#i struggle with facial expressions that aren’t Neutral Soft Smile so like

[goldensunset]

this normal young man shows up at the function and starts talking to your dog wyd?

^comment that won’t leave my brain

[marshmallow-phd]

Midnight Hours

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Wolf!AU

Pairing: Sehun x Reader

Summary: For you, being a good witch was easier said than done. Something dark was lurking inside of you and the others knew it. When you’re forced to tag along with Soomi and help a local wolfpack face a coming evil, you’re sent on a path that breaks into a crossroads. While you struggle with your inner demons, could the wolf Sehun be the key to your ultimate fate?

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14 I 15 I 16 I 17 I Final

**

You woke up alone and confused. None of your surroundings looked familiar and you racked your brain trying to remember where you were. 

Ah, right. The wolf pack. This was their house. And you were in some random wolf’s room. 

Soomi was no longer beside you, nothing but rustled sheets where she’d fallen asleep so easily last night. She must have already gone downstairs. Great. Now you’d have to make the descension on your own. Gathering up your toiletries, you slowly pulled open the door and searched around the hallway. Voices echoed up from the living spaces below, but besides that there didn’t seem to be a soul around. 

With the coast clear, you hightailed it over to the bathroom, finding it made easy by the fact that someone had left it wide open. Double checking that the door was securely locked, you went through a quick version of your morning routine and then rushed back to the bedroom to get changed. 

Once you were ready to head downstairs, you found yourself frozen, unable to tackle that first step. 

Come on, (y/n). They’re just wolves. They won’t hurt you. What’s the worst that could happen?

Bravery at its highpoint, you buckled down the nerves bubbling in your stomach and headed down the stairs. 

The kitchen felt like chaos personified as soon as you stepped foot in its boundaries. 

Wolves and their mates were scattered all over the linoleum; eating, standing, talking loudly, and overall creating an atmosphere that made you want to turn around and jump back in between the covers. Unfortunately, you were spotted before you could even try. 

“(y/n), you’re up!” Soomi oh-so-graciously pointed you out as soon as she saw you. Too many eyes to be even remotely comfortable whirled on you, creating a silence that was even more compressing than the noise. 

Unsure of what else to do, you waved with a strained smile on your lips. “Hi.”

“(y/n), go ahead and sit down,” Junmyeon offered as he half-shoved, half-urged one of the wolves out of a chair from the table. 

“Hey!” the black-haired wolf whined with a pout as he stumbled to his feet. 

“You’re done eating, Jongdae, and she’s a guest,” Junmyeon huffed. He said it like such a mom you couldn’t help but choke back a snort. 

You tried to cover it up with a cough while several of the wolves smirked at you. Waving your hands in front of you, you insisted, “No, really, it’s okay. I’d rather stand.”

“Aren’t you hungry?” Soomi asked, concerned. 

“I’m good for now,” you said. It was mostly true. You were too nervous even think about trying to get food down to your stomach. Feeling a bit exposed in your current position, you shuffled across the room until you were next to Soomi at the counter. 

One of the wolves dressed in very casual athletic wear handed you a fresh mug that was a comfort to your sweaty cold fingers. 

“Thank you,” you told him quietly. He gave you a wide gummy smile before walking away. 

“So, should we get started?” Junmyeon suggested as he clapped his hands. 

“What about Sehun?” a tall wolf with ears sticking out asked. 

“He stayed out late last night,” said the imposing wolf with a deep voice and an air that radiated authority. He was seated at the breakfast booth with an adorable little girl with long hair sitting on his lap. “If he wants to keep sleeping, let him. We’ll catch him up later.”

Sehun? Was that who you saw last night? Too bad you didn’t have a face to add to the name. All you had were a pair of shoulders in a white t-shirt. If you were going to be here a while, you might as well start learning the names of the crowd. Junmyeon was the only one you knew and that was from a brief encounter several years ago. He wasn’t mated back then….

“(y/n)?”

You blinked, coming back to the present. “Yeah?”

“Can you go into detail about your last vision, please?” Junmyeon asked. 

“Um, sure.” Scratching the back of your head, you searched for the best way to verbalize what you had seen so that they would understand. “This one was the most clear, I guess? I was in the woods, at night. The blood moon was high and bright. A woman I didn’t recognize was there. She had platinum hair, but that’s all I could tell. I couldn’t see her face.”

“So, in your visions, you’re physically there as well?” one of the wolves asked. 

You nodded in response. “That’s what it feels like anyway.”

“Is it possible that this woman might be a witch?” Junmyeon hypothesized. 

The wolf named Jongdae growled threateningly and pulled the woman standing next to him in closer to his chest. 

“Calm down, Jongdae,” said the authoritative wolf. “That business is over. I doubt someone else is coming after your mate. Especially now that she’s marked.”

“Well excuse me for being cautious over the witch and blood moon combination,” Jongdae scoffed. The woman in his arms patted his hands caringly. 

“So what should we do?” one of the younger wolves asked with great concern. His face was a strange combination of sharp and soft. Judging against the others, you guessed that he was one of the younger ones of the pack. 

The wolf with the ears pushed his mouth into a pout. “Is there anything we can do?”

Junmyeon ran a hand through his hair. “Soomi and I are going to do more research on who this woman could be or what significant events could happen under a blood moon. Kita is looking into it as well and will update me if she’s found anything when she gets back.”

You couldn’t help it. Even if you’d been fully awake you didn’t think you would have been to hold back your facial muscles from forming a look of disgust and sending it Soomi’s way. Was she really going to put herself through that?

As soon as she caught your stare, Soomi elbowed you in the stomach to make it go away. 

“Ow,” you hissed under your breath. Rubbing the sore spot by your hip, you happened to look up and meet eyes with a blonde haired wolf. He looked at you curiously, his head tilted to the side and a confused frown pulling on his eyebrows. You looked away as you formed your face back into a neutral expression. 

“Do you realize how much significance a blood moon has in different cultures?” another wolf scoffed. 

“Baekhyun’s right,” the authoritative wolf agreed. “You might be able to narrow it down, but there’s no way to get a definite answer. What good does that do?”

“It gives us a starting point at least,” Junmyeon argued. “In the meantime, we’ll see if (y/n) has anymore visions. Since the girls are staying here, we’ll know right away and be able to add whatever she sees to what we already know.”

“Which is an extremely short list.”

“Wait, they’re staying here?” Baekhyun looked like his alpha had just told him he wasn’t allowed to phase for a month. “Isn’t this place crowded enough?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Junmyeon was getting visibly frustrated. You felt a little sorry for the alpha. He was only trying his best. The circumstances didn’t exactly allow for much wiggle room. Granted, you weren’t too pleased about this whole thing either, but you’d done your arguing. Now you were going to just take whatever hits were sent your way. It couldn’t get any worse anyway. Right?

“I know construction on the other house isn’t finished yet, but we’ll have to make do. I promised Mother Willow that we would keep Soomi and (y/n) safe. I’m not going to risk them staying an hour away in the city where we can’t protect them.”

“We’ll stay out of your way as much as possible,” Soomi promised before looking pointedly down at you. 

With an obviously fake cheerfulness, you added, “Staying invisible is what I do best!”

Junmyeon didn’t find the joke particularly funny. “(y/n), that’s not neces-”

“Why is everyone having a meeting without me?”

All heads in the room turned to look at the newcomer. 

Standing at the bottom of the steps just inside the kitchen was the final wolf, the one you’d barely caught a glimpse of the night before. He was just as tall as you’d thought and your memory hadn’t exaggerated his wide shoulders. But when your eyes settled on his face, your heart did a cartwheel, banging against your sternum painfully. You looked away quickly, pretending to be uninterested in hopes of getting your heart rate back to normal. 

“Nice for you to finally join us, Sehun,” Jongdae said mockingly. 

“What did you do to your hair?” Junmyeon exclaimed in a very parental voice. But Sehun didn’t reply. 

Too curious for your own good, you looked back at the wolf to see why he didn’t answer. When you did, you frowned. 

Because he was staring right back at you, a confused expression scrunching his features. Was he not expecting you like the others? 

Your heart was nearly in your throat by now and you couldn’t get it to calm down. What the hell was wrong with you?

“Sehun!”

**

Sehun blinked, finally pulled from his confused state of mind. 

“What?” he snapped. Everyone was staring at him, including Soomi and another female he’d never seen before. 

“I asked ‘what did you do to your hair?’” Junmyeon repeated. 

Sehun bit back a smirk as he ran a hand over his new hair. 

It was supposed to come out as a more neon orange, but he didn’t completely hate the more copper tone it took on. That’s what he got for dying his hair blonde for years, he guessed. The new length was taking some getting used to, but he liked the lightness of it, already feeling cooler than the heaviness of the longer hair. 

Shrugging, he finally answered, “I wanted to try something different. Not like you haven’t done it before.”

Junmyeon looked like he wanted to argue back, but he held it back, only releasing a sigh and shaking his head. 

“So what did I miss?” Sehun asked, refusing to allow his eyes to flicker over to the additional females. Well, to one specific female really and it wasn’t Junmyeon’s old crush. 

When he’d first reached the kitchen, he’d been surprised at the fact that literally everyone in the pack – mates, members, and even little Mei – was shoved inside the food area. The atmosphere felt serious and tense, which was the exact opposite of what Sehun was wanting this morning after had gotten very little sleep. He wanted the chaotic yelling and roughhousing that he was used to. And food. He really wanted food. 

Stepping further into the kitchen, he forced himself to a stop when he realized what direction he was headed for. Why his body was headed for you was lost on him. Now he was stuck awkwardly standing in the middle of the kitchen with no way to play if off. 

“We were talking about what to do about (y/n)’s visions?” Kris answered. 

Sehun frowned. “Who?”

“That would be me.”

Turning to the voice that had called out, Sehun braced himself. Now he had a name to go with the face that had made him feel so confused. But why was he so confused? You were the witch who had seen something coming after them. Okay. Big deal. They were a large pack. They could hold their own against whatever came their way. They’d proven that with the hybrids years ago. So what were you doing here now and when would you leave?

The wolf in Sehun’s chest growled at his last question. What was that about? Sure, you were pretty, but that never moved Sehun before. He never cared about looks or anything like that before. But now there you were, holding a hand up and wiggling your fingers at him sarcastically and he was feeling… something. 

It took effort, but Sehun managed to tear his gaze away from you to look at his alpha. “Did she actually see anything this time?”

“Excuse you! I’m standing right here!” you barked. 

Rolling his eyes, Sehun shifted to face you head on. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears as your eyes met. There was no control over it no matter how hard he tried to shove it down. Even if he couldn’t put a stop to it on the inside, he managed to stay composed on the outside. “Alright, then. Did you actually see something this time? Or do we still only have to go by what you felt?”

“Screw you!” 

Having touch a very sensitive nerve, you pushed off the counter and stormed up to him. However, instead of stopping in his face, you kept going, checking him with your shoulder before you continued on your way out the door. 

In any other given situation, Sehun would have mouthed off some sarcastic comment to get the last word in. But in the shove, your bare arm made contact with his, sending a shockwave through his body. It was a hot electricity - not the kind that hurt, but the kind he might find himself chasing after. Unable to help himself, he turned and watched you disappear into the backyard. 

“Was that entirely necessary?” Junmyeon whined. 

“Leave it to Sehun to piss off the witch,” Tao snickered behind him. 

Sighing, Soomi started for the back door. “It’s alright. She’s just having a hard time right now.”

“I think Sehun should go apologize to her.” Junmyeon gave the younger wolf a very pointed look. And for once, he wasn’t going to argue. He’d even taken a step to go find you. 

“No, that’s not a good idea right now,” Soomi argued. “Trust me. It’s better if it’s me that goes after her.”

Sehun didn’t argue. In fact, he whirled on his heels and headed in the opposite direction, right out the front door. As soon as his bare feet hit the grassy carpet, he shifted. 

He was only beginning to understand what had happened when he first saw you. And to be honest, he didn’t know how to feel. So, for now, he’d simply ignore it. He didn’t know if you felt or understood what was happening and he didn’t really feel like explaining it to you while everything else was going on. As long as you didn’t outright reject him, he had time. 

So, he was going to take all the time he wanted. 

**

You’d found a rather large tree to hide behind once you thought you were deep enough into the woods. Right now you wanted to be alone. There were too many bodies, too many eyes watching you and you hated it. How did they live so cramped in there? How were you supposed to live like that?

The worst was you were going to have to be around him. Sehun. 

Sure, you’d had similar thoughts in the beginning, when the visions first started. You thought everyone was making a bigger deal of them than necessary. But you got past that. You came to terms with the fact that this was truly something to be worried about. And now no one understood that more than you. To be questioned now...

Leaning your head back against the trunk, you tried to push away the scene from the kitchen. The best way to ignore your hurt feelings was to focus on something else. So you did. 

You were all alone out here and, while there wasn’t any water, you had plenty to work with. There was a slight breeze in the air, rustling the fallen leaves that were scattered around the forest floor. Closing your eyes, you concentrated on moving the air at a faster speed. 

At first, nothing happened, but then you could feel the wind picking up against your skin. For some reason, that element was always the easiest for you to manipulate. All you had to do was let go, be light. And then you could make it move. 

“(y/n)?”

Your eyes snapped open and you peeked around the tree. Then you snorted. Soomi was standing just a few feet away, her hair whipped all around her face and stuck in her mouth. She blew out the hair and fixed it the best she could with her hand before taking a few more steps forward. 

“You really need to relearn restraint, (y/n),” she scolded as she sat down beside you. “These wolves are weary enough as it is. If they found out what you could do… I’m worried about how they’d react. I don’t want them to be scared of you.”

“So, I’ll always have to hide who I am, huh?” you scoffed. Why should you expect anything different?

“It’s not hiding who you are,” she insisted. “It’s simply protecting yourself. The last thing I want is for you to get used.”

“I can take care of myself,” you argued. 

Soomi gave you a smile before pulling you in close. “I know. But that won’t ever stop me from being protective over you.”

You couldn’t resist. You wrapped your arms around her waist and shuffled in deeper to the hug. After a few minutes of silence, you commented, “Coming here was pointless, just like I said.”

Soomi huffed. “It’s not pointless. We’ll find out the answers we’re looking for. Just give it time. Please?”

You didn’t answer. Because you didn’t want to. Even though you were out of Mother Willow’s house and away from the coven for the first time, you were feeling just as trapped. All you wanted was to be free. Free to see the world. Free to be who you were. 

It seemed no matter how hard you chased it, however, it would always be just out of your reach.

[forever-your-soldat]

If You See Her

At the end of the day, we don’t know the person unless they show us who’s beneath the mask.

Picture is not mine.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2: After meeting the mysterious new girl, Natasha can’t help herself. She loves pretty things. And with how Wanda, and everyone else, seemed to take a liking to the girl, she’s going to struggle on how to go about it if the other does decide to befriend her.

It had been two days since Pepper’s birthday. Two days since they’ve met Y/n. Natasha acted around like normal. The occasional flirting and lingering touches with random people, but surprisingly, Wanda would find Natasha coming back to their apartment but chose not to say anything about it.

It’s only been a few days, so she doesn’t jump to anything. Instead, she focuses on her own things. “Hey, what did you and Y/n talk about, back at the restaurant?” Natasha’s voice suddenly reached her ears as she looked up from her laptop.

“What?” The brunette asked, momentarily forgetting what they had talked about and Natasha raises a brow at her when she exited her room. “Before she left? I was waiting for you guys to finish talking so we could go home, remember?”

Realization dawns on her and a smile suddenly brightened up her features at the memory. “Oh, yeah! She had to go to work that time. She said that she had to meet with the director for a play she’s joining.” Wanda answered as she continued to type something on her laptop.

“Why’d you ask?”

Nat hums lightly before she shakes her head. “No reason. I was wondering what was taking you so long, but I forgot because I was too sleepy.” Wanda seemed to buy the lie as she nodded her head. “Well, I asked her if I’d be able to see it and she told me she would say try, but who knows? We just met, really.” She commented offhandedly.

That seemed to catch Nat’s attention as she walked over to the island and leaned against it. “What’s the play about?”

Wanda shrugged lightly. “I have no idea. It’s not like we talk to each other on a regular basis, Nat.” She then shut her laptop and pushed it away so she can rest her elbow on the island and placed her chin on her hand. “Why the sudden interest?” She inquired, brow raised in a curious look and Natasha kept her expression neutral.

“I’m just curious is all. It’s not everyday we meet a person who clicks that well with all of us at the same day and time.” The redhead pointed out then grabbed a cookie from their jar. Since Wanda loved to cook, baking came in afterwards so they had snacks in jars and containers.

“Nat, I know you. It’s not just nothing when you see a pretty girl.” Wanda sighed, exasperated as she rubbed the bridge of her nose and Natasha mocked offense. “Hey, I don’t just go after pretty faces.” She retorted and Wanda gave her a deadpan look.

“Well, while you go and busy yourself today, I’m going to head out.” She announced after a while and grabbed her coat, wallet, and phone before heading out the door. “Don’t wait up for me!”

Wanda rolled her eyes before she reopened her laptop then started to do her work again.

~~~~~~~~~~~

During Natasha’s walk, she was entering detective mode. She wanted to search about the things Y/n does, her likes and dislikes, hobbies, favorite past time. Tony was able to do it, then it wouldn’t be a problem for her. But she remembers, she doesn’t know her last name.

Quickly going into Pepper’s account, she scanned through her friends and she was quick to type up Y/n’s name before a picture of the h/c popped up on her phone screen.

Perfect.

Soon enough, there were various tabs with the girl’s info on them. To say she was impressed was an understatement. Y/n had various achievements than she had thought. And the channel Pepper mentioned had a bigger fandom and support than Y/n made it seem to be.

By the time she arrived at the theater, Natasha already knew the basics of Y/n’s life, but of course, she wouldn’t be saying anything. She only needed that to set her plans into action.

There was only one theater near the restaurant that night and Natasha could only hope that it was the right one. It would be too much of a hassle if she had to go check the other places. The only thing she needed aside from locating Y/n’s whereabouts was how to actually get closer to her.

Too busy with her eyes on her phone, Natasha failed to see the person standing in front of her. “Oh!” She stepped back after colliding with a body and her eyes clashed with the same e/c she saw at the dinner. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” She quickly slid her phone into her pocket and slipped on a smile.

“That’s fine. Lucky, you weren’t near the road.” The girl chuckled as she gave Natasha a once over. “If my memory serves me right, you’re Natasha?” The redhead grinned as she tilted her head a bit. “Oh, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” She replied and the other let out a hum.

“Is that so? I could have sworn that you’re the same beautiful woman I saw at Pepper’s dinner. I don’t think I could mistake a face like that with anyone else.” Natasha could have sworn she felt her heart flutter at that, but she merely smirked. “You think I’m beautiful?” She teased and Y/n sent her one back.

“I’m pretty sure I said that Natasha is beautiful and you said that wasn’t you.” A laugh came spilling from both their lips before Y/n shook her head. “Seriously though. What are you doing here?” She asked and Natasha looked around before she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was bored and had nothing to do. So, I took a walk and thought of doing something spontaneous.”

Y/n nodded her head at that. “Ah, well, not all of us have much free time.” She chuckled and Natasha looked at her. “What about you? Why are you here?” Y/n pointed to the building and smiled. “I’m currently working here. But I stepped out for a breather since we’re on break.” She explained and Natasha’s smile widened.

Bingo.

“So...” She started while staring at the building. “What’s it like there, with the whole rehearsal, costumes, and all the acting?” Y/n took a while to answer before she simply gave a small lift of her shoulders before letting them sink back down. “It’s fun. The adrenaline is really great to use, especially when you’re in the spotlight.” She pursed her lips and Natasha stared at her profile.

She knew there was something underneath all that. “You get nervous? Even when this isn’t the first time for you on stage?” She asked, slightly surprised and Y/n smiled sheepishly.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I’m always scared before stepping up on stage. But there’s always this thrill of being in front of all those people, all hung up on every word the actors say.” She expressed with a contented look on her face. “It’s also fun because no one knows who they are. Not unless they actually get to know the actors, then they’ll be surprised by how different they are on and off stage.”

Natasha seemed surprised by the revelation, but she felt even more interested. She loved when girls were able to render her speechless. She loved when women had a way with words, that they aren’t just a pretty face.

“Will you be fine if I wanted to get to know you before the character?” The smirk that crept up Y/n lips caused her excitement to grow. “How about I let you see both?” Seeing the confusion on the redhead’s face, Y/n offered her hand and gestured inside. “Come on.”

Who was Natasha to pass up the opportunity she needed? Grasping Y/n’s hand in hers, she let the latter lead her inside and she quickly took in the amount of people going about, all busy with their own departments.

“Y/n, I know I said we had a break but how on earth do you just randomly pick a woman off the street?” A man teased when he spotted the two. Judging from his appearance, Natasha figured this man was the director.

Y/n snorted before shaking her head. “Relax Tyler. She’s a friend and we happened to see each other when I was outside. Her name is Natasha, by the way.” The man waved a hand dismissively and Y/n laughed before turning to Natasha. “We’ll be starting rehearsals again in a few minutes. Why don’t you watch and criticize me after?” She asked and Natasha raised a brow. “And have the opportunity to bruise your ego? I would love to.”

Y/n rolled her eyes before she jogged back to the stage where a woman walked up to her and began talking to her about the script. “I haven’t heard about a Natasha for as long as I’ve met the kid.” Tyler commented as he flipped through the script and she looked over. “What are you to her?” He asked without looking at her.

Natasha hummed in reply as she watched Y/n go about on stage. “We’re friends. We met last Thursday at a mutual friend’s birthday.”

“Pepper Potts?”

She nodded and the man made a small sound of acknowledgement. “Since you’re new, that means you haven’t seen her on the stage?” He guessed and Natasha casually crossed her arms while leaning back against the plush seat. “Be ready for a show then.” He mused before finally calling the actors for the scene.

In actuality, Natasha wasn’t really one for plays. She didn’t seem to find interest on watching people act. She was more into dancing. It didn’t involve talking so she never bothered with plays. The ones that they did in school, she would always sneak out or just sleep through them. “This is the last scene for the day.” As soon as Tyler yelled ‘action’, she saw the way Y/n facial expression shifted again, much like in the earlier scenes. She watched intently, listening to all the things the woman said that she found herself seated on the edge of her seat.

“But how could you love a simple man, such as myself?” At the beginning, Natasha was confused why the lead male role was played by a girl, but she shrugged the thought off. Who gave a fuck if they were both girls?

Y/n watched as the other woman fixed her boot, her eyes soft as she carefully reached down and her hand landed gently on the blonde’s cheek, causing her to look up in wonder while Y/n smiled at her. “You may be a simple man, but that does not mean you are to be deprived of love.” Her voice was gentle as she kept eye contact with the blonde and she slowly rose up to her feet and Y/n had to tilt her head up a bit since the girl was a few inches taller than her.

The blonde’s face held sorrow as she held the hand pressed against her cheek. “I cannot help but do so, knowing that the woman I long to be with will be in the arms of someone else. Someone undeserving of her... someone who does not love her.” By then, both their foreheads were pressed against each others and Natasha gripped the armrest tightly, her body tense.

Y/n’s eyes flickered before her hand slipped from the blonde’s then landed on her chest, her fingers barely touching above her heart and the blonde’s breath hitched but no one heard it since they didn’t have any mics on them at the moment. “Then you follow your heart, love. At the end of it all, it matters not who she marries but the home of where her heart lives.”

Their faces were mere inches away. If Y/n just tilted her head, their lips would brush against each other. Natasha’s eyes narrowed at that but everyone seemed so absorbed in what was transpiring, though some of the actors were confused and one of them cleared their throat. “It’s not the kiss scene yet.” He told them and the pair quickly broke away, finally breaking character.

The blonde had a light blush coating her cheeks, as did Y/n but she kept a smile on her face while the director nodded his head. “I’m sorry. I got a bit lost with the flow.” The blonde apologized while rubbing the back of her neck. “That means Y/n was doing her job.” Tyler grinned proudly before he shook his head. “Alright. That’s it for today. Good job, everyone! I’ll see you all on Monday!”

Finally, everyone was ready to go home. Natasha didn’t even realize that it was already dark out. She had missed a text from Wanda asking where she was and if she would be eating back at the apartment. She sent a quick no and added that she was with a friend before she went to look at Y/n, who just finished talking to the blonde from earlier then came walking up to her.

“So, how was it?” Y/n asked, running her fingers through her hair and ruffling it up a bit, making Natasha bite her lip before shaking her head and a smile slipped on her face. “Okay, I have nothing to say to hurt your ego.” She teased and Y/n grinned widely. “I’m glad you found it interesting.” She then glanced at the time then looked at Natasha. “Will you be heading home now or do you have time joining me for dinner?”

Of course she had time.

The pair had gone to a diner that was somewhere near Central Park. Lucky for them, there wasn’t that much people inside so they managed to grab a booth and had a peaceful environment around them. There was a jukebox in the corner of the joint and some movie posters on the walls.

While waiting for their food, the two had just gone to talk about whatever came to mind until Natasha brought up the rehearsal. “I mean, you weren’t kidding when you said you loved having people hung up on everything you say. You were amazing up there.” She decided to leave out the blonde, not wanting to remember her after the rather intimate moment on stage.

Y/n giggled while she took a sip of her drink. “Thank you for the compliment but I never said that I was the one doing that.” There was a playful and teasing grin on her face and Natasha just found her even more attractive. “You said it was fun when actors did it. From what I remember, you’re the actress here.” Natasha shot back with a grin of her own. “You have that effect, too.”

Natasha saw as a glint appeared in Y/n’s eyes and she leaned closer. “Do I?” Somehow Natasha found herself lost in those pools of e/c as she leaned in without realizing and Y/n stared back at her, index finger lightly gliding over her own lower lip and Natasha’s gaze lowered to them and she wanted to badly feel her lips on her own.

But before she could do anything, Y/n leaned back with a smirk displayed on her face and Natasha snapped out of her reverie just as the food arrived. “It’s good to know that I have that effect on people.” Y/n’s voice cut through her thoughts and a grin spread on Natasha’s face.

She was going to enjoy this challenge.

“Nat?”

The call of her name caused both women to look up and the person looked at Y/n in surprise. “Y/n?”

The woman grinned happily before waving a hand. “Hey Wanda. It’s been a while.” She told her as the girl walked closer. “What are you doing here?” Natasha questioned.

Wanda glanced at her friend, who was already staring at her. “I got too lazy to cook today so I decided to go out instead.” She replied before turning back to Y/n, whose smile remained on her face before she scooted over and patted the space next to her. “Why don’t you join us? Our food just got here.”

The brunette gave her a small smile and sat across Natasha, who still kept an blank look on her face before she forced a smile when Y/n spoke up. “I didn’t know that you cooked.” She said impressed and Wanda looked away from Natasha to smile at the girl. “I had to learn at a young age. Plus, I love cooking for people.” She gushed and Y/n couldn’t help but find it cute as Wanda continued to talk about her love for cooking.

All the while, Natasha couldn’t help but think of how her friend had unintentionally ruined her plans for the night.

>>

@highlandxcoo

@lesbian-x-blackwidow

[samingtonwilson]

Eight Games Played - Jim Kirk

Summary: You and Jim love a good game.

Warnings: language, some fluff

A/N: i wanted to reuse the whoever gets to 10 kisses first wins game from 9 things couples do, but resisted temptation.

One

Seated at the furthest end of the bar counter, you tried not to scowl at the sticky surface your elbows were placed atop. Each time you shifted your arms, you could feel and hear the leather of your jacket peeling and rebinding to the tacky wood. You wanted to ask the bartender for the towel draped over his shoulder and a spray bottle of apple cider vinegar and olive oil— but you resisted temptation.

You swirled the gin and tonic mixture in your glass and exhaled loudly when, from your peripheral vision, you noticed someone take a seat beside you. “I’m waiting for someone.”

“Aren’t we all?”

There was relief and a smile in your voice as you sighed out, “Jim.”

He leaned to the side a bit to bump his shoulder against yours, grasping your upper arm when you nearly teetered off the edge of the barstool. His eyes, still bluer than the Pacific Ocean flowing just outside and still brighter than the sun you rarely saw peeking through the thick fog, watched you in amusement. “Never in all the years that I’ve known you have you been so happy to see me.”

You hummed, smiling politely at the bartender that filled Jim’s order. “I’ve been hit-on more times than I can count in the last hour.”

“Been host to San Francisco’s finest?”

“Let’s just say you’re a gem among stones, my friend,” you mumbled into your glass, polishing off the remainder of your drink and sighing. “If another man that smells like stale whiskey and sawdust tells me to smile, I might extract each of my teeth, one by one, while he watches.”

Jim swallowed a large sip of scotch and shook his head. “Men are a nightmare.”

You picked up your left arm and heard the leather unstick, clicking your tongue before you asked the bartender for a fresh drink. “You hear that? That’s the sound of a ruined jacket.”

Jim eyed you for a moment. With a slight shake of his head, he turned to the bartender. “Can we have some lemons? Sliced would be perfect.”

You didn’t see the bartender smile knowingly and instead watched Jim curiously as he finished his drink and nodded a thank you once a small white bowl was placed before him. He sifted through the pieces until he picked one, seemingly satisfied with his choice of lemon slice, thick with a dimpled yellow rind.

He smiled at you. “We’re playing a game.”

“We’re too old to play drinking games.”

“S’not a drinking game.” He set his lemon onto the soggy napkin his drink was placed atop and undid the watch on his wrist, sliding it towards you. “This, starlight, is a game I like to call ‘Lemon Mouth.’”

You sighed heavily and unconvincingly, the smile pulling at your lips a dead giveaway. “How do you play?”

“I’m going to put this in my mouth,” he explained, picking up the lemon again, “while you time me. You’ll do the same while I time you and whoever sucks on the lemon longest wins. Okay?”

“What’s the objective here? To have the acid eat away at our tooth enamel?”

When Jim bared his teeth at you in response, you held your hands up in innocence. “Sorry, sorry,” you conceded, picking up the watch. “Go.”

His skin, smooth but littered with his signature extended-leave beard, turned various shades of pink and red as he withstood the sourness of the lemon slice he wore like a bright yellow smile. He shut his eyes at one point, his hands forming fists against the bar.

He shook his head and removed the lemon after eleven long seconds, grunting before he drank from your glass. “How long was that?” his voice was strained.

“Eleven seconds,” you replied, picking up the leftover rind. You inspected the remaining pulp and frowned in consideration. “How often do you play this?”

“Not often at all,” he replied, sliding the bowl to you in exchange for his watch. “Stopped playing a few years ago when Bones took it to the next level and ate the lemon slice whole. The man’s a fucking animal.”

You laughed as you held your lemon of choice to your parted lips. You glanced at Jim and nodded once, cramming the slice into your mouth the instant he yelled, “Go!”

Two

Chekov parties rarely offered moments of peace— and any form of cool air, for that matter. The small shore leave quarters carried the overpowering stench of vodka while the walls shook with unnecessarily loud music, there were nearly no empty spaces to be found. Clusters of your crewmates gathered around the makeshift bar area and, far from them, you occupied the lone couch which was crammed into the rightmost corner of the room with Jim at your side.

Your legs were crossed onto the thin cushion, folded so you could sit sideways and face Jim entirely. Your back sat awkwardly against an armrest while your shoulder was leant against the backrest. You smiled at Jim and held your hands before him, your palms upwards.

He held his hands mere centimeters above yours, his palms downwards. There was an irritating mischief over his features, his smirked smile provoking a competitiveness inside of you that you’d never experienced before.

Without any indication of your next move over your features, you swept your hands above his and tried to slap the backsides of his hands. You clicked your tongue when he pulled back right on time, baring your teeth.

“Get any angrier, starlight, and the couch’ll burst into flames.”

You resumed position, your hands hovering below Jim’s once more. You sighed loudly when your next attempt at slapping the back of his hands went fruitlessly. “As long as you burn with it.”

His mouth fell open in playful offense. He took his hands away for a moment to finish whatever remained of his drink. “I think that one hurt more than the slaps you haven’t landed.”

“Has anyone,” you began, your hands under his once more, “ever told you,” you watched him, staring at the blue of his eyes and tilting your head, “not to be so,” you raised your eyebrows and swept your hands up, landing a pair of loud slaps against his knuckles, “cocky? You owe me three hours in the captain’s chair.”

He stared at you with his mouth agape, his eyes wide, and his hands perfectly still.

“What?” you asked, nodding upwards with a laugh. You placed your hands before him in the way that his were previously held— palms down. You raised an eyebrow. “Your turn.”

He shut his mouth, shaking his head once. His hands hovered below yours, palms up, and he wiggled his fingers as he stared at them.

He met your gaze then. He lifted a single, thick eyebrow. “What’s my prize?”

“Up to you.”

“Go on a date with me,” he answered after a thoughtful moment. “A real one, before shore leave ends.”

The corners of your lips struggled as you fought to keep your expression neutral. You dropped all pretenses of irritation and competitiveness. “Okay.”

“How many tries do I get?”

“As many as it takes.”

Three

There was captainly tension in his posture and no Jim-like pleasantness over his features. He walked with shoulders pulled back, chest puffed out, steps heavy and commanding— even more so than usual. And he was scowling, his jaw very clenched and his eyebrows very knit together.

No one approached him. Call it a result of his body language and facial expression, sure, but it would be more accurate to call it a result of his tendency to snap as of late.

He would snap at the bridge crew, at the unsuspecting medbay crew, at the quartermaster for the firmness of his mattress. He snapped at anyone and everyone for asking simple questions, for greeting him with a simple “good morning.” He snapped at the entirety of the Enterprise, including Leonard.

“You’re lucky I know the parameters of this stupid ass bet y’all’ve got goin’,” Leonard stated, walking with much softer steps. He even wore a softer facial expression, he kept his signature scowl hidden and his brow remained unfurrowed. “I’d knock you upside the head for all-a this attitude otherwise.”

“There’s no attitude,” Jim nearly deadpanned. He frowned at the ensign that dared to smile at him. “I’m just tired.”

Leonard snorted. “Tired of bein’ celibate.”

“Celibacy I can deal with— that’s not the problem,” he sighed, shaking his head. He combed his fingers through the hair he’d spent over an hour styling just nine hours ago, hair he’d styled just to give himself something else to do, and pulled on the ends. “It’s the sleeping in the same bed, the hemlines that seem to be getting shorter and shorter. It’s the kissing me and pushing me to the edge so I feel like my genitalia is going to shrivel up and fall off unless I do something about it.”

Leonard frowned, mumbling more to himself, “A li’l graphic.”

Jim cracked a smile at that and shook his head once. He said goodbye to Leonard wordlessly and rounded the final corner he needed to make it to your quarters.

He convinced himself he could smell the devastatingly intoxicating scent of your perfume, groaning as his knuckles rapped against the door twice. “Starlight, we’ve got some talking to do.”

Your door slid open instantly and your voice was clear as you stated, “I’m listening.”

Jim stared at you— silently, almost hungrily. He watched as you leant your shoulder against the doorframe, as you crossed your arms over your chest, as you smiled at him with lips so perfectly pouty and glossed. The beating in his chest faltered at the sight of the short, short, short light blue satin robe you wore, the opening tied together with a loose bow.

He shut the mouth he didn’t realize was open, swallowing over the dryness in his throat.

You tilted your head and cocked an eyebrow. “Words, Jim.”

“You’re doing this on purpose,” he said, still staring at the soft fabric. “You’re really— You’re,” he swallowed and let his eyes trail over your bare legs. “You’re trying to kill me.”

“It’s only been, like, three weeks, right? You can’t be dying yet.” You couldn’t help your grin as he brushed past you, slamming his hand against the control panel so the door slid shut with a hiss. “What happened to that steely willpower you bragged to me about? That steely willpower that would make you last longer than me?”

“It’s been five weeks and three days,” he corrected, pulling off his command gold tunic in one swift movement. “And my willpower,” his black undershirt came off next as he toed his shoes off simultaneously, “shot itself to hell a long time ago. Take your clothes off— or whatever clothes are left, I guess.”

The second you untied your robe, his arm wrapped around your waist so you gasped as your bodies crashed together. You smiled despite your lightheadedness. “So I win?”

He combed his fingers through your hair, pupils dilated and breathing a little shallow. “Yes, you win. I can’t take this anymore.”

“Good,” you sighed out, shutting your eyes as his lips pressed to your neck. “I was about to break in, like, five minutes anyway.”

Four

Mug of coffee in one hand, half-eaten sandwich in the other, you walked into the third exam room on the left side of the hall and sighed loudly and exaggeratedly— just to get his attention, of course.

You succeeded as Leonard looked up from his PADD immediately. He placed it atop the vacant biobed and giving you his signature “What do you want?” look— eyebrows raised, nostrils slightly flared, lips pursed and turned up on one side. “Sweetheart, where I come from, we say ‘hello’ when we walk into a room. It’s high time we work on your manners.”

“The day you work on your bedside manner, I’ll turn a new leaf,” you told him, taking a bite of your sandwich and licking the crumbs from your lips. You smiled at him a bit slyly then, laughing as you asked, “Your hair looks extra voluminous this afternoon— are you trying out a new shampoo?”

“I’ll tell you what, darlin’— that boyfriend of yours wouldn’t know a good decision if it knocked him over the head with a cast iron skillet, but he sure knows his shampoos,” he snorted, shaking his head once. “Nurse Chapel told me I’m smellin’ like coconuts and sunshine and three of my physicals asked for hair advice.”

You smiled, hopping onto the biobed and taking a long sip of coffee. “How much of it is left?”

“Less than half the bottle.”

“Len!” you whined, frowning when he met your gaze. “I told you to drain most of it!”

“The shit smells too good!” he shouted back, taking the remaining fourth of your sandwich. He took a bite and spoke with a thick voice, “‘M not drainin’ somethin’ that’s got my hair feelin’ like a fuckin’ cloud and smellin’ like a fuckin’ tropical vacation.”

“If Jim realizes you’ve got his shampoo, he’ll take it back and I lose! All of the work I did to distract him with shower sex and slip it through the door when he wasn’t looking will go to waste!”

“What’s this fuckin’ game anyway? Steal the goddamn shampoo?”

You clicked your tongue. “It’s revenge. He finished the last of my favorite cereal— I was saving the final bowl for a special occasion.”

Leonard snorted. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. This is the Enterprise— shit’s always happening. No doubt I’ll get to celebrate making it out of some dire situation soon enough.” You shook your head then. “S’not the point. The point is, I can’t replicate that stuff— it was my last box from Earth, he finished it. That shampoo is from Earth, it’s his last bottle, and that shampoo is to him as my cereal is to me.”

“Two children,” he mumbled to himself under his breath. “Two idiot children.”

You laughed as you leapt from the biobed to your feet, sighing out a hum. “My next physical’s in this exam room in, like, five minutes. So scram, McCoy.”

“Who is it? I’ve got Spock in ten minutes— I’ll trade you.”

“I don’t remember,” you trailed off, looking around the room until you could spot the PADD you’d left in there before your break. “Maybe—”

As if on cue, you heard from the door, “Starlight, are you allergic to shutting doors— Bones. You’re here, too.”

Leonard nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, we’re givin’ you every vaccination we’ve got, Jim. S’a two person job considerin’ how afraid your grown ass is of a hypo—”

“His hair,” Jim stated, his head tilting as his eyes slowly left Leonard’s hair to meet your wide-eyed gaze. He inhaled deeply and cocked a thick eyebrow. “Coconuts.”

“His hair is the color of coconuts!” you said, nodding and speaking in the same voice you’d use for a puppy or infant. “Although, maybe a little darker than a coconut.”

“You! You have my shampoo!” Jim shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at his best friend. “You’re using my shampoo! Which means there’s some left!”

Before Leonard could confirm Jim’s statements, you shouted, “He drained it! I told him to drain it and he did! He just wanted to try a little! It’s gone!”

Jim smiled then— that soft, fuzzy smile that could make your knees turn to jelly, your brain turn to melting butter. He walked towards you and placed his hands on your shoulders, his blue eyes seemed to engulf you. “Starlight, he didn’t drain my shampoo. He caught a whiff of it, he knows what it can do. He’s still got some of my shampoo, it’s in his shower.”

“Jim, —”

“You know, I love you with everything I have in me— but you lose, you sucker,” he said, placing a soft kiss to your forehead. He set his hands back by his sides and began taking steps backwards. “Now, I’ll have my physical on a later date. For now, I have more pressing matters to attend to,” he stated, spinning around and bolting from the door.

Leonard ran after him, leaving you in your mildly shocked state. You could hear his shouts faintly. “Don’t you dare break into my quarters, Kirk! I’ll make you regret the day you stepped onto that goddamn shuttle in the hell-pits of Iowa!”

Five

You sat in Jim’s lap, the tips of your toes just brushing against the floor as he relaxed against one of the many chairs circling the small dining table in your shared quarters. Your chest was pressed against his, your nose bumped his whenever you leant even a centimeter forward. You could smell the apples and coffee on his breath each time he spoke.

You popped the cap from one of your nude lipsticks, the color a soft pink-brown that you usually saved for a fall day. You tilted your head as you took one of his hands from your hips and swatched the color there, swiping it below his knuckles. “Not subtle enough for the look I’m going for. We’ll decide lipstick later.”

Once you’d spread a bit of almond oil and sprayed on a little primer, you lifted a stick of foundation that you’d stolen from a crewmember with Jim’s exact skintone. You tossed the cap aside and screwed it upwards.

You bit down on your bottom lip as you swept a few lines over his cheeks, forehead, chin, and nose, taking a damp sponge and spreading the thick makeup over his skin evenly. “Do you, like, never have any blemishes or uneven tones? There’s no need for concealer or color correction on you.”

“I’m human, I do get blemishes,” he said, smiling up at you as your position boosted your seated height a few inches above his. He sighed as you continued using the sponge. “That feels nice.”

“Doesn’t it?” you asked, smiling as you leant away to check your work. “It’s so much better than using a brush. So, if you get them, how come I’ve never seen you with a blemish?”

“Dig a little deep into my bottom left drawer in the bathroom,” he told you as he watched you dig through the many colorful tubes of mascara, settling on the turquoise tube. “There’s this tinted pen-thing. It’s medicated so it ‘shrinks the blemish in just two hours’ and covers it thanks to the tint.”

You hummed with a frown of consideration, tipping Jim’s head upwards with your fingers under his chin. “Open your eyes as wide as you can. So it’s just a concealer with a pen applicator? Medicated concealer, I mean.”

As you brushed the mascara wand through his already long eyelashes, he tightened his grip on your hips and pulled you closer. “I guess. Whatever it is, it helps.”

Once you finished with his left eye, you started on his right. “Can I curl your hair next? Give you a nice George Clooney in the nineteen-eighties look.”

He laughed through his nose and let his head fall to a neutral position when you shut the tube of mascara. “Absolutely not.”

“What? Why? Clooney was a big deal a million years ago! My great, great, great, great, great, great—”

“I can already tell you, we don’t have time for you to list how many greats you’ll need for this to be even semi-accurate,” Jim snorted, shaking his head. “The deal was, I lose the bet, you do my makeup. You never said anything about hair, that was never agreed upon.”

“But, Jim, —”

“Starlight, I’d do anything for you, but if you bring a curling iron anywhere near my head, I’ll make sure I win the next bet and force you to reply only in song whenever Bones speaks to you. And we both know how much he loves your singing.”

“Christ, fine. No curling iron.”

Six

You placed your palms flat atop the bathroom counter, spreading your fingers and bringing them back together only to spread them once more. You took a deep breath and met your reflection’s gaze, your head still tipped downwards. You wanted to curl your lips up in disgust, shake your head at the sight, and walk away— but you stood there, staring at a blank image of yourself with messy hair, red eyes, and a nose scrubbed raw. You sighed.

You took your hands from the damp counter and wiped them against the towel wrapped around your body, shaking your hair out with your fingers only to groan when you realized they were just as wet again.

You walked out of the bathroom silently, the sole noise in the room that of the door as it swished shut once more. You took your uniform from the closet quickly, retrieving clean undergarments as well. You kept your eyes on the closet, on the drawers, on the surfaces that were safe, the surfaces that wouldn’t sigh and offer you a look of sympathy when you glanced their way.

You were almost hyper-aware of Jim’s gaze on you. He was just as angry, just as upset as you were, but he couldn’t help the load of it that melted away upon seeing you and your state. His sleep deprivation matched yours, his defeated posture matched yours. He wanted to drop every bit of remaining negativity and hold you to him, he wanted to tell you it would all be okay.

But he wasn’t going to break the silence first, just as you weren’t.

You slipped back into the bathroom and sighed loudly once you were sealed in, pulling your clothes on and working shortly on the rest of your appearance. You nodded at your reflection. “He’s wrong, he’s the one that’s wrong, it’s his turn.”

Maybe it was his turn— after all, the decision to deviate from every bit of his safety training, the crew’s plan for the away mission, and every bit of his goddamn common sense was his. You knew he was in the wrong, you knew he needed to apologize.

But maybe it was your turn— after all, the things you said to him about his lack of concern for his crew, his lack of concern for himself, his lack of concern for you tore through him worse than any poison soaked spear could. He knew you were wrong to hurt him that way, he knew you needed to apologize.

Once the main door slid shut behind you and you were well on your way to the medbay for your shift, Jim stood at the mirror of the bathroom. He brushed his hair without meeting the blue eyes that were filled with sorrow and regret, he brushed his teeth without meeting those same blue eyes that would have told him he was wrong with their uncharacteristic dullness.

He sighed heavily, adjusting the high collar of the command gold uniform. He shook his head at his reflection, finally meeting his eyes. “It’s not my turn. I did what I had to, I did what I should’ve. It’s not my turn.”

Neither of you wanted to lose.

Seven

You clicked your tongue absentmindedly as you walked through the cavernous halls of the Enterprise with Leonard at your side. You toyed with the corners of your PADD, you counted your steps, you tried to see how long you could hold your breath. You kept yourself busy, distracted.

“That’s gettin’ real annoying, sugar.”

You looked to your left at a scowling Leonard— a scowl more pronounced than his neutral one. “What is?”

“The constant fidgeting, the weird smilin’, the whistlin’ when you can’t carry a tune to save your life,” he grumbled, shaking his head once as he took the tablet from your hands and tucked it into his side. “Talk to him.”

“No.”

“Sweetheart, —”

You clicked your tongue in denial. “He’s wrong, Len. He can talk to himself.”

“It’s been eleven days,” Leonard said pointedly. He sighed out heavily. “Y’all not speakin’ has fucked me up so much that I’m keepin’ track of how long it’s been.”

“When I’m wrong, I apologize, I talk to him first,” you told him, your voice calm and level. “He’s wrong this time. He needs to apologize and talk first.”

“This kind-a stubborn behavior ain’t gonna get either of y’all anywhere. This isn’t one of your cute little bets on who can hold out the longest.”

“I’m not being stubborn! I’m just tired. He comes back with poison wreaking havoc on his liver and a spear that almost made him bleed out internally— I’m supposed to just be okay with that?” you asked, stopping your steps once you reached your door. “And it happens every fucking time! I don’t get a break from worrying about him.”

Leonard shifted on his feet. “You and I know he knows what he’s doing— he’s always got a plan.”

“He should tell me one of ‘em next time so I can get a break from crying myself into dehydration.” You leant against the wall beside you and crossed your arms over your chest. You sighed to calm yourself down. “He just— It feels like he’s careless about his own life, like he needs to trade it for a good outcome each time something goes wrong.”

“You know that isn’t how it is. He does what he thinks is right. We just can’t see it from his mustard yellow point of view.”

“I don’t know— I want to stop worrying, I want to stop yelling, I want it all to just stop for a minute.” You shrugged a single shoulder. “If there was a way to stop feeling like he’s giving my life away each time he thinks about doing something that could lead to him giving his, I’d take it.”

“Be careful, sugar,” Leonard mumbled as he took steps away from the door. “That sounds like the end of somethin’.”

The door seemed to slide open slower once you’d punched in the code, the room’s dimness comforting as you took a step inside. You almost spun around to take your PADD from Leonard but sighed and shook your head instead— you wouldn’t be getting work done anyway.

You ignored Jim’s presence on the couch until he spoke, the zipper on your left boot halfway down when you froze completely. “Starlight, you win. Please talk to me.”

Eight

You pulled on the first item of clothing you could find, sighing at the black t-shirt that boasted a hem which fell to the middle of your thighs. You pulled the sleeves to your elbows and stretched your arms above your head as you walked from the disheveled bed, the icy temperature of the sealed concrete floors sending a shiver up your spine.

You walked through the halls and living room leading to the kitchen, smiling at Jim when you caught his eye. You took the mug of coffee he offered you as you approached him and bumped your hip against his. “I should go. I have plans for lunch with Hikaru and Nyota in,” you trailed off as you glanced at the clock on the wall. “Fuck, in two hours.”

“Two hours is plenty of time.”

You snorted, hopping onto the counter and swinging your legs as you drank from your mug. “I can’t show up to lunch unshowered with my only excuse being that I stayed at my ex-boyfriend’s place for too long.”

“Ex-boyfriend is such an ugly word,” he frowned, leaning against the edge of the counter. “I prefer ‘guy you’re in love with that you won’t take back.’”

“Who said I’m still in love with you?”

“You don’t have to say it, starlight,” he told you with a smile, pushing at your shoulder. “You forget we dated for almost two years. This little game of denial is useless.”

You handed him your coffee when he motioned to it, watching him take a few sips. “S’not a game. And it makes no difference if I’m in love with you. You’re too much for me.”

“But you’re still spending some nights with me?”

You shrugged. “I’m easing myself off— slowly. Lessens the risk of withdrawal symptoms.”

He laughed through his nose, setting the mug down and sighing a moment later. “You know, I don’t mind being friends— we were friends before we started dating and I’ll take what I can get. But this, this having you three nights a week and telling myself I don’t have you for the rest of it—” he shook his head. “Aren’t you tired? This isn’t draining you?”

“I am, but—”

“We can take all of this slowly again— start over. I’ll take less risks, I’ll do what I have to.” He hit your knee with his knuckles lightly and you spread your legs so he could step between them. He looked at you with a smile while you stared at him with an open mouth. “If you don’t want that, we can be friends. But those are the only options I’m comfortable with.”

He nodded upwards when you stayed silent. “Start over with me.”