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honeypiehotchner · 4 years ago

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Looking Too Closely (Bucky x Fem!Stark!Reader) -- part three

I did not expect to get so invested in this damn fic but here I am :))

Summary: The one in which Tony invites you to the “family dinner” but you sleep through it. Also, the “Father Test,” as Tony calls it.

Warnings: angst (what’s new?), talk of food/eating (so sorry, I should’ve tagged this a lot sooner!), medical stuffs (needles, blood being drawn)

A few hours pass by slowly as you doze, floating in between sleep and consciousness, both places completely unsoothing to you.

You wake abruptly when FRIDAY’s voice echoes throughout the room. “Do Not Disturb overridden by Tony Stark.”

With a groan, you sit up, listening to Tony knock — though surprised that he even does.

“Come in,” you sigh.

The door swings open and Tony opens his mouth to speak, but stops when he sees you on the floor. “What…” He glances between you and the bed, giving you an incredulous look. “What’s wrong with the perfectly new bed I gave you?”

“The least of your concerns should be that I’m taking a nap on the floor,” you deadpan. “What do you want?”

“Dinner will be ready in a few,” he says, still looking at you all concerned. “We have a family dinner once a week to...build rapport.”

You raise an eyebrow.

He continues. “You live here now, so...you’re invited. Wanda and Pepper will be there. Bucky, too.” Tony pauses. “Bucky didn’t bother you earlier, did he?”

“Nope.”

“Okay, good.”

“You bothered me, Tony.”

“Right,” Tony nods. “Sorry about that. I shouldn’t have brought that stuff up. I should’ve just been happy that you’re okay.” He pauses again, like he’s having trouble putting all the words together. “I am, by the way. Glad you’re okay. I’m sorry you went through that.”

“Thanks,” you say slowly. “You don’t have to worry about it.”

Tony offers a half-smile, half-grimace, because what you don’t know is that he has FRIDAY currently working on a full, extensive background check on your mom. And you, but your mom is top priority. Ever since the conversation in MedBay earlier, he’s been worried. For your safety — both past, present, and future. But he’s also worried about who you really are — and the worst worry of all is that you might not even know.

“Anyway, dinner in a few,” he says. “Nothing fancy. Come as you are, all that bullshit.”

You snicker at his reference.

He tries not to think of it as too much of a win. “Oh and,” he points to the bed, “it really is new. No one’s slept in it before you. And you can adjust the settings on it — softness, heating, cooling, all that. Just,” he pauses again. “FRIDAY, will you show Y/N the control panel?”

“Yes, Mr. Stark.”

Your eyes widen when a hologram appears next to the bed, projected onto the wall. There, all the settings — and many more — that Tony mentioned are shown.

“When you get it set where you like, FRIDAY can save it for you,” he explains. “Just for whenever you feel like sleeping in a bed again. I guess.”

“Thank you,” you murmur, looking over at him. “Really, thank you, Tony.”

“No problem, munchkin.” He smiles fully this time as he leaves, closing your door. And to your surprise, he activates Do Not Disturb again.

Food is the last thing on your mind, so instead you head over to the hologram on the wall.

You spend the next hour and a half fixing the settings. Once you get it just right, though, you lie down and you sleep.

Soundly. For five hours.

+++

When you wake again, you’re confused and disoriented to find yourself sleeping in a bed. But you love that your back, shoulders, and hips aren’t screaming in pain for once.

One glance out the window tells you that you’ve definitely missed the dinner Tony invited you to, but you don’t care all that much. You’ve met everyone individually. You didn’t really need or want to go to a big dinner. It seemed pointless.

But, unfortunately, you are hungry, so you drag yourself out of bed to go to the kitchen in search of something resembling food.

One glance at the clock in the hall tells you it’s just past midnight, so you relax even more, knowing you won’t encounter anyone.

Or at least, you hoped.

There, leaned against the kitchen counter, straight up guzzling a glass of water, is Bucky.

At least it’s him, you think.

Bucky smiles gently when he sees you coming. “Hey.”

You offer a slight nod and a quiet “Hey” in return, going straight to the fridge.

“Oh, the plate in there is yours,” he says. “Top shelf.”

You look up and spot it, your eyes widening as you grab it. Did they eat monstrous portions here or something? It must weigh five pounds or something crazy.

As if reading your mind, Bucky says, “Sorry there’s so much. I think Tony went overboard.”

You blink down at the food. Tony made you a plate? You expected Pepper to do it, if anyone. Quite frankly, you weren’t expecting it at all. You figured they wouldn’t even notice your absence.

Bucky wordlessly steps to the side, giving you access to the microwave. It even looks expensive, which makes you snort. It’s touchscreen. Of-fucking-course.

“We missed you at dinner,” Bucky says. You didn’t know he liked to talk this much.

“I fell asleep,” you confess with a laugh. “Tony uh, showed me the controls for the bed.”

Bucky raises his eyebrows. “No more sleeping on the floor for you, then?”

You shrug.

“I sleep on the floor most nights, too,” Bucky continues, taking in a deep breath. “It’s just…”

“Normal,” you finish quietly.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “It feels normal.”

You turn back to the microwave, opening the door a second before it beeps. The food is warm enough now, you guess. Where the hell are the forks, though?

After opening two drawers, Bucky realizes what you’re looking for. “Here.” He opens the drawer across from you and pulls out a fork.

“Thanks,” you murmur, taking it from him. “Night.”

He nods and gives a slight wave. “Night.”

+++

The next day, Pepper stops by your room with a ton of clothes, shoes, and a phone.

“Uhm, thanks…”

“I know it’s a lot,” she smiles gently. “And if you don’t like anything, just let me know. Or if I didn’t get anything that you need, let me know, too.” She pauses. “You don’t have to do it now.”

“Okay,” you sigh, trying not to feel overwhelmed, but it’s hard. There’s like...fifteen bags on your bed right now. Not to mention the boxes of shoes that are stacked on the floor. And the new phone, still in the box, that you’re holding in your hand.

Pepper points to the phone. “It should have my number, Tony’s number, and the rest of the Avengers programmed in there. You’ll see one named Happy, that’s just Tony’s assistant, just in case. You don’t have to talk to everyone on there, but they do have your number as well. It’s all a precautionary thing. Oh, and the phone can be tracked.” She pauses, lowering her voice. “Just a heads up. In case Tony goes crazy.”

You smile at that. “Thanks.” As if he hasn’t already gone crazy and driven you closer to insanity, too.

“Speaking of Tony,” she says. “He’s willing to do the paternity test whenever you are.”

“Okay,” you nod. “Is today good?”

Pepper blinks. “I don’t see why not.”

“Okay, just...I’ll put some clothes on first.” You’re still wearing what Wanda gave you.

“Yeah, of course,” she nods. “I’ll let Tony know and whenever you’re ready, you can just ask FRIDAY to take you to the lab.”

“Okay.”

Pepper leaves you be, while you get dressed, and it takes you a lot longer than you were expecting.

There are so many clothes.

After finding something somewhat comfortable (and because you’re tired of looking through the bags), you grab your phone, though it feels foreign having it in your pocket.

“FRIDAY...where is the lab?”

“If you head to the elevator, I’ll take you there.”

“Thanks.”

“Of course, Y/N.”

Following FRIDAY’s orders, you head to the elevator and step inside. The doors close and the elevator begins to move, and when it stops, the doors behind you open.

“Welcome to Mr. Stark’s lab.”

Hesitantly, you step off, and you’re met with blaring music.

“Really?” You scream, and Tony lifts his head. “AC/DC? Really?”

The volume lowers a little while Tony replies. “You know your music. I’m impressed.”

“I’m disappointed,” you say. “I prefer Pink Floyd.”

Tony smirks. ‘Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2’ begins to play. You hate that you grin, but you do.

“Much better,” you comment. “Pepper told me to come here?”

He nods. “Right, the Father Test.”

You snort. Of course he calls it that.

“We’ll have to head down to MedBay to do it. I’ll be done in just a second.” He taps something on the screen before looking back up. “Did Pepper give you your phone?”

“Yeah.” You pull the device from your pocket and wave it. “Thanks. You didn’t have to.”

“I’m not gonna leave you stranded without a phone,” Tony replies. “Also, just for the foreseeable future, don’t leave the Tower without someone. Preferably without me.”

You furrow your eyebrows. You hadn’t thought about leaving and going anywhere until now. “Why?”

“Well, for one, you have an arrest warrant,” he reminds you. “They won’t question it if I’m with you. Which is why it needs to be me — Steve is also fine. But, let’s say, if you left with Bucky, they wouldn’t hesitate to grab both of you.”

“Wasn’t he pardoned or something?”

“Doesn’t mean no one holds a grudge against him.”

You nod. “Right.” Then, you reel back. “So you’re not going to turn me in?”

He shrugs. “I believe you. Even though you won’t tell me who stabbed you.” He taps something else, then drags the screen, and a hologram appears right in front of him.

You roll your eyes. “Because I don’t know who they were. I told you.”

“And I still think you’re lying,” he retorts.

You glare at him through the hologram.

A few more minutes pass where all that fills the silence is Pink Floyd. You’re not complaining, but even Tony’s breathing is grating to your ears.

Once he’s finally finished with whatever the hell he was doing, he heads to the elevator, and you silently follow him.

+++

This time when you enter MedBay, it’s empty, aside from the on-site doctor, Dr. Cho.

“Here for the Father Test,” Tony quips, smirking when Dr. Cho rolls her eyes at him.

You like Dr. Cho already.

“Alright,” she says, putting a pause on what she was doing. “It’s just a simple cheek swab and a little blood.”

“Blood?” You ask. You hate having your blood drawn. Not because of the needle, but because of the idea of your blood being drawn out of your body and used for things you’re unaware of.

It’s creepy.

“Just a small amount,” Dr. Cho assures you with a soft smile. “It acts as a double-check for the paternity test. The cheek swab can give us a general yes or no, but blood is definitive.”

You agree, you just hate it.

First is the cheek swab and Dr. Cho lets you do it, probably sensing your anxiety. She refuses to let Tony do his on his own, but that probably has something to do with how much of a child he is.

Tony gets his blood drawn first, and it is too short for your liking, because once he’s done, Dr. Cho preps you.

Your head is turned the other way while she wipes your skin. Tony moves into your line of vision, and you’re ready to tell him to fuck off before he teases you, but he doesn’t.

He just talks to you.

“Barnes told me you fell asleep yesterday.”

You furrow your eyebrows. “Yeah. That’s why I missed dinner. He said you made a plate for me?”

“I did,” Tony nods. “I didn’t want you to go hungry.”

“I could tell,” you snort. “There was enough food on the plate to feed four of me.”

He chuckles. “Did you at least eat?”

“Yeah, I did,” you say. “It was good.”

“Good. How’s the bed?”

“Really good,” you say. “Thanks for showing me the controls and stuff.”

“No problem,” he shrugs. “Nat asked me earlier if you’d like to train with her and Wanda.”

“Train?”

“Yeah, train, workout, whatever you want to call it. Barnes and Rogers usually run if that’s more your speed, Wilson, too, when he’s here.”

“Who’s Wilson?”

“Sam,” Tony fills in. “Falcon.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“He’s in...Louisiana right now, but he should be back here in a few days, so you’ll meet him.” He pauses. “But...stay away from him.”

“Why?”

“He’s...flirty.”

You nearly wheeze. “Are you joking?”

“Nope,” he shakes his head. “I’ve been meaning to say that about Barnes, too. I don’t care if you talk to him. I think it’s good for him — and you. But don’t…” He waves his hands in an ambiguous manner.

“Tony, the absolute last thing on my mind right now is a boyfriend, but even if it was, why would you have any say in it?” You counter.

“Because I know them, and I don’t want them anywhere near you,” he says, like that’s the end of it. “All done, Dr. Cho?”

“All done,” she confirms, and that’s when you feel her pressing a Band-Aid over your skin.

Your head whips around. You didn’t even feel the needle go in or out. What the fuck?

You look back at Tony with a small smile. “Well played.”

“You’re welcome,” he smirks. “Though, I wasn’t kidding.”

You roll your eyes. “Not even Nat or Wanda?”

He looks surprised, but still shakes his head. “Still no.”

“Darn. My plans have been foiled.”

This time when he looks at you, he smiles.

As the two of you are walking to the elevator, he says, “Want to help me in the lab? I’ll let you control the music — just this once.”

You almost say yes, but you’re not really in the mood. “No, thanks though. I really should go through all the clothes Pepper brought me.”

“Ah, right,” he nods. “She told me she went shopping.”

“Yeah…” You exhale. “She went.”

You step onto the elevator after him, and he presses the floors for you and the lab.

“You know, Wanda might help you sort through the clothes if you ask. She might wear whatever you don’t want.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll ask.”

“She’s training right now, though.”

You nod. “Okay. It can wait, I guess.”

Tony rocks on his heels. “I could really use an extra set of hands…”

You roll your eyes. “Fine.”

He grins. “You still want to control the music?”

“There’s no way I’m letting you play AC/DC the whole time.”

#looking too closely #tony stark #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes x stark!fem!reader #bucky barnes x fem!stark!reader #bucky barnes x stark!reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #james buchanan barnes #james buchanan bucky barnes #oooohhhh why the blood draw #oooohhhhh #interesting #i'm so sorry in advance LMFAO

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anagentinwriting · 4 years ago

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Lifeline - Part 13

Summary: (First Responders!AU) Moving to Los Angeles and living with your brother, Thor, was never part of your plan nor was being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but plans change when you are faced with your own emergencies. In your case, it was leaving behind a relationship that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. Will this be the fresh start you were hoping for or will your past find a way to catch up with you?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Odinson!Sister Reader

Word Count: 7700+ (Whoops!)

Warnings: Fire, triggers, angst, fluff, trauma, arson, language

Lifeline Masterlist / Main Masterlist

AN: Flashbacks in italics

“Okay, Team, we have a single-level house fire in a local suburb. A neighbor called it in but isn’t sure if anyone is home. The owners of the house are newly married, Ian Boothby and Darcy Lewis. He suspected the husband to be home since he saw him mowing the lawn earlier this morning. Now, when we get on scene, I want Steve to stay with the truck engine in case the ventilation team needs help on site. On ventilation I want...” Carol continued to give demands to the rest of the team. “As for Thor and Bucky, search the home.” Everyone agreed with Danver’s orders, and Steve nodded, looking out the window of the truck.

“Hey man, you alright?” Sam asked Steve through his headset, taking in his appearance, sitting across from him.

“Yeah, I’m good. Getting my head in the game.”

“Okay.” Sam narrowed his eyes, nodding but not believing him. “Let’s do this, boys and girls.”

At the scene, Bucky and Thor went to the hatch to grab their tanks and masks before running into the burning house in record time.

“I’ll go left, and you go right,” Thor commanded over the walkie.

“Got it,” Bucky added. “First bedroom clear.”

“Living room clear,” Thor voiced.

Steve went to talk with the ventilation team but noticed the house’s skylight on the roof was already broken, so the ladder truck wouldn’t be needed. He rushed back over to Danver’s to figure out the next game plan when Thor’s voice broke through the walkie.

“Found Ian in the kitchen, heading out now. Val, get the gurney ready.”

Steve watched Thor run out with Ian in his arms, coughing. He placed him on the gurney, and Val put an oxygen mask on him, but he immediately pulled it off.

“My wife, Darcy,” he wheezed in a British accent. “She’s still in there. Please...please save her.”

“Barnes, his wife is still in there somewhere,” Carol commanded into her walkie, but there was no reply. “Barnes.”

A second later, Bucky was running out of the burning house with Darcy in his arms. He laid her on the ground and tore off his mask, and shouted, “she’s not breathing.” Sam rushed to their side and started chest compressions.

Ian jumped off the gurney and ran over to them. “Please...please help her. Don’t let her die,” Ian cried, holding onto Darcy’s hand. “I don’t know what I would do without her.”

Steve’s eyes stayed glued to the scene before him. His mouth went dry, and he started to hear his heartbeat in his ears. He tried to concentrate on breathing evenly, but it didn’t help. He turned away from the scene, stumbling to the side of the truck. He squeezed his eyes shut as flashes of Peggy drifted to the front of his mind: her smiling at him as they laid in bed together, her waving goodbye to him when he went off to work, and her lying motionless on the cold ground. He put a hand on the truck to hold himself steady, feeling his chin start to tremble and his chest start to tighten with every breath he took.

Steve heard a cry of relief behind him, forcing his eyes to snap open. He glanced over his shoulder as all the oxygen left his lungs, seeing Darcy sitting up and hugging her husband. He turned back to the truck, closing his eyes, causing a few tears to slide down his cheeks. He shook his head, knowing he should be happy Darcy is alive, and we got to her in time, but his mind continued to drift back to the worst day of his life.

“You okay, pal?” Bucky inquired in a soothing voice.

Steve’s eyes shot open, rubbing his hand on his cheeks before he turned around. “Yeah.” He nodded his head a little too much, waving it off. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure, pal, because you don’t look fine to me.”

“I will be--” he licked his lips “--how...how is she?”

“She’s breathing. They’re both on their way to the hospital now.”

“Good,” Steve swallowed, letting out a deep sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

“Hey, I’m here if you need me.” Bucky patted him on the back before stepping away to help calm down the blaze.

“You okay, Rogers?” Carol asked, and Steve snapped his head in her direction.

“Yeah, Carol. I’m fine--” he leaned against the truck “--think I--I think I inhaled a little too much smoke. Heads a little fuzzy.”

“That makes total sense, considering you were nowhere near the smoke,” she recalled, earning a slight smirk from Steve. He shook his head about to say something, but she beat him to it. “Hey, I get it.” He gulped, rubbing his lips together. “It’s always hard when you’re working a call, and something triggers a memory. Good, bad, or whatever, but it pulls you back to that day, making you feel something you wish you didn’t have to feel again.” She paused, shaking her head. “I know what you went through, but it’s one of the reasons I hired you to be a part of my team. I might sound like a terrible person for saying this, but you know what loss is, and sometimes if you experience it, you will do whatever it takes to make sure others don’t feel that way.”

Steve bit his lip, nodding at the ground.

“You’re a great member to our team, Rogers. And I want you to know that there are counselors available to you in case you need to talk, or if you want to talk to the team, we’re all here for you.”

“Thanks, Ace, but I’ve gotten the whole run down before and talked to someone in Brooklyn after everything happened.”

“Take advantage of it here, too. It will help, or you can always talk to someone else,” she suggested with a half shrug.

“Thanks, I’ll consider it.” He nodded as she patted him on the shoulder and returned to the front line.

_________

You sat down on the couch, pulling a blanket over you, and switched on the tv. You browsed through the many streaming services you had, along with a few Loki paid for. The sound of the front gate buzzing forced you to let out a loud annoyed sigh. You crawled out from under your warm blanket and went to the digital screen to see who was at the front gate. Your eyes widened, realizing it was Steve. You haven’t talked to him since you ran out of his house like a crazy person, but what was he doing here? Thor and Steve were on the same shift tonight, and judging by the small screen, he was still wearing his fire station logo shirt.

“Fuck, something happened to Thor,” you mumbled, buzzing Steve in as you started pacing the front doorway. He knocked on the door, and you took in a sharp breath, opening the door. Steve was still a little dirty, but you could tell he tried to clean himself up. His ears and some of his neck still had smoke residue on them, but something in his blue eyes told you something was wrong.

“Is everything okay, Steve? Did something happen to Thor?”

“No, no, he's fine,” He looked down at his appearance. “I’m sorry. I wasn't thinking when I came straight here, but yeah, yes, your brother is fine.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. Everyone’s okay, that’s all that matters,” you replied, furrowing your brows together. “But...but are you okay? Here come in.” You opened the door for him and closed it behind him.

“It’s about the other night when you rushed out of my apartment after breaking the wine glass.”

“Oh, um, yeah. I’m sorry about that, again.” Your voice cracked, crossing your arms across your chest.

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault. No need to apologize for it.” He held up his hands to show he wasn’t going to hurt you. “I hope you know that it was an accident, and accidents happen all the time.” He shrugged, putting his hands in his front pockets.

“I know,” you whispered, rubbing your hands over your upper arms.

“I got to thinking about how it might have triggered something like...like a memory with Billy.” He paused, licking his lips as he watched your eyes flash to his. “I remember you mentioning a wine glass before, but I’m only asking because before I came here, I had a trigger. A memory of something I would rather forget and move on from, but I can’t.”

“What sort of memory?” You questioned, stepping a little closer to him.

He stared at the ground, rubbing his scruff with his hand, and let out a deep breath, and his eyes connected with yours. “It reminded me of my wife and how I didn't get to her in time to save her.”

Your eyes widened, and you didn't know what to say. “I’m so sorry, Steve. I had no idea.”

“Most people don’t,” he shrugged with his hands still in his pockets.

Steve crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the back of your couch, staring off into the distance. Steve was doing what you always did. Replaying the same scene over and over again, trying to come forth with a different solution, but it would always end the same way.

You stepped closer to Steve to see his eyes drift back up to you. You offer him your hand and lead him to the other side of the couch.

“Thinking about her now feels like it all happened ages ago.” He stared at the coffee table, folding his hands together in front of him.

“Was her name Peggy?” His eyes shot to yours, and he nodded. “How did you two meet?”

Steve smirked to himself before looking over at you. “We met when I was a junior in high school. She was going to this fancy prep school for the elite, and I was in public school. I don’t know how I caught her attention…

Steve was in the public library, researching information for his english final. His cheek throbbed after getting into a fight earlier today that his mom would ground him for later, but right now, he needed to get this done. His family didn’t own a computer, and he always ended up using Bucky’s for projects but knew he could get it done if he spent enough time at the library.

There was some commotion behind him, and from the reflection on the computer screen, it was a group of girls sitting down at a table. They were whispering about something, and Steve couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Libraries are quiet for a reason, so people can focus on what they came to do and leave when it's done.

He sighed, glancing over his shoulders after hearing more loud whispers and a few giggles. They were from an elite school, judging by their uniforms. Three of them were looking at him and smiling, but the one had her head in a book. He couldn’t help but notice her brunette hair and the bright red lipstick on her lips that he couldn't help but feel drawn to. She looked up, and he nodded at them, slipping on his headphones and getting back to work. On the computer screen, he could see Red Lips staring at him every so often, and he couldn’t help but smirk.

He was working on the conclusion when someone patted him on the back, and he looked over to see Bucky, narrowing his eyebrows at him.

“What’s up, man?” He asked, taking off his headphones.

“Whoa, pal, what happened to your face?”

“It will heal.” Steve shrugged, biting his bottom lip. “It was just a little fight. Not a big deal.”

“Why do you always have to pick on the big guy?”

“Usually, he's the jerk.”

“Right,” Bucky chuckled, shaking his head. “Did you see those elite girls behind you? I mean, Wow!” Bucky winked in their direction, and they giggled.

“Yeah, hard to miss with all their giggles. I had to put my headphones on,” Steve added, looking over at them, immediately finding Red Lips. She rolled her eyes, but he didn’t miss the small subtle smirk on her lips that she was trying to hide.

“Pal, I think they were trying to get your attention.”

“Why?”

“You don’t know a damn thing about women, do you?” Bucky grinned, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against one of the computer chairs next to him.

“Like you do? We’re still in high school, Buck. We don’t really know anything about women.”

“Speak for yourself, champ.”

Steve rolled his eyes after saving everything to a flash drive and stood up. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Then, a week later, I saw her again, but she was alone this time. She sat at the same table, chewing on the tip of her pencil, reading through her textbook, and taking notes. She was still in her school uniform, and her lips were still the same shade of red…

“Not with your friends today?” Steve asked, taking off this backpack.

She looked around her as if he was talking to someone else, but then her eyes connected with his. “I could say the same about your friend.”

His eyes widened at hearing a British accent pass her lips. “I focus better when he’s not here. He can get pretty annoying.”

“I’ll have to agree with you there. All the excessive giggling isn’t a good focus aid either,” She smirked, shaking her head. “It’s nice to see your bruise is healing nicely on your cheek.”

“Oh ah, yeah,” Steve reached up to touch his cheek. “I’m Steve Rogers.”

“Peggy Carter.”

“Every week, like clockwork, I would see her, and we ended up doing homework together. Not like we were learning the same things, but just to be in the same room together. It took me a while to finally get the nerve to ask her out. I still remember her response to this day--” he smiled to himself “--Wow, you really don’t know a bloody thing about women because you should’ve done this months ago,” Steve voiced in a British accent.

“She sounds like she knew how to put you in your place,” you smirked at him, and he nodded.

“She did.”

“What happened after high school?”

“I didn’t end up going to college much to my parent's disapproval, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. So instead, I went straight into work while Peggy went to college. I worked a variety of different jobs, trying to find my niche. I ended up working in construction for a couple of years, realizing I like building homes and giving back to the community. It was a satisfying feeling, but I knew I wanted to do more, but I didn’t know how. Weird enough, Peggy was the one who mentioned joining the fire department.”

“Steve,” Peggy called, walking into their small studio apartment to find Steve making supper.

“Hey, doll. How was class?”

“Dull, but it’s law school. And, Steven, don’t call me that I'm not made of porcelain.” She walked over, hitting him playfully on the shoulder and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, making his smile spread wider. “At least you won’t look like a choir boy once this grows in,” she joked, rubbing her thumb over his cheek feeling the scruff starting to grow on his face. “Oh, I saw something today on one of the many bulletin boards on campus.”

“What was that?”

“Joining the fire department.”

“To be a firefighter?”

“Yes, I grabbed the brochure.” She pulled it out of her purse and handed it to him.

“I’ll look at it later,” he nodded, putting it on the counter behind him.

“I bet you’d love it, and seeing you in that uniform. Woooo!” Peggy fanned herself with her hand as she walked into the bathroom. “I would swoon dear, swoon.”

He chuckled to himself and picked up the brochure, reading parts of it out loud. “‘What fuels your fire?’ Interesting way to grab someone's attention, I guess. ‘We teach, we train, we serve together.’” He hummed, flipping open the brochure and reading it to himself. When he got to the last section, something stuck with him. “As a firefighter, you are a role model, and you will make a difference.”

“I think someone is sold on the idea,” Peggy smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist, and he put his arm around her, pulling her in closer to his side. “And, if you don’t like it, you can quit and find something else.”

“It might be worth a shot,” he grinned, leaning down and kissing Peggy. “Thanks for looking out for me, Peg.”

“Swoon, can I say I love her?” you commented, hearing him let out a soft chuckle.

“Everyone did, and after she showed me that brochure, I went to do the 14-week program at the Fire Academy in New Jersey, and she was right, I loved it. Being able to work with a team and build a sense of camaraderie with each other. It was like having an extended family.” He paused, wringing his hands together. “When Peggy graduated law school, she was offered a prestigious position at a law firm in Manhattan, and I got recruited by one of the fire stations in Brooklyn. Then, I finally went out and bought Peggy a ring with the money I saved up working all those odd-end jobs…

“Steve, what about this big one? It says, sorry boys, I’m taken when she’s at the office, and it’s enough to make her friends jealous,” Bucky commented, pointing at the rings in the case.

Steve shook her head, “She’s not like that, Buck. She doesn’t want a big rock; she wants something practical enough to wear to work and put away the bad guys, but pretty enough that she can show it off.”

“Sounds like you are in a real debacle, pal.”

Steve hummed, scanning over the many different styles of ring. He wasn’t an expert, but he knew what Peggy would like and not like.

“Hey, Steve. I am actually in a bit of a debacle myself.” Bucky confided, leaning against one of the ring cases.

“What about?”

“I got offered a position at one of the Los Angeles Fire Department stations.”

“You want to leave Brooklyn?” Steve questioned, narrowing his eyes at him.

"I don’t know, it sounds like a great opportunity. And, I kind of always felt like getting out of here, living somewhere else, and trying something new.”

“I get it, and there isn’t much holding you here besides your friends and family. I mean, who cares about them, am I right?" Steve sighed, shrugging his shoulders in defeat as he continued to search for a ring.

“I've already talked with them about it, and they think I should do it.”

“Wait, really?" Steve's head snapped to Bucky, and he nodded. "To be honest, Buck, I will miss you and Peggy will, too, but if it’s an opportunity you don’t want to pass up, then I think you should do it.”

"Really?"

"Yeah," Steve smiled, and Bucky pulled him in for an abrupt hug. Steve patted Bucky on the back a few times before they separated. "You just have to promise me you won’t do anything stupid out there.”

"How can I? When I’m keeping all the stupid here with you.”

“Are you gentlemen looking for anything in particular?” Steve looked up at the guy behind the counter. This name tag read Broker, and he probably had the best eyebrows in the business.

“Um, yeah, an engagement ring that is stylish but still practical and pretty.”

“You got anything like that,” Bucky asked, crossing his arms.

“I might have a few; excuse me for a second,” Broker nodded, walking into the back room.

“So when you find this ring? How are you going to do it?”

“At the public library.”

“I’m sorry, that old place,” Bucky chuckled, shaking his head. “I thought you would take her out to a romantic dinner and hide it in her dessert or in her wine glass."

“We met there, and it’s kind of symbolic in a way. And hiding the ring in dessert, do you know nothing about woman Bucky? Most women just want to eat their dessert, not make it a scavenger hunt and be a reason to break a tooth."

“Good point,” he agreed, pointing his finger at him. “I’m sure whatever you do, Peggy will love it.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Here we are, gentlemen. I found these three rings that are both elegant and practical.”

Steve stared down at them, and his eyes continued traveling to one. He picked it up with a small smirk on his lips and glanced over at Bucky.

“It’s perfect, pal.” Bucky grinned, patting him on the back.

“Did you end up proposing at the public library?” You couldn’t help the warm smile gracing your lips.

“Yes,” he nodded. “And she loved it. She said it was cheesy, but she loved it.”

“Any girl would.”

“Anyways, we got married at her family's estate. It was a small yet charming wedding. She wore this amazing dress, but my favorite part was the red lipstick she wore.” His face flushed at the memory, letting out a content sigh. “We ended up moving to Brooklyn after her parents helped us put a down payment on a small four-story home, and it was way better than any studio apartment we crammed into.”

“Steve, I don’t think I will ever get tired of this kitchen,” Peggy smiled, cutting some lettuce on one side of the island while Steve formed burgers on the other side. They were having a little housewarming slash Fourth of July Birthday bash for him.

Steve smiled at her comment as his eyes wandered around the kitchen. The cabinets were teal with a stony black countertop. The ceiling had exposed wooden beams, giving it a rustic flair. Three lights hung down over a wooden oak island in the center of the kitchen. It was a kitchen you would see in a home magazine, but instead, it was their kitchen. It even had two sinks, but he didn’t understand the purpose of them both. Although, he did enjoy the huge fridge and the amount of space in the walk-in pantry. It was a professional kitchen for two amateur cooks.

“If it wasn’t the kitchen that sold me on this house, then it was that huge bathtub in the master bathroom. No more all in one shower and bath.” She grinned, starting to cut the vegetables for the veggie plate.

“My favorite is the rooftop deck.”

“Of course it is--” she shook her head “--it’s gonna turn into a man cave up there soon. I mean, I did buy you that new grill for your birthday today, but I wonder what else you and the guys are gonna drag up there.”

“It won’t be anything too crazy.”

“That’s what you say now,” she winked.

“It does sound like a kitchen you’d see in a magazine.”

“Yeah.” His calming smile drifted away, leaving a frown in its place. “Remember when you mentioned the Arson Artist, Aldrich Killian?”

“Yeah, the guy that targeted first responder's families.” You nodded, not missing how Steve's jaw clenched at your statement.

“I wasn’t completely honest when I told you I knew some people that lost someone during his reign--” his eyes drifted to yours as he let out a deep breath “--my...my wife, Peggy, died in his last so-called masterpiece.”

You didn’t know what to say to him. His wife was killed, and a simple sorry wasn't going to bring her back or make him feel any better. Without hesitation, you reached out and grabbed a hold of his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. His eyes traveled down to your conjoined hands, and he interlocked his fingers between yours.

Steve remained silent, staring down at the coffee table. His elbow rested on his knee as his head rested in his other hand. Steve squeezed his eyes shut, lowering his head in his hand, resting it against his forehead. He let out a shaky breath, and you gave his hand another comforting squeeze.

"Steve, you don't have to tell me this if it's going to upset you. I understand better than anyone when it comes to talking about the messy things in life. You don't owe me an explanation," you explained, placing your other hand on his forearm. He turned his head in his hand to you, seeing his tearful eyes looking back at you. He sat up, rubbing his hand down his face and scratching at his jaw. He sniffled, staring back at you.

“I know that…but…um...I want to," He breathed, clearing his throat. “So..um...there’s this one day I kind of have engraved in my head, and as much as I try to forget what happened, I can’t. In my head, that day never changes and always has the same ending. The ending I hate reliving whenever I’m triggered…

Steve sighed, laying in his bed with Peggy asleep next to him. He looked over at her, noticing she was laying on her stomach with her head almost off her pillow, breathing heavily in and out. Her hair was sticking up in all directions and her mouth was slightly open. He loved waking up next to her and seeing this site before him. He smirked, reaching over to grab his phone, knowing he had a 24 hours shift starting in 5 hours. He wouldn’t get to wake up next to her pretty face tomorrow, so he decided to snap a picture to smile at tomorrow or to blackmail her with it later. He snapped the picture.

“You better delete that, or I will kill you, Steve Rogers.”

He chuckled. “Okay, yup, deleted.” He reached over, setting his phone back down on the end table.

“You’re a horrible liar." She looked up at the alarm clock and sighed, putting her head back on the pillow.

“You know what would be fun to do this morning?”

“Making me breakfast.”

“I can do that after,” he scooted closer to Peggy.

“Or you can do it now,” Peggy stated, not moving away from Steve's advances as Steve put his hand around her waist and flipped her over, so he was on top of her.

“I’m not going to see you for a full 24 hours.”

“I’m sure you have pictures.”

“Pictures don’t do you justice, Red Lips.” He leaned down, puckering his lips and waiting for her kiss. She rolled her eyes with a loud sigh, leaning up and giving in to his kiss.

After an energetic morning he made Peggy her favorite breakfast before taking a quick shower and getting dressed in his uniform. He came downstairs to see Peggy waiting for him by the door.

“If you didn’t have to go to work right now, I would take you upstairs for round 3,” she winked, giving him a quick kiss.

“I will definitely take you up on that offer if you’re up for it, Peg.” He wiggled his eyebrows, forcing her to laugh as he wrapped his arms around her. “Love you.” He leaned down and kissed her again.

“Love you, too, Steven.” She hugged him close.

“Stay safe.”

“I will.”

“The day started out like any other day, and there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. A few calls came in about car accidents, heart attacks, and a grease fire at a local restaurant. And things were looking up with the Arson Artist case because the FBI brought in Anvil to help with the investigation. Around six that night, we got dispatched to a house fire in Brooklyn….”

“Alright boys, you know the drill,” Captain Phillips stated over their headphones. “It could be a house fire, but keep your eyes peeled for anything that looks suspicious.”

Steve looked out the window of the engine, and he realized this was the main road he took to work. His heart started to beat rapidly against his chest as he looked out the front window to see what street they were going to turn down. When they turned down his street, all the air left his lungs; his home was on fire.

The truck didn’t even come to a complete stop, and he was out of the truck engine. He sprinted towards his front door, tossing on his jacket and his helmet as he heard his Captain yelling his name, but he ignored it. He skipped up the steps he so casually walked down earlier that morning.

When he kicked the front door in, all he saw was flames. “PEGGY,” he shouted, coughing into his sleeve. “PEGGY.” He hid his face with the sleeve of his jacket, running inside. He squinted his eyes against the smoke, not seeing anything, but something dark in the kitchen caught his eye. He stepped over to the kitchen, coughing as his eyes watered from the excessive amount of smoke in the air. When he reached the kitchen, he saw her tied to a chair with her head hanging down on her chest.

His heart broke, putting her chin in his hands. “Peggy,” he cried, feeling his eyes start to fill with real tears.

Dum Dum came in and grabbed ahold of Steve, pushing him towards the front door, and Gabe cut Peggy free from the restraints, carrying her in his arms. Once Steve was outside, he ran to Peggy seeing her body weak, barely clinging to life. Gabe laid her on the ground, and Jim felt for a heartbeat.

“Starting compressions,” Jim stated.

“Please, please help her,” Steve cried, leaning down next to her. “Come on, Peggy.”

“Checking for a pulse, nothing. Starting compressions again.”

“Come on, Pegs. Please.”

“I got a pulse, but it’s faint. Let’s get her on the gurney and to the hospital, stat.” Jim and Dum Dum lifted her body onto the gurney and slid it into the back of the ambulance.

“Steve, go,” Dum Dum commanded. “We’ll do all we can here.”

He nodded, hopping into the back of the ambulance, grabbing a hold of Peggy’s hand. He brought her hand to his lips, and he cried, staring down at her. “I’m so sorry, Pegs.” Jim put an oxygen mask on her and a heart rate monitor clip on her finger.

“Man, it’s not your fault it was the Arson Artist,” Jim replied, and Steve shot him a quick nod.

He clutched onto her hand, not wanting to let go. He couldn’t lose her. They were just starting their lives together, and he didn’t know what he would do without her. They had so many things they still wanted to do: get weird hobbies, travel the world, start a family. She’ll pull through this; she has to.

“Almost there, Stevie.” Jim squeezed his shoulder, but he couldn’t remove his eyes from Peggy’s form.

He squeezed his eyes shut, realizing Peggy was going to be okay. They were going to get to the hospital, and she was going to make it, and he wouldn’t have to say goodbye.

Peggy’s heart rate monitor flatlined, and Steve’s eyes shot open. Jim went to the side of the gurney, pushing Steve out of the way, and administered CPR again. Steve’s eyes started to fill with tears once he realized his worst fear was becoming a reality.

The back of the ambulance doors flung open, and Jim shook his head. Steve grabbed ahold of Peggy’s hand once more and removed her oxygen mask. He cradled her face with one hand, holding on tight to her hand with the other. He stared at her, thinking it was all a dream and he would wake up to her smacking him with a pillow. He could feel his heartache with every shaky breath he took. He gulped, letting out a sob, running his thumb across her bottom lip. He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “I’m so sorry, Peg.”

Your heart broke as a stray tear slid down your cheek, and you wiped it away. “Steve, I’m ahh…”

“I know." His tear-filled eyes flashed to yours, and he blinked them away, not giving them a chance to fall.

Without a second thought, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. He was tense at first but then relaxed, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer to him. You heard him let out a sniffle, forcing you to squeeze him a little tighter. You rubbed his back, trying to keep your tears at bay but having little success. “Please tell me you still have that picture of her sleeping.” You could feel Steve let out a soft chuckle as he loosened his grip and pulled away from you.

“I do,” he sniffled, clearing his throat.

You eyed him, noticing the reminisce of tears on his cheeks. You grabbed the box of tissues sitting on the coffee table, taking a few, and handing them to Steve. He sighed, wiping the tears away, leaning back against the couch. He ran his hands down his face and tried to refocus.

“After everything happened, I was a mess. I didn’t want to believe she was gone. I hoped it was all a dream, but it wasn’t, and I blamed myself for not getting to her in time.” He paused, clearing his throat. “I was constantly thinking about the what if’s and the if onlys of what I could’ve done differently. Not like it mattered much because she wasn’t coming back,” he breathed, blinking away tears that started to form in the corner of his eyes.

“But it wasn’t your fault.”

“You’re right to someone else looking in, it wasn’t my fault, it was Killians, but I didn’t want to see it that way. I thought if I stayed mad at myself, it would somehow fix it, but I wasn’t in my right mind. I was hurting and pushing those who cared about me away. I was depressed but was too stubborn to admit it.

When I returned to work after my leave, my captain, Captain Phillips, declared me unstable and took me off active duty. He thought it was safer for me and everyone else if he put me behind a desk. I know he was looking out for me and wanted me to get better, but all I had left was my job, and he took it away from me.” Steve shrugged, running a hand through his hair.

“After about eight months, Phillips gave me an ultimatum. The only way I would be reinstated to active duty is if I talked to one of the department's assigned therapists at Ancient One and Associates.” He let out a deep breath. “It wasn’t so much an option as it was an order. I wasn’t myself, and I haven’t been. He wasn’t the only one who saw it, but my squad did too. Whether it was from seeing the bags under my eyes due to the lack of sleep or from my pants getting looser from skipping meals. I was numb, lonely, and my family and friends didn’t know what to say to me. I shut them out, even the ones who reached out and tried to help me. I didn’t know how to talk about it, I didn’t want to talk about it, and I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t want this to be my new reality. I knew there was no other way for me to get around this by myself, so I decided to go to therapy.”

You remained silent as he paused, biting his lip, trying to figure out what to say next. He stared at the coffee table, and you couldn’t help but admire him. Steve’s been through so much, and you never would’ve suspected any of this with the way he carries himself. He seems so sure of himself and always has his feelings in check, but deep down, he has been through hell and back.

“When I first went to therapy, I thought it wouldn’t help me. On the first day, the Ancient One called me out on it, saying heroes are the ones who don’t think they need help, but sometimes they need it the most and are simply ashamed to admit it. She was right,” Steve mumbled with a half shrug.

“With everything that happened, I had a hard time accepting the truth and forgiving myself because I didn’t want to forget her. Peggy was so special to me, and I didn’t want to push her aside as if I didn’t love her anymore. I still did, and a part of me still does.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and wringing his hands together in front of him. “The Ancient One helped me see things from a different perspective, and in ways, I never thought possible. There was one point when she reversed our roles, asking how Peggy would have responded if I was the one who died. To be honest, I never thought of it like that because I always wished I died with her, but when I thought about it, I know Peggy would’ve accepted it sooner than I did. Sure, she would’ve been emotional that I was gone, but I know she would’ve been strong for everyone else, and when she’d go home alone, she would grieve. Then, if Peggy ever found someone new, who cared for her like I did or more, I’d want her to get remarried. All I would want is for her to be happy.

After realizing this new perspective, I knew Peggy would’ve wanted the same for me. To be able to move on and be happy. So, I focused on getting better and going to therapy, which then got me reinstated to active duty. Things were looking up for the better, and I knew Peggy would be happy for me.

I even started reaching out to a few friends I shut out, one of them being Bucky. I hadn’t spoken to him since Peggy’s funeral, but I hoped he’d answer and accept my apology. We ended up talking at least once a week, and then he mentioned a job opening at his station in L.A. I saw it as a chance to start over, so I took it.” He let out a deep breath. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved Brooklyn, but it felt off after Peggy died, and then my mom passed away, which was inevitable because she had been sick for a while. But with all that happened, Brooklyn didn’t feel like home, it was just a city filled with traffic, noise, and crowds. I felt alone in a city filled with people,” he sighed, shaking his head, looking over at you.

“You make moving on sound so easy.”

“It’s not. It’s probably one of the hardest things to do; it takes time, and it’s about moving on from the past and living in the now. Before I came out here, I talked about everything and made amends with my coworkers, apologized to my friends for being so selfish, and said goodbye to my parents and Peggy. It took me a while to get to that point, but I’m happy to be where I am today.” Steve nodded, shooting you a closed-mouth smile.

“What do you think she thinks about you moving to LA and leaving Brooklyn?”

“She’d understand, and I know she’d want me to be happy and to try to move on from her. I know she’d be proud to see how far I’ve come, but she knows I’ll never forget her.” You reached out and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He smirked, his eyes drifting to yours. “To be honest, I don’t think I’ve talked about Peggy with anyone I wasn’t paying.”

“Remind me to send you the bill,” you said, removing your hand from his and pointing at him.

He chuckled, “I’ll look for it, but mail does get lost quite a bit.”

“Can I ask what triggered you to tell me all this?” You asked, earning a quick nod from Steve.

“Today, I saw a husband watch his wife get carried out of their burning home. He cried, begging us to bring her back, not wanting to lose the other half of himself. He didn’t, but to me, it brought back the worst day of my life.” He turned towards you, staring into your eyes. “There is always going to be a trigger. It can either be a good memory or a bad one, but whatever happens, it’s nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.”

Your eyes flashed to his, and you gulped, knowing he was referring to the wine glass incident. You nodded, “It's just every once in a while I see something or feel something that reminds me of him, and it triggers something in me, and I can't be pulled back.”

“I get it. You always hear time heals things, but the truth is ignoring it and not talking about it only compounds the damage and makes it worse. You’re hoping it fades away, but it’s always in the back of your mind, haunting you and reminding you of everything that happened. The Ancient One told me it is better to allow yourself to feel what you went through because pretending you’re not hurt is not the same thing as healing; it just prolongs it. We may have experienced a different kind of loss. I lost my wife, and you lost yourself. It’s a different scenario, but the advice is the same.”

“How are you so full of wise words?”

“Therapy helps and life experiences,” Steve nodded with a soft chuckle. “Is that cliche?”

“A little,” you smiled. “Both our lives have been pretty messed up, huh?”

“Maybe it's fate’s way of giving us a second chance.”

“If you believe in that spiritual mumbo jumbo sort of thing,” you snorted, making him roll his eyes. “Why did you decide to tell me about Peggy?”

“You see, there is this girl I like, and I felt like I owed it to myself and her to be honest about it since she shared her story with me. I wanted her to get to know the side I don’t share with many people,” he smirked with a tint of pink hitting his cheeks. He reached up, rubbing the back of his neck.

A sweet smile graced your lips, feeling a rush of heat to your face. “Well, she appreciates you telling her, and I can inform you that she feels the same way about you.”

“That’s good,” he cracked a smile, looking over at you with his blue eyes sparkling. “At least now I know I didn’t make a complete fool of myself.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” you chuckled, feeling his body vibrate at your side with a silent snicker. “Are you going to be okay with going back to work?”

“Yeah, I have a good support system there, and I know my team has my back. It’s like one big messy extended family,” he smirked, nodding your head in agreement. “Speaking of work, I should probably get back to my shift before another call comes in, and Carol wonders why this detour is taking me so long.” He winked, pushing himself off the couch.

“Yeah, you don’t want to get on her bad side.” You joked, standing up off the couch and following him to the door.

“Are you going to be okay?” Steve asked, opening the door and turning to face you. He furrowed his brows together, forming a small crease between them. “Are we going to be okay?”

“Yeah, we’re okay.” You nodded, your eyes drifting to the ground. “I’m getting a little better every day--” you shrugged, not wanting to talk about it “-- it just takes time, right?”

His hand lifted your chin and your eyes flashed to his. “I know you’ll get there.” He shot you a shy smile, brushing his thumb along your cheek, sending a rush of heat to your face. He dropped his hand, grabbing a hold of yours. “Remember, if you need someone to listen and is full of wisdom, I’m here for you. And don’t be ashamed to give therapy a chance; trust me, it will help more than you think.”

“Okay, hot stuff. I get it, “ you scoffed, shaking your head. “Stay safe out there.”

“I will. Have a good night, YN.” He brought your hand to his lips and kissed it, letting it go. You rolled your eyes at his gesture, but you couldn’t stop the smile inching its way across your face.

You watched him walk down the sidewalk to your front gate, and he turned around one more time, waving goodbye. You waved back before he opened the gate and it clicked shut behind him. You closed your front door and leaned against it, covering your face in your hands, and let out a loud sigh. Steve seemed ready to take the next step, but were you?

You walked back over to the couch, returning to your blanket and switching the tv back on. You picked out a random movie to watch, but soon it became white noise in the background. You haven’t been in a relationship since Billy, and to be frank, you were scared to give the whole relationship thing another shot. You and Steve joked about it, but you never thought it would actually happen. Even though Steve and Billy are two very different people, you couldn’t help but be reminded of all the negatives that could come with it. Were you even ready? Should you have even been hanging out with Steve? Were you leading him on? What if he did the same thing Billy did? With all the negatives that came to your mind, maybe Steve was right, maybe it was time to give therapy a chance.

____________

AN: Thanks for reading Part 13! If you haven't noticed yet, I'm all for angst, I don't like feeling it, but I like writing it!! This is probably one of my favorite chapters in this series because it's both emotional and tragic. I'm really hoping that while reading this part you fell in love with Peggy. Her part wasn't huge huge, but I hope it made you realize what Steve lost and how much she meant to him. Emotions, am I right!! Also, I felt doing the whole flashback thing for Steve would show the different relationship dynamic that Peggy and Steve had versus her and Billy's. Huge difference obviously, and I felt like it would be better to show how they communicated and acted towards each other rather then just talking about it. It's also why I went into a little more detail in the last chapter with Laura and Clint's relationship...again, showing the relationship dynamic. Sorry for that unnecessary ramble! 😂😂 Anyways, do you think she is gonna give therapy a chance? What did you think about Steves backstory? And do you think this slow burn will finally end, and they will finally get together or will it be just a little longer?! 😂 Comments always welcome, and until next week, thanks again!

135 notes · View notes

hanjizung · 4 years ago

Text

Drunk Desire.

Hwang Hyunjin x Reader.

Word count: 4.1K

♡ Warnings ♡: SMUT; college AU, jealousy, alcohol consumption, drunk sex, penetrative sex.

Another request [78) “Shh, don’t worry, I’ll take very good care of you.” with Hyunjin] from this list. Hope you all like it!

It had been exam after exam after exam. You spent endless nights not batting an eye, head buried in your pretty notes and many many books, falling asleep on your desk with your lamp still on and your phone dying slowly next to your laptop, unable to wake you up in time for you to get ready to go to class.

Groaning when you realized you had missed the class already, you walked out of your room to get something for breakfast, your favorite cereal would do.

Sitting on the table watching a video on your almost dead phone, you jumped when your roommate appeared from her room fully dressed, impeccable makeup on her beautiful face and her perfume filled the living room.

"Good morning, Y/N. I didn't know your class was canceled? I thought I was alone" she greeted you, grabbing an orange and guarding it inside her backpack with her laptop.

"Hey, Yeji. It wasn't, I missed it because I was asleep. Luckily I already read today's lesson for tomorrow's test" you said, pausing the video to pay attention to your pretty roommate.

"Oh, that's cool, I guess. Your next class is around 10, right?" she looked at you, waiting for your answer. You nodded, and she smiled widely, clapping before continuing. "Great. Listen, my brother is coming here to pick my camera, he said he needed it for a project or something, I don't really know. Do you think you can give it to him for me? I need to print something for the strict, annoying teacher, the earlier I leave the best."

You finished your plate of cereal while she talked, and without thinking too much you shrugged, nodding again.

"Sure, you can leave to print that homework" you said, smiling gently. Yeji thanked you, grabbed her purse and walked out the department, the sweet fragrance of her perfume leaving a trail that disappeared with her.

You sighed, standing up and leaving your plate on the sink, putting your phone to charge while you got ready to start your day. You would have to actually put effort to hide the dark circles under your eyes; you were aware of how tired you looked, of how dead you were feeling both on the outside and the inside, but you could do this, you had to keep going and trying to do well enough with your grades so your parents could help you pay your part of the rent.

You took a short shower to start getting ready for your next class that would start in about an hour and a half.

Enough time for you to get ready and look not as dead as you felt you looked.

Almost as soon as you were done, a knock on the front door got your attention. You walked to it and opened it, and behind it, Yeji's handsome brother greeted you with a smile that could make you feel butterflies in your stomach.

"Hey, Hyunjin! You're here for the camera, right?" you moved to the side to let him step inside your shared department, he closed the door behind him and stood still in that place awkwardly.

"H-hey, Y/N! Yeah, I need the camera for… A project. Where's Yeji, by the way? I thought she would be here…" he looked everywhere but in your direction, clearly looking for his younger sister. You didn't know why, but that made you feel… Bad. You had put so much effort in dressing up and he couldn't look at you. Did your outfit not match? Was something wrong with your makeup, or your hair?

"Oh, yeah, she left earlier because she had something to do, sorry about that. Let's go, she left the camera in her room" you turned and made your way to the room across from yours, hearing Hyunjin's steps following lazily behind you until you finally got to where you needed to be.

Looking around trying to find the camera, you clapped in excitement when your eyes finally located the object, and just as you started walking towards it you could swear that you heard Hyunjin chuckle softly, biting your lip in embarrassment as your cheeks started getting hotter.

You made your way back to Hyunjin, handing him one of Yeji's most appreciated things in her room, and he took it from your delicate hands, his fingers brushing against yours for a short moment, and once he was holding the camera like it was nothing, he finally looked at you with another bright smile that could make you melt.

"Thank you, Y/N" he said, winking an eye before he turned and walked away from you to the front door. You stared at his back before your mind short circuited and your mouth blurted his name.

He turned to you, hand on the door knob and expression unreadable. "Yes, Y/N?" he asked. Your heart started beating a little bit faster, your eyes looked everywhere but in his direction. Why did you have to do that? You asked yourself, biting your lip in clear doubt of not knowing what to do anymore.

Until your eyes found your back, and you breathed in, walking over it and placing it on your shoulder before walking to Yeji's handsome brother and smiled coolly at him. He didn't say anything, still waiting for you to say something that would explain your acting.

"I'm leaving for class too, maybe… We could go together, what do you think?" you said shyly. Hyunjin smiled sweetly at you, his eyes disappearing behind the beautiful smile that adorned his angelic face. He looked so breathtaking, you almost had to remember how to breathe to keep functioning properly. The man in front of you nodded, turning the knot to open the door and waiting for you to go before him.

On the way to the buildings, you got to know him a bit more; you knew the basic things about him since he visited Yeji every month or whenever he needed something, you'd seen him occasionally drop her there after a party or after they hung out together, it always warmed your heart how close they were, you knew from your own roommate that they shared a beautiful bond and that they appreciated each other a lot. But this was the first time you'd ever been alone with him like this, and to be honest you were quite nervous.

He seemed to notice, because he started talking about the first thing noticeable for the both of you, and then the conversation changed topic and the walk that seemed eternal when you walked it alone had become the shortest one for you, it felt like it had ended too soon, but it had been good. Hyunjin helped you feel relaxed around him, he was as friendly and nice as everyone on campus said he was.

You waved goodbye to him, but he leaned in and kissed your cheek, making you blush as he walked away with a wink and a smile smug that left you feeling like a teenage girl again, your hand slowly going to touch the spot his lips had met with you, heart thumping rapidly.

Shaking your head, you turned to walk to your classroom, your head still spinning from the recent event that caused your cheeks to feel hot. Unluckily for you, your friend who looked up from his phone when you entered the classroom knew something was up just from the way you were holding your bag.

"Someone had a good morning" he greeted you. You rolled your eyes, sitting in your chair and turning to look at him.

"Good morning to you too, Felix. Yes, I had breakfast, thank you for asking. How was the last class?" you told him, making him laugh with how you tried to change the topic from your good mood to talk about something that was so boring, like a class that always made you feel sleepy.

" It was good, nothing happened. I'm more interested in your morning, what happened?" he tried again, extending his arms to take your hand and play with your fingers. You were used to him being so touchy, it was how Felix demonstrated his appreciation for you.

"Hyunjin walked here with me" you told him, a foolish smile and closed eyes accompanied your blush from earlier, Felix's voice ohh'ing made you hit the hand that was playing with yours playfully.

"I didn't know you liked him! When did this crush start, Y/N? And more importantly, why didn't you tell me earlier? You know, I could've tried to make you get closer to him, we're good friends, just like you and me!" a storming of questions and comments from your freckled friend made you regret admitting to him that Hyunjin was your crush, since he helped you with a project related to expressionism and he accepted to let you study him for answers to your hypothesis. Thanks to him, you aced that assignment and got the highest score, having your teacher congratulate you in private for your hard work.

"Listen, I'm gonna help you with him" Felix said, clapping and grabbing all your attention. He hadn't seemed to notice that you were zoned out, not even being mad from the lack of answers to all of his questions. "You're coming with me to Chan's party, I know from trustworthy people that Hyunjin is gonna be there" you raised a brow after that statement, a playful smile on your lips. He was talking about himself.

"Good morning, everyone" your teacher's voice interrupted your friend, the classroom lowering all the talking which obligated Felix to lower his next words.

"Wear something sexy, I'll pick you up. It's this Saturday at 8, be ready" he whispered, turning his attention to the teacher. You were left to your thoughts; Felix's plan was to take you to a party, make you meet Hyunjin and from then you didn't know what would happen next.

You would be lying if you said the idea of going to a party sounded exciting, you've been working too hard on school, and today was your last test, you couldn't agree more to what your roommate told you when she went to sleep, finding you still awake on your desk, head buried into your notes, laptop screen bright and dark circles prominent in your face.

"You deserve to rest, Y/N. We should do something fun, this is the last week of exams until the finals" she said. You only hummed an answer, and your friend understood to leave you alone until you decided to come out of your cave by your own choice.

Now you had to tell her to help you choose an outfit to impress a boy, without revealing that said boy was her brother.

After class, Felix and you walked to a cafeteria for him to explain what you kissed for sleeping in, then asking you the questions he had asked you earlier, this time talking slower so you could answer all of them. By the evening, when he was walking you home he hugged you goodbye, adding a kiss to your forehead leaving you kind of startled. It was the first time he added a kiss, but you decided it wasn't important and walked inside of your shared department. Yeji was sitting on the couch, using her laptop. She closed it as soon as you walked in, but you noticed the suspicious smile on her face when she walked over to you and placed a hand on your shoulder.

"I heard that you're attending Chan's party" she said, letting go of you and sitting on the back of the couch.

"How'd you know that?"

"Felix told Lia, and she told us. It was surprising but I'm happy that you're gonna do something besides studying!" she clapped, obviously excited. You could only laugh, it had been a nice day and since you were done with tests you felt relieved.

"Yes, I am going to Chan's party. You're going too, right? Can you help me pick an outfit?" you asked. Yeji squealed in content, taking your hand and running to your room. It was kind of messy, but since you'd been living together for a while you weren't ashamed anymore of how your room looked like anymore.

"I'm not going to the party, I promised the girls a movie night, so I'll be staying over with them, just to let you know" she turned to wink at you, then kept looking at your closet trying to find the perfect outfit for you.

Hours passed and while you messaged Felix about how excited you were for the party, Yeji finally found what she called 'the sexiest' outfit for you, letting you use her favorite heels that even if they were kind of tall, they were still comfortable to wear.

The next day, just as promised, Felix arrived at your house and greeted you with his eyes wide open, a blush on his face also painted the tip of his ears.

"You look gorgeous, Y/N!" he said, walking over to you and kissing your cheek. Yeji hadn't left the house yet, so she greeted Felix too. You were happy that they got along well, but knowing Felix everyone got along well with him, he was a piece of heaven made into a human.

"Take care of her, Felix. I'm trusting you to not let her do anything she'll regret later" Yeji warned, pointing a finger at him.

"I will, don't worry. She'll be back in one piece" was Felix's reassuring words to your roommate. You scoffed, annoyed that they were talking about you as if you weren't present with them.

Instead of saying anything, you took Felix's arm and walked out of the apartment, Yeji'd laugh could be heard until she closed the door, watching you go with your friend. Felix understood that it was time to go and guided you to Chan's infamous party, your stomach was turning from the nervousness of showing up, since you knew how extroverted you got when alcohol's effects hit you.

Luckily, once you arrived at the party you visibly relaxed when you saw a sea of familiar faces, you knew almost all the people there thanks to Felix, who was a magnet to everyone who learned his name.

Sadly, he left you alone after bringing you a drink, saying he would find Chan and thank him for inviting the two of you there. You were left alone sitting on the counter top of the kitchen with a red cup on your hand.

A tap on your shoulder surprised you, making you jump and look at whoever had scared you only to find a giggly Hyunjin, his eyes hidden behind the enchanting smile that had you blushing in mere seconds.

"I didn't know you were coming until I saw you arriving with Felix!" he exclaimed, trying to be heard over the music. You shrugged, not knowing how to answer. "That outfit looks amazing on you, by the way. Felix is really lucky to have a girlfriend as pretty as you" he looked you up and down. You couldn't help but laugh at the end of his sentence.

"I'm not his girlfriend, oh God, Hyunjin, that was a good one!" you kept laughing, placing a hand on his arm. His facade changed to a more relaxed one and he allowed himself to laugh with you. You didn't miss how relieved he looked when he heard that you and Felix weren't a thing.

Hyunjin stayed by your side, the two of you laughing and fooling around for most of the night, you refilling your cup from time to time to allow your drunk self to bloom and make you less shy slowly worked completely, because at some point you had the courage to ask him if he wanted to dance and when he nodded you practically dragged him with all the other bodies pressed together and you took the opportunity to get handsy with him.

But it didn't last for long, after maybe two or three songs Hyunjin pulled you by the arm and took you to the kitchen to take a drink for himself. He wasn't as drunk as you, but the blush on his face made it clear that he wasn't as sober as the people who were in charge of driving, like a redhead who was hugging a crying girl in the corner of the room or a guy who was trying to control his drunk girlfriend.

You filled your cup again, chugging it quickly and cleaning your chin from what escaped the container and dripped down your mouth. That was when Hyunjin decided that he would take you home.

"But I don't wanna go!" you whined, trying to grab anything to help you stay in place. You ended up grabbing an arm, and the person who it belonged to was none other than Felix. That little demon.

"Oh, you're taking her home for me? Thank you so much, Hyunjin! Please make sure she drinks water before sleeping" he laughed, walking with you and your crush to the front door. "See you later, Y/N!" Felix sang, his alcohol breath hitting your face. He waved goodbye at you and the taller man.

It was a little cold outside, but you couldn't feel it from how intoxicated you were. What you could feel were how much your feet were hurting with those heels, so you stopped walking and sat on the floor, taking them off. In a right state of mind, you would be surprised about how long you lasted wearing them.

"Jinnie" you said, trying to get his attention. He stopped walking and turned at you, laughing when he saw you on the floor. "My feet hurt, Jinnie! Can you carry me?" you pouted, trying your best to stand up without falling.

"Ohh Y/N! You look so cute, I'll carry you. Stay still…" he tried his best, battling with you until you were on his back, heels in your hand and he continued walking the familiar way to where his sister resided with you.

Your cheek was on his shoulder, and you tried to keep your eyes open but knowing that Hyubjin was giving you a piggyback felt too much like a dream, your mind was foggy and you couldn't tell what was real and what was a fantasy.

"You're very handsome, Jinnie" you whispered, your hand falling from his shoulder to his chest. You sighed, enjoying the moment. "I'd give anything to be with you, you know? I really like you" you mumbled again. Under you, Hyunjin felt how his heart almost stopped. But you were drunk, you probably didn't know what you were saying.

"We're almost home, Y/N, hold tight, doll" and he was right, because after some minutes you were in the comfort of your room, heels thrown somewhere on the floor and you lying on your bed while he was pouring you some water to drink.

"I don't wanna sleep like this!" you cried out, drinking all the water Hyunjin had handed you.

He was sitting on the bed, his eyes focused on you as you started to undress in front of him without a care in the world.

"Fuck, Y/N…" he muttered under his breath. It had been one thing seeing you wearing that outfit, but now that he was looking at what you had underneath a boner had become a major problem.

You were drunk, he was drunk. His brain wasn't thinking clear, so he abruptly made your turn, taking your lips with his and kissing you passionately. You tasted like that cheap alcohol that you two had been drinking, but you also tasted like heaven. He groaned when he separated from you, looking at your eyes with a dark spark in his own orbs.

"You don't know… How long I wanted to do that, Y/N" Hyunjin said, leaning in to kiss the corner of your lips. This time, you moved so he would kiss you again, and he smiled against your lips when he realized that you wanted him to kiss you as well, doing just that.

You walked towards your bed, making Hyunjin fall on it and you got on top of him, legs on each side of him grinding on his erection and kissing his chin, then going down on his skin. His hands holding you by your hips and separating from you. He sat straight, stopping your movements.

"Y/N, doll, do you really want this?" he asked, breathless. You answered by grinding your hips again, a tiny moan leaving your parted lips, your hands resting on his broad shoulders.

"Please, Hyunjin, I want it so bad, I need you so bad…" you whined, your hips continuing to circle against him for friction. "Please fuck me, please, I want you, Hyunjin" you cried out to him. All the autocontrol Hyunjin had left in him disappeared when you said his name in the most sinful of ways. He had been with a few girls before, but none of them managed to make him feel this turned on.

Carefully, Hyunjin flipped you so he was the one on top of you, him controlling the movements of his hips around you. He took off his shirt, staring at you so helpless under him… He couldn't resist the need to kiss you as best as his drunk brain allowed him, then he remembered something important.

"Do you have any condoms, doll? We can't do this if we don't use protection, beautiful" Hyunjin's honey-like voice asked, the pet names caught you unguarded. You pointed at the drawer of your nightstand, hiding your face behind your hands. He moved to stand up, moment later the sound of packaging opening made you peek from behind your fingers, looking how we wrapped his erect member with the condom and then returned to his place between your legs.

He teased your entrance, rubbing your ckit with the tip of his cock making you cry in need. He was holding you in place to keep you from taking him all in quickly, enjoying how he was torturing you.

"Hyunjin… please just fuck me" you complained, looking at him with teary eyes.

“Shh, don’t worry, I’ll take very good care of you, doll" you heard him whisper as he slowly let himself slide into you. The initial stretch of his member inside you made you gasp, the delicious sensation of being filled made you roll your eyes, your hands tugging the blankets under you, your breast jumping from Hyunjin's movements against you.

One of his hands snaked in your torso, stopping when it reached your bra. His large hand squeezed your boob, then freed it from the fabric keeping it in place, his thumb and index finger pinching it, making you turn in pleasure. His pace was slow, but enough to make you feel satisfied.

"Can you play with your boobs for me, doll? Be a good girl and do it, won't you?" you nodded, following his order and taking off your bra completely. The pad of your fingers played with your nipples while the hand that was once where yours currently were now focused on rubbing your clit.

Your walls started to clench around Hyunjin's cock, your breathing too irregular as a consequence of all the pleasure you were receiving from multiple stimulation points, and without being able to warn him, you came undone, screaming Hyunjin's name and shaking under him.

It didn't take long for him to find his release as well, slamming into you even through your orgasm. Once he was finally done, he collapsed on top of you, careful to not crush you with his weight. He rolled to the side, taking out the used condom and throwing it to the trash bin inside your room.

The two of you were panting, and without realizing, you fell asleep, the last thing you heard was Hyunjin standing up looking for his clothes.

The annoying rays of sunshine that managed to slip through your curtains made you come to the real world in no time. You were starting to feel a headache, when suddenly the realization of having another body in your bed made you open your eyes and take in your surroundings more carefully, the hand resting on your naked torso belonged to none other than Hwang Hyunjin.

The handsome Hwang Hyunjin who was now lying awake from the movements you created. It took him some effort to open his eyes, but when he finally took in your morning firm he smiled gently.

"Good morning, doll" he sounded even more charming with his morning, raspy voice. But it was the last word that got your attention. Vague memories from last night flooded your mine, and with a blush, you answered him.

"Good morning, beautiful."

#stayverse #skz smut #skz fanfic #hyunjin smut #hyunjin x reader #stray kids smut #stray kids fanfic #hwang hyunjin smut #hyunjin x you #my fic #original

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barkkletshunt · 4 years ago

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Those Worth Fighting For Part eight

I feel like I’m really pushing out these parts right now lol It’s been so long since I’ve had a few days off to work on this. I hope you like it!

Part one Part two

Part three Part four

Part five Part six

Part seven Bonus scene 1

Part eight (You’re here)

Taglist:

@ladybug-182 @fruit-snacc-ace @miraculous-simmer7 @lavenderjunes @use-flamethrower @fan-written @all-mights-asscheeks @birdie-posts

Marinette looked over her pajamas, wondering why she thought having a pajama date as one of their first dates was a good idea. It was her idea and she wasn’t going to go back on it, but oh God why didn’t she own any cute pajamas?

“Marinette, I thought you wanted to have a laid back date? Why are you stressing out about your outfit?” Tikki knew Marinette better than anyone else, but even she had a hard time understanding her current holders mind sometimes. “Why not wear your comfiest pajamas?”

The blue haired girl looked over to the pajamas she had worn the night before, the comfiest pajamas she owned, and sized up the hot chocolate stains and the tear on the left leg from when she got it caught on the balcony bar. She meant to fix it, but with school and her other projects as MDC the PJ’s were put on the backburner. “Yeah, no, that’s not happening. I’m still trying to impress him.”

“Then what about the set your Grandfather bought you for christmas?” Tikki asked, floating above Marinette’s shoulder to look at the silk pin striped PJ’s. “Those are impressive!”

“But they’re too impressive. It won’t look natural and it will come across as I’m trying too hard.” The woman began biting at her lip, looking over the other pairs of pajamas she owned. “What if I wore the pair Chat Noir bought me? They are comfortable, kinda cute, and they come with slippers to match.”

“The Ladybug ones?” Tikki thought it over for a moment. “They are nice without being too nice, and comfortable without being overworn. I think they’re a good bet!”

Marinette changed into the pajamas her former hero partner had given her, and tucked her feet into the boot slippers that matched. Although they were too big for her as a teen they now fit her perfectly now that her body looked more like her body as a heroine. She was taller now, and from constant training with her mother and Kagami her muscles had grown strong and resilient. She still couldn’t leap from building to building as a civilian, but she could certainly hold her own when it came to freerunning and parkour.

“I wonder what he’s going to wear,” she said absentmindedly to her kwami as she changed, stripping off her school clothes and hopping into the pajama pants successfully without falling over. “Something flashy, I’m sure.”

“Maybe he has normal pajamas and is worried you’ll think he isn’t as fancy?

“Ha, I wish. He’s fancy through and through.” Marinette laughed, pulling the shirt over her head. “Maybe I can convince him to dress like a normal person like the rest of us mere mortals. He’d look really good in a turtleneck.”

She looked herself over in the mirror and sighed. She looked too much like Ladybug for her own comfort. While they were the perfect level of baggy, and the colour was slightly off from her actual suit, having red pants with black polka dots made her take a second look at herself.

The shirt was white, with a pun on it, with red sleeves that matched the pants, and even the booties matched the ladybug pattern to tie everything together. She either looked like someone who absolutely loved Ladybug, or Ladybug herself trying to throw off someone's scent by pretending to be a die hard fan. Either way, she needed to change.

Knock, knock, knock.

Or she would change if Felix wasn’t so damned punctual.

Marinette grabbed her coat and the baked goods she got from her parents earlier and headed towards the door. On the other side was Felix, looking as handsome as ever. She could see baggy track pants underneath his black trench coat, but none of that mattered the second he leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss on the top of her head.

“I brought you coffee.” His voice was soft, as if worried saying anything would stop the butterflies that began to flutter in her stomach. “Are you alright with pizza tonight? I was running errands all day and I didn’t have a chance to pick anything up to cook.”

Marinette wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight, feeling him stiffen for just a moment before returning the affectionate gesture. It wasn’t the first time she had hugged him since reuniting with the blond, but it was the first hug she had given him that she allowed herself to savour.

She could feel his back muscles through his thin coat, and wondered briefly what he did to make them so defined. In his suits it was hard to tell how muscular he was, but from the hold he had on her she figured he was a lot stronger than he looked.

It was just a simple hug, but he held her like he was afraid to let her go. Maybe it was just her mind going haywire from how good the man before her smelt, like fresh soap and coffee. It was warm and clean and she loved it.

The hug was over too soon and both parties let go with mild embarrassment at how much they enjoyed it. They looked at the walls and the floors, anything not to meet each other's gaze until they finally did. Neither could help the laughter that bubbled from their lips at seeing how the other felt the same way. It was easy and light being with him, and she wondered if that was how the starting of love was supposed to be.

“So, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, are you ready to go back to my temporary Parisian home with my cousin and his fiancee and look over the seating placements?” Felix asked, trying to regain his air of formality but failing as his smile kept returning. He offered his arm to her, finally giving up on hiding his giddiness at their first official date. “And start preparing the invitations to what I assume is half of France itself?”

“Why, Felix!” She giggled, taking his arm and walking down the hallway of her apartment building with him. “I thought you’d never ask!”

Felix was a gentleman. This was an irrefutable fact. He took the bag of baked goods from her to carry it himself, he opened the car door for her and waited until she was in and buckled before closing the door and getting in on his side. He made sure to get out of the car first to hold her door open for her again, and did the same at the front door of the house. It didn’t even seem like he was trying to impress her, it was just his natural habits.

“Fel! Mari! Good timing!” Adrien’s voice called to them the second they were in the house, before Felix had a chance to take her coat and hang it up. “We’re in the living room.”

The two looked at each other, their confusion etched upon their faces.

“Well, better get this over with.” Felix sighed, slowly unbuttoning his coat and taking it off. Revealing the black t-shirt underneath with the design of a suit printed on the chest. She wanted to laugh. Of course, how did she not think of it? This way he could still wear a suit to bed! “Oh, it gets better. I have a matching pair of slippers to yours.”

As Felix reached into the closet to put his coat away, he pulled out a pair of familiar looking slippers. She hadn’t seen them before, but she had seen up close where the design came from. The slippers Felix put on resembled Chat Noir’s boots. Without planning it out ahead of time the two of them matched. No wonder they liked each other so much.

When they made their way to the living room, with a slight detour to the kitchen to set down the pizza and the baked goods, they saw Kagami and Adrien sitting on one of the sofa’s dressed like they came right out of a 90’s parent teacher conference. Kagami wore a blouse Marinette was sure she had never seen on her friend before, and Adrien wore a dress shirt with a sweater vest over it. They both had glasses on, and she knew for a fact neither of them needed glasses.

Adrien looked at Marinette and seemed to freeze for a moment before returning to his disappointed face.

“What’s going on?” She began to ask, but the two crossed their arms and nodded towards the couch across from them.

Marinette and Felix sat down, looking confused as ever.

“Marinette, darling, we need to talk.” Kagami started, her monotone voice not matching her words. “We were informed today about something that shocked us to our core.”

“We’re not mad that you didn’t tell us,” Adrien continued, nodding along. Marinette noticed the model was wearing a fake mustache. “Just disappointed.”

“And what, prey tell, was I supposed to tell you?” She wanted to laugh. She knew their game, she knew exactly what they were playing at. It didn’t make it any less hilarious to her.

“And Felix, I expected better from you than withholding secrets from me.” Adrien fake cried onto Kagami’s shoulder, who only patted his back in an attempt to soothe him.

“It’s okay dear, as her father I will handle this.” Kagami whispered.

“I thought I was the father, that’s why I’m wearing the mustache.” Adrien lifted his head.

“You’re the emotional mother who doesn’t know how to handle her daughter's secret life, and I’m the father who will be stern but also loves his wife despite the facial hair because you have a beautiful spirit.” Kagami stated.

“You’d be a great dad.”

“I already am.” Kagami adjusted herself. “Marinette, how could you not tell us you were dating Felix?”

Felix stared at his cousin and his fiancee. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Had Adrien always been this goofy? Had Kagami?

“Mom, Dad, I’m sorry, it’s still new. This is our first date.” Marinette leaned forward and grabbed Kagami’s hand. Felix groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. If he wasn’t already smitten with the blue haired woman, he was sure he’d fall for her again right then and there. His cousin and his soon to be wife, correction, his family loved Marinette so much that they had these silly little jokes and the woman had no problem playing along. She was every bit of the family already and if they were that protective of her then he knew he was falling for the right girl.

“First date so far, but thankfully you two have given us enough excuses to spend time together that we’re bound to have more dates in the future.” Felix nudged Marinette lightly with his elbow. “Maybe we’ll even, gasp, become a serious relationship and rival your fame.”

“You will if Alya has anything to say about it.” Kagami mumbled.

“What?” Marinette squinted at her friend, but Kagami shook her head and refused to answer.

“Well, do I need to grab my sword and threaten you not to hurt my daughter?” Kagami asked Felix, all joking leaving her.

“No worries, Ma’am, er, sir? I will treat Marinette with the utmost respect.” Felix gave a salute to the Japanese woman. “Now can we go and finish our mission of preparing the invitations to your wedding? While we may be dressed for night time, we aren’t planning on working all night.”

“Speaking of how you’re dressed,” Adrien’s voice wavered for a second. “Marinette, where did you get those pajamas?”

She looked down at herself. How was she supposed to say that the former black cat of Paris gave them to her alter ego self for Christmas? She wasn’t. “A friend got them for me, I’m not sure where he bought them from. Why? Are you jealous?”

Adrien laughed, but it almost sounded forced. “You got me. I wanted them, but oh well.”

Kagami looked at her fiance who just waved her off.

“Well, those pajamas look good on you, M’lady.” Adrien stood up and offered his hand to Kagami who took it and followed his lead. “We’re going to go spar for a bit. Let me know if you two want to join us!”

M’Lady? When had Adrien ever called her that?

“Well Miss. Bug, shall we be off?” Felix’s voice snapped her out of her train of thought, and then immediately threw her down another hole of questioning. Did he just call her Miss. Bug? The same way that Alley Cat did? Was it just her pajamas making the two blonds act this way, or was there more to the story? God, she was beginning to sound like Alya.

“Pizza first, invitations second, and third movie time! Sounds good?”

“Anything sounds good if you say it.”

Marinette’s cheeks burned. With all thoughts of Chat Noir and Alley Cat forgotten, the two of them left to the kitchen.

#Those worth fighting for #twff #felix x marinette #felinette #fanon felix #felix graham de vanily #marinette dupain cheng #Marinette #marinette dupen chang #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #Kagami Tsurugi #adrigami #adrien agreste

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official-wayward-keener · 3 years ago

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Irondad Bingo - Coming Out/ Lab Day

Coming Out on Lab Day

Peter Parker has a date, but he doesn't know how to tell his mentor (Father figure) during their lab day.

ao3 Link here

Peter was excited. Today was a lab day. The cute boy in his Physics class asked him out. Everything was going well, especially today. He didn’t think anything could go wrong. Mr. Stark seemed to smile at him when he saw that Peter seemed excited. Happy had put up the divider when Peter started rambling so he didn’t hear anything. Peter smiled as he told Mr. Stark about his day but avoided mentioning the date on Saturday that he had. Tony seemed to be confused on why Peter was very excited today.

“Do you have any new updates for the spidey suit?” Tony asked him. Peter seemed to pull out his notebook and show Tony some ideas but the ideas were older ideas that Tony knew Peter was already working on so something else was up. Tony tried to figure out what was up with his kid but that might take a while.

“Okay I give up,” Tony finally said. Peter looked at him confused. “You have been in a good mood all day and I cannot figure out why.” Peter felt his cheeks heat up as Tony waited for an answer.

“I got a date on Saturday,” Peter said. Tony seemed proud to hear that as he went to ask more but Peter seemed to focus back on his project.

“You seem really quiet for someone so excited about this date,” Tony told the kid.

Peter looked down, nervous all of a sudden. “It’s just a really like him and I finally got the courage to ask him out today.” Tony smiled at the kid not seeing why he was nervous.

“That’s great, Kid,” Tony said. “Where are you going on Saturday?”

“Just to a cafe and then we will probably walk through the park,” Peter told him. “It's just a first date not really special.”

Tony seemed to disagree though as he talked about how Peter should get his date flowers. Peter wondered if he heard that he was dating a boy. “Is something else on your mind?”

“No, nothing at all,” Peter said trying to focus back on the project but Tony could tell something was bugging his kid again.

“Is there something I missed?” Tony asked.

“Nope,” Peter said, trying to change the conversation as quickly as possible.

“Kid?” Tony said, looking at him waiting for him to talk. Peter let out a breath before he set the tools down and turned to Tony.

“My date is with a boy,” Peter said.

“So you said earlier,” Tony seemed confused.

“I’m bi and ace,” Peter told him.

“Well I figured when you mentioned Liz last year that you were into women as well,” Tony told him. “Didn’t know the second part though and it is none of my business.”

“You don’t care?” Peter said. Tony seemed confused.

“Of course I care. It’s part of who you are,” Tony told him. Peter looked at him surprised as Tony seemed to still be confused on the whole issue.

“You are okay with me liking boys?” Peter asked.

“Why would I care about that?” Tony asked him. Tony seemed to realize something as he started laughing before he put a hand over his mouth.

“Peter,” Tony said. “I know you were a little back when I was more of a playboy but did you know a few of the articles talked about my male lovers.” Peter seemed surprised about this. “I realized when I was younger that I was pan. I never had to come out because articles did that for me. I dated multiple people back then. I didn’t start identifying as pans until later.”

“I didn’t know that,” Peter said.

“Well I just think you should know since you are practical my kid,” Tony said.

“You see me as your kid?” Peter seemed surprised.

“Yes, I do, so that means I have to meet this guy if he becomes your boyfriend,” Tony told him. Peter seemed to smile before saying maybe which just annoyed Tony a bit. Peter got up and walked over to Tony before wrapping his arms and saying thank you to him. Tony was surprised by the hug but he accepted nonetheless.

Peter smiled next time he came for lab day which happened to be the Tuesday after Peter’s date. Tony seemed to smile at his kid knowing that if the kid was in a good mood then the date must have gone well.

“So how was your weekend?” Tony asked.

“It was okay,” Peter said. Peter told him about his new idea changing the conversation. Tony took the hint as if the date didn’t go well. Peter wasn’t going to say anything else for now though if he didn’t want to.

“He didn’t show,” Peter said.

“I’m sorry, Kid,” Tony told him.

“It’s cool. He told me why it just kinda hurt for a day. We rescheduled for tomorrow so maybe it will happen this time around,” Peter explained. “He had some family stuff come up so he couldn’t make it to begin with.”

“Well at least he rescheduled,” Tony said. Peter nodded as he showed Tony some more of his designs. Tony let the kid use the new design as a distraction. Tony smiled realizing how important Peter was to him.

Peter walked in smiling on his Thursday lab day which didn’t tell Tony anything. Peter started talking about how he had a good day yesterday.

“He even made sure to get me chocolates that weren’t mint,” Peter said. Tony smiled at his kid seeing him happy. Maybe seeing Peter happy just made him happy.

“I’m glad you had a good time,” Tony said,

“He asked me out again,” Peter said brightly. Tony knew that was a good thing. His kid was dating someone who seemed to be good for him.

“So when do I get to meet this guy,” Tony asked him.

“You and May are both wanting to meet him,” Peter said, annoyed.

“We are just worried about you,” Tony told him. Peter muttered something about it only being a first date. Tony smiled though see the smile still on Peter’s face because of this date.

#peter parker #tony stark #coming out #lab day

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dweetwise · 4 years ago

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i can’t remember the last time i wrote a proper date, this was a joy to work on and i hope you enjoy <3

ship: felix x ace warnings: none word count: 3740

[previous] [next]

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire (part 5)

Felix despises meeting clients.

They're entitled, they're whiny, and in this particular case, they're obnoxious and unwilling to compromise.

It takes half an hour of their appointment to even get to its point, the client and his associates preferring to engage in pointless small talk, as if this small talk was worth Felix’s 18-hour flight. Still, he puts on his business face and laughs his polite fake laugh to humor them, since the project is important to Lauren.

When Felix finally gets to presenting his studio’s offer to the group, there's an influx of stupid questions that he hadn't prepared for. He improvises the best he can and ignores the rude comments about Lauren's design style, trying not to let the annoyance show on his face.

The hours tick by and his clients don’t seem to be in any sort of hurry, content to keep bullshitting and dragging out the appointment. Felix’s pulse is racing and he almost feels like he’s about to be sick, nerves mixing with dread as he realizes he’s going to be late for his date with Ace.

When he's finally allowed to leave, five excruciating hours and way too many fake laughs and handshakes later, Felix is almost ready to kill someone.

Instead, he calls Ace as soon as the office building’s doors close behind him.

“Hello?” Ace's voice sounds annoyed, and Felix doesn't blame him in the slightest.

“I'm sorry, my meeting ran late,” Felix apologizes hurriedly, checking his watch to notice it’s already six o’clock. “Do you still want to meet?”

“Oh! Yeah, sure!” Ace's voice perks up, his words difficult to make out through some strange background noise. “Don't worry about it, I kinda lost track of time too.”

“I can come straight from the office, I'll just get a cab,” Felix says, looking around the street for signs of a taxi.

“Uh, alright!” Ace’s voice sounds surprised. “There's this Italian place just a few blocks from the hotel. I can be there in twenty, I'll text you the address.”

“Sounds good,” Felix sighs, already feeling calmer now that he knows he didn't mess up his chance with the man.

Somehow, despite the taxi getting stuck in traffic for minutes on end, Felix arrives at the restaurant before Ace does. He hovers near the entrance awkwardly, not sure whether he should go inside to wait.

He decides to stay outside on the sidewalk, hoping the fresh air will soothe some of his overwhelming nerves. Standing there in his work clothes, clutching his briefcase and repeatedly glancing at his watch, Felix feels utterly ridiculous and is already starting to regret the entire thing.

Ace is either ten minutes late or is standing him up. Is it revenge for Felix neglecting to contact him earlier? Was Felix imagining the connection between them? Felix really shouldn’t have come; he's completely drained after the meeting and would much rather curl up in his hotel bed—

And then he spots Ace making his way over, and as soon as their eyes meet the doubts fizzle out and disappear.

“Hey, handsome!” Ace greets with a radiant smile, and Felix is instantly ready to forgive him. “How was work?”

“It was fine,” Felix lies, not wanting to sour the other's permanent good mood.

“I'm glad!" Ace says. “Hope you're hungry, because I'm starving,” he smiles, reaching for the restaurant door and holding it open for Felix.

Almost as soon as they step inside, Felix’s anxiety decides to flare up. The place looks more casual than he'd pictured, and he feels way too overdressed, his stiff suit and tie surely standing out among the crowd.

“Sorry I didn't have time to get changed,” Ace apologizes, coming up beside him. “I was planning to wear something nicer for you.”

Felix realizes Ace is in the same clothes as earlier today, apart from a blazer he's slung casually over his shoulder. It's reassuring to know Felix isn't the only one worrying about his outfit, even if Ace's patterned button-up seems much more fitting for the occasion.

“It's fine, I also would have preferred not to wear my work clothes,” Felix says, discreetly starting to tug off his tie to attempt to make the look more casual.

“Well, I do love a man in a suit,” Ace says and shoots him a wink, and Felix decides he definitely needs to remove some layers if he's going to survive the dinner without sweating buckets from the flirty attention.

While Felix is shrugging out of his suit jacket, a waiter comes to greet them and Ace effortlessly takes over, making small talk while they're shown to a table and given their menus.

"You got any wine recommendations?” Ace asks the waiter.

“Our house wine is a light chardonnay that goes well with most of our dishes.”

“Perfect,” Ace says, before turning to Felix. “You wanna share a bottle?”

“Yes, please,” Felix says, relieved at the chance to get some alcohol in his system. Maybe it’ll finally make him stop fretting so he can focus on their date.

As the waiter leaves to get their drinks, Felix follows Ace’s example and familiarizes himself with the menu. They make some small talk about the dishes, most of them unfamiliar to Felix, prompting Ace to make a few gentle suggestions. Following the advice, Felix settles on chicken risotto while Ace goes with some sort of seafood pasta that sounds way too adventurous for Felix’s taste.

The waiter returns to pour their drinks and take their orders, and Felix tries not to cringe in embarrassment as he butchers his dish’s pronunciation after Ace fluently orders his own.

“So, um…” Felix starts once the waiter leaves with their orders. “What do you do? For a living?”

The question feels clunky on his tongue, but isn't that what people ask on first dates? Felix takes a bigger gulp of wine than is appropriate to wash down his embarrassment.

“Straight to business, huh?” Ace says, his voice teasing, before taking a sip of his own wine. “You could say I'm a professional poker player.”

The surprise must be clear on Felix's face, because Ace chuckles.

“Not the most conventional gig, I know,” Ace offers good-naturedly.

“That sounds… interesting,” Felix says, realizing that somehow, the job makes sense. He should have guessed the strange man would have an unconventional occupation. “What is it like?”

“Unpredictable, risky and infuriating,” Ace huffs, before grinning. “But I love it.”

Felix nods in acknowledgement and stays silent, wordlessly encouraging Ace to go on.

“It’s just…” Ace eagerly continues. “The feeling of winning a high-stakes game? The anticipation and nerves when you don’t really have a good hand but have to keep going anyway, and finally manage the card you need at the very last round? Nothing else even comes close!”

Felix happily listens to Ace talk, enraptured by his ever-growing smile and eyes shining with pure, childlike excitement. He always enjoyed hearing people share their passions in life, and it sounds like cards are to Ace like architecture is to Felix.

“So I might be known to take a few more risks than most players,” Ace adds with an impish smile. “But it mostly works out—I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve been told I’m quite lucky,” he says, shooting Felix a wink.

Felix chuckles against the rim of his wine glass, enjoying the attention even if it makes his cheeks feel warm. He can’t deny Ace took a gamble by approaching him, though he wouldn’t necessarily attribute the success of that gamble to luck.

Speaking of gambling...

“Is your name a coincidence, or…?” Felix asks.

“Oh, funny story, that!” Ace chuckles. “I actually had it changed because of a bet.”

“I—excuse me?” Felix says.

“I was on this insane blackjack win streak in Vegas,” Ace says. “Got to play at the high rollers’ table; big bets, even bigger wins. It got to a point where people were crowding around the table, the other players dropping out just to make wagers on when I’d finally lose.”

Felix leans closer, listening raptly as Ace tells his story. He’s never been one for gambling, but he can almost see the scene play out in front of him; others looking on in awe and horror as risky bets were made, Ace reveling in the attention in the middle of it all.

“So, eventually, I bet everything on a single round,” Ace grins. “Crowd gasps and cheers, guy next to me says I’m a complete dumbass for pushing my luck.”

Felix can’t help but agree with the nameless player, but he bites his tongue.

“And wouldn’t you know it, I get a hard ten and the dealer gets a twenty,” Ace says. “Crowd’s cringing, guy’s laughing, saying there’s no way I’m getting a blackjack. So, I announce that if I get an ace, I’m legally changing my name to that.”

“And?” Felix asks, sounding more eager than he means to when Ace pauses for dramatic effect.

“Dealer hits me with an ace, jaws drop to the floor, I make a dent in the casino’s profit that night,” Ace smirks victoriously. “Got my name changed within the hour—good thing paperwork’s easy in Vegas.”

“That’s… wow,” Felix chuckles, taking a sip of his wine while he lets the incredulous tale sink in.

“Told you I’m lucky,” Ace says. “The money might not have lasted long, but I got a kick-ass name and good story out of it! Actually, there was this other time…” Ace suddenly trails off and glances to his right.

When Felix follows suit, having been completely immersed in looking at Ace, he notices the waiter approaching with their food.

Felix gives a polite nod as his order is placed in front of him. The appearance of the dish isn’t the most appetizing, even if the chef has clearly tried to pretty up the chicken and rice with some garnish. However, the smell is absolutely delicious, making Felix eager for a taste.

“Thank you,” Ace smiles up at the waiter as he receives his own serving.

The waiter is off with a polite “enjoy your meals” and Felix’s stomach rumbles in return.

“Well, bon appetit!” Ace offers, thankfully not seeming to have heard the sound.

“How do you say it in Italian?” Felix asks, wanting to acknowledge Ace’s roots.

When Ace looks up in surprise at the question before smiling brightly, Felix gives himself a mental pat on the back for accidentally being smooth.

“Buon appetito,” Ace says, looking at him warmly.

“Buon… apetito?” Felix tries his best to repeat the sentence.

“That’s it,” Ace encourages, happy with his attempt. “Now dig in, before it gets cold!”

Felix doesn’t need to be told twice. He scoops a small bit of the mushy rice and some chicken onto his fork, careful to avoid a piece of mushroom sitting on top as a garnish.

As suspected, the food tastes just as good as it smells. The rice is creamy and the chicken is tender, a strong flavor of cheese and herbs accompanying the taste.

“What’s the verdict?” Ace asks playfully, having apparently paused his eating to watch Felix slowly chew through his food.

“It’s very good,” Felix praises, going to scoop a bigger piece onto his utensils. “And yours?”

“Really nice!” Ace says, returning to his meal. “It’s been a while since I had this dish. Can’t really go wrong with it.”

Felix nods in acknowledgement and takes another bite of his food, this time accompanying it with a sip of wine. Ace seems happy to follow suit, and there’s a beat of comfortable silence as they enjoy their meals.

“So…” Ace speaks up, turning his attention back to Felix. “I realize I kinda went off earlier, only talking about myself.”

“I don’t mind,” Felix reassures. “It was a good story.”

“One of my favorites,” Ace grins. “But what about you? What do you do?”

“Me?”

“I mean, I only heard you bitch about your clients last night,” Ace says, and Felix is embarrassed to realize that he's right.

How on earth Ace not only dealt with his awkwardness, but also listened to him whine about his work and still decided to approach him is beyond Felix’s understanding.

“Which sounds totally justified, by the way,” Ace reassures with a grin when Felix internally panics instead of replying. “I just never caught what it actually is that you do. I've been guessing between law and marketing.”

“Sorry," Felix says, giving an apologetic smile for talking Ace's ear off the other night. “I'm actually an architect.”

“Oh, neat!” Ace exclaims. “I should've known you weren't just a pretty face,” he offers with a wink over the rim of his wine glass.

“It's not nearly as complicated as you seem to think,” Felix says, fidgeting from the praise.

“Modest, too,” Ace grins.

Felix doesn’t know how to reply to the compliment, so he opts to take a big bite of his food instead.

“Anyway, I promised to take your mind off work, huh?” Ace says. “What do you do for fun?”

Felix falters. He always dreads the hobby question, since his job pretty much is his entire life. Obsessively checking work emails or drinking until he passes out surely don't count as hobbies.

“I usually read architecture magazines or go jogging,” Felix lies.

Ace doesn’t reply, only quirks a skeptical eyebrow through a mouthful of pasta.

“Ehm… what?” Felix asks, suddenly self-conscious.

“This isn't a job interview,” Ace snorts in amusement. “I asked what you do for fun.”

“Ähm, sorry,” Felix apologizes, looking at the tablecloth in embarrassment.

“I'll start!” Ace decides. “I like to laze around and watch shitty 3PM telenovelas.”

“Telenovelas?”

“Oh. Latin American soaps,” Ace explains with a smile. “They're tacky and predictable but remind me of home.”

Felix returns a small smile, finding the thought of Ace watching cheesy afternoon TV oddly endearing.

“I guess I enjoy quiz programs,” Felix says. “And… maybe get a little frustrated when the participants get the obvious ones wrong,” he confesses.

“I bet you’d do great in one of those,” Ace says. “You’re so smart.”

“I’d probably swallow my own tongue from the nerves,” Felix mumbles, poking at his food.

“Oh, right,” Ace hums in thought, followed by another smile. “God, it’s so funny that a gorgeous guy like you is so shy,” he chuckles.

“It’s embarrassing, I know—” Felix starts.

“It’s endearing,” Ace corrects, and Felix swears his heart skips a beat.

“Do you have any other hobbies?” Felix asks, feeling like he needs to contribute to the conversation.

“Do lame card tricks count?” Ace grins. “If not, I sometimes play guitar—badly, I might add.”

“Both of those sound like a lot of fun,” Felix says. “I’ve never played an instrument.”

“It’s fun if you don’t take it seriously! You should try it, if you ever get the time,” Ace encourages.

They finish the rest of their meals while chatting pleasantly. Felix finds it easy to open up, Ace’s warm smile and relaxed demeanor putting him at ease. At the same time, he’s eager to learn more about Ace, every small detail he hears only serving to make him even more fond of the man.

When Felix eventually finishes his dish, save for the mushrooms and some questionable greens he doesn’t recognize, Ace has the audacity to look at his plate with a knowing smirk.

“What?” Felix says, although suspecting he already knows the answer.

“Nothing!” Ace says. “I’m just happy I got a picky eater to… almost finish his plate.”

“For the record, I liked the food,” Felix argues, bantering along. “It’s much better than the idiot sandwiches I had for lunch.”

“Uh… idiot sandwiches?” Ace asks, quirking an eyebrow.

“Oh, eh…” Felix falters, feeling stupid for resorting to an inside joke the other obviously wouldn’t understand. “That’s what my business partner calls the stale snacks that are served in meetings. Like sandwiches and quiche and the like.”

“I… see?” Ace says, obviously still confused.

“You know… like in the joke?” Felix explains, but Ace looks even more lost, cocking his head in curiosity. “With the bread,” Felix says, placing his hands on the side of his head in a poor imitation of the video Lauren showed him once.

“I've gotta confess, I'm not great with tech,” Ace finally admits in defeat.

“Well, at least you know how to use a smartphone,” Felix says, recalling Ace effortlessly texting and exchanging their numbers.

“Okay, I'm not that old,” Ace jokes and kicks him playfully under the table.

While they’re sharing a chuckle, the waiter comes by to collect their plates.

“Did you enjoy your meals?” he asks.

“Absolutely!” Ace says.

“It was very good,” Felix agrees.

“I’m glad,” the waiter says with a smile.

And as he leaves with their plates without further blabbering, Felix makes a mental note to tip him well for making the evening such a pleasant experience.

“So,” Felix says, eager to return to the conversation with his date. “How old are you?”

It’s only when Ace quirks an amused eyebrow that Felix realizes his mistake.

“Sorry, you don't have to say,” Felix says, nervously wringing his hands under the table for being so rude.

“Naw, I don't mind,” Ace says with a smile. “I'm forty-eight.”

“Oh,” Felix says, not sure how to respond to the predictable answer. “I’m thirty-seven. You, um. You look very good,” he settles on, feeling his neck heating up from the awkward compliment.

“Not so bad for an old coot, huh?” Ace jokes, but something about it doesn’t sit right with Felix.

“What do you mean?” Felix asks.

“I mean…” Ace says, his smile finally faltering. “'You look good' doesn't really have the same ring to it when it's always followed by 'for your age',” Ace admits, staring into his wine glass thoughtfully.

The earnest confession takes Felix off guard; so far, he hasn't seen Ace display any signs of insecurity.

“But hey, that's life!” Ace immediately perks back up, offering a smile that doesn’t seem entirely genuine.

“I didn’t mean for your age,” Felix feels the need to clarify. “I think you’re, ehm. Very handsome,” he mumbles, and by now his face must be bright red.

But it’s worth it, because Ace’s smile softens into one that finally reaches his eyes.

“Thanks,” Ace says, before clearing his throat. “I mean, I don’t really let stuff like that bring me down, but… it’s still nice to hear, you know?”

“I do,” Felix says, deciding he should try to take a page from Ace’s book and be freer with his compliments, awkwardness be damned.

The waiter chooses that time to return to their table, not an entirely unwelcome distraction from the sudden feelings blooming in Felix’s chest.

“Would you like to order dessert? Coffee?” the waiter asks.

Ace only smirks and looks at Felix mischievously.

“I had something else in mind,” Ace says, his voice sounding deeper than before. “What about you, babe?”

Felix flushes both at the nickname and the reminder that for all intents and purposes, he is the dessert.

“I'm good as well, thank you,” he manages with a surprisingly steady voice, gulping down some more wine.

“We'll probably just finish up the wine and take the check,” Ace offers to the waiter with another pleasant smile.

“Of course,” the waiter says and is off with a polite nod.

“Wow, I didn't even realize the time,” Ace says, glancing at the clock over the bar counter.

Felix's gaze follows suit, and he sees that they've apparently been in the restaurant for over an hour.

“Time flies, huh?” Ace grins.

“Indeed,” Felix agrees.

He feels much more relaxed than when they arrived; the wine, good food and cozy atmosphere surely all have played a part in making him feel comfortable.

But not nearly as much as the company.

“Here you go, gorgeous,” Ace says, smiling as he refills both of their glasses with the remaining wine.

“Thank you,” Felix says, the cheesy compliment no longer making him fluster.

Instead, there’s a warm fluttering in his gut, fondness for his date mixing with anticipation of what’s to come.

It’s only when the waiter returns to drop their check on the table and Ace immediately reaches for it that Felix wipes the lovestruck smile off his face.

“You’re not paying,” Felix protests, reaching his hand over the table towards the bill.

“Oh, I think I am,” Ace says, lifting the small folder out of Felix’s reach. “I was the one who asked you out.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Felix argues. “It’s my treat.”

“Hmm, let me think about it,” Ace says, pretending to mull over the suggestion. “Nope!” he grins.

“Ace,” Felix says, exasperated but not able to stop the corner of his mouth from twitching up.

“Felix,” Ace counters with a shit-eating grin, and Felix snorts an ugly chuckle at the other’s ridiculousness.

After a few minutes of playful arguing, Ace begrudgingly agrees to split the bill.

But Felix adds the tip money before Ace has a chance to, much to the other’s annoyance.

“It’s not splitting if you pay twenty bucks on top of half,” Ace argues when they’re making to leave.

“You didn’t mention the tip, so it’s only fair,” Felix points out, smiling smugly as he rebuttons his suit jacket.

“Where’s this sudden sass coming from?” Ace exclaims in mock shock, a hand over his heart. “I’m starting to think the shyness is an elaborate act,” he teases.

And then he, once again, holds the door open for Felix as they exit the restaurant.

“You got me,” Felix says sarcastically. “I’m actually a stand-up comedian, not an architect.”

Ace laughs warmly at his joke, and something in Felix’s heart clenches.

He doesn’t know what comes over him. In one instant, Felix is watching Ace’s smile as he keeps playing off of the joke, and in the next, Ace is freezing mid-sentence, eyes momentarily widening in surprise as Felix has grabbed his hand with his own.

Felix already has an apology ready on his tongue for his embarrassing lapse in judgement, but Ace apparently has other ideas. His hand returns the hold on Felix’s as he resumes the conversation right where they left off, taking Felix’s clingy gesture in stride.

And Felix doesn’t remember when he’s last felt as happy as when they walk the few blocks to their hotel making stupid jokes and holding hands.

#felix richter #ace visconti #riconti #dbd fanfic #dweetwrites #dbd #dead by daylight #felix x ace

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hateswifi · 5 years ago

Text

No More Second Chances: Chapter Three

So not even all hell breaking loose (cough adrichat) will stop me from posting. (Just ignore that I haven’t posted in like a week). Without further ado.

No More Second Chances

The Master: Master List

———————————-

After collecting the little she has from her locker, they meet Jon outside. “Did you call your parents to let them know?”

“Yep! Ready to go?”

“Yes,” Damian grumbles, following the energetic boy.

“So how are you two even friends? Damian you’re super grumpy and Jon is just like a ball of energy and sunshine,” Marinette asks, walking in between the boys. (Yes, somehow the sidewalk fit three people, idk just imagine it ok?)

“Our fathers’ are friends.”

“But! He’s grown to love me,” Jon taunts in a sing-song voice.

“You’re bearable,” Damian corrects. The train ride back to Metropolis was quiet, or as quiet as a ride can be with Jon. She blocked out the world and just let her thoughts fly on the page. She was brought back to reality by Jon tugging her arm.

“Woah! That’s awesome!” Jon says, looking at the drawing. It was her, well Ladybug, and Chat Noir first bumping in front of the Eiffel Tower. “Who are they?”

She slammed the sketchbook closed and looked at her phone, March 21st. “Umm not important, I have to call someone,” Marinette says, rushing in front of the boys a bit. She dials a number, one neither boys can see, before speaking in rapid French. “Adrien did you realize it’s been a year since we finished the war?”

“Um yeah earlier today Aunt Emelie took me to visit him,” Adrien responds.

“How’d that go?”

“It was rough, but in other news I convinced Aunt Emelie to let me go to college in America.”

“That’s fantastic! I was thinking about staying here as well, cause well ya know Sabine and Tom,” Marinette shrugs, opening the lobby door.

“Makes sense, by the way, watch out Aunt Emelie adores you and she heard about your parents, she may or may not be trying to get adoption papers,” Adrien chuckles.

“I’ll decline the nicest way possible,” Marinette giggles, pressing the elevator button. “Well I’m almost home, and I have a project to work on, so I’ll talk to you sometime soon, bye love you!”

“Sooooooo, who was that?” Jon asks, slinging an arm around her shoulder.

“That was Adrien,” Marinette said, stepping out of the elevator.

“Your boyfriend?” Jon asks, drawing out the words, teasingly.

“Nope, my best friend,” Marinette clarifies. Before turning to Damian to say, “I’m going to get changed, I’ll be out in a minute.” When she came back out her hair was pulled into a messy bun, she was wearing her favorite fuzzy cropped cat sweatshirt that had cat ears on the hood and the string had pom poms on the end. She was also wearing light skinny ripped jeans.

“Mari, why didn’t you just get dressed into something comfortable?” Jon asks, pulling out the juice from the fridge.

“Because, I haven’t seen a lot of the city yet so whenever we finish making progress for today, I’m going to go out for a walk,” Marinette explained, opening her backpack.

“You should be careful, this may not be Gotham, but it’s still dangerous,” Damian says, finally looking up from his phone. He would never admit it, but his face tinted a light color of pink.

“I’ll be fine, I’ve learned self defense when I was living in Paris,” Marinette said, brushing off their worries. “Ok for this project…” (i don’t take business as an elective, so imma just gonna skip it).

It was two hours when Clark and Lois walked in, they were surprised to see Damian get along with someone so well. Marinette isn’t just anyone though, she was a sunshine.

“Hey, Damian it’s nice to see you again,” Clark said, placing a hand on his back.

“Likewise, Clark,” he responded, not looking up from their work.

“Are you staying for dinner?”

“No I should be getting home, father is strict about curfew,” Damian said, picking up his stuff.

“We have to talk about plans for tomorrow, so I’ll walk you outside,” Marinette said, standing. They walk in a tense silence for a moment before she starts speaking again. “So I think tomorrow we should work on question five through eight.”

“Where do you want to work?”

“It doesn’t really matter, but if you want, because we worked here today, we can work at your place,” Marinette suggests.

“That would be adequate,” Damian sighs, pressing the elevator button. “Good night, Marinette.”

“Good night, Damian,” she responds as the elevator’s doors close. She pads back to the apartament and is about to open the door when he hears Jon scream. “He blushed!”

“I literally step out for a minute, and you are all talking about my nonexistent love life,” Marinette said, crossing her arms across her chest, she was leaning up against the door frame, watching the scene unfold in front of her.

“He blushed though! Trust me that’s the closest he’s ever been to having a crush,” Jon defends.

“Doubt it, it was warm in here and he was still wearing his uniform, which may I remind you is long sleeves and pants,” Marinette said, pushing herself off the doorway. “So on a different topic, what’s for dinner?”

“We were just going to order pizza,” Lois answered. (Totally forgot that Superman is vegetarian, so like ignore that.)

“Cool, I’m going to go out for a walk before dinner if that’s fine with you,” Marinette asked, moving towards her room to grab a windbreaker.

“Yes, just take your phone with you, dinner will probably be here in twenty-ish minutes,” Clark said towards her room. She grabbed what she needed, put on her shoes, and ran out the door. She had a peaceful walk, the cool air calming her down, leaving her with her thoughts. As much as her parents’ hurt her, she couldn’t help but miss them, even if it was just a bit. She missed how everything use to be before the drama that Lila brought, but it helped her realize who actually care about her for her. Time flies when lost in her thought, apparently, because the ten minute timer, she set to make sure she would be back in time, went off. She sighs before walking back the way she came.

Dinner was filled with light chatter about the day, more getting to know you things, and an explanation about how their weekly schedule is. After dinner, Jon and Marinette work on homework with Lois watching T.V. Superman had just stopped a train from crashing. Both Lois and Jon clapped and smiled right before Superman flew off the scene. Not too long after that, Clark ran back into the apartment holding a bag of groceries. Marinette shrugged and chalked it up to them being Americans

When she finished her homework, she said goodnight, did her nightly routine before falling asleep, oblivious the chaos happening in Paris that was unleashed by Sabine and Tom.

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

CLIFFHANGEEEER! but like foreshadowing for salt! and getting what they deserve

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jvnghxope · 5 years ago

Text

love sewn | three (m)

part three;

◦ pairing: Jungkook | reader

◦ genre: boy next door au; fluff, smut, a little angsty at the end

◦ word count: 7.4k+

◦ warnings: sexual themes, penetrative sex, swear words, alcohol consumption

◦ abstract: You’ve never cared about the thin-as-paper walls of your beloved apartment until Jeon Jungkook moved next door. You could hear everything –from his late-night parties on Saturday, to the quality time he spent with his girlfriend in the intimacy of his bedroom. One day, everything ceases. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and you find yourself knocking his door before you can think it twice.

⇥ prologue | part one | part two | part three | final

“So, we are going to steal clothes and you guys are going to lose your job...” Namjoon comments behind your back.

You exchange slightly panicked glances with Taehyung.

"We’re not going to steal anything. We’re just going to borrow,” he quickly interjects before the panic gets the worst of you. You need to admit that you are a little nervous about this, too.

"Still, I think this is a bad idea," Hoseok laughs nervously.

“Hobi, everything is going to be okay." You take your friend’s hand in an attempt to ease his nerves. He doesn’t like to lie. He is really bad at that and he avoids doing anything illegal as much as possible.

“Don’t worry. We have a key. It’s not like we are trespassing.”

Hobi nods, a little calmer now and followed you inside the building.

The gala is next Saturday and you still don’t know which dress you’ll use. Jungkook texted you about the gala theme just a couple of hours ago –you finally decided to reply to his question earlier that day (yeah, it took you a whole week to answer)– and is 'Family'. You have no idea what that means or how you are supposed to wear in a gala with that theme, but Jungkook kindly replied to your panicked text with ‘Dress formal. Like the type of dresses you designed last time. :)’

Your heart jumped at the emoji, but it’s not like you are going to admit that in front of your friends.

That’s why you are now in front of the building of your office. Besides Taehyung, you are pretty sure only Joon owns a dress shirt. Luckily for you and your besties, the firm keeps every piece of cloth designed in a big ass warehouse inside the building. You remember seeing a collection of beautiful dresses and formal suits the last time you were honored to be inside.

Once inside, your group of friends split in the seek for the perfect outfit.

“There’s no way I’ll use that,” you hear Namjoon says from afar.

“What do you mean?” you don’t need to see Taehyung’s face to see that he’s pulling the ‘Are you serious?’ Face. “It’s a beautiful color!”

Listening to your friends arguing, even when is over a simple thing like what color of suit to use, always makes you chuckle. Sometimes is like they are 15 instead of in their mid-twenties.

“Oh my god! This dress is gorgeous!” Anna exclaims next to you. The dress she is holding is gorgeous. Emerald green, long sleeves, lace-made, Greek-style shirt a little over the knees. It is the perfect dress for your cute friend. “I’ll try this one,” she chimes excitedly.

“Perhaps it was not a good idea to bring you here. I’ll need to tear that dress from you if I ever want to return it.”

“Yep,” she quickly agrees before running to the nearest dress room.

You can't help but smile as you keep searching for a dress. But any convince you enough. It is either the design or the color. That pink is too bright; that blue looks so sad; that orange color is not that cute… You are about to give up. Maybe the perfect dress for you is not around here.

But then, you arrive at a hidden space that is not properly illuminated. This time, the clothes are not scattered in counters, hanging from hooks or ordered by color. Instead, they are carefully guarded inside boxes. The wall is full of them.

You know for sure the firm doesn’t throw away the clothes from past seasons. They keep the best designs made every collection. There is a high possibility that some of these designs were used by top models in previous Fashion Weeks.

You open a few of them, finding cardigans, skirts from all shapes, types, and colors. Each piece is carefully saved. You gasp the moment you open another box. The most beautiful dress is inside of it. It is a beautiful tone of crimson and made of silk. It is soft to touch. You carefully take the dress out of the box and with fear you look for the tag to see if the dress is of your size. It must be your lucky day because it is.

“Oh, there you are! I want to use black heels with the dress but Tae told me I should use a pair of silver stilettos. Or even gold ones. What do you think-” She stops talking the moment she notices the dress between your arms and how you are holding it, like is a treasure. “That dress is beautiful! You should wear that one.”

You look at her with wide eyes, “But we’re not supposed to take anything from these boxes…”

“We’re not supposed to take anything from the warehouse. Why don’t you try it on?”

Well, she has a point.

Minutes later, you are staring at your reflection in the mirror.

You look… different. The dress is hugging all your curves in the right way and the color enhances your skin tone. The skirt is pooling around your ankles. You love long dresses. It makes your legs look longer and they are pretty elegant.

Ok. You will just take the dress for one night, like Cinderella, and return it right away.

You turn around and see Anna taking some snaps of herself in excitement. Your male friends are in the corner. Taehyung and Namjoon still arguing about which color of jacket Namjoon should use with his tailored slacks. Seokjin is rubbing his temples like he’s tired of that shit and Hoseok, oblivious to the situation folding behind him, is admiring himself in the mirror. He looks handsome in that jacket. Floral print designs are very difficult to pull out but Hoseok is one of the lucky ones.

It was not a good idea to come here, you quickly realize. Because as you watch the anticipation slowly starting to build inside your friend’s –and your own– chest, you know there's no way you'll be willing to return the clothes, putting your job at risk. But seeing the way your friends are smiling, it'll be worth it.

The rest of the week passes painfully slow.

You haven’t seen Jungkook in two weeks and you are starting to get anxious. The last time you saw him he asked you on a date and you feel like it is a turning point in your relationship.

Since you met, you've been friends. But he asking you out means that he is ready to take the next step. The question is, are you?

Despite the growing feelings you may have about him, you are still not sure if you are ready to be in a relationship. And right now you don't have the energy to stress more about it. So you decide to follow Anna’s advice and let things flow.

In the next few days, you focus on work and upcoming projects.

The firm you work for has a new project and asked you to design a dress for a spring collection. Piece of cake. Or that’s what you thought at first.

On Monday, you managed to draw some decent sketches. On Tuesday, you figured the design was not that good and decided to start over. On Wednesday, you locked up inside your office to get the job done, without good results. On Tuesday, you stayed at your apartment and did some home-office because your creative juices flow better in your studio. Finally, on Friday, it was decided you were having some... creative issues.

Saturday arrived finally and the gala is the only thing you can think about. Seokjin makes waffles for breakfast, making the day twice as special –Seokjin only makes waffles in special occasions–.

Today, it is twice as hard to stay focused on your work. The nerves and excitement make it difficult. You haven't talked that much with Jungkook this past week. He’s been busy with all the preparation for his gala. Your phone chimes with a new text and you are surprised it is of him.

[2:05 pm] Jungkook

The limo will pick you up at 6 pm. Can't wait to see you.

The smile that spreads across your face is unintentional and you feel your cheeks go warm. You are just as excited to see him. Wow, and a limo. That’s so nice of him. You check the hour. Fuck, it is 3 pm!

You have exactly 3 hours to get ready. You text Namjoon before entering the bathroom.

You know the basics when it comes to makeup. But considering this is an important event (and a date), you ask Anna’s help. She was an Ace on that stuff. By 3:30 pm, she already had done her hair in curls and perfectly applied makeup when you were still a mess of wet hair and swollen, bare face.

With his help and an hour and a half later, you find yourselves already tucked inside your dresses and snapping shots in the enormous mirror of the bathroom. You have time to spare while you wait for the boys to arrive. Seokjin even joins you after a while, looking all handsome with his black tuxedo and taking some photos with you and Anna.

As Jungkook told you, the limo is waiting for you at 6 pm sharp. Dressed as you do, you feel like you are a movie star going to a Movie Premier. Someone steps out of the car and a part of you hopes it is Jungkook, but when a smile of a stranger graces your face, you can breathe properly again. This man is going to kill you someday.

“Miss ___? I’m here to take you and your friends to mister Min and mister Jeon’s annual gala. Please, get inside,” he opens the door and motions the inside of the vehicle. Excited chuckles come from behind you as your friends urge you to get inside.

"Man, this is so cool," Hoseok comments while Namjoon pours each one of you a glass of champagne you guys found inside the mini-fridge. This whole thing feels like a dream. Dressed as superstars, riding a limo, drinking champagne.

As time goes by, you notice the limo heading towards a part of the town known as the Art District. It used to be where all the industries held their big factories. Now, the enormous buildings transformed into luxurious art galleries, beautiful museums, bright dance studios, and lush condos. This part of the town supports anyone and everyone who decides to pursue art for a living. Thus, the firm you and Taehyung work for has its headquarters here.

Several minutes after, you have in front of you the most glamorous building. It looks like a skyscraper, tall and magnificent. In daylight, the windows reflect the sunlight and it looks like the tower is made of glass. The locals know it as the Glass Tower. Now, the windows reflect the orange-ish of the sunset.

This is the first time you enter the building, so you are not sure where to go. The driver parks the vehicle near the main entrance and opens the door for you.

“Mr. Min and Mr. Jeon are waiting for you inside. Ask for them in the Lobby. They’ll direct you from there.”

“Thank you,” you say with a smile.

The Lobby is just as impressive as the outside of the building. The white marble-like floor, the plants embellishing the corners, the mesmerizing paintings and photographies and the furniture make the room look artsy yet elegant.

“Hey, we’re here for the gala…” Seokjin comments to the beautiful red-haired receptionist once you and your friends get near the enormous mahogany desk. Then, something weird happens. The receptionist's eyes illuminate like she just saw a star as her glance lay on yours and your friend’s frame. Like she recognizes you from somewhere.

“Yes!” she chimes with an unexpectedly high-pitched voice. “Everyone is waiting for you. Please, go to the 15th floor.”

With a nod, you do as instructed, not without hearing the receptionist over the phone: “The special guests just arrived!”

Special guests?

You don’t have time to dwell in what you just heard, because the next second the elevator doors open with a loud ‘ding’. The 15th floor displays a small lobby –a perfect combination of glass, ivory, and silver. Another beautiful lady is waiting for you in front of a pair of glass doors.

“Welcome,” she says with a smile. “Please, follow me.”

You exchange nervous glances with your friends and follow her lead. The moment she opens the gates is like you are in another world. The room before your eyes is enormous and it is already full of people. Just as you enter, two waitresses approach your group with a silver tray and glass cups with a golden, bubbly liquid. More Champagne.

A man approaches your group once you take the cups. It is not the man you are hoping for but just as welcomed.

“You are here!” Min Yoongi pulls you into a hug. You’ve been texting with him after your little –and too awkward– encounter at the café a couple of weeks ago. He’s pretty nice once you get to know him.

“Yoongi! This is amazing!” you exclaim and he smiles, pleased.

“Thank you.” He just noticed the way your eyes wander around the room looking for him. “I don’t think I have the pleasure.” He gestures your friends and you’re thankful for the distraction.

The introductory part doesn’t last very long and Yoongi leads the group to a part he claims to be the beginning of the exhibition, each piece arranged to tell a story. One that ends with his and Jungkook’s exhibition. As you made your way through the mass of people, it is not the first time you feel someone else’s eyes glued to your back.

“Am I the only one who feels everyone is staring at us?” you hear Namjoon asks.

“I know, right?”

The early discomfort soon soothes away as time goes by and the cups get purred with more champagne. Yoongi, self-proclaimed as your official guide, stays with you and explains the story behind each photography embellishing the gallery walls. It is supposed to be explained by its author, see, but with a large number of people filling the room, everyone’s busy and Yoongi, as the great host he is, is glad to help. It’s not like it is a bother to him. He is so passionate about the matter. A rosy excitement tinting his cheeks, a gummy smile displayed as he happily explains each one of the exhibitions.

It is a pleasant surprise to notice that not only photographies are embellishing the walls of the gallery but paintings and sculptures too.

Yoongi explains to the group the reason why they decided to arrange their gallery as they did: with fake walls placed to form a somewhat labyrinth, each fabricated room gives every exhibition solitude and protagonism. They wanted to enhance the singularities of each of their artists –even when they belong to the same gallery and built their exhibition under the same theme, they wanted to share the beauty in their differences and unique style.

Each exhibition is just as beautiful and mesmerizing as the last one. The vivacious colors are still dancing behind your eyelids as your cup of champagne keeps getting re-filled with excited waitresses. You find yourself having a really good time in the company of your friends and Yoongi (who is slowly becoming your friend too). It warms your heart to see them just as excited as they were in the beginning and asking questions to Yoongi about the exhibitions. You even forget that Jungkook is, still, nowhere to be seen and the bubbling champagne hides the disappointment that sets in the pit of your stomach.

It seems you are reaching the end of the exhibition because a not-naturally shy Yoongi turns around on his heels to face you. “Don’t be so harsh on him, okay?” It is the only sentence he says before he leads you to the last prefabricated room –you don’t have time to register the meaning behind his words before you follow suit. The room is slightly bigger than the previous ones and by the sheepish smile Yoongi sends your way, you realize it’s because it holds not one but two exhibitions: his and Jungkook’s.

His photos are mesmerizing and you don’t have to be an expert on the matter to know he is talented.

The pictures are arranged to tell a story and it impresses you how much emotion they can portray: You can feel the sorrow, the disappointment, the pain of a young man you were abandoned by his family because he wanted to pursue his dreams.

You can sense the relief and genuine brotherhood love he might had felt when he met the younger. He finally had someone who supported him no matter what.

You see a young man who claims to be a loner and cold-hearted but on the inside, he craves the love of a significant other as anyone else and ended being heartbroken when he realized she was in love with his best friend.

Yoongi has suffered. But he's is strong. That's why you admire him.

You reach out to take his hand, "Yoongi, this is amazing." You clutch his hand tightly.

"Thank you," he flashes the brightest of smiles, showing his gums.

Then, you turn around to see Jungkook's exhibition… and now you realize why everyone was staring at you.

The whole wall is full of photos of you and your friends. It is like the last couple of months had been recorded. You remember how Jungkook used to bring his camera everywhere and you didn't quite understand why.

Now you do.

Looking at the pictures you remember all the adventures you all have had together. Like that day when Anna made all of you go to an improvised picnic because the boys started a heated fight over a video game and she was tired of that shit. Then, the picnic ended in a random football game and Jungkook took the photo the moment Taehyung threw the ball and it landed directly in Namjoon’s face. It was a great day indeed.

Or that one time when all your favorite male models got the same stomach flu (weird) and you asked –or more like begged– your male friends to be your models for one day. Taehyung and Jungkook agreed right away but for Namjoon, Hoseok, and Seokjin it took you more to convince them. Using ‘don’t know how to stroll in a runaway’ as an excuse, it took two hours and an express class from one of your girls to finally convince them to help you. At the end of the night, despite their worries, they made it perfectly and Jungkook took some snaps to behold the memory. He now could tell how he was a model for one night and had photos to prove it.

It seems that the photos that embellish the walls of his exhibition are the memories he holds closest to his heart and you can’t help the smile that tugs your lips.

Your eyes kept wandering around Jungkook’s exhibition with a fond smile, only to find your heart rate rise dangerously high when your eyes landed in a particular photo: just you and none else.

And there are a bunch of them.

The sound of your friends happily chatting behind you and other people admiring the exhibitions suddenly become background noise.

Staring at you in the photos is like a third-party experience. It is like you are not seeing yourself but another beautiful woman. And you are doing the simplest of things. Like that one time when it was your turn to feel a little down when one your beloved designs got postponed for the next season and Jungkook took you to a nearby convenience store and he made a super silly joke that almost had you spilling your spicy noodles because you laughed so hard. He took the photo right there.

Sometimes, you pull all-nighters at Jungkook's when the sanctuary at your apartment didn't help your creative juices to flow. He was more than willing to offer his company and it helped you a little. He took the photo when your brows were furrowed and your tongue peaked in concentration because that skirt wasn't cooperating at all.

Or that one time when you took him to the concert of his favorite artist and instead of taking pictures of him as promised, he took some of you.

There are a lot more where you are just laughing, smiling or just doing nothing. There were times when he asked you to take photos of you but you never thought they will end here when you agreed.

What all of this mean? you muse to yourself.

"I'm so happy you could make it," a familiar voice chimes behind you.

Jungkook.

You turn around to face him and what you see leaves you breathless. He is wearing a black suit. One that you designed. You remember giving it to him as a gift after he helped you with the runway. He is also wearing a black dress shirt that would make Taehyung feel proud. The color makes the perfect contrast with his golden skin. His hair is styled in a way his forehead is exposed.

He looks amazing and breathtakingly handsome. The mere sight of him has your stomach doing flip flops and butterflies flying.

“Hi,” you finally salute him with a shy smile.

“Hi.”

He reaches you and pulls you into a hug, one that makes the breath hitch in your throat. He surrounds your body with both arms and your face ends in the crook of his neck. The scent of his cologne makes your head spin. He smells amazing.

“Did you like it?” he asks once he pulls away, too soon for your liking. “The exhibition.”

He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I-”

“Jungkook, dear.”

A beautiful woman on her late forties gives a loud kiss on both of Jungkook’s cheeks.

"Oh, Miss Smith! I'm glad you could make it!”

A warm smile spreads across his features. The woman –Miss Smith– waves her hand. "That's nonsense. I wouldn't have missed it."

Then, she notices you.

"Who's your companion?"

Jungkook tugs you by the hand and, to your surprise, intertwines his fingers with yours oh so naturally that makes your heart jump.

"This is ___. My-"

"Your beautiful muse!" She muses, her eyes illuminating as she recognizes you from the photos. "Nice to meet you, dear. You two make a great couple."

You open your mouth to tell her that no, you and Jungkook are not a couple, that you are just friends but your mouth goes suddenly dry when Jungkook replies:

"Thank you."

He offers her a tiny smile.

Wait.

Your mind takes a few moments to digest what just happened before you. Your cheeks go warm and you raise your free hand to your chest to make sure your heart is working properly.

"Well, I need to look for my husband but I will call you later. I want to buy one of the sculptures of this artist of yours, Vante. Nice to meet you, ___."

And she disappears through the crowd.

Jungkook turns to you and smiles so brightly.

"Do you want to dance?"

Ten minutes later, Jungkook led you to another side of the gallery, where all the people who finished seeing the exhibition is gathered, with upbeat music and their cups are being re-filled with champagne just as they are emptied. Now, it looks more like a high-society club.

Then, you notice two things.

One, your friends are nowhere to be found. You lost them the moment Jungkook appeared. Two, Jungkook is still holding your hand.

Your poor heart beats nervously inside your chest as you follow Jungkook through the mass of people to the dance floor. Just when you arrive, the music suddenly changes to a slow love song. Your eyes scan the other guests in panic. More than one couple is already dancing and you spot a very shy Seokjin dancing with a very shy Anna in the corner.

Your gaze shifts to Jungkook again, who is looking at you with a charming smile.

"Can I have this dance?" He offers one of his hands.

You gulp and accept his offer. He tugs you close, placing both hands on your waist. His cologne fills your nostrils again and you don't have other choice but place your arms on his shoulders. You just hope he doesn't notice how hard you are blushing.

"It was a really good exhibition, Kook," you say after a while. "I'm proud of you."

"So that means you are not mad?"

"Mad? No. Surprised? Flattered? Yes."

He laughs, relieved. Butterflies erupt in your belly one more time at the way he scrunches his nose.

“I was so worried these last few weeks. I thought you would get mad at me… or something.”

“Why?”

“You helped me to stand on my feet again. It made me part of your family. Opened the doors of our home. I thought you’d think this would be an invasion of privacy.”

You snort.

“Kook, look at them,” you point to your friends in the corner. All of them are laughing, having fun. “Do they look mad?” Jungkook shakes his head. "You are part of us now. That means we will support you in everything you do."

You offer him a warm smile.

"Maybe you should give us a heads up next time. We spent the first half-hour feeling out of place because everyone was staring at us."

He chuckles at that.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry. It was quite an experience."

You continue to dance. Then, he moves his hands. He is no longer resting his hands on your waist. Now, he intertwines his fingers behind your lower back making you move even closer to him.

You are so close that you notice the freckle under his lower lip. The curve of his cheeks. The sharpness of his jaw. The way the galaxies are reflected in his doe-eyes…

"You look so beautiful today," he comments after a while, making you feel self-conscious under his intense gaze. Then, he leans in and whispers against your ear, "Red is my favorite color."

Your breath hitches in your throat when you realize how close his face is. His breath tickles the smooth skin of your lips. You nibble your bottom lip nervously and you watch how his attention shifts from your eyes to your lips. As if in slow motion, he moves forward –shutting the remaining distance between you two. When he is mere inches away, you close your eyes and hold your breath. A content sigh escapes your lips when his mouth brushes gently against yours and… -

“Mr. Jeon?”

To your misfortune, he pulls away immediately. Without thinking, you rest your forehead on his shoulder as you try to calm your heart. It is a pleasant surprise to find his arms are still clutched around your frame even when you stopped dancing a long time ago. It seems he feels so comfortable to have you between his arms to care.

“Yes?”

Jungkook's voice sounds so stern you feel sorry for his poor assistant.

“S-sorry to interrupt you, sir,” she starts and you don’t need to look at her to know she is doing her best to not run for dear life. Talking by experience, you know Jungkook can be pretty scary. “The curator of the Modern Art Museum is looking for you.”

He lets out a sigh.

“Ok, I am on my way.”

Then, he brushes his nose against your cheek to draw your attention. When you meet his eyes, his gaze is as soft as you remember.

“I’ll be back soon, okay?”

He gives you a chaste kiss to the cheek and disappears behind his assistant before you can think of a reply.

You join your group of friends 5 minutes later and grab another glass of champagne in an attempt to ignore the smirks and pointed looks of your friends.

What on earth was that?

Your cheeks burn again when you remember how soft Jungkook’s lips felt when they brushed against yours… What would have happened if you were not interrupted? Would the kiss have led to something more?

You shake your head.

You can't dwell on these thoughts right now. Not when your mind is full of hormones. Certainly, seeing Jungkook in a tuxedo hit you hard. Just the mere thought of it is enough to make you feel week on the knees. It is not the first time you see him like that, though. But the sentiment was different back when he helped you in the runway. What changed? Your feelings. Besides, with the amount of champagne you've drunk in the night –especially in the last 5 minutes–, your mind is a mess right now.

“Are you okay?”

The voice of your friend brings you back to reality.

“Yeah… I’m just so confused…”

“Hey,” Anna gives you a comfortable squeeze, “I dón think this is the right moment and the right time to think about that. Let’s have fun tonight. Okay?”

Before you could reply, she is dragging you to the corner of the dance floor where Hoseok and Taehyung are having an improvised dance battle.

One of the things you love the most about your friends is that they are capable of making you forget about anything when you were all together. Soon, all about Jungkook and the feelings vanish. At least for a while. You don't see Jungkook and Yoongi for the rest of the night.

Time passes quickly. Before you know it it's midnight and your group is one of the few ones that are still at the gallery.

"Wow, rich people are no fun."

"Yeah. It is just midnight…"

Then, Tae suggested moving to the party to a club.

"Dressed like this, we could enter a high-class club and they couldn't look at us weird."

Hoseok and Seokjin accept right away. Anna is a little reluctant but Seokjin manages to convince her. Namjoon reclines. Something about finishing an article that is due to Monday.

"What about you, ___?"

"I don't know, I-"

"Hey, ___," Yoongi appears out of nowhere.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Jungkook forgot this in the office," he hands you his cell phone. "Can you give it to him when you see him?"

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. He left 10 minutes ago." Then, he notices your confused expression, "Don't worry. He had a problem with a client. Nothing serious but you him. He has quite a mood. He probably went to cool off. I guess his idea was contacting you later but he can't with his cellphone."

Now, Yoongi turns to your friends.

"If you need transportation, the limo that brought you guys here is waiting for you outside."

"Thank you, Yongs. Everything was beautiful," you say with a smile.

"Thank you. I'll call you later, okay? I still need to wrap up everything."

In the end, you decide to return home. It was a long day full of emotions of all sorts and your heels are killing you. You plan to return Jungkook his phone in the morning. You are not sure where he is right now.

The guys drop at your building and then they take the limo to the nearest club. The elevator dings when you arrive at your floor. You lazily walk toward your door and then stop. That's strange. Jungkook's door is wide open and the lights are on. This neighborhood is pretty secure but how can you know it is not a thief? You probably should call the police but something keeps you going.

You knock the door.

"Hello? Jungkook, are you there?"

"Yeah! I'm in the living room!"

You sigh in relief. No thieves.

"You forgot your phone at the gallery,” you comment as you walk towards his living room. “Yoongi gave it- Is that my photo?"

The first thing you see when you enter the room is Jungkook holding one of the photos he exhibited and you are the only one in the frame.

“Hmm… Yeah?”

You are beyond shocked to notice the faint blush covering his cheeks.

“Why is it here?” You stare at him wide-eyed.

"One of my clients wanted to buy it, but I just couldn't sell it,” he shrugs like it is obvious.

"Why? They couldn’t pay you what you asked?"

He frowns, “No, that’s not it.” His gaze returns to the photo. "I don't know. This is my favorite photo of you and it was like I couldn't bear the thought of someone else having it."

At this point your heart has gone crazy inside your chest, beating so fast that you can no longer hear it.

"What do you mean?"

He raises an eyebrow, confused.

"Jungkook, why you chose me as your muse?"

There, you asked him the question you wanted to since the beginning of the exhibition.

"Because I admire you," he replies without hesitation. "You are passionate, beautiful and you fight for what you want. You've helped me a lot. How could I not choose you?"

Your heart jumps. He thinks you are beautiful. He takes a step closer to you.

“Ilikeyou,” he blurts out.

“W-what?”

Jungkook groans, dragging a hand down his face.

"I like you,” he repeats slower after taking a deep breath. You’ve never imagined seeing him like this. You are used to his self-confident, kind of dork too, demeanor. “And I'm tired of pretending I don't.”

“Why were you pretending?”

“To be honest, I was scared,” he confesses. “I was scared of how I was feeling; it felt so familiar yet so different. Scared of you not feeling the same way. Scared of the feelings not being real, like they were just an infatuation because you were there for me when no one else was. I wanted to make sure before I talked to you about this.”

He is now close enough to take your hands in his.

“So, you are not scared anymore?" You whisper.

"No, I'm terrified. But in a good way. Now I'm sure my feelings are real and I want to give it a try. You know, go on a date."

"Aren't we were on a date tonight?"

He grins, "But I didn't spend much time with you."

He almost pouts and the view makes you giggle.

"But I had a great time, though."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"Does that mean you want a second date?"

“Do I need to say ‘I like you’ for you to understand what I feel or-”

Your words are interrupted when Jungkook presses a soft kiss to your lips.

You blink, suddenly speechless.

“No,” he grins at your expression. “I’m sorry. I wanted to do that since we were, uh, interrupted at the gala.”

Jungkook’s thoughts waver when you still don’t say a thing. “Did I cross a line? I won’t do that-”

“Please, do that again,” you cut him off finding your voice again.

He doesn’t need to be told twice, but he takes his time now. He cups your face with both hands and caresses the skin of your cheeks with his thumbs. You hold your breath as Jungkook’s face moves forward and close your eyes when his lips brush gently against yours. The kiss starts at a slow pace. He tastes good; champagne, mint and something more. It is addictive. For a while, you both stay like that. Content with being in each other's arms. You start to feel lightheaded.

There's no place you'd rather be.

Suddenly, Jungkook pushes you to the nearest wall and presses his body against yours. He uses his fingers to tilt your face and deepen the kiss. His body accommodates naturally between your legs. His hands slowly start to unbutton your coat, exposing your dress to him once again. Jungkook slides it down your shoulders and the coat hits the floor. He lets out a soft sigh.

“You are so pretty.”

His hands find purchase on your waist as his lips attack yours one more time. He kisses you with so much fervor that you need to hold his shoulders for dear life.

In all these years, you forgot how good this felt. Having this type of… intimacy with someone. He holds you so dearly it makes your head spin. He whispers sweet nothings against your lips between kisses that make your heart flutter.

Without thinking it twice, you help him to take off his suit jacket and untuck his dress shirt to slide both hands under it. You rake your nails all along his back and Jungkook's whole body shudders at the sensation. He seems affected to the point he pulls away to look at you. When your eyes open, you see Jungkook is staring at you with slightly blown pupils.

"You don't know how much you affect me, do you?"

You can feel his erection pressed against your belly. "I think I have an idea," you reply with a grin.

"Yeah?"

He doesn't give you the chance to reply, because Jungkook is carrying you bridal style and taking you to his room. You've been in this bedroom so many times but your eyes wander nonetheless. Comparing to the first time you entered here, the room is quite neat.

“So, it turns out you are pretty organized.”

Jungkook’s arms slide around your middle from behind. He gives you a soft kiss to your neck. “Well, you met me in one of my worsts times.”

You turn around to face him. Lips crushing together, he hungrily seeks the heat of your mouth. With a sigh, you throw both arms around his neck. His palms fall to your waist. The dress you are wearing is soft to touch. He lets out a whine when you tug gently the hair in the nape of his neck. You look at him surprised.

“You are sensitive.”

You repeat the motion.

He groans, “___, you need to stop doing that.”

“Why?” You kiss his jaw.

“I may not have mercy when I find one of your weaknesses.”

Your lips curl, “I’m counting on that.”

Jungkook kisses you again, harder. His hands undo the laces of your dress.

“Turn around for me, baby.”

You exhale at the pet name but do as you are told.

“Are you kidding? These are like tons of buttons!”

“Careful, Kook,” The buttons are one of the things you loved the most about the dress. “If you break it, you pay it.”

He mumbles something under his breath but with skilled fingers, he patiently undoes every one of them. He even takes the moment to kiss every inch of skin is exposed making it so hard to wait. It only takes him a couple of minutes to finish. Then, you return him the favor and help him rid of his clothes.

At some point, you lay down in the mattress, Jungkook hovering above you. There’s a lot of kissing as if you’ll never have enough of the other. Jungkook preps your body using his fingers at a slow, agonizing pace that makes your head spin. He enjoys every beautiful sound that comes out of your mouth. He keeps his promise and he has no mercy when he curls his fingers inside of you to rub your soft spot every time until you are gasping for air.

Soon, you are a moaning mess underneath him. Jungkook murmurs words of encouragement as he leaves a trail of open-mouthed kisses all along your neck. Then, he takes his time to play with your chest, giving each one of your breasts the same amount of attention and care. Your release comes so strong, like a tidal wave. You see nothing but starts for a couple of seconds. It takes another couple of seconds before you can breathe somewhat properly again. A soft moan escapes your mouth when he licks his fingers.

Jungkook massages your thighs, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just wow.”

He smiles, cheeks flushing. You tug him for another kiss, opening his mouth with yours. He gasps at your passion and you take the opportunity to slide your tongue inside the crevice of his mouth. He melts against your touch. You both make out lazily for a while, both legs wrapped around his waist. Your hazy mind barely registered when he moved forward to grab a condom from the nightstand, but he is already rolling the latex down his length.

“Are you ready, beautiful?” Jungkook is staring at you so dearly.

You nod. Holding your gaze, he eases himself slowly inside of you.

You receive him with open arms, hugging his body close to yours. You sigh at the feeling of fullness. He groans at the feeling of your walls clenching around him.

“At this point, I’m not going to last long,” he pants.

He starts at a slow pace. Gentle strokes that hit your soft spot every time. The thrusts might be slow, but he is pumping into you with so much force that you feel every inch of him. At some point, he kisses you again. Slow, languid. Lovingly. There's no rush in his movements. You hug him hard, trying to keep his body as close as possible.

He changes the angle adjusting one of your legs a little higher. His thrusts hit deeper now. Your body starts to tremble and he slides a hand between your bodies to rub your clit, circling it with ease. And then you are coming, your whole body shuddering underneath him. Jungkook only manages a couple of more thrusts before he is following you over the edge.

He collapses on top of you, groaning into the crook of your neck. You both stay like that for a couple of minutes, until your heartbeat calms down and you are breathing normally again. Then, Jungkook stands up to discard the condom and look for something to clean up the mess you just made. When he is content, he lays next to you and tugs you closer, sliding one arm around your waist and adjusting your head to rest on his chest. He even murmurs something but you are already dozing to sleep…

When you wake up the next morning, the sun is already up. You stretch your sore limbs and yawn. Your stomach grumbles. You haven’t eaten in more than 12 hours. You open your eyes and…

Wait.

Why are you in Jungkook’s room?

The memories of last night slowly come to your head.

Oh my god.

You slept with Jungkook and the realization has you blushing furiously and burying your face between your hands. Then, you notice the spot next to you in the bed is empty. You look around the room slightly in panic when you hear the sound of the shower.

You take a deep breath. Right now is not the time to panic. Last night he made pretty clear he wanted to date you to figure if things could work between you, so there’s no point to worry about anything. You can talk about what happened yesterday over breakfast.

But first, what time is it?

You don't know anything about your friends since they went to the club last night. Even when you want to stay with Jungkook, it's probably a good idea to check if your friends are okay. But you are hungry and knowing Jungkook, he is too. You should prepare something and have breakfast together before leaving. With your mind made up, you look for something to wear and walk out of the room.

You locate your purse on the floor of the living room. With a sigh, you pick it up and dig inside to grab your phone to see the hour. 11:46 am. It is not that late. It is when you see an unread message that you notice that it is not your phone you are holding. It is Jungkook's. Yesterday, you didn’t have the opportunity to give it back to him… and the message is from Zoe…

With the anxiety striking every fiber of your being, unconsciously you unlock his phone (he doesn’t have a password of any kind) and you wish you haven’t done that.

[2:37 pm] Zoe

Good luck at the gala tonight. :)

[2:40 pm] Zoe

I miss you.

[3:06 pm] Jungkook

Thank you.

I miss you too.

[6:32 pm] Zoe

Can we meet sometime?

I need to talk to you.

[6:55 pm] Jungkook

I would love that.

To be continued. :)

#jungkook #jeon jungkook #bts scenarios #bts smut #bts fluff #bts angst #bts fanfics #jungkook x reader #bts #story: love sewn #jvnghxope

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pbandjesse · 3 years ago

Text

I feel really happy to be back in bed. At my own house. In the AC. Today was a pretty good day but its the end of the week and I feel a little beat up.

I slept alright last night. I got woken up a few times but mostly I was comfortable and happy. I woke up and gave myself an extra 15 minutes. And once I was awake and dressed I felt okay but I was a little all over the place. What else is new. I would be doing one thing and starting another. But I got everything ready.

The theme project was popsicle stick harmonicas and I made an example and realized it didn't work. So I had to look up a video and once I figured it out I was so excited. I went down to the office to show them and was laughing so much. It sounded like a duck. It was so silly. Keiran said I should aim to make the Friday theme an annoying and loud thing every week. I was just glad it put me in such a good mood.

Breakfast was alright. Chocolate chip pancakes. But I wanted to go chill before the groups came. Fridays are busy. I had groups right after the other the whole day.

I did think one group didn't exist so I messed that up. But they didn't mind. Honestly all the kids today were so kind. I had 3 come and tell me that art was the only program they liked or that I was their favorite and they made me feel really proud. I just want them all to have fun.

I also got to just. Chill a little. I had excellent assistants that barely needed direction. My favorite kind. I loved seeing the kids use the recyclables and the older kids chose their own projects and they were all super engaged the whole time and that was awesome to see.

I did get to go find berries again. I filled a second jar. There are honestly so many I am so excited about them. I think they are my favorite type of berry.

Lunch was fine. Mostly I had fun because the boys were singing and it was really silly. I got a cupcake. I felt a little nauseous from heat and nerves though. I tried making drinking chocolate but it was to thin. Hadnt mixed well. But it helped a little. It was mint chocolate and I think the mint helped settle my belly out.

The afternoon was fun. The older boys would make a flag and I taught some of them to use the bracelet looms. They were way more engaged tehn I expected and it was just really cool.

I would also hang out with Charlie for a bit today. He was kind of upset. But it was good to vent to each other. And Im going to teach him how to fix his pants this week so I look forward to that. I felt bad because he asked for thread to fix them and I assumed he knew how but then came back to say he ruined all my thread because he messed up. So I will show him, it will make me happy to teach someone something.

I did get upset when we had a meeting about sundays but it ended up being fine and I just have to go to a few and not every one. I think its much more fair now. And I will probably still go on Sunday nights sometimes but being asked to come so many was upsetting to me, plus the meeting happened at my only real break of the day and it was frustrating.

I was really looking forward to the end of the day. And it came earlier then expected. My last group didn't come. And So I had time to clean. Sweep and shake out my carpets. Help hand out t-shirts. There was some confusion but some kids got them at least.

I spent the last bit of the day finishing reading gmy book. Which was excellent and sad. But I really enjoyed the story and the ending.

I would spend more time cleaning and packing. Chatting with Charlie. And then James was going to be here soon so I headed to the office with my bags.

And then they were like. Were gonna have pizza at 7 but it was closer to 730. Which was whatever. It was fun sitting and talking to friends. We just didn't want to get stuck in the rain that was coming. But after eating pizza and talking to friends and checking in with Alexi, we headed home.

When we got back here I opened my mail and did some styling. I took a bath and enjoyed James's company. And now Im in bed. And really ready to get some sleep.

Tomorrow Im going to style some more. And then go to the thrift store with CJ. And then tomorrow night we have our celebration dinner. I am looking forward to the day. I hope its just a really nice time.

Goodnight everyone. Take care of yourselves.

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sw33t-t00th · 4 years ago

Note

Would you write a scenario for Akaashi Keiji where he sits next to his crush on a bus ride?

My first request and it’s this adorable??? YES I can write this.

Also, since you said bus ride I will set this during high school. However, unless asked for or implied I will typically set my writing post-high school.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ .❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。 ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Every year the creative writing class goes on a journey to the Kyoto National museum to visit the special exhibit on the ‘Immortal Poets’, which is put up during early October. This is a very exiting outing for the students who are especially interested in and gifted in writing. Akaashi is a well-rounded guy, for example. A talented athlete, knowledgeable academic, skilled writer... his good looks help too.

One would think that he has all the confidence in the world. He has all the reason to after all. However, when he boarded the crowded bus, full of chatter and excitement, and spotted the only open spot next to you... well his confidence flew out the window.

He makes his long trip down the aisle, passing by a girl who squeals when the boy behind her flicks her hair in a juvenile attempt at flirting. He passes by a quiet kid who tends to keep to himself, headphones on and already zoning out with his gaze out the window. The walk to your seat feels like forever. He finally reaches you, and beneath his cool demeanor his heart is beginning to race.

Why does he like you so much? He asks himself this futile question, knowing fully well why he likes you.

You look up at him with a smile that hides the fact that you, too, knew that he was heading right for the open spot to your right.

“Akaashi-kun, hi there,” you greet him, scooting over just a little bit to give him the semblance of more room.

He likes how you say his name and he likes how your first reaction to seeing him is to smile. Akaashi, so used to hiding his emotions, returns your smile with a softer one of his own. “Hi there,” he repeats in a gentle tone. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

Surely no girl would mind that at all. You certainly don’t. You shake your head and watch him with curious eyes as he bows his head in thanks and takes a seat.

Silence. Now you’re beside one another, the pleasantries are given, but neither of you know what to say. It’s not like you’ve never spoken before, either. You’ve worked together on projects, he’s helped you carry heavy class supplies to and from the supply closet. Never before, though, has he sat so close to you that your thigh brushes against his own.

You subtly pull it away once you feel the contact as to not make a big deal out of it, and meanwhile Akaashi turns his head away for a moment and scratches his warming cheek.

You can’t just sit here like this. Say something! You yell at yourself mentally. Finally finding the words, you turn to him at the same exact time that he looks at you.

“Do you-” “So what do-”

You both speak and stop speaking at the exact same time. You share a quick, surprised look before you start to giggle and his can’t help but to smile when he hears your laughter. Something about it eases him, even if being around you set his whole world on fire and steals his breath.

“Umm, you go first,” you say, trying to cover your smile with your fingertips resting against your soft bottom lip. His gaze falls down to it for just a moment, but remains mostly controlled. You’re too cute.

“Oh, well,” he glances to the side for a moment before continuing. “I was just going to say, what do you want to see the most today?” He’s clearly just trying to make small talk, but is just as clearly eager to actually know the answer.

You can’t help but stare at him. He’s just too cute. You’ve seen him at his games and at practice before, but outside that when he’s wearing his school uniform and you get to see his face up close it’s just so intimidating.

“Oh! I’m really excited for the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro exhibit. I just love how his image became such a huge part of poetry from the Nara period...” A specific kind of interest that only someone with a similar interest would likely understand. Fortunately for you, there’s a brightness in Akaashi’s eyes.

“Like the waka writing on writing boxes,” he adds, to which you perk up and eagerly nod your head. Your hair bounces a little as you do so which makes Akaashi’s heart clench. He wants to kiss you, but that would without a doubt be both creepy and unwelcomed. Most likely. Regardless, he doesn’t have the gall to do such a thing. So instead, he leaves the thought of kissing you to his imagination. “I’m looking forward to that too.”

“Ah! There was a display on him earlier this year on Tokyo, right?” You say with a finger lifted in the air at your sudden realization.

“You’re right,” he says slowly nodding his head. “Unfortunately I couldn’t go because I had a game that weekend.”

You hum in acknowledgement. “Your games are important though. Your team is like, number 5 in the country, aren’t they?”

Akaashi’s lips quirk up into an amused smile at this, but he manages to keep it contained. “Well, our ace is number five in the country. We are number four in Tokyo.” Somehow, even you getting that wrong was cute.

“Oops,” you briefly cover your face with your hands, but when you look back up your smiling. “That’s really impressive though. I’ve seen you play actually. You’re really good!”

Flattered, flustered, Akaashi runs his fingers through his black hair and sheepishly says, “I definitely don’t stand out as much as Bokuto-san though.” Not that he entirely minds. Bokuto is the backbone of their team. Akaashi is just the brain.

You consider your words carefully, wondering if you should say what you want to, but then you cave. “Well, you stand out to me,” you say, watching his reaction carefully as he looks into your eyes for a short while, sees your sincerity, and awkwardly responds, “I do? Oh, thanks. That’s... nice of you.”

He wants to say some corny line back like ‘And you’ve always stood out to me...’ But that’s the kind of thing you’d find in a romance novel. Not real life. No, in real life, he’s almost certain you’re hitting on him but he has no idea how to process it so he just gave you some stupid, awkward response. You don’t seem to mind though. In fact, you’ve both been so caught up in one another that you’ve completely tuned out the noise of your classmates and the fact that the bus has already not only begun to move, but is riding along the main busy road.

You boldly nudge his foot with your own, gently but enough for him to surely notice. He doesn’t move his foot from yours. “I wanna go to another one some time... when do you play next?”

Akaashi had never been extremely interested in dating. Or rather, he’d always just thought about school and sports, what he’d do after college. But right now, the thought of having you in his life sounds really good. But for now, he’ll start small with just the two of you here, you sitting beside him and him trying way too hard to not embarrass himself.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ .❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。 ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

(I take the liberty of assuming Akaashi likes writing and literature because he’s an editor so report me to the feds if I’m wrong I don’t know either way hope you liked it ♥)

#akaashi #keiji #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#hq!!#imagine #imagines #scenario #scenarios #akaashi keiji #fluff

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today-only-happens-once · 5 years ago

Text

the only exception

Title: the only exception

Word Count: 4,549

Summary: College!AU, Musician!AU. Patton shows up to a music festival that Virgil—along with his twin brother, Roman—is headlining, hoping to surprise him. Turns out, it’s Virgil that surprises him first. Romantic Moxiety, brief background Logince. Song-fic.

Warnings: lots of fluff and softness and sappiness, mutual pining elements, declarations of love, description of crowds, cursing, discussion of anxiety, mention of anxiety attacks, kissing, Virgil “writes” a song that’s actually written irl by Paramore but ssshhh Paramore doesn’t exist in this AU, please let me know if I forgot anything.

A/N: Someone on tumblr once made a textpost that said “The Only Exception” was a Moxiety song, and weeks later I listened to it and realized they were right. And then I had this image in my head that wouldn’t go away for like. Months. And then eventually I decided to write this. It’s basically a song-fic. Crazy self-indulgent, heh. Also, I’ve never written Romantic Moxiety before, nor have I written a Patton-POV focused fic. So writing this was a whole boatload of new. I hope it turned out okay! Edited by yours truly, so all mistakes are mine.

You can listen to the song Virgil sings at the end here!

Tags: @creativenostalgiastuff, @helloisthisusernametaken, @ren-allen, @quoth-the-sparrow, @princelogical, @random-pianist, @ravenclawicecream, @erlenmeyertrash, @milomeepit, @at-least-seven-pretty-potatoes, @rileyfirstname, @pinkeasteregg, @sassy-in-glasses, @vigilantvirgil, @generalfandomfabulousness, @lacrimosathedark, @thepoolofthedead, @monikastec, @heir-of-the-founders, @yourworstnightmare999, @artistictaurean, @kanejandkruge, @cdragontogacotar, @damienswifeolicitydallysgirl, @angst-patton, @savingshae, @noneed4thistbh, @awesomelissawho, @unikornavenger, @bopthesnoz, @spiralofsilencetheory, @finger-gunsss, @crownswriter123, @swlotakulady34, @gaylotusthatexists, @analogical-mess, @dolphidragon, @flix-net, @narniasfinestavengingsociopath, @friedlieb-ferdinand-runge, @bibbidy-bobbity-booyah, @procrastinations-my-middle-name, and also @randomslasher because moxiety! ^u^

…

Present. March. Junior Year.

Patton shoulders his way through the crowd as rock music blares loudly over the speakers. The late March air is cool, and the breeze tugs at the COLLEGE-PALOOZA MUSIC FEST banner hanging from the amphitheater’s stage. A few people he recognizes from his classes wave to him as they nod their head to the music. Patton slows as he finds a small gap in the crowd, not particularly keen on getting into the tightly packed mosh pit that had formed right in front of the stage.

The sun is beginning to set, casting the sky in a light purple hue. Perhaps ironically, it reminds Patton of the guy he’s actually here to see perform. Patton glances at the stage, but there’s no sign of him. He checks his phone for the time. The group was supposed to be on now, but perhaps he’d missed them already.

He looks at the guy beside him—leather jacket and sunglasses, holding a Starbucks cup—and asks over the music, “Which group is this?”

The guy takes a long swallow and then jerks his head towards the stage. “Planets Align. They had trouble getting the sound system working, so they’re running behind.”

Patton nods his understanding, smiles, and thanks him. Planets Align was scheduled to go on right before them, if the pamphlet he’d found on Virgil’s desk was anything to go by. He’d felt terrible at the time when he realized that the band Virgil had formed with his twin brother, Roman, would be headlining a music festival the same day Patton had already promised to help with a group project.

But the other members of his group canceled the meeting earlier today and rescheduled it for next week. So Patton really didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t come support Virgil. And if he maybe didn’t tell Virge in the hopes of being able to surprise him… well.

Besides, he had a feeling Virgil could use a nice surprise. He’d seemed really nervous about the festival when Patton was talking to him about it when he found the pamphlet. Virgil often seemed nervous, but… more nervous than even Virgil’s normal.

Patton smiles a bit to himself when he remembers when they first met.

…

September. Sophomore year.

“For the purposes of this research presentation, I will allow you to choose partners. We will need one group of three, but that certainly seems manageable.”

Patton glances around the stuffy lecture hall. It was only the third time the class had met, so Patton hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to many of his classmates yet. On top of that, it was a pretty big class. Patton had a feeling that he wouldn’t know everybody even by the end of the year. The professor waves her hand to indicate that they should select a partner and begin discussing the project.

Chatter rose up—most people leaning over towards people they were sitting next to, a few calling to friends across the room—and there was shuffling movement and the scraping of chairs as students milled about to find a research partner. Then Patton caught sight of a black and purple hoodie in the back row.

What was his name? Patton couldn’t remember, despite the ice breaker during their first class. He does remember the snort the guy had released when Patton had made a pun about his name when introducing himself. He also remembers the way he’d immediately ducked his head a second later when Patton grinned at him.

Patton gathers his things and squeezes through his classmates. “Hey,” he says. The guy in the hoodie looks up, seeming startled. “Wanna be partners?”

The guy blinks at him, then shifts in his seat and motions to the empty chair on the other side of his desk. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

“I’m Patton, by the way.”

“Virgil. What, uh, what are you studying?”

Patton pulls his laptop out of his bag. “Oh! I’m an early education major. What about you?” As he asks, Patton casts a quick glance at the laptop in front of Virgil and notices the stickers on it: SANDERS in messy black scrawl, a thundercloud with a bolt of lightning, a small circle with a paint-smear style gay pride flag, and a few music notes.

“Graphic design with a minor in music,” he replies. Patton notices him glancing at the buttons on Patton’s backpack that he threw in the empty chair beside him—some about cats, some about dogs, a heart with glasses that he thought was cute, and a pride pin from last year’s Pride week.

“That’s pretty cool. You play music?”

Virgil lifts a shoulder. “With my brother, mostly.”

“Wow. That’s… really awesome,” Patton says, sincerely impressed. He’d always loved music, but really only dabbled in the ukulele. He’d always thought musicians were cool: having skills like that took a lot of work, and a lot of dedication. That seemed pretty admirable to Patton.

Virgil smirks. “If you say so.”

“I do. I mean it.” For a fleeting moment, Virgil looks taken aback by the insistence in Patton’s voice. “What do you play?”

…

Present.

“Roman is totally the hot one,” Patton hears a girl behind him say to her friends.

“Elliot thinks he has a crush on Logan Berry, you know.”

“He’s gay?” The girl sounds surprised, but not hostile.

“Ace, I think. Panromantic, if the stickers on his laptop are anything to go by.” Patton recognizes that voice as one of the girls in the LGBTQ+ club that Patton was secretary for.

“You have class with him?”

“We had English 100 together freshman year. Elliot’s in class with him and Logan, though, and says they want to gag literally any time the two so much as talk to each other.”

Patton grins to himself. Subtlety when he had a crush had never really been Roman’s strong suit. That was another place where Virgil was markedly different from his twin brother. Both Roman and Virgil had ways of keeping their distance from others, but where Roman put up a front of fearlessness and confidence and friendliness… Virgil seemed more likely to withdraw into himself.

Patton had learned that, and many other things about Virgil, slowly as meetings for the research project gradually developed into hanging out regularly and casually. Patton picked up on things about Virgil relatively quickly. He gets quiet and irritable when he’s actually anxious about something. He tends to catastrophize, especially when it comes to academics. He hasn’t yet learned how to accept compliments—something Patton didn’t let deter him from giving them. He hopes that the more he’s able to expose Virgil to them, the easier it will eventually get for him to accept them.

Patton learned that Virgil is fiercely protective, too. The fastest way for Virgil to overcome his anxiety about a situation is usually when it’s related to someone he cares about. He still remembers the fire that had alighted in his eyes when someone had started harassing Roman when he, Patton, Roman, and Logan had been heading back from a party on a Friday night a couple of months ago. Logan had been the one to diffuse that particular situation, but Patton hadn’t missed the way Virgil hovered closer to his brother and looked ready to fight when he’d seen the shaken look in Roman’s eyes.

But then there were the softer moments from Virgil, too. The fleeting moments when Patton saw something gentle and relaxed from him that a secret part of Patton liked to believe were just for him. They were a sign of trust from Virgil, and Patton had always cherished that trust precisely because it was so rare.

…

April. Sophomore year.

“What time is it?” Virgil asks with a yawn. He’s sitting on the floor of his dorm, his guitar in his hands. His back is leaned up against the drawers of his desk. Patton sits on the floor across from him with his back against the cinderblock wall and his legs stretched out in front of him.

Patton digs his phone out of his pocket and checks. “Almost 1 in the morning.”

Virgil nods and strums a few chords softly. “You’re welcome to stick around, Patton, but… y’know. It’s chill if you’d rather go home.”

Patton shakes his head “I like it here,” he says. For reasons he is still figuring out, there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

Patton watches him; he watches the way Virgil’s bangs fall in a soft sweep across his face, the dark eyeshadow smudged under his eyes, the slight parting of his lips as he mouths unheard lyrics. He always loves watching Virgil play guitar. There’s something about watching him hold the light brown acoustic instrument—like it steadies him, like it’s a shield that protects him—that Patton can’t help but love. Virgil seems to… breathe easier when he has a guitar in his hands.

“Virgil? Can I ask you something?” Patton says suddenly.

Virgil glances quickly at him, then back down at the guitar in his hands. Avoiding his eyes. “Yeah. Sure.” His voice sounds oddly tight to Patton.

“Why do you play music?”

The question seems to catch him off guard. Virgil stops short for a moment, glancing back up at Patton. His hands still against the instrument, his eyes flit away in thought.

Then—to Patton’s surprise—he sets the guitar aside.

“It… gives me a space where I can… connect, I guess?” He rubs the back of his head, glancing at Patton as if unsure whether or not his own words made sense.

“Connect?”

“Well,” Virgil pulls his knees up to his chest and rests his chin on top of them, “Yeah. I’ve never been good at… at the whole…” He waves a hand and sighs. “At the whole ‘words’ thing that’s required for making friends or helping someone or… whatever. I’m always afraid I’m gonna say the wrong thing, or make them feel awkward, or… shit, I don’t know. But music is different. It…” He huffs a frustrated sigh as the words escape him. Then he tosses Patton a wry smile. “See what I mean? Words aren’t really my thing. Music is different, though.”

Patton nods. He glances around at the MCR and Dear Evan Hansen poster on walls of Virgil’s side of the room. “I think I get it. Music lets you speak from where you are emotionally at a given moment, and people can come to you—or your music—to find that connection and community. It… lets you express yourself, and by doing that, lets you connect to other people.”

When Patton looks back at Virgil, he’s looking at him with something like disbelief. But there’s a softness and light in his eyes that makes Patton’s stomach flutter. “Yeah,” Virgil says eventually. “Exactly.” Patton meets his gaze with a small smile, even as he feels suddenly like Virgil can see all the parts of himself that he wants to hide.

The corner of Virgil’s mouth quirks slightly and he digs a small purple leather notepad out of his back pocket. He grabs a pen from the top of his desk and scribbles something down.

“Whatcha writing?” Patton asks curiously.

Virgil folds it and slips it back into his pocket. “Nothing, Pat.” He still has that soft kind of smile and look in his eyes even as he grabs his guitar and pulls it back into his lap.

…

Present.

“Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Planets Align!” The emcee shouts into the mic as he runs on stage and the band waves as they exit to the cheers of the crowd. Patton applauds them and briefly considers moving closer to the stage before deciding against it. He’d never done well with tight crowds.

The sun has dipped below the horizon now, the sky darkening quickly. The lights from the stage bleed out onto the grass clearing, providing some lighting of the crowd itself as well. The air is a bit colder now, but Patton doesn’t mind. Besides, all the people around him moving and dancing have helped keep it from getting too cold anyway.

“Next up, the ones you’ve all been waiting for. Let’s hear it for… SANDERS!”

Patton lets out a cheer as the crowd screams. He sees Virgil’s twin brother—though you’d never know it from how differently they do make up and their hair—run on stage with his arms up to encourage the crowd’s response. The cheers get louder, and Roman grins and strikes a hero pose. He’s energized. Patton smiles at his evident excitement.

Virgil follows behind him, an electric guitar strapped to his back. Even from his distance from the stage, Patton can see him shaking his head at his brother’s antics. He gives a small, appreciative wave to the crowd. His eyes scan it, and a part of Patton can’t help but wonder if he’s looking for him someone.

Reasoning, though, reminds him that Virgil said he always tries to get a feel for the size of a crowd when he goes out on stage at a venue for the first time. It had started as a nervous thing—how many people might see me fail?—but as Virgil’s confidence in performing grew, it had mostly just become a habit.

“What is UP, everybody?” Roman says into the mic. He’s wearing a bright red leather jacket with a white shirt underneath, shiny gold skinny jeans, and red high top converse. “We’re so glad you could come out tonight. How about this awesome weather, yeah?”

More cheers. Patton watches as Virgil pulls the guitar from around his back with a smile. He’s in his familiar hoodie, purple shirt, black ripped skinny jeans, and his black sneakers with purple laces. At first glance, he doesn’t seem too nervous—Patton had long ago gotten in the habit of glancing at him to check if he’s okay when he knows Virgil might be getting anxious—but it’s hard to tell from this distance.

“My brother, Virgil, and I thought we’d kick things off with an original song. How’s that sound, guys, gals, and nonbinary pals?” There’s louder cheering, and the two of them waste no time starting a song that Patton remembers from previous concerts of theirs he’d attended.

…

November. Junior Year.

Patton’s phone dings while he’s eating lunch in the student union and flipping through an education textbook to study for his quiz tomorrow on Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. Exams are quickly approaching, and Patton had always struggled to remember theorists’ names for some reason.

It’s a text from Roman. Is V with you?

Patton frowns and types back quickly. No. It’s Tuesday. Then he sends a second text. Why?

The student union is bustling with students breezing through to grab lunch before rushing off to the library or their class. Groups are clustered around tables to hash out the details of final projects as their deadlines approach in the next week or two. Exhausted English majors slump over their stale coffee cups and computers as they edit their final paper for the eighth time. Engineering students running on caffeine and spite chug another energy drink before hurrying off to the lab building. A couple others that Patton can see are watching Netflix in a desperate attempt to give themselves a break before plunging back into the grind of end-of-the-semester assignments.

Roman’s reply comes almost immediately. He sent me a single letter text which usually means he’s freaking out but idek where he is

Patton stands up and forgets his half-eaten sandwich, dropping it in the compost bin as he slings his backpack over his shoulder and hurries out of the building. Have you tried calling him? He texts quickly.

R: Yeah. No response… just lemme know if you see him or if he texts you or something ok

Patton rolls his eyes. As if he’s just going to go about his day and not try to help. Especially if V might be freaking out. We’ll find him, Roman. You check the science center and I’ll check the music floor of Stokes Hall.

R: ok.

R: Thanks

Patton turns his ringer on at full volume and braces against the cold air as he hurries to the building beside the Student Union. The November air is biting. Students bustle with their noses tucked into their scarves and red fingers curled around coffee cups. There was no snow on the ground, but the grass still crunches under Patton’s shoes as he hurries across the quad towards Stokes Hall. His light blue beanie is pulled low over his light brown hair.

He’s wishing he had a scarf to hide his nose in—instead opting to try to tuck it into the sleeves of the sweatshirt tied around his shoulders—when he walks straight into someone.

“Shit! I’m so sorry—”

“Virgil?” Patton asks, immediately recognizing the voice. He looks up, and Virgil seems frozen for a moment. It only takes Patton a second to realize that his eyes are red and sunken slightly. His usual sweep of hair is a disheveled mess under the hood of his sweatshirt that engulfs his frame.

If Patton’s being honest, he looks… rough. Concern twists in Patton’s chest.

“I’m so sorry, Patton. I’m an idiot, I just wasn’t watching where—”

“Hey, it’s all good, Virge,” Patton says, quickly but sincerely. He places his hands on Virgil’s shoulder to anchor him. “Breathe.”

Virgil laughs but it’s humorless and shrugs out from under his grip. Patton frowns. “I’m fine. I know I look like a mess, but really. It’s fine now. I was just. Um. Coming outside for some air.”

Patton considers the deflection and decides to meet Virgil half-way. “I could use some too.”

“You don’t have to do that—”

“Honest, V. The cold air is kind of nice.” Patton slips his phone out of his pocket and sends a quick text to Roman. Got him. He offers a small, reassuring smile to Virgil.“ You wanna take a seat?”

Virgil meets his gaze, then glances away. He seems to think about it for a moment, then relents with a slight sag to his shoulders. “Sure. Fine.”

Patton wanders over to a bench across the pathway and takes a seat. He looks around as students rush quickly towards their classes, smiling brightly as a service dog trots dutifully beside his owner and pushes the button to open the door as the student hurries inside. He intentionally keeps his gaze from lingering on Virgil, even as he hesitates before sitting beside him.

Virgil waits until most of the students have rushed off before breaking the silence between them. “You aren’t going to ask?”

Patton glances over at him. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, and you seemed reluctant to talk about it…. Should I ask?”

“No. Yes?” Virgil groans, zipping up his hoodie against the chilly air. “It wasn’t anything like. That bad. Y’know? I just get… anxiety attacks sometimes, and sometimes they get…” He trails off. Patton senses more than sees the way Virgil glances quickly at him. “Anyway. I’m fine now.”

Patton isn’t sure what to say. He’d known for a long time now that Virgil struggled with anxiety. That Virgil had anxiety attacks doesn’t exactly surprise him, and it definitely isn’t off-putting or anything of the sort. But Patton hates the way Virgil keeps trying to deflect… something. Judgement. Concern. Patton suddenly and fiercely wishes Virgil would just let someone care about him. Let someone love him.

Patton thinks maybe he already does.

“Virgil….” Patton says softly, looking at his hands folded between his knees, “It’s okay. You know that, right? You can talk to me about it. And I’m not gonna judge you or think you’re weird or that there’s anything wrong with you.”

“I… I’m fine.”

Patton lifts a shoulder. “Okay. But… it’s okay if you aren’t, too. And either way… you’re definitely not alone. You know? You know Roman’s there for you, but… but I am too. I care about you.”

In his peripheral, he sees Virgil look at him. “Patton—”

“There you guys are!” Roman exclaims as he jogs up to the two of them. Patton smiles at Virgil—who looks, for all the world, like the ground has shifted underneath him.

Patton wants to ask him why. He never does.

…

Present.

SANDERS has played through five songs, which means they’re nearing the end of their set. Patton is beaming. Virgil and Roman play off each other so well, and their music seems to be a blend of both of them in a way. They balance each other on stage. They’re fun to watch. Patton can’t help but think, though he may be biased, that if they really wanted to… they could make a career out of it.

But then they do something that surprises Patton, and apparently everyone else too from the way the crowd starts to murmur.

Virgil trades out his electric guitar for his light brown acoustic one. Roman grabs a wooden stool from one of the wings and sets it in the middle of the stage. Virgil adjusts the strap of the guitar around his shoulders, nodding his thanks to Roman.

“So I hope you all don’t mind if we close out with something a little different than our usual pace,” Virgil is saying into the wireless mic attached to him. “But I lost a bet against Roman, and that means I gotta do this.”

“If I lost I was gonna have to wear jorts for this concert. You all should be thanking me,” Roman quips back through his own mic. There’s a chuckle from Virgil as well as the crowd.

“Yeah, well. This is a song I wrote over the course of… probably about a year. It’s about someone very… important to me. He couldn’t be here tonight, but… he’s pretty great. Anyway, it’s a little different, so uh.” Even under the stage lights, Patton thinks he can see Virgil flushing slightly. “I hope you all like it.”

Virgil starts strumming and all Patton can do is watch him, transfixed by the sound of an acoustic guitar and the sight of Virgil under a spotlight on stage. It’s a much softer song already than any other song in their entire set. Virgil ducks his head slightly, his black sneaker tapping out the ¾ meter. And then Virgil starts to sing.

“When I was younger I saw my daddy cry, and curse at the wind.

He broke his own heart and I watched as he tried to reassemble it.

And my momma swore that she would never let herself forget.

And that was the day that I promised I’d never sing of love if it does not exist.

But darlin’ you are the only exception. You are the only exception…”

As Virgil sings, Patton can’t help but feel rooted to the spot. Virgil sitting and playing his acoustic guitar reminds Patton suddenly of that moment again back in Virgil’s dorm room. That moment of honesty and openness from him that always felt so rare. Patton feels like he’s experiencing that again, despite the crowd and the spotlights. Because this is not performance-Virgil, this is just…. Virgil. At his most honest. At his mot exposed. And it’s breathtaking.

Patton doesn’t even fully realize that he’s moving closer to the stage until he almost trips over a girl that’s swaying and holding her phone with a flashlight up in the air.

Virgil breaks into the second verse, and Patton feels his stomach fluttering all over again at the sound of his voice.

“Well maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul that love never lasts.

And we’ve got to find other ways to make it alone or keep a straight face.

And I’ve always lived like this. Keeping a comfortable distance.

And up until now I had sworn to myself that I’m content with loneliness,

‘Cuz none of it was ever worth the risk.

Well you are the only exception. You are the only exception…”

And a part of Patton—a part he’s afraid to admit to—suddenly starts to grow insistent with the realization that he might be really, truly, unequivocally in love with the person singing on the stage in this moment. The one with his bangs falling into eyes that had always looked to Patton to be a little bit afraid and a lot brave.

This song, this moment, is no exception to that. Music, for Virgil, had always started from some place deeply personal. It is what allows him to connect to others, after all. And Patton doesn’t know if the song is about him, but he wants it to be. Because that deeply personal space that Virgil is singing from resonates with Patton in a way that leaves only one thought repeating in his head. I love you, I love you, I love you.

Almost as if he hears the thought itself, Virgil looks up and starts scanning the crowd again as he reaches the bridge.

“I’ve got a tight grip on reality

But I can’t let go of what’s in front of me here.” He’s scanning, scanning, scanning…

“I know you’re leaving in the morning. When you wake up,

Leave me with some kind of proof it’s not a dream. Oh…”

And then his eyes settle squarely on Patton, and Patton swears he hears the very faint catch of Virgil’s breath through the mic.

Patton gives him a small, faint smile. There’s a brief moment where uncertainty flickers through Virgil’s dark eyes, and then something sets firmly in them. As if he’s made some kind of split-second decision. Virgil stands up from the stool and starts making his way towards the stage stairs, continuing to play and sing as he does so.

“You are the only exception. You are the only exception….”

Patton loses sight of him as he steps down to ground level, the crowd blocking his view. But Virgil keeps singing that line over and over, you are the only exception, as if imploring Patton to hear it and understand it and know it is meant for him. As if perhaps Virgil has to repeat it himself to fully believe in its truth, but each time he sings it, Patton can hear the conviction growing. Far ahead of him, Patton can see people shifting around in the mosh pit in front of him.

Patton doesn’t move. He doesn’t think he knows how to.

And then through the crowd of people in front of him steps Virgil, still playing. Still singing. And Patton can’t help but notice his eyes look wide and scared and vulnerable—but unwavering—as he sings the final line.

“But I’m on my way to believing…”

He plays the final chord and stands there, looking up at Patton. He’s so close. The guitar and a few inches is all that separates them. Patton swallows past the lump in his throat and brings a hand up to cup Virgil’s jaw before leaning his forehead against Virgil’s and whispering.

“Can I kiss you?”

His eyes are closed, so he doesn’t see Virgil’s relieved, crooked grin. But he feels it when Virgil presses his lips to his own.

#sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #romantic moxiety #moxiety #romantic moxiety fanfiction #fluff #crowds #cursing #kissing #softness #sappiness #virgil sanders #patton sanders

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keiwritesstuff · 4 years ago

Text

With You

Kuroo Tetsuro x f!reader

Summary : Kuroo and her are classmates, but never really talked to each other since he’s a social butterfly while she prefers to do things alone. One day, their teacher assigns both of them to be assignment partners, and they discovered new things about each other.

Genre : slice of life, soft

Notes : Long. Written in 3rd person ‘s POV. Absolutety self-indulgent. Slowburn-ish. Happy ending. Bokuto is adorable.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“For this topic.. Kuroo Testuro and L/N F/N,” the teacher announced before nonchalantly proceeded to name the other pairs. She subconsciously straightened her back, totally not expecting to be paired up with a boy, what more a really famous one. She’s not that interested in sports, but she knew enough that he’s somehow very popular, considering how he’s the captain of Nekoma vc and is very often surrounded by people (mostly girls, but what’s the difference?).

She prefers working alone, and knows that she’s very good at it. But this project… this presentation, will contribute to her getting good grades should she does it well, and she would really like to maintain the ones she had achieved, if not get better ones.

She has to.

After the teacher had finished assigning the topics to all pairs, the teacher had them sit together to start their discussion. From what Y/N knew, Kuroo is good in Science. She had never seen him fail the subject, if that is any indication.

It won’t be too bad, she told herself.

“I’ll be in your care, Kuroo-kun.” she spoke.

“Same goes with me.” he smiled before taking out his textbook to start the discussion. “I don’t think this topic is too difficult to present on, but I do think that we need to look for more examples to make our explanation easier to understand.” he added. She was rather impressed, considering he hadn’t even turned to the page related to said topic.

Both of them immediately set up a schedule for upcoming discussions since he is busy with volleyball practice.

That weekend, he goes to her house to work on the contents of the presentation. He was greeted by a young boy, who welcomed him into the house. The boy brought him to the kitchen, where he saw Y/N cooking, with a pair of twin boys clinging onto her legs.

“I didn’t know you’re a single mother.” he started, couldn’t help himself from doing his habit of teasing people.

“Shut up.” she laughed (which amused him, since he didn’t take her as someone who accepts jokes easily).

“These are my brothers. My parents are out working. Usually mom is at home taking care of these kids, but whenever I can do it, she’ll be at the shop, helping my dad.” she spoke, still busy stirring the food in the pot. “I think you can put your stuff on the couch. I’ll be there in a second.” she continued, somewhat apologetically, since she couldn’t immediately start their discussion. Kuroo sensed it, and quickly replied, “Alright. Tell me if you need a hand, though my assistance does come with a hazard warning.”

He saw her smile again before walking to the living room. He didn’t notice the warmth blooming from somewhere inside his chest.

After making sure her brothers have finished their meal, she rushed to Kuroo with iced peach tea in her hand. “Sorry. I’ll try .” she starts to jot down and rearrange the notes that she had collected through her own research for Kuroo’s opinion. Kuroo looked at her and noticed the conforting smell of homemade oyakodon. He couldn’t help but smile. Though they rarely talked in class, she had always given him this impression that she prefers to be left alone. Who would’ve thought that at home, there are three little gremlins glued to her hips all the time?

After school, both of them stayed in class along with other pairs who seem to be struggling as well. Both Kuroo and Y/N are more exhausted than usual, and Kuroo definitely took back what he said about the topic being easy. Linking the examples with the main points has been proven to be more difficult than they deemed it to be, especially in efforts to make it as simple and as easy to understand as possible. Y/N wanted to ace this assignment, and Kuroo noticed how she was struggling to digest the notes, reading the same page over and over again but to no avail.

“You reeaally want to ace this presentation, don’t you?” he asked.

She rested her head on the table, a few strands of her hair tickling her nose.

“Of course. I need to make sure I maintain impressive grades in my result transcript. Gotta get those scholarships.” Y/N replied, exhaustion could be heard from her voice, probably from taking care of her younger brothers. Funny, Kuroo thinks, that he couldn’t notice this side of her before. Had she been this… at ease before?

“Scholarship?”

Y/N nods. “Yeah. I’m aiming for Tohoku University.” she replied. “It’s not easy to get a scholarship there, but their Natural Science department is top notch and I’d love to study there. Not to mention, if I survived uni, that Tohoku logo would look good on my CV, don’t you think?”

Her head is still on the table, but her eyes are looking somewhere else now, her facial expression clearly shows that she can already visualize that life, that dream.

Kuroo was rather impressed. Tohoku isn’t so easy to get into, it is not a place for everyone, and if anyone wants to earn a scholarship there, they have to work extremely hard (and maybe offer a sacrifice to the gods for good measure).

“That’s pretty amazing,” he commented. “But what about your brothers? Will they be okay? Aren’t you worried? They seem to be really attached to you.”

“I am, but at the same time I want to work hard and secure a good job so that they don’t have to worry much about money, just in case one day they want to apply to any college institution.”

If Kuroo was impressed before, now he has an utmost respect for Y/N.

“Well, it’s just a dream for now, but, just like how your team works hard to win matches, I’m going to work hard to make my dream come true.” Y/N said, patting her cheeks hard, back straightened, tucking those stray hair behind her ears, and re-reading that page, again.

++++

On Friday, surprisingly, Kuroo was suddenly absent without telling Y/N. They were supposed to have another discussion after school, since Kuroo won’t be available that weekend due to volleyball practice (there is an upcoming match with a strong team whose captain is a dorky owl, he said. Not that she understood, but he seemed ecstatic, so she just agreed on the change of plan in the schedule.).

She texted him during recess, but received no reply. He didn’t even read them. Did something happen? It’s not like him to ignore her texts like this. At least, he had never done so before.

Would his teammates know what happened to him?

She stumbled upon a familiar second-year student on her way to the gym hall after school. He had a game console in his hands. If she is not mistaken, she had seen him before, walking with Kuroo.

“Uh, excuse me, sorry.. You’re Kuroo’s friend, aren’t you?” she said.

He looked at her. “And what if I am?”

She gave him a meek smile. Sheesh. What’s with that attitude?

“Do you know where he is? We’re supposed to have a pair discussion today for our assignment, but he’s absent and didn’t reply to my texts. I mean,I get it if he’s occupied with practice, but it would be nice to receive a heads up.”

She has a life too, you know.

The second-year stood straight. “Oh. I see. I thought you are one of those girls who are constantly bugging him.”

Oh.

“He told us he wasn’t feeling well yesterday. His blocks were easily broken through too. He didn’t reply to my texts, either, let alone answer my calls. So, it could only mean one thing.”

She raised her eyebrow.

“He is definitely sick. Most likely fever. I’m planning to check on him after practice today.”

++++

Kuroo stirred in his sleep. The doorbell is ringing relentlessly.

Oh gosh, do I HAVE to open the door?

Dragging his feet, he could feel his joints ache with every movement. He rarely gets sick. He takes pride on that. But when he actually does, he could not deny how bad it can get. Fever is the worse. His head feels heavy, cloudy. His throat is in pain. His body is in pain. He doesn’t have the strength to move, and usually it’s either Kenma or his grandmother who would help to nurse him back to health(Kenma is not really good at it, but he tries).

He opened the door. “Hey Kenm---eh..?”

It was not Kenma.

“I told Kenma I’d check on you. He won’t be coming over today.” Y/N said.

Y/N?

“Are you sick?” she took a step forward, putting her hand on Kuroo’s forehead, startling him in the process.

“Yep, you definitely are.”

Huh?

“Ojamashimasu*,” she invited herself in, and Kuroo is still standing in the doorway. Weak, but shocked nevertheless.

Wait a minute. Hold up for a second. What is all this? What is she doing here? What is going on? Did she just come into the house? Eh..? Has she always been this forward?

And then he remembered the discussion that they were supposed to have that day. Oh no.

Crap.

“Uh, hey, Y/N.. I’m sorry I didn’t inform you earlier--”

“Rest, Kuroo It’s fine. Just take out all your have on the assignment, and I’ll see what I can add to the contents. You, rest. I’ll be here for a while though. I’ll leave whatever part I can finish on the table so you can take a look at them later. Is it okay with you?”

Goodness grief, the determination in this girl. How important can that scholarship be?!

“S..sure..? I… I’ll make you some tea..” he winced in pain, taking a step towards the kitchen, but stoppped when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned, only to face a stern-looking Y/N. “Kuroo, rest. I know this is your house and I’m a guest, but in your defense, I came here on my own accord, and you’re sick. You should rest. I will drag you to your bed, by your feet if you insist on entertaining me.”

What is she? A mother? Oh wait, she kinda is.

He chuckled. “Okay, okay..”

He wanted to say more. Thanks for coming. Make yourself at home. I’ll buy you ice-cream when I get well. Thanks for helping me with the notes. Thanks for understanding and not getting mad.

But his body is aching all over, and all he could do is to just listen to her, and walked into his room. After handing everything he had on the assignment to her, he fell onto his bed , sleep immediately overtaking him.

He gained consciousness every now and then, only to shift his position and fall back into slumber. His fever is really bad this time around, and the fact that he has his assignment partner doing all the work in his living room is making him feel even worse. Not to mention, his family members are not around.

“..roo.”

He dreams of warm, chicken soup. He has no appetite to eat, but it would be nice to have some, to help him get better.

“Kuroo-kun.”

He felt something cool on his head. A hand. He wasn’t sure if his mind is playing tricks, but he could smell chicken soup.

“Kuroo-kun, hey, wake up.”

Another hand shook him gently, and he pried his eyes open, only to see Y/N sitting on his bed next to him, a bowl on her lap.

“Y/N..?” his voice came out hoarse.

“Here. I made you some porridge and ginger tea. Can you sit up?”

Truthfully, the ache on his joints says no. But the captain in him insisted, and as he was struggling to sit up, he noticed that she had her hands steady on his shoulders, ready to guide him if he suddenly falls to his side. His head is spinning, and it takes some time for his vision to clear.

Wait. She said she made porridge?

He stared at the bowl on her lap. She handed him the cup of tea. “Did you just---” he pointed to the bowl.

“I know, I know.. I used your kitchen and some ingredients in the fridge.. I’m sorry. I waited for a while to see if any of your family members would come home. Maybe they would bring home some food. But no one did, so I went ahead and cooked.. sorry.. I’ll pay you back for the ingredients I used. It’s just.. you looked like you hadn’t eaten anything today.”

No, that’s not the point, silly.

He stared at her in disbelief.

And something, like a gentle wave, is washing over him from all sides.

Kuroo looked at this girl.

This unbelievable girl.

Did he do something to deserve this kindness?

Stop.

Why is she so nice? So unquestionably thoughtful?

Stop it.

If he didn’t feel it before, Kuroo can definitely feel it now, that warmth inside his chest, blooming bigger and bigger. Like an onslaught, refusing to spare him.

As if it’s going to explode anytime soon. Has it always been there?

“Yeah.. my dad usually comes home from work at night, and my grandparents are visiting our relatives in Chiba for a week. So.. yeah.” he took the bowl in silence, inhaled the smell of chicken, rice and spices, and at the first taste of the warm porridge on his tongue, Kuroo immediately slumped, his emotions are suddenly so overwhelming that he could feel heat prickling on his eyes. He hadn’t felt this fragile in such a long time.

Bullets fly, from his left and right, front and back. There is nowhere to hide.

She noticed the change. “Kuroo-kun..? Hey, you alright? Is it too hot? Are you in pain?” Y/N panicked, quickly taking the bowl away and trying to get him to drink the tea.

What is this?

He couldn’t understand.

Kuroo shook his head lightly. For some reason, words just failed him. What is this feeling? Why does it seem like he had missed this feeling for so long? This gentleness, this--this

-yearning?

The next thing Y/N realized, she was in his arms. She couldn’t see his face, her own is buried his chest, but he was shaking, and she could hear a faint, shaky whisper of “thank you” from him, and it was enough for her to understand.

How he didn’t mention his mother. How there seem to be a lack of a female’s touch in certain corners of the house. How she noticed that there were mostly men’s shoes in the doorway.

She gently pat him on his back, as she would often do when her little brothers get sick.

+++

“You seem off today.” said Kenma, fishing his water bottle out of his bag, panting. Today’s practice is harsh as usual, but exciting nevertheless, since they are very much looking forward to see their good friends from Fukurodani.

“Do I?” Kuroo asked. “The Science assignment, I guess. I’m just hoping that I’ll do well. I mean, Y/N wants to maintain her grades. She’s aiming for a scholarship, you know.”

There was a short silence before Kenma chuckled and spoke, “Why does it sound like you’re bragging? You make it sound like she’s your girlfriend or something.”

Kuroo tensed. It was a nonchalant comment, but it definitely got to him.

G....girlfriend?

He had never thought about dating anyone. He had always been occupied with volleyball practice. Y/N however, might be different. She’s probably dating someone, considering how wonderful she is. Kuroo stared at her, her eyes are currently focused on the sheets of paper and cue cards.

Does she have a boyfriend? Who is he? Does he get upset whenever she spends her time with him?

And somehow, that thought alone irked him.

“So..maybe it’s better if we connect this part with this example right here. I think it’ll make it easier for us to get our point across.” she said, pointing to said contents on the notes.

“Yeah, okay. Sure.”

That attitude did not go unnoticed.

“Kuroo-kun.” she called. “Are you alright?”

“Hm? Yeah.” Kuroo doodled circles on a piece of paper, refusing any eye contact.

“You don’t look alright. You’re clearly upset.”

“How’d you know?” Kuroo asked.

“You scrunch your nose when you’re upset.”

“No, I don’t!” he exclaimed, covering his nose.

Y/N laughed. “Okay, you don’t, but still, I know you’re not okay. Is something bothering you?”

Kuroo was silent before answering her. “It’s.. nothing. I’m just not thinking clearly, I guess.” Kuroo scratched his head. How does she know?

“You want to talk about it?”she asked again, this time staring at him straight in the eyes. To make sure he knows that she will listen if he decided to share something.

That stare. Those eyes. Oh, how different it feels whenever he’s with her. With her, he is not the captain of Nekoma vc. With her, he doesn’t have to focus on leading anything or anyone. With her, he doesn’t have to hide his feelings (she can see through him anyway). With her, he is just Kuroo Tetsurou from Class 5.

There it is again. That warmth. Blooming. Bigger and bigger.

She still waits for his response.

There is no escape.

“Y/N, I..”

She listens.

“I..I think I….li--”

The classroom door slid open, revealing a tall boy with light grey hair, panting for air. “Captaaaaaiin! I’m here to get you!”

Kuroo almost fell off his chair in shock. Talk about the worst timing ever. “Lev..! You idiot!” he muttered under his breath.

“Where were you?! You’re late! Practice started 15 minutes ago! Why didn’t you text back?! They had me searching for you all over the school!”

“What? Oh! Crap! I forgot!” Kuroo stood up in panic. Crap crap crap. Now he even forgets his captain duties. The practice match with Fukurodani is on the weekend and here he is, not being able to function well in neither his assignment nor practice!

“You have practice today? You didn’t tell me?” Y/N looked at him

“Yeah. I forgot. Sorry, both the presentation and the upcoming practice match with Fukurodani is getting to me, I guess.”

He lied, hoping she would not see through that lie.

Fortunately, she didn’t. With a soft sigh, she placed her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Tetsurou. We’ll do well.”

Tetsurou.

As if he was struck by lightning, it took a while before Kuroo could move. Tetsurou. Tetsurou. It sounds different when she says it. It sounds good when she says it.

Y/N stood up and tidied up the table, packing her stuff. “You go ahead. I’ll clean up. Uh… Lev-kun? Sorry you had to come all over here to look for your captain. If I had known, I would’ve sent him to the gym hall.” Y/N gave the tall boy a smile, and Kuroo noticed how the younger boy’s ears turned into a darker shade of red.

“It… It’s okay!” the boy replied enthusiastically.

Kuroo doesn’t like it.

“Let’s go,” he simply said, and dragged the boy with him.

+++

“Let’s do this.” Y/N whispered, their presentation is being projected onto the white screen. Kuroo nodded. They had done everything they could for the contents of the presentation, they even did a mock presentation the day before to make sure they deliver the contents smoothly.

“For some reason this feels like a volleyball match.” he commented, gripping his cue cards in both excitement and nervousness.

She smiled at him, though she too, shares the same feelings. “Well then, if that is so, I’ll be in your care today, captain.” she smiled.

Captain.

His heart beats faster, harder, not because of the presentation alone, and Kuroo knows it.

Bigger. Blooming bigger. Hotter.

“Phew, that was nerve-wrecking!” she exclaimed, obviously relieved that everything is over. If the applause they received from their classmates and teacher is any indication of how well they did in their presentation, they could say that they did pretty well.

“Now that this is over, I can focus on the practice match with Fukurodani this weekend.” Kuroo puts away his notes, sighing in relief.

“I wish you luck with that. Sadly there is nothing I can help you with.” she said apologetically.

“Nah, you’ve done enough. I still hadn’t bought you your well-deserved ice cream, for taking care of me the other day.”

She laughed at him. “Well, don’t you forget that.”

Kuroo took some moment before speaking, unsure of how he should choose his next words.

“Uh, anyhow, Y/N.. Do you want to come to see our match this weekend..?”

Kuroo himself didn’t expect that he would say that. It just came out, and he immediately added, “I mean, if you have time! If you don’t have anything to do on that day! You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but it would be great if you’d come, you know!-- For.. for--”

He stopped himself when he noticed her staring at him with an expression that he could not read.

“-for moral s..support..”

The last part came out shaky.

Her eyes brightened. “I’d love to. Not sure how much support I can give, though. I don’t know much about volleyball.” Y/N replied, pink tinting her cheeks.

Kuroo beamed. “N..No worries! Just cheer for us!”

++++

The day came, and when Y/N arrived at the hall, she immediately noticed the white jackets close to her, warming up and talking to each other. Nekoma’s team is across the hall, but she doesn’t think that it would be appropriate to come up to them. After all, the only person she’s familiar with is Kuroo, and she had only talked to Kenma and Lev once.

Lost, she looked around to find a place to sit and wait for the match to start. As she turned around, a tall presence stood behind her.

“Hey hey hey? You seem lost!”

No lie, she felt like a midget next to him. He isn’t just tall. He’s pretty big, as well. Looking at his grey spiky hair and big eyes, Y/N couldn’t help feeling a little intimidated.

“Uh, no… I’m just waiting for the match to start.. I…I’ll be going, then..”

Her attempt to escape failed when the boy spoke, “Wait! Will you be cheering for us? You should! We’re pretty awesome, you know! We will win this--”

“Hyaaaaaah!”

Kuroo ran from afar and tackled the boy down.

“Idiot rooster head! What was that for?!” the boy pushed Kuroo off him. It seems like that tackle didn’t affect him even a little bit.

“What were you doing to Y/N, Bokuto?” Kuroo asked, calm, but irritated. He pinched Bokuto’s cheeks really hard.

“Oi, oi! I did nothing! Oww! AKAAAAASHIIII!”

Y/N can only watch. Another dark haired boy came and tapped on Kuroo’s head. “He asked her to cheer for us.

“Haaaaah??!!” Kuroo pinched harder.

“Akaaaaashiiii!!”

After a few smacks on his arm, Kuroo finally released the boy he called Bokuto, and stood next to Y/N. “She! Will! Be! Cheering! For! Me!”

Bokuto stared at him in disdain and pouted.“Huh? Why should she? You’re not even that good.”

“Haaaah?!!”

As another one of their bickering started, Kenma tapped on Y/N’s shoulder. “I think you should go up there. It’s pretty dangerous down here during the game.”

+++

It was like a new world for her. The crisp sound of the ball being hit, the cheers every time any one of the teams scored, and the intensity of the game itself truly amazed her. She got lost sometimes, not understanding why points were given, but it didn’t stop her from watching the whole match.

Bokuto and Kuroo, she noticed, despite being good friends, can also get on each other’s nerves very easily.

And Kenma radiates a different energy when he’s in the court. He was right, too. Y/N could’ve easily get hit by a stray ball if she stayed close around the court.

Kuroo, on the other hand, looks so different. He’s not the same person as he usually is in class. From what Y/N could observe, the team really listens to him, respects him even and there is this intensity to his demeanor. Where did the laid-back guy go to?

It was clear to her why all those people (again, mostly girls, but what’s the difference?) surround him all the time.

He looked up, looking at her after he successfully blocked a particularly hard spike from Fukurodani (Bokuto’s, to be exact). He flashed her a wide, teethy smile and gave her two thumbs up. For some reason, her ears feel hot, and she smiled back at him. Lev noticed her looking at them from above and frantically waved at her. She waved back, laughing. Kuroo frowned at him.

Lev noticed his captain’s stare and pouted. “I blocked that spike too!”

The game was exciting to watch. If she had known all along that this is how it feels like to watch a match, she would’ve come to every volleyball match as much as she could. Kuroo had once mentioned the names of other strong teams, one of them being Karasuno High School, complimenting Karasuno’s ‘shrimpy’ especially. She couldn’t help thinking that if Kuroo himself (who loves his team the most) respectfully acknowledges that team, then it definitely means that they must truly be a force to reckon with. A match between Nekoma and Karasuno would be as intense as this one, if not more.

As the match proceeds, the heat in the court gradually got to Y/N, and she doesn’t notice that she is no longer holding back her voice. She cheers for Nekoma, claps her hands when Fukurodani scored points (smug was evident on Bokuto’s face, only to spur Kuroo on), and without realizing it, as Bokuto was about to spike hard, she was screaming someone’s name.

Everyone in the hall cheered in amazement. Nekoma managed to block that spike, the ball bounced back too quickly for Fukurodani’s libero to save.

Y/N’s breath hitched when the whistle was blown, ending the match with Nekoma’s victory.

Her eyes automatically darted to Kuroo, who fantastically blocked that last attack, and she saw the pure joy on his face, smiling at his teammates and rival team, before finally, at her.

And she swore she felt time stopped.

She stood outside the gym hall. She wasn’t sure how long she should stay inside, or if she should see Kuroo to congratulate him and the team.

“Hey hey hey! It’s you again!” Bokuto appeared behind her, with the team. Why is he everywhere?

Y/N bowed. “Your team was amazing. Please do come again for practice matches, Bokuto-san.” Y/N said, already familiar with the grey-haired captain. The boy beamed with joy. “We were, right?! Ah, if only you didn’t cheer for that rooster head and cheered for us instead, we could’ve won!” Bokuto said, though Y/N wasn’t sure if he was just joking or truly regretful.

“Wait, did you hear me?” she suddenly grew alert. He couldn’t have, right? Was it that loud?

“Hm?The whole hall did? You called Tetsurou’s name like, really really loudly.”

And in an instant, her face turned beet red.

Suddenly, she remembered. She actually did call Kuroo’s name. Screamed, to be exact.

“Tetsurou, you can do it!!”

Oh. Oh no.

What was she thinking?!

It wasn’t like her at all! What is this?!

“Ah, her face is red.” Bokuto commented in confusion. “But like I said, next time, you should definitely cheer for us! We are much better than---OWWWW!”

Bokuto was tackled down again, Kuroo appearing out of nowhere, pinching his cheeks for the nth time that day.

“Akaaaaaaashiiiiiii!!!!”

++++++++

Kuroo waves his hand as Fukurodani’s bus leaves the premise. Y/N stood next to him, doing the same thing. After the bus disappears from sight, Kuroo turns to her. He was wearing this smile that Y/N couldn’t read. “Thank you so much for coming, Y/N.” he spoke. The setting sun hits him differently. He looks gorgeous, Y/N thought.

Y/N doesn’t know why, they are talking normally as they always do, but her heart seems to beat faster than usual.

“Well, I hope I managed to give you the moral support you asked for.” she replied.

Kuroo smirked. “You definitely did. I didn’t even know you can scream that loud.” he chuckled.

She turned red again, this time caught by Kuroo. He laughed. “You should watch us play again next time. It’s good to hear people cheering for you. Especially when they’re suuuper loud.”

She huffed at his teasing. “You normally have a lot of friends to do that, anyway.”

“Yeah, but I want to hear yours.”

Y/N was rendered speechless. She looked at Kuroo, looking for any hint of playfulness, maybe he’s joking around again, maybe she should tease him back,-

but there was none. He was looking at her, eyes intense, awaiting for something from her.

“Kuroo..-”

“I--” he cut her off, “I don’t know how to say this, Y/N.. I’m not used to it.. but..I just…I know that.. I want to be with you.”

Y/N’s breath hitched quietly, not expecting Kuroo to confess his feelings so directly like that.

“You don’t have to answer immediately. I just.. I don’t think I can hide it any longer. Especially after you screamed my name in front of everyone like that. I thought I was going to explode out of sheer happiness.”

Kuroo took a shallow breath before continuing, “Whatever your answer is, I just want you to know that I enjoy you around me a lot. Even if you can’t return these feelings, I still hope we can still be friends. It’s nice to have a--”

This time, Y/N cuts him off, pulling him down into a tight hug. Kuroo’s eyes widened in shock.

“This is my answer, Tetsurou.” she spoke, voice trembling, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Trying to get over his shock, Kuroo gently wraps his arms around her waist, trying to hold himself back. He wanted to hold her tighter, to wash away any traces of disbelief in his heart, -she likes me too?- but he wasn’t sure how she would take that.

“Y/N…” he whispers her name, and she tightened her embrace. If there’s anything that he understands about her, he knows that she is definitely more actions than words. He understands what that means.

I like you. A lot.

This time, Kuroo doesn’t hesitate. He hugged her tight, unwilling to let go even a second. His heart is bursting with love and joy, and he instantly becomes sure that this is the person that he wants to be with.

For the rest of his life.

Eventually, they pulled apart, because Lev and the rest of the team emerged from behind them.

“I want a hug too!”

Y/N laughed while Kuroo stared at the first-year in disbelief. “How dense can you be? Can’t you read the atmosphere here??”

“BUT I BLOCKED THOSE SPIKES TOO! I DESERVE A HUG!”

“Then go hug Yaku!” Kuroo pointed at said boy.

“Aw, hell no!”

Yaku ran when Lev sprinted towards him.

________________________________________________________

[A/N] How did this get so long? Thanks for reading! I’ll work hard to improve!

#kuroo tetsurou #kuroo tetsuro x reader #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu fluff

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