasps filled the bus in an instant.

Minnie shot up from her seat, "REALLY?!"

"You really ate naengmyeon?" Dokyeom couldn't believe the answer the leader had given them. "Why did you eat naengmyeon when you have the music video filming tomorrow?"

Vernon, still surprised by the actual answer, scooted forward in his seat. "Why are you eating naengmyeon?" All while Minnie was looking at the phone Jeonghan was still holding up with a big smile on her face.

A few more exclaims fell from the members, clearly stunned by the meal choice of the oldest member before Jeonghan tried to hang up the phone.

"Wait-," the leader called out, "Jeonghan. What do you think of my dyed hair?" 

The '95 Liner grinned, "Pretty, pretty!" He lifted the hand that was clutching onto the phone, "Guys, Coups' hair is pretty, right?" Of course, he got each member to agree with hums, nods, and words directed to the leader.

"Oppa, your hair looks so pretty!" Minnie shouted out happily, "Thank you for eating naengmyeon!"

"What did she say?" The oldest chuckled, moving closer to the screen with scrunched eyebrows.

Jeonghan chuckled, "She says your hair is pretty and thanked you for eating naengmyeon."

"Did she get it right?" To which the other member nodded. "You're welcome, Minnie-ya!"

"He says 'you're welcome'!" The singer turned around in his seat, his eyes immediately on the grinning girl, who sent a dramatic flying kiss in his direction. Vernon pulled her down with an amused shake of his head.

A few 'goodbyes' back and forth later, the video call ended.

"So, Minnie-ya!" Na PD called out for the female member, "You really got it right!"

"I know!" Grinning from ear to ear, Minnie's smile could've lit up a dark room instantly.

"Well done," Woozi nodded to himself, "I would've never thought he'd eat that while dieting."

Wonwoo glanced at his fellow '96 Liner, "Me neither."

"Noona apparently really knows Coups-hyung the best," Dino commented, watching the grin not leaving her lips.

"Seems like it," Dokyeom agreed.

"You deserved it. Enjoy the Iced Americano!" The producer congratulated her, handing over the cold plastic cup to the back, each member passing it further until it reached Vernon, who tried to take a sip.

A smack to his arm stopped him, "What are you doing?" The girl smiled at him, getting a chuckle in return as he finally handed her her prize.

"Thank youuuu!" She shouted one more time before bringing the coffee up to her lips, a smile still plastered on her face.

In true Seventeen fashion, they came up with a deal next. Agreeing, that the S.Coups quiz might be too hard, for some, they asked for an Italy trivia quiz instead. As Na PD was very knowledgeable in the culture and history, having been here before, he let himself get dragged into the agreement. Minnie already knew she'd prefer to stay in the background, happily sipping on her coffee while she watched the chaos unfold right in front of her.

-

Only when it suddenly turned into a quiz just for Dino, Minnie's ears perked up.

"Listen to the question first. Just think about it," Yeongseok told the maknae, who had moved slightly forward, now sitting at the edge of his seat. "What word refers to the world-famous first division of professional Italian soccer?" The members were quick to agree that the question was easy to answer, but the youngest just nodded along mindlessly.

Na PD tried to encourage him, promising that he'd be able to get to answer while looking for others to do the same. He called out Dokyeom, who was smiling at him, expecting him to support the '99 Liner, when instead, he suddenly shouted out the correct answer.

"Serie A!"

"W-Why are you saying it?" The producer laughed out loud, the rest of the group joining him, glancing back at the '97 Liner who started to apologise, not having realised he wasn't supposed to actually answer the given question.

"Oh..." Dino sat up straighter, "Is that the answer?"

Na PD couldn't help but laugh warmly at the maknae. "This-... He doesn't even know what it is!"

"No, I thought it was Paris Saint-Germain," he explained. The entire bus filled with laughter.

The girl whipped her head to the right, getting a chuckle from Vernon, who was already clutching his stomach from the antics of the other members. 

"That's the of a team!"

"That's a team from Paris!" Vernon and Minnie laughed out loud together, the younger member finding more humour in the situation while the girl looked genuinely concerned, her eyebrows scrunched together and her lips slightly agape. 

Mingyu patted Dino's shoulder, "That's in Paris!"

"It's Paris!" Vernon hit his thigh, raising his voice slightly.

"Dino-ya-" Minnie started, but was interrupted.

"Wait, wait-" the youngest stopped everyone around him, "Isn't Italy part of Europe?"

The '98 Liner could barely hold himself together anymore, nudging his elbow into the maknae's side, laughing out loud as if he was gasping for air. In shock, Minnie leaned back into her chair. The rapper looked over, finding her covering her mouth with a hand and closing her eyes to take a deep breath. It only made him laugh harder.

"Is he serious?" She asked him, chuckling at how he was barely holding on. "Is this real?" She shook her head, leaning over to pat the '99 Liner's thigh. "Dino-ya," he turned his head to meet her eye, "Paris Saint-Germain is a team from Paris. Paris is a city in France. Both Italy and France are in Europe, but one thing doesn't have to do anything with the other."

"Aaaah, really?" He nodded his head. At least somebody was educating this man.

With a defeated look, Minnie let herself fall back against the cushion. A quick peek to the side made her chuckle as Vernon was already looking at her with a grin plastered on his face.

-

EP2-4. Today's chefs, SEVENTEEN!

The bus went on for another hour or two that was spent quietly as each member focused on themselves. Most eyes were focused on the passing landside, and others were trained on their phones. Minnie managed to catch a quick nap of only a few minutes but it definitely helped to let the time pass.

"We're arriving at the supermarket in 20 minutes," Na PD announced. "Think about what we're going to eat today."

"Who wants to go to the supermarket?" Seungkwan questioned the room.

Mingyu was quick to react, "I want to go!"

"Me too," the '98 Liner added.

As Dino was the manager who was holding onto all of the pocket money the group had received, he wondered, "Should I go?" The members agreed.

The eyes of the biggest member drifted to the other side of the bus, "Minnie-ya," catching the attention of the girl. "Do you want to go too?" Knowing she'd actually be of big help in the grocery store as the designated members would only be able to converse in English in emergencies.

She nodded with a smile, "Yeah, sure."

"Minnie, Mingyu, Seungkwan, Dino," Wonwoo counted out loud, making the rest of the group nod. It was a good choice of members that would buy fun stuff, good stuff, but still responsibly.

Now that they had the chosen buyers that would hit the supermarket, the next decision would be what they'd even want to buy. What would be on the menu for the evening? It didn't take long to agree on the cuisine: Korean. None of them had the energy or confidence at that point to recreate any of the meals they were gifted during their lunch break. They knew they could cook something Korean, they just hoped they'd find the right ingredients.

-

The four got off the bus, heading over to get a cart first.

"Woah... it looks like an American Supermarket," the girl commented, following the '98 Liner who had already spotted the carts.

Inside, they immediately started looking for the meat section. They found the counter, with a woman and a man behind it, who was already looking at them as they got closer. Their eyes drifted over each meat they offered, trying to find something them and the others would enjoy. Minnie didn't get to say anything before Mingyu started talking to the employee, pointing at the raw meat he had found.

"Is that pork belly?" The girl wondered, stopping by his right, glancing at the butcher who was cutting it into thick pieces.

The rapper shrugged, "I think. It looks like it." They also found some pork neck, asking the man to cut some for them as well.

Next: Chicken. Just further down, they found more meat in individual coolers. Seungkwan reached out for one plastic-wrapped carton.

"Doesn't this look like chicken breast?" The maknae wondered.

Mingyu reached out to grab it, taking a closer look. "Isn't it intestines?" At the mention, Minnie's face scrunched up in disgust. She wasn't vegetarian, but she had her limits. "Do you know?" He looked down at her.

Taking a small step closer to his side, he held up the package for her. "Petto Pollo Coop? Pollo means chicken ...," she told the group. "And I'm pretty sure Petto means chest. But I don't know about Coop"

"Are you sure?" Seungkwan asked her, but her nod was hesitant.

"Like... 90%, yeah."

"That's good enough," Mingyu tossed it into the cart without another word, before leaning down into the cooler to get more. "Let's buy a lot of this."

At their stop in the seafood section, the girl stood back, letting the guys decide as she was the last person to ask when it came to a meal including anything from the ocean. The other members locked their eyes on some salmon and just decided to take a few more packages of it, not caring about anything else from that side of the supermarket.

They hit the vegetables and frozen foods section next, making a quick stop at a small stall that held freshly made warm chicken they could buy.

"The members would like this," they commented.

During their time in the drinks department, they noticed just how quickly the cart was filling up.

"The members drink a lot of Pepsi, right?" Seungkwan chuckled at the sight of multiple bottles and cans they had thrown in.

Minnie laughed, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "They need their caffeine." Knowing she was one of said members.

"Underwear," the '98 Liner suddenly remembered. "Underwear for the members.

"Oh, right," Mingyu nodded, "We have slippers, but we need to buy underwear." In the aisle, the girl split from the other guys as female underwear was on the other end of the line, having to look for it herself. Her fellow '97 Liner noticed her sudden absence, walking over to where she was standing.

"Did you find something?" He wondered.

Minnie nodded, holding up her hand that was clinging onto two hangers, each with a bra, while in her other she was holding a few three-sets of underwear. Without asking, Mingyu reached out, getting everything out of her grip as he noticed her eyes were still searching for something. She let go of it easily, knowing better than to fight his stubborn head when it came to carrying things for her.

"What are you looking for?" He asked her, walking along with her as she took slow steps down the aisle.

"A bikini."

"You mean a swimsuit?"

Minnie chuckled with a roll of her eyes, glancing up at him, a knowing grin on her lips. "Whatever I can find. But preferably a bikini." 

A few steps to the right, he stopped right in front of something he had found. "What about this?" He nudged his head towards the shelves. With raised eyebrows, the girl walked over, wondering what he had seen that she could want. As soon as her eyes fixed on it, she stopped in her tracks. A wetsuit. Of course.

"Funny," she jokingly glared at him, getting a chuckle out of him in return.

"I'm serious," he shrugged, knowing damn well that girl wasn't about to buy a wetsuit to wear to the pool they would have at the next place.

Minnie shook her head, her lips still curled to a smile. "No, I think I'll go with this one." Walking back to take what she had located earlier off the rack. "But thank you for your opinion." 

She held it up, watching Mingyu just turn around, ready to join the others again. The female member jogged a bit to catch up with him, giggling at his antics.

-

On their way to the register, they passed a snack aisle, stopping there for a bit to roam around, throwing anything that looked somewhat good into their cart. Crisps, gummies, literally anything. Minnie was the only one, who pushed them towards the fruits that were lined up against the wall of the grocery store. She got a few bananas and apples, still thinking about somehow evening out their intake of unhealthy snacks - it was a bad habit of hers that was hard to get rid of.

They had texted the other members early, once they got in line, so they'd come to help them with the almost insane amount of bags filled with food, clothes, and ingredients. Only 40 minutes later, they were outside and back on the bus again.

-

Minnie fell into another quick nap on the bus as the darkness illuminated by the warm street lights made her even sleepier than she already was. She only realised they had arrived when groans and hollers of happiness filled the confined space.

The group got off the bus and made their way forward towards the house, some had offered to carry the boxes and bags from the grocery store along with them. Minnie was one of the last ones in line as they finally got to the old-fashioned farmhouse.

Entering it felt like almost jumping into a new universe. Old stones and ancient furniture with an Italian touch surrounded them.

"Wow...," the girl gasped as soon as she walked it, trying to take in every corner she passed. "This is so beautiful... oh my God..." The members who were in front of her agreed, each one of them not able to grasp the beauty of the building they'd be staying in for the next few days. Every detail was so simple yet so pretty, the stones on the wall adding to the vintage feeling of the house. It was old, yet cosy and warm. It felt inviting.

The house had enough bedrooms for the members to share, some holding two beds, some having three. But who would get to sleep in which one, they'd decide through a game of 'Rock-Paper-Scissors'.

"It doesn't really matter here because all of them are nice," Woozi commented, making Minnie, who was standing next to him nod in agreement.

Once it was her turn to choose a room, she started roaming around again, taking a peek into each one to see what members had already occupied which ones. The two rooms right by the front door were the last ones she'd get to look at. She walked to the one on her left first.

"Oh, noona!" Dino greeted her with a big smile. Mingyu came back out from the attached bathroom, glancing at the girl.

"You guys are here?" She wondered, to which the two members nodded. "Alright." Without another word, she exited it again, walking across the floor to the other one.

"Hello?" She called out into the, what seemed to be an empty, room. When she didn't get an answer back, she shrugged and threw the tote bag, which Jeonghan had bought for each member back in Rome, on the double bed. Only a second later, she let her body fall onto the mattress, a pleasant groan tumbling from her lips. She let her eyes close for a split second before some of the other guys suddenly appeared in her doorway.

"Do you guys already have a bed?" 

Dokyeom nodded, "I'm sharing a room with Jeonghannie-hyung," he told her.

"And I'm with Vernon and Woozi," Hoshi told her, making her nod.

They were quick to walk back into their individual rooms again and Minnie decided to take a look at the bathroom, whose door was against the same wall as the bed.

"Where's a bed that's left?" The last member of the game, Wonwoo, shouted through the house. He walked into the room that was closest to him on his right. The room that Minghao and Jun shared.

"I think Minnie's alone in her room," the '97 Liner stated as soon as he saw the older member enter.

"Where's her room?" He asked them, turning around without waiting for an answer. "Minnie-ya?" His loud voice bounced off the old walls as he continued walking through the living room, towards the entrance door.

"What?" She called back, walking out of the bathroom again, towards the door to her room, stepping out to see what was going on. Her eyes met Wonwoo's, who was taking quick steps up to her

"Minghao said you have a bed left," he explained. Minnie nodded, a yawn suddenly coming up, making her cover her mouth. She walked back inside.

"You can share it with me," she spoke through the sign of sleepiness, making the rapper chuckle. The female member sat down on the bed, watching the '96 Liner put his stuff onto the chair in the corner. She leaned back to get a hold of her bag.

"Can you put my stuff there too? Please." She asked, handing him the tote bag to collect all of their clothes and personal items in one place. 

The two decided to walk back outside, finding some of the boxes the members had left in the living room that were filled with ingredients that would be more suitable in the kitchen. Just as they went to pick them up and make their way downstairs, Hoshi joined the duo.

"Are you going to the kitchen?" He wondered, looking at Wonwoo who nodded at him before his eyes fell on the girl, who was carrying one of the boxes that was clearly way too heavy. "Oh- wait, give that to me."

"No, no, it's okay," she brushed him off.

"No, let me help you," he argued back, winning the fight as she let go of the carton, choosing to follow him in silence down the stairs, where their maknae greeted them. As soon as they reached the ground floor, Dino walked over to the performance leader, taking over in carrying the heavy box.

"Hyung!" Minnie chuckled at the scene in front of her, "You said you wanted to help me."

"But our maknae is so strong, how could I say no," he defended himself with a grin, making the girl shake her head.

"I worked out," Dino proudly announced with a big smile on his lips, getting all three of the members to chuckle sweetly.

They put everything on the kitchen island before going through each item individually. Minnie took a second to look around the room.

"This... this really looks like a dream house. And a dream kitchen."

"I know," Mingyu agreed, "I said to Dino this is the perfect height for a counter," before turning around, "And the stove is really good too."

The female member looked down at the surface, her hands brushing over the wood, "Really pretty."

"This is egg," her fellow '97 Liner announced, handing the item over to the youngest who was standing by an open fridge door.

"Eggs. Multiple," Minnie chuckled. She didn't correct the other members' English very often, but every now and then, she would decide that a remark was more important. Just like now.

"Eggs," Mingyu repeated, continuing to go through their groceries. "This is- OH, ice cream. Ice cream, ice cream," his tone suddenly became rushed. "Come on yo, come on yo!" The girl couldn't help but laugh at her members.

"Emergency, emergency!" Dino played into it, repeating the words over and over again while finding a place for the item in the freezer.

"You guys are weird," she mumbled under her breath with a smile, collecting the bags of salad Wonwoo and Hoshi were placing on the counter.

-

The rest of the group had started to come together in the kitchen, circling the island. Everyone but Jun and Vernon as they had found comfort on the couch and their bed, motion sickness from the drive slowly catching up with them.

"Then, I will start," Mingyu, the main cook of the group announced. "We just need to grill the meat, chop the ingredients and set it up." He pointed at Dokyeom, "You need to make the stew, right?" 

His fellow '97 Liner nodded, "Yeah, I'll make the stew."

Hoshi, who already had his mouth full of snacks, spoke up. "There can't be too many chefs. You two be the main chefs," he decided. "Tell us if you need anything." The others agreed, knowing that too many members would just cause chaos they didn't need.

"Okay!" Mingyu exclaimed, rolling up his already short sleeves, "Let's move quickly." 

Dokyeom and Minnie had gathered at the corner of the kitchen island, eyeing the meat they had bought.

"I will do about four strips of pork," the singer clarified, "Four stripes." Glancing over at the rapper of the '97 Line, hoping to get his opinion.

He nodded, "Four strips would be good."

"What can I help you guys with? Anything I can cut up?" The girl wondered, but before DK could say anything, Mingyu shook his head.

"No, it's okay."

"But I want to help," she argued, walking over to the man by the stove. "Tell me what I can do."

He turned around, pointing straight forward. At the table. "Sit there."

The female member rolled her eyes and smacked his arm, "Stop, I'm serious." Watching him move around to gather everything he'd need. "I can hand you pots or something. A cooking spoon?"

"No," Mingyu shook his head with a chuckle, "I really don't need help."

"I could-" Not even letting her finish, the rapper grabbed her by the shoulders and moved her forward, stopping by the kitchen island.

"Just stay right here." He told her before going back to the fried rice he would be preparing on the stove.

Minnie sighed in defeat, taking her place next to Wonwoo and Minghao, who were focused on DK and Dino on the other side of the island. 

"Dokyeom-ah, can I help you with something?" She moved on to the next member, but he had already caught up on the conversation that happened behind him merely a few seconds ago.

"No, Minnie-ya. But thank you for offering."

Bored out of her mind, the female member waltzed through the room, looking around the walls and vintage display case in one of the corners. After that didn't seem to fill her boredom anymore, she stopped by the table. Wonwoo was already sitting on a chair on the left side of it.

"You need to leave the cooking to the ones who cook well," he stated, noticing the silence from the girl after she was practically thrown out of the kitchen.

"But I can cook as well," Minnie whined, "Or at least help." She took a deep breath in, "But I agree, you really shouldn't cook." Making both of them chuckle in unison.

"If I put my hands on it... not delicious," he stated, making the female member laugh with a nod.

-

She spent most of the rest of the time by the dining table, taking a few glances back at the kitchen, internally hoping, she'd get something to do. That's when her gaze fell on Mingyu, who just stood by the kitchen island... when he was supposed to be the one to cook. With scrunched eyebrows, she got up from the chair, making her way over to where more members had gathered together. That's when she saw it. Minghao had replaced the rapper's position by the stove.

She gasped quietly, "You let Hao help, but not me?" Minnie glared up at the man in front of her, who shook his head.

"Minnie-ya...," he sighed, meeting her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Maybe you should live with him," she mumbled, a pout evident on her lips.

"Stop being like that," He reached out to get a hold of her arm, but she moved away swiftly. Only that she had forgotten about his much longer legs and arms. With a big step forward, he was able to grab her gently by her upper arm, pulling her to turn back around, facing him now.

"Do you really think I cook bad?" She asked him immediately, gazing up at him with her lips almost quivering. Mingyu could tell her sleepiness was catching up with her as this wouldn't be her usual behaviour. His eyes softened. He chuckled and shook his head,

"No, I don't think you cook bad. But can you please just sit back and relax. You fell asleep on the bus twice. Just rest for now." Pointing at the table, where Jeonghan was sitting now. She had already sighed too many times to count anymore.

-

At some point during their food preparations, Minnie had gotten up and rushed up the stairs to get her own zip-up hoodie, the same one Seungkwan had surprised them with. Once she was back downstairs again, the table was fully set, and the members were getting ready to sit down. The seat by the corner, next to of the dining table, right next to the main vocalist was kept free, suggesting that she could claim it for herself.

"It's comfortable, right?" Seugnkwan asked her as soon as she sat down, seeing the black hoodie engulfing her body.

The female member nodded with a smile, rubbing her hands up and down her arms, "It's really warm."

Each of them was able to put on their plate whatever their heart desired, they had enough options. Dokyeom's stew, Mingyu's meat and fried rice, the salad Dino made, along with the already cooked chicken they bought in the supermarket, as well as other small things they heated up during their cooking.

Once a spoon of the stew hit her tongue, the girl groaned in pleasure, "Woah...," she sighed, "Even on the other side of the world, Korean food still tastes so good." Getting a nod from the members next to her. "Well done, Dokyeom."

The singer grinned, "Thank you, Minnie, I'm glad you like it."

The members ate well, even if they didn't think they would, recalling their big lunch only a few hours ago. But with the variety they had, none of them could say no. Minnie filled her plate with some rice, along with the Salad the others didn't touch, due to the yellow mustard Dino had used instead of honey mustard, but the girl didn't mind.

"At least someone likes the salad," the maknae commented, noticing the girl eating it. With a piece of it in her mouth, she giggled, covering the lower half of her face.

"It's still good, Dino," nodding at him reassuringly, "You did very well."

The maknae smiled proudly, going back to finishing his own plate of food.

-

After the last member decided they couldn't put another piece of anything on the table into their mouths, the time for cleaning up arrived. Usually, the group would play a quick game to decide on the roles, but for that evening they just agreed to do it all together. Woozi and Hoshi would be in charge of washing the dishes, while the others would be cleaning up the table and collecting trash.

"What are you going to do with the leftover nuggets?" Wonwoo wondered while most of them were gathered around the table, cleaning the plates and throwing away the remains of what they had just eaten.

"We can wrap them up and put them in the fridge," Minnie suggested, holding onto two plates, on her way to get them to the sink.

"Wrap them in plastic?" He asked further.

The girl nodded, "Yeah, I'll do it here," nodding at the now almost empty counter.

"Wrap them in plastic. Wrap them in your rap," Dokyeom just spat out.

Wonwoo chuckled at the comment, "Should I?" Not even waiting for an answer, he already started, on his way into the kitchen. "YO!" 

Minnie, who came back to gather the nuggets from his hold, stopped to laugh, pushing him away from her with a slight shove.

"Oooh, nice, nice!" Joshua complimented him.

"What was that?" She chuckled along with the others. The rapper only shook his head, moving her to walk back towards the kitchen island with a hand on her back.

"What's with Wonwoo's form?" The '95 Liner wondered, still laughing along with Dokyeom.

"He really is a Hip-Hop-Unit member," Minnie commented, earning her a nudge to her side, but a round of chuckles from the guys by the table. She had found the cling foil and was about to cut a piece off it, the box of nuggets already in front of her.

"Ah..." Wonwoo sighed, "This is too big to wrap it up in my rap."

The female member shook her head again, "Stop," she couldn't hold back a giggle.

"I think we need to use Coups' rap," he explained to Dokyeom, who exclaimed his disappointment, continuing the joke.

A grin tickled Minnie's lips at the comment that came to her head. "Because he's a better rapper than you?" She teased, looking up once she heard a gasp from her fellow '97 Liner, but silence from her dormmate.

"Wow..." he met her eyes as she bit down on her lips, trying not to break into a fit of laughter. "Wow..." Wonwoo just repeated while Dokyeom was already crouching over from laughing right behind them.

Minghao, who was just on his way over to them had stopped in his tracks, "Did she say he's a better rapper than you?" With wide eyes, he glanced at the two. "Did you really?"

"I'm sorry," Minnie shyly admitted, reaching out to place her hands on the rapper's arm. Was she, though? Not really.

The reaction it got out of the members made it definitely worth it. Sometimes, they'd forget the sharp tongue the female member was born with.

"I just wanted to say because he's louder," the '96 Liner looked down at the '97 Liners who were chortling together. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry!" She laughed, wrapping her arms around his frame, her face squished up against his chest. "You're right, he's only a louder rapper than you."

Taglist: @waosobii @chaebb @lunarxsun @hoe4wonwoo @kimhyejin3108 @soobzao @billboard-singer @cosmicwintr @zwiehe @alixnsuperstxr @angie-x3 @smooore @allthings-fandoms @lllucere

[aaizawashouta]

Delicate

pairing: aizawa shouta x fem!reader

word count: 1.1k

summary: sometimes you just need to be taken care of

warnings: just fluff. reader has long hair.

a/n: this is so self indulgent. i don't even care.

Something is wrong the moment the door opens. Actually, something has been wrong since 1:28 p.m. when you didn’t respond to his text message. You never leave him on read, even on your busiest days. Shouta listens as the door locks behind you, as you slide your shoes off your feet. His eyebrows raise when your bag drops to the floor with an echoing thud. His gaze follows you as you amble to your shared bedroom where you disappear out of sight.

It’s silent as he stands in the kitchen, cup of tea in hand. Brows no longer raised, but furrowed. Only slightly relieved when he hears the bath water running. He knows it when he sees it—half the time it’s from his own reflection. Odd being on the other end. Very rarely, if ever, do you get burnt out. Worn down, exhausted, dead on your feet. It never matters, that’s just how you are. But there are times, like today. Shouta sighs, leaving his tea to go cold before trailing after you.

You stand next to the tub staring as you wait for the water to warm up. You’ve got your bra, panties, and one sock on. Your fingers dance under the faucet. It’s been a long day. The only thing that’s kept you going is the man you left in the kitchen. You rub at your chest, pain scraping along your ribcage. Your heart rattles for the comfort only your husband can bring you. It’s not fair, you know that. There’s no way you want him to see you like this. Your temper flares as you think of the prick who ruined your day.

The door opens silently. So caught up in your frustrations you don’t feel the presence of Shouta until cool fingers are wrapping around the back of your neck. You start, turning to look at him over your shoulder. His eyebrows are raised as he takes you in; a peculiar expression on his face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You never jump.” He murmurs before shaking his head.

You follow without a thought, no fuss even though you frown when he pulls you into him. Skilled fingers undoing the clasp at your back. The tension leaves you when Shouta drops to his knees before you. His warm breath against your skin causes goosebumps to erupt. Always so responsive, even to the little things. But that’s not what this is about, not what you need. Shouta peels your underwear down your legs. Teeth digging into your lip to keep yourself from giggling when he pulls off your sock.

A heat spreads through you. Warm and comforting. No, this doesn’t happen often. Where you’re unsure of yourself, overworked, and burnt out. But as you watch him, Shouta, your Shouta, your husband. The one person you never have to hide from. He knows you better than you know yourself, sometimes it’s downright terrifying. He sees you for everything you are and everything you’re not. You feel silly now, trying to hide yourself away from him.

The atmosphere in the bathroom changes then. Shouta gives you a soft smile accompanied by a kiss to your inner thigh. He doesn’t say anything; doesn’t have to. Getting to his feet he moves to the cabinet and grabs your favorite scent of bathing oil. Your bottom lip wobbles a bit. He kisses your forehead as he helps you into the tub. You can’t bite back the moan that escapes you. Your muscles have been coiled so tight all day. The warm water is a welcome balm. Tilting your head back you watch him as he drags the stool over closer to where you are. Shouta gives you a wink, sitting down before pulling your hair out of your face.

It’s silent in the small bathroom, comfortably so. The only sounds coming from Shouta’s hands dipping into the water as he washes your hair. It’s the most relaxed you’ve felt in weeks. Who knew the weight of the world would come crashing down off your shoulders on a Wednesday afternoon? But was it really? Blunt nails scratch at your scalp and you sink a little further into the water. What’s a rough day when you can come home to this?

Your lips tilt up, Shouta’s voice cutting through the silence, your name floating with the steam from the tub. A soft hum of acknowledgment is all he receives.

“Are you going to tell me what happened today?”

A wet shoulder raises and falls, water rippling around you. You stare at your feet, wiggling your blue polished toes.

“There’s a guy at work who’s gunning for my position.”

His hands pause. “You have relations with every hero in the city.”

“I know. It’s not like my position is up for grabs or anything. He’s just a real piece of work. Drives me up a damn wall.” It’s silent for a moment, you sigh. “He’s a misogynist, doesn’t think I’m qualified.”

You can feel Shouta’s glare. Never one to fight your battles, you’re good at doing that yourself. That’s not to say your husband isn’t protective of you.

“Should I stop by for a visit at lunch tomorrow?”

You can’t help but laugh. “I don’t even think he knows what my last name is.”

Shaking your head with a small sigh. You have to admit you do feel better after talking. But you don’t want to talk about it anymore. You don’t want to waste any more of your time on it. That’s tomorrow’s problem. Tilting your head back, you look up at Shouta who looks down his nose at you. Dark eyes swirling with adoration and amusement. He raises an eyebrow when you reach up and tug on his dark locks.

“Will you read to me?”

“I can. Anything in particular?”

“No, just want to hear your voice is all.”

Shouta hums, rinsing out your hair one final time before drawing out the water and letting it hang over the tub behind you. His footsteps are quiet as he leaves the bathroom, only to return a few moments later. The sound of pages turning makes your eyes fall shut. You give it maybe another five minutes before the water runs cold, or you turn into a prune.

“You’re going to have to let me return the favor, Sho.”

“Not tonight sweet girl.”

Your toes curl at the term of endearment. Sinking a little farther into the tub, you doze off lightly in the comfort of your home, and the warmth of your favorite person wrapping around you with every word he reads.

[exhuastedpigeon]

November 24 - Dec 1

Welcome to my second weekly Buddie fic rec list! Here are the fics I read or reread this week that I liked the most! The lists are tagged as ‘Han’s Buddie Recs’ and 'Han's Weekly Fic Recs'

Newly Read

Batting a Buck & Change by Daisies_and_Briars / @cal-daisies-and-briars Teen || 15.5k Eddie and Chim embark on a “Dad’s night out” to watch baseball at a sports bar, and after a few too many, Eddie accidentally lets his feelings for Buck slip.

It’s Not the Roaring Dream, It’s the Silent Lightning by giselleslash/ @gigi-gigi Mature || 15.2k (or the one where Buck is married to Eddie in a coma dream and he doesn’t want to let the dream go.)

wanting was enough (for me, it was enough) by bigfootsmom/@bigfootsmom Explicit || 13.2k Eddie is back at work and everything is going great. Except he's in love with his best friend and can't have him, so things actually aren't all that great.

He's made it this far with wanting but never having Buck, so he'll be fine.

But when the offer to have a threesome with said best friend arises, Eddie can't not take it, right?

What could go wrong?

Eddie/Buck/Lucy threesome with so many Buddie feelings

the next best thing by wikiangela /@wikiangela Explicit || 9k Buck accidentally sends a nude and a spicy text to Eddie - things escalate from there.

S P I C Y !!!!

Out of Order, Still In Line by callmeewbie /@callmenewbie Explicit || 6.2k When Buck finally gets to the Clinic, the long awaited release doesn’t seem to come; cue Eddie to the rescue.

SPICY!!

i come with a softer answer by hattalove/@hattalove Teen || 5.7k in which there is a frog, and a fair, and an eddie who allows himself to accept what he deserves.

coax the cold right out of me by oklahoma/@malewifediazTeen || 2.6k “You know,” Eddie begins, running his fingers through Buck’s damp, frizzy curls, “when I booked this cabin for the weekend, I had plans for us to fuck real nasty by the fire.”

Buck laughs—an ugly, congested noise that sounds like it hurts when it gets caught in his chest—and tips his head back to meet Eddie’s gaze in the low light of the blazing fire. His big blue eyes are puffy and his cheeks are red, hot by the fire and chapped by the wind; he looks like a kid, almost, sitting on the floor and wrapped tight in a large, black fleece blanket with nothing beneath except a pair of boxers and fuzzy socks.

“Well,” Buck croaks, “we’re still by the fire, at least.”

let me cradle your body (be a safe place to rest) by thewolvesof1998/@thewolvesof1998 Gen || 1.9k What starts out as a normal 118 gathering ends with Buck sitting on Eddie's lap.

This fic is so soft, it feels like falling asleep in Eddie Diaz’s lap.

stay here honey (i don't wanna share) by HungryHungryHippo/@hippolotamus Explicit || 1.8k || Lutalia OR Natalia helps soothe Lucy after a rough shift

This fic is so hot I needed time to cool off after reading it. 

In my defence I was left unsupervised by Spotsandsocks/@spotsandsocks Mature || 1.3k Buck gets bored and decides on a new look.

Can we just say the rest with no sound by devirnis/@devirnis Gen || 1.3k It’s late by the time Eddie finally pulls up in front of his house. In the passenger seat beside him, Buck is still staring blankly out the window, showing no indication that he’s aware they’ve arrived at their destination.

He’s been like this since they left the hospital. Quiet, still. Despondent.

Rereads

let’s hear it for the boy by hattalove/@hattalove Teen || 56.2k in which eddie attends a self-empowerment group for gbtq men to supplement his therapy, and is empowered to: forgive himself, say "i'm gay" to his own reflection in the mirror, accidentally adopt an adult, make fried rice, and tell his straight best friend that he's in love with him. not necessarily in that order.

This fic is so special to me. It has one of my favourite lines from a fic of all time - “you don’t realize what the world is doing to you until long after it’s already done”. 

in the night we trust by glorious_spoon/@glorious-spoon Explicit || 29.2k Or: Eddie and Buck start sleeping together when they're all stuck at Buck's place during lockdown. It still takes them almost three years to notice that they're in love.

The Scroll of Saint Barnabas by Amiril/@runawaymarbles Mature || 15k The day of the shooting, Eddie got stuck in a time loop. But that was three months ago. He's completely fine now.

One of the most unique time loop fics I’ve read. What happens once you’re out of a time loop? How do you move forward?

WIPs

The Lost and The Found by Spotsandsocks/@spotsandsocks Mature || 28.3k || 3/10 chapters posted

Eddie Diaz was born a shifter, of the wolf variety, and he loves his life. Visiting his Abuela one summer he meets a new friend but not long after that everything in his life gets turned around and hard choices have to be made. Eddie faces his responsibilities and does what he has to do.

Shifter AU, my beloved! As of adding to my rec list, three chapters have been posted! Be sure to follow Spots so you can read snippets when she shares them!

[gatorbites-imagines]

Hi, I hope you're having a good week!

If you feel up to it, could you a Dick Grayson x Dom M!reader?

I have two options I really like...

1. While Dick Grayson and R(reader) are sparring and due to the Reader being rough with pinning and tackling. Dick gets pushed into sub space.

2. Dick is undercover for a mission, where he has to keep an eye on the target (Reader). He has to make sure the reader dosent leave the nightclub. What Dick didn't expect was the reader starting to flirt with Dick, not only that, but the flirting was actually making Dick flustered.

You can make either of these has less or more sumtty has you see fit ^w^

Dick Grayson x male reader

Headcanons

Is it here I should tell yall I love writing about characters going into subspace, and being cared for when under. Reader is a fellow hero in this.

-          You and Dick have been dating for a while, enough that you have both explored the dom/sub dynamic a few times, at least enough times that it made a connection in Dicks brain, that you are a safe person to enter subspace around and give himself over.

-          It had been a very long and exhausting week, in both day jobs and night jobs for the both of you, and you hadn’t been able to spend much time together except for sleeping in each other’s arms.

-          You could easily tell that Dick was on edge and tense, his entire body wound tight, and he was snippier than usual. He was already frustrated when you both got to one of the league gyms, which you could see in the way he ground his jaw and clenched and unclenched his hands.

-          He was wearing a pair of compressions shorts that stopped just above his knees, a tank top, white socks, a pair of shoes that had seen better days and one of those bands you wrap around your upper arm to hold your phone so you can listen to music.

-          You had been lifting when he entered the gym, his walk tense and hands clenched by his sides. He had his earbuds in, so he didn’t seem to notice you greeting him. He didn’t even stretch before getting to work, going to the pullup bars, and going at it.

 -          You watched him work out for a while, watching how he only seemed to drive himself further up the wall with the annoyed grunts he let out as he lifted himself up further than he needed for a pullup.

-          Placing what you had been using back down on the floor, you brushed off your hands and debated on taking off the gloves you were wearing to lift, but decided to leave them on. You knew Dick loved them, and if that’s what he needed to be taken out of his head then so be it.

-          Sauntering over you gave him enough time to notice you approaching, and normally he would have sensed your presence quickly, but he seemed stuck in his head.

-          So when you wrapped your arm around his tiny waist and help him from doing another pullup, he let out a noise and quickly flipped his head to check who was grabbing him.

-          When he saw it was you he relaxed just a little, releasing a shaky breath as he flicked his head, knocking one of his earbuds out and asking what you wanted. His temper was quite short today it seemed, as he squared his jaw and waited impatiently for your answer.

-          “I think you need to take a break Dick” you tell him. Now, comments like this never worked in making any of your friends or coworker relax, ever. But that was the point, it was to drive Dick up the wall even more so you could make him want to get more physical.

 -          He squared his jaw in a way that truly reminded you of Batman as he snapped that he didn’t need a break, and when he tried to return to his pullups you held him in place, sneaking a hand up under his tank top and pinching his hip.

-          Dick yelped as you pinched him, on instinct kicking out behind him at the flare of feeling, but you were quick to catch his leg and give him a teasing grin when he glared down at you. “Stop” he hissed, and you could tell you almost had him where you wanted him.

-          Quirking a brow, you slid your hand further up his shirt. When your hand reached his pec, his glare became thunderous, and any other time you might have withdrawn and stepped away, but you knew there wasn’t any real heat behind it.

-          Making sure his eyes were locked with yours, and that he was paying attention to what you were doing, you dug your fingers into his nipple and gave it a rough pinch and twist.

-          Dick let out a high choked noise, his thighs clamping together tightly as he tried to force down the moan you knew wanted to escape his mouth.

-          Flicking the now hard nipple once or twice, you withdrew from your partner and stepped back. He was quick to drop down from the bars, turning to you with a glare and slightly flustered cheeks.

-          Giving him another teasing smirk and quirked brow, you made your way towards the sparring mats that were in the room, opening your arms at him as if challenging him.

 -          Dick was so frustrated from the day and hot from your touches that he quickly charged over, not caring one bit that he was supposed to be a serious and well thought vigilante, something in his chest just want to throw you around or test your boundaries.

-          That’s how you two ended up sparring, and on any normal day Dick could probably have overpowered you or you would have been an equal match, but today because Dick was already unsteady on his feet from the past few days, he was having a hard time keeping up.

-          As he was tackled and pinned to the floor, the edges of his consciousness grew slightly fuzzy, the tense and prickly feeling in his chest loosening just a little. He tried his best to stay focused, bucking you off and trying to take you down again.

-          But as you kept pinning him down and tackling him, holding him tightly against the rubber mats and pinning his arms above his head or behind his back, his mind grew foggier and warmer. His muscles grew less tense, even as he staggered to his feet.

-          You could tell he was still trying to fight against the warm fluffy headspace his mind wanted to go to, so when he tried to throw himself at you, you quickly pinned him to the floor.

-          He met the floor with his chest, and before he could do much you had hooked an arm around his throat and tightened it just enough to cut off some of his breathing. The feeling he had tried to fight against just seemed to multiply at your rough touch, his hands coming up and patting at your arm uselessly.

 -          Dick kicked out his legs to try and shake you off, but he was sluggish and slow. You leant in and talked softly to him, praising him, and telling him to just let go, that he had been strong for so long and that you would take care of him, and he was your good boy, he just needed to be reminded of that.

-          Finally, the fight seemed to melt right out of him, his body going limp and his hands softly holding onto your arm as you loosened the chokehold enough for Dick to catch his breath.

-          He whined and moaned softly as he gasped for breath, his mind completely fuzzy and filled with wool. You carefully turned him over, keeping him pressed against you as you made sure he was completely okay.

-          Dicks eyes were unfocused but so soft, his mouth was slightly open as he panted and made quiet noises, his hands coming up to grip softly onto the front of your shirt. You could feel he was hard against your thigh, but that wasn’t that he needed right now.

-          Dick keened when you leant down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, his eyes fluttering shut as you peppered kisses all over his face until your lips met his own. His noises grew louder as he let your tongue plunder his mouth, putting up no fight as you took what you wanted from him.

-          Resting him down against the sparring mats, you slipped your hands up his shirt and started playing with his chest, his noises becoming louder and slurred as he seemed to fall even further into the warmth of subspace.

 -          When you could tell he was completely under you removed your hands from his shirt much to Dicks displeasure, soft whines leaving him as you gathered him in your arms.

-          He didn’t need anything like that tonight, he just needed to be allowed to float away from the stress and pain of your daily lives as heroes and to be taken care of.

-          So, taking one of the hallways with least cameras and that was used very little by others, you brought Dick back to the room you had been given at the league tower. Dick was drifting off against your shoulder, letting out quiet noises every now and then as you walked because your movement made his crotch brush against your stomach.

-          Back in your room you carefully cleaned Dick up with some wet wipes as you couldn’t bring him to the showers at this time, got him dressed in some of your clothes, and crawled into bed with him.

-          You spent the rest of the time watching something on your tv as Dick laid dozing in and out of sleep, his hands still gripping onto your shirt as you ran one of your own hands through his hair.

-          Dick felt like he was melted against your torso, his body growing so heavy as he felt so comfortable here with you, all thoughts of getting off having left his mind the moment you had placed him in your bed and cuddled him.

-          You let Dick spend all the time he needed in subspace, holding, kissing, and praising him quietly until he fell asleep. You knew you’d have to have a conversation about communicating when he needed you to bring him down, since you didn’t want to have to do it through sparring every time, but that could wait for now.

[kenny-the-ken]

Y O U + M E

Part 1

Soooo!!! Last nights South Park was everything I wanted but didn't know I needed!!! Kenny with his hood I mean,,, I am deceased. I'm having some serious writer's block, so please feel free to send me requests, HCs too!! I wanna get to know you all, and thanks for all the love on my previous fics. I normally hate my writing so knowing you guys like it is amazing!! This fic contains string language, angst, toxic thinking, obsession and sexual themes. ALL CHARACTERS ARE AGED UP!! If you guys like this fic I can write more parts!! Loosely based on the Netflix show YOU!!!

Kenny hasn't been with another girl since the last time, and that was not something he wanted to repeat. That was until his eye was caught by you, and he couldn't tear his eyes away.

You were new here, family just moved to town and you had transferred to South Park High, and he was determined to know more about you.

It's not an obsession, he isn't obsessed, is he? So far he knew your name was y/n, you had moved here from the UK, so quite a far away from home, you were shy, trying your best to fit in, you were alternative in how you dressed, Kenny has already touched himself thinking about you, and he swore it was the best wank he'd ever had! It was clear to him that you were thirsty for that kind of attention, blushing as other boys talked and flirted with you, and his blood boiled, you would be his, who the fuck did these other guys think they were? How dare they even look at you in that way!

Although he didn't blame them, those short skirts, tight tops with too much cleavage and today was the day that Kenny's resolve broke, he could no longer watch from the sidelines, you were wearing the shortest shorts he'd ever seen with knee high socks and a lace bralette, no bra! God he was going insane. You had a flannel shirt tied loosely around your waist and Doc Martin boots on, and god you had tattoos! He swore you were so angelic looking it was sinful, and he knew he had to talk to you, before someone else could shoot their shot. You would be his. He was damned sure of it.

One problem though, how to approach you without creeping you out? You didn't know him, but he knew you, you were both meant for each other, you just didn't know it yet, but how to catch your attention. He'd have to think, and fast.

That was before his perverse thoughts were interrupted by the harsh ringing of the bell.

"Fuck." He muttered under his breath, slamming his locker in annoyance before making his way to English class, plopping down on his seat, lost in his own thoughts as the rest of the class filtered into the room.

He was once again distracted from his thoughts about you by the scent of your perfume, his head rising as you both met each others gaze, you smiled at him, as he gave you a gapped tooth smile back.

Trust the teacher to ruin his shot!

"Quiet class! I have a lot planned for todays lesson so let's cut to the chase, I have paired you all up for group work, you will be working in pairs! This is an analysis of the prose we have been reading, and I expect a presentation and a written essay that both of you must present to the class next week."

She turned her back, writing on the chalk board who was paired together, and Kenny swore his heart skipped a beat when he noticed he was paired with you. He's never wanted to fist bump the air so much in all his life, but he didn't want you to notice him geeking out over you.

"Please sit next to your partner and get started straight away!" You teacher said to the class, and you moved your seat beside Kenny's, you both sharing a desk.

"Hey, I'm y/n, I'm new here from the UK so sorry if some of what I say doesn't make sense, our slang is hard to forget." You laughed, and Kenny nodded.

"Most people can't understand me either." He mumbled, his hood up. Let her see your face, idiot! His brain almost screamed at him as he unzipped his coat, taking his hood down, and it didn't go unnoticed by his friends. They knew he was hot on your tail, and what Kenny wants, he gets.

Your mouth was wide as you studied your partners face, a blush on your cheeks. He was hot, his fluffy blonde hair sitting messily atop his head, his pale skin and subtle freckles and that adorable little gappy smile. Fuck! You'd only moved a week ago and already you were crushing on someone.

"I'm Kenny. We can meet at the park after school and work on our project if you're up for up it?" He offered, you would definitely be turned off if you seen how his family were and what his home was like, and he was not losing you because of his parents and their usual neglectful bullshit.

"Or you could swing by my house? I'll get us coffee and order some pizza?" You offered, twiddling your pen between your thumb and forefinger, trying to avoid direct eye contact out of fear of blushing in front of him.

"That sounds a million times better, thanks." Kenny replied, a small smile on his face, he took this opportunity to sneak a quick look at your cleavage, and he swore he could make out the shape of your hard nipples through your bralette, and were those piercings?! Fuck, what were you doing to him? Don't get hard, Jesus Christ don't get hard!

"Can I have your number? So I can send you my address?" You asked, offering him your phone to punch his number into.

And he gladly accepted, typing his number on to your phone, and while you were distracted talking to Wendy he quickly installed a tracking app on your phone, just so he could know where you were at all times, to keep you safe of course.

"There you go." Kenny replied, holding your phone out to you as you took it from him, smiling at him.

"So... tell me a little about you, Kenny?" His eyebrow quirked at your sudden question. Were you wanting to find out more about him because you were partnered with him and just being friendly? Or did you ask because you were interested in getting to know him, because he wanted to know everything there was to know about you.

"I'm eighteen, I've lived in South Park for my whole life, and I've always been known of the poorest kid of the school, thanks to Eric over there." He said, nodding his head in the direction we're the older boy sat, you could hear him laughing at his own jokes, he seemed like an ass.

"I have a brother and a younger sister, Kevin and Karen. Just a warning though, people here love to gossip, so if anyone is bothering you, let me know." Kenny said kindly, his eyes not tearing from you once, it was as if you two were the only people in the room, god how was he going to control himself when he was in your bedroom, just you two.

"So tell me a little about yourself, y/n." Kenny inquired, and he was genuinely interested, soul mates needed to know all there was about each other, and he was determined to know you, he just hoped that you'd let him.

"Um... I'm eighteen too, I'm an only child, live with my mother, but she has some... problems, y'know?" You said, and Kenny knew exactly what you meant, his parents were the crème de la crème of drug and alcohol addicts, so he knew fine and well what she meant. Maybe they moved here for a new start.

"You smoke?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, you smoke weed?" You asked back, a small smirk on your face.

"Fuck yeah, I've dabbled with a lot of drugs, I mean, I've been exposed to them all my life." Kenny said, his eyes staring at his table, then back to you.

"I'll buy pizza and get us coffees if you bring the weed, deal?" You asked, putting your hand out to the blonde boy in front of you.

"Deal!" Kenny said, a smirk on his own face as the bell rang for the end of class.

You began packing up your things off your table and into your bag and as you bent down to grab your pen that had fallen on the floor, Kenny thought his eyes had popped fully out of his head. He stared at your ass and your thick thighs and my god how he wanted his head between them.

When you stood back up you finished packing and turned to see Kenny was waiting on you.

"If you wanna grab lunch together you can come with with me?" He asked, a small smile on his face, and boy did he hope that you said yes.

"That sounds lovely. Thanks, Kenny." You replied, throwing your back pack over your shoulder and beginning to walk out of the classroom with Kenny.

You could feel the eyes of other girls burning into the back of you as you both walked down the corridor, chatting together and making jokes as you both erupted into laughter.

Even though he was fully fixated on what you were talking about, Kenny was dazed, he was deep in thought, and it was all about you. About how your shirts hugged that perfectly round ass, how sensitive your nipples would be, what piercings would adorn them, did you have any tattoos that he couldn't see? His mind swirled.

As you both entered the cafeteria, he smiled and waved at his friends, before leading you over to introduce you.

"Guys, this is y/n m, she's new here. Y/n this is Eric, Kyle, Stan, Jimmy, Craig and Tweek." He said, pointing to each individual as he said their names, and you smiled.

"Hey guys, hopefully we can all be friends." You said, taking a seat between Kenny and Kyle.

"Kenny, how did you manage to get this pretty girl to befriend you?" Stan blurred outright, his cheeks going red as he averted both of your gazes.

"Um, we got partnered up together in English and it looks like we have a lot in common, and Kenny seems really nice." You said as the rest of the group nodded as if in sync.

"That makes sense." Kyle said to no one in particular and Kenny was in his own world again. You thought he was nice? He was making a good start, now he had to get you to fall in love with him, and he was pretty sure he knew how.

The rest of the day was pretty much standard procedure as far as Kenny was concerned, you had texted him, telling him to come over at 7pm.

So he had some free time on his hands. And he knew exactly what to do with it.

[underoossss]

I’m here – s.h

pairing: steve harrington x f!reader

summary: when you have an accident, steve comes to the rescue, bathing you in comfort and soothing your worries without a second thought. in other words good old hurt/comfort goodness.

warnings: mention of injury though nothing is descriptive. maybe the cheesy title needed a warning too.

an: im on my knees begging that this shows up in the tags, i’ve tried everything. Anyways, im back after my writers blog to deliver softness and cute fics again. Enjoy! and let me know if you like this, reblogs are always helpful🥺

Masterlist

✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶

Sock-clad feet glide on the hardwood floor of the hallway as the Saturday sunlight streams through the windows.  You turn up the volume of your radio, dancing and bobbing your head to your Duran Duran cassette. It is a universal truth that listening to music while you do chores will not only make you productive, but it will make the tasks more bearable. So Girls on Film floods the first floor of the house as you take the newly dry clothes to the kitchen to fold later. You sing along to the lyrics while you do the dishes and proceed to make something to eat. There are fresh groceries in the fridge, which you got yesterday, and you take out everything you need to make a club sandwich.

You’re so distracted while preparing and eating your food, that you don’t realize time has escaped you suddenly. The clock says its 1:15pm, and you promised Max you’d go skateboarding with her that afternoon –she’s supposed to be here in 30 minutes and you’re still not ready. “Shit.” You say, chewing the rest of your sandwich as fast as you can.

You rush through everything after that: shoving things back in the fridge, leaving your dish to wash later, and running upstairs with armfuls of unfolded clothes to throw on your parents’ bed to be folded later. They’re away for the next five days, so they won’t mind –if you remember to fold them before they get back. You spot your favorite tank top, a lovely deep green one, in the middle of the pile and grab it before you go to your bedroom. Some light washed jeans, the tank top, new socks, and converse and you’re ready to go.

A second later, the doorbell rings, announcing Max’s arrival. “Coming!” You yell over the music, which you then turn off.

Max stands on your porch, her skateboard under her arm. She has her hair braided into two pigtails and her freckles are standing out more than ever with the fierce sunlight outside. “Hey.” She says, “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, I just need my skateboard.” You tell her, then go back inside to search the living room’s closet for it. “Aha! Now I’m ready.”

Locking the front door behind you, the two of you skate down the road to the old Hawkins skate park. It is near your house –roughly five blocks– and because Max says the new one is always crowded, the two of you have made it a habit to use the old one instead. It’s not old perse, it just not as fancy as the new one.  

“I learned this new trick I have to show you.” Max says proudly, a grin lighting up her features.

“A new trick? Where?” You ask her, pushing at the ground with your foot to gain more speed.

“I saw some boys do it the other day, and I think I got it down now.” She explains, glancing at you for a second before chuckling. “I think I can do it even better than them.”

“Oh, I bet.” You smile, “I need to learn it then, so we can outskate them.”

Sure enough Max starts to teach you the new trick immediately after you reach the skate park. She mentions it might be called a heelflip but she’s unsure, the boys she copied from were far enough that she couldn’t catch everything they said.

“Basically,” Max says. “You jump and use your right foot to flip the board, and land on it once it turns back around.”

The redhead demonstrates, failing at the first try but getting it right by the second. You watch her do the trick five more times, trying to memorize the way she moves her feet before and after she jumps. Once you’re sure you understand what you have to do, you begin to practice, which leads you to one, two, three, and several other failed attempts.

With your frustration beginning to increase, you huff and nod to yourself in determination. “This time for sure.” You tell no one in particular.

You push the ground with your foot and skate a few feet before you try to flip the board again, only to make a terrible mistake immediately after. Just as you think you managed to successfully flip and land on your skateboard, your left foot lands too close to the rear-edge of the board and you fall backwards. The weight of your body falls on your left arm, and thankfully not your head, but an intense pain overwhelms you for a second, making your ears ring. The ache doesn’t pass and instead stays in your arm, and you lie on the ground, your left side touching the hot cement. You try to move it, so you can sit up, but you find that you can’t; it only makes more pain shoot up from your arm to the rest of your body.

“Fuck!” You curse out from gritted teeth, your face contorted in pain as you roll to your back and sit up. You clutch your left arm close to your body as best as you can without injuring it more. “Fuck, shit, ouch, dammit.”

Max rushes to your side in a second, kneeling in front of you to see what happened. “What happened?” Her blue eyes are wide with worry as she sees you hold your arm and squeeze your eyes shut. “Your arm?”

“I think I broke it, Max. I can’t move it.” You say, taking deep breaths and looking into her eyes. The distress in her own is obvious, so you swallow back the pain and say in a calm voice. “We have to go back home.”

Max nods but still glances worriedly at your arm, “We need to get you to the hospital.”

You whimper in pain and nod even though the very thought of going to the hospital makes you nauseous. You hate hospitals, you’re terrified of doctors and any sort of procedure. “I know. Just help me stand up, we need to call Steve.”

The redhead holds the back of your right elbow gently and wraps her arm around your waist to hoist you up. You exhale shakily as another shock of pain shoots up your arm while Max grabs both of your skateboards –she holds one under each arm and walks next to you. The walk to the house is silent, with you focusing on everything else around you besides the pain, and Max burning a hole in your skin as she looks at you.

“I’m so sorry, this is my fault.” She says.

“Max, it’s not your fault. No one could have known that I would fall, I didn’t think I’d fall.” You shake your head instantly, then look at her worried face. “Please, don’t beat yourself up about this.”

She nods silently, worrying at her bottom lip nervously. “We’re almost back.”

You look up ahead and notice she’s right.  Your house can be seen in the distance, and it makes relief wash over your features. Shade, water, and a phone to call your boyfriend. They’re all so close but the last feet to reach the house feel like insurmountable task. It’s like each step breaks your arm again and again; by the time you give Max your keys and step through the front door, your forehead is covered in sweat and tears threaten to spill from your eyes.

“Call Steve, I’ll get you some water.” Max tells you, leaving the skateboards out of the way and disappearing into the kitchen.

You walk to the yellow phone that’s propped in the hallway’s wall –an inconvenience every day but you can’t bring yourself to complain now– and dial the number you memorized two years ago, picking up the headset with your right hand. Your body aches, and you feel exhaustion creep up on you as the phone rings.

Steve picks up the phone on the third ring, his voice a soothing sound to your ears. “Hello?”

“Hey Stevie.” You say into the headset; your face is a grimace, but your voice is light as air. “How are you, baby?”

“Missing you,” Steve grumbles on the other line. “And jealous that Mayfield has a whole day with you. Wait, aren’t you supposed to be skating?”

“Yeah….” You chuckle but the movement makes you flinch and whimper. “About that.”

Max, who returned with the glass of water, sighs exasperated. She fights you momentarily for the headset, with an unfair advantage of not being in pain, and uses it to deliver the news to Steve. “Yeah, she broke her arm.”

You imagine Steve is asking What?! In a tone of disbelief and worry.

“Y/N broke her arm, we’re at her house and need to get to the hospital.” She says, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head at you when you frown at her bluntness. It seems like the initial shock from your injury has worn off, and now she has a resolute look in her face. “You have to come pick us up.”

“Tell him not to speed. If he does, I’m walking to the hospital. We don’t need another accident.” You tell her even as another wave of pain washes over you. You didn’t want to get Steve so worried he’ll go over the speeding limit, but with the way Max dumped the news on him… he’s more than likely to.

You hear Max tell him this and nod her head and whatever Steve says on the other line before she passes the headset back to you. “He’s coming.” She tells you as you press the headset into your ear.

“Baby.” Steve says, so softly and comforting to your ears that you fight back tears. Your eyes squeeze shut to keep from crying; the next breath you take is shaky.

“I need you.” You mumble, taking another deep breath to keep your voice steady. “Drive safely.”

“I’ll be there in 10. Hang on, okay?” You can hear Steve’s keys jingle on the other end of the line, and you nod. You know he can’t see you but who cares.

“Okay.”

You hang up a second later and accept the glass of water Max hands you. “Thank you.” You tell her, leaning your head against the wall.

Max nods as her eyes scan your face and her eyebrows meet in the middle. “You’ll be okay soon, let’s go wait on the porch.”

✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶

Steve gets there in 8 minutes, leaves the car on, and rushes to the front door where you and Max wait already. He frowns when he sees you clutch your arm and notices that it’s beginning to bruise. Steve wipes the light sheen of sweat that covers your forehead once he’s in front of you and cradles your cheeks softly in his hands. “Hey, babygirl.”

You exhale shakily when he presses his forehead against yours. His presence is a comfort, his words even more so. “Let’s get you fixed up, okay? You’ll be better in no time.”

“Stevie, I’m scared. I hate hospitals.” You confess to him in a whisper as a rogue tear escapes you. Though you don’t know if it’s from pain, fear, or relief of seeing him. “I don’t want to go.”

“You’re in pain, you have to go. I know it scares you but you got us, okay?.” Steve motions over his shoulder to his car. “Let’s get in the car, beautiful.”

He places a soft kiss to your temple when you nod, before leading you towards his car –left hand on the low of your back. Max opens the door for you, and you slide in while Steve shuts the door close and runs over the drivers’ side. You press the side of your head to the window, the cold glass soothing as you close your eyes.

“Pass me the Flock of Seagulls cassette; they’re all in the pocket in front of you.” Steve asks Max as he pulls away from the driveway. “The colourful one.”

“Yeah, I know which one.” Max says, you can hear the eyeroll in her tone –it makes you smile briefly.

Steve fiddles with the cassette before inserting it into the car’s player. A few seconds later, the first chords of I Ran begin to play, filling the car with music. “There you go, baby.” Steve says, putting his right hand on your thigh and rubbing your skin softly with his thumb. “You love their songs.”

You move to look at him— he’s got that worried pinch between his brows despite the smile he’s giving you. The sun makes his hair turn a honey colour, and his white t-shirt turns a shade of yellow as sunlight reflects off the dashboard and onto him. You’re in so much pain you can’t even appreciate how well this outfit look on him. He’s so handsome, he’s also trying very hard to keep it together for you, and you love him so much.

“I do.” You mumble, smiling softly at him. “Thank you, Stevie.”

Minutes later you’re being led to the emergency room by Steve and Max, where nurses take over despite their protests. You can’t help but feel anxious, and in more pain, as you’re pulled away from them. Your heartbeat picks up every time the nurse touches you, and your eyes tear up when she checks your arm –her touch is careful but your arm hurts so much that it feels like she’s pressing hard on your skin. She takes your vital signs and tells you to sit down in a bed until the doctor arrives.

You nod and try to swallow but your throat keeps tightening. “Can my boyfriend come keep me company, please?” Your voice sounds breathless as you speak. “I’m feeling very anxious and he’s the one who always knows what to do.”

Maybe it’s the tone in which you speak, or your anxiousness written too plainly on your face, but the nurse nods silently and leaves. You hear hurried footsteps immediately after. Steve’s hair is a mess as he steps through the door, and you’re so glad to see him you slouch where you sit. Though the movement makes you knock your elbow with your thigh, and you wince in pain.

“Careful, baby.” Steve tells you quietly, approaching you and holding your free hand. “I’m here, the nurse said you asked for me.”

“Stevie,” You shake your head. “I got anxious and lonely. I–I needed you.”

“And I’m here.” Steve reassures you, leaning his forehead against yours. “I’m staying right here, okay?”

“Thank you.” You nod weakly, looking into the lovely brown color of his eyes as he kisses your knuckles repeatedly. “The nurse said a doctor is coming soon.”

As if summoned by your words, the doctor arrives and crosses the threshold of the room to stand by your bed. He’s a short man with black rimmed glasses, greying buzz-cut hair, and deep frown lines on his forehead. The tag on his white coat says doctor Dennison, and he introduces himself by the same name a second later.

“I’ve just talked to the nurse. From what she tells me, we need to take an x-ray of your arm.” He says, talking your injured arm gently in his hands and examining it by touch. “You can’t move it?”

“No, it hurts too much if I try.” You say as you wince when he touches the muscle below your elbow. Your fingers squeeze Steve’s hand tightly; you worry whether you’re hurting him.

“Looks like the fracture is here.” He says, touching the place with two careful fingers. “The x-ray will tell us if we’ll need to operate or not.”

You squeeze Steve’s hand in fear this time, and he squeezes right back in reassurance. “Surgery?” Steve asks the doctor, frowning down at your arm. He knows your fear of doctors and knows needing surgery would send you into a nervous frenzy.

“It looks like only one of the forearm bones is broken but I need to see just how much. If the fracture is at two places, we need to stabilize them with surgery, so they heal correctly.” The doctor tells you and Steve. “The good thing is, your arm hasn’t swelled much, so if you don’t need surgery, we can put your arm in a cast today.”

You nod your head, though you feel numb and more anxious than ever; surgery had never crossed your mind. Why did you have to break your arm.

“I’ll have the nurse prep the x-ray room.” The doctor says before he leaves.

“Thank you, doctor.” Steve tells him, then turns back to you. “I’m sure you won’t need surgery baby.”

“What if I do, Stevie.” You whisper, feeling fear try to take you into its clutches. “I’ve never had surgery before… it scares me.”

Steve lets go of your hand for a moment to slide a chair over to your bed, where he sits and offers his hand again. “If you do, you’ll be more than okay, babygirl.”

“How can you be sure?” You ask him as you look into his eyes though tears are threatening to fall down your cheeks and it makes him look blurry.

Your boyfriend kisses you hand again, his lips soft on your skin as he pecks it repeatedly. “Because you’re strong, Y/N. I know this is scary, but I also know you’ve been very brave despite of your fear before.”

Your eyes squeeze shut at his words, and you nod trying to summon that bravery he claims you have. You both survived the upside down, surely that’s scarier than this. “I’ll be okay.” You say more to yourself than to Steve.

“You will.” He reaches up and wipes your tears away with a reassuring smile. “I’ll be right here, and I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”

You nod again and just then the nurse is back to take you to the x-ray room so you can find out how serious your injury is.

“Go tell Max I’m okay.” You tell Steve before you leave the room. “I’m sure she’s worried.”

Steve nods, and the soft look in his eyes reassures your frantic heart that things will be okay.

✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶

It turns out, that your injury won’t require surgery, like Steve had reassured you.

There’s a nurse putting pain medication into an IV that’s attached to your right arm, while Doctor Dennison looks over your x-ray.

“You’ve got one clean fracture right here.” The doctor points at the broken bone below your elbow. “So once the medication kicks in, I’m going to set it and we’ll place a cast on your arm.”

You nod in understanding and look away from the x-ray, looking at the fracture makes a shiver go down your spine. “Will I get to go home today?” You ask.

The doctor smiles, “Of course. Once you get the cast, we’ll immobilize your arm with a sling and you’re ready to go.”

“Thank God.” Steve says, rubbing his face with his hands –the first time since you talked to him earlier that he’s shown worry. All the tension in his body leaves him at once when he smiles at you. “Told you.”

Now in less pain than before, and calmer, you smile back at him. He’s reassured you all afternoon, it’s your turn. “I know.”

Though the process is painless and simple, you cling to Steve’s hand when the doctor makes sure your bone is in the right place and proceeds to put the cast on your arm. It goes from your wrist to just above your elbow, immobilizing your left for the next 8 weeks. You smile down at it once you’re given the all-clear by the nurse, knowing the kids, Robin, and Eddie will doodle all over it once they find out what happened. Then, there’s paperwork to sign and pain medication to get for the next five days as prescribed by the doctor –which Steve insists on getting (and you insist on paying back, to no avail). But soon enough you’re reuniting with Max in the waiting room, Steve’s left hand on the small of your back and his right holding a white plastic bag.

“All done.” You tell Max with a reassuring smile. “Sorry for making you wait so long.”

The redhead glances out the automatic doors to see the sky turn orange as the sun begins to set, –it was high in the sky when you first arrived. “I didn’t notice.” She shakes her head. “Are you feeling better now?”

You nod your head. “I’m just tired.”

“Come on let’s get you home then.” Steve mutters against your temple before placing a kiss there.

“Can I drive?” Max asks Steve, sounding hopeful.

“Absolutely not.” Steve tells her and you smile.

Their bickering and the rest of the Flock of Seagulls cassette fill the car on the drive away from the hospital. The air feels calmer with everyone less anxious than before, and you’re in between falling asleep and looking at the pretty pink sky out of the window. Steve drops Max off at her place, and she promises to visit you tomorrow morning, to which you nod with a smile and tell her you’ll be waiting. A short ride later, you’re back at your house, with Steve opening the door for you and leading you inside.

“Finally.” You sigh, moving so you’re standing in front of Steve and can lean your forehead against his shoulder. “I hate hospitals.”

“I know.” Steve whispers, his arms going around your waist carefully.

“Stevie…”

“Yeah, baby?” He takes one step back to look at you, dipping his chin to his chest to meet your eyes.

“Don’t go.” You whisper, eyes glancing at your feet then back to his face. “I don’t want you to go.”

Your heartbeat is drumming loudly in your ears as your right hand holds Steve’s forearm. You have five more days alone in your house, now with a broken arm, and though your parents have left in other occasions, it feels different this time. It makes you anxious at the thought of being alone, after a day at the hospital you feel on edge.

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere.” Steve smiles, bringing one of his hands to hold your cheek. You melt with his touch, head tipping to the side to get more of it. “I was going to ask you if I could stay the rest of the week.”

You think about how there’s already enough of his clothes in your drawers for him to stay over and nod your head. Your eyes open and focus on his. “Of course, you can.”

“Let me take care of you, okay?” He drops his forehead against yours while he whispers. “What do you need baby, name it.”

You hum and close your already heavy eyes. “A shower, the leftovers in the fridge, and 10 hours of cuddling.”

Steve smiles, bringing his smile over your lips as he dips his head. “I can do that.” His lips brush against yours as he speaks, and you smile.

“And a kiss?” You add moving your hand from his forearm to the back of his neck slowly.

“Always. All of them, anytime you want.” He says before closing the gap small gap between you.

You’re unable to hold back the sigh that leaves your lips at the kiss and you’re mindful of your arm as you lean your body closer to Steve’s. He is warm against you, gentle in the way he holds your face but not as much as he kisses you. His kisses are needy, a firm pressure against yours, and you can relate to what he’s feeling. It’s been a long and stressful day, one that’s taken a toll on you and, on top of keeping you from sharing a single kiss, most likely worried Steve more than he let show. You feel your body humming with love, your fingertips tingling with it; the wholesome feeling of Steve’s affection, soothing and curing every worry and discomfort you shoved back throughout the day. He pulls back after a few minutes and presses his nose to the side of yours while he keeps you close.

“I love you.” He whispers. “You were so brave today.”

“I love you.” You mumble against this lips, unable to stop yourself from placing a couple of kisses over his bottom lip. “I was terrified, I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“I always got you, babygirl.” Steve says kissing you softly one more time.

“Can you help me shower?” You ask him even though you know he’ll say yes. “I don’t know how I’ll manage to wash my hair with one arm like this.”

Steve follows your eyes down to your cast before he looks back at you. “You don’t even have to ask. Besides, I gotta make sure you don’t get your cast wet.”

You nod your head. “There’s plastic bags in the kitchen, I think that’ll help?”

“I’ll grab them. You head over to the shower okay, beautiful? I’ll be right there.” Steve leaves a lingering kiss on your lips before disappearing into the kitchen while you stare at his retreating figure, wondering how you got so lucky.

✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶✫✶

[guilty-pleasures21]

Yooooooooouuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!! You SUCK!

One more chapter guys!

And then gates to Hell shall open! Mwahahahahaha! 😈

0. The slow burn

1. There's too many. TOO MANY!!

2. It NEEDS to be EVEN sssslllllooooweeeeerrrrrr.

Part 1 - the new recruit

Part 2 - the depression

Part 3 - the gelato

Warnings: None

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

     It was already getting to ten, Miguel noticed, glancing at his watch quickly, but X continued to sit by him, refusing to go home yet. 

     “You aren't gonna go home?” he finally asked her, curious - the latest she'd stay was ten, on weekends. Otherwise she'd be out by nine on the weekdays, so that she could get enough sleep for work the next day. X swivelled back and forth in her chair, biting in her lip nervously. 

     “Um, no …?” She sounded worried, afraid, and his forehead creased with concern at the thought. 

     “¿Qué pasa, arañita? What's wrong?” He turned to face her, his voice so gentle whenever he spoke to her. She clenched her fists, hesitating. 

     “Mmm, I just …” she trailed off, her chest tightening at the very thought of having to go to bed that night. “I just get afraid to go to bed sometimes. That's all.” 

     She shrugged it off like it was no big deal, but it was an extremely big deal. Afraid to go to bed? What did that even mean? Was something bothering her? Or someone? He felt the rage start to bubble inside of him at the thought. “What? Is someone bothering you?” 

     “No!” she replied quickly, her stomach warming up at his agitation - at how quickly he was ready to fight to protect her. “I just … I get nightmare phases, sometimes. Like night terrors? I think? I wake up all panicked and breathless and ugh! It's terrifying!”

     She shuddered at the memory, then turned to him with wide eyes. “Sometimes, I wake up with tears running down my face. It's horrible.” 

     Wow. It did sound horrible. Like some of the nightmares he had, sometimes. But … “Why do you get them? Did something … happen?” 

     She bit her lip, nervous. “Sometimes, it's about the people I miss, of course. But sometimes, it's just paranormal stuff. Those ones are insane. Maybe I should just take a pill.” 

     She sighed and leaned forward, resting her head on the table as she thought about it. Miguel tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking. But the longer he took to think about it, the faster his stomach began to churn. He shook his leg beneath the table. 

     “Do you …” he trailed off uncertainly, his voice a whisper. “You can sleep at my place. If it helps.”  Because he made her feel safe - safe enough to fall into a deep, dreamless slumber, knowing he was right there by her side. He bit his lip, not looking at her as he waited for her response. 

     He was really offering her that? Miguel? Biting down on his luscious lower lip like he was more afraid of her answer than she'd been of falling asleep. She grinned, her insides bubbling in anticipation of whatever would come next. “Yes! Yes.” 

     He glanced over to check her reaction, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the happy smile on her face. He turned away, feeling his own lips curl in response, then he cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze. “Do you … want to go now?” 

     “Can I go back and get my clothes first?” she suggested. “And then meet you there?” His lips stretched wider at the excitement in her voice; at how she went from being terrified to go to bed, to thrilled to get under the covers. With him. He nodded, still avoiding her gaze as he tried to hide his smile from her. 

     “Sure,” he agreed, remaining in his seat while she got up to leave. “Hasta pronto, arañita.” (See you soon, little spider.)

     “See you later, Miguel!” She portaled back home and raced to her cupboard, tossing a pair of socks onto her bed before she began rifling through her clothes for her sexiest pyjamas. She normally just wore a long-sleeved top and matching pyjama bottoms, but there had to be something that would catch his attention more than the others. Her hand stopped on her red top, the one that hugged her figure nicely and paired well with the plaid bottoms that sat low on her hips. Plus, he'd be able to see her nipples get hard too, every time he looked at her. She giggled at her own naughtiness, then pulled it out, throwing it onto the bed. She already had a toothbrush there from the last time she'd slept over and she could just portal home in the morning to take a shower. She gathered her meagre belongings, satisfied, then opened up a portal to take her to Miguel's place.

     He'd gone home right after she’d left, scrambling around his house to pick up the laundry he’d left lying around. He’d just managed to shove his last piece of underwear into the drawer when she’d called out to him, having arrived in his living room downstairs. 

     “Miguel?” 

     “¡Escalares arriba, arañita!�� (I’m upstairs, little spider.) He shut the drawer and headed back down, his stomach fluttering at the sight of her standing in his living room, looking all too adorable as she gazed up at him, her pillow and clothes clutched to her chest. 

     “Hola, Miguel,” she greeted him softly. He grinned and lowered his head to hide his smile, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. 

     “Hola, arañita,” he responded. Then he looked up at her, eyes wide. “Do you want anything to eat? Or drink?” 

     X smiled as she made her way to the stairs, walking up to his bedroom to set her things down. She flashed him a mischievous smile as he followed after her. “Do you have anything to eat or drink?” 

     He paused, trying to remember the last time he’d gone to get groceries. “Uh, I can order something? If you want.” 

     X let out an amused huff and twisted her head back to glance at him quickly. “Should we go on another late night grocery run?”

     She dumped her stuff on his bed, perfectly comfortable to navigate his large apartment, and his chest warmed at the casual familiarity. It was nice, imagining he shared a bedroom with her - a life. Like … Like they were … “Would that help you feel better?” 

     She smiled up at him, delighted by his question. It was so sweet how he cared about her. He could deny it all he wanted, pretend to act as cold and indifferent as he possibly could, but he’d still invited her over, was still willing to walk the streets at night in his pyjamas just so she’d feel calm enough to fall asleep. She considered his question, enjoying watching him squirm while she reminisced about how much fun she’d had with him the last time. “Hmm, do you have your phone?” 

     He raised an eyebrow, confused. “Why do you want my phone?” 

     “I just want to find a good dessert place,” she told him, shooting him an exasperated look. He started returning downstairs to grab his phone and she followed behind. 

     “You want to go get dessert in our pyjamas?” He really hoped she’d say no: because he knew he definitely wouldn’t - he knew he’d march right back up to his room and throw on his t-shirt and sweatpants if that was what she wanted; if that was what it would take to put that easy smile back on her face again. Because he was in love with her. His stomach roiled at the thought. 

     “No,” she assured him, allowing to relax. “I’ll go get some new clothes. Then we can go out.” He handed her his phone and she started typing on it. Then she paused, looking up at him in question. 

     “Or … is there anywhere you like to go?” she asked him “When you’re feeling kind of stressed out?” He narrowed his eyes in thought. He hadn’t really gone out in a while. Not since after … Not since he’d established the HQ. He glanced over at her, with her dark, almond-shaped eyes, her slender fingers curled around his phone as she waited for his response. ‘You’, he realised suddenly, the knot in his chest disappearing as he gazed at her, ‘I go to you, whenever I feel stressed. And even when I don’t.’ He pulled his gaze away from her, trying to remind himself not to take comfort in her presence. 

     “Uh, no.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I’m fine with whatever you want. Lo que quieras, arañita.” (Whatever you want, little spider.) She smiled at that, and continued tapping away at his phone. Finally, she clicked on something and held his phone up to show him. 

     “How about this one?” It was a gelato place - of course. About a ten minute walk from his place. He remembered having seen it in passing once or twice, but didn’t recall having ever been there before. He shrugged. 

     “Sure.” 

     “Great!” she exclaimed happily, setting his phone back down on the kitchen island. “I’m just gonna go take a shower first. See you in a bit, Miguel!” 

     “Sí, arañita,” he agreed, his own lips twitching at the excited smile on her face. She stepped through the portal to take her home and he went back up to his bedroom, opening his cupboard to pick out his clothes. The red shirt? Maybe not - he already wore red all the time when he was with her, in his suit. He pushed the hanger aside and studied the next option. The black one? It was plain, simple … but it might end up looking too gloomy if he paired it with his dark jeans. He’d come back to it later. The green one? It was more of a moss colour, dark enough not to draw too much attention to himself, but light enough that- He paused, freezing up all of a sudden. He was thinking way too hard about this. Almost like … like it was a date! His stomach flipped at the thought of going out on a date with her, with her pretty eyes and her cute smile and her curvy little body. Then it tightened, his body suddenly feeling like it had been doused with a bucket of ice water. Did she think it was a date? Was that what she’d had in mind when she’d suggested it? Mierda, had he just been asked out on a date without even realising it? He shook the thought away quickly. No, he was overthinking it. She wasn’t the kind of person to play vague games that would mess with his head. And based on what he knew about her - what he’d come to know about her - he didn’t think she was the kind of person to ask someone out on a date first either. She’d never even been on a date, after all, how would she even know where to start? He pulled the green shirt off the hanger, not wanting to think about it anymore, and went to the bathroom to shower. 

     She rifled through her closet for the second time that night, puzzling over what to wear for their outing. Something cute and sweet, something that would bring out that shy smile on his face that he always tried to hide from her whenever he felt it tugging on his lips. A skirt? Would that be too much? After all, it wasn’t like they were going on a date or- She froze, terrified. Did he think it was a date? Did he think she’d been brazen enough to ask him out on a date without even telling him? What if he thought she’d tricked him into it? Tricked him into inviting her over by ‘pretending’ to be afraid to fall asleep so that she could drag him on a date when he didn’t even- No. No. He knew her. He’d taken the time to get to know her. He knew she wouldn’t ever think of doing something like that. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself down. They were just hanging out together - as friends. She liked his friendship, valued the casual intimacy they’d cultivated, the way they’d worked on their relationship slowly and surely. Of course she wanted more though, wanted him to tell her that he liked her, that she was pretty and cute and … and that he was in love with her, just as she was with him. But she wouldn’t push him: he didn’t like being pushed. She’d just take it slow and easy, hopefully wearing him down over time with her gentle affection and careful attention. She could be patient - he was worth it. She grabbed the skirt, not wanting to second guess things anymore, and went to the bathroom to change. 

     He glanced at the fridge, adjusting his hair in his reflection before stopping himself for the hundredth time. It wasn’t a date, he kept having to remind himself. And anyway, she’d already seen him at his absolute worst, after a tough mission or another sleepless night. It didn’t really matter what he looked like. He grabbed his phone, stopping it from floating off the countertop as a portal opened up beside him, letting her through. He sighed internally. She was so f*cking cute! Unfairly so. She’d put on a little mascara and some lip gloss and it was all she really needed, her long lashes even darker than usual, her soft lips even rosier than normal. And her outfit? Mierda, he’d been right: it was just like what she’d worn when Peter had called her to HQ that time he’d been grumbling at Hobie and Pav. That same black skirt paired with the suede ankle boots and a skin-tight green top this time, one that stretched over her chest and hugged her- coño, he was doing it again. He dragged his eyes away from her, embarrassed by the direction his thoughts had been heading in. He cleared his throat. “Should we go now?” 

     Wow. He was so effing hot, in his soft green t-shirt that begged her to wrap her arms around him, and his dark blue jeans that fell over his muscular legs just so, and his wavy hair that curled at the ends now that he’d washed the gel out of it. Sure, he was … frickin’ sexy in his Spiderman suit, the nanobots sitting just on top of his skin, following every curve and line of his muscles. But this? This was boyfriend material: going on dates and holding hands and sweet and nervous first kisses. She sighed. 

     “¿Arañita?”

     “Huh?” She looked up at him, suddenly realising that he’d been asking her something. What had he said? Should they go now? She shook her head quickly, bringing herself back to the present. Then she started making her way over to the door. “Uh, yeah. Yeah! Let’s go!” 

     ¡Ay, mierda! The way she’d been looking at him? Her lips parting as her gaze travelled over his body hungrily, her heart picking up speed in her chest. Dios, she was … He pinched the bridge of his nose, wincing as he tried to gather his thoughts. She was going to be the death of him one day. 

     “Miguel?” He startled, turning around to join her. 

     “Coming!” 

     They'd been walking in silence for some time, the nervous energy pouring off of him in waves, suffocating her as well. She hated it. “So, what do you do in your free time?” 

     She looked up at him expectantly and he winced at how awkward he'd unconsciously made the whole situation. “Uh, I-”

     “And don't say you don't have any free time!” she warned him quickly, knowing exactly what he'd been about to say. “You must have some hobbies - something you like doing outside of … everything.” She continued gazing up at him, her eyes wide and pretty, her lips soft and pillowy. Santo cielo, could he not stop thinking about her lips? For just one second?! He dragged his eyes away from her mouth. 

     “Uh, I … I used to play … video games.” He mumbled the last part, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. She turned her head and leaned closer to him so she could hear him better. 

     “What was that?” 

     He cleared his throat and repeated himself, a little louder this time, “video games. I used to play video games. When I had free time.” 

     Her eyes lit up with delight. “Ooh! What kind?” 

     “Um, shooter ones.” He shuffled his feet, embarrassed. “Strategy and teamwork and stuff like that.” 

     “You played with other people?” She asked, curious. "Did you have a gaming headset and a chair and everything?” His lips quirked at her enthusiasm. 

     “I had a headset, but nothing so fancy, arañita,” he replied. “Just … played with some friends, sometimes.” She nodded thoughtfully, turning her attention back to the sidewalk. 

     “That's nice.” She flashed him a soft smile. “I'm glad.” He returned her smile, his chest warming at her delight that he had a fond memory to look back on.

     “What about you?” he turned the question back on her now. “What do you like to do in your free time?” 

     She pretended to think about it, her eyes flicking to the side as she hummed thoughtfully. “Hmm. Think of ways to tease you.” 

     She grinned up at him mischievously and he rolled his eyes, his lips curled at the ends. She laughed. 

     “I'm just kidding. I like to write,” she revealed. “Stories, music, that kind of stuff.” 

     “What kind of stories?” he asked, curious now. She winced, slightly embarrassed. 

     “Uh, fantasy? Mostly? I like fantasy,” she replied a little too quickly. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. 

    “Mostly fantasy?” he repeated, bumping his arm against hers. “What else do you write, arañita?” He grinned as she squirmed uncomfortably, his stomach bubbling with pleasure at how easily he'd managed to fluster her. 

     “I like romance. Too. Uh, romance is nice.” Her eyes flickered up to his briefly before she lowered her gaze, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. He swallowed, her words running through his mind. Along with everything unsaid that went with it. “Is this the place?” 

     They stopped and he checked the storefront. “Looks like it.” 

     He held the door open as she walked in, her arm brushing against his chest, the sweet strawberry scent of her overwhelming all his senses. Then he followed her over to the display.

     X studied the flavours, trying to decide which one she liked best. Then she looked up at the cashier, fluttering her eyelashes at him innocently. 

     “Could I get the dulce de leche, please?” she asked him sweetly. “A single scoop. Thank you!” The young man nodded early and dug out the creamy substance, adding a little extra and flashing her a smile that was a little too friendly before handing her her cup. She treated him to a sweet smile in return, then turned to Miguel, gazing up at him in question.

     Mierda, it was worse than the way some of the Spiders would look at her in the weekly yoga classes Preethi had started - at least they knew that she was- He paused, repeating the thought. That she was … That she was not the one any of them were ever going to end up with. But this guy?! This guy giving her a playful wink as he handed her her dessert? He actually thought he might have had a chance with her. Even when she was standing right next to him. He frowned and moved to stand in front of X, pulling the server’s attention away from her. 

     “I'll have the Cioccolato all'Arancia,” he requested, pointing it out. It wasn't too sweet, so it would probably be more tolerable for him. “Single scoop.” He followed the server to the cash register and paid for their gelato whilst X went to go find them a seat. She slid his cup over to him when he sat down across from her, then took a bite of gelato and smiled, satisfied with her selection. He shot her an exasperated look. 

     “Are you happy now?” he asked. 

     “Extremely! Do you want to try?” She held her cup out to him and gestured to one side with her spoon. “You should take it from this side though.” She leaned over the table and made her eyes wide, whispering in a dramatic tone.

“I have Herpes. But not the serious kind!” she continued quickly, lowering herself back to her seat. "I just get cold sores around my mouth when the weather changes too quickly or when I get too stressed.” He raised an eyebrow. 

     “It’s fine!” she insisted. “I haven’t touched this side, so you can eat from there.” He took the cup from her and purposely scooped a bite out of the side she’d already touched, bringing it to his lips and eating it. He winced and groaned as he set it back down in front of her, trying so hard to ignore the big red message flashing in his mind: you’d get it anyway when you kissed her, you’d get it anyway when you kissed her, you’d get it anyway when you kissed her. And then, a tiny whisper in the back of his mind: and then when you do so much more to her. 

     “It’s so sickeningly sweet, arañita!” he complained. Her gaze stayed fixed on his mouth, her own lips parted in surprise at his brazenness. She swallowed hard, then looked up at him, trying to gather her thoughts. 

     “Um …” She tilted her head to the side, smiling mischievously. “Like me?” She picked up her cup and took another big bite. Coño, she was cute. Argh, he had to stop thinking that! He frowned and snatched her cup, taking another spoonful out of it. 

     “Hey!” She reached across the table and grabbed his cup, clutching it close to her chest so she could steal a scoop from it. Then she leaned across the table, maintaining eye contact with him as she brought the spoon to her lips. She pressed it down onto her tongue and closed her lips around it, twisting it around to suck the cream off before closing her eyes and letting out a satisfied moan. “Mmm.” 

     She opened her eyes and slammed the cup back down in front of him, fixing him with a challenging look. “Delicioso, Miguel.”

     F**************ck. ¡¿Qué p*tas?! How the f*ck could she do that?! How the f*ck could she look him straight in the eyes while sucking on her spoon like that?! And then the way she’d moaned after? Telling him how delicious it was while adding his name to the end of her sentence like … like she’d been telling him how delicious he tasted. ¡Ay, p*ta madre! He was so. F*cking. Screwed. F*ck! He turned his head, following the sound of the muttered curse to a group of guys sitting at a nearby table, all of them having witnessed the entire exchange themselves. He frowned as he saw them jostle each other and gesture to X, smiling at her hungrily. 

     Had he just …? She grinned, having heard the curse fall from his own lips. “What? What did you just say, Miguel?” 

     He turned back to her, horrified. He hadn’t even realised that he’d said it out loud too! He hunched over the table quickly, avoiding her gaze as he focused all his attention on his gelato. “Nothing! Just … eat your ice cream, arañita.”

     “Okay,” X relented softly, her lips still stretched wide in that delighted smile. Miguel barely noticed as he focused his hearing, picking up the whispered conversation of the group of young men. They kept talking about her, those cabrones - discussing how cute she was and arguing over whether or not she was with him and which one of them might stand the best chance with her. Like she’d ever let herself get pushed around by a group of immature little boys. She was a goddamned superhero, por amor de Dios! And anyway, it wasn’t like any of them would ever be able to take care of her in the way she needed - in the way she deserved. He moved his seat so that he was sitting beside her instead, his thigh pressing against hers, his large form blocking her from the view of those malditos cabrones. 

     “Miguel?” She smiled up at him, confused, then placed a gentle hand on his forearm. “¿Qué pasó, araña?” 

     Mierda, did she have to call him that? While her slender fingers were curled so tenderly around his forearm? He shook his head. “Nada. I just didn’t like the way those guys kept looking at you.” 

     He focused back on his food, trying not to let himself think about how it felt like home, speaking to her in Spanglish like this - how much effort she put into making herself seem like home. Somewhere he could return to, everyday, safe and sound. 

     She furrowed her brows at his statement, trying to sneak a peek over his brawny shoulder. “Which guys?” 

     “It doesn’t matter,” Miguel insisted, moving to block her view. He shoved his spoon back into his dessert, scooping up a bite and swallowing it down grumpily. She pressed her lips together at his actions, trying to suppress her smile. Was he … jealous? 

     “Are they good looking?” she asked, her voice dripping with fake innocence. He finally looked up from his gelato to frown at her, his thick brows set into a harsh line. Then he turned back to his dessert. 

     “No. They’re hideous.” X snickered softly at his brusque tone. 

     “Hmm. That’s too bad,” she lamented. 

     “Why is it too bad?” Miguel turned to her, thoroughly annoyed now by her constant curiosity about these other men who knew absolutely nothing about her, who’d never even talked to her let alone spent hours together with her, learning about her preferences, indulging in her company, looking after her when she was having a bad day. 

     He was starting to get frustrated - really frustrated, if the way he was shaking his leg beneath the table was any indication of how he was feeling right now. She shrugged, pretending not to notice how irritated he was becoming because of her. “Well, it’s always nice to know that a good looking guy thinks you’re pretty. It boosts your confidence.” 

     “You are pretty,” he scowled, unable to keep it in any longer. ‘You don’t need some useless cabron to tell you that’, is what he would have finished with had he not realised that he’d just called her pretty. Out loud. To her face. He tensed up, trying to figure out how to backtrack his statement - because how was he going to bring her back to his apartment and fall asleep next to her now that he’d told her how pretty he thought she was?! 

     Her cheeks burned as her lips curled into a smile and she avoided his gaze, knowing he was probably regretting letting the words slip out of his mouth like that. “Thanks, Miguel.” 

     She glanced up at him quickly, taking in the terrified expression on his face. God, he could be so cute sometimes. She scooped up the last bite of her gelato, then grinned up at him teasingly. “That’s going to last me at least a month.” 

     She swallowed the last bite of her gelato, then rested her elbow on the table, cupping her cheek in her hand as she gazed up at him. “And then I’m just going to have to find some other good looking guy to call me pretty after that.” 

     Santo cielo, how was it always so easy with her? How did she always know just what to say to put him at ease again? His shoulders relaxed as he turned away from her, finishing up his gelato as well. 

     “Estás loca, arañita,” he told her jokingly. She thought he was good looking?

     She straightened, her expression softer now that she’d gotten him to ease up again. “I prefer the term ‘exciting’.” 

     He turned to her, flashing her that one expression that he saved just for her - a mixture of amusement and exasperation that made her heart start fluttering like crazy - then stood up, grabbing her cup to toss it in trash. He turned back around and clenched his fists in anger when he saw the guys at the other table going over to X to try to catch her attention. He marched back to her immediately, placing his hand on her lower back to guide her to the door. “Vamos, arañita.” 

     She didn’t miss the possessive tone of his voice, or the way he stopped to glare back at the guys before they walked out of the shop. So he really had been jealous then! Or, protective, maybe. But she didn’t dare bring it up as they strolled back to his apartment, using the moment instead to just enjoy his company. 

     “Yes!” X exclaimed, jumping onto the sofa and settling down to watch her new favourite television programme - a reality dating show set on the moon. Because it was so easy to just travel back and forth between the Earth and the moon - the freakin’ moon! - in the year 2099. “Miguel! It’s on! We didn’t miss it!” 

     Miguel walked over to her, having changed into his night clothes once they’d come back, and groaned when he saw what she’d put on the television. “Coño, arañita. ¿Esta mierda otra vez?” (This shit again?)

     She grinned, ignoring the irritated twist of his lips, and patted the seat next to her. “¡Sí! It’s so trashy I love it!” 

     He rolled his eyes, but sat down next to her anyway, shooting a look of amusement her way before shaking his head fondly. “Estás loca, arañita.”

     “¡Hola, hermano!” Miguel looked up from his laptop as his little brother strolled into his apartment, walking around like he owned the place. Gabe set two bags down on the table, then flashed Miguel a bright smile, glad to see his brother home for once. “You don’t have any missions today?” 

     “Do you ever knock?” Miguel asked him, his tone sarcastic. 

     “Why would I need to knock? I have the keys.” Gabe began to unpack the bags, pulling out different fruits and vegetables and other groceries. But he stopped suddenly when he noticed something new. “Hey! You’re not wearing your eye protectors anymore! What happened?” Miguel remained silent as he pulled a small bottle out of his pocket and set it down on the kitchen island. Gabe peered at the clear liquid within. 

     “What is this?” he asked, curious. 

     “They constrict my pupils so everything’s not so bright anymore,” Miguel explained nonchalantly. As if it wasn’t a big deal that he could finally walk around the world in the same way he had before. 

     “Did you make this?” Gabe asked, growing ever more curious by the second. Miguel hesitated, considering his response. 

     “No,” he replied finally, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Someone else made them for me.” Gabe leaned against the table, a knowing smile plastered across his face. 

     “Hmm, someone else, eh?” he repeated, trying to catch his brother’s gaze. “Is this the same ‘someone else’ you’ve been thinking about for the past few weeks?” Miguel raised his eyebrows, pretending to be both confused and offended by the question. Gabe rolled his eyes at the exaggerated response. 

     “Come on, hermano, it’s so obvious!” he insisted, unwilling to let the matter go. “There’s clearly someone on your mind! Do I know her? Have we met before?” Miguel glared at him in warning, his gleaming red eyes boring into his brother. 

     “There’s no one on my mind,” he lied, thoughts of her messy curls and her pretty smile and her curvy little body springing to his mind almost immediately. He turned back to his laptop, not wanting his brother to see the guilty look on his face. “And no, you don’t know her. We’re just friends.” Even though she’d told him she loved him. And they’d fallen asleep together, more than once now. And the very thought of her being with anyone else - anyone but him - made him sick to his stomach. 

     “Ah ha! So there is a ‘her’!” Gabe exclaimed victoriously, delighted by the revelation. He began transferring the groceries he’d brought along with him into the fridge and various kitchen cupboards. “When am I going to get to meet her?” 

     “I said she’s just a friend, Gabe,” his older brother repeated, letting out an exaggerated sigh. He really could be so dramatic sometimes. Gabe pulled open one of the cupboards by the fridge, then paused, confused. 

     “What is this?” he asked, pulling out a box of cereal he’d never seen before. Miguel didn’t eat cereal - not since he’d started bulking up anyway. Now, his diet consisted of a strict regimen of carbs and proteins that he prepared every weekend. Miguel’s eyes widened as they landed on the box and he shot out of his seat, grabbing it from Gabe and shoving it back into the cupboard quickly. 

     “It’s nothing!” he replied, his voice a little too loud when he said it. Then frowned. “Why are you even poking around in my stuff anyway?”

Gabe ignored his brother’s grumbling, thinking. If the cereal wasn’t Miguel’s, then that meant that he’d gotten it for ‘someone else’. And if ‘someone else’ was having breakfast at his place, then ‘someone else’ had probably slept over. “I’m gonna go use the bathroom.” 

     Gabe began making his way over to the downstairs bathroom, keeping his pace steady so that Miguel thought nothing of it and returned his attention to his laptop instead. Then he dashed up the stairs, not daring to look back at his brother for fear that he’d catch up to him when he realised what he was up to. 

     “Gabe!” Miguel exclaimed in panic, jumping out of his seat to start chasing after his younger brother. “¡¿Qué haces?!” But he was too late. Gabe stood in the middle of the bathroom, holding up two toothbrushes as he stared at the two towels drying on the rack. 

     “Just a friend?!” Gabe repeated incredulously. “Miguel! She’s slept over! This is serious! How could you not tell me?!” Miguel marched over to him and grabbed the brushes from his hands, shoving them back in the holder before steering his brother out of his bathroom. 

     “What’s she like?” Gabe continued, eager to find out more about this new girl who’d practically moved in with his brother without his knowledge! “Is she cute? Is she nice? I hope she’s, like, the total opposite of you - that would be hilarious.” Miguel gritted his teeth, trying not to think about how so very cute she was and so very sweet and how so completely in love with her was. Because he couldn’t be in love with her. Not when it only tear them - or the entire universe - apart. 

     “Stay out of my bedroom, Gabe,” he huffed, all the anger having left him now. Because it didn’t matter what he told himself, it didn’t matter how many times he repeated it. It still didn’t change the fact that he was in love with her. 

     “Okay! Okay!” Gabe raised his hands in surrender, turning back around to face his brother. His eyes trailed over the crease between his brows, the bags under his eyes, the disappointed twist of his lips. He reached up to pat his brother on the shoulder, trying to reassure him. “We don’t have to talk about it. But if you do, you know that I’m here for you.” 

     Miguel sighed, relaxing a little at the reminder that he’d always have his brother, no matter what happened. He ruffled his hair, causing Gabe to whine in protest about messing up his hairstyle or something. But Miguel just snorted in amusement and made his way back to the kitchen. “What do you want for lunch?”

Tags: @leahnicole1219 @heubstr

[tf-boi]

(A story starring me and my BF and a few of others)

"Hey Tony!" Raymond yelled from his Sean's room.

"What!?" Tony screamed from his room.

"Come in here!"

"For what?"

"Just come here!"

Raymond stood there for a bit in silence, until the sound of Tony unlocking his door and walking into his older brother's room broke the silence. Tony taken a bit aback to see Raymond, his brother Sean and their friend Rudy just standing there smiling only wearing their socks. Their members just hanging out.

"Uhhh. . .what are you guys doing??" Tony said with a weird look.

"We're having a . . .sock party!" Raymond said cheerfully. Raymond a medium sized boy with black hair.

"Yup that's it!" Sean said, almost robotic. Sean is slightly taller than Raymond, a bit muscular with pink hair.

"Join us!" Rudy said, also a bit monotone. Rudy is a smaller boy with light blue short hair and thin.

"Ummm I'll pass. . ." Tony protested, Tony a boy the same size as Rudy but with silver hair.

"Come on it'll be fun!" Raymond said hugging Tony.

"Fine. . ." Tony said, barely resisting as he took off his clothes only leaving his socks on. "What are you guys even doing-"

Before he could even finish his question Raymond interrupted, "Omg you look so cute in your socks! Why not try mine on?" he said handing him his socks.

"Ok?" Tony said reaching down to his socks.

"No no! Just put them over yours!" Raymond grinned.

Tony looked puzzled but he relented, putting Raymond's short black socks over his white socks.

Sean joined in "Oh oh! Mine too!" He said handing him his own short navy socks with red and white stripes.

Tony looked more confused but put them on regardless.

Tony then turned to Rudy "Yours too?"

Rudy handed Tony his red socks "Well if you insist!"

After Tony finished putting he stood up looking at them.

"This feels weird. . ." Tony muttered.

"Show time!" Raymond said snapping his fingers.

Tony's body glowed as his head was launched clean off his body.

Raymond caught his head and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"What did you do!?" Tony screamed.

"Just watch!" Raymond said pointing his head towards his body.

Tony watched as the 4 pairs of socks he had on flew off his sweaty feet and floated in midair. His body looking like it was unraveling into threads and began getting sucked into the socks. Soon he was only a head in Raymond's hands.

"You look so hot without a body you know? But I guess you have questions that need to be answered. Better to show you. Boys?"

Sean and Rudy grabbed their heads and popped them off like dolls.

"Wh-what???" Tony gasped.

"I turned their heads into these!" Raymond said, taking out a pair of socks from the drawer, each of them white tube sucks with 1 with Sean's face drawn as a cartoon on it and the other with Rudy's. "I then made new heads so they can still talk and everything."

"But how???"

"Well its we were playing with some magic and the more you orgasm mentally the more I can turn you into a sock. But these two were way too horny, so I didn't get to have enough fun. . . so now its your turn!"

"Yeah it was so hot!" Sean said grinning ear to ear.

"I love my new body!" Rudy said feeling his sock"

"Well I'm not gonna orgasm!" Tony protested.

"Well thats not really your choice now. . ." Raymond said. Raymond placed Tony's head on the bed and picked up one of Sean's socks and started masturbating with it.

Tony felt a warm sensation inside of him "W-whats going on??"

"Your body is fused with all our socks so what they're feeling are too!"

Soon Raymond orgasmed into Sean's sock.

"Ahhh~~~" Both Raymond and Tony moaned as Tony mentally orgasmed. Tony's head now feeling softer and more fabric like.

Raymond petted Tony's head. "Slightly better but we have a long ways to go boys!"

"That-felt so good. . .please stopp. .. " Tony barely was able to mutter as Sean, Rudy, and Raymond grabbed another sock each and started to masturbate. Tony felt as if 3 guys were fucking him at once in all of his holes. He moaned as each of them came into the socks connected to his body several times.

He felt Raymond's soft gentle but passionate strokes as he cums into one of Tony's socks. Stuffing the other one into his mouth as if he was trying to gag himself. "Your sweat tastes sooo delicious~" Ramond said teasing Tony.

Tony felt Sean's warm protective cock, very brotherly and lustful. He orgasms into both Raymond's and Rudy's sock at the same time. "Join us bro~" Sean says, picking up Tony's slightly flattened head kissing him.

Lastly he feels Rudy's massive cock penetrating Sean and Raymonds socks. Their bodies look so similar its as if he was fucking himself. "You'll love it!" Rudy said cheerfully as he cums into the socks.

With each orgasm they share, Tony's head shirnks more and flattens into a socks shape. Eventually Tony's head lies on the bed, looking as if a sock had his head printed on it. "Please- no. . . wait more please!" He mutters, his mind almost completely brainwashed to enjoy his fate.

"Well looks like we are almost done here!" Raymond say picking up Tony's sock head. "How bout we finish him together boys!" He said lying down. Rudy and Sean sitting next to him in a triangle.

"N-no!" Tony protested as he feels the three cocks enter his cuff "Y-yes daddies!" Tony said with a lustful tone, as the three began to stroke their rock hard dicks inside of Tony's body. Tony's head stretching with 3 cocks in him. As the trio beat their meats, Tony's mind starts blanking out, his anxiety replaced with ecstacy and bliss.

Each stroke more and more of his personality being replaced with lust for Raymond. He mentally finally succumbs as he moans. "Change me please daddy!" He begged. Raymond and the others continue to enjoy their session until all three of them burst at once, filling Tony's head and inflating it like a large waterballoon.

"ohhhhhh!" Tony moaned as his head turns into a sock with his face printed on it, him absorbing as much cum as he could.

Raymond peels Tony's sock off of their socks and licked it "Nice. . . I love you too Tony! Guess its time to fix you. . ." Raymond says looking at the pile of cum and socks. Snapping his fingers, threads flow out of the socks and reforms Tony's body minus the head. With another snap of his fingers a replica of Tony's head appears in his hands.

"That was amazing master!" Tony said happily.

"Master? Well the brainwash was supposed to change you but I didn't think it would work THAT well!" Raymond says making out with Tony's head. "You know what? You've been so good I think I'm gonna take your body out for a spin!"

Raymond then removes his head and places it onto Tony's neck stump. Raymond began feeling his body up. "Very nice! I always wanted your body!"

Tony giggled "Its yours!"

Raymond picked up Tony's sock and puts it on.

"Ohhh that feels good!" Tony said with a lustful tone.

Raymond then taps Tony's head and it transforms into another sock that Raymond puts on.

"Lucky!" Both Rudy and Sean pouted.

"Its okay!" Raymond said putting his arms on the both of them "You guys can have your way with me! But. . .I prefer it if you guys didn't have these!" Raymond snaps his fingers again and both Sean and Rudy's heads disappear as the two began to fuck Raymond, now with Tony's body. From dawn til dusk.

[gardenvarietycrafts]

WIP Wednesday (Belatedly)

I know it's been a minute since I've posted, but my partner got me Stardew Valley and I am obsessed with it and haven't been knitting as much. I did pick back up my needles recently, though, so here's what I'm currently working on:

I just cast on the Leafy Leaf cowl. I was going to wait until I had finished something else first (the Dustland shawl being the main one I'd wanted to finish before starting this cowl) but I recently watched a Nimble Needles video with tips and tricks for the experienced knitter and just had to try this one! The tip is that no cast on and bind off will truly match perfectly, because they're just formed differently no matter what, but to match exactly you can provisional cast on, knit the work, then bind off both top and bottom with the same bind off technique. I'll update once I'm finished with the cowl to let you know how I like it, but it also gave me an excuse to learn how to provisional cast on in the round!

The second photo shows a little bit closer view of the lace pattern. I've only made it about halfway through the first repeat, but I really like how it's turning out so far. I'm not sold on my guage, though, so I may restart on smaller needles. If I do, I'll still use the provisional cast on then bind off the bottom edge technique.

This one is a hit of a back burner project because I chose a yarn with less stitch definition than I probably should have used for this project, but it's the No Rhinebeck No Problem MKAL 3, and all clues are currently released. I just need to finish the last repeat for clue 3 and then complete clue 4 and I'll be finished with this one.

This one was also in WIP time out for a bit due to the way this yarn knits, but I've picked it back up recently. Working on finishing the heel turn for sock 2 (the more pink sock) and then I'll be back to working on these two at a time in the round. The heels on these are Japanese short row heels, and they'll be a gift for a friend. These are both from the same ball of yarn, and I should be able to get a second pair out of it, which I'll knit exactly the same as these so that all 4 socks can be mixed and matched. My goal is to finish all 4 socks before gifting, but I may just gift these 2 socks first, since my next socks will be a pair for me, I think.

I'm not using a specific pattern for the socks, but they're just stockinette stitch, Japanese short row heels, and I'll use a wedge toe.

Not pictured:

The Dustland shawl - I'm still working on it, slowly, but progress isn't really visible because the stitch pattern just repeats. I have, however, decided to stop just after this pattern repeat, so after the next diagonal rib section (actually, after the garter section after the diagonal rib) because 1, it's huge already, 2, the rows are too long to maintain motivation, and 3, I'd like to not have to use up the whole last ball of this yarn. If I get close to the end of the ball, I'll finish it off there, even if I haven't gotten to where I planned to.

Mitered square blanket - I've decided to add more squares to the width and just make all the squares in the same direction, instead of making panels and seaming them together, so next steps will be adding more squares onto the width of the blanket. But this one likely will also be a long term project, since I have other things I'm focused on working on right now.

Project list, for things I have planned (mostly so I don't forget):

Socks for me using the Duo Sox yarn by Willow Yarns, which is meant for knitting a pair of matching socks and comes with two balls, perfect for the taat method I use

Second pair of apple mittens for my partner. She follows me, so I can't explain how they'll be different because I want it to be a surprise.

Mittens for me to match the hat and cowl I have, though I may also do a stripey cowl with that green and a dark blue yarn I have in my stash. I have an idea to knit a pattern I saw slightly differently to suit my needs better.

A pair of worsted weight socks, because warm and faster to knit.

Tea cozy for my tea pot. The first one I attempted was too small.

[georgieluz]

Lmao not gonna lie… it’s been a long day and I don’t know if I sent you asks for this particular ask game so please excuse me if I did 😃

1. Who was your first favourite character?

2. Is there a character you liked/disliked at first, but then changed opinion on throughout the show?

3. When did you first watch the show?

4. If you could pick three characters to be on your zombie apocalypse team, who would they be and why?

5. If you had to be one of the Easy boys for a day, who would you be and why? What would you want to do?

7. What’s your favourite quote from the show?

8. How did you find out about the show?

10. Would you ever do the same thing the boys did if you got the chance? Why/why not?

12. What do you think your army nickname would be if you were in it?

14. How many pairs of socks would you bring to Bastogne? [Because, as they say, socks are important!]

15. If you had to have a sidekick that was one of the guys from the show, who would you pick and why?

16. If you had to pick a trait from any of the boys that would be your main trait, which one would it be?

18. If you had to be named after one of the boys, who would it be and why?

19. What song [beside the original scores] do you connect the most with the show?

20. If you have a(ny) ship(s) when it comes to the show, which one(s) is your absolute favourite?

(Please ignore the fact that I basically sent you all the asks in the list lmao… let’s say I’m just really interested in your answers 🙃)

omg louise i thought you'd copy and pasted the whole thing in here at first lmaoo but i love it! okay let's go!!

1. Who was your first favourite character?

my love lewis nixon!! he was my guy from the get go and tbh he'll always be my favourite.

2. Is there a character you liked/disliked at first, but then changed opinion on throughout the show?

never quite as drastic as going from straight up disliking someone to liking or vice versa, but it took a few episodes to fully appreciate a lot of characters just from the structure and ensemble nature of the show. the funniest thing is that when george appeared i genuinely thought 'omg he's gonna be the annoying one, isn't he?' and like i wasn't wrong, but he's Endearing Annoying, not Annoying Annoying, and well, look at me now, i am a george luz enthusiast through and through

3. When did you first watch the show?

i don't have an exact year but i was about 14 maybe?

4. If you could pick three characters to be on your zombie apocalypse team, who would they be and why?

okay here's where we need to get serious about strategy! everyone will pick shifty bc of his skills, but i reckon since i already have a decent enough aim from doing archery, it would be silly to waste a pick on another good shot (sorry, my guy, you are welcome to join our team further into the narrative). so my picks would start with doc roe because c'mon, every zombie apocalypse team needs a medic! then i'm gonna choose george for group morale and being-my-boyfriend purposes. and then for my final pick, i'm struggling to choose between johnny martin for protection purposes and lipton for keeping-us-alive and doc-roe-is-gonna-kill-george-and-julian-otherwise purposes.. i feel like lip would be such a great all rounder choice, he can protect us in so many different ways, both physical and emotional. okay, lip it is. i think johnny would find us so annoying and would just be like "y'know what? fuck this i'm going off by myself". also, during this thought process i just imagined how terrible a me, tab, webster and babe team would be... like we would not last! we'd be the prettiest apocalypse team around but we would NOT survive!

5. If you had to be one of the Easy boys for a day, who would you be and why? What would you want to do?

speirs! because it would be fun to experience being someone that people are scared of for a day bc i'm the least intimidating person ever lmao.. i'd go around terrifying everyone with vague silent threats or just saying the most out of character shit to people, like wishing them a good day and complimenting them, because i think that would be even scarier to hear from speirs

7. What’s your favourite quote from the show?

let me think of this and get back to you because i have too many and really need to narrow it down!

8. How did you find out about the show?

i already answered this one over here

10. Would you ever do the same thing the boys did if you got the chance? Why/why not?

for me to jump out of a plane you would quite literally have to drug me, drag me into the flying tin can and throw me out yourself tbh

12. What do you think your army nickname would be if you were in it?

i already answered this here, but feel free to suggest one if you please haha

14. How many pairs of socks would you bring to Bastogne? [Because, as they say, socks are important!]

answered this one here too, but i will say once again: ALL of them!

15. If you had to have a sidekick that was one of the guys from the show, who would you pick and why?

me and babe would absolutely kill it as the silly lil ginger duo, we'd be so annoying but everyone would let us get away with murder bc they think we're cute

16. If you had to pick a trait from any of the boys that would be your main trait, which one would it be?

i was gonna pick something fun but y'know what i would genuinely benefit from? a little bit of lipton or winters patience and will power bc i have literally zero whatsoever and it's actually annoying as hell

18. If you had to be named after one of the boys, who would it be and why?

i actually don't know, that's another one i'll have to think about!

19. What song [beside the original scores] do you connect the most with the show?

somebody to die for by hurts!! i actually can't listen to the song without thinking about easy and certain scenes now

20. If you have a(ny) ship(s) when it comes to the show, which one(s) is your absolute favourite?

this tends to change with the seasons! webgott and winnix will always have me obsessed simply bc it's so There!!! and honestly, winnix had little gay me internally screaming when i watched it with my dad as a teenager the first time.. but i'm a massive rarepair guy so what i'm absolutely living for is lipluz, ronnix, speirsgrant, spalton (please tell me this is speirs and alton more's ship name.. if not, it is now!), a little bit of winteroe and a side of speirluzton.. i'll never say no to a big plate of baberoe either!!

for this band of brothers ask game :)

[strangerthingslover69]

New cop ~ part 1

Dmitri + shy female reader (mid twenties)

You decided to leave your life in California and follow your big sister Joyce back to Hawkins after finding out Hopper her love is alive. You are so happy for them all. Hoppers got his old job back, Joyce and the kids are finally happy. Now it’s your turn, you hope. You visit and Joyce visit Hopper at work one day and discover he’s hired a new cop. Welcome Officer Dmitri Antonov

After your big sister Joyce got that package from Russia that led to many events, she was finally reunited with Hopper. You’d not met him before but heard good things and seen some photos, very cute. You’d never been out of California before, Joyce and the kids had always come to visit you. You had the same dad but different mums. Your dad was very surprised when your mum announced she was having a baby considering he’d just turned fifty three. Your mum was in her thirties when she had you. Unfortunately she never got to watch you grow up. She passed when you were two. Your dad passed away three years ago now so no one was left for you there anymore. Joyce asked you to move to Hawkins after she told you she was going, since your dad left you your inheritance you couldn’t pass it up.

That leads you to now. The final box finally unpacked. You look around your new room. You smile. It’s a lovely home. Kitchen, living room, bathroom, two bedroom and a decent sized garden. You hear your phone ringing in the kitchen. ‘Hello? Y/N speaking, how can I help?’ You said as you answered. ‘Hey, you sure are polite when you answer the phone sis. Just calling to check in on you’ Joyce said through the line. ‘Dad told me to always be polite. Even when you don’t wanna. I’m all unpacked finally!’ You reply. ‘That sounds like dad. Oh great! I was wondering if you wanna come over for a bit, I need to get to the station. Hopper forgot his lunch, again. No time like the present to meet him?’ Joyce asks hopeful down the phone. You bite your lip, a nervous habit of yours. ‘Sounds good sis, can’t wait to meet him, see you in fifteen!’ You say hanging up the phone. You were excited to meet Hopper but also nervous. You don’t want to make a bad impression on your basically brother in law. You go back to your room and get ready, you don’t want to made a crap start by looking well crap. You get out of your lazy clothes and begin to look through your clothes. In the end you settle for a flowery long sleeved top with a blue denim dungarees dress, pairing with white knee high socks and a pair of purple vans. Your not much of a girly girl this was the best. You add some hoop earrings, some flowery rings to match your top and a black shoulder bag. You look in your mirror trying to fix your pony tail and pushing your glasses up properly. ‘Hi Hopper. Nice to meet you’ ‘Hey Jim. So glad to meet you.’ ’Hop! I’m so happy your alive!’ ‘No no don’t say that last one idiot.’ You mumble to yourself. Meeting new people makes you slightly nervous. You shake it off and grab your car keys and make your way over to your sisters

You knock on the door waiting for an answer. ‘Hey sweetie, oh don’t you look adorable! Come on in’ Joyce says leading the way. The new house is definitely beautiful. Lots of light, open space, feels just like a perfect family home. ‘I love your place. It’s lovely’ you say admiring a painting on the way. ‘Aw thanks Y/N, we love it. I was thinking that we just leave now? I know how nervous you can be about meeting new people. This way you don’t have to think about it.’ Joyce states grabbing Hoppers lunch. ‘Oh. Erm y-yeah okay’ you say nervously. Joyce puts her hand on your shoulder, ‘sweetie I promise it’ll be fine. Hop will love you. Trust me’ she reassures you. You nod with a smile and follow her out the door. It doesn’t take long to get there in the car. As she pulls into park you can’t help biting down on your lip. ‘Hey’ Joyce says turning to you taking your hands. ‘It’s okay. He’s a big teddy bear really. You ready? Or do you need a minute?’ ‘I’m ready’ you reply still in a quiet voice. You take a deep breath and you leave the car walking up to the station doors. Joyce takes your hand as you go in. ‘Joyce Byers aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, how have you been?’ An older lady asks from behind the desk. They start talking as you look around. It’s not much. Not too big. You could cope you think. You can see the whole station from where your standing. There’s a few police officers talking, one at his desk, another drinking a coffee. Out the corner of your eye you see two men walking over to you and Joyce, you recognise the taller one. It’s Jim Hopper. He walking next to another man. He catches your eye. He is very handsome and just your type. Joyce didn’t mention him. You wished she had because now you feel even more nervous. ‘Joyce, you are a life saver. Thank you!’ Hopper says brining her in for a hug as he kisses the top of her head. The other man stops right next to you and smiles. ‘Jim, this is my little sister. Y/N’ Joyce says introducing you. ‘So your the infamous little sister I’ve heard so much about. Nice to meet you Y/N’ Jim says reaching out for a handshake. You take it and shake his hand. They are huge and cover all of your hand but it’s soft and he has a kind smile that puts you at some ease. ‘Hi Jim. It’s nice to meet you too. Heard lots’ you say finding your voice. ‘All good I hope’ he says with a chuckle. ‘Oh sorry, this is Dmitri. Our newest recruit’ Hopper steps to the side introducing this mystery man who now you know is Dmitri. ‘You got the job, congratulations!’ Joyce says bringing him in for a hug. He seems a little taken back but hugs her back anyway. ‘Yes. Very kind of Hop to hire me. Nice to meet you Y/N’ Dmitri says turning to you and outstretching his hand for you to shake. You lift up your shaky hand, ‘n-nice to meet you. Well done on the job.’ You say quickly shaking his hand. ‘Is that an accent? Y-you don’t sound American. You live in Hawkins too? I like your accent it’s nice. I-I’ve recently moved here too. It’s nice isn’t it?’ This is another problem you have. When you get nervous around someone you find attractive you stutter and don’t shut up which is ironic. Dmitri doesn’t have chance to answer any of your questions. ‘Sweetie, let go of his hand’ Joyce says putting a hand on your shoulder. You didn’t even realise you hadn’t let go. You instantly drop your hand. ‘S-sorry. I get nervous around new people. It goes one way or the other. I either whisper or just don’t stop talking. It’s a real-‘ ‘Slow down Y/N’ Joyce says snapping you back to reality. The two men are just looking at you now. You bite your lip again. ‘Do you have a bathroom?’ You ask looking down at your shoes. ‘Yeah, just down there to the left’ Hopper points telling you. ‘T-thanks’ you say in a quiet voice escaping quickly.

‘She seems nice’ Hopper says turning to Joyce. Joyce smiles, ‘She’s great. She just gets nervous around new people. Always has. She just needs a minute to compose.’ Joyce tells the men. ‘Sorry she talked your ear off then Dmitri. She’s always been like that. Especially when she thinks someone is good looki-‘ Joyce cuts her sentence off realising she’s just told the men an unintended secret. ‘Don’t worry. She’s seems very sweet’ Dmitri says with a warm smile. ‘Please don’t tell her I told you guys that’ Joyce says sadly. ‘Of course we won’t Joyce’ Hopper says bringing her in for a hug. ‘She was just so nervous about today. About everything. I think once she gets use to everything she’ll be better. I hope so anyway. Back in California it got to the point where she only talked to me. I don’t want her to get scared by this.’ Joyce says rubbing her eyes. ‘Don’t worry. I know how she feels. New home. New people. I can talk to her if you want?’ Dmitri offers. ‘I think that may help her, thanks Dmitri’ Joyce says with relief.

Once in the bathroom you lock the door behind you and take in some deep breaths. You’ve never been good with new people. For as long as you can remember, this is why you didn’t bother back in California. But you knew you had to try here. For your sister. You go to the sink take off your glasses and splash yourself with some water. Looking into the mirror you can’t believe how much you‘ve already embarrassed yourself in front of Hopper and Dmitri. Especially Dmitri. It’s like high school all over again. A repeat of Kenny Smiggs. You fancied him the minute you laid eyes on him. You ended up bring lab partners and anytime he talked to you you just couldn’t stop talking about utter bullshit. In the end he asked for another lab partner. You were so embarrassed. A knock at the door brings you out if your thoughts. ‘B-be a second’ you say drying your face and putting your glasses back on. Another deep breath and you unlock the door. To your surprise it’s Dmitri. ‘Are you okay?’ He asks looking concerned. You nod not wanting to speak. ‘I know how overwhelming it can be. I moved here from Russia, left everything I knew behind. But coming here is one of the best things I’ve ever done. I know it will take some getting use to but believe me you’ll get there. I did. And if I can do can you’ he leans giving you an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. Before you reply you hear Hopper shouting him saying they’ve been called to make an arrest. ‘I’ll see you later Y/N. Nice to meet you’ he smiles and is gone.

You walk back meeting Joyce. ‘You okay Y/N?’ She asks with a concerned face. ‘I’m okay. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. I didn’t mean to’ you say twiddling your fingers. ‘Sweetie, come here’ she says bringing you in for a hug. ‘You could never embarrass me. I know it’s all new and scary but I promise you’ll get use to it’ she says pulling you away fro the hug. ‘So I see Dmitri talked to you. How’s that go?’ She says with a small smile. Nothing got past your sister. You can’t help but smile back. ‘Fine. He’s very kind’ you say as your cheeks turn slightly pink. ‘You’re more than welcome to join us all for dinner later if that’s not too much for you?’ she asks as you make your way out the station. You think about what Dmitri said and how kind his words were. ‘I’d love to’ you say with a smile

[thecollectionsof]

conjure you up right here

part 3 of leave the light on, for more nights of staying awake just a little too long (part 1) (part 2)

Crystal hardly knows whether or not it’s a dream, at this point—she hasn’t been sleeping very well, not with Gigi off over a thousand miles away from home visiting her parents for the past week. She misses the comfort, the routine, the familiar warmth and weight on the other side of either one of their beds. It always helped her fall asleep, and now that she was without Gigi it just felt weird.

She wasn’t completely without Gigi, though. Gigi’s parents tended to go to bed early, so that left her seemingly alone in the house, which is when she turned her full attention to Crystal. They had been texting through the day, sure, but at night? When the house was quiet and the lights were dark?

The night was always their time together, and that remains a constant even now.

They’ve been watching things together using Netflix Party, then staying up on Facetime for hours after, talking or sitting there together or even falling asleep side by side, even if it’s just over the phone. Crystal likes to take the time to admire Gigi through the screen, the golden light of the lamp on her childhood bed’s side table making her seem like she was being lit like she’s in one of the cheesy movies they love to watch together. 

Like now. Like the way Gigi’s smile remains when her laughs die out, the way her blinks are longer and her head lower in frame than the beginning of the call as she grows more tired. Like the way the gold weaves into her red hair perfectly, and Crystal hates that she’s not able to see her in this lighting in person. She knows that Gigi’s hair looks even better than she can see through the screen.

“Hey, Crys, I…” Gigi starts, but then trails off, a small smile still on her face. It was almost sad, though, a smile with an undercurrent of melancholy present in the way she was looking at her. 

The movie they had been watching had ended an hour ago, but they Facetimed each other instead of parting, neither of them wanting to stop spending time with each other. They’d been sitting quietly, both doing their own thing, until Gigi broke the silence. 

“Hmm?” Crystal replies, looking up from where she was rolling the last of her socks into a haphazard ball—as long as each pair was together, she was happy.

Gigi doesn’t say anything for a moment, and Crystal gives her the time she needs to collect her thoughts.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

Crystal doesn’t drop it, not when Gigi’s looking at her like that.

“No, what is it?” She cocks her head, making Gigi huff out a small laugh.

“It’s… I just miss you. That’s all.” A blush dusts her cheeks, and she ducks her head slightly, looking away. Crystal wants to hold her, to angle her face back towards her until they’re making eye contact and then kiss the embarrassment off her face. Instead, she leans towards the built-in webcam on her laptop, a teasing grin painted on her face.

“You can’t say things like that, Ms. Goode, you’ll make me blush,” she says, trying to fight down the very blush she’s joking about. She decides to deflect, trying to get the attention away from her, “How’s it going over there?”

Gigi’s grin is back, and Crystal feels her stomach flip at the sight. 

She’s too pretty.

“It’s good! It’s good. My mom and I have spent hours holed up in the sewing room today, and the dogs have been happy that I’m back. But I’m excited to go home.”

To you.

It’s unspoken, but it’s there, hanging between them. It’s not a secret, not exactly, but it’s just another one of the unspoken sentiments that they don’t dare to utter aloud for fear of breaking the peace of whatever they were. Friends, maybe, but also…

Gigi was more than a friend to her. Gigi was more, more than she could’ve ever expected when they first met. She wants to hold her at night, to hear her fond grumbling as she hangs up Crystal’s clothes pile for her when she stays over. She wants to kiss her when she looks so pretty in the nights they spend side by side, and introduce her as her partner to the people she meets instead of trying to explain what Gigi was to her.

Not-quite-roommate/best friend/crush doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well as girlfriend does. 

“I’m excited for you to get home,” Crystal replies, and she tries not to sound like she misses her too much. Gigi’s resulting smile is beautiful—she’s beaming in a way she doesn’t often show to people who aren’t close to her. An unfiltered smile, excited and innocent and so entirely heartwarming. Crystal looks down to the pile of now-matched socks, separating the ones that were Gigi’s and putting them in the drawer of Gigi’s clothes that she has at her apartment. She tries to stifle a yawn, and she takes a second to move the rest of the laundry out of the way before slipping under the covers, shifting with the laptop to get comfortable in bed. She fills the silence for a few minutes with a story about a cute cat she saw earlier that day, but before she can talk too much longer, Gigi cuts her off. 

“It’s late.” 

You’re tired, go to sleep.

“No.”

I want to stay up with you.

So much of their conversation is subtext, the words they’re saying not making a complete conversation to anyone but themselves. It’s how they often operated at nights, when the stress of the day had eaten away at the filters from their brains to their mouths. It’s a miracle Crystal hadn’t confessed everything—rather, it was the fear of ruining the most important thing to her that choked the words down every time they threatened to fall from her lips.

“But you have to wake up at—”

“I miss you.” 

Gigi gives her a sympathetic look, her gaze softening. There were pronounced dark circles under her eyes and she knew Gigi could see them, even through the shitty laptop webcam and the way it’s balanced on her stomach as she lays in bed. Crystal wishes she knew how to put on filters, because then she could at least hide behind a weird filter, but here, like this? Gigi can see straight through her.

“Oh, honey,” Gigi tuts, and her voice is soft. It’s soft in the way that she saves just for Crystal, gentle and warm and kind. It’s times like these when she feels like she could have a chance, that her feelings might not be as one-sided as she thinks. “I miss you too. I’m right here, I won’t leave you, go to bed.”

Crystal pouts, trying for petulance, but her eyes are drooping and she can’t stop another yawn from escaping. “I wanna stay up ‘nd talk to you, Geege,” she says, her eyes closing and her words slurring together as they often tend to do when she gets to be a certain amount of tired.  

“I’m here, baby cakes. I’m here right now, and I’ll be back in a few days. And we can go to my apartment this time, because my bed’s bigger,” Gigi says, and she keeps going, saying more about what they would be doing together in a few days, but Crystal doesn't hear it, lulled to sleep by Gigi’s familiar cadence and the comfort of knowing that in only a few days, they’d be back to normal.

In a few days, if she’s brave enough, she’ll get the courage to tell Gigi how she feels. In a few days, if everything goes well, she’ll get to call Gigi her girlfriend.

[ftm-helper]

tips for dealing w dysphoria!!

this might not help everyone, but these are some tips n tricks that have helped me w dysphoria! 1. clothes!! if u can't get gender affirming clothes, try ur best to get gender neutral clothes!! if you're ftm like me, i suggest wearing your trousers quite low, even if they're not designed to be low waisted, it helps hide any hip curves!! n baggy shirts help me too, to hide anything my binder doesnt. i go to a support group for trans kids, and they have a free clothes rack, you can donate clothes or take clothes and they won't tell ur family or anything. even charity shops/thrift stores are good! if you dont like the clothes there or can't afford them, dont be afraid to ask your friends! the worst thing they can do is say no, unless you're not out to them

2. binding/tucking/packing,, i've found that binding and packing are some of the best ways to feel more at home in my body, but binders can be expensive, and cheap ones arent usually very good for you. i'd suggest body tape for my trans boys blessed with small chests, it doesnt really bind, but it holds things in place! u can watch tutorials on youtube but i'll link one just for u right here! the actual tutorial starts at around 1:36. https://youtu.be/Itzspq5K0z8

as for packing, you can buy an actual packer, or just use a balled up pair of socks! it might not make much difference but honestly just knowing i have that bulge has helped me a lot! i used to use socks, and it's quite easy to use, but remember they're there when you use the toilet,, ive dropped mine in countless times. i use a packer now and i love it so much, it adds the perfect bulge for me, and i wear boxers with a sort of pocket at the front to hold it in place!

when it comes to tucking i dont have any experience, but if you do a bit of research im sure you can find something!! just whatever you do....DONT USE DUCT TAPE!!!!!! that applies to all of u honestly. with stuffing a bra or something, you can buy adhesive silicone bra fillers from basically any store that sells female clothes! they'll add at least a little bit of cup size and if you have a bra, it'll make your chest look perkier and help fill it out a bit! plus once again, socks work for that! you can fold them, roll them, whatever you find works best!

3. friends!!!!!!!!! GET URSELF GOOD AND CONFIDENT FRIENDS!!! if ur out to people irl, and you get misgendered in public with friends, it can be so so uncomfortable to correct people! if you have confident friends/partners, you should ask that they correct people for you! you shouldnt have to go through any of it alone <3

more about friends !! find friends who are similar to you, but opposite! as a trans boy, i have quite a few mtf friends, and i've given my old clothes/bras etc to them, and they've given me boxers, shirts, and colognes!!

i really hope this has helped a bit!! dont stress yourself out, im here for anything you need and i'm always willing to help <3