#i just remember thinking after i saw the 'every second counts' in both kitchens

[riickgrimes]

Carmy + Luca

[arieslost]

home to you | op81

oscar piastri x fem!reader

summary: oscar does what he should’ve done a long time ago.

word count: 2,978

warnings: healing sunburn right at the beginning, a touch of angst

masterlist — join my tag list here!

this is a PART TWO! read part one here :)

© arieslost 2024. DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Your sunburn is peeling.

Oscar’s been watching you absentmindedly pick at it for the last ten minutes as you recount your day to him. He’s paying attention to what you’re saying, of course, but now he’s worried that you might accidentally hurt yourself.

“Stop doing that,” he says when you pause to catch your breath, reaching for his phone as if he could put his hand through and stop you himself.

“What?” You frown, and then look at your shoulder. “Oh, right. It’s weirdly satisfying though.”

“This is why you can’t go to the beach by yourself.” Oscar sighs. “You never put on enough sunscreen.”

“I know,” you reply quietly.

As much as both of you have tried, neither of you can help the awkward undertones that seep into every silence you share now. Oscar knows you love him, and you know that he doesn’t feel the same way.

You think he doesn’t feel the same way.

When he saw that look on your face that morning in the kitchen, it reminded him of the way he stared at you on prom night. Oscar didn’t get asked to the senior prom, but you did, and you had turned the offer down. Oscar asked you why, and you told him that you only wanted to go with him, otherwise you weren’t going. You’d dragged him back and forth from your table to the dance floor all night long, and it all would’ve faded into the mush of fleeting high school memories if your favorite song hadn’t come on. Oscar remembers every detail of how your eyes lit up, how you cried, “I love this song!” even though he knew you did, and how you’d grabbed his hands and started dancing with a refreshed energy. He felt like time had stopped and his world revolved around you, and it felt right.

So yeah, he knew the moment you gave him that look that not only did he still love you, but you finally, finally felt the same way. And, for the second time, he’d epically fucked it up.

He often wishes that he could go back and confess to you like he wanted to that night. You’d stayed over because you were too tired to drive home. You were both single. It was the perfect time. But now it’s four years later and he’s sitting in the hotel bathroom on the other side of the world, his girlfriend asleep in the hotel bed, and you on the other end of his phone screen picking at your sunburn that he could’ve prevented had he spent more time with you on vacation.

“You doing okay, Osc?” You ask, pulling on a hoodie of his that you stole from him before he left for his very first F1 race. “Aside from the races, I mean. I know you’re doing great with those.”

“Yeah, I’m alright.” The words come out with practiced ease. “I’d rather hear about how you’re doing though.” I miss you like you wouldn’t believe.

“I think I’ve told you everything like five times now,” you giggle. “I could tell you about the guy that came up to me in the grocery store this afternoon and took a painstakingly long time to ask for my number, but that’s not a long story.”

Oscar’s heart stops. “What?” He replies, teeth gritted, before he clears his throat and lightens his tone. “I mean, what?”

“Yeah, it was kind of strange. He started the conversation by asking me how you were doing, obviously, because you’re so cool and famous-” Oscar flips you off when you roll your eyes, and you laugh. “Anyway, I guess that was his icebreaker, because then he just abruptly segued into grilling me right there in the cereal aisle about my life and how he ‘couldn’t believe he’d never seen me before.’” You recount dramatically. “I’m telling you, Osc, it was nonstop cheesy line after cheesy line. I felt so bad for him I let him have my number.”

“So, he used me as an in and then harassed you until you gave him your number?”

You nod slowly. “Pretty much.”

“You better not actually be considering going out with this guy.” Oscar scoffs.

“Oh, no, I’m not!” You rush to clarify, and he can see a faint blush rising on your cheeks. “I mean, it’s not like I’m waiting for anyone-anything. He was just weird. I only gave him my number so he’d leave me alone… I blocked him when he texted me.”

“You’re horrible,” he starts laughing now, relieved that this guy never even stood a chance. “I love it.”

“You’re supposed to be encouraging me to get out there and find a boyfriend, loser. Brush up on the best friend manual.” You complain, pulling the hood over your head and hiding your face from him so he can’t see how much it hurts to think about finding someone that isn’t him.

He doesn’t notice anyway; he’s distracted by the sound of the covers moving and his girlfriend yawning.

You hear it too, and glance up at the camera. “You have to go?”

His heart breaks at how sad you look. “Yeah, sounds like she’s actually waking up this time. Sorry, honey.”

You shrug, and he knows you’re trying to appear unbothered. “It’s okay. We got, what, an hour and a half? That’s a whole extra 45 minutes or so.”

“You’re allowed to tell me how you really feel, y’know.”

“Damn it, Oscar. You just see right through me. I don’t know why I even bother.” You sigh, covering your face with your hands.

“I don’t know why, either,” he attempts to joke. “Look, I-”

“Oscar? Where are you?” His girlfriend calls, and you stiffen up at the sound of her voice.

“Be there in a minute!” He responds, turning his attention back to you. “I’ll call you again as soon as possible, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Bye, honey.”

“Bye, Osc.”

You hang up first.

“I love you,” he whispers to his blank phone screen, and gets up to start his day.

You say it back to your own blank screen and go to sleep.

Oscar comes to the steadfast conclusion that he wants you and only you at his side at his home race, and not as a friend.

Breaking up with his girlfriend still looms over him. He lies awake for way too long at night trying to figure out the nicest way to do it, but his thoughts always end up taking a detour to you and how he wishes it was you sleeping next to him instead.

Despite the struggle going on in his mind, he goes through the motions of PDA with her for all the cameras and other drivers in the paddock to see. Lando is the only one who realizes what his issue is.

“Mate, you have to figure this out.” The older driver said out of the blue as they were lounging in McLaren hospitality after qualifying.

“Huh?” Oscar frowned at him, tearing his eyes away from his texts with you. “I know I fucked up that quali, but it’s not like I can’t improve.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, you muppet.” Lando rolled his eyes, and said your name like it’s obvious. “You just have to break up with the girl you’re with now so you can have the girl you really want.”

“You say that like it’s so simple.” Oscar mumbled, looking at the text from you that had just come in.

Just focus on the race, Osc. Quali’s behind you, it doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll be cheering you on, what could possibly go wrong??

“It is, if you think about it. Besides, you’ve been acting so weird lately she might already think something’s up.”

“Gee, thanks. That makes me feel a lot better.” Oscar groaned, sinking lower into his chair.

“Always here for you, mate.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“I don’t care.”

That enlightening conversation gets Oscar to finally work up the courage to tell his girlfriend those dreaded words following the race– “We need to talk.”

He waits until they’re in the hotel room after dinner to say it so there’s no audience, primarily because he knows that she’s prone to throwing fits when things don’t go her way. The memory of her losing her mind when he took you to breakfast during vacation comes screaming back to him at the speed of light.

She doesn’t say anything at first; instead, she takes her time removing her shoes and taking the pins out of her hair. Oscar can’t stand the silence, so he starts speaking again.

“It’s about-”

“I think I know what this is about.” She interrupts him.

“You do?”

“I’d have to be stupid not to know, Oscar. You’ve been off for the past few days, it’s only with me, and every time I wake up you’re hiding in the bathroom on the phone.” She holds up a hand when he opens his mouth. “I know it’s her, and I’ve known since that vacation. You don’t have to tell me.”

“You’re… you’re not gonna yell?” He can’t hide the surprise in his voice.

“It won’t get me anywhere, will it?”

“It never did.”

She smiles matter-of-factly. “I guess I have to work on that.”

She packs her things without argument. Oscar offers to buy her a plane ticket somewhere, but she waves him off and thanks him anyway before walking out the door.

The Australian Grand Prix is in two weeks. Oscar doesn’t think before he calls you.

“I’m coming home. I need to see you.”

Your heart has been in your throat ever since Oscar called you this morning. He was so hasty that he didn’t even tell you when he was coming, so every little movement you see outside your window has you running to see if it’s him or not.

He doesn’t show up until almost 9:30 at night. You can hear the engine of his car as he flies through your neighborhood with practiced ease and nearly drifts into your driveway. Your stomach is jumping with nerves and excitement; you didn’t think you’d see him for another two weeks, and despite the awkwardness that your feelings have brought to your friendship, you want nothing more than to hug your best friend.

He starts impatiently knocking on the door as you nearly trip down the stairwell in your rush to let him in.

“Hold on!” You shout, fingers shaking as you unlock the door and wrench it open. “Are you trying to break my door?”

“Jokes later, let me hold you,” he says, reaching for you and meeting you in the middle of the doorway as he pulls you into his chest for a tight embrace.

You melt into him immediately, your arms wrapped around his neck and your nose pressed to the warm skin that peeks out of his hoodie. “I can’t believe you’re here,” you mumble, squeezing him.

He shivers, kissing the top of your head. “I’m here, baby.”

I’m sorry, baby. You think about that so much that it shouldn’t hurt anymore. It sobers your mood a little.

“Why, though?” You ask, pulling away a little to look at him. “Don’t you have things to be doing?”

“I may have forced them to clear my schedule by coming home without telling anyone.”

“Oscar!” You exclaim. “Why? You could get in trouble!”

“Can we talk inside?”

“Yeah, of course. C’mon.” You take his hand and lead him into your house.

He takes off his shoes, leaves his suitcase in the hall, and goes to your living room on autopilot, where he flops down on the couch and lets out a long breath. You sit next to him, knees bumping together as you look at him with a reasonable amount of concern. “You’re acting weird. What’s wrong with you?”

“I broke up with her.” He says, rolling his head to the side so he’s looking at you. “So, nothing’s wrong with me.”

“Bullshit, Osc, it seemed to me like you really liked her.”

“You didn’t, though.”

“Who cares what I think?” Your brain fully computes his words. “Wait- actually, no. I’m not even going to act surprised by the fact that you knew that.” You sigh.

“I care what you think. I care about you. A lot.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I don’t think you do.” He sits up straighter now, turning his whole body to face you. “Like, in a romantic way.”

You blink at him a couple times. “No you don’t.”

“I don’t?” He repeats incredulously.

“You can’t. You don’t.” You say. “You’re lying.”

“I’m lying?” He says through a laugh. “You’ve known me your whole life. When have I ever lied to you?”

You press your lips together. The only time he’s ever lied to you is when he planned your surprise parties. “I’m gonna need you to do a really good job explaining yourself, otherwise I’m kicking you out. You can’t do this to me, Oscar, you know how I feel-”

“Yes, I do, and I’d love to explain if you’d stop spiraling for a second.” He interrupts, taking your hands to ground you.

You’re once again having the dilemma of wanting to push him away and pull him closer simultaneously. The pressure of his hands holding yours succeeds in calming you, so you allow it.

“The whole reason I knew how you felt in the first place is because of the way you looked at me in the kitchen. You didn’t notice, but I looked at you the exact same way at the prom.” He says, gauging your reaction by how your face contorts slightly as you try to remember the prom at all, aside from the fleeting memory of forcing him to slow dance with you. “That feeling like time stops? Like-”

“Like I got hit by a truck,” you recall, looking down as he runs his thumbs over your knuckles.

“Right.” He nods. “Look, the bottom line here is that I screwed up by not telling you then, and if I had, we would’ve been dating for years at this point and this conversation wouldn’t even be happening.”

You feel like you look like a fish out of water with how your jaw is opening and closing, searching for something to say in response. “Osc-”

“If this makes you change your mind, I get it.” He continues. “But the whole reason I came here is to tell you that I love you. I’m in love with you and I have been since we were 18.”

You go to muster up something to say in response when he says one more thing. “Oh, and I’m tired of only being able to see you through the phone. That’s the other reason.”

You can’t help it– that, paired with his polite cat smile, his flushed cheeks, and his confession has you dissolving into giggles. That quickly morphs into laughter that sends you leaning so far forward your head is practically in Oscar’s lap, but he doesn’t seem to mind because he’s laughing too.

“I hate you so much,” you gasp out, pushing yourself back up so you can look at him when you tell him the complete and total truth. “I’ve been in love with you since we were 14.”

“Shit, that means I have eight years to make up for, not four.”

“Sucks to suck.” You say, easily falling back into your age-old banter.

“You sound like Lando,” he says, wrinkling his nose. “And I was gonna ask if I could kiss you.”

“Ah, shoot. I ruined it.”

“Hmm, no. I’m gonna ask you anyway.” He shifts closer to you, brushing your hair out of your face with both hands. “Can I kiss you? Please?”

You start nodding before he even finishes asking, maybe too enthusiastically, but it’s Oscar. He knows you. He wants you. You don’t need to be embarrassed.

The press of his lips against yours is soft, gentle. You always thought that if you ever kissed Oscar it might be too weird, but the only thing you feel now is right.

It feels right to thread your fingers into his hair. It feels right to let him tug you closer, closer, closer, until you have no choice but to straddle him so you can be as close as he wants you. It feels right when his hands slip under your shirt and lightly run over the skin of your back, when his tongue meets yours, when you give his hair an experimental tug and he moans into your mouth.

The only thing wrong about it is that you have no choice but to break the kiss in order to breathe, but even then you don’t move far from each other, breaths mixing in the minimal space between you both.

“We could have been doing that for a long time,” Oscar sighs, throwing his head back against the couch.

“We have all the time in the world now that we stopped being idiots and confessed.” You point out.

“D’you think you can come to the race in a couple weeks? We can take it slow with this, no one needs to know… I just want you to be there.” He asks.

“Of course, Osc, are you kidding?” You run your hands over his shoulders and down to where his hands rest on your hips. “Though, if you win, I can’t promise no PDA or anything.”

“I’d expect nothing less from my girlfriend.” You can feel him tense up a little, like he’s expecting you to react negatively, but he relaxes immediately when your smile lights up your whole face and you kiss him again.

“I love you,” he whispers against your lips.

“I love you,” you whisper back.

No one else needs to hear it just yet. You only need to tell each other.

note: i sincerely hope this made up for any tears i may have caused with the angst in the first part. this is the first time i’ve ever been inspired to write a part 2, and i think it’s because i desperately needed it to end happily. thank you so much for all the love on falling for you; i never expected it to get as much attention as it did!

requests are OPEN, and my inbox is always open for comments, criticism, and conversation! feel free to pop in!

reblogs are greatly appreciated <33

dividers by @/saradika !

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[uniquexusposts]

hi are you still writing for james beaufort ?

The best friend - James Beaufort

Main characters: James Beaufort x reader Genre: fanfiction, fluff, TV show  Word count: 1.999

Summary: An insight into James and Y/N's relationship. Or is it more?

James rang the bell of the property and waited for someone to open the door. He looked around; this house always reminded him of Downton Abbey for some reason. Because of him, people called it the Downtown Abbey house. The door swung open a minute later, and Y/N’s dad smiled. “Hello, mate,” he welcomed James. “Come in.” He was wearing a kitchen gown. 

“Hello,” James replied, entering the house. “Thank you. Is she upstairs?” 

Y/N’s dad nodded. “She just came back from work,” he said, and they walked through the hall together. When James wanted to walk up the stairs, Y/N’s dad asked: “Will you be staying over for dinner?” 

“If it isn’t a problem?” James showed a small smile. 

“Of course not! I will peel just a few more potatoes.” 

“Thank you,” James replied and nodded. 

He walked up the stairs, and as he reached the first floor, he heard some music. A steady beat of rap music filled the hall, an unexpected soundtrack for this place. James knew instantly it wasn’t coming from Y/N’s room; rap was the one genre she couldn’t stand. This had to mean her older brother was home. James smiled, remembering the countless times he and Y/N had joked about her brother’s eclectic music tastes. He approached Y/N’s room, knocking gently before pushing the door open. He found her lying on her stomach on her bed, looking exhausted. She barely reacted to his presence, only turning her head slightly so she could see him.

“Hey,” she mumbled, a yawn escaping her lips.

“Hey,” James replied softly, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “Long day?”

“The longest,” Y/N sighed, her voice muffled by the pillow. “I don’t think I’ve moved since I got home.” She followed his every movement, taking off his jacket, tie and shoes. He walked over to her bed and sat on the edge. “What a surprise to see you here,” she mentioned.

“I haven’t seen you for a while, so I thought, let’s check up on the best friend,” he said and ran his hand through his hair. 

Y/N padded on the mattress beside her, inviting him to lie beside her. “The best friend saw you last week,” she replied. 

“Which is a while back. The best friend and I used to see each other every day.” James lay beside her, placing his arm behind his head when his head hit the pillow. 

“That’s a few months ago,” she shot back. 

“And?” 

They looked at each other for a few seconds. The corners of Y/N’s lips started to curl up, which also made James smile. 

“How are you?” Y/N then asked, her voice softening since it was a deep question for James. 

James looked away from her, focusing his eyes now on the desk, which was full of stuff. It wasn’t like Y/N to have a messy desk. “I’m fine,” he breathed. 

“Sure?” 

He nodded slowly. 

“And school?” 

“The usual.”

“Good.”

“Ja.” 

After a few minutes of silence, James turned his head to Y/N. He scanned her face; she was zoning out. He reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face. They shared a quiet moment. 

Suddenly, an alarm went off. James looked around the room, trying to determine where the alarm came from. It was an alarm from a phone.

Y/N softly groaned and stopped the alarm. “Time to get up,” she said and pushed herself up. “Otherwise, I will be doing nothing for the rest of the evening.” She turned around and sat on her bed, stretching her arms and shoulders. When she heard a snort next to her, she turned to James. “What?” 

“You never fail to surprise me with your strange habits,” he laughed, sitting up. 

She smiled and shrugged. “I guess I’m strange.”

“Luckily.”

They both got up from the bed. 

“Your life would be so boring without me,” she cheekily replied, making a bun in her hair. 

James squinted his eyes. “Hmm, I’m not sure.” He showed a playful smile. “Perhaps…”

She raised her eyebrows. “Perhaps what?” 

They held their gaze for a few seconds, their playful tension palpable. Smiling, they moved closer without realising it, their connection deepening with each passing moment.

James finally broke the silence, his voice soft and filled with affection. “Perhaps my life would be incredibly dull without you.”

Y/N’s eyes sparkled with amusement and something deeper. “Good to know you’re aware.” She switched the light off and opened the door to the hallway. 

“How was work, by the way?” James asked, closing the door behind him. Together, they walked down the stairs to the living room. 

“Busy,” she sighed. 

It was hard to admit, but James was jealous of Y/N in almost every way possible. One of them was the freedom she got from her parents. She had the freedom to explore her passion and what she wanted to do in the future. Y/N was currently in her gap year, working as a barista in a cafe in the next town. Her parents were very supportive of her decision. However, she had to work for at least four days. It didn’t matter what kind of job, but she had to work. 

“But it was fine. For some reason, we had a very long rush hour. The time flew by,” she continued, sharing some weird situations with some customers. 

When they arrived at the living room, the doors to the terrace were wide open, and in the distance, Y/N's little brother and sister were playing football in the garden. They also walked to the terrace but decided to sit on the lounge set.

James leaned back, the cushions soft against his back. “Sounds like you had quite a day.” He looked at her, admiring her resilience and positive outlook. He wished he had the same kind of freedom and support to pursue his passions without the weight of expectations bearing down on him. He unbuttoned the buttons of his sleeves and rolled them up his arms.

“Ey,” Y/N mumbled and picked up a lost button from the sofa. She held it up between her thumb and wise finger. “Just because you don’t like it, you don’t have to sprinkle it around,” she smirked and grabbed his arm left, unfolding the sleeve, checking if it belonged to this side. 

“I just wanted to mark my territory.” 

“Like you haven’t done that enough here,” she replied. She rolled the left sleeve up again, unfolding the right side. “Bingo.” She gave James the button. “Let me get the sewing kit.”

“It’s alright. I will let someone fix it at my place. Besides, I have enough white shirts.”

“It’s just a two-minute job. Besides, I know it is a new white shirt, and it’s too good to just throw it away because one button is missing, James.” 

Before he could say anything about it, she had walked away. The left corner of his mouth curled up, and he looked at the button. He could hear her talk to her dad in the distance. He still heard some soft beats from the music upstairs, and he heard the sibling dynamic between the kids playing football.

Y/N sat down beside him again. “Arm,” she said and made a gesture. She opened the small box, probably an old cigar box and got a needle and some wire. 

James placed his arm on her lap. “Don’t poke me,” he reminded her. 

She took a deep breath and lifted her head, straightening her face. “Shit, there goes my plan.” 

“I need to stay away from you.”

She licked her lips and casually shrugged. “I know where to find you,” she said. 

“Oo, now I’m scared.”

Y/N pointed the needle at him and laughed. “As you should.” 

“Aah, no, I don’t want to die. Don’t do it to me,” his voice raised, but his face stayed neutral. 

She sighed and sewed the button back on the sleeve. “Hopeless.”

The music became louder. The loud music was blasting from his speaker when the Y/N’s older brother stood in front of the lounge set. He was moving along with the beat, standing in front of Y/N and James purposely. Y/N gave him a side eye, which gave him a satisfied reaction; he smiled. 

“Turn that music down, mate,” Y/N’s dad said and put some plates with cutlery on the table outside. “Put on a chill playlist and set the table, will you?” 

“Si Señor,” the brother said. He looked at his little sister and James. “The best friends are together again,” he said and walked over to James. “Hey, man.” He wanted to go for a handshake, but it was a weird high-five since Y/N was working on James’ right hand. 

James returned the high-five with a chuckle, the easy banter between them adding to the relaxed atmosphere. “Hey, good to see you,” he greeted Y/N’s brother.

“Likewise,” the brother replied, shooting James a friendly grin before turning to Y/N. “So, what’s the occasion? You two planning a secret rendezvous or something?”

Y/N rolled her eyes, but there was a playful glint in them. “Nothing like that. Just fixing James’ button.”

“Ah, the old ‘sewing buttons’ trick,” the brother winked. “Classic move. By the way, Y/N, where is mum?” 

“Work,” Y/N replied. “Well, I think she will be home any second now.” Looking up, she saw her mum walking in the living room. “Speaking of the devil.” She nodded towards her mum. 

“Ah, mother!” The brother said, widening his arms and greeting his mum. 

Y/N bit her lip while focusing. “Oh, this is light pink wire,” she mumbled and looked sorry at him. “Sorry. I can do it over with white wire.”

James widely smiled and shook his head. “It’s fine,” he mentioned. Every time that I wear this shirt, it will remind me of you,” he winked. 

“Sure,” she dodged his words. “Anyway, will you be joining us for dinner?” A smile curved on her lips. 

“Would love to,” he smiled. He didn’t want to say that her dad already invited him, since she looked excited when asking. 

Y/N nodded and continued sewing. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, the music now a soothing background melody as they finished sewing the button back onto James’ sleeve. Once they were done, Y/N leaned back, admiring their handiwork.

“James, sweetheart,” Y/N’s mum cheerfully said. “It’s good to see you.”

“Good evening,” James politely smiled. 

“Looks good as new,” Y/N declared, a satisfied smile on her face as she rolled up his sleeve again.

“Thanks, Y/N,” James replied, giving her a playful nudge.

The entire family gathered around the dining table outside and made sure the table was all set. They all sat down to enjoy the dinner Y/N’s dad had prepared. James felt a sense of gratitude wash over him. Surrounded by the warmth of Y/N’s family. The conversations they held during dinner were filled with laughter and funny expressions. 

Then Y/N’s mum wanted to invite James for tomorrow. “We are going to sail tomorrow. Would you like to join? Maybe you can ask Lydia, too,” she proposed. 

A sparkle came in Y/N’s eyes when she looked at James, hoping he would say yes. “We can pick Lydia up tonight, so you both can stay here for the night. Then we don’t have to rush tomorrow morning,” Y/N proposed while looking at her parents, who seemed to agree. 

“Yes, I would love to. I will be there, but I will ask Lydia,” James widely smiled.

Click here to read part 2

[lovinpelova]

forgive me | n. charles

summary; you always forgive your lover.

🎵 idfc - blackbear

as soon as the gate opened for chelsea to start scoring goals you knew this wasn't going to be arsenal's night. six minutes after the first and eleven minutes after the second you were down 3-0 with no hope of your team meshing together, substitutes doing nothing apart from aiding kim in the last minute goal that took away chelsea's clean sheet.

whilst you were happy to score one goal, it wasn't enough. you were playing awfully with possession in midfield and defence as a cdm twinned with wally, both of you trying to track back and block attacks but ultimately having to rely on manu to deliver in the second half. fresh legs did nothing for arsenal and the only goal you scored was from a deflection, chelsea had gotten their revenge at stamford bridge.

with only twenty minutes to go niamh got subbed off after being tended to by the medical staff at chelsea, your mind immediately running wild with bad thoughts when you saw her holding her knee but eventually calming down when she walked off perfectly fine. the chelsea players walking off to time waste and getting more physical had earned a reaction from you, the referee gifting you a yellow card and warning you to stop protesting before she put you on a red. it's safe to say after that, a horrible team performance, remembering you had to play chelsea in the continental cup final, having a low player rating yourself and spending the night at niamh's house - you were in a foul mood.

fair enough, the game wouldn't have made much of a difference for arsenal if you'd won due to how far behind you were in goals and points, but it's the performance that was bugging you all. the league standings were the same, united too far behind for arsenal to be worrying about losing their spot, but when you're yelling at your teammates in disagreement and failing to keep possession anywhere on the pitch it starts to play a mental game on you all. chelsea took advantage of that - and whilst you congratulated them all happily with a genuine smile on your face, you couldn't help but let out a deep sigh of relief and exhaustion when you collapsed into the passenger seat of your girlfriend's car.

"good game?"

you shook your head with another deep exhale, for some reason having tears in your eyes at such a harsh loss.

"definitely not."

you replied with a wobble in your voice, niamh seemingly not registering how upset you were due to her adrenaline still pumping from such a large win. she'd been teasing you ever since you won 4-1 against chelsea last time, saying if chelsea beat arsenal when you were sleeping at hers for the weekend that she wouldn't let you live it down, but you didn't think she'd actually follow through with her promise.

"i reckon the socks gave you a bit of bad luck, don't you? i mean- nothing was working for you guys."

"yup, gathered that from the scoreline niamhy."

the defender processed her nickname as a fond expression rather than an annoyed one, continuing to rant about how good of a game chelsea had for the fifteen minute drive home whenever she had seen something that reminded her of the club or remembered a good tackle she'd made.

you'd been tuning out her rants the entire way and she hadn't noticed your dip in attitude since the final whistle blew, your fuse seconds away from blowing in fury.

"you hungry babe? actually nevermind, i'm sure you're full after having that defeat shoved down your throat."

"oh- niamh just shut up for one second would you!"

the brunette stood still in the kitchen with a shocked expression, turning to you as she watched your face writhe in anger.

"i'm sick and tired of hearing your cocky little comments every time you win against arsenal!"

"excuse me? don't act like you don't make comments when arsenal win against chelsea-"

"i do but i don't shove them down your throat and go on about it for the entire fifteen minute drive home!"

niamh pushed herself off the counter so she was stood upright, her jaw slack in shock at your sudden outburst and the way you were yelling. normally you spoke to your girlfriend about anything that was annoying you, so it seems the anger of such a big loss was still hanging over your head and making you act out.

"i'm not shoving anything down your fucking throat y/n! you need to watch your tone- it's not my fault arsenal played shit today!"

"don't you dare talk about my team like that! i didn't insult chelsea's performance when we won at the emirates, you have absolutely no right to be saying that!"

by now you'd made your way into the kitchen and were stood on the other side of the island, staring into niamh's eyes furiously as she returned the rage you were emitting. she thought tonight would be peaceful judging by your silence in the car and smile at stamford bridge when congratulating the blues, but she must have read you wrong.

"i'm not talking shit about your team, i'm telling the truth! the only goal you managed to score was off a fucking deflection! how is that a good game?!"

"i never said we had a good game! you need to shut your fucking mouth about my club and how we played tonight- you don't play for arsenal, so you don't have a say in the matter!"

"oh so all of a sudden my opinion on performances doesn't matter just because i play for chelsea, does it?!"

"shut the fuck up niamh! i'm so sick of your bullshit! go get your ego in check and come talk to me when you're done acting like a fucking toddler!"

before your girlfriend could respond you stormed off into the guest room of her apartment, angrily putting your phone on charge after slamming the door behind yourself. you could hear niamh angrily mumbling things to herself in the kitchen, soon followed by the quiet noise of her tv turning on as she seemingly resided in the living room.

you hadn't meant to lash out at niamh, it was the last thing you ever wanted to do, but with her constant teasing and cocky remarks for almost half an hour straight you couldn't help yourself. you'd blown up on each other and were now waiting to calm down, expecting the other to apologise first before remembering you were both too stubborn for your own good, soon feeling sleepy from the exhaustion of constantly running back and forth. not even bothering to get under the duvet or fluffy blanket niamh had put at the foot of her spare bed, you let sleep overcome your senses.

during the middle of the night you woke up to the door opening and closing, a body shuffling into bed behind you and wrapping strong arms around your waist with soft kisses along your shoulder and neck. quiet apologies were whispered against your skin with thumbs rubbing the muscles of your stomach to fully wake you up.

"i'm sorry babygirl. you know i can't sleep on an argument, i didn't mean to talk bad about your club like that. i was just still a bit too happy about the win."

your arm reached behind you to pull niamh further into you by her neck, sighing in comfort when you felt her continue to pepper soft kisses along your exposed skin.

"i didn't mean to insult you like that. i know how cocky you can get, i should've told you i wasn't up for teasing or just asked for space when i started getting mad."

you turned in her arms and pressed your forehead against hers instinctively, hands caressing her cheeks as you closed your eyes and breathed in deeply. niamh continued to rub her thumbs across your hips in a comforting manner, both of you breathing in sync to calm down and forgive the other for lashing out. your thumbs traced along her jawline and up her chin, searching for her lips and dragging her bottom one down teasingly to let her know you were going to kiss her, the defender gladly letting you as she kissed you back softly with a smile to match your own. you pecked her lips a couple more times to test the waters, trying not to let your breathing pick up when she gripped your hips a tiny bit harsher with more intent than before.

"niamh,"

"y/n,"

she breathlessly whispered your name to match your call of hers, both of you closing your eyes and resting your foreheads together. the curtains were slightly drawn back from the window behind you- and by god, was the moonlight doing wonders for her eye colour.

"i love you baby."

your immediate response was to kiss her passionately, lingering on her lips with your thumb rubbing over her cheekbone and noses touching due to the lack of distance.

"i love you my girl."

you mirrored her words and felt her cheeks wrinkle up in a genuine smile, the defender leaning in to kiss you softly with one hand pulling you by the side of your neck as yours moved to trace along her pulse point lovingly. niamh smiled at the feeling of your fingertips trailing down her body, pulling away and biting your lip in a teasing response before you forced her to pull away by shoving her shoulder.

"turn around, i wanna be big spoon."

niamh complied to your order without any hesitation and a matching grin, turning around and reaching behind to tug your arm around her waist, kicking your leg softly when you scoffed at her eagerness and quickly sinking back into your touch with a relaxed sigh to match your own.

[wonderlandwalker]

One Day at a Time | Finnick Odair x Reader

Previous Part / THG Masterlist / Inbox

Summary: a short collection of sweet moments shared between you and Finnick as you recover, reminding the both of you of the love you share

(part 4 of the remember series but could also be read on its own I think, you can find the other parts in my masterlist)

Content Warnings / Tags: Fluff, no use of y/n, mentions of punching, I really think that's it.

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: It's finally here! Sorry it took so long my only excuse is that I am an absolute mess of a human being which is a terrible one but oh well. This will be the final part of the series, hope the fluff makes up for all the heartbreak I've put you through <3

It's been a week now, one week of blissful moments spend with Finnick while recovering from the attack within district 13. After all that had happened you were in need of some peace, and the universe granted it.

On the first day you were still in the hospital wing, an IV dripping steady fluids into your system. You woke up to Finnick sitting next to you, one of his hands holding onto yours while the other was holding up a book. It was one of your favourites, and you had been pestering him about reading it so you could talk about it with him, but he had always brushed you off, saying he'd get around to it eventually. It seems eventually finally came around. You coaxed him into getting in the bed with you, he was hesitant at first, not wanting to hurt you, but he wasn't above your charms either, your eyes pleading with him in a way he couldn't resist. He had settled in behind you, letting you lean against him, ignoring the dirty look the nurse gave you. You had asked him to read to you, and even though you already knew it by heart, his sweet voice added a whole new element to the story so beloved.

The second day was spent trying to convince the nurse to let you leave the hospital room, if only for a few hours, she didn't initially want to agree, but Finnick simply wouldn't drop the subject. So you walked together towards the dinner hall, feeling like little children sneaking out past the curfew.

Supper had already finished, but Finnick was friends with one of the cooks who let him into the kitchens. He told you to sit down on the table in the middle of the room and gave you a quick peck on the lips before moving over to the fridge. It was simple, it wasn't much, but it was perfect. He would let you taste the dish in-between steps, always forgetting one ingredient or another, but you didn't mind reminding him. At some point you could have sworn he was doing it on purpose, but maybe he was just too caught up in having you there with him again. You offered to help with meting the butter, dicing the vegetables, stirring the sauce, but each and every time he would insist you stayed right where you were, accentuated with a quick kiss, his hands on your face smearing flour all over your jaw, not that you minded. He claimed he was the better cook anyway, that you'd only hold him back, now that one you both knew was a lie, but it was a precious one, one that didn't need to be disturbed.

Day three consisted of a slow day back in your room, having been cleared by the doctor and finally being in your own space again. You and Finnick hadn't shared a room in a while now with everything that had gone down, but you had immediately decided to spend your nights together again, not wanting to spend more time apart than necessary. You hadn't fully recovered yet, still needing your rest, but Finnick had set his mind on moving your things back into his room today.

So there you were, sitting crossed legged on his bed absentmindedly sipping on some coffee he had brought you as you watched him bustle about. He was only gone a few minutes at a time, but you never failed to produce a smile when you saw him approaching again, hands full with some of your books, the collection of flowers he had given you over the years that you had dried and pressed in-between the pages were sticking out slightly, but he handled them with care. Even while you weren't together you couldn't find it ins yourself to get rid of them, and you're glad of it now. He goes back and forth for a while, collecting your pillow, your skin care products, your small radio that barely managed to get a reception down here, but you couldn't bare to part with. Each time he'd ask you where you wanted him to put it down, carefully creating a space that consisted of the both of you.

On day four you had finally woken up in his arms again, wondering how you could have ever forgotten this feeling. When he noticed you were awake he had moved to place a delicate kiss on your lips, basking in the simplicity of the fact that he could. He had told you he had a surprise for you today, and you couldn't help how giddy you already got from the mere thought of what it could be. But it was oh so much better than you could have imagined, because today Finnick took you to the surface. How he managed to get you past all the checkpoints was beyond you, and when you asked he had simply said he had friends in all the right places.

It was a bit of a walk to the spot he wanted to take you, but you revelled in the sunlight against your face, needing to squint your eyes to see properly with how bright the sun was but too blissed to care. The high grass rustled against your bare legs as you continued to walk, and the tickling sensation brought back so many fond memories. When you finally made it to the clearing it was a sight from a dream. The tree next to the lake provided a shadow you could both comfortably lay in as the smell of the fresh water blessed your senses once more. The wildflowers adorning the space around you were once you could recall from back home, with a few others you couldn't identify. Finnick had picked a few, placing them behind your ear as he talked about what the flower meant. A myosotis, he had called it, representing true love and dedication. He told you about the myth behind the forget-me-nots, how they had been afraid of being forgotten by the gods, and you had vowed in return to never spend a day without thinking of him again.

During the fifth day you didn't do much of anything special, but you supposed that depends on your definition of the word. Finnick had made dandelion tea from flowers he had collected yesterday, the familiar taste bringing back a sense of nostalgia for a time that you wouldn't be able to return to. You had once told him your mother used to make it when you were sick, and ever since he would go collect them by the cliffs for you. You had insisted it was too much work that he didn't need to worry himself with, he had countered that he enjoyed the view where they grew anyway, and really, he was going for himself as much as for you. Maybe he had simply been trying to get you to stop fussing over the subject, maybe it had really been true.

You spend the day talking to your friends, reminiscing in regained memories and filling in gaps that you couldn't on your own. As you sat next to Johanna she talked on about the days Finnick spent longing after you, claiming he was alright wirh being just friends, but she was convinced that if any of her friends looked at her the way he looked at you she would have suckerpunched them.

On the sixth day you had begged Finnick train with you, saying how you wanted to get your strength back, how you missed the exercise and the content feeling of aching muscles. He had been reluctant, of course he had been, but once you had managed to drag him onto the training mat he revelled in it. He couldn't deny he had missed sparring with you, the action so effortless with you. He had made fun of how you threw your punches, saying you had to extent your arms further to complete the motion, but he was the one not protection his core properly while fixating on you. It had been good to feel your body in motion again, he was still stronger than you, knocking the breath out of your lungs once be stopped holding back, but you were still faster, getting the drop on him in the split seconds he was distracted. The manner in which your muscle memory still held up, the way in which you still used the same techniques without meaning to, it was good to know there are some things people can't take from you.

The seventh day you picked your routine back up. Waking up to an empty bed but not lonely, his side was still warm as you rolled over. Once you opened your eyes you saw the cup of coffee and the note on the bedside table. Finnick knew you never slept for long after he left, somehow he still knew. He had been given some time off during your recovery, but district 13 didn't stand still and they had needed his help. You weren't expected back yet, but the sense of purpose was one that you were always glad to have. You drank the coffee he left you as you got dressed, smiling as he had made it exactly to your liking, even if he used to complain you couldn't even call it coffee anymore with that much sugar in it. And so you went back to work, moving to scribble a quick message on the back of the note if he came back looking for you, not that he needed it, somehow he would always know where you were.

In the past week you had learned that a love as great as the one you shared with Finnick could never be forgotten, not really, because no matter how many memories faded, there would always come new ones. And soon, even though you didn't know it yet, Finnick would give you his mother's ring once more, and this time you would remember everything that led you here, and you would remember saying yes.

[captainpulisic]

your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave - m. mount

feedback is appreciated, thank you.

word count: 2.1 k gif credits to owner

if anyone asked either of you about it, neither you nor mason would be able to explain how the fight had started. you’re not entirely sure what had made you two so upset with each other, you just knew this bitchy attitude had been happening all morning.

there you were, in the kitchen, pondering over how this fight had started. could it have been about the girl who had been too touchy with him at last night's party? maybe it was about the extra hours you had spent at work this past week, arriving home long after mason had gone to sleep? fuck, if we’re being honest, it was probably about who had finished the last pint of ice cream, maybe? 

as you look at the clock, you decide to put a pin on this reflection, seeing it’s nearly time to leave for tonight's game (just because you both want to murder each other right now doesn’t mean you won’t go, you were never one to miss a game, if you could help it.). you head up the stairs to your bedroom, the same stairs mason had stormed up a few minutes ago. what a child, you nearly laugh at the image of masons pout when you called him immature. instead of retorting with, also, calling you a name, he simply huffed and stomped up the stairs. seconds later, the sound of a door being shut rang throughout the whole house. 

as you enter your shared bedroom, you’re greeted with masons back. his tense movements and the manner in which he is throwing clothes into his duffel bag, let you know he’s still feeling raw about the fight. 

you still feel pretty raw, too. thus, you spare him no glance as you shove past him. yes, you still put on your number nineteen jersey (not wearing it would be a little too much, even you know where to draw the line. mason would see it as a stab to his heart). yet, as you remember how he rolled his eyes when you called him unreasonable, you feel irked again. you need some sort of retaliation. you make a show of putting a plain, grey hoodie over the jersey, refusing to meet his stare. that oughta show him, you think to yourself. he looks as if he wants to say something, yet resorts to another eye roll and an even louder scoff. 

both of your attitudes were so horrendous, they continued as you settled into the car. the whole ride to the bridge, not one word was uttered to each other. no, it was all huffy sighs and the low hum of the music playing. hell, even the way he was holding your hand was stiff, no gentle squeezes or lip brushes. (what? just because he’s furious at you doesn’t mean he’s not going to hold your hand. he's upset, not crazy.)

when you arrive at the bridge, you both linger by the entrance, unsure of what to do or how to depart. usually, on happy days with no fights, you both stay there as long as possible, as you pepper his face with kisses. one on his forehead, one on each cheek, one on the little red spot on the bridge of his nose. you repeat this ritual until you’re both giggling messes. lastly, it ends with one final, proper kiss on his lips before he has to leave for some pre game obligations. mason refers to this as his ‘good luck kisses’. he swears on every star and planet that these ‘good luck kisses’ are the reason they win. before, you’d brushed it off as mason just making silly excuses to get kisses. you’d always been one to indulge him because who were you to deny him kisses? but to mason, he wholeheartedly believed that your little ritual meant something, it was the one superstition he followed before every game.

“you can never not kiss me, or else you’ll have to tell everyone you’re the reason we lost”, he had explained to you. even though you had laughed, it quickly died off when you saw his dead serious expression. “y/n, there’s nothing funny about this. the whole clubs future depends on you and me getting it on.”

therefore, your little tradition was born. if there was a game, mason could be found being kissed to death by you. if ben or conor or anyone else happened to pass by during this, their teasing would be answered with masons, “do you want us to win or not?”

when chelsea would end up winning a match, he’d get so smug. he’d claim that your kisses really were lucky, crediting you for their win. no, you weren’t just his good luck charm, you were the entire teams. if they happened to lose, even with your good luck kiss, he simply blamed it on someone else's performance or the refs shit calls. 

“well that was unfortunate, but it wasn’t my fault,” he would whisper in your ear, as you greeted him after a hard loss. you’d just shake your head, assuring him he was spectacular on the field. a smile would form on his lips as he whispered into your ear, “next time, we have to have a proper makeout, just to make sure we win, yeah?”

yet, right now, the air between you two is frigid. there are no giggles and no playful touches as you cover him in kisses. no, you both stand there and look everywhere but at each other. mason doesn’t leave right away, unsure if he should. you had never been one to deny him his good luck kiss, surely today wouldn’t be the start. arguments come and go but this was your tradition. he knew that you knew what it meant to him. yet, as you showed no indication of leaning in to give him his kisses, he figured he’d take on the role today.

look. you didn’t mean to turn your head, causing his kiss to land on your cheek. you swear it! you had seen him lean down and (secretly) felt relieved that today would have some normalcy, with your good luck kisses. but all too soon, you remembered how mason had refused to listen to you in the heat of the argument. instead of trying to talk things out and think of a solution, he had told you to “grow up” and walked away. like a switch, your anger and bitterness had come back with a vengeance. and like a reflex, your head turned when his lips came crashing down. 

you’ll admit, it was a petty move. you don’t really regret it though, anger still bubbling from his childish behaviour. if he wanted to be childish, so could you. 

you don’t regret it, that is until you see the look on masons face. your rejection of his kiss feels like the ultimate betrayal to him. the hurt in his eyes and his dejected expression have you second guessing everything you’ve ever done. 

“oh,” masons voice is small, but not as small as he feels at the moment. his face has fallen and his heart feels stripped bare. his sad pout is more present than ever. when he speaks, it's a mere whisper, “okay then.”

you’re not doing any better, all the hard feelings you had moments ago were looking very dumb. the look on his face had you ready to fold and forgive him. you had to hold yourself back from reaching for his hand and pulling him into your arms, kissing him until you were pulled apart. you just… couldn't. 

maybe you were too stubborn, but so was he. plus, you still felt you were owed an apology. he was the one in the wrong, the culprit in this stupid argument. you had to remain strong, even if all you wanted was to kiss the sorrows from his face. 

with one final (heartbreaking) glance towards you, mason turns to head into the locker room. and with that, you half heartedly head to the designated seating area for family and friends. 

it’s just a silly tradition mason and I have. we only do it because it gives us a reason to unashamedly make out. it’s not like our kissing sessions affect if chelsea actually wins or not, you tell yourself as you find your seat. 

soon enough, you’re eating your words. you don’t know if you should cover your eyes or turn your head away from the crime scene unfolding in front of you. the way chelsea is being annihilated by the opposing team, you’re dumbstruck. mason is a whole different story, playing like (in the kindest way possible) shit. it’s a sea of cards and missed shots. the ball gets stolen from him more times than you could count and his frustration is evident. he’s throwing fits and cussing out no one in particular as he walks the field. 

by the time the final whistle is blown, you’re grateful the bloodbath is done with. you’re not sure how you feel about what just happened. the one time I didn’t kiss mason, they really did lose, you mull over this. it can’t really be connected, right?

-

nonetheless, as you make your way towards the locker room, you’ve had time to think things over. you’re much more calm than when you left mason two hours ago, and all you want to do is kiss him and end this stupid argument. you’ll even be the one to swallow your pride and apologise if you have to, you just need things to go back to normal. heck, you even took off the hoodie and are proudly showing off the nineteen on your back. maybe that’ll ease the blow a bit. you can’t stop thinking of the hurt look he gave you when you rejected his kiss, and you can already imagine the horrid mood he’ll be in after the end results of the match. he’s already had such a difficult time with all his contract drama, another team loss is the last thing he needed.

waiting outside the locker room, you offer sympathetic smiles as all the boys start to walk out. mason is one of the last ones to exit, looking down at the ground as he walks. when he looks up and sees you, your heart wants to shatter into a million pieces. his dejected expression and ever present pout actually hurt you. 

“you didn’t kiss me,” he whispers matter-of-factly, as he comes to a halt in front of you. he’s still refusing to meet your gaze. he mumbles towards his shoes, “you didn’t kiss me and they kicked our arses out there.”

“what?” you’re baffled, having thought his sour mood would be due solely to the team's loss, or even to his mid performance. you hadn’t thought the lack of kisses between you had gotten to him so badly.

he finally looks at you, and it's like a shot to the heart. his eyes are filled with sadness and frustration and so much hurt. he states it as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, “you didn’t give me my good luck kiss. you turned away, so I played like shit.”

oh my, your heart might burst. my sweet, precious boy, I don’t deserve you. this situation is so pathetically heartbreaking and you hate to see him so sad over something you did. it’s all too much, the way he genuinely believes your kisses could control the outcome of the game and his performance. 

“my baby,” you’re wrapping your arms around him in an instant. automatically, he reciprocates the action and nuzzles his face into you. you begin to rub his back, trying to ease his breathing and relax him a bit. after a few moments in this embrace, you nudge him from his hiding spot in the crook of your neck and hold his face with both hands. you leave a kiss on the tip of his nose, “i’m so, so sorry. it’ll never happen again.”

he simply nods and offers you a slight smile. in return, you place a soft kiss on his jaw and on at the lobe of his ear. you leave another kiss on his cheek and one on his forehead. soon enough, you’re both lost in a haze of kisses. when you hear him let out a soft laugh, your heart strings ease up. 

yes, this is how it should be. no arguments and rejected kisses. there should just be laughter and intertwined hands and soft kisses and happiness. 

trying to lighten his mood even more, you look around before you lean in towards his ear. you fake whisper, “please don’t tell the other boys I didn’t kiss you today. I don’t want them to start forcing us to kiss in front of them before every game, like some sort of kissing cult sacrifice show.”

he gasps and puts on a (not so) fake offended face, “why not?”

[reverseexorcist]

Hello, can we get Sera x Winner!Reader?

The reader has hipdips, because I'm so frickin' gay and I got hipdips.

Unsure what form this would be, you can choose how to write it^^

❥ 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐨𝐯𝐞 ❥

Boy I am sure a sucker for the twevle foot tall maybe but probably not homicidal seraphim. She's just so gaslight gatekeep girlfail, y'know? (Also I just love old testament style angels in general <3)

➲ Sera+ !F!Winner!Reader

➲ Romantic ☒, Platonic ☐

➲ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 Count; 1,776 Words

➲ Warnings/notes; Bird tendancies for both Sera and the reader (nesting, preening, cooing), very fluffy, I just think she's really pretty, me when I saw Sera fr, slight hint of angst (exterminations), but with lots of fluffy comfort

Clouds fogged the window, the glow of the setting sun and edging indigo of the approaching night sky ebbing behind cotton fluff as the first few array of sparkling stars blipped to life. The wind chimes outside the pearly kitchen window swung softly, almost inaudible in the faint breeze - Despite the twining height of the heaven-sent spire, the topmost dwellings of the holy realm were at peace from the harshest of the winds, mostly because they didn't actually exist in such a utopian place.

You exhaled, wiping your hands messily across the front of your apron before returning to the simmering pot on the stove. The smells that wafted out from it were incredible, mouth-watering even. It was a new recipe you'd gotten from your seraphim sister-in-law, Emily, after your last dinner party, claiming it to be one of Sera's favourites, which was all the allure you needed

Sunset. Sera's workday was almost over.

You found it kind've unfair that even amongst the afterlife, there were certain angels that still had to work. There were volunteer jobs sure, something to keep peoples' hands busy so they didn't die again from boredom. But, you hummed as you thought, someone had to keep this place running neatly, and the heavenborn seemed made for this time (which, y'know, they probably were.)

It didn't make you any less salty about it, though. Winner pairs had every single hour of their artificial days to spend time together if they so desired, wandering around the bright metropolitan cities and the mellow, enchanting countrysides, and yet you and Sera spent most of your days apart. And then, you remembered with a rather sour twinge, on her rare scheduled day off a trial of utmost importance had popped up.

Marble crumbled underneath your strengthening grip on the counter, cracking pitifully before tumbling in a fine dust on to the floor. 'Whoops' - With pursed lips you waved your hands, angelic light seeling the cracks and repairing the damage you'd inadvertantly caused within seconds.

Outside noises drew your attention, a chorus of wingbeats fluttered down to the door, a holy sound so synonymous with Sera and her six wings that had you perking up immediately. Firm, yet you could tell even from the kitchen window that something was wearing on her. From the way you heard the falter before her landing and the uneased rustling of angelic feathers, there was a sort've weight to every single one of her movements that made your heart worry. Your own wings flexed nervously as you made your way over to the doorway.

Sera was already inside, brushing her dress down and picking at a few loose feathers clinging to the swoop of her neck, preening. Her brow was furrowed, probably in thought if her perpetual thinking lines meant anything, but there was a certain dullness in her pearlescent eyes.

Now you were definitely worried.

Even as you neared, it was the eyes on her crownpiece the swivelled to face you first, then the ones that dotted her enormous wings. It was only then did she sigh and turn to you with the smallest of smiles.

Tired was one word to describe her expression.

The seraphim's arms were wrapped around her middle, wings tucked tightly to her back and anxiously puffed up, the very epitome of 'something's definitely not right'. Which was certainly not something anyone ever thought of when imagining the the high seraphim Sera. And that in of itself was the problem - To see such a confident, caring and durable figure of authority so down in the dumps. But, more importantly, it made your heart bleed to see your life-partner so gloomy and still trying her hardest to not let it show (and obviously failing, which really only made you more fidgety.)

"Sera?" You tried to peer in her eyes, to gauge her emotions. She sighed through her nose, spreading her wings half-heartedly and crouching down more to your height, cooing softly like a dove. Delving into her warmth, you nuzzled against the silken fabric of her dress, wings brushing against wings as her feathers gently encased you in a warm hug. The feel of her slender fingers threading across your face, trailing down your neck till they rested on the fluff of your wing joints, rolling the downy, warm feathers gently between her forefingers as the eyes decorating her body slowly blinked closed, the tension in her shoulders slowly melting away as you returned her light touches. Trailing across her shoulders, through the sleek feathers decorating her shoulders and collarbone - Shiny like crystal, yet softer than clouds.

Sera hugged you a little tighter, palms rubbing circles on your back tenderly, holding you wholly within her much bigger being. The gentle weight of her head rested atop yours, nosing around. Bergamot and chamomile swept over you, sweet and citrusy with a hint of spice that clung to Sera's feathers, now shifted to your delicate plumage.

However, you could still feel the rigid anxiety flexing through her wings. As tightly as they hugged you to the tall seraphim's chest, they were taut and strained, not free and sleek like they usually felt with every hug. And as much as you wanted to ask, something told you that she'd reveal everything with time - Despite the sore subject of truthfulness between the two of you at the beginning of your relationship, it was something she'd worked on diligently over the hundred or so years you'd been paired.

"Sera, hun, you're tense," You murmured into her breastbone, "go relax, have a shower. Dinner's almost ready."

She seemed so reluctant to let you free of her grasp, feathers fluffing as you slowly pulled away. Lithe, long fingers trailed from your back muscles down your sides, tracing the dip in your hips back and forth. WIth a playful sigh, you pressed one kiss to her throat, then another on her jawline with a third and final smooch on the tip of her nose. Content, a faint coo warbled from her throat, eyes slipped closed before you peeled yourself away. Much to her dismay.

"Supper's on the stove! We can cuddle more after dinner," You flicked your wingtips, amused at the almost puppyish look of longing on Sera's face. Confusion creased the white flecks framing her eyes, and she wrung her fingers together before ultimately raising herself up to her full height, feet floating ever so slightly off the floor as she shuffled into the adjacent dining room (as much as one could shuffle when their feet weren't touching the floor, that is.)

Emily was right - The tired, worried, anxious look traced on Sera's face disappeared as you placed her bowl down before her, even more so when you sidled up next to her. Tentatively, her smallest wing reached out as it usually did, feathers tapping softly against your arm and own wings before wrapping around your shoulders. Satisfied with at least being in contact, dinner was enjoyed in a peaceful silence.

Outside, the windchimes danced in the breeze.

Your nest felt startlingly empty without Sera curled around you.

It was a feeling you never thought you'd get uesd to, and you always felt so small picking your way through the carefully placed plush walls, ducking your head under the twining fabric that hung from above creating an almost dome-like ceiling to shield the light of the moon away from your eyes. Sparse inside, but incredibly soft and warm to the touch, you found yourself practically sinking into the mattress, two silken pillows tucked comfortably underneath you.

Sera herself had perched herself right on the edge, one wing (the biggest one) spread out in front of her, fingers working swiftly yet thoroughly, plucking loose feathers out and righting crooked ones. Your own fingers were doing something similar with another one of her smaller wings, tentatively carding through her well-kempt plume.

The look was back, and her thoughts seemed so far away. Eyes aglow in the dim light, the stripe down her nose crinkled ever so slightly as she silently mulled something over and over in her mind.

Your fingers faltered, and she peered over her shoulder and down to where you were curled up at her side, wings sprawled over the nest like another blanket.

She held your gaze, and finally spilled those words that had been gnawing at her mind.

"They…" She opened her mouth, then closed it as if considering her next words very carefully. "Everyone knows."

You tilted your head, but with the way what you now realised was guilt had spread over her face, you knew exactly what she was talking about.

The exterminations were a contentious topic between the two of you - It almost caused you two to split within the first decade of your relationship, and it wasn't a subject you liked to think about all too often.

There was a part of you that felt vindicated. Heaven deserved to know the truth with how extreme the whole operation was, especially seeing as the exorcists just lived in and around the general public without anyone knowing, preaching about love and peace just like everybody else.

But, you knew the guilt Sera had been carrying ever since she'd made the decision. You'd had your fair share of fights that lead to one of you sleeping elsewhere at night, or even escalating to the point you returned back to your apartment for a few days just to cool off. And you'd worked past all that. Difficult, yes, but Sera was your life partner and you loved her with all your heart. Maybe in the future you'd be able to convince her to start a redemption program, like many had suggested in the past, but for now you just opened your wings and shuffled as the seraphim joined you in your joint nest.

Now it was perfect, nestled up in to crook of her neck amonst her downy feathers, indigo and gold as the night sky sat firmly outside. Blankets strewn over your legs, giant wings wrapped around your entire body - This was your personal heaven.

Sera's hands fell to your hips, thumbs rubbing against the gentle dips as her head braced against yours, dove-ish coos escaping her with every breath puffed form her nose. She was already fast asleep curled around you, all the weight now lifted from her shoulders for the time being, wings perfectly preened and delicately soft, perfect for cuddling.

Your own wings were cleaned too, a pleasant buzz tingling from where Sera had traced her loving fingers.

Chamomile tea, citrus and chashmere, soft feathers tickled your nose, and yet you couldn't find it in yourself to care.

Rules + Info,

Masterlist,

[engeorged]

Dear Alex

Dear Alex,

I can’t really remember how many times I’ve started writing this letter and how many times I’ve thrown it in the bin. It’s a really shitty way of doing this but I just don’t think I can tell you any of this to your face. I’m too embarrassed. It all started as a prank, a way to level the tables with the both of us. I meant to tell you sooner but I guess it got out of hand and here we are. I’m gonna have to start at the beginning I think. You’ll know all of this, just not my side of it I guess.

After university when we moved in together I wasn’t sure we’d last as room mates for more than a few months but it was so easy hanging out with you and we were both the same level of untidy so we didn’t piss each other off. We did have those tricky few weeks a few years back when we dated the same guy without realising but he turned into the biggest ballsack on the planet so it wasn’t hard to get over that!

I’m only mentioning that because that’s not the reason I got you fat. It wasn’t revenge for anything. I don’t fully remember the original reason to be completely honest, it wasn’t really a thought through thing, it just sort of happened. And yeah I know I just threw that it there. I got you fat. I mean you definitely played your part in it but I really messed with you man and I’m sorry.

It was innocent at first, I noticed when you started your new job and you were tired all the time, you started going to the gym less. I think it was when we were decorating the kitchen one weekend and you were painting the ceiling, I saw your rounded little pot belly when you were reaching up. All those late night take aways and evenings sat in front of the tv watching the football were taking their toll. Your flat muscled six pack was disappearing. It instantly filled me with hope. You had a flaw I could exploit!

It pains me to say this but of the two of us, you’d always been the hot one. Don’t get me wrong, on my own, I’m not bad looking. In fact if someone asked me I’d probably say I was a nine, it’s just that next to you, I’m a seven at best. Your blonde hair and permanently tanned skin made you the hottest guy in most rooms. All 6’5 of you was built like a cartoon of a rugby player which made it even worse! You’re a solid ten man and you always have been. I don’t think I realised how jealous I was until I saw you had a flaw. That solid curved furry belly I glimpsed gave me the seed of an idea. If you were fatter, it might even the playing field. I’m not proud of this, I just think you’d reserve the truth.

It started gently at first, I’d make twice the amount of food I’d normally make when it was my turn to cook. I’d pack the fridge with snacks and unhealthy things for you to pick at. I’d hand you beers when we were watching the game. You were so zoned into the match you never noticed me topping up your snacks or replacing the bud lights with full fat beers. Over a few months I watched as your little curve turned into a more substantial beer belly. And fuck you if it wasn’t the most perfect beer belly I’d ever seen. I was hoping it would make you less hot but turned out it made you hotter. Instead of a flabby pimply gut covered in stretch marks, you developed a firm round belly with perfect skin and even kept your Adonis belt. That’s when it got serious.

The first thing was gainer shakes. I started sprinkling gainer powder in everything, adding it to every meal or sauce I could dissolve it into. Everything I cooked for you was loaded with butter and ghee to double the calorie count. I found larger versions of our plates so that I could increase your portion sizes without you realising. I even started buying your clothes a size up and replacing the labels so you wouldn't realise. I was literally feeding you up like a fattened calf. And boy did you balloon. The first phase was months long and you gained 20/30lbs but this second phase was like you were being filled with an air pump. I can’t really believe I could do this to someone, especially someone who I would call my best friend.

It all came to a head yesterday when I crossed the line big time. That’s why I’m writing this letter now and actually sending it. I can hear you now snoring from your bedroom. Sleeping off the mammoth meal I stuffed into you across the evening. I’ve been awake all night and I keep going in to check on you to make sure you’re still breathing. I can’t believe you ate as much as you did and I can’t believe I pushed you into doing it.

I was only planning on slipping you a few of the tablets I found online. They were definitely safe and I want you to know I checked them and double checked them to make sure they were ok for human consumption. I guess that gives away the fact that they were actually for animals. I think they are used by wagyu beef farmers to get cows fattened up before they are butchered. They are supposed to increase appetite and metabolism. I popped two in your beer before the game and started my usual sneaky increase in your snacks. It wasn’t hard as you always put a lot away when our team is winning and they were three goals up by half time. I think at that point you’d eaten two bowls of Doritos and dip, a plate of sliders and a whole pan of chilli which I think would have served 8 comfortably. That was on top of the best of a crate of twelve beers. Your belly was swollen up to it’s usual bulging mass and you were already rubbing the sides to alleviate some pressure. I should have stopped there but I couldn’t help myself. I slipped you another few of the tablets. I guess in hindsight, the first two hadn’t properly kicked in at that point which meant that by the time the second half had started they were in full force. I couldn’t keep up with the snacks and you’d pretty much polished off the lot by the time the match had ended.

For the record it was your idea to order pizza. Your belly at that point was totally rounded out and your T-shirt was stretched over it’s taut surface. I guess you were pretty buzzed because you ordered four xl meat feasts. I didn’t really have any choice but to let it happen. And you might not remember any of this but you basically inhaled the first two. By that point you were fully maxed out. Your belly was tight and even the xxxl T-shirt you were wearing (that you thought was an xl) was beginning to show a few inches of your swollen belly. You could hardly move and I felt awful. Well that’s not totally true. I was actually pretty pleased at the state of you. My plan after all was to make you gain a few pounds so I’d be hotter than you and you’d basically blimped.

Anyway, what happened next I am truly ashamed about. You were laying there on the sofa clutching at your belly. The tablets clearly convincing your brain you were still starving, even thought your belly was basically an exercise ball now. And you were just moaning with the two pizzas next to you. And that’s when I snapped. I jumped up and shoved a whole slice into your mouth. You gaged but then after a few chews swallowed it right down. Slice by slice I pushed the remaining two huge pizzas down your throat. I could literally see your belly blowing up in front of me. When eventually I reached into the box for the next piece and found nothing, I realised what I’d done. I stepped back and looked at you. Spread eagle on the sofa, your belly sticking way up and round. Covered in sweat and grease. It’s as if I stepped out of my own body and realised what I had done to you. You were fucking huge man.

I left the room and went to my own to consider what to do next. I was half appalled and half in awe at the size of you man. When I came in half an hour later you were fast asleep and snoring like a pig, your gut still very much occupying its space. Guiltily, I managed to get you into your bed and laid you on your back so your belly could reach its full swell. I pulled your belt off so your stomach wasn’t under any pressure. I didn’t want you to pop or anything.

As I said I know our friendship is probably over but I want you to know I’m truly sorry. I took this way too far and I regret it. I’m happy for you to do what you need to do, and if that’s punch me in the face then so be it. I hope that in a few weeks you’ll be able to forgive me but if not then I understand and I will move out if that’s what you want.

In the spirit of fully disclosure, I want you to know that even though you’re maybe 100lbs fatter than you were, I still think you’re a ten. In fact if I’m really honest, I think you might even be hotter than that. Your belly last night was horrifying but also strangely attractive. The firm roundness of it and knowing how much food I’d crammed in there was actually quite erotic. Sorry if that’s tmi but I think I wanted you to have the whole truth. I have a small suspicion that you’ve actually enjoyed getting bigger and if that’s wrong then I’m sorry for presuming. But I actually wonder how big we could get that thing.

Let me know what I can do to make it up to you, or if I’m right and you wanna continue.

Yours apologetically (and hopefully)

Nate

Continued at Dear Nate

For the rest of my stories click here

[writerastray]

Dancing in the kitchen

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Disclaimer:

⚠︎ My works are all protected. I do not permit any form of copying, translation, or reposting. Please reblog if you want to share my work.

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-> Word count: 4.6k

-> Relationships: Lee Felix/afab!Reader

-> Rating: 18+ → Mature/Explicit

->Genre/Tropes: Non idol Au. Romance Au. Fluff Au. Trip Au. Angst (just a little bit). Smut. Other Additional Tags to Be Added. (Spoiler tags: Best friends to Lovers.)

-> Warning tags: Alcohol, Explicit Sexual Content. Other Additional Tags to Be Added.

-> Synopsis: You and Felix got both of your hearts broken and decided to go on a healing trip. It turns out that things don't quite go as planned. 

The thunderstorm outside made you jump in bed. For one second, you were lost as to where you were, then you remembered. Trip, Felix, vacation ruined.

The first thing you noticed was that Felix wasn't in his bed in the room across from yours, but you heard a humming and dishes clashing coming from the kitchen. You closed your eyes again and stretched out in bed until you sighed and opened your eyes to see the storm outside.

The motive of this short trip was to heal from the end of your relationships. How are the odds of both breakups happening in the same week?

The worst thing was that you two were also sad for each other. Felix was your best friend, and you hated seeing him with a broken heart. It hurts you too. So instead of one pain, it was two, which was clearly not helping any of you get better. Especially in those moments when one of you would finally manage to smile just to look by their side and find the other crying.

After two months, you decided that you couldn't keep living like that. You needed to move on. And Felix needed to. So, one night, the idea came. "Let’s go on a trip," you said. 

For a moment you hesitated, thinking he would be upset, afraid Felix and you weren't syntonized anymore like you both used to in the past, but then he answered, "Close to the beach," with a soft smile at you.

The impulsiveness drew you two over, and you and Felix searched for a nice place to stay and prepared the bags. It took two whole days to get everything ready. You let your family and friends know at the last second that you and Felix wouldn't be home.

The place was a simple, cozy house by the beach in the south. The first night you two would go have dinner out in a fancy restaurant, the next would be a lazy day on the beach, and both would go to some nice spot around the city later at night. Then you would probably sleep the day after to finally go home in the evening. This was the plan.

Everything went smoothly. Too smoothly. 

Of course, luck couldn't be by your side all the time, and you and Felix completely forgot about the weather. You saw the sky closing some hours after getting in the house, but it was summer; it rains all the time, so you didn't think much about it. 

Turns out, the day the vacation came, a thunderstorm struck. The storm came strong; some establishments were forced to close temporarily, including the restaurant Felix had reserved, and, according to the news, the storm would take at least two days to pass.

Now, you'd be stuck in a house for two nights and three days, hoping at least you could have fun in the last one.

You got up from bed and went to wash yourself, feeling worse than before and regretting every decision that made you come here.

It was 8 p.m. when you went to the kitchen, and the scene you saw made you chuckle. 

Felix was dancing with a spoon as a microphone. The melody he was singing was familiar. The smell of cookies made your stomach grumble. Felix's cookies were the best. He was so out of it that you couldn't resist the idea that came into your mind. I'm gonna scare him.

Stepping silently, you hold your breath and place your hands quickly on his waist–

A lightning strike too close to the house.

It made such a loud sound that both of you screamed your lungs out, and Felix, not knowing you were there, jumped to the floor, bumping his elbow into a bag of flour. 

A moment passed where you both just took a breath and calmed down before exchanging a look, and then you were cracking up at each other.

You extend your hand, and instead of pulling Felix up, he pulls down again, catching you by the waist. Your body between his legs and face close to his.

Your laugh fades away as you look at his brown, gentle eyes, which now have a little amusement in them.

"Were you about to scare me?"

You shake your head with a smile playing on your lips. "Of course not. Never." 

He closed his eyes and smirked, his tongue in his cheek. You laughed even harder.

"You think it’s funny?" He said, with eyes staring at you like a hunter at his prey, and before you could run, he tickled you, making you laugh until your belly hurts. You screamed for him to stop, and once Felix was satisfied with his job of making you helpless on the floor, he stopped. Laughter transformed into slow chuckles and breaths.

Felix was on top of you now, his hand resting on your body, making your heart skip a beat. He could be dangerously beautiful. The thought made you slightly embarrassed. 

Quickly, you both get up and start cleaning up the mess. There was flour spread on the counter and a little on the floor, and as you cleaned, you glanced at your friend. His concentrated face, big lashes, and pretty freckles you wanted to kiss—

Hold on. Breathe. He is your best friend. Don't let Minho's words ruin your friendship just because he was jealous.

You look at him again. There was flour on his cheek now. You went closer to him, putting your hand on his face and turning him toward you. 

"There's flour on your face," you said, voice coming out softly that you intended to, hand already cleaning.

You can feel his eyes on you, and you bite your lips. When you look at his eyes, you see him staring at your lips. Your heart feels like it's going to burst as your gazes lock again.

"I'm done," you said, wanting to distance yourself, but your body didn't obey you.

A tiny shake of his head brings his attention back to what you just said. "Sorry, my mind was somewhere else."

He went to the other side of the kitchen to get a broom, and you felt like you could breathe again.

What just happened? Your brain scans a bunch of reasonable possibilities that are not the ‘he might like you’ phrase screaming in your head. No. This was your stupid heart talking, not your brain. Your brain says, "He must be thinking about Hyunjin." They used to cook a lot together. Something similar must have happened before when they were still together, and he must have remembered the scene.

 Once both of you are done cleaning, you sit on one of the chairs close to the counter. "What are we gonna do now? It's raining non-stop."

He sighs and sits by your side, thighs touching each other, shoulders side by side. You felt comfortable and gently leaned your head on his shoulder.

"We can have fun in the house."

You look at him with an arched eyebrow.

"What?" He said, arching his eyebrow too. "We used to do this all the time in the past, remember?"

You do remember. Watching movies every Saturday night, waking up late on Sunday, sleeping on the sofa, playing video games and cards, baking his famous brownies, or ordering blueberry cupcakes from your favorite coffee shop in the neighborhood. How could you forget? Once you started seeing other people, you both started hanging out less and less.

"What do you want to do then?"

Felix smirked and made your heart quicken. He got both of your hands as he stood and kissed your knuckles. Next, he pushes you toward him and whispers in your ear, lips slightly touching your skin. "Let's dance."

"Dance? What about the cooki–"

He turned you around in the kitchen. "Don't worry about it. I wanna dance with you."

You giggled and turned around again. "I'm pretty sure we can't dance without music."

He let go of you to get his phone and played the familiar song that you had discovered to be Frank Sinatra's. He tilted his head and smiled at you, extended his hand, and, giggling, you accepted.

He pulls you to him, and you feel his warm hands resting on your waist. Both of you spin in a waltz, and he laughs at your clumsy movements.  Felix distances himself to turn you, and when he pulls you back, your back is pressed against him. 

You feel his hands going to your hips, making you shiver. His face nuzzles in the curve of your neck, giving you a gentle kiss and making you relax on his touch. You swirl from side to side on the rhythm of the song, but you wish to close your eyes and relish in his warmth.

Then he spins you until your chest hits his. Felix is humming the song, and his voice is soothing and melodic. You always loved his voice. 

Your arms rest around his neck. Your fingers caress his soft hair until he closes his eyes and rests his forehead on yours. None of you needed to say anything, but you both smiled. 

Your phone rings in your room, and like a broken spell, you distance yourself from Felix to get it.

You see a notification of a missed call from your mom. Once you called her back, explaining everything was fine and that none of you would go out in the storm, she calmed down. There were a few messages from your friends and one message from Minho.

Are u ok? You're on the beach, right? Stay home and safe. Don't go out in this storm.

You scoffed. Did he really think you were that stupid? You sighed. The memories of your time together rushing through you. Minho wasn't just a boyfriend. He was your friend before that. Your fingers were itching to answer when your gaze accidentally fell on the dress on the side of your bed.

Tonight you were supposed to have a fancy dinner, which was ruined. You look at the pretty dress sitting in the corner of your room. You put the dress against your body, cell phone already forgotten, and look at yourself in the mirror. You were so excited to wear it.

"Why don't you put it on?"

You jumped slightly. Felix leaned on the side of the door. You watch Felix through the mirror. His eyes on you made you a bit nervous, but you liked it.

"We are at home, why would I?" You shrugged. The slightly high tone in your voice made you wince.

You didn’t want to look disappointed. Felix was happy today. He was dancing, making cookies, and wanting to have fun. You wouldn’t ruin the moment just because you couldn't wear a silly dress.

"Why not? Let's dress up," he said, walking to you.

You turned to stare at him and see if he was joking. "For no occasion?" 

"There's a very important occasion today." He said, and stood behind you with his hands on your waist. "We are together, with time to waste and no obligations, so again, why not?"

You smile at him and shake your head, agreeing anyway.

As you change, you hear him say he would let things ready beforehand downstairs.

You put on make-up but leave your heels in the corner of your bed, choosing instead your slippers.  You heard Felix run to his room to change too.

When you two meet in the hallway, your breath gets taken away. You knew Felix was handsome, but in all those years of friendship, you never saw him in such attire, instead, he was usually in his sweater or jeans. He looked like a prince dressed in a black suit, and you couldn't take your eyes off him.

Till you looked at his feet and saw slippers on them. You chuckled, showing your slippers too, but Felix’s gaze ran over your body as he grinned.

"What a beautiful lady I encountered tonight." Then he looked at your feet and snorted. "With lovely slippers."

You slightly punch him in the shoulders and walk a little faster so he doesn't notice your embarrassed face.  

The living room was illuminated by candles. At the coffee table there were two more candles, snacks, cookies, and a bottle of wine with two glasses. Netflix was on TV, and blankets were over the sofa. You looked at Felix beside you and said, "It's perfect."

He shrugged with a little smile on his face. You made yourself comfortable and started to choose between a romance or horror movie when you heard Felix get his phone.

You look at him out of the corner of your eyes. He was frowning and biting his lips; his knuckles were white. Something was wrong. You wrapped your hands around his.

"Everything alright?"

He didn't say anything at first, and you waited until he answered. "He called and messaged me." He looked at his feet with a frown between his eyebrows. 

The motive behind Felix's breakup was unknown even to you. And he never felt comfortable talking with you. It hurt you at first, but when the time came and your heart was the one that got broken, you understood him. Sometimes it was difficult to talk with a broken heart. It hurts too much.  

Your body moved before you let yourself think, and you grabbed his phone from his hands. First, he was startled, but he quieted down when you said softly, "Why don't we put our phones down, hm?" You put his phone on the other side of the couch and came closer to say, "No need to worry about them right now."

You look him in the eye. You were so close. He has the most beautiful eyes. You cup his face and kiss his forehead. He nodded and said, "Thank you, Y/n."

"Don't thank me for this. It's what friends do."

You cuddled with each other and went back to deciding what movie to watch.

When Howl’s Moving Castle was over and you two were full of food, you both just stayed there on the couch.

There was still a storm outside. The silence between you and Felix was good, comfortable, and safe. 

When you were alone in the silence, memories of Minho took hold of your head. The dates you went, the nights you spent with him, his smell and taste, and then you went to the doubts. Where did it go wrong? Were you not enough? Was there a problem with you? And then to his last words. Words you wish to not remember.

But tonight with Felix, you let yourself drift away, daydreaming about a sunny day with both of you at the beach, eating ice cream, swimming, and sleeping all afternoon.

You feel Felix place his hands slightly on your lap, making you jerk a little before relaxing into his touch. It was strange to be physical with him again. When you dated Minho, you stopped being so close to Felix this way, and maybe you didn’t realize it then, but you missed being like this with him. Maybe Minho saw this before you.

His hands were warm, and you liked the feeling of them against your skin, circling his finger in random patterns. You felt comfort in it, even though, now and then, your heart raced. As it had always done with everything related to him. Ever since the first year of college. 

The first time you met Felix, it was like you two just clicked, like you knew him from a previous life. An old soul friend. You used to have feelings for him once, but you always hold them back out of fear of ending your friendship. I don't want to lose him, you thought.  The day he told you he fell in love with someone else, your heart broke in silence. You were already friends with Minho, and with time, you fell in love again. Felix was just a crush in the past and a friend of forever.

Felix moves close to your ear, and runs his nose through your hair, breathing the aroma of your shampoo. "Wanna go to bed?" With his voice so near to the crook of your neck, he made butterflies flutter in your stomach. I shouldn't be feeling this way. 

You nodded, humming a yes, and got up, a little dizzy from drinking all night. You go to the bathroom and try to calm your heart while changing into a large t-shirt and underwear before getting ready for bed.

Once you're back in your room, you grab your phone and answer Minho with an ‘I’m okay. bye’, making a promise to yourself not to message him again. After you message the rest of your friends, Felix enters your room, already in his pajamas.

"Wanna cuddle?"

You snort, even if your heart skips a beat. You pull the sheets off your bed, giving him space, and he giggles, making you roll your eyes.

He climbs into bed  and hugs you on the back, making himself comfortable. You can feel his breath in your neck, nuzzling his face into you. Chills rushed down your spine as your eyes fluttered. He chuckled behind you.

"Are you cold, Y/n?" You could hear the teasing in his tone.

"Asshole," you said. He gives you a kiss on the neck. Something twists in your stomach. It's been so long since you did this with Felix.

"Can I ask you something?" He said, surprising you. He was always comfortable asking you anything. So you turn around to face him.

"Of course."

He stared at you before gently stroking your cheek. "You never told me why you and Minho broke up?"

Your body stiffens at the question. Why is he asking me this? Sighing, you turn to look at the ceiling, but your hand is drawn to his silky hair.

"You never told me why you and Hyunjin broke up either?"

He doesn't answer, so your gaze goes back to him. Your heart sank when you saw the anguish in his eyes. You gently put your fingers between his eyebrows to stop the frowning. "You don’t need to force yourself to talk."

"No, I think it’s time. I want to be honest with you," he said. So, you stay there, looking at him and appreciating every detail instead of freaking out. You saw his resolution, and when he closed his eyes, he said, "He thinks my heart belongs to someone else."

You cover your mouth with your hands, your heart beating faster, before asking, "Someone else? Who?"

He gulped, and the seconds he waited to say appeared to be an eternity for you. "You. Hyunjin said I have feelings for you more than for him."

You look at him without believing what you just heard. You take a deep breath, trying to process what he just said. Was fate playing games with you?

"I– Why would he even think that?" You said, knowing deep down that these words were not only about Felix's situation but yours too.

When your gazes meet, it feels like you finally became conscious of what was happening. You and Felix were with legs intertwined, his chest turned almost entirely to yours, and warm hands on your waist.

He was too close, and your hands were trembling, heart pounding against your chest.  "And do you think that is true? What do you think about that?" You insisted, with hope flourishing inside you. Felix licked his plump lips before answering.

"I think I have spent a lot of time with you in my head ever since I met you. And when you crossed my mind, it was not only as a friend."

Your heart stopped for a second. Your thoughts didn't work, and the words didn't come. Did Felix just confess? That wasn’t possible. He always saw you as a friend and never did anything that could make you think otherwise. Right? 

Time seemed to slow down. There was no storm outside, no sound of wind coming from the windows, no exes, nothing. Only you and Felix.

Your body moved for you, fingers touching Felix's face, tracing his cheeks, his lovely freckles. Felix closed his eyes at your touch and pressed his face against your hands.

"Y/n, why did you and Minho break up?" he said, and you saw his eyes squint in his confusion. You only shook your head, denying everything in front of you. You didn't want to talk about that.  The realization that Minho was right all the time made you even more confused. You'd really hurt your ex, and that breaks your heart. But it doesn’t break fully enough to not accept the happiness that Felix just offered you. His feelings. 

When Felix sees your lack of response, he gets even closer, the weight of his body pressing on yours. Your hands went to his hair, as his lips were in your ears. "Y/n," he said softly, "why did you two break up?"

At this point, you already have tears almost falling. You need to be honest, just like he was with you. You couldn’t hold back anymore. Felix put just enough distance between you two to look at you. I need to say it.

"He said I still have feelings for you."

Your eyes don’t leave Felix. You noticed all the small changes. His eyes closed before opening wide, a small tilt of his head—all the little expressions that showed he was confused.

"What do you mean, still?"

"What do you think I mean?" You said, frustrated that you needed to be brave about your feelings. "I liked you for a long time, Lix. But then you were in a relationship, and then Minho came, and I really believed I left my feelings for you in the past, but—" and you breathe deeply before letting the last words fall. "It seems I’m still in love with you."

In a heartbeat, Felix's lips were on yours. His lips were warm and soft on yours. He nudges your lips to open and tastes you, his hands going down your body, dragging you in closer.  Felix’s kisses felt right. They made you want more and more. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against yours. "I can’t believe we’ve been in love with each other this whole time.”

You felt him shake his head, your noses bumping lightly against each other. You could only smile, not believing it was real. He has feelings for you. Felix. Your  best friend. 

"Say it again?" You say, almost in a whisper, with fear that you'd shattered whatever was happening at that moment.

"What?"

"Your feelings for me, say it again?"

He held your face and said, "I’m in love with you."

You brush your lips against his, heart racing, euphoria rushing through your body.

"Again, Lix" 

"I’m in love with you," he said, and you threw your arms around his shoulders and kissed him passionately.

Felix let out a low sound as he grabbed your hair and pulled your neck back, kissing you down your throat. His hands moved smoothly over your stomach, fingers brushing your skin and making you shiver. Your hands traced the shape of his body, and you felt the warmth through his shirt and the flex of his muscles.

You pulled your shirt over your head and tossed it to the ground, and Felix did the same. His gaze travels down to your naked body and back to you.

He bends down and kisses you in the temple, on your cheek, and at the corner of your lips. When you search for his lips, he smiles before giving in. 

He kissed you deeply now, his tongue sliding against yours. Your fingers go to his soft hair as the thunder rumbles again.

Felix’s hand wanders to your breast, and he circles your nipple between his fingers. You plunged towards his neck, breathing against his skin as your lips grazed back and forth, licking his skin, exploring just below his ear, then kissing and sucking all the way to his shoulder. The second Felix's cock hardens against your thigh, you moan against his skin, and you drag his lobe through your teeth.

You put your hand on his cock and feel the heat. The head swells, and you drag your thumb over the slit. You smirked as he let out a growl, pleased with his reaction.  That you were the one making him feel like this.

You shudder when his hands find their way between your thighs. You felt his hands go higher and higher until they found the place you needed him the most. Then, fingers slide in your pussy making you arch your back. 

“Dripping wet for me already.”

He slides his fingers, caressing your pussy and dragging his knuckles over your clit, making your hips shake with his teasing. He dragged two fingers in his mouth before rubbing your clit with them. You inhale sharply when he sticks his fingers deep inside of you. 

Felix’s lips encounter your throat, brushing gently, then biting and licking as his fingers explore inside you, making wet sounds and leaving you slightly embarrassed. But you love it. You love that it was him doing that to you. 

"Please, Lix, I need you inside me.” You whine to him, seeing his eyes smile with affection. 

"So needy, hm?” He said, angling you toward him. Your pussy throbbing.

A swear slips your lips when the head of his cock comes to your center. 

"Oh, Fuck," you cried as you arched your back.“You’re so hard.”

Your skin was stretched, and it hurt a little, but it was so fucking good, too.

A moan escapes from him when he moves in and out of you slowly. The pressure in your clit increases as Felix's pace quickens  and your body tenses. Soon, you're wriggling beneath him, looking for any type of friction. 

"Felix," you groaned as you rolled your hips. The house was filled with sighing and moaning and the sound of his skin hitting yours. 

Felix's gaze meets yours, and lust flickers in them. “Fuck, I love you so much,” he says, as his fingers find your swollen cunt, swirling two fingers around your clit. Your stomach tightened until you couldn't hold it any longer. 

You cry out and let go. 

Your body burst into pleasure, and you clenched around him. 

His hands sink to your hips, and he slams into you, making you scream his name. Felix rides through his orgasm, a growl so loud coming out of him that goosebumps cover your body, until the last of his cum fills you up.

You are both panting when he pulls out of you.

You close your eyes and let the waves of pleasure die until your hands find Felix’s–

A lightning strike made you and Felix jump. Arms wrapped around one another. You meet his gaze, and a second later, you two are laughing in bed. 

"These lightnings are going to ruin me," you said, and Felix's hands found your jaw and drew you to him.

"Not if I ruin you first." His lips brush against yours, and you kiss him once more.

The sun was rising when you woke up. You see Felix's chest. Then, his sleepy face. You get tempted to kiss him right there. Felix's arms are wrapped around your waist as you recapitulate what happened last night. A smile formed on your lips. Felix likes you, and he knows you feel the same.

Then you realize, maybe the vacation wasn't ruined after all.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Author's note: Hi! This fic was inspired by the song dancing in the kitchen by Zachary Knowles! English is my second language, so please excuse my errors. Constructive feedback is always appreciated! I do not permit any form of copying, translation, or reposting of my work.

Did you enjoy this? If so, please reblog it. Thank you for reading! Sending love <3

Copyright © 2023 by Writerastray

[eeunoia]

ENHYPEN Mini Series

ENHYPEN as Taylor Swift Songs

CRUEL SUMMER

synopsis: summer is what you’ve always looked forward to. not just because there’s no school, but also because you’ll be seeing your brother’s bestfriend and also the love of your life, park jongseong.

pairings: jay park x reader

word count: 12k.

warnings: angst, kissing, party, alcohol mentioned, suggestive. please take note that oc is at legal age already when this happened, no intention of grooming or anything.

note📎: i got totally carried away writing this. i just love cruel summer x jay concept. he fits so much? i hope you like this because i enjoyed writing this. your reply and reblog means a lot and my ask are open for you thoughts. thank you and stay safe.

“Will Heeseung oppa come home this summer, Mom?” your eyes are hopeful as you wait for her response. Both of you are at the kitchen, cleaning up. Dinner just finished and you are here trying to give her a hand.

“Of course.” as she continues to place the clean dishes over the drawers.

She glanced at you, no suspicion can be seen over her eyes. Of course, you are always been very close to your brother so having you asking for this kind of question is not a surprise to anyone anymore. You are indeed curious if your brother will come home. You missed him and all, but what’s excites you more is his best friend that always comes here with him.

Park Jongseong, everyone calls him Jay. He’s very handsome, cool and well mannered guy. Your parents has always been very fond of him ever since they moved in town back when he’s in sixth grade. He became friends with your brother and they became very close to the point that your house became his second home. Your parents offered him to come here every summer since most of his family lives in america now and he doesn’t have anyone around. They feel bad for him if he spends his summer alone in their big house. It has been their routine ever since freshmen year and they’re at their third year of college now.

Now, Jay is not just handsome, he’s also very smart and extremely hot. There’s just something in him that makes your stomach wrenches and sometimes presses air out of your lungs whenever he’s around. You admit that you have a small—okay a huge crush over him. But you’re afraid that he just sees you as his little sister because he basically saw you grew up. He’s two years older than you.

You can’t exactly remember when you started to develop this feelings for him, maybe when your stares lasts longer than before. Or when he started to greet you using his low voice, leaning down so he can whisper it a bit near your ears. This changes occurred last summer. Nothing happens more than just teasing stares, his sexy smirks whenever you’re around and his occasionally soft skinship with you.

It wasn’t anything creepy. Honestly, it makes your heart jolt from time to time. You can feel excitement runs through your veins whenever he’s around. This summer, you’re more than thrilled for them to come home. You don’t know what’s going to happen or will there ever be. Afterall you just turned 18 last week. And they said a lot of exciting things starts to happen after becoming at legal age.

“Is Jay oppa coming?” you act normally, to prevent catching suspicion from your Mom. She seems to bite the trap and just nodded her head, it was obvious that she’s excited to see her two ‘sons’ this summer. That's how he calls them.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow! Do you think they will go to the lake this summer again, Mom? I want to go too!” you can’t contain your excitement just by thinking about it.

She glances at you with a smile while drying her hands over a clean cloth, “Oh, I’m sure they have a lot of other things to do this summer sweetheart.”

You pouted and tilt your head over to the side a bit, confused. “And what is it?”

“Like parties and catch up with their friends. You know how those two are too popular to be forgotten by their highschool mates.” she chuckles that made you giggle as well.

Your eyes trailed over to your hands as you play with your fingers, “Well, I guess you’re right. But do you think oppa will agree to take me with them? In parties?” voice hopeful and just by thinking about it makes your whole system jumping in excitement.

She looks at you and stared for a while before smiling, “Maybe, darling? I mean you are at the age where you’ll want to explore the world, am I right?”

You smiled brightly after having a positive answer from your Mom. You nodded your head continuously, “Right, Mom! I’m 18 now anyway.”

It was the last day of school and you are very impatient for it to finish. You’re very sure the other students feels the same way as you because school ending only means its summer already. And summer means your brother will come home with his best friend, Park Jongseong.

Your mind was filled with nothing but him throughout the whole class. Its fascinating how you never get sick of it and how you think of how much fun you guys will have this summer. Its super thrilling this time because you’re at legal age already, meaning your brother may take you with them more often than before.

It took everything in you to stop yourself from squealing in happiness once the last class was dismissed. It was stretched out by some reminders of your teacher to make sure you clear out the lockers and so on. You are too occupied to even give a care about it, busy stuffing your things inside your bag so you can be ready to go.

“We're planning to go out of town this summer break, Y/n! How about you?” your head snapped over to your group of friends the moment you heard one of them talked to you. As you look at them, all eyes were at you, waiting for your response. They looked hopeful, since you always go with them whenever you guys have hang-outs.

You flash them an apologetic smile, “Sorry guys! My brother is coming home this summer break from his college university so I’ll spend it with him.” and because Park Jongseong is coming with him. You wanted to add that, but you refrain yourself from doing so.

Some of your friends pouts in disappointment, some even have their shoulders hang low. They forgot about your yearly routine of spending your summer with your brother. Well, they couldn’t blame you because he does go to a far school and will be a sucker if you didn’t spend time with him while he’s here.

You bid good-bye to your friends right away so you can leave and go home. The bus stop was filled with students waiting for their bus. Impatiently waiting for your ride home, you fished your phone and checked if there’s any messages your brother left you. The last message he sent wss that they already left their dorms and on their way back to your town.

Upon arriving home, you walked in with your Mom busy fixing the guess room where Jay usually stays. The room across the hall was where he sleeps during the summer. She turns her head after hearing your steps and smiled widely at you.

“Hi Mom,” you greets and stood by the door just to see how the room looks.

“Hey sweetheart. Go change clothes and go down so you can help me with dinner.” she instructs that made you pout a bit.

“But I have to prepare for oppa’s arrival.”

She chuckles finding it cute how you’re preparing for your brother. She was totally clueless that it was for his bestfriend. Your pout remains with your pleading eyes for her, but she didn’t let it pass.

“It’ll only take you an hour. Plenty of time to fix yourself tho I don’t understand why you have to bother for it. It’s just your brother and Jay, its not like he took some friends with him, Y/n.” and she continues tidying the pillowcase.

Exactly. He’s coming home with Jay.

“Still, I want to look presentable.” you tried hard not to sound too suspicious about it.

She doesn’t seem to wonder and just asked you to change so you two can start already. You groaned lightly but follows what she said. Changing into a more comfortable clothes, you stride down the stairs afterwards ready to help your Mom. She was already in the kitchen, wearing her aprons.

You walked closer and helped her. The two of you started preparing the dinner. Your Dad arrived minutes after and he just asks if the two boys are home already. He went to his office after hearing that they aren’t home yet, leaving the two of you to focus on cooking.

“Done!” you let out a sigh after fixing the tables and stare at it with satisfaction.

“Great, thanks for helping me darling.”

You smiled at your Mom before telling her that you’ll go upstairs to prepare. Thankfully, she lets go of you and just went back on finishing the food.

It’s not like you will dress up too much. You want to look presentable, but not to the point that your brother will be suspicious. He’s very quick witted so you need to be extra careful. He never mentioned that you aren’t allowed to like boys, but you have no exact idea how he will react if he knew you’ve been liking his best friend for years already.

Almost finished, a knock errupted from your door. “Y/n, your brother and Jay is almost here. Go down afterwards, all right?” she reminded that you answered with a quick ‘Okay!’

You leaned closer the mirror and checked your reflection, making sure to look keenly at every details. You looked okay, but you wanted to look pretty.

“Y/n! Your brother’s here!” your mom shouted. Your eyes grew and your heart raced rapidly just by hearing her say those words.

“Oppa!” you greeted happily and ran towards your brother. He chuckles and return your hug. You are excited to see him, but what excites you more is the person he came along with.

“Hey angel.” a low husky voice said from behind you. Heart starts racing, shivers running through your spine and you felt so thrilled.

Slowly, you turned to face him and you are lost of words. There, Park Jongseong looks so handsome. His hair a bit longer than how it looks the last time you saw him. He smirks and one of his arms opened before he tilts his head.

“No hug for me?”

Your brother is now busy talking to your Mom and Dad. His smirks grew wider when you walks closer to wrap your arms over his waist. His lips slightly grazed over your forehead and you moved away seconds after the hug. You can feel your heart racing so fast, you’re afraid that it will burst out any minute now.

You glanced away, face totally flushed as you awkwardly stand just a little far from him. Jay’s eyes follows you silently and his attention diverted to your Mom when she approaches him go greet him. Your Dad also went close to say Hi. They looked so happy seeing him again.

“How’s my favourite sister?” your head snaps towards your brother as he reached your hair then messes it a bit.

Your lips gapped at what he did and quickly swat his hand away, “Oppa! Don’t mess my hair.”

He smiles, finding you cute when you’re annoyed. “Come on, I just missed my baby sis.” he says, tone obviously taunting. It made you flush and tried to roll your eyes, but gave in to his sibling hug. Like you mentioned, your brother and you grew up very close so this is naturally normal.

“I missed you too, oppa. But you’re still so annoying.” you mumbled that he didn’t react much to.

“Enough bickering you two and let’s go eat already.” both of you followed your parents towards the dining area with you standing between the two tall boys.

Having to stand beside Jay was both nerve wrecking and thrilling for you. It’s not like this is the first time, but maybe you just like him that much. Clearly, you are aware of your feelings and now every small actions or interactions you get with him makes you all flustered.

The dinner started, you sitting at your usual spot which is beside your brother and Jay in front of him. Your brother assisted you, putting food on your plate, teasing you from time to time as he continues chatting with your parents about college. Of course, your parents won’t ever make Jay feel left out as they ask him questions too.

“So Jay, we heard from Hee that you two are doing well in the rugby team.” Dad turns with a proud smile and hopeful eyes towards the young guy, looking forward on hearing more about the sport.

“Ah, yes. It was fun playing, although we need to put more effort on catching lessons and missed activities.” he stated in this maturely tone. The way he says it indicates how sure and confident he is that he knows what’s going on in his life and that he’s in full control of it. You find it amusing. Totally amused.

“Oh I can only imagine the girls admiring you boys! Any chance of news about girlfriends this semester?” this time, it was your Mom’s turn to get into the conversation.

The smile on your face faded as the question was a big deal for you. The two of them were pretty popular in your town because of their looks and so much more, it won’t be much of a surprise if they gain attention in their university.

“I’m too focus on my studies, Mom. I think girls can wait. I mean if the right girl comes, then okay. If not, its totally fine too.” your brother said and took more bite over his food.

Your brother was always the playful and flirty type ever since. He may seem to be a very out-going person, but behind all these he takes school seriously. He have firm goals in life that he’s sure to achieve no matter what. His motivation and dedication in everything he does is amazing. He’s such a chic magnet, but also knows his priorities.

“That’s great, Hee.” your Dad couldn’t hold his smile, looking at your brother proud.

“But Jay here,” your brother started and smirked at his friend that now shakes his head lightly before smirking as well, glancing down his plate.

“He sure does have a reputation of making girls cry. He’s...” he stalled his words and gave out a bit exaggerated sigh, “..crazy.”

You couldn’t hide the expression on your face while you listen silently. Your eyes looked at Jay who's trying to stop your brother from ‘exposing’ him to your parents. He doesn’t seem too fazed about it and take it as a joke. Your parents and your brother seems like the same. You frown lightly and turned your eyes down your plate, started to play with your food while your mind flew far away.

“I mean Jay is very handsome and charming so I don’t doubt girls will fall for him all the time.” your Mom says and you agreed silently. You are clearly aware of how good looking Jay was! You’ve been talking about it nonstop since the beginning.

“Yeah, and a heartbreaker.” your brother jokingly insinuate that earned laughs from your parents and a subtle ‘Stop it dude.’ from Jay.

“How about you, baby sis?” your hand stopped moving as you unconsciously craned your neck to look at them. Suddenly, their attention were at you.

Pretty occupied about the sudden news of Jay breaking hearts there and there, you spaced out so the question slipped off from you. “W-What?” you asked clueless.

“Any boys that I need to watch for while I’m here for the summer?” he asks, eyebrow raising strictly at you.

Four pair of eyes looks at you and your Mom was the only one giving you innocent eyes. The other three were like predators waiting for their prey to say something wrong for them to attack. You gulped, anxious and pouted, glaring over your brother.

“N-No. What are you talking about, o-oppa?” the whole situation felt a bit awkward and flustering for you.

“Hee, cut your little sister some slack. She’s very pretty and its just normal for boys to like her and for her to like boys.” your Mom tries to meddle.

Heeseung rolls his eyes in a snobby way, “I know that she’s pretty, Mom. That’s why I will watch these suitors without blinking this summer.”

You kept your pout as your parents shrugs and laughs it off. Its not something new, your brother’s always been the protective type.

“Let her be, Hee. During these age is when they normally get boyfriends.” Mom seemed to be smiling widely at the thought of a summer romance for you.

Your brother scoffed, “Why? Do you like someone already? Perhaps a schoolmate?" his question sounded like a trap.

“N-No. I don’t like someone from school.” and as you glance away from him, your eyes caught Jay’s. It was just a brief eye contact, but sure does make your heart raced like crazy.

The dinner went on and thankfully the topic diverted about something else. All in all, you had a pretty much good time. You missed your brother’s annoying ass and enjoyed chasing glances towards Jay, eye contacting with him from time to time.

Having your brother and Jay back in town only means parties will be thrown and held continuously. Of course, they won’t miss a chance of catching up and getting to meet again after a while. Their batchmated organizing and planning gatherings up was just foreseen. That also means their group of friends, which consists of unbelievably and insanely attractive guys, will gather up and party.

Parties with super popular and attractive guys just indicates that a lot of girls will be there to see them. There is no way you will let it pass. You wanted to come with them. Try to experience how their life plays through, have a taste of Jay’s usual crowd.

“What time later, dude?” your brother asks while you all kill time by the living room, watching random tv shows.

“7 pm,” Jay lifts his eyes from his phone he’s been busy for the past two hours, constantly texing someone. You have no idea who it is, but its annoying. “Jake said he’ll meet us there with Hoon." he continues and eyes caught you staring while trying to shove another popcorn over your mouth.

You instantly flushed and stared away failing to notice how Jay’s eyes falls over your lips, busy chewing the newly popcorn inside.

“Okay, I'll get ready in a while.”

“Where are you guys going? I want to come!” excitement rulled over your tone as you flash this wide big smile to Heeseung.

His brows furrowed, a little confused. “What do you mean, you’ll come? No way.” He rejects your suggestion of joining them for tonight.

You showed disbelief and quickly protests, “Why not?!”

“It will be crazy there. I'll drink so much and I’m not sure if I can look after you.”

“I'm 18, oppa. You don’t have to look after me like I'm five.” you reminded him, just incase your brother forgot the fact that you are not a kid anymore.

Just in time, your mother walks in with grocery by her arm. Jay stood up right away seeing her and offered help that result her for smiling sweetly at him.

“Mom! Please tell oppa to let me go with them.” her eyes diverted at you with confusion.

“Where?”

“A party.” you said shortly. Her eyes then moved towards your brother.

“Take your sister with you, Hee. What time will you guys go? Are you staying for dinner?” she says continuously that made you smile widely.

“What? Mom, its a party filled with drunk teen agers and I’ll probably be super wasted and can’t look after her properly.” he tries to still argue.

“It will be fine, Hee. Its not like y/n is five or something.” her calm voice slightly reflects yours.

You grin widely at him, like a smile of victory. “See? That’s what I told him, Mom.”

Heeseung rolls his eyes and threw his head back out of defeat. Jay can only watch on silence and enjoy how you tease your brother for it.

“Fine. But once something I don’t like happen, you are going home.”

You wanted to complain and argue more, but in the end you just nodded your head. Bad things won’t happen anyway, its not like it will occur on fun events like it. You are just so happy you get to be with them in a party. You wanted so bad to see more of Jay.

After getting ready for the party, you went downstairs to see the two tall guys waiting patiently for you. Their eyes darted at your direction right away, one have blank expression the other turned a little dark out of confusion.

“Your dress is too short. Won’t you get cold?” your brother asks as he stood up to meet you halfway.

You snorted, trying to hide your nervousness and your shyness because you can still feel Jay's eyes looking at you. His heated gaze didn’t left you and was just silently watching. It made butterflies go crazy inside your stomach you couldn’t even focus at your pissed off brother.

“Don’t they normally wear this at parties?”

In the end, of course your brother couldn’t do anything about it as well. He just had to let it slide and take you to that party. He walks first, you followed and Jay’s a couple steps behind you. Not too near, but also not too far, yet his presence was enough to make your knees weak. The way his hair was brush-up, showing off that perfect forehead. His outfit looks amazing too. Now you can definitely imagine him being a playboy, going around their campus grounds breaking girls hearts.

“Have fun, kids!” you even heard your Mom shouted while you wave at her.

“Hop in.” your brother says and opened the car door for you.

Your eyes looked over to Jay and he’s on his way towards his own vehicle. Heeseung noticed where you’re looking so you teared your gaze away, fearing he will catch on right away.

“He’ll take his own car because we’re not sure if he will go home with us anyway.” he said meaningfully before he closes the door and walks towards the driver’s car.

Your chest tightens and hurt by just thinking of what he will possibly be doing if he won’t go home with you later. You aren’t that innocent, you are well aware of things and honestly jealousy pricking your heart just by the thought of it.

The drive was short, Jay’s already parked and talking to someone you aren’t familiar with. Heeseung parked right beside Jay’s and goes outside to help you get down.

“You good?” he asks and you nodded with a smile. You two walked towards Jay and they both turned their heads.

“Lee Heeseung!” the man beside him greeted your brother, “Nice to see you again dude!” he seemed very pleased to meet your brother again.

Jay walks towards you that made you hitch your breath, your eyes follows him consciously. “Fix your dress, angel.” he whispers that sent shivers through your spine.

He looked so serious and it intimidated you right away. You gulped and quickly obliged. He stood right behind you, waving and greeting some acquaintances that passes by.

“Good girl.” he smirks dangerously at you. “That’s my angel.” your body shivers at his low husky voice. You almost lose your mind.

“Who is she?” your attention darted at the guy in front your brother.

His smile faltered and swat the chest of his friend playfully, Heeseng covering you from his sight protectively.

“Stay away, dude. That’s my sister.”

He gasps, “That’s your sister already?” he sounded so amused.

Your brother shut any possible question about you then just insisted that all of you goes inside now. It was already loud from outside and its deafening inside. You’ve seen parties from movies and all, but it sure is different when you’re experiencing it firsthand. The flickering lights makes you a little dizzy and confused how people manage to know who's who.

If you’re overwhelmed, Jay and Heeseung are completely different. They are so chill about it like this kind of places are totally normal for them. People recognized and greets them right away, some eyes settles over you after greeting your brother and they will wonder who are you. Then their eyes will move towards the other tall guy behind you, and their eyes will light up excitedly.

You are in between them, your brother holding your wrist to keep you from getting lost. Some of the guys' looks stays at you, finding you pretty. It didn’t slip off from Jay and the next thing you know, his hand sneakily settled over your waist caughting you off-guard. You aren’t still over it when he did his next move, leaning so close to you, his hot breath fanning your neck.

“Don’t talk and accept drinks from anyone, okay? Stay close to your brother, angel.” he then moved away, your head following him wanting more closeness.

He waved and greeted friends as your brother continues to pull you somewhere. Jay stood there, interacting with people. His smirks looked dangerous and the way he talks with girls are obviously giving you the impression that he’s the real master of this game.

“Stay close or I’m dragging you back home.” your brother warned you and sat you down the sofa. You pout while your brother hands you down a pillow to cover your legs.

“Can’t I at least have something to drink?” you asked him with a hint of sarcasm. He can’t be serious about not giving you any drinks tonight. Gladly, he did gave you some.

Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves except from you. The lights are making you dizzy, the liquor tastes so bad, your brother flirting with a girl but kept eyeing you like some babysitter, people making out left and right and most important thing, Jay’s nowhere to be found.

After sitting there for nearly 40 minutes acting like a spoiled brat taken to a random place, you stood up and approached your brother. His eyes shifted at you right away, leaning down to hear you clearly. All of his attention at you.

“I’ll just look around for some friends. It’s boring just sitting around, oppa.” you tried to complain at him. He looked hesitant at first to let you go, but thankfully he did.

He reminded you not to accept any drinks from other people and to go back here if something happened. You assured that you’ll be alright and started roaming this big house. Its filled of kids your town, most of them are upper batch—same class with your brother— and some are your age. Some group of boys follows you with their eyes, admiring you while you’re busy searching the room with a familiar face.

“Y/n!” your head craned at the sound of your name and face brightens when you saw one of your friend.

“Fia! Omg I’m so glad to see you here.” she walks closer to you as you exclaimed that. She chuckles and greets you with a warm hug.

“I can’t believe you are here!” she says as she pulls away from the hug.

“My brother took me with him.”

Her eyes immediately searched for your brother and it made you smirk, “Where? Where’s your handsome brother?”

You snorted and playfully pushed her shoulder lightly. “Can you at least pretend that you’re not a simp for him?” she clings her arm as she laugh.

“How can I not drool over Lee Heeseung? He’s like super hot.” she gave this dreamy expression that made you roll your eyes.

“Then that explains why I saw Jay with that girl a while ago.” she mumbles and even side eyed you to check your reaction.

Your looked at her, “What? What girl? Where?” you asked him multiple questions that made her chuckle. She knew your long time crush with your brother’s bestfriend so she finds you cute.

“Back in the kitchen. They’re like almost eating each other’s faces— hey where are you going?” she furrowed her brows as you didn’t even let her finish and went to go look for Jay.

Since the whole house is crowded, it wasn’t that easy to find the kitchen, pretty much Jay. Arriving to what it seems to be the dining area, your eyes scanned the whole room to see him. Several eyes settles on you, but you completely ignore them.

Your step halted at the sight of Jay smirking flirtatiously towards to a girl, take note that its not the same one from a while ago after your arrival. They seem too hooked to what they were talking about while the girl runs her hand over his biceps. Jay’s large hands rests comfortably at her waist, thumb caressing them.

It suddenly reminded you of the incident a while ago where he held you by the waist. It made butterflies go crazy in your stomach and at the same time stab a knife straight to your heart.

How come one person is capable to make you feel so many emotions at the same time? At this point, you find it amusing how much he affects you.

The scene seeing him holding her like that was painful for you, but as he leans in and locks their lips together like hungry horny teens made your heart crack. This isn’t the very first time you saw someone make outs. This isn’t new to you at all. What’s new is that Park Jongseong, your brother’s bestfriend a.k.a your long time crush is kissing some other girl in front of you.

Your night was a blur after that. You left the kitchen even before someone notice you watching them eat each other’s faces and thought of you as a creep or something. After an hour or two, your brother came searching for you and saw you by the balcony.

“Hey,” he greets and examined you with his eyes. His hand reaches over your face and brush away some hairs from it, hanging strands over your ears. “let’s go home. It's pretty late.” he suggested that you agreed on right away. A lot happened and you don’t exactly know what to say or react.

“Hey, you okay?” he asks halting you from stepping further.

You glanced at his worried eyes and realized you’ve been very obvious with your emotions. A smile makes it over your lips as you slid your arms over his.

“I’m fine.” but it wasn’t true. You just witnessed the man you like kissing somebody else how can you be okay?

His stares remained, not totally convinced about your lie. “I’m just tired, oppa.” you added.

Good thing he seemed to buy that excuse and let it slip before he guides you outside so you two can go home. He held your arm so he won’t lose you in this pool of drunk people.

“Wait, where’s Jay oppa? How about him?” you asks trying to roam your eyes around to go find him.

He opened his car and snickers a laugh, “Don’t worry about him. I’m sure he won’t be going home to us tonight.” and your mind was blank as you went inside and sat over the passenger seat.

You didn’t even realized that he went inside and started driving already. First time trying to get a taste of Jay’s life. Hearing about his reputation of being a campus playboy is one story, then seeing it first hand is a different one.

“What else?” your brother asks while lazily pushing the grocery cart, following behind you.

“We need to go to the meat section.” and your eyes scanned the paper to see more of what you need.

“Okay, you and Jay stay here while I go get the meat.” your brother suddenly announced that made you stunned to your position.

You freezed right at the spot and took a quick glance at Jay who took the hold over the cart. When he was about to look at you, you turned your head back at the shelves and try to busy yourself with these canned goods.

You gulped when you felt him push the cart closer.

“So how was the party the other day?” he asked curiously.

It has been a week ever since the first party you’ve been with them and also the first time you’ve witnessed how heck of a playboy he is. The second party happened the other day, you went with them hoping you can have more interaction with Jay. Interesting thing is Jay got a new girl that party, the last one were nowhere near him.

You cleared your throat and glanced at his direction. He was leaning over the cart, watching you with his dangerous eyes. A smirk plays his lips when you met his gaze.

“It w-was fine.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

‘No.’ you want to tell him, but you sighed and put the canned over the car.

“Yeah, its cool.” it was half true, half lie.

“Hmm,” he hummed and pushed the cart closer. “I saw a lot of guys enjoyed it too while trying to catch your attention.” his tone sounded a bit pissed, followed it with a scoff.

You furrowed your brows at what he said, not getting it completely. “What do you mean?”

Even if you can feel your insides going crazy, you tried maintaining an eye contact. He slowly stood straight, your height difference becoming more evident. He’s now staring down at you, eyes looking arrogant and sexy, his smirk not been wiped off his face.

“Oh, baby...” he whispers and one hand reaches over your face. He touched your cheeks gently. “...boys around you go crazy for your attention and yet they can’t get it. I wonder where it is.” his tone is taunting this time.

You pursed your lips and didn’t look away, cheeks blushing, heart racing your smiled at him.

“Yeah, I wonder where it is?” you taunt him back that made his smirk grew wider.

The eye contact last for a bit more until you saw your brother from the corner. You moved your face away and started walking over. You heard them both talk for a while before following behind you.

The next day, there’s another party. Of course you wanted to go and this time you are determined to go approach Jay. Looking on the mirror, your reflection shows off your pretty features you put yourself into determination that the night will not without you and Jay having the moment you’ve been looking forward to.

“Same rules, baby sis. No drinks from a stranger, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs and go find me if something happened.” Heeseung repeats this like a chant. You rolled your eyes and nodded to end it.

Jay stood close to the two of you, smirking tauntly. “You can also look for me if there’s a problem, baby.”

The sudden endearment made your heart race, but to your brother it was nothing. He calls you baby sis all the time so he thought it wasn’t a big of a deal. Besides, its Jay.

“Yeah, go for Jay if he’s not busy eating some girl's face.” he snorted and Jay was quick to swat his arm with a smirk on his face.

You shake your head and walked pass them both. They followed right after, greeting friends and acquaintances along the way. The party was wild wild as you arrive, its like they’ve started ahead of you so there’s couple of people stumbling down already.

You have a plan tonight, but seems like the boys that find you interesting has the same thought. Your brother managed to give you drinks and you only get refills from one of his friends, Jake. He’s a nice popular guy, very handsome, rich and have this golden retriever vibe around him. Anyway, while you’re nearly finish your fifth cup you are drunk.

Thinking you might need some confidence that the boost will definitely provide, you thought that you should drink more. You miscalculated and eventually got a little too drunk from how you planned to.

You started looking for Jay to execute your plan. Hopefully he’s nowhere near your brother so there won’t be a problem. When you arrive by the last room of the house, you're about to make a u-turn and try looking around again when you heard faint noises from that room.

“Jay.” a faint sound, which appeared like moans of a girl continuously caught your attention.

Your body freezes and steps halted from the initial plan of leaving this hallway. Its a little isolate than the other parts of the house since the music is faint here, you can’t really enjoy dancing or anything if you stay here. Mostly, this could be an ideal place for people who wants to do something else.

Slowly, you walked towards the room and pushed the door lightly. And you almost lost it. There he is. Top of and above him was this topless girl. They’re too immersed with each other that they didn’t even notice your presence. They continued making out, roaming their hands over to their bodies like their life depends on it.

You are dizzy, very drunk and emotions are all of over the place. There is no way you can deal with this situation right now. You couldn’t believe the suffocating feeling you have right now as you try to walk away from that awful place. Memories of Jay having a topless girl above him not leaving your mind at all.

Stumbling over your own feet, one guy caught you. He’s smirking and finding you cute while you mumble an incoherent word, probably ‘sorry’ or something.

Seeing his face you realized its someone from your rival school. As far as you remember, he’s the captain of the football team, if not then basketball, of their campus. Popular guy.

“Sorry 'bout that,” you chuckles despite the tears rolling down and was about to walk away when he hold you firm close to him. He seems also too lost with the liquor that he couldn't contain his actions.

“Lee y/n,” he started with this smirk. “I've been trying to score a date with you, but you’re very snob. Why? Why will you reject..” he stalls and gulped, “..someone like me?” he continues.

You couldn’t process anything and starting to feel annoyed that he’s delaying you when you want to leave this place immediately. His hold tightens at the unpleasant expression over your face. Its like he can’t accept that you will reject him when every other girls drop to their knees for him.

“Let go of me!" you tried wriggling to get away from his grip, but he was too strong.

He started to be more aggressive towards you, “No! Let’s talk! Why do you look at me with blank face every time you reject me? Why do I seem too worthless for you?” he screams, and it startled you.

You sighed and was about to say something when somebody threw a punch over to this guy. He lets go of you and was down over the floor.

“You okay? What did he do?” your brother’s face came into your view. He’s the one who came rushing and punched that guy away from you.

The party stopped and a lot of people gathers around. The drunk guy was still down the floor, but his friends are in panic and called the police for assistance.

You are still dizzy and out of it, but you are worried for your brother. He’s clearly involve and you are the reason of it. As the police arrive, he asked him to stay for a couple of things he wants to ask him.

He nodded, not really trying to make it more complicated. He turns his head over you with soft gaze and cup your face.

“I’ll call Mom to pick you—”

“I can take her home.” a voice interrupts and your brother’s face reflects relief after hearing his voice.

“Great. Please take care of her, dude. I need to settle things here, ask for Dad as well.” he continues, but you are too drunk to even say or process anything.

Jay took off his jacket and put it over your shoulder, gently tugs you closer to him then guides you towards where he parked his car. A lot of commotion are happening, but the alcohol in you took away any possible consciousness of you to be aware of it.

The next thing you know, he’s already driving and you groaned because of the terrible headaches occuring due to being dizzy. He glanced at you and sighs before stopping by the side where he saw this one vending machine. He knew he needed to give you some water to help with the bad effects of alcohol.

“Angel,” he calls softly after opening the passenger seat and leaning down to your face level. You slowly opens your eyes and greeted by his handsome face. “Can you walk?” he asks after, brushing away some hairstrands.

You inhaled, “I'm n-not sure.” you admits.

He smiles a little, chuckled sexily before nodding gently. “Okay. I got you.”

As he busy himself taking off your seatbelts, you got the chance to look and observe him. He’s wearing a black shirt that shows his fit body, not too tight but also not too big for him, just the perfect size. A gold necklace dangling freely was the next you notice, adding to his appeal. His perfectly arched jaw clenched as he put his attention over you.

“I’ll carry you. Is that all right, baby?" his tone sounded soft. Too soft that it came out subtle.

You nodded and he quickly slid one arm under your legs, the other over your back to carry you in a bridal style. In normal days, you would’ve panicked and blush like crazy, but the liqour is shitting you and the constant memories of a naked girl hovering him kept flashing back through your mind like a broken dvd.

“Stay put. I’ll just get you water to make you feel better.” he says and you followed him while sitting down at a bench where he put you.

You silently watch him and see him glow through the lights of the vending machine as he hangs his head low to go get the water. He walks closer and handed you the bottle after opening it for you.

A low thank you escapes your mouth and drinks from it while eyes still darted at him. He smiles and crouched down in front of you, just so he can get a full and better view of your face. To make sure you are okay.

“Better?”

You nods even if you don’t know if it really did something. Now, you aren’t sure if you its because of the alcohol or you really just gains the confident, but you frowned at him.

“Aren’t your girl upset you left her?”

Jay’s brows furrowed. He looked confused.

“What girl?”

“The one naked hovering above you a while ago.” you said straightly.

He looks taken aback then lips pursed trying to suppress a smirk to form from his sinful lips. “That’s not something you should have seen. I’m sorry, baby.” he didn’t sound ashamed or what, who would be? He’s probably proud of his own body so you seeing him topless and naked girl topping him was no problem.

“Next time—” he reaches out his hand to brush away some of your hair, but you swat his hand.

“Stop that.” he tilts his head, confused.

“Stop treating me like a kid. I’m not a kid anymore. I know what you’re about to do with that girl, I know that you will have sex with her!” you continuously said.

Jay didn’t seem fazed about your words nor mad about it. He sighs calmly and stared down at your water. “You’re drunk. Have some more water—”

“I d-don’t want to.” your eyes started to water and you sniffed, Jay’s eyes soften heart completely broken at the sight.

“Baby, why—”

“Don’t call me that!” you burst out, upset. “My brother always calls me that and I feel like you’re doing that because you treat me like your little sister.”

He licked his lips, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No! I’m not your little sister and I will never be!” you sounded so upset and a tear left your eye.

Jay sighs, staring at you with soft gaze. “I know.” he gently wiped off the tears over your cheeks. “I know that fucking well, angel.” his tone low.

It was silent for a while before he sighs and stood up.

“Let's go, I’ll drive you home.” he announced and your heart sank.

This is the first intense conversation you ever had with Jay and with the alcohol still in your system, you know you can’t just be stopped.

“I like you.” you said without faltering or stuttering.

Jay’s eyes remains at you, his future actions of carrying you halted because of your sudden confession. Something flickered through his eyes, but it was too quick for you to catchh on.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” you asked when he started carrying you back to his car, silent.

He placed you gently and put your seatbelt on to make sure you are safe. His eyes dangerously darted at you that sends thousands of volts over you. The way he looks at you was different. You couldn’t explain and you don’t know what exactly it was, but something changed.

“I know.” he whispered that caught you off-guard.

“Y-You know?”

“Yes.” he lowered his head and he raised his head up with this evil sexy grin like as if he just confirmed something that made him so happy.

Your heart tightens for unknown reasons.

“Do you think I really wouldn’t have any idea?”

“Then are you purposely doing these things to make me like you even more?” you sounded accusing and pissed.

You just confessed and heard the most unexpected response from the guy you like for years now, who wouldn’t be pissed off?

“What do you mean?” one of his large hands rests over the front side of the cars as he tilts his head, staring at you.

“Like you purposely want me to like you even more!” it was ridiculous, okay. You’ve liked Jay for a long time and honestly even the smallest thing he does fascinates you. You are just a bit disappointed, embarrassed and drunk at this point.

“No,” he says and stood back straight.

“You have no idea how much I hold back, angel.” he says that made you silent for the whole ride home.

He calls your dad and informed about what happened to your brother. As you arrived home, your Mom and Dad were gone. They left to go to your brother and they’re not worried that you will be alone because Jay was there.

“I like you.” you repeats it like as if you didn’t just confessed a while ago.

Jay just opened the passenger seat to help you get inside the house. He furrowed his brows a bit, before smirking.

“You already said that baby.”

“Date me. Let's date.”

For the first time tonight, you saw Jay surprised. He was caught off guard at how bold and bravely you utter those words towards him.

He hides his shock with a chuckle, “I don’t do dates and relationships, Y/n.” his tone firm and he unclasped your seatbelt before looking down at you once again. “Specially if they’re younger and my bestfriend’s sibling.”

Those words went straight to your heart. He was bad. Bad for hurting you, bad for playing at girl’s heart, bad for being this seductive and not caring at all. He’s overall bad news behind these good looking face.

He was about to help you, but you reject him. Lowering your head, you gently pushed him off so you can walk. His hand reaches for you as you stumble on your own feet.

“I can do it! Don’t touch me!” you started waddling towards the house and Jay behind you, making sure you won’t trip and hurt yourself.

That night, you cried yourself to sleep with a small crack on your heart and a throbbing headache.

Days after, you and Jay were totally ignoring each other. It was honestly just you avoiding him. There’s instances that he wanted to talk or start a conversation which you decline quickly. Normally, after a cold and straight rejection you’re suppose to accept then try to move on from it.

But no. You are completely aware that Jay is bad for you. He clearly told you he don’t do dates or relationships, he said he won’t date someone younger and specially his bestfriend’s sibling, and he’s your potential heart breaker. Total bad news. Despite all that, you still want him. You still want to go after him and take another shot. What doesn’t kill you, makes you want him more.

You made another plan. Now you know that the previous approach didn’t work so you needed a new one. You figured that you should take advantage and use that one emotion that flickered through his eyes. That subtle jealousy you saw through his face when your brother talked about how that boy held you close to him. Sounds petty, but still its a plan.

“Well well well,” your head snaps towards the living room when you heard your brother talked.

“Hi,” you greeted innocently, barely sparing Jay a glance as you approach to your brother to give him a kiss on his cheeks.

They planned to stay in today, just watch movies and video games when you suddenly walks downstairs looking so good.

“Where are you going, baby sis?” Heeseung asked curiously, but it seems like he isn’t the only one curious because at the corner of your eyes, you can see Jay looking intensely at you.

“On a date.” you answered then smiled cutely. Heeseung’s brow raised at what you said.

“A date? With who?” he tilts his head, impatient to hear the boy's name that will go out with his baby sister.

“With (random name),” you stated. He’s one of your friends from school and yesterday he asked if you wanted to go watch this cool movie. You agreed and thought that you can use that plan to push Jay into his limits. Actually, you don’t have any idea what to expect from here.

“Where are you guys going?”

You chuckle at your brother’s cute question. “Oppa, you sounded like a strict teacher.” you kid and even before he can say something, a honk can be heard from outside your house.

All of your heads snapped over it and you glanced towards them to bid good bye. Heeseung quickly stood up and follows behind you. He knew he can’t prevent you from going on dates or dating someone, but he can surely mess with them.

“Hi,” (random name) greets you with bright smile, very excited. He leans and gave you a kiss on your cheeks as a greeting. It didn’t slip off from the two pair of hawk like eyes by the door.

His smile slightly fell seeing the two tall guys watching over. He bowed, showing respect to your brother.

“Make sure she gets home before dark.” your brother reminds.

What made you smirk is that pissed off look over Jay’s face. You waved at them and then went off without even glancing back. The date went great, you enjoyed it but your mind couldn’t stop thinking of Jay. Its not like (random name) is your boyfriend now. You're clear at him that this will be a friendly date and he has no problems with it at all.

The next few days became a cycle of going out with your friends and with (random name). You have no idea what’s the process so far, but you plan to test it tonight. There’s a party again at one of your brother’s friend. He asks you if you will come along with them.

“Yes, my friends will be there.” you announced.

“Including (random name)?”

“Yup.”

Jay didn’t like it at all. He don’t know what's up with him. He’s not the type of person who gets jealous easily so he has no idea why he’s so pissed off while seeing you spend time with that dude. He tries to ignore it, convince himself that its totally okay and that he's just protective of you because he genuinely cares. If Hee’s cool with it, he should too right?

But that’s not the case. Tonight, you are pushing his buttons. He watch how you danced too closely with that boy. His hands roaming all over your body that made him clench his jaw angrily. He was silently watching the two of you by the corner taking sips from his drink. Your brother were nowhere to be found and he's been here, watching over you. He didn’t actually asked him to, he does it voluntarily.

He kept muttering in his mind that its okay to be touchy with each other. He’s not new to these things, he’s been 18 before and he knew how it is during this time. He convinced himself that its fine and that he should just leave you alone.

But why did he just find himself settling his drink at the table before heading towards you. He just saw you inch your face closer, lips too close to (random name)'s and he was certain if he didn’t just stepped in you already kissed.

Surprised, he managed to pull you away from him. You glanced at him a little annoyed because of his intrusion.

“What are you doing?”

(random name) looked as confused as you.

“Your brother is looking for you.” Jay lied and didn't even wait for you to react or object. He started dragging you outside of that house.

Realizing you two were headed to where his car was parked you stopped walking making him glanced at you.

“What are you doing? Where is my brother?” you asked furrowed brows and trying to roam your eyes around to go look for your brother, but he’s not here.

Your head snapped back at Jay, “Did you just lie?” you accused him and base on how he’s not denying you, it was true. He lied about your brother looking for you and he doesn’t seem to be fazed about it at all.

“I can't believe you!” you exclaimed, “I’m going back inside.” you announced and turned your heels only to he held back by him again.

“No you’re not.”

“You don’t get to say that!"

“Why do you even want to go back? Is it because of that loser? And what were you doing huh? Are you really going to kiss him?” he lets out sounding so frustrated.

You were caught off-guard of this behavior of his. This is unusual of him. He’s usually very preserved and oozing with confidence. You smile at the back of your mind, thinking that you’re finally getting the reaction you want from him.

You crossed your arm over him.

“Yes and so?”

His eyes grew dark at your response, “What are you doing? What are you up to?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you really dating that boy?” the way he say the word boy was slightly insulting. He’s just years older, but he say it like the two of them are years apart.

“So what?”

“Don’t date him.” he stated.

You raised your eyebrow at him. “Why not?”

He gulped, but his arrogant eyes remain.

“Who do you suggest I date?” you took a step closer to him. “Who should I date, Jay?”

He clenched his jaw and he looked so sexy. When he didn't answer, you rolled your eyes and walked. You plan to go back inside, but once again he stopped you.

His hand hold your wrist. Your eyes dropped over it and his thumb caress your skin gently. You gulped, totally affected by his soft touch.

“Don’t go back inside.” his tone softer too this time. Your eyes trailed over to his and his eyes looked arrogant, but gentle.

“Let’s talk, please?”

Your heart races at the way his tone sounded so convincing. You are not drunk, but it makes you dizzy. You pouted and nodded your head. A small smile escapes his lips before guiding you towards his car. He unlocks it and made you go inside.

“Wait for me here. I’ll just talk to your brother.”

He left after closing the door then went back inside to find his best friend. A couple of people greets him and some girls even tries to flirt, but he’s not interested. After seeing your brother enjoying his night with the same girl he’s been eyeing for weeks now, Jay approached him right away.

“Hey, y/n doesn't feel good.” he lies that made the smile over Heeseung’s face disappear.

“What? Where is she?” his eyes roams, searching for her worriedly.

“I took her to my car. Don’t worry, I’ll drive her home.”

Relief rains over his expression and nodded his head. “I'll see her off first.” and he leans over his girl and whispered something before he accompanied Jay back to his cat where you sat silently.

Your brother knocked over the window and you rolled them down right away, seeing him. Your heart races in confusion to what Jay said.

“Are you okay? Jay said you don’t feel well.” he says and reached his hand to cup your face.

Your eyes darted at Jay and he’s just looking at you straight in the eyes. He’s not telling you to lie, his eyes silently plea that he truly longs for you. And that he don’t care whether you tell your brother the truth or not, either way he will take you away from here.

“Y-Yes. I’m just tired and dizzy, oppa. I think I drank too much.” you felt a small hint of guilt for lying, but you want this as well. You want to talk to Jay and hear what he wants to say. You want him to take you away from here and be with him alone.

“Okay, Jay will take you home and drink water when you arrive.”

You gave a small smile and nodded silently. He sighs and gave your forehead a kiss before telling Jay to drive safely. He nods too and swiftly go to the passenger seat of his car.

“You are such a liar.” you taunt at him while he put his seatbelts on.

He smirks, a little confident your brother won’t see it because his car is heavily tinted.

“Well that's what bad boys do, don’t they?”

Heeseung waits until the car has driven away completely. The drive was silent. You don’t know what to say and you thought you will talk, but he’s not saying anything. Not too far away from home, he slows down his car that made you glance at him confusely.

“Let’s talk here.” he said and you gave him a nod before gulping, heart thumping in anticipation.

He stares right at you for a while before sighing. He reaches over your hand and plays through the fingers, enjoying how warm and soft it feels.

“Date me.” you hitched your breath when you heard that from him.

You wanted to blame the alcohol for a second, asking yourself if you really are not drunk. He might read through your expression so he lifts your hand and kissed the back of it once.

“Date me, y/n. I can’t promise that I will be all good, but I will try.” he repeats. This time, you are sure this isn’t the alcohol.

Park Jongseong really asked you out.

“Please?”

You pursed your lips and a smile made its way on your face. You unclasped your seatbelt and didn’t even bother to hide the excitement and happiness on your expression.

“Of course I will date you!” you cheered and quickly hugged him.

His hand settled over your waist as he smiled, nuzzling at the crook of your neck inhaling your scent. Jay’s heart was beating so fast that it finds it uncomfy. This is the very first time a girl made him feel this way. Its odd, but in a very good way.

You pull away and stared at his handsome face. His eyes hooded and as his eyes trailed down your lips.

“Can I kiss you, angel?” he asked huskily.

You hitched your breath and ears ringed, its like everything out were blocked outside from your world. You don’t care about anything or anyone but the gorgeous guy in front of you.

“Yes.” and he didn’t waste any second. He leans in, pulls you even closer as he gets to taste of your sweet lips for the first time.

“I'm bad, right baby?" he whispers as he plays through my fingers, staring dangerously at you. He let his sinful tongue graze slightly over his lips, before starting to gently pull you closer.

A playful, evil, seductive smirk appears through his handsome face, “And I think I’m becoming worst because I still want you. I want you all for myself.” and he once again leaned towards you for another heated kiss.

He knew then and there that he found something he’s about to lost his mind to and he was all in.

It was the start of your hidden and thrilling relationship with Jay. You two figured your brother won’t react well about it so you both agreed that its better to keep it from him until you felt like its the right time to tell.

At first, it started with just sneaky skinships and stolen glances between each other during meals or movie times. Then the subtle hand touching around his brother escalates into making out secretly inside the bathrooms or his car. He sneaks inside your room as well whenever he has a chance. It was thrilling and the fear of getting caught by your parents or worst, by your brother makes it more intense.

The sounds of your lips kissing and tongue touching softly filled the room. It was night time and everybody else in the house were fast asleep. You are straddling his lap, both of his hands inside your shirt cupping your breasts. You let out a soft whimper when his kisses moved from your lips, to your jaw and down to your neck, sucking on its skin.

You’re both drunk by each other’s touch when a knock pulled you out of trance. With heart beating fast your head craned at the direction of his door. Thankfully Jay didn’t forget to lock his door.

“Dude?” it was your brother.

You panicked and so does Jay. He quickly guided you towards the bathroom and you furrowed your brows. You are about to ask more but he just pulled a towel from the rack, wrapped it over his waist. He took of his top and wet his hair before asking you to stay quiet.

“Stay here, baby.” and he even pecks your already swollen lips.

He walks out and pretends he just got out from shower. You covered your lips and tried hard to hold your laugh because of how messy you two got yourselves into.

“I'll be downstairs once you’re ready to go.” your brother says.

Seems like they will go out in the middle of the night.

“All right.”

“I think y/n is knocked out already. She isn’t answering her door.”

“Probably. Its late anyway.”

“Yeah. Hurry up, dude.” and finally, your brother left the scene.

After making sure he’s not there anymore, you went out with the biggest smile and jumped towards your boyfriend.

“Going out?”

“Yes.” he lets out a strained sigh before letting both of your bodies fall over his bed, yours above his.

“I don't want to go.” he mumbled, face buried over your neck. You smirked enjoying his clingyness.

“You have to, or he’ll start to be suspicious.” you pecked his lips. “See you tomorrow. No girls for you.” you gave him this warning look.

He smirks, “Tomorrow? I’ll see you tonight, angel. I’ll sleep beside you.”

You pursed your lips, blushing at the thought of it. It has been like that for weeks already ever since you two started dating.

“Okay, I'll leave my window open.”

“I’m here.” you smile and put your head outside your window to go check if Jay’s right outside of your house.

Past midnight, he's standing by the side and waving at you. His car parked not too far from your house, headlights off.

Its been almost week ever since he told your parents that he will stay at their mansion for a week because his parents asked him to at least go sleep their for a while. And every night of those days, you two will sneak out to go on night drives, dates around his house, late night swimming by the lake, and other fun things you could ever think off.

You slowly tiptoed and went out from the quiet, dark garden of your house. Jay smiles widely as he reaches for your hand and you both bolts towards his car. He drove away, planning to once again take you by the lake.

He sets up this mat and brings out some snacks incase you felt hungry. You chuckle finding him cute and hugged him.

“I wish this summer never ends.” you mumbled, lips close to his. He smirks, wrapping his arm tighter over your waist.

“Its fine,” he says and grazed a soft quick kiss at your lips. “I will always come back next summer.” he assures you that made you smile.

You just can’t explain how happy your are right now. The emotions you have for him are too much but in a good way. You really mean it when you said you hoped this summer lasts long. This isn’t how you expected it to be, it was even better. Or so you thought.

After spending a couple of hours together by the lake, talking about random things, making out, more talking and more makeouts, he needs to take you home. He parks not too far away again and turned off his headlight.

He turns and faced you with a pout that made you chuckle. You cupped his face and shower his face with kisses.

“I’ll see you again tomorrow.” you assured him and he leaned in chasing your lips for some proper kisses.

“All right, pretty. Let me walk you home.”

And you two walks along the silent street hand in hand, giggling from time to time.

“Isn’t it too late for you to be outside, y/n?”

Both of you jumped when someone talked. Your eyes instantly caught your brother leaning by his car, parked right outside of your house. His face serious, eyes dark and jaw clenching. Your heart thumped at the sight of him. Jay caress your hand, trying to calm you as he stand close to you.

“O-Oppa.” you calls him out, like you couldn’t believe he’s right there.

His strict and intimidating eyes darted at your way. “Get inside, y/n.” he clicked his tongue at the side of his cheeks.

“B-But—”

“Don't make me repeat myself.” he cuts you off. “Inside. Now.”

Your brother rarely gets mad at you and you’re always scared whenever he is. Not because he will hurt you or anything, but because your brother is very intimidating when he’s like this. And also, you are scared of what he will do with Jay.

Your eyes glanced at Jay and he’s not even scared at all. He smiles and touched your cheeks once, “Go ahead, baby. I’ll talk to your brother.”

In the end you are left with no choice but to leave them both. Feets heavily stepping inside the house, silently praying that nothing bad will happen between them. Mixed guilt and worry dawned upon you. This isn’t what you wanted. You knew you are somehow at fault. You should’ve just let your brother know right away, but you stalled and now he found out even before you can inform him yourself. He must’ve felt so betrayed.

You didn’t sleep properly that night, unaware of what happened between the two guys. Hurriedly, you went downstairs to check and your eyes furrowed when you saw your Mom sadly hugging Jay. Your brother standing from a distant, watching. When he caught you, he rolled his eyes.

“Its sad that you have to cut your trip short. Are you sure everything’s all right?” your Mom asked that made you stunned at your position.

Confused, you slowly went closer. Your Mom looked at you and based on her expression, she has no idea of what happened last night. Your head snapped at the two guys, wondering what happened last night.

“Y/n! Just in time,” she says and pulls you closer. “See Jay out since you’re the last one to go down. He needs to go now since something urgent came up.”

Your heart sank at the news and you didn’t believed any of it. You knew it has something to do with your brother finding out about you two sneaking out. Even before you can say something, your brother interrupts.

“Let’s go see him out, y/n.” his voice stone cold and Jay teared his eyes away from you unwillingly before bidding goodbyes to your Mom.

He walks outside and your brother follows along with you.

“What did you say to him, oppa? Did you ask him to leave?” your tone already accusing him.

“Its his decision.” he answered shortly, and it made your heart ache.

“Are you mad at me because I like your best friend?”

His jaw clenched as he stare at your teary eyes. He slowly raised his hand and wiped them off gently.

“No,” he said. “I'm mad because you kept it from me.”

He didn’t talk after that and let you approach Jay by his car. His eyes looked so sad and guilty. You don’t know what to say, because you know you’ll burst out of tears any minute now.

“W-Why...” you can’t continue.

He smiled softly and roam his eyes all over your face, like as if memorizing every features.

“I need to go.” he starts. “I’m sorry, angel.” he sighed heavily.

“I shouldn’t have sneaked you out, I should’ve known better. I’m bad for you. I’m bad news.” you shake your head.

“N-No...” you reach over him, “I love you.” you confessed that caught him off-guard. He smiles sadly, his eyes shining due to tears forming by his eyes.

Last night, Heeseung told Jay that right now he doesn’t trust him for you. He knew how he is with girls and as your older brother, he couldn’t just trust him. You are precious to him and he value you so much. No man can deserve you right away, even his own best friend. He told Jay that if he really cares for you he will go and try to reflect to himself.

Your brother is afraid that maybe he’s just overwhelmed with the thrill and idea. He asked him to go away, try to think and settle his own feelings. He’s pissed that he kept on sneaking you out betraying him completely. He wants Jay to be sure first before he continues to pursue you again. He won’t let him have his way easily. Even if it means you will hate him for sending him away.

He didn’t say anything and approached closer. He whispers continuous sorry before he kissed your forehead, a single tear fell from his eyes. He moved away and turned his back right at you. He didn't glanced back, afraid that he will change his mind and just stay.

You cried silently, accepting and respecting his decision. Your heart aches so much you rest your hand above it. Jay’s car started to drove away and left, your heart left with him.

It is such a cruel summer and as always, Park Jongseong is the highlight of it.

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[narrans]

My Borrowed Son | 37 | Borrowing 101

Chapter Thirty-Seven | Borrowing 101

Parker crouched low, hand resting on the cool tile of the kitchen counter. His heart was pumping steadily, every sense feeling heightened as he stayed perfectly still. His entire body was like that of a statue. Everything felt perfectly in place.

Cocking his head to one side, he heard his mom getting her cup of morning coffee mere feet away. He counted the seconds and had everything perfectly timed. Three seconds to pour. Two for the creamer. Five seconds stirring. One quick sip lasting one or two seconds.

He felt himself smile as he spotted the thing he was going for – a sugar packet.

His mom turned and headed for the main counter, book in one hand and mug in the other, and sat down on one of the swiveling chairs. The time was not now, however. She usually forgot something on the opposite counter, which would bring her inches from him, and then it would be time to move.

Sure enough, Parker’s prediction came true.

Amanda turned back to the main counter once everything was on the island counter. She reached for the breakfast bars she had been eating for breakfast for forever, which was directly in front of him. Only two inches from him, Parker felt the urge to flee, but he fought it. He paused and watched as his mom’s fingers lingered there for a long time before she returned to the counter.

This is when Parker made his move.

He darted along the backsplash, ducking behind various jars and even managing a perfect tumble as he cleared the bread bag. Silent and unseen, he managed to make it to the coffee station, snag one of the sugar packets, and slip it into his bag and slide to safety on the other side of the refrigerator and down the safety line before his mom turned around again.

The moment he touched down, he turned toward the awaiting crowd. Kers, Toulouse, Mira, and the two oldest siblings Kit and Finnick, all stood at the end of the line by the base of the refrigerator. He fished out the sugar from his pack and grinned, heart still skipping a beat now and then from excitement.

“So? How’d I do?” asked Parker. Mira was the first to break, naturally, as a maternal smile of pride spread across her face. Kers was the second to break as he stepped up to Parker’s side and ruffled his hair playfully. Finnick, like his father, gave a nod of approval while Kit kept her arms folded.

“Beginner’s luck,” Kit quipped as she turned and headed back for the safety of the walls.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s just jealous that you’re a natural,” stated Finnick. “Just make sure to keep your tumbles to a minimum. They feel cool in the moment, but depending on what’s in your pack it might throw you off and cause problems. Otherwise, good control.” Toulouse smiled and gave his son an approving pat on his shoulder.

“We’ll drill more tumbles tomorrow,” he said gruffly before, like his daughter and his wife, they too vanished into the walls.

Kers nodded as he patted Parker on the shoulder.

“As for borrowing basics, I think you’ve got it, kid,” commended Kers. “Now, the main test is seeing what your mom noticed. So, let’s go find out.”

Parker felt himself beaming as he and Kers both stepped out from the corner of the counter that met the appliance door and headed for the secured lines that had been installed for them. It was hard to believe that it had only been one month since Parker’s return home after his harrowing misadventure.

After Parker’s return, he and his mom had another long talk about what happened. Parker talked about the things he remembered and how he’d been taken by Rachel as well as everything that happened. It took all the strength that Amanda had to not drive over immediately and give Rachel a piece of her mind, especially when she helped Parker change his bandages and she saw the teeth punctures Rachel’s bearded dragon gave him.

Lyn was still permitted to come over later that day where she and Amanda had a long talk about Rachel. Lyn happily informed Amanda that Rachel had to give up her pet and would be talking to some professionals in order to better understand what was going on. While Lyn didn’t have any ideas as to why Rachel was acting the way she was, her parents were absolutely invested in finding the root cause of it.

Apologetic and understanding, Lyn swore she would do everything she could to make sure Rachel was going to realize the severity of what she had tried to do and said she understood if Amanda limited contact with her son, to which Amanda assured wouldn’t happen once Parker had earned back some trust.

The two teens had a chance to talk a bit at the kitchen counter independently before Lyn had to leave to finish some errands for her parents. They promised to talk as often as possible and that things would be back to normal soon.

Normal, however, had taken on a new meaning.

During dinner that very night, Kers had come forward in front of both Parker and Amanda and had proposed that Parker learn more about his Borrower lineage. Though Kers didn’t know Parker’s family and assured he wasn’t trying to cut in where he wasn’t welcome, he offered his services in teaching Parker how to hone his Borrower skills.

“It’ll help keep you safe if you do decide to strike out on your own one of these days and help you in everyday life when it comes to maneuvering in the human world,” stated Kers. “No pressure and no rush. Give a shout when or if you’re ready.”

For both Amanda and Parker, it wasn’t a difficult decision. Now that Amanda knew about Borrowers, she wanted to make sure Paker had all the knowledge and skills possible to help him succeed. The discussion was a brief one, but they both decided that Parker needed to learn from Kers.

It took a week, however, for Parker to begin earning back his privileges. Amanda knew she was being soft on her son, but she’d added additional responsibilities and contingencies for him having some of his freedoms back. Both of them also knew that Parker wasn’t the type to run away to avoid his responsibilities and wouldn’t be running away again anytime soon.

By the end of the second week, Parker was actively training with Kers and, a few days later, the other Borrowers in the house. As soon as school was over, Parker logged out of his devices and went down to the kitchen or the living room where his mom was and, from there, began his training regimen.

Some of it was simple athletics training. Running. Jumping. Pushups. Sit-ups. Squats. Climbing. Tumbling. Anything and everything that he could do to better hone his physical abilities and make him a better Borrower.

Another portion of it was learning about Borrower history; at least, what little of it Kers knew. Kers talked about the stories he’d heard about different Borrower tribes who lived out in the wilderness as well as Borrowers who lived in the walls of human homes. He told Parker about some of the stories his family had told him as well as a little bit of his own history.

The entire encounter felt surreal, like it was out of some kind of weird dream. It didn’t feel real, and yet Parker knew he was awake and taking in everything like a sponge. Hearing about different traditions and rules as well as the daily grind of Borrower life was eye opening. From preserving food to improvised construction, Parker took everything he could get. More than that – he began writing it down.

One thing that he’d noticed with all of Kers’ stories was that they were verbal, which wasn’t good in Parker’s opinion. He started recording everything in his journals at the end of every session, writing down everything from front to finish. It helped the teen’s memory and helped preserve the existence of an entire secret species of being.

So, a month later, Parker had completed his first practical test. With the help of his mom, he had just practiced running along the counter and hiding in plane sight and it was time for the results.

The countertop towered over Parker, but it didn’t instill that same sense of vertigo that it used to. Sure, there was still a bit of swirling that happened when craning his neck upward, but Parker was better prepared now and had been growing accustomed to seeing things both as the son of a human and being a Borrower.

The teen glanced around the corner and saw his mom’s leg bouncing nervously up and down. It made him smile. She’d been told to stay in her seat until the “test” was over unless she heard something, and she was trying to do so even now. Parker cleared his throat and stood out in the open while Kers, on the other hand, stayed pressed along the edge of the counter while he tried out the rope for security purposes.

Amanda’s eyes immediately snapped down to the ground where she spotted her son. The silhouette of his mom brought back the haunting image of Rachel, which made him shudder. It would take more time for Parker to get over that image which now helped fuel his nightmares, but knowing justice was being done was what really mattered.

“Hey, so? How’d it go?” asked Amanda as she leaned forward and rested her hand on the ground. For a moment, she looked like she hesitated as she glimpsed at Kers, who was peering around the corner of the island counter at the two of them. “Oh… were you… going to climb up?”

The thought that his mom was trying to keep the “Borrower rules” intact was nice, but it would be an impossible habit to break. He knew it, and so did she. The exchange made the two of them smile and Parker knew the answer before his mom had even asked the question.

“If it’s okay, I’ll take the lift,” said Parker as he turned to Kers. “Want a lift?”

Kers looked up at Amanda before politely shaking his head, saying, “No. Thank you though.” Parker acknowledged with a nod and climbed onto his mom’s hand. He remembered the feeling of unease when he let his mom carry him from place to place, but now he understood the reason behind it. Still, he fought off his instinct and braced himself by crouching and keeping one hand on the crook of his mom’s thumb.

The lurching sensation his insides gave him was a welcomed and familiar one, and it only lasted for a second as Amanda placed Parker onto the counter. Waiting there were little sandwiches on a clean dish cloth which made the whole area look like a picnic. The memories of picnics in the shady wooded area at his old home made the Borrower teen smile.

Waiting patiently was hard, considering the sandwiches were one of Parker’s favorites, but wait they did until Kers huffed his way up on top of the counter and dusted himself off before walking over and sitting on the cloth beside Parker. The older Borrower’s eyes widened at the feast in front of them. Chips. Dip. Sandwiches. Even pink lemonade. All of this would have taken weeks to obtain, and it wouldn’t have been set out so lavishly or preserved so nicely if not assembled by a human.

Kers knew this and looked up and smiled at Amanda, saying, “Thank you,” before snagging one of the chips and breaking off a piece to chew on.

“You’re welcome,” she replied as she sipped on her coffee. The three of them ate in silence for a few minutes before Kers broke the silence.

“You should consider climbing a bit more just to get into the habit of it,” stated Kers. Parker sighed and nodded as he wiped his face clean.

“I know, but I don’t want to change everything all at once. And I did climb up to the counters twice last night as well as today for the exercise; which, mom, how’d I do?” asked Parker. His mom set down her cup and gave a little thumbs up.

“Honestly, I didn’t notice you. I tried looking around and had an idea that you were hiding near the creamer, but I didn’t say anything and kept going as normal,” said Amanda. Parker couldn’t stop smiling as a surge of pride swelled in him, and Kers knew it too.

Parker wasn’t hiding anywhere near the creamer, and the fact that his mom hadn’t noticed was a true testament that Parker’s training was successful. Phase one was complete, and it was bittersweet because it meant Parker was getting better at vanishing in plane sight.

“Well, Parker, I’d say that your training test today was a success,” stated Kers, not mentioning the fact that Parker was in an entirely different place. Parker nodded and kept quiet as well. Kers probably didn’t want to give away that spot just in case they needed to use it at some point in the future. Parker would probably say something about it later when Kers was back in the walls, but not now.

“So? What’s next?” Amanda prompted.

“Next? Mostly continuing training and enhancing his body. Instinct enhancement and anticipation are going to be key,” replied Kers. “You have an advantage seeing that you’ve been raised by a human. You’ll be better at figuring out what someone is going to do before they do it.”

“So, more practical tests?” asked Parker. Kers nodded quietly as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. His instinct to not waist potential resources for perceived “unnecessary” made for some interesting table manners, but no one said anything about it. It had become normal, which made Parker feel at ease.

“Absolutely,” Kers stated. “Making some obstacle courses with difficult terrain will be the most helpful. Also, we need to work on your hook tossing. So far, you’ve never been under pressure when tossing. A real scenario would have you practice that. Also, fast line descent. We’ll need to adjust your wardrobe and make you some line gloves.”

“Okay. Sounds good, but could we do that next week? I’ve got some papers I need to write for class and Lyn, and I have to finish our science fair report. Well, I need to finish my part of it. So?” asked Parker. Kers sighed and folded his arms across his chest. Parker was starting to pick up on the habit, and it was usually when some “human” thing interrupted a Borrower thing.

Still, Kers nodded in compliance. “Very well. If it’s important for this class stuff, then yes. You need to keep up your presence for a little while until you… what is it? Graduate?”

“Yeah, graduate,” confirmed Parker. The word was a crazy one to say. In a little over a year, Parker would graduate high school. He would be one of the youngest graduates in his classes, but that’s what he got for excelling in his studies. Parker didn’t have the heart to tell Kers that he was actually considering going to college virtually and continuing his studies.

Again, that would be a conversation for another day.

“Well then, that’s just going to have to work then,” sighed Kers. “Apologies I can’t stay longer, but I have a few things I need to prepare in my area. I did want to bring something up for both of you, if that’s alright.”

Amanda felt herself stiffen, and Parker felt a bit of unease settle over him as well. Kers wasn’t usually the bearer of bad news, but he did have some interesting requests when Parker first started training with him, such as Parker keeping Borrower history to himself as well as not disclosing some of the Borrower trade secrets with his own mom because it could be used against Borrowers if the information fell into the wrong hands.

“Um… sure. What is it?” Amanda prompted.

“It’s nothing serious,” stated Kers. “But it would require your permission.”

Amanda nodded as she attempted to keep an open mind about what Kers was about to say.

“We’re all having dinner together tonight. The… others… and myself. I wanted to see if you would be alright with Parker coming along and having dinner with us. It’s just something social and meant to be fun. The kids talked about possibly playing games or something after we eat,” stated Kers. “You’re free to decline, Parker, but I promise you’ll be back before nine o’clock.”

Parker glanced at his mom and then back to Kers. He wanted to go with him, but also remembered the rules and consequences of his actions a month prior. Limiting his external social time was one of those consequences. Except for training, which had a purpose, Parker was supposed to spend most of his time out in the open while he studied and worked.

“I’ll… uh… I’ll see,” said Parker hesitantly.

“Alright. If you’re coming, be on the counter by six and I’ll pick you up.” With that, Kers approached the edge of the island counter and slid down the secured line all the way to the ground. Parker wasn’t sure if it was tension in the air that he was feeling, but something did feel a bit different between he and his mom.

It wasn’t a bad sensation, but it was primed with discussion and words unsaid.

“Well, Parker? How are you feeling?” asked his mom. Parker played with the edge of his plate as he thought about the question. It could be taken in so many directions after all.

“About training? Pretty good. It’s weird. It’s like… all natural. Everything makes sense and my body just knows what to do most of the time; and if I don’t know it, it doesn’t take long for me to get it,” stated Parker. “And, just feeling in general, I feel pretty good. I’m not going to lie. I do miss talking to my friends and writing and everything, but I understand why I don’t get to partake in that stuff anymore.”

Parker noticed his mom shifting out of the corner of his eye and she inhaled and exhaled slowly as if in contemplation.

“Parker, I know this past month has been tough on you with not getting to speak with your friends, and I hope you know that your happiness is what really matters to me,” said Amanda. Parker wasn’t sure where she was going with this. He wasn’t sure why, but an initial sense of worry began to swell in him. When he looked at his mom’s face, however, he already saw her signature smile accompanied with a nod.

“I know you, and I know that you’re not the type to run away. We were both emotionally raw at the time, and while I know it’s only been a month, I think you’ve earned back some of your privileges. You’ve kept to our house rules without complaint, and I think you’ll continue to do that. So, I think that would be acceptable if you want to go have dinner with the others, I think that would be okay.”

Parker felt himself beaming, a smile spreading across his face from one side to the other. He didn’t think that it would be only one month of punishment, and Parker knew it would continue for months to come, but he wasn’t about to complain.

“Really?” he asked eagerly. His mom nodded and smiled. Parker could see forgiveness in her eyes, which made him smile even wider. It would take more time to mend the crack the two of them had between them, but already it was being mended and filled once again with trust.

“Really,” she echoed. Parker leapt to his feet and ran toward his mom’s hand, which she splayed ever so slightly so Parker could throw himself against her palm and hug her fingers as he’d done for years.

“Thank you, mom!”

“You’re welcome, my love. Make sure you’re back by nine so we can finish our book. We’ll see about you visiting a little more for fun and social visits if you’re back on time,” said Amanda. As a mother, she knew it was her job to keep Parker safe and to discipline him as needed when problem issues arose. Frankly, she didn’t think she would even last a month simply because Parker had always been such a good kid except for this one incident.

At the end of the day, all of this was for the best and Amanda knew it. This relative lock down wouldn’t last for too much longer. Parker was almost back to his old self, but now he knew so much more. He knew more about himself through his experiences, and he understood where he came from because of the people around him.

She couldn’t protect him from the world forever, and releasing the reins a bit more every day would be good – for both her and Parker.

“Alright, now go finish your homework and be on the counter at six o’clock sharp. If your science fair write-up isn’t finished before then, you won’t be able to go,” stated Amanda. She saw parker nod eagerly and, from that look alone, knew he was already finished except for the final touches.

“Yes ma’am,” said Parker. With that, he hurried to the edge of the counter and quickly skidded down the line to the floor. The ascent up the stairs wasn’t nearly as hard as it had been before the Borrower teen’s training, but Parker knew it wouldn’t be for long. He already had plans for that elevator he wanted to install from before leading from the kitchen to the second floor by his bedroom. He’d finalize the plans and show them to his mom before too long.

Six o’clock raced at Parker full force and, in no time, he was on the counter ready to be picked up by Kers. He’d already shown his work to his mom, proving he could spend the evening away, and promised he’d be back by nine.

“Mind your manners and have fun,” reminded Amanda. Parker nodded, and just in time too. The electrical outlet cracked open right at that moment and Kers’ face appeared in the darkness. A smile tugged onto the sides of his lips as he held the cover open for Parker. Giving a wave to Amanda, Kers promised to have Parker back in time before the two Borrowers vanished into the walls.

They didn’t say much on the walk there, and it wasn’t until Parker crossed the threshold of the house that conversation really started up. Finnick talked to Parker the most, and it had to do with tumbling and training. His suggestion was having Amanda make an obstacle course that Parker didn’t see her make and have Parker run through all of the blind challenges.

Kit was still being standoffish, but the youngest boy, Reed, said that Kit wouldn’t shut up about Parker when he wasn’t around. This sent the two Borrower kids into a tussling match which Kit barely managed to proclaim herself as the winner.

Meanwhile, Mira pulled Parker into the kitchen and quizzed him on his knowledge of the food they were baking and how to store food in the best possible way. Considering they were having mac-n-cheese, rehydrated beef jerky, and green bean fragments which were also being rehydrated, Parker was able to provide the answer to everything.

It wasn’t until they were about to sit down when there was a knock at the door. It was so unexpected that Parker whipped around and instinctually reached for the pin he now kept at his side. Startled, the Borrower teen glanced around and felt a bit surprised when no one else had the same reaction. It was almost as if it was expected.

“Is that them?” asked Reed as he untangled himself from Kit’s hold and ran for the door.

“Hey! Don’t just charge at the door! It might be a stranger,” Kit scolded as she charged after him. Parker listened to the door open as muffled voices began conversing. Based on their tone, they all knew one another.

“Hey there, bobbins,” said an unfamiliar voice. “What on earth happened to you two? Wrestling again?”

“No! Punishing this one because he was being rude,” Kit replied.

“In your dreams,” snapped Reed. Toulouse and Finnick also approached the hallway leading to the door, postures relaxing as they vanished around corner and into the hall.

“It’s good to see you two, and you’re just in time. We’re about to sit down for dinner. Um… mind if we chat outside for a second?” suggested Toulouse.

“Uh, sure. What’s up?” asked a second strange voice. The door opened and then closed as the muffled voices continued talking outside. Kers followed behind moments later.

“It must be our two friends from beyond the yard,” remarked Mira as she gave Parker a little nudge on his arm with her elbow. “You don’t have to worry. They’re friends. If you feel uncomfortable, we don’t have to invite them in.”

“N-no,” replied Parker. “It’s alright. You said they’re friends from beyond the yard?”

“Yes. Though we don’t know too much about where they’re from since they don’t talk about it much, we do know they’re excellent Borrowers and live somewhere far away. They go around from house to house figuring out what other Borrowers might need and take the risks to get it. They’re very good at what they do. They’re the ones who borrowed the pieces for my leg.”

“Oh,” said Parker as their names came back to him. “It’s… R… Rey? And…”

“Hero,” filled in Reed. “They’re seriously the coolest Borrowers out there, other than my mom and dad. I’m definitely going to try and join their team one of these days. They’ve got so many cool things that they’ve borrowed, and their stories are seriously the best!”

“Alright mister adventure. Would you please set the table and get the extra chairs?” asked Mira. Reed obeyed while continuing to talk about the two newcomers, rambling about this and that as Parker moved to help him.

As he did, Parker glanced over at Mira’s prosthetic leg once more as he placed the cups and plats onto the table. To him, it looked a bit odd. There was something about the way the ridges on the side were put together and the way that it fit Mira perfectly that bugged him ever so slightly. He couldn’t quite place where, but something about it was just different.

It took a couple of minutes, but soon the sound of the door opening and the multiple sets of footsteps following told Parker that the two had decided to stay. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt a bit nervous meeting these two new guys. Maybe it was just because he was still getting used to interacting on a regular basis with other Borrowers or maybe it was because Parker feared the strangers’ reaction if he accidentally let it slip that he was raised by a human all his life.

Whatever the case, Parker took a quick, calming breath as he turned and faced the two strangers. Both of them were dressed in what looked like fortified leathers that covered them almost from head to toe. The top part was obviously a removable coat, which both of them had started to unbutton, and had a hood with a partial face covering that came up to the bridge of their noses.

One of them had pale blue eyes while the other had bright green eyes, and both had light sandy blonde-brown hair. They might’ve been brothers if their features weren’t so different, the one having slightly rounder features while the other’s features were a little more narrow, filled in only by a goatee that was definitely a little scruffy. Parker would’ve guessed they were a little younger than Kers, but it was hard to tell. Both of them looked strong, deceptively so, and full of life based on the twinkling in their eyes.

“Well, hey there. It’s always nice to see a new face. You’re Parker, right? I’m Rey, and this is my friend Hero,” said the one with the goatee. He held out his hand for Parker to shake. Parker reached out and immediately shook the stranger called Rey’s hand. He did the same for Hero.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Hero said. “Sorry to intrude. If we’d known the family was going to have company, we would’ve just camped outside tonight.”

“No, it’s alright. The more the merrier,” Mira stated as she began loading up the table with the prepared meal.

“So? What kind of stuff did you bring?” asked Reed, which earned him a scolding glance from his father. The young Borrower didn’t say anything else and merely took his seat while looking eagerly at Rey and Hero. He was so excited he was squirming in his seat, making it squeak as he did.

Both of the strangers glanced at one another and laughed as the gestured to the hallway. “We do happen to have a few things in our packs that you all might find fun and useful, but we’ll wait for your parents’ permission. Sound good?” suggested Hero.

“Yes!” Reed grinned. Finnick and Kit both attempted to take a seat right next to Rey while Reed elected to sit next to Hero. The squabbling siblings resulted in Parker being placed next to Rey while Kers and the other adults sat on the other side of the table. The cramped quarters made Parker think about how this felt like a real family gathering.

He’d seen it in movies before, but he’d only ever had his meals with his mom.

It felt oddly welcome, and Parker was going to embrace every second of it.

They ate and conversed amongst one another. Mostly, Parker felt himself listening as he heard about Rey and Hero’s travels. They did indeed come from beyond the yard and further beyond that still. They talked about how they were trying to tame birds for faster travel and even showed off some of their scars from recent lizard based encounters.

“I see you’ve got some scars of your own,” Rey pointed out as he nodded his head toward Parker’s left arm. Everything had long scabbed over, but there were still distinct teeth marks all along his shoulder and arm from where he’d almost been taken by the bearded dragon. “How’d you get those? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Um…” Parker wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something intuitive in those pale blue eyes that were on him.

“It’s okay, little man. You don’t have to say. I think I know what those belong to. Bearded dragon, right? Nasty things if you wake them up and they’re hungry,” stated Rey as he continued to eat.

“You’ve fought one before?” asked Reed.

“Yeah, definitely. A human was walking her pet a while back and let it loose in the grass to hunt bugs. Found my hiding place immediately and grabbed my leg pretty good. Got out in time though, which is the important thing,” said Rey.

“Yeah, I had to carry his pack for the rest of the day while he recovered,” chimed in Hero. Parker felt himself grinning knowing he had something in common with these awesome adventuring Borrowers. He wondered for a moment if it was the same bearded dragon that got the both of them, but that would be too much of a coincidence. “But! Enough about that! Parker, since you’re new here, have any questions for us?”

Parker thought about the question for a second. As he did, he felt a tap under the table as Mira was readjusting herself in her seat, and the nudge was from her prosthetic leg.

“Oh, I’m sorry Parker. I didn’t mean to hit you,” she apologized. Parker waved it away and smiled. He glanced back down at the leg when it finally hit him. He’d seen grooves and patterns like that before – on a 3D printer. Some of his friends had done 3D printing before, and between the color and the custom fit, it seemed like too many coincidences to be brushed off.

Someone who wasn’t familiar with models and the whole process wouldn’t know the difference between a doll leg and a printed one. And, if that was the case, how did Hero and Rey have access to something like that. They needed supplies, electricity, and the programming skills in order to do all of that.

That’s when a question came to mind.

“Um… I do actually. Um… how’d you do that?” asked Parker as he pointed to Mira’s leg.

“Huh?” asked Hero as he glanced over the table at Mira’s leg. His body shifted from openly friendly to a distinct shiver going down his spine. Rey obviously saw that too and smiled politely.

“Ms. Mira’s leg. She said you all were the ones who brought it. How’d you make it? If you’re… wait, what is it? ‘Outies?’ How’d you get the supplies and everything to make it?” asked Parker. The two Borrowers glanced at one another, now a bit tense, which prompted Parker to continue. “It’s 3D printed, right? How’d you manage to pull that off?”

Rey turned toward Parker, a sly grin in the corner of his mouth, as he looked Parker in the eye. Immediately, Parker saw something in those pale blue eyes that told him that there was far more to these two than any of them knew.

“We borrowed it, naturally,” stated Rey. “You say it’s 3D printed?”

“Um… y-yeah,” said Parker. His instincts hadn’t led him astray, and Parker knew he was on the right path talking to these guys about this.

“Well, that’s fun. That’s usually a human thing if I remember correctly,” stated Hero. “You’ve got a good eye for something like that, kid.”

Hero’s words seemed to disperse the relative tension that filled the air and Toulouse and Kers began striking up a conversation with both Rey and Hero, letting Parker off of the hook as he helped clean up after dinner. Parker wanted to stay and talk, but the adults dismissed the kids, even Finnick, to go to the living area to show Parker some games that they had.

Together, they played “Pictionary,” some dice game called “Pig,” and even started their own checkers tournament because they didn’t know how the chess pieces actually worked. The rest of the evening progressed smoothly, each group keeping to their own relatively speaking until the very end when Kers came to the living area to collect Parker.

“It’s time to go, Parker,” said Kers. “Don’t want to make your mom worry.”

“Yessir,” said Parker. “I’ll teach you guys chess next time.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kit said as she rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

When Parker went around the corner to the hallway, he noticed Rey and Hero also loading up their bags, which looked like they were made of some light, durable fabric that must’ve been hard to find. Leaves were plastered on the outsides as well as small bits of grass and twigs. It looked like there was a soda cap shield on the sides of both of them as well as helmets and other useful implements.

“Oh… are you… leaving too?” asked Parker.

“Yeah, we’ll be following Kers out the backway to camp below the floorboards. We’ll probably hang around for a few days just to rest and everything before heading back,” replied Hero. “As long as that’s not a problem.”

“No, not a problem. We look forward to seeing you all around. Don’t be strangers,” said Toulouse. They all parted ways, waving good-bye as they did, as Parker, Kers, Rey, and Hero vanished into the darkness of the walls.

They’d walked for a few minutes when Rey began keeping pace with Parker. The air around him changed, alerting Parker to the fact that Rey was about to say something.

“So, Parker, tell me a bit more about yourself. And, if you don’t mind my asking, why didn’t your mom come with you to dinner? Is she not feeling well?” asked Rey. Something about his pale blue eyes threatened to lure the truth directly out of Parker. He felt his mouth dry as if he’d stuffed his cheeks with cotton.

“Um… well… yeah, she… didn’t feel up to it,” lied Parker.

“Oh, right,” nodded Rey. “And the stuff you said about the 3D printing? You’ve got a keen eye for human construction. How’s that?”

Parker wasn’t sure how to answer. At this point, their group of four had completely stopped. Kers had just heard part of the conversation and had stopped mid-step to turn and look at Rey. Hero was only a few steps ahead.

“Um… I just…”

“You just know? Because you’ve done it? Or have friends who do? Human friends?” asked Rey. The bluntness of his question threw both Kers and Parker off guard, but Hero simply placed his hands on his hips and sighed.

“Rey, I thought we were going to talk about this later before asking Parker and Kers about this,” Hero scolded.

“Wait, what? What are you two…” Kers started as Hero directed his attention to the older of the two Borrowers.

“When Toulouse brought us outside and told us that Parker was in a bit of a unique situation and that we shouldn’t pry too much because it would upset him, we suspected something was a little different about Parker. And not just the normal Borrower trauma thing. Then, Parker said that thing about 3D printing, which only someone who is familiar with the look would really know what to look for. So, we had the same idea,” said Hero. “I thought we were going to talk about this before, but here we are.”

“I… wait… you don’t understand. I… I know humans are dangerous and stuff, but… not all of them are! Please, don’t worry about the whole secret stuff. I…” Parker was interrupted by both Rey and Hero chuckling as they exchanged knowing glances.

At this, Rey crouched and removed his pack, keeping eye-contact with the Borrower teen the whole time.

“Parker, it’s okay. We know,” grinned Rey. “Not all humans are bad. Believe us, we’d know more than most.” Parker’s eyes widened as he looked back from the adults’ faces around him. He and Kers both shared the same look of stunned silence while Rey and Hero looked mildly amused.

“But… how?” Parker stammered. “And why didn’t you just say that in front of the others?”

“Let’s just say our situation is probably not so different than your own,” said Rey. “And it’s a tricky thing bringing up in front of another Borrower family. They’re great Borrowers, but they’re a bit more traditional than Hero and me. How about we all do some training together tomorrow? And then we can talk about it?”

“Y-yeah! Absolutely!” said Parker, his eagerness getting him excited for training the next day.

“Well then,” chuckled Rey. “We’ll see you tomorrow at some point? We’ll be in the crawl space under the house by the backdoor steps. Come outside when you’re ready.”

“Definitely,” said Parker.

“Good. Then I think we’ll take our leave. See you tomorrow, Kers.”

With that, the two Borrowers diverged from the path and vanished into the darkness. The conversation had Parker reeling, but he was more than excited to talk to these new Borrowers and finally talk to others who understood his point of view. For Parker, tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

He and Kers made quick work of the rest of the trek and, true to his word, Kers had Parker back on the counter at exactly nine o’clock. Parker thanked Kers for bringing him along and asked if he would come by to talk to Rey and Hero the next day, to which Kers agreed. He was also curious about these two and, like he’d promised to himself years prior, he wanted to help protect and guide Parker along his journey.

With that, Parker ran back out to the embrace of his mom and the two of them retreated to the couch to finish their book. Parker couldn’t imagine sleeping tonight but was asleep within minutes.

His future was growing brighter by the moment, and he was ready for every step of it.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue | Final

Previous

Beginning

[garbinge]

Soft Spot

Carmy Berzatto & Platonic!Reader Richie Jerimovich x Reader (Platonic here but pining) Mikey Berzatto & Platonic!Reader

Day 13 from these April Prompts: “I have a soft spot for plants.” 

Summary: Reader gets back home from visiting Carmy in NYC after fleeing her abusive ex. After feeling trauma and just empty and lost, she goes back to The Original Beef. A place that has some of her favorite people, the place she least expected to bring her comfort in the middle of darkness. 

Continuation from this fic. You don’t have to read to understand this but it helps build the character dynamics out!

A/N: This is one of my favorite little universe’s I’ve created in a while.   

Word Count: 3.0k words

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Angst. Mentions of abuse and bruises. Angst. Threats. Trauma. Death. Guns. 

The Bear Taglist: @drabbles-mc​ @justreblogginfics​ 

Other fics from this universe

Standing outside The Beef in the middle of a Chicago winter brought back a similar memory to you standing outside The French Laundry. Cold. In more ways than one. Physically, sure. Winter months in both states were brutally freezing. But after everything you had just been through, it felt emotionally cold. You had wondered how you could get back to how things used to be when everything was different now. You thought it would be easy, that’s why you went to New York. But Carmy was different. It could’ve been the day he was having, or days, but coming straight off a flight from fleeing your ex’s house in a less than ideal state was making it foggy for you to see that. 

Carmy offered you a smile and a wave, his hug was half assed, one armed and less than a couple seconds. He did seem somewhat excited to see you, though, that healed you a bit. Overall, he was out of it, for someone who was so attentive to detail he was missing every cry for help you were letting out. Now, to be fair, you didn’t exactly come out and say it. You were struggling, but you weren’t stupid. Carmy flipped a switch. As you sat across from each other at 3AM in some shitty cafe after his kitchen shift at Noma sipping the shitty coffee you saw it in his eyes before he said anything. You asked about home, he mentioned something along the lines of not knowing much and not caring much. 

He noticed the bruise on your arm when you took your coat off. There was concern there, but you lied. It wasn’t your initial plan. Originally, you had planned to go out with him, hit the big apple together like you used to terrorize Chicago. If you had written down an itinerary it would have been something like 1. get drunk 2. Find some place that served alcohol into the early morning 3. Get more drunk 4. Have Carmy show you the best cheap food near his place. 5. Drink shitty coffee to attempt to sober up before the sun rose 6. Tell him about what happened. 

Only one of those things happened. And it was half assed. There was no alcohol in your system, so the shitty coffee was extra shitty. It made Carmy asking about the bruise even more painful. You don’t even remember the lie you told him, but you remember he believed it with no questions. That might’ve hurt the most. Not because you wanted him to care or because you needed him to handle it for you but because you saw how disconnected from it all he was. 

That leads you to feel frozen in front of The Beef, 3 days and two flights later. There was a worry that you would be met with the same distance that Carmy met you with earlier this week. If that was the case, you’d push ahead but you couldn’t help but think it’d change something in you permanently. 

You walked in, the intensity of the kitchen hit you immediately, it brought some sort of life to you, chippering you up a bit. 

“What d’ya got?” Richie’s voice was like music to your ears. His head was down as he wrote on the guest check. 

“One beef, hot and sweet, extra sauce. And a cup of your shitty cappuccino, please. 4 extra shots of espresso.” You waited with your hands in your coat pocket, a smile on your face knowing Richie would recognize that.

His head lifted up, his eyes meeting yours. It was that moment that you felt the most nervous. This was the moment that was gonna define how you handled everything moving forward. The pit in your stomach disappeared as the smile grew on his face. 

“One shitty cappuccino, 4 extra shots!” Richie yelled out, still not taking his eyes off you. 

The announcement of your order brought someone through the kitchen door quicker than you could imagine. 

“Tell me that’s not our girl!” Mikey’s voice was loud and exhilarated. If his smile wasn’t bringing out the best parts of your personality, the eagerness in his walk to embrace you was. He was in front of you, arms wide in seconds. His navy blue beef t-shirt smelled like giardiniera, meat, garlic, and week old cologne but it might have been the best thing you’ve ever smelled. It smelt like home. Your body collapsed into his hug, his arms wrapping around you like they were pulling you out from drowning in rapid waters. 

He picked up on it immediately, he tightened his grip on you a little more and placed a light kiss to the top of your head to offer you some sort of comfort. “What’s up, kid?” 

“It’s just really good to be home.” Your head moved in a nod as he cradled it. Mikey was like your own big brother, you had known him since you were 7, you spent a majority of your life at the Berzatto house. He teased you, he yelled at you, he stood up for you, he took you and Carmy to school, he got you both a shared graduation gift, he was a big part of your life. 

After a few seconds, you let go of him, careful to wipe your couple stray tears in a way that was inconspicuous to everyone around. 

“What the fuck are you doin’ back home?” Richie’s voice cut through as he moved to greet you. His cheek moved against yours as he kissed the air, the italian kiss was his go-to welcome, the irony in the fact that he had no drop of italian blood in him. 

“Things just–” you paused thinking of what it is you wanted to say. Even with all the nerves you had built up to just enter the restaurant there wasn’t a single second you spent thinking about what you planned to say. “They, uh–” Your head shook in protest of the sentence you were going to say. “I think I’m gonna be home for a while.” You nodded, finally agreeing with yourself on what to say. “Things just didn’t work out in Minneapolis.” 

“Well, yea, it’s fuckin’ Minneapolis.” Mikey quickly jumped in to save you from whatever the fuck was going on in your head. He wasn’t going to ask you, or pry it out of you. He knew you were an open book and when or if you were ready you’d talk about whatever you wanted. 

Your eyes closed as you laughed, finally letting yourself relax and just be back. 

“You’re tellin’ me, the town population was so fuckin’ small they had no town drunk so I made it my goal to fill that position.” 

The both of them laughed at your joke, “no, but seriously my bowling score is fucking immaculate.” 

Mikey threw his arm over you and brought you over to the counter and tapped on the stool for you to sit. “Ibra! One beef, hot and sweet, drench that shit!” His voice carried through the entire restaurant and kitchen. 

“On it, Mikey!” Ibra walked by the service hatch and yelled your name at the same octave. That’s when you heard Tina’s voice and then soon after her face popped up in the service hatch, followed by Gary, and the entire kitchen, everyone of them thrilled to see you after months away. 

“Bowling score?” Richie frowned as he placed a cup of black coffee in front of you. “I’m not making you that fancy Starbucks shit.” 

A scoff left your mouth as you sipped the black coffee. A face of approval came across your face as you sipped it. “Not bad.” Your eyebrows raised. “And yea, bowling score, it was the only thing to do out there. I’m surprised the population isn’t stupid high because besides bowling the only other option for entertainment is fuckin’.” 

Richie looked like he was waiting for you to finish your sentence, like you were using fuckin’ as a descriptor verse a verb. 

“No Richie, she means intercourse.” Mikey teased as he hopped up on the counter. 

“Sexual relations.” You added another equivalent of the word. 

“Mating!” Mikey pointed at you with the pen he normally kept behind his ear, hype that he had thought of another one. 

Your mouth moved from side to side as you thought quickly to respond back, like it was a new game between the two of you to play. “Oh! Oh!” The stool rattled as you jumped up and down eager to share your word. “Looooovemaaaaakingggg” You enunciated each syllable in the word, rolling your body to mock it even more. 

“Fornication.” Mikey smirked like a teenage boy as his head nodded in approval of the word. 

“Alright, I get it, fuck you.” Richie grabbed your coffee mug and finished off the black liquid in a way to get back at you. 

“Fuck you or like fuuuucccckkkkk you?” Your body rolled again to mock the man. It was hard to hold your laugh in, and the minute Mikey let out a hyena howl at your mockery you burst into the same giggles. 

“You two are children.” He was retreating back to the kitchen, an excuse to stop getting teased but also to grab your food. 

“Hey, I gotta go.” Mikey looked at the clock and jumped down from the counter. He grabbed his jacket that was hanging on the coat rack in the seated part of the restaurant. “You think you could do me a favor?” He stopped for a minute in front of you, jacket half on, like he had just remembered something. “Sugar brought this stupid fuckin’ plant over here for good luck or some shit a while ago, I don’t know. I barely water it, and I was thinkin’” He moved to the window and grabbed the plant with one hand, placing it on the counter before his hands grabbed the corners as he leaned on it. “I was thinkin’ maybe you could take it home.” 

You stared at the plant and then back at Mikey. He knew you were about to argue it. 

“Hey” His hands lifted up. “Just passin’ the fuckin’ luck around.” He placed a kiss on top of your head, similar to the one he greeted you with. “Alright, I’m outtie, but relax, stay here as long as you want, eat whatever you want, hang in the back, hang in the front,” Mikey waved his hand around before bringing it down to grip yours as they rested on the countertop. “I’m serious. You’re home here.” 

“Thanks Mikey.” You nodded, he offered your hand one more squeeze before yelling out his goodbyes and leaving. 

“Here.” Richie slide the foiled wrapped sandwich in front of you. “I had Ibra put french fries on the sandwich cause I know that’s how you like to eat that shit.” Richie was making himself busy with the soda machine, his way of trying to be nonchalant with you. 

Your lips curled slightly in gratitude. “Thanks Richie.” Standing up, you grabbed the plant in one hand, and sandwich in the other and turned to leave. Just 15 minutes here had brought you the comfort you needed. 

And in seconds it was completely gone. 

Frozen. Your feet were stuck, unable to move. The cold air from the open door hit your face and instead of knocking you out of whatever was happening, it just solidified it more. 

“Hey.” His voice was cold but his breath was hot and the fact you could feel it meant he was too close in proximity to you. “Figured you’d come home. Thought I’d drop by to see how you were since you left so suddenly.” 

Your ex being inside The Beef was the last thing you’d expected, but then you felt your reaction to it and that was actually more surprising. Back in Minneanapolis, where you had moved in with him 6 months ago, your responses were the opposite. Never holding out, you yelled, fought back, and then left.

No response. The feeling was comparable to feeling like a kid again, wishing you could just shut your eyes and disappear into a fantasy world. But when you reopened your eyes he was still there. 

“Man, whatever.” He rolled his eyes and as he did so they landed on the two items in your hand. He slammed them both out of your grip, the sound of the foil splattering on the ground happened first, shortly followed by the sound of the planter shattering. You looked down at the mess that unfolded at your feet. The dirt from the greenery buried them but they might as well have been planted into the cement. You caught a look at your hands which were shaking, this wasn’t you. You weren’t scared. You didn’t feel like this. You grew up alone, in Chicago. That should have been scary. Not this. 

“You’re gonna get the fuck outta my restaurant.” Richie was suddenly to your right and slightly in front of you. “I’m not gonna count to 5 like we’re in fuckin elementary school.” This was when you realized he had a gun in his hand. “You’re either gonna get the fuck out or I’m gonna shoot you in your nuts.” He turned his head and his gun when he said that. “It’s your choice, motherfucker. I’m the one with 6 witnesses to testify that you came in here and threatened one of my customers.” 

With a quick glance over your shoulder, you saw the entire kitchen staring through the serving hatch, your stare moved back to Richie, it was a shock that your eyes hadn’t fallen out of your head with how wide they were, but you were grateful because your hands were still shaking and the practicality of all of that was not ideal. The insanity that in this moment, that was the thought in your head currently. The practicality of your eyes falling out of your head. It was a good distraction, thinking about how you’d have to clean them from the dirt, letting your mind take you on this wild ride for what was likely less than a second before you were back in the real time moment in front of you. 

Your ex was moving backwards with his hands up, his steps too nonchalant for your liking but at least he was listening to Richie. He puckered up his lips as he reached the door, throwing you a smooch and a nod. Besides that it was so silent in the restaurant which is why it became immediately known that Richie had pulled the hammer back on the gun, loading the chamber with the bullet. 

In the next second, he was gone. The feeling in your feet came back almost right away and the feeling of being cold was whisked away by feeling intensely hot. You ripped your jacket off and threw it on the stool and bent down in a frantic attempt to clean up the mess. 

“Go back to your shit! We’re all good!” Richie called back to the kitchen before squatting down to help you clean. 

“Ay, ay, it’s okay.” Richie tried his best to calm you down. His towel was now in your hands as you gathered the dirt into a more concise pile ignoring his comments. His hand gripping yours felt like a jolt of lightning to your head. 

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me!” The grip he had on you was so light which made you yanking your arm back easy and super over exaggerated. 

“Woah,” Richie showed surrender as his eyebrows moved up in shock rather than in a frown. You fell into a sitting position on the floor, having your arms catch the tiny fall which is when Richie saw it. 

The bruise was a little less than a week old and it was a large dark purple splotch with yellow edges as it began to heal. The discolored mark on your skin was burning as Richie stared at it, his thoughts going through the process of understanding pretty much everything. Why you left Minneapolis, who that guy was, what he was doing.

“Did he fuckin’ do that to you?” He asked in a whisper. It was probably the quietest she had ever heard Richie speak. There was also a little grumble in his tone, maybe it was instinctual, maybe it was pure anger just boiling up inside of him. 

“Richie.” You said his name like it was a full sentence. There was so much being said with one word. If he didn’t get the point then, he did after the next word out of your mouth. “Please.” 

He nodded, taking a second before he stood up and was out of your eyesight. You assumed he went to blow off steam, maybe he didn’t listen to you at all and went after the guy, but within seconds, he was back in front of you, holding you a hand broom and more towels. 

He tossed you the towels as he swept up the dirt. Both of you cleaned in silence, throwing out the pieces of broken ceramic. At one point, Richie had thrown the ‘lucky’ plant into a to-go container, letting it sit next to you both as you cleaned. 

“Thanks.” You offered up another one word delivery. Richie paused his movements of mopping the floor with the cloth to look at you. “You know, for pointing the gun and everything.” His stare at you was like he had no idea what you were talking about. “For scaring the dickhead away with the gun, Richie. Thank you.” You repeated in a more obvious manner. 

“Oh yea, well,” There was a brief delay in his words, he was trying to think of what to say, his eyes were no longer on you and he was looking around the floor like he was going to find the answer there. Which ironically, he did. The lucky plant sat straight up in the tall clear to go container as Richie’s eyes fixated on it. 

“What can I say? I have a soft spot for plants.” 

[turtletaubwrites]

Everything’s Fine. ~ Part 2

Thank you @lonelystarsstuff for the request for a more angsty part 2, I hope you like it!

Pairing: Sanji x Fem!Reader & Zoro x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1383

Part 1

Summary: You've been seeing both Zoro and Sanji for awhile now, and now they've each been seeing one of your friends. How well do you handle sharing your boys after some time has passed?

Rating/Warnings: Fem!Reader, Reader Insert, Polyamory, Angst, Pet Names, Established Relationship, Jealousy, Relationship Drama

A/N: These blurbs are from the We've All Got Needs series (sometime after part 9), however won't fit in that storyline because I've got other plans. I hope you enjoy these, and the drama coming up in future installments!

Sanji Seeing Someone

It’s supposed to be my day.

Sanji leaned over the table to kiss Nami softly. You tried to look away, but they both looked so happy. So lost in each other

You lost your appetite. Luffy took your food, of course.

Wouldn’t want to waste it, and see Sanji hurt. 

Not that he would even notice now.

I hate this feeling. I shouldn’t be thinking like this. He’s been so good with sharing me. 

But you couldn’t get the lump of nausea out of your throat.  

You noticed that he’d focus more on you during your days, but he still went to her. Still praised her, still winked at her, still kissed her when he handed her the same treats he’d made for you. 

She grinned at you, and you desperately wanted to feel happy for your friend. But you couldn’t get there. 

“Y/N, dear?”

Your eyes closed for a moment as you were almost out the galley door.

Turning slowly, Sanji stood with his plate of breakfast looking confused. You usually stayed with him after meals on his days. 

His brows furrowed as he saw your breathing, too angry to keep your body steady. 

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“It’s nothing. I just need to catch up on work.”

He left his plate on the table, moving toward you with concern in his eyes. He reached toward your face, and you couldn’t stop yourself from stiffening at his touch. He looked liked you’d slapped him.

Fuck, why am I being such a bitch?

But you couldn’t shame yourself out of it. 

Nami is so useful to the crew. I’ve been doing almost nothing since I started seeing the boys. I need to remember why I’m here in the first place. 

Especially if Sanji can’t even remember when it’s my day for his affections. 

“Y/N, are you mad at-“

“I’ve been spending too much time in here everyday. I need to do my part.”

“O-Of course, darling. Can I bring you anything while you work?"

“No, thank you.”

You hated every second of this, but your mind kept getting flooded with images of him with Nami. 

It’s true. I’ve been so lost in being pampered, I haven’t been myself. 

You left him in the middle of the kitchen, determined to find yourself again. 

I can’t forget why I’m on this ship. 

You propped yourself up with your field notes next to Chopper, realizing you couldn’t remember the last time you worked beside him. 

I won’t lose myself again. 

As Time Passes

As more time passed, you found yourself getting engrossed in your work again. It felt good to me practicing your skills, being creative with your projects, and being useful. The scent of dried flowers pressed to preserve their shape. The scratch of your pencil softly capturing every detail of the specimens you’d picked up on the way.  I’m going to find plants on the Grand Line that no one has seen before. I’ll find out their uses, I’ll help people.  You found yourself spending less and less time with the boys, even on their days with you. 

Sanji seemed hurt when you'd first asked for more time to work, but he was quickly caught up in more time with Nami. The festering anger you started to feel made you sick, and you kept focused on yourself. 

He always liked her more than me anyway. 

You pushed that thought away, but after time went on even your time together was feeling strained. 

Until Sanji started going overboard.

You woke to a soft knock at your door, and he paraded in with breakfast in bed.

“My beautiful, Y/N. I’m sorry, I couldn't wait a moment longer to see your perfect face this morning.”

“Sanji-”

“Not to worry, dear. Whatever you need today, I am here to serve. I’ll make your favorite latte to help you focus on your work if you like. Or a back rub to help you relax?”

You laughed at him, still not fully awake.

“Sanji, I’m fine. I’ve just got some work to do.”

“Will you be making supplies in the kitchen with me?”

“Not today.”

Sanji swallowed, his shoulders slumping a bit. Feeling guilty, you took a breath.

“How about I stay with you after lunch for a bit before heading back?”

His eyes lit up, and he practically ran toward you, showering you with kisses. 

“Thank you, my sweet, every second in your presence is heavenly. I’m so lucky to have you, my darling. My beautif-”

You couldn’t stop laughing now, gently pushing him off so you could get up. 

You pulled him into a hug, having a feeling why he might even be more over the top lately. 

“I’ll see you at lunch, Sanji.”

You sighed into his soft kiss. Your hurt was still there. It didn’t feel like it used to with him. 

I guess we need to talk about it. 

Zoro Seeing Someone

“Hey, Needy?”

You’d followed him out on deck, happy to watch his morning training routine before he took you in the shower again. 

Robin waved at you with a teasing smile as she found a spot on deck to read. Blushing, you looked back at Zoro, only to find his eyes trained on Robin.

Your gut twisted uncomfortably, and you felt too awkward to stand and watch him like a cheerleader while he looked at her.

Fidgeting for a few moments, you went back inside. 

He can find me when he’s done. 

You had your head in the cupboard, looking for more ideas to share with Usopp for his ammo.

“I wondered where my Needy girl was hiding.”

For the first time since he gave it to you, the nickname didn’t feel comfortable.

I don’t just want to be needy. I want to be needed. 

You turned to find him glistening with sweat, breathing heavy, ready to take you over, make you forget everything. Again.

“I’ve got some work to do, Zoro.”

His head tilted, brow tensing slightly as he looked at you.

“You alright, Needy?”

Letting out a breath, you touched his hand, the skin hot in yours.

“All good, I just want to get some work done today.”

He stared for a minute, seeming to size you up. 

“Alright weirdo, see you later?”

“Mmhm.”

You turned back to your work, waiting to hear his footsteps out the door. 

As Time Passes

As more time passed, you found yourself getting engrossed in your work again. It felt good to me practicing your skills, being creative with your projects, and being useful. The scent of dried flowers pressed to preserve their shape. The scratch of your pencil softly capturing every detail of the specimens you’d picked up on the way.  I’m going to find plants on the Grand Line that no one has seen before. I’ll find out their uses, I’ll help people.  You found yourself spending less and less time with the boys, even on their days with you. 

A heavy knock at your door jolted you from your work. Standing from your desk you opened the door to find Zoro leaning against the frame. 

“Hi, what’s up?”

He frowned at you.

“What’s up with you, Needy?”

With a sigh, you stepped back and let him in. 

“I’m working on monographs from the last island. I’d like to finish up before we land anywhere else, it takes a lot of time.”

He crossed his arms.

“I didn’t know you wanted a break today.”

“We don’t need to have sex every time it’s your day, Zoro.”

His brows tensed, body stiffening at your words.

“That’s not what I meant. I… I mean we. We haven’t even talked today, Needy. I thought it was our day.”

Your head fell back to look at the ceiling as you sighed, stepping further away from him. 

“I’ve got a lot to do, Zoro. I’m not like you, the fighters, and the devil fruit users. I can’t fight. I have to use my other skills to be useful.”

His face softened, his arms uncrossing to reach for you.

“You are useful to this crew, Needy. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. 

You wanted to believe him as he held you, but you couldn’t get the image of how he looked at Robin out of your head. The respect, the admiration. She was so strong, powerful. He’d never look at you the way he looks at her. 

“Th-Thank you. I really need to get back to work, Zoro.”

He kissed the top of your head before pulling back to look at you. He still looked concerned, but he let you go. 

“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right, Needy?”

Your stomach dropped, a feeling of nausea and shame swirling in you. 

Why can’t I just tell him how I’m feeling?

But you couldn’t form the words, feeling too hurt and ashamed with yourself to manage it. 

“Everything’s fine.”

Thank You For Reading! 💜

TurtleTaub Fanfic Masterlist

Buy me a coffee ☕🙏🏼

[stargirlfics]

The Gentleman Chapter 3: After Hours

Alfred Pennyworth x Black Dancer!Reader

Summary: A night of dazzling spectacles and new firsts for you and Alfred

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, multiple/switching pov’s, mentions of minor injuries, mutual pining, lots of teasing, smut: oral (both receiving), praise kink, fingering, soft dom!alfred, sooo much dirty talk, intense and passionate PiV, creampie ending but with a slight twist

Word Count: 8.9k

Note: Ahh so this took me ages to complete and I know it’s quite a long fic too so thank you for taking the time to read it! I really had fun writing it so I hope it gives you all the same steamy, glamorous vibes it gave me!  

[series masterlist] [series playlist]

Alfred found himself for the first time in a long time, distracted. On the edge of a smile at all times now because of you.

The night you shared at the ballet was heavy on his mind, remembering how beautiful you looked, how good it felt to have you on his arm, the look of joy on your face as you watched, and of course, in the after, your body against his with the taste of you on his tongue, everything about you filling up his senses.

There was something else there too, something just beginning to tug at his heart, the kind of  feeling that both terrified and excited him, because it hadn’t taken long to realize that whatever was blossoming between you both would either pleasantly or painfully devastate him.

None of it was easy to avoid worrying about. Alfred was a worrier, it just couldn’t be helped.

There had been a time in his life where there hadn’t been room to worry, to panic, there was simply just doing.

Being able to forgo getting too emotionally invested was a necessity in order to do his job then, he was a military man, completing the assigned mission was his only goal and even in his circus days that never waivered, not till it became just him and Bruce.

After that, their deaths, worrying was almost all he could do.

Grief-stricken and on his own with a boy whose world had just been ripped apart, of course he worried every second of the day, hoping he could do right by the boy and do right by Thomas and Martha because they had trusted him so much they named him their sons guardian in the will and it had haunted him ever since.

His circle of loved ones was few and you had taken him by surprise, making him care about you right away, captivating him so much and so quickly he saw now that he never stood a chance.

So that’s where he found himself at present, worrying, thinking, caring about you, counting down the time until he can speak to you again, already having a routine, nightly phone calls, and talking for hours on end.

It stunned him how much he’d grown accustomed to being in contact with you, smiling to himself at the reminder of your voice, how he loved the sound.

Too soon, much too soon for his liking, those thoughts dissipated with the arrival of one Bruce Wayne in his peripheral, trudging into the kitchen quietly, lost in a fog of his own, only slightly startled to see Alfred in the kitchen too, forgetting and now realizing what time it was.

-

Bruce was exhausted but still alert enough to pick up on Alfred’s distracted stare as he stood preparing his morning cup of tea, a steaming plate of breakfast already at the kitchen table for the younger man to eat.

It wasn’t much longer after receiving his delayed greeting that Bruce connected the dots.

“You were with her the other night, weren’t you? I interrupted again,” he spoke quietly.

A pause.

“How do you feel?” Alfred poses a question of his own to avoid answering, unsure of how to respond, or how much to say.

That makes Bruce huff out a laugh, never having known Alfred to shy away from telling difficult truths.

The avoidance all the confirmation needed, a small smile forming knowing the man who’d been so selfless, ever by his side even when he hadn’t made it easy on him, had let someone in.

“Tender, but it’s fine. I’m fine.”

He’d been lucky the protective armor of the bat suit cushioned his landing and subsequent roll and skid into the side of that building as much as it did.

However, it was still bad enough he needed Alfred to patch him up and tend to his bruises that night, a tinge of guilt marking the moment at realizing his record of interruptions thus far.

The nonchalance of his answer earns the younger man a pointed look because no, Alfred wouldn’t categorize the rough test run of a new wingsuit prototype as simply “fine” even if it could have been much worse.

Alfred takes a sip of his tea and sighs, deciding to let this particular battle go, for now, it wasn’t the worst shape he’d seen Bruce in and that was all he was thankful for.

“Very well, but please, be sure to eat and I want you to take it easy today,” another pointed look accompanied his words.

“I will, thank you for breakfast, Alfred. You know….you can bring her here sometime. I’ll be out every night for the next week,” Bruce spoke carefully.

He was anticipating the older man’s surprise at the suggestion, biting back another smile because he hadn’t forgotten just what time of night it was when Alfred had arrived home to help him, perfume unmistakably on his collar.

The older man was about to speak when Bruce saw the surprise fade into concern about his whereabouts and hurried to reassure.

“It’s nothing dangerous, just staking out a case I’m following. You’ll have the place to yourselves, no interruptions I promise.”

Alfred was once again left unsure of what to say, settling on a curt nod as he watched Bruce take a promising bite of toast, already halfway out of the kitchen with the plate, knowing he’d find him asleep against his work table downstairs in a few.

Shaking his head, he processed the conversation, thoughts coming full circle back to you.

Unable to help himself despite wondering if it was too soon to ask you to stay the night, indulging himself in a daydream about seeing you dance, of bringing you here to the Tower, getting the chance to have you laid out underneath him, in his bed this time, of seeing you squirm and hearing all the pretty sounds you could make.

God how he missed your taste.

He missed making you feel good, still wrecked by your eagerness that night, stuck on the way your warm, soft hand had palmed over the stiffening bulge in his slacks.

He hadn’t felt this much desire in a long time and wasn’t interested in fighting it, focusing again to check the time on his watch, his phone resting next to his tea chiming with a notification from you, the sweet and thoughtful good morning text the extra push he needed to make up his mind.

Maybe he’d be taking Bruce’s suggestion after all.

-

It was late in the evening when Alfred spoke to you next.

His tired eyes had closed in content at the happy lilt of your voice, hearing about your day and vice versa, conversing until things went a little quiet and he decided then to stop caring about how eager it would sound and say what had been on the tip of his tongue all day.

“When can I see you again, darling? I miss you.”

“Oh, Alfred, I miss you too. How about in the next couple days? I’ll be performing most of the evenings this week and I’m sure you’re also going to be busy but maybe we could make it a lunch date or something.”

“Well, if you’d have me, I would actually love to come see you in one of your shows. I know how much hard work and love you put into it, I’d be a fool to miss a chance to see you on stage. Then maybe afterward, I was thinking we could come here, I could show you Wayne Tower, make you dinner if you’d like.”

“Oh! I would really love that. It means a lot that you want to see me dance and yes please for afterward, I need to see that book collection you mentioned!”

The sudden shy, softness of your voice made his heart swell.

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else, it’s your passion and that’s important to me, I know you must be so stunning to watch.”

It drove him crazy to be able to hear the smile in your voice.

“Another thing, if I may. If you’re comfortable, you’re welcome to spend the night here then too, I…would love it if you stayed. I know we said we would pick up where we left off but we can also slow this down too.”

“No no, that’s perfect! I would love to stay the night, I was hoping to give you an after hours show, you know.” your tone was playful but he could hear the truth in it too, his own voice going low, husky.

“Believe me, love, I fully intend to see to our unfinished business.”

The reminder of the tension he was walking circles around with you had him aching, happy to be on the same page, at the confirmation that it wasn’t just him thinking of that bottled electric chemistry he’d only been given a drop of.

That was just fine with him though, he’d get to have you soon enough and you were well worth every second of time he had to wait.

TWO NIGHTS LATER

The Iceberg Lounge was bubbling with activity as the show’s beginning hour neared.

A sultry, mellow tune accented the club's chatter, everyone in their finest dress to match the grand theater inspired interior, drinks flowing and bodies buzzing, none more so than the dancers rushing to get ready backstage.

This part of the night was arguably your favorite; the chaos before the chaos.

Every girl on the roster was slipping into their outfits, everywhere one looked there were flashes of sparkles and lace and the quick click of heels back and forth, helping each other with hair and makeup.

Others were stretching out into warm up splits while Madame Olena helped with the costuming efforts, last minute reminders of steps and counts flying from her lips.

Maybe it was something about the ritual of it all, finding your vibe amongst the sequins and diamonds and pretty lingerie under twinkling vanity lights.

Tonight, you were in sheer tulle lingerie, the bodice of your matching corset embellished with crystals, winking softly at you in the mirror, making you feel luxurious, expensive, something to be adored.

Your breaths slowing down now to try and steady yourself, tummy fluttering slightly as you finish adding a light dusting of glitter to your makeup, a few stray flecks falling off the brush to frame your face, your hand just a little unsteady with anticipation.

Alfred would be in the crowd tonight and your nerves spiked at what he might think and at the thought of him seeing you perform for the first time, yet you were also comforted knowing he had wanted to come in the first place, and at the promise of an entire night with him.

Trying not to think about the way he’d devoured you that night had been a challenge and knowing he’d be seeing you perform only added to the dirty thoughts swirling in the back of your mind, but could anyone blame you?

It was all just so natural with him, easing into these feelings, the simmering desire, the safety of being around him, it felt so right.

But there wasn’t any more time to indulge with just a few minutes until the show would start, Kiera coming around the corner just as you checked the time, a few other dancers, friends of yours, in tow.

“Is he here?!”

“Where’s he sitting?”

The group’s collective whisper yell made you laugh as they crowded around you.

Roxie and Bambi were already helping you smooth on crystal studded pasties while you answered their questions, multitasking just as they were, helping Amber adjust the cuffs on her outfit.

“Yes! I told him to sit near the middle left but not dead center,” you exhaled with a smile.

“Right! So he’s got a better view of your position! So smart, oh my god he’s going to love it!” Amber gushed and you stood to readjust your stockings.

“He’s gonna be all over you after!” Roxie squeezed your side and you beamed back at them, any worries ebbing away now that you were all hurrying to take your places.

Your heartbeat sounded loud to your own ears, the smile on your lips there without effort, happy at your friend's excitement at what was happening between you and Alfred.

One minute more and you’d be in front of the crowd, a thrill running through your spine as the seconds ticked down.

On the other side of the velvet red stage curtains, Oz flashed a sly grin at the audience, announcing that his favorite and most prized dancing dolls would be taking the stage with a set of new, tantalizing routines, ones he was sure would bring in a lot of money tonight.

He’d instructed Madame Olena to make sure the girls were on top of their game tonight.

There were a few potential business deals to be made and he wanted to be sure the men he’d be negotiating with were nice and loose with champagne and the sultry dazzle of his dancers to give him a good deal.

The bright spotlights hanging above him moved to center stage as the club’s live jazz band began to play, capturing everyone’s attention.

Alfred’s cool gaze lingered a moment longer on Penguin’s figure melting into the shadows off to the side, his jaw ticking just slightly, not liking what he knew of the club owner, his involvement with Falcone, and the events of the last year making him wary, especially of the fact that he was your boss.

But his distrust of the man wasn’t what he wanted to focus on tonight, not when there were much more important things on his mind.

His attention refocused on the stage where a set piece of a door’s keyhole came into view, romantic piano notes, and the soft swing of the band accompanying the display.

The lights dimmed, the curved silhouette of a dancer now illuminated.

The set piece separated down the middle mere moments later, two halves of the keyhole swept away to either side, vanishing in a wave of darkness before the stage’s forefront was shining with light once again.

Rose petals fell softly from above, Alfred’s gaze catching their descent, sweeping down until there you were, perched beautifully atop a plush bed, against the backdrop of a twinkling Parisian skyline, your hand trailing up your stockings, over the delicate looking lingerie shaped to you perfectly.

The tones of blush and crimson against the dark rich shade of your skin were striking, capturing his attention immediately.

Breathtaking. You were utterly breathtaking.

The music crooned seductively as the other dancers around you began to move, leaving you to stretch out against the satin sheets, the theme of the routine puzzling into place now.

This was a glimpse in through the keyhole of a bedroom, angels residing inside.

Alfred’s face felt hot at realizing the voyeuristic nature of the routine, understanding further that it was mutual.

One by one the dancer’s acknowledged that the audience was watching, pointing out those in the crowd, giggling softly to one another before teasing with a wink or the shimmy of hips, the display making his chest tighten.

His eyes were fixed to you, however, watching you uncurl and push up onto your hands and knees slowly, giving a cheeky tease of cleavage.

You were magnetic, he could tell you were having fun and in turn, so was he.

There was a kind of delight in your eyes as you moved, your movements fluid, practiced but effortless, each one connecting to the other, the sway of your hips unmatched.

And then he watched your eyes scan the crowd while you flirted more reveals of skin, your gaze landing on him right away.

Everything felt slow like honey, Alfred forgetting how to breathe altogether when you touched your fingers to your lips and blew a kiss in his direction.

Some in the crowd whistled or cheered the more provocative your dance became once you’d risen from the bed and it had him shifting in his seat, allowing himself to feel a little smug that out of all the men in the room, he was the one your attention was on.

It was a touch on the possessive side yes, something he realized you brought out in him but he couldn’t deny just how much he enjoyed knowing that he’d be taking you home tonight, that while everyone here was certainly looking, he was the only one with the privilege to touch.

Alfred gazed back at you, hoping you could see the lusty adoration in his eyes, needing you to know every bit of it was for you as long as you’d have him.

Rose petals floated past your vision and heat simmered in your chest each time you glanced his way, adrenaline spiking hot in your veins as you teased the laces of your corset loose.

Bambi swayed in mirror of your steps to help you undo the rest of the laces.

Confidence in your muscle memory had taken over, your nervousness melting away the second you spotted Alfred in the crowd, handsome as ever in a coal black suit and tie, pops of gold appearing from the classic gold watch he always wore and the chain detail on his waistcoat.

He was going to kill you, driving your need higher with the look on his face, the sweetest cherry on top of it all.

You were enjoying this, being in your element, slow and controlled with the leisurely bend of your torso against the end of the bed, your stockings on display with your ass arched high while you held the loosened corset to your body in a hug, dragging out the reveal of skin underneath.

Even from the stage you could see that you had flustered him, adoration and want written across his features, and you hoped he could see the same in yours, because you were looking and noticing too, between the steps and counts of the music.

Moving now, you faced the audience again to slowly let the corset slip from your grasp, curling inward in faux shyness at the low wolf whistles and cheers.

Your hands caressed down your hips, resting there as Roxie and Amber joined on either side of you, signaling the jazzy swing of the band to fade out for something more modern, a heavier, dirtier beat required for the next sequence.

The three of you had worked tirelessly to perfect the equally as sultry heels dance accompanying the striptease, your gaze lingering on Alfred again as you began to move, your smile climbing higher knowing he couldn’t keep his eyes off you, probably not even if wanted.

Lots of men had watched you dance, lots of them had oogled at you and cheered for your performances night after night but none like him.

None had shown the same level of self restraint, consideration, or care for you that Alfred had.

Maybe it’s why this felt special, all of that being the foundation from where his desire for you grew, it’s why you felt safe with him and you couldn’t wait to be alone with him tonight, to see the exact moment his self restraint would snap after a night of being teased.

After all, how did that saying go again?

A gentleman is just a patient wolf.

-

Closing out the show had been easy, the cool soapy water in the large cocktail glass bathtub you were sitting in doing nothing to put out the heat still ignited from all the waiting and all the tension built up.

You blew one last kiss to the audience, catching sight of Alfred again, letting yourself soak in the image of him applauding you before the curtains were closing once more, slowly muffling the thunder of applause, the last of the rose petals floating down to cover your body.

Everyone else’s squeals of delight, relief, and exhaustion came moments later and you were carefully hopping down from the bath to collect the discarded pieces of your outfit.

It was then that you caught the approving look of Madame Olena in the wings of the stage, her approval not always the easiest to earn but tonight you’d pulled it off and the satisfaction was everything. As if everything had aligned just right.

The night’s success was celebrated with a quick but soothing shower, washing some of the sweat and makeup from your face and body before slipping back into the dressing rooms to chat with Kiera and the rest of the girls who were graciously helping you redo your hair before rushing you to slip out the back alley and start your night with Alfred already.

It wasn’t anything you needed to be told twice, the chaos of the night starting to calm when you finally emerged outside, muffled club music mirroring the thud of your heart as you met him outside the back entrance.

Tired feet quickly carried you towards him and he was following your lead from across the alley.

Closing the distance, he tucked his cane under his arm so he could reach out with both hands to embrace you, strong arms wrapping around your middle, squeezing and lifting you up to your tiptoes for a moment.

“My darling, you were brilliant up there, tonight! Absolutely stunning, you know that? I see why they come to watch you, you were beautiful.”

The deep, smooth tone of his voice, and the way his accent made the words sound had you grasping his arms just a little tighter, the praise unlocking something inside you as you thanked him and let him escort you to the car.

What a relief it had been that the drive to Wayne Tower hadn’t been a long one, the tension between you and him lingering, sticking to your skin, refusing to peel away.

You’d brought a small overnight bag which Alfred insisted he carry for you as you walked to the elevators that would take you up to the penthouse level, the reminder that you’d be staying the night with him for the first time sending the same nervous butterflies from earlier swarming in your belly.

But his hand was laced in yours and you were eased just as quickly, feeling steady leaning against him in the lift.

“I’m so happy to have you here tonight, love. I hope you’ll enjoy it,” his sigh is content, soft blue eyes peering low to look at you before placing a kiss to your forehead when you smile up at him in return.

The trail of heat his thumb left as it caressed across your knuckles was doing hard work to steal your ability to think, brain already foggy at the tender physical contact.

“I already am,” you finally managed to respond.

Now it was your turn to be flustered tonight, receiving no reprieve because the elevator doors were opening and you were met with your first glimpse inside Wayne Tower.

Gothic architecture greeted you, warm wood tones and sloping ceilings with ornate patterns of engraved wood connected an array of curved arches and pillars to create the main room.

Two staircases circled up either side of the entrance hallway and it was the contrast of this and the more modern exterior of the building that caught you off guard.

A large table sat in the middle of the main room, a stunning chandelier right above it, high reaching windows lining the back too, a flurry of details catching your eye.

There were antiques, gold colored trimmings, and a sense of grandness about it all that had you too busy admiring to pay much attention to Alfred’s amused chuckle as he helped you shrug off your coat and shoes.

It felt a little like you’d stepped into one of the dark, romantic castles in your favorite novels and you hoped Alfred would be kind enough to give you a tour one day, feeling yourself falling for the space’s unique charm already.

“You’re kidding me, your home is beautiful! I’d never leave if I had these views to look at,” you were still gawking at your surroundings as he guided you further inside.

A chuckle and then his voice followed, “I’m quite fond of it myself, my dear. Oh and I think you might enjoy this too,” he beamed back at you, leading you to one of the nooks coming off the main room.

There you found built-in shelves filled with books stretching up nearly to the ceiling, a heavy looking desk positioned in the space as well, his desk you presumed judging by the stacks of papers and stationary littered across its surface.

He was right, you were unashamed in marveling over all that reading material, tucking yourself close to him again as he showed you some of his favorite titles.

There was something very attractive about how easy it seemed he could point them out to you, knowing where each one was on the shelf, giving you little summaries of ones he thought you might enjoy reading.

You were looking closely at a section of poetry books when you felt him draw nearer to you, his hands sliding into his pockets.

Heat once again burned deep in your core, and you pretended not to notice how close he was, or that you wanted to press yourself against him so badly, unsure how soon to jump into the physical side of things again.

The scent of his cologne swayed you further, your distracted hums of agreement probably giving it away but you didn’t have the strength to act unphased.

Upon recognizing a few poets in his collection you smiled and looked over your shoulder to point them out, words catching in your throat when you found him already looking at you and it didn’t help that he was close enough now that his chest was just inches from bumping against your shoulder.

“Hey…I wanted to thank you again for letting me see you tonight, you’re a talented dancer and I don’t think I’ll be able to stop thinking of how you moved on that stage for a long time.”

Sincerity mixed with the desire in his eyes and you were melting all over again, moving so that you could hug him, resting your chin against his shoulder.

“Well, thank you for being so supportive. I don’t think I’ve ever been so thrilled to have someone in the audience. Seeing you in the crowd made me feel really good up there.”

Your fingers nestled into the groove between his waistcoat and the dress shirt he had on underneath, sinking into the comfort of being held by him, resolve growing weak with his hum of acknowledgment, the sound rumbling deep in his chest and flooding your brain with a haze that made you wish you could stay in his embrace for hours.

Alfred’s lips brushed the shell of your ear for a fleeting second and then you were pulling back to look at him again, ready to go further, to finally be with him how you wanted.

“You can’t keep looking at me like that, darling.”

“Why not?”

“Because it makes me want to kiss you, and then do more than just kiss you. You can’t look at me like that because it drives me crazy, it makes me want to take you upstairs so I can taste your pretty little cunt again like I’ve been thinking about doing all week, it makes me want to fold you in half and stuff you full of my cock. That’s why not.”

His words left you speechless, your lips falling open but nothing followed, a heavy silence blanketed the moment, time suspending and your breaths coming quicker because he was moving now, taking you with him, pressing you gently against the bookshelf.

You realized he was still holding back, even at the brink, not fishing for it but simply waiting for your permission.

“Please. I want that, I want you.” it sounded more like a whine but you didn’t care, not when his hips were keeping a steady pressure against yours, caging you sweetly.

He made a sound then, like a growl, deep in his chest, leaning in to brush his lips over your temple.

“Look at you, using your manners, being so patient, such a good girl aren’t you?” his tone low, like gravel against your ear.

Hearing him call you a good girl made you flutter inside, not expecting just how much you’d want to hear him call you that again.

Words were failing you, only being able to nod in response, but that was okay because his mouth was on yours mere seconds later, conveying everything words couldn’t.

A whimper broke loose from your throat as the kiss deepened, till his hands were sliding from where they had cupped your cheeks, down to your waist, tugging you away from the bookshelf and moving just out of your reach when your own hands slipped from his shoulders.

You hadn’t realized you were pouting at the loss of contact till Alfred laughed softly, your feet carrying you forward to reach for his chest, only for him to move backward at the same time, your fingers just barely catching on the buttons of his waistcoat.

“It’s mean to tease you know,” you huff playfully.

“Hm, isn’t that what you’ve been doing all night though, love? Looking right at me while you showed off that pretty ass of yours?”

His ability to render you speechless had again caught you by surprise, the pout returning to your face because he was right and was now getting you back for it.

You think of something to say quickly, trying to match his energy, “I…could show it off to you again, if you want a closer look.”

“Is that right? Come here then.” Alfred beckoned you over, holding out a broad hand for you to take, giving your fingers a squeeze when you laced them in his before he was leading you back towards the staircases.

Beautiful, gothic inspired hallways marked the journey to his bedroom, soft burnt orange lighting blanketed the wooden floors creaking gently in spots as you turned a corner and arrived at his door.

His lips were seeking yours again as you both stumbled through the doorway, no hint of teasing from either of you now.

The room was dark, stumbling around still until you were forced to part from him, your brain not having time to miss the contact because soon enough the room was softly lit from the bedside lamp and you were suddenly very aware that you were in his private space.

Charming furniture and several stacks of books caught your eye, everything in the room neat and orderly.

A standing mirror with several different ties hung over its frame was tucked away in the corner, a faded but cozy rug invited you further into the room and you couldn’t help but smile at some of the romantic looking art hung around the room.

The dark colored walls and hues splashed across the room made things feel enclosed, warm, the smell of old books and sandalwood coming to mind as you did a slow spin, eyeing some of his things placed on the dresser across from his bed before the sound of the door closing caught your attention.

Now that he had you alone you could see his resolve was nearly gone now and the sight of him loosening the knot in his tie and smoothly taking off his cufflinks made you want to drag him to bed, feeling your own resolve slipping further away now too.

You moved towards him then, heart beating fast as you watched him roll his sleeves up, strong forearms on display, his muscles flexing under your touch when you reached out to trail over the expanse of skin.

It feels almost like you’ve done it a hundred times before, leaving you wondering how your fingers weren’t trembling as you helped him undo the buttons on his vest.

Just how easy it felt to push the fabric from his toned shoulders, a whimper caught in your throat at the peek of his silver chest hair curling through the top where some of the buttons had been undone.

He was so handsome it almost hurt and you wanted him so bad it definitely hurt.

Broad hands were at your waist again in no time, keeping you in place and pressed against him close as you fell back against the plush duvet of the bed, soft giggles following, Alfred’s lips swallowing your content sigh in another kiss as you were guided further up onto the bed.

“I wonder how soaked you are for me this time,” came another gruffly spoken remark in between kisses.

Smiling now, you watch him trail kisses down your neck, your collarbone and shoulders, knowing the answer. Knowing that he’d find you slick and aching.

Your hands were starting to do some of the work for him, teasing up the hem of the dress you had on, letting it bunch up as your legs parted, spreading out for Alfred, moving so he could fit between your thighs, another wave of need crashing against your core when he moved down, his shoulders naturally pushing your legs further apart.

“Do you know how often I’ve thought of this, darling? God if you knew how often…”

You had been studying his face as he gazed at the thin, definitely damp strip of underwear covering your pussy, clenching around nothing at his admission, which is maybe why you gave one of your own.

“Me too…that night...I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I touched myself twice imagining you eating me out again.”

His hands were already smoothing over your thighs, the touch familiar, enticing.

“Yeah? I can’t tell you how hard I was when I woke up the next morning. I haven't woken up needing to stroke my cock that much in years, lovely. You’ve been driving me mad.”

The confession made you groan, whining out a few more pleas for him to touch you, taste you, fuck you, take you however he wants before he’s peeling your underwear down your legs, throwing it to the side.

You watch with bated breath as Alfred’s thumbs touch down on the soft, sensitive skin of your outer lips, pulling back just a tad to see the way you glisten, and then his fingers were rolling over your clit in a gentle circle and you were gasping.

The motion was slow, controlled, so erotic in how his fingers seemed to draw out the ebb of pleasure it gave, rewarding you with a few more tight circles before slipping down to explore your folds, gathering as much of your slick on his fingers as he could before the tip of his middle finger was circling over your entrance.

“Already such a mess for me, you’re so filthy and I love it,” he murmured while you whimpered again, hips jolting with a searing kiss pressed against your thigh.

Just when you thought he might move his mouth to where you wanted him most, he pulls back entirely, lifting his fingers from your heated skin too, not giving you much time to miss the contact because he was bringing those same fingers that were shiny with your essence up to his lips, tasting you off them.

“Oh my god…” your gasp mixed with his hum of delight all at once and then his head was finally tipping down again, this time to flick his tongue over your folds eagerly.

The trimmed scruff of his beard tickled your skin from where he was pressing his face against you, molding his mouth to your pussy, starting a pattern with his tongue, swirling careful licks over your clit, smiling against your skin when your thighs began to close around his head the more he gave you.

Your body felt hot, blood roaring in your veins, fingers beginning to clutch at the covers, needing something to grip.

Alfred glanced up, happy to see you feeling good, pleasure starting to work its glow across your face.

You couldn’t help but cover your mouth the more your gentleman devoured you, trying to suppress loud, needy whines threatening to escape, still unsure of how much to let loose being in his space, his room this time, a touch shy about how desperate you knew your moans would be.

There wasn’t any hiding from him though and he spotted your attempts to muffle yourself.

“Don’t hide those pretty sounds from me, I promise it’s just us tonight, darling. You can be as loud as you’d like.”

He was speaking to you in that soft commanding tone again and you were obliging, slowly taking your hand from your mouth when he resumed the movements of his tongue, pretty whines and pants breaking loose, filling the cozy silence in the room.

Those warm, broad hands that had been busy keeping your legs held open and wide for him loosened their grip for a moment, his right hand snaking around your hip to keep a hold on you while his other hand moved up, exploring.

Your dress had ridden up to bunch around your waist and you were happy the material had some give as you wiggled it up and over your head, letting it fall somewhere off the side of the bed.

This gave Alfred all the bare skin to touch, his touch moving up over your ribs, your breasts until the tips of his fingers were finding a familiar home against your jaw.

“Here. Get them wet for me.”

The words didn’t register for a moment, your mind still very hazy, eyes blinking down at him in question.

Catching the adoring look on his face sent you further into that fog until he repeated himself and you finally understood what he wanted, cursing under your breath at the thought of sucking on his fingers like he was telling you to do, clenching around nothing when the pads of his middle and index finger brushed over your lips.

The repeated command and the way he coaxed your mouth open made you squirm, willing and wanting to listen to any other command he might want to give as you wrapped your lips around his fingers, groaning at the residual taste of you on them.

It felt so filthy, mouth occupied with the task he’d given you while his own returned to eating you hungrily, keeping a steady pressure with his lips, humming against your clit just when your hands slid into his hair, tugging sharply with every hot swipe of his tongue.

His fingers were thick, feeling heavy on your tongue which sparked another wave of heat to spread through your center, imagining how his cock might feel in place of his fingers.

There hadn’t been time the other night to touch him, for him to fill your mouth like you had wanted but there had also been no mistaking how thick he’d felt against your palm, even through the material of his trousers and the reminder of it made you shudder.

Eventually, he pulled his fingers from your mouth, rather reluctantly because it also had him thinking about stuffing your mouth with something else of his but the need to keep making you feel good surpassed the thought, spit slicked fingers moving back down now to press against your dripping hole.

“I know but I have to get you warmed up, love,” Alfred lifted his head for a moment, hair disheveled from where your hands had been buried.

The edges of his beard around his mouth were damp with you, the evidence catching you by surprise, making your cheeks burn as he eased his middle finger inside your heat.

He was careful with the intrusion, groaning roughly at how little friction there was, and you, squirming in his hold again, head thrown back against the bed as his finger worked you open sweetly, slowly, experimenting until he found the right angle, stroking against a spot that made you gasp and then working in another finger when he felt you were ready.

It was all much like that night in your bedroom, in the care of Alfred’s very capable hands, stripped bare while he was still fully clothed, the tendons and muscles in your thighs strung tight with each expert plunge of his fingers.

“Oh, m-more, please, more,” you were crying out, wound up at the thought of him prepping you to take him fully, how good every curl and push and flex of his forearms felt.

He had been glancing at you frequently, torn between watching you take his fingers and watching the effect on your body, your face and now that you were brave enough to peek at him too, your breath caught in your throat at the lust in his eyes, the intensity of them piercing.

The duvet below you was already wrinkled beyond belief from where your fingers had twisted it in your grip, trying to tether yourself to something, more stress created in the fabric when Alfred indulged you in your plea for more, head dipping down again to focus on your throbbing, swollen clit.

Building pressure in your belly, in your very core signaled to you that you weren’t far from finding your release, crying out needily the closer you got, Alfred groaning against your pussy, feeling you tighten up around his fingers, encouraging you to let go with continued movements.

The quickness of your release took you by surprise, not anticipating just how fast the coil spun tightly within you would snap, coming hard.

Your body wanting to tremble and jolt with the waves of bliss crashing against it, hands leaving the sheets to cling onto Alfred’s forearms, moaning unabashedly at the weight of them pinning you in place, forcing you to ride out the last bits of your orgasm.

It wasn’t fair. How every touch he gave you sent you reeling and he hadn’t even fucked you yet.

“Good girl, there you go. I could spend all night like this, you taste so fucking good, you know that?” came his content sigh, his cheek resting against your still trembling leg.

The praise sent you into another tailspin, emboldening you until you were moving to sit up, reaching for him as you did, following him towards the edge of the bed where he now stood, swiping a hand over his beard, admiring how pretty you looked on your hands and knees crawling towards him.

Finally, you were getting your turn to touch and taste him. A sly little smile worked its way onto your face as you sat kneeling in front of him.

Too impatient and too needy to take your time, your hands immediately went for his belt buckle, undoing it and the button and zipper of his dress pants in record time.

“Oh fuck…” the breathy sigh you let out punctuated the sound of the fabric and his belt hitting the floor as you pulled it and his briefs down in one motion, his cock springing free, hanging heavy in front of you.

You were right, he was thick, your mouth watering immediately at the sight and then even more when you moved to wrap a hand around his length, smooth, heated and throbbing skin meeting your palm.

The growled out moan rattling in Alfred’s chest at the tight fist you made around him had you biting your lip. He was uncut, the flushed pink mushroom tip coming into view as you stroked him slowly, relishing in the fact that he’d gotten this hard just from eating you out.

Pumping your hand a few more times you looked up to study his face for a moment, your thighs pressing together at the way he was looking at you, how he was breathing deep, his hands occupied with unbuttoning his shirt while you jerked him off.

“Go on. I can see how badly you want it in your mouth, it’s yours, just open up…there.”

Your tongue darted out to flick over his tip and you moaned when he twitched in your hand, liking how no longer proper and put together he was the more you took him into your mouth, wrapping your lips around him, sucking, licking, tasting him for the first time.

A string of curses left his lips when you started to bob your head, your hands leaving his shaft to rest on his thighs, eyes fluttering open to see him discarding his shirt, the bare expanse of skin and light dusting of silver hair across his chest doing things to you.

His skin had of course softened with age but the definition of his muscles, of his lean but strong frame remained and it drove you crazy, taking him deeper into the heat of your mouth, loving how you had to stretch your cheeks and lips wide to accommodate him, savoring the salty musk of his taste, how yummy he was.

Soft and hungry “Mmm”’s and whines slipped from you as you kept a steady pace, bobbing your head and letting him guide himself into your mouth at the angle he wanted, being good and relaxing your throat as much as you could when he started to slip deeper with each plunge, spongy tip meeting the soft, slippery walls of your throat.

Eventually, one of Alfred’s hands wound up in your hair, no longer satisfied with just cupping your jaw, no, needing that extra bit of contact.

Using his gentle grip on some of your hair to push you forward onto his length, although still careful not to crush the coils of your hair too much, again and again until he was pulling you off him and immediately leaning down to capture your lips in a messy kiss.

You were pouting for the third time tonight, making Alfred chuckle again too but he was quick to explain why he pulled you away.

“I wouldn’t have been able to last if you kept going, lovely. You have such a sinful little mouth and I love it but right now what I really need is to fuck you, what do you think?”

You were nodding, whispering your pleas, remembering those good manners he’d touched on downstairs, hoping it would please him and judging by the way he pushed you back against the bed, you had pleased him and then some.

Scooting back till your head was against his pillows you lay sprawled out, legs bent, teasing him with glimpses of your pussy while he moved to his bedside table, opening the drawer of it and fishing out a condom, the sight of him rolling it onto his length sending another flood of arousal through you.

Fitting your bodies together felt so natural, so easy, like you’d done it a hundred times before, your legs parting so he’d have space to get closer, both of you liking this position for the view of each other that it gave you.

The dim lighting of the room cast soft shadows across the ceiling, a romantic kind of glow blanketing the moment. Things were still heated but a little slower now, the anticipation of finally being joined in the way you were about to making you both want to savor the moment.

You trusted him with your body, knowing without a doubt that your comfort and pleasure was a priority for him and it's why you were encouraging him now, reaching down to wrap a hand around the stiff length of him again, guiding him closer.

He was leaning down then, kissing you deeply before helping you line himself up.

You were breathless as he sank into you nice and slow, nudging the head of cock just a little further when your walls began to yield to the pressure, the stretch making you pant, your head tipping back the further he pushed, keeping himself steady, not moving too much while you adjusted.

His own heavy breathing and gruff encouragement mixed with your sounds, lips staying close to your skin, the sharp prick of your nails gripping his bicep and then the meat of his shoulder made him grit his teeth, a smirk curling up on his lips.

Your thigh spread a little more as he eased in till his hips were flush with yours, the air in the room seeming to evaporate, feeling it in your chest, just how full you felt with his cock pushed deep inside you, to the hilt, both of you groaning in unison at the feeling.

Alfred held himself there for a moment, giving you a second to breathe which you were thankful for, lungs still trying to remember how to work, your toes pointing when he shifted, his hands moving to nudge the underside of your knees back a touch, starting to fold you in half like he said he wanted to do.

That made you clench around him, your head craning to look down where you were connected, before you were glancing up at him, finding him looking already.

“Want you to look at me while I fuck you, can you do that for me? I know you can, come on, show me you can,” his voice caught your attention, lashes fluttering at how deep, how low his tone was.

You were nodding before he could finish, heart skipping in your chest when his hips pulled back, the drag of him against your soaked walls nearly wrecking you.

And then he was pushing his hips forward again in a shallow thrust, testing out the waters, going slow, controlled while he got a feel for how much you could take.

This was beyond what you’d been daydreaming of, all your expectations met and exceeded, enjoying how close his body was to yours, how your limbs seemed to tangle in each other as he fucked you steadily now, thrusts going a little deeper, angling how he had before with his fingers.

“Fuck, you’re doing so well holding eye contact, sweetheart. That’s it,” he growled out, feeling the rock of your hips, his muscles tensing at how sweet the little motion was, how pretty you looked underneath him, taking his cock.

The sound of his skin meeting yours punctuated your moans and whimpers and his grunts against your ear, fucking into you deep each time, prickles of blissful heat making your toes curl the more he gave.

Until eventually Alfred felt you squeezing him practically with every thrust of his hips, hands moving again to brace against your torso, keeping you in place while he pulled back onto his knees a bit more.

One of his broad hands moved down from your ribcage to nestle against your lower abdomen, pressing down and using his grip as leverage to rut into you, nudging over and over against a spot that made your thighs start to shake once more.

The weight and warmth of his hand pressing against you on the outside and the deep plunge of him inside you sent you climbing higher to that edge, your moans growing louder, more guttural.

“Let go, baby. Let me feel you come on my cock, I’ve got you.”

The barrel of his chest pressed against you then, your bodies slammed against each other as he fucked into you just a little harder, chasing his own release now too, the sight of you so consumed by what he was giving you sending him hurtling over the edge just after you.

“Fuck, I-oh my god, Alfred!” your final cries were muffled by his lips swallowing them in a filthy kiss.

Your limbs exhausted but still clinging on as he caught up to you, making sure he knew you wanted him to come this way, knowing the condom would hold his seed but still wanting to feel the pulse, the throb of him as he finds his orgasm deep inside you.

It’s not a plea he can refuse, you both know that and it’s what makes it all the better, curses and moans dripping from both your mouthes.

Just how intense it is for both of you, your bodies still rocking against each other, riding out the feeling until you couldn’t anymore, both of you collapsing in each other’s embrace after, savoring everything that had just transpired.

Alfred was leaving soft, feather light kisses to your cheeks, your nose, your chest, easing from you after a moment.

His hands quick to massage over your hips, plush mattress enveloping you both as you took a moment to catch your breaths, gazing at each other in awe, exchanging sweet words to each other, remarking on just how great the sex had been.

The two of you lay spent and recovering for a while longer before your tummy growled at the perfect quiet moment, your glance at him a second later sending off a fit of giggles between you as he helped get you cleaned up.

After using the bathroom and freshening up a bit Alfred had insisted a midnight snack was in order, absolutely not hearing it when you told him you didn’t want him going out of his way to cook anything.

That had earned you a pointed look that eventually had you relenting, letting him lead you through the halls again to the kitchen downstairs.

Something in your heart was starting to unfurl and spread like wildfire as you sat at the quaint kitchen island and watched him fix you something to eat, grateful that he was so considerate of you, of what you might need even when you had insisted you were fine.

He was taking care of you.

It made you realize just how much he had been all along, quite literally from the first second you’d met, and in the time since he had kept showing you that he cared about you without always having to say those exact words.

Right down to this very second where he was telling you how there were some spare blankets he kept in his room that you were welcome to bring to bed, just in case you got chilly during the night.

You weren’t sure what to call this thing between you yet but it felt safe, being here, being with him, sitting across from him in the kitchen, sharing a sandwich in the middle of the night and you thought to yourself that maybe that's all that mattered right now.

Back in his room, a dreamy sleep awaited you.

Although returning to the space you’d gotten so intimate in suddenly made you feel a little shy about wanting to snuggle up against his side, you didn’t have to worry very long before his arms were sliding around your middle, tugging you gently so your back was pressed against his chest, your body wrapped up warm and close in his arms.

The hesitation faded and you let yourself melt in his hold, lulled by the motion of his calm breathing, and finally, the delicate, tender press of a kiss to your shoulder sent you off to sleep.

A/N: Ok but this pairing has become such a favorite, I think we all deserve an Alfred! 💌 oh and the dividers I used in this were made by the wonderful @saradika!

I hope the multiple pov’s here were easy to follow! I debated on whether to scrap writing the chapter that way but ultimately went with it because I wanted things to kinda play out/read like a movie and I like getting glimpses at other characters inner thoughts and feelings in addition to the reader insert perspective so went full tilt with the self indulgence and here we are lol and internet points to you if you’ve see Sucker Punch (2011) because I adore that movie and Babydoll’s fantasy world in Blue’s club were real big inspo for this chapter and the series as a whole!

Thank you for reading this far, friends! It’s so appreciated! Let me know what you think!

some tags, no pressure! @eupheme @thaddeuscranes @obiknights @flamingdisputes @squidlywiddly87 @mariahthelioness29 @allaboardthereadingrailroad @tarrenterror25 @matchamorphosis @ayoarticulate @aislupu @xnodamsel @kneelforloki @madamepoelzig

[iwantanywayyy]

dad and i are sitting on the couch together watching tv. it's Friday night so neither of us should be worried about getting up early tomorrow. i honestly always feel on edge when i have to stay at dad's for the weekends. he watches me do things i know dads shouldnt but he says it's because he loves me and wants to make sure im healthy and safe.

as we're watching the movie he keeps hinting i should go to bed because it's late. every time he talks he presses his toes up against me...i shudder every time and cant help clinging onto the side of the couch. i swear sometimes i see him smirk. he seems annoyed every time i tell him i want to stay up and shakes his foot against my pajama shorts before slightly relieving pressure.

after the fourth time hinting he got up and started muttering to himself as he walked to the kitchen.

i quickly shoved my hands under my panties and checked and oh gosh im so wet why am i wet?! im scared because i know dad does bad things but i can never remember anything i feel crazy and if im wet does that mean i like it? does he know i like it? i hear his footsteps coming back and i quickly squirm back into the position i was in before he left trying to make my face cool down.

he has a cup of water in each hand and i smile in appreciation as he gives me one. taking a few sips i go to put it down but dad tells me to keep drinking because it will make me go to bed quicker. he says he's tired and will do the same but he cant sleep until i do so he counts us down and we both finish our waters before he puts his arm around me and lets me cuddle against him. honestly it made me kind of uncomfortable but dad is so big and he was so warm and made me feel safe at the same time.

as the movie goes on i feel my eyes starting to get hazy. i didnt think the water trick was gonna work that quickly (i didnt think it would work at all honestly but dad's old and maybe it works for him) i mutter out to him im sleepy and try to stand up to bring myself to my bedroom but in my efforts dad firmly grabs my thigh and plops me back down next to him. i dont know why but this made me giggly  so i tried standing up again just so he'd do it and i stumbled back on the couch letting myself fall all the way back.

my eyes were closed for i dont know how long and i felt so sleepy but dad woke me up when i felt his teeth biting into my neck making my eyes flutter open and i couldnt help but cry out i didnt know what was happening i looked down and my tits were pulled out of my top and dad has two fingers trying to shove their way into my little pussy as i squirm against him starting to cry pleading with him over and over to stop but he just hushes me and grabs my neck pulling me up with one hand and pushing me flat against the couch as he strips my pajama shorts off my flailing legs as he tried to force them apart but i fight against him which i shouldn't have because he took his second hand and brought it up to my neck choking me so hard i thought i was going to die!

when he let go i gasped for air and laid there as he easily picked up my legs and placed himself between them. i started crying when i looked down and saw his face pressed against my pussy and felt his tongue drilling my little hole.

"mmmmm little girl stop crying this little pussy is so wet for your daddy isnt it? ive tasted this cute little cunt before you know that sweetheart?"

he shoved a finger inside me making me cry out and beg him to stop i couldnt think at all i felt so weak what was he doing and why didnt i want him to actually stop?!

"you've got no fight left babygirl? you want daddy to breed that tight little teen pussy?"

i laid on the couch exposed and dripping, crying, feeling defeated as my dad pushed my thighs against my chest and lined his big cock against his daughters pussy that he just ran his tongue all over like an animal not caring what im feeling just taking what he wants.

"I'm a filthy fucking man baby im gonna rape my seed into your little teen cunt do you know what that means sweetie?"

i stopped writing there dangit i wanted to know what happened next :/

[super-ion]

In honor of the 1 50 year anniversary of Goncharov, I wanted to write just a little thing about my favorite underappreciated side character. Mariella deserves so much better than what she got.

-----

Mariella gasped awake, clutching at her midsection.

Katya shot her.

Mariella, drenched in Sofia's blood had grabbed her lover’s gun. Before she could even attempt to aim, the second shot rang out. A lance of pain streaked through her as the clocktower began to chime. She sank to her knees on the wet flagstones on the bridge and felt the life pouring from her. The last thing she saw was Sofia's glazed eyes. The last word on her lips was Sofia's name.

The clocktower, now distant, rang. She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes.

It was Monday again. The clock was chiming with the sunrise.

Mariella pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. How many times had she woken up in this bed, on this day? How many times had she been around this loop?

She had lost count a long time ago.

Each time was different, as if she were trapped in a story with a thousand authors who couldn't agree on the details.

She wasn't even the main character of whatever this story was. She couldn't explain it if she wanted to, but over the grind of endless living the same week over and over, it had become clear that she was just a minor side character. Someone who existed in the background, along for the ride in someone else's narrative.

She rolled out of bed and stared into the distance.

“What do you want from me?” she asked the universe for perhaps the millionth time.

She didn't think about trying to end it. She had tried. She had tried and tried and tried. But invariably, death simply delivered her back to this moment.

Perhaps she had been dead this whole time. Perhaps this was hell.

She was doomed to relive the same five days, doomed to fall in love with a woman with impossibly twisted loyalties, a woman who herself fell in love with a monster, a monster by choice rather than necessity, but a monster nonetheless.

Even after this eternity, Mariella could remember being a schoolgirl on holiday in the countryside. She could remember meeting Katya, she could remember falling in love.

She could remember their reunion, years later. She could remember the unease, the vague wariness of meeting the woman that girl had become.

The door to her flat opened. Joe was here, bearing eggs and bread and sweet apples from the market.

Might as well start again, she murmured to herself and drifted like a wraith to the kitchen.

Joe was at the stove, his back to her as it always was.

“Hello, sister dearest. Do you want breakfast?”

The boss wants you to work late tonight, Mariella recited silently.

“Boss wants me to work late tonight,” Joe said, without turning from the stove. “Might be a busy week.”

He did turn them, a crooked grin on his face. He stilled at the sight of her. Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. Something she never noticed or questioned before the day after tomorrow.

Why do they call you Icepick Joe?

The question had been innocent enough at the beginning, but she had seen too much, lived through this week too many times.

He studied her a moment.

“There someone I need to pay a visit?”

The woman I love is going to kill you in four days.

Or he was going to kill her.

Both of them would be dead by Friday in either case.

Sofia would kill Joe. Katya would kill Sofia. Or Goncharov would kill Sofia. Or Andrey.

It was always the same. Every. Single. Time.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to fall to her knees and howl until her throat was raw.

Every single person Mariella ever loved would-

The phone rang.

Mariella flinched.

The phone never rang. Not in all the times she had lived through this morning.

It rang again.

She stared at it.

“You going to get that?” Joe called over his shoulder.

With trembling hands, she picked up the receiver and raised it to her her.

“Mari?”

Her breath caught in her throat and she nearly staggered.

That voice haunted her dreams, it haunted every waking thought.

She wasn't supposed to hear that voice for the first time until that evening.

She cast a glance at Joe, who was no doubt listening very intently.

“It's… it's me,” she said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. “I'm here.”

“Mariella, what the fuck is going on?”