#i’ve actually never run into a dress that i’m unable to zip up myself but the point stands😤

[napping-sapphic]

Life is actually about wearing a dress and daydreaming about someone you love zipping it up for you btw

[ficsxreaderr]

Music to my eyes [7]

OKAY I AM BACK, NOT THAT ANYONE MISSED ME BUT HERE IT IS. LOVE Y'ALL

Pairing: Single dad!Bucky Barnes x reader. (Modern day AU)

Summary: As a simple worker at a record store, there’s so much  you want to do in life yet, which doesn’t involve a serious relationship  and much less a relationship with a guy who’s a father. Once you meet  Bucky Barnes you’re not sure you can live up to that anymore.

Requests are open. Tagging for a permanent list and this fic are open.

Reblogging and feedback are welcome and appreciated!

Series masterlist | Masterlist

“Sam, you better come here and help me get ready.” You tell him on the phone as you prepare your first cup of coffee of the day, on Steve’s wedding day.

“But I’m one of the groomsmen, we got to be there early because you’re my plus one.”

“I’m a punctual woman, I thought you knew that. Come on, you got to help me with my hair and tell me how the dress looks.”

“Alright, but I’ll be rushing you, you have to know that.”

“I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”

Right after you’ve taken a shower, you hear a knock on your door, knowing it’s Sam. Putting on your bathrobe and a towel to dry your hair, you walk out of the bathroom and get the door.

“Please tell me you’re not going dressed like that.” Sam says the second you open. You roll your eyes at him and step aside to let him in.

“Can I get you anything? Did you have lunch already?” You ask as you walk into the kitchen and pour each of you a glass of lemonade.

“Yeah, I ate something on my way here, figured you wouldn’t want to eat while doing your makeup.” He says, stepping into the kitchen after he’s put his tux on the hanger.

“Good choice.” You nod as both of you take a sip of lemonade. Both of you make your way to your room, where you’ve set everything you need to get ready.

“Wow, women really are complicated, huh?” He says as he stops to look around. “Where do you even start?”

“I’ll start with my makeup and you start with my hair.” You shrug as you sit on your stool and take off the towel from your head. He walks in and chuckles, and he takes the hair dryer to plug it in.

“Y/N, are we going to talk about…well, you know what.” He asks as you start ordering your things and decide not to look at him, knowing you’re still trying to avoid the subject.

“I don’t know, Sam, I…I feel like an idiot. Dry my hair and I’ll think about it meanwhile.” He shakes his head and does as you say.

Once your hair is dry and you’ve started with your makeup, he waits for the hair straightener to heat as he sits on the edge on the bed.

“Can we talk about it now?” He says, more amused that serious.

“Sam!” You scream, turning around in your stool. “What is there to talk about? I…messed up.” You go back to your makeup and he stands behind you, grabbing the straightener to see if it’s heated. “What has he said? No, wait, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.”

“He misses you, he wishes he’d never try to kiss you if he’d known it just drive you away.” He says as he starts straightening your hair.

“But that’s not why I left, Sam, not exactly. I wanted to walk away even before that…”

“But it was really bad timing, you know, I’m sorry to say it…”

“No, you’re right, I looked like a jerk, but…I didn’t want to hurt him. Just wanted to do what was right…for everyone.”

“And what exactly is that? You’re not happy, he’s not happy, and Sarah certainly isn’t…”

“Yeah, I know that, too…I messed up, I told you. He’s never talking to me again and I can’t blame him.”

/

Sam has kindly let you use his hotel room so you can change and add the finishing touches to your makeup. At the sight of the amazing hotel Peggy and Steve have booked, you wonder how on Earth they could ever afford it, you could never. Only Sam’s room is huge, it makes you think what the bridal suite must be like. You settle your bag on the bed and your makeup on the marquee, welcoming the soft rug beneath your bare feet. Hanging the dress on a hanger by the door, you unzip its cover bag and stare at it for a moment, thinking it was an amazing choice for this night. It doesn’t matter how awful you feel for what you did, you’re still intending to fix it, but it scares you that he might not even want to hear you or that if he does, that he turns you down. And it wouldn’t even surprise you.

After you’ve made the finishing touches to your makeup, you finally put your dress on, sliding it carefully up your body. Staring at your reflection, you love how the dress hugs every curve of your body, how the thin straps leave your chest uncovered and with a gentle turn, you can see how the half of your back is uncovered, just like you wanted it to. The rosewood satin suits you just perfectly but there’s just one problem, you can’t zip this dress on your own, and you curse Sam for leaving you at the moment. You hear the door to the contiguous room open and you’re glad Sam’s finally back.

Without turning around, you speak, “Sam, finally! Would you mind—” You’re interrupted as you see Sam’s not the one standing across the room, and you clench the back of your dress in nervousness. Your heart stops beating for a moment and you let out a breath before you pass out. “Bucky, hi, I’m sorry, I—”

“Hi, Y/N, I thought Sam was here.” He clenches his hand around the doorknob, hesitant to say anything else. Bucky freezes at the sight of you for two main reasons: one, he misses you, he misses you like crazy and he didn’t know he wanted you that much in his life until the day you stopped calling and visiting; and, two, even with the zipper undone, the dress you picked for tonight is definitely Bucky’s greatest weakness. He’s not sure if you look more beautiful because he hasn’t seen you in so long or because you really know how to dress for a wedding, but he is certain that he’s never been more in love with you than right now.

“He…let me use his room to get ready.” You clear your throat. A moment goes by in complete silence, it feels like an eternity, until he decides to speak.

“I-I can help you…with your dress.” He finally lets go of the doorknob and you notice him fidgeting his fingers. Your mouth goes dry and you need to swallow to gain some composure.

“Thanks, that’d be great.” You nod and wait as he steps inside the room and slowly walks towards you. All the tension of this moment let you forget how handsome he looks in that tux, how his perfectly combed hair and not-so-elegant-but-still-attractive stubble adorn his features and how lucky whoever’s walking with him down the aisle is. Once he’s inches away from you, you turn around so he can zip up your dress. Looking down at your feet, you’re afraid to look in the mirror and meet his eyes there. He is distracted, for a moment, by your intoxicating scent and how soft and glowing your skin looks as the afternoon sunlight that slips through the drapes hits it. You let go off the fabric, and he slowly zips it, careful not to pinch your skin or ruin your dress for that matter. Turning around, you feel a bit dizzy, not sure why, but you find Bucky’s eyes staring at you, a few inches apart now, and you can’t get your brain to articulate even one word.

“How have you been?” You ask after what seemed like hours and he replies almost instantly,

“I’m okay…I mean, I’ve been great, spending a lot of time with Sarah and…everyone else.” He nods, and he really sounds like he’s been doing alright, like he hasn’t missed you like you’ve missed him. Maybe he is better off without you. “You look…amazing.” His weak heart betrays him, and he blurts it out. “H-how have you been?”

“Thanks.” You offer a small smile. “I guess I’ve been okay,” You shrug, unable to hide how you’ve not been okay. “I was really excited about this wedding, Peggy and Steve are-”

“Made for each other.” He interrupts you and you swear there’s a trace of a smile on his face.

“Exactly.” You nod and sigh before saying what’s been killing you inside, even if it will hurt if it doesn’t go as you want it to. “Bucky, I need to talk to you.”

“Of course.” He nods. “I…I think I need to say some things too.”

“I know and…” You sit on the bed and he quickly follows so you’re facing each other. “I’m really sorry for what I did, I didn’t want you to think that I walked away because you…tried to kiss me. It’s not like that.”

“Then what happened, Y/N? ‘Cause I really feel like I messed everything up and I didn’t want things to happen like that, it was all good with us.”

“Since I met you, I knew there was something about you…and when I found out you had a kid-”

“Of course, I knew it…” He stands up, running a hand through his hair, but you’re quick to grab his wrist and make him stop.

“Bucky, no, I know what you’re thinking, just let me finish.” He sits down again, and now it really hurts to see the look on his face, how saddened he seems after what you said; you never wanted to be the cause of that. “Bucky, there’s…a lot I want to do in my life, in fact, there’s barely anything I’ve actually done and…I’ve always wanted to make room for someone that came into my life so we could share everything together. But I got scared and that’s the only word I can find because I am, in fact, a coward. I’ve never thought of having a family, it’s never been in my plans or my dreams, but when I started having feelings for you I…all I wanted was to be with you and with Sarah, no matter what. But it scares me that I can’t keep up with the life you have…because it’s still not…the life I want. And I walked away because…I couldn’t control what I felt anymore, and I didn’t want you to get hurt if I stayed longer…and I also didn’t want to hurt myself.” You both stare for a moment at each other, and his expression changes, he relaxes and his eyes shine a tiny bit…but you know it’s there, the slight hope that he might not hate you and that he will forgive you for treating him so poorly.

“It was so hard to see you didn’t come back or called…or texted. I figured I messed everything up and I’d just lost you. The last thing I wanted was to look for you because I thought I could only make it worse-”

“Before you continue…let me just say that you have nothing to be sorry about, I didn’t expect anything and not because I didn’t expect it from you, it’s just that I ruined it and it was obvious that no one would want to look for me after that.”

“I just want you back in my life, Y/N, I’ve missed you and even if nothing happens between us…I miss my friend, too. And the reason I combed my hair like this is because I need a haircut, and no one understands my hair like you do.” He says as he runs a hand through his hair, chuckling. It makes you laugh, and oh, how you missed this feeling of him making dumb jokes and you hitting his arm ridiculously hard.

“So, you’re only looking for a haircut? ‘Cause I’m going to start charging you if you don’t want to be my friend.” You cross your arms and bite your lip as you amuse yourself looking at the scared look he puts on.

“No! That’s not it! I…miss everything.” He blushes as you chuckle, the one thing you could watch forever: his blushed, stubble-covered cheeks. “Sarah misses you, too, a lot.” Your heart melts when you hear those words, because as much as you were never a ‘kids’ person’, Sarah is certainly the exception, but what could you expect? She was raised by a guy like him.

“Aw, Buck.” You shake your head with a small smile. “I miss both of you, too.” He takes a deep breath and smiles broadly, making you do it too, because for so long you hadn’t seen that and it’s such a weight off your shoulders to finally talk things through.

“So…will you dance with me tonight? I was really looking forward to this, you know.” His almost apologetic frown makes you smile broadly and before you know it, you’ve taken his hand in yours and you notice how he flinches.

“I’m sure we can dance at least one song…unless your date isn’t so fond of the idea.” You suggest, hoping deep down he didn’t bring one, because you didn’t even think of bringing one yourself.

“I didn’t bring a date.” He quickly shrugs and it makes you let out a breath. “Did you?”

“If you consider Sam a date, then I did.” You reply as you chuckle, both of you knowing what a big joke that is, so you make him laugh.

“I’m going to have to borrow you from him, then.” He gives your hand a gentle squeeze and both of you smile at each other. “Thanks for talking to me.”

“Thanks for…listening, I know I probably didn’t deserve it but…”

“No, don’t say that, I know you really are sorry.”

“I am.” You nod in reassurance.

/

After the lovely ceremony, which you didn’t expect less from, you’ve moved to the reception where apparently Peggy picked up the most beautiful decorations and colors, and you feel like you’re inside of a magazine…a magazine you’re probably never going to buy but you’ve surely seen enough of. Sipping your drink, watching all the couples dancing and smiling at each other makes you smile, too. You glance at Sam as he’s most likely hitting on a bridesmaid, which actually doesn’t surprise you, and she seems to be having a great time, too. You shake your head as Sam glances back at you and he nods in your direction, making you frown at him. As you take another sip of your drink, you’re startled by a low voice talking behind you,

“I knew you didn’t bring a date but I didn’t think you’d be sitting down for this.” You stand up and turn to see Bucky with his hands in his pockets and with a billion-dollar smile.

“Heels are a pain, you know? I stand for five minutes and I have to sit down for fifteen.” You put your hands on your hips.

“And are those 15 over?”

“You know what, they are.” You nod with a smile.

“Good, five minutes is enough for a song.” He shrugs

“Of course I could dance barefoot, I’m a much better dancer without these things.”

“And that would give us more than five minutes.” He says as he takes a few steps until he’s closer to you, letting you drown in the blue of his eyes. Your gaze meets his and he gives you that lopsided grin you’ve fallen in love with all this time.

“A lot more, I think.” You almost murmur and he offers his hand with his palm up so you can take it. You smile at him and tangle your fingers with his.

“Aren’t you gonna take off your heels?”

“You’re too tall for me, I’ll take them off when my feet hurt.” You shrug and both of you walk to the dance floor. He wanted to fight the urge to put his arm around you, but he couldn’t, you were too close to him and he had waited for this for too long now, he wasn’t going to wait any longer. The warm feeling of his hand through your dress made you stiffen, and you looked up at him in reassurance. He smiled at you and squeezed your waist gently before leading you to start dancing. His timing was so accurate that the song is slow but fun to dance to, but then again, any song would be fun with him around. The way he easily sways with you at a rhythm that feels choreographed is unbelievable, it’s like both of you were so made for each other that even dancing seems like the easiest thing with him.

“You know your friends are gonna give you a lot of crap later, right?”

“I’d be an idiot if I didn’t know that, but I’m willing to pay that price. I’m hoping I don’t have to see them later, though.” He quirks up an eyebrow, suggestively and you smile at that, knowing exactly what he meant.

“You’re quite optimistic.” You nod and make him chuckle.

“I like to believe that.”

“I can’t believe I missed so much time with you for being so stubborn.” You shake your head and he frowns.

It’s like you just agreed to say nothing anymore and your gazes meet, as easily as they always did. This kind of heart rush you’ve only felt it a few times in your life and one of them was the day he tried to kiss you and you fucking ran away. It’s the most beautiful feeling, especially with him, because you know what’s coming and you can’t but enjoy every second you stare at each other and your faces draw closer to each other’s until your noses brush against each other’s.

“I’m really going to kiss you, you know.” He murmurs against your lips.

“I know.” You reply almost silently, until he finally presses his lips against yours and you kiss him back with an easiness that you could only feel with him. He brings your body closer to his, if that’s possible, and you slowly put your arms around his neck, clinging to him as if it could make this moment last longer. Many people are watching, but that’s not a concern for you right now because after all this time and after all those nights wondering if Bucky would ever come back to you, this is all you’ve wanted and there’s nothing that can ruin this. His hands clench around your waist and it really feels that you’re his and he’s yours finally, the kiss is long, but not long enough for your liking and he slowly pulls away, unable to erase his smile.

“Well, that’s new.” You murmur with a wide grin, making him chuckle and look down, trying to hide his blushed cheeks. “If I got paid for every time you blushed…” You add, making him look up again and stare as he bites his lip.

“It’s your fault, I can’t control that!” He says almost laughing, and you laugh too as both of you have forgotten you were dancing in the first place. Looking around you, you take Bucky’s hand in yours and lead him out of the dance floor and out of the room, hoping that not many people saw you, but then again, it doesn’t really matter to you. You get to an empty, wide hallway and find a wide couch where you sit, taking off your heels.

“Y/n, what are you doing?” He puts his fists on his hips, chuckling.

“Come here,” You tap the cushion. He chuckles again and joins you, propping his elbow on the back rest, staring at you.

“I just didn’t want everybody looking at us, we’ve been waiting for a moment like this and I don’t want it to be ruined.” You add, putting your legs beneath you, covering them with your long dress. He tilts his head to one side, smiling at you. His blue eyes glow the more you stare at them, and they speak more than anything you could possibly say right now. “You’ve always looked at me like that and I’ve known exactly what you meant.” You reach up to caress his stubble, tracing your thumb along his cheekbone.

“I can’t believe I finally have you, that’s all.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Come here.” He says, grabbing your waist and pulling you closer to him, until your leg is propped on his lap and he caresses your thigh slow and rhythmically.

“If I fall asleep here, you’re going to have to carry me to Sam’s room, you know.” You say as you rest your head on the backrest and look up at him. He laughs and leans over to kiss you, smiling against your lips.

“I know that, sweetheart.” He nods.

/

Your phone buzzed and buzzed over the bedside table and as sleepy as you were, you couldn’t ignore it. Reaching for your phone, you barely check your notifications, seeing you have countless texts from Sam and a couple missed calls. You realize you’re on 20%, so you decide you’ll text him back whenever you get out of bed and get a charger. Sighing deeply, you shift on your place and stare at the ceiling for a while, thinking of everything that happened the night before and how it all still feels like a dream, like something you’d only made up in your head. With a short glance, you realize he’s still sleeping, rather soundly, and you slowly slide out of the bed, trying not to move him or make any noise. You find your dress lying on the floor, but a dress definitely isn’t a comfortable morning wear, so you put on Bucky’s t-shirt from last night and smile as the smell of his cologne hits your nostrils, still lingering from last night. After having had quite a few drinks and very hasty night, you feel the need to wash your face and clean up a little bit; your makeup still lingers from last night, and it’s not as horrid as you thought it’d be, but you try to remove some stains and whatever makes you look like you woke up with a hangover. You find a little brand-new mouthwash by the sink and use a bit of it, to freshen up. After brushing your hair, you feel you’re now rather decent, and go back to bed. Climbing slowly up the bed, you notice he’s still sleeping and looking so relaxed and at peace. As you cover your body with the duvet, he shifts in his place, sighing deeply as he rubs his eyes with the back of his hands. You watch him as he turns to see you and gives you the biggest smile one can get at this time of the day.

“Good morning.” You smile at him, running your fingers through his hair as he closes his eyes for a second, sighing softly at your touch.

“Morning, doll.” He replies with a deeper voice than you know. “Sleep well?” He asks, with a light frown, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Of course I did, you?” He hums, and props his elbow on the pillow, and you mimic his position.

“I’ll be right back.” He says, getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom wearing only his briefs, letting you admire for a moment his sculpted chest and back, making you curse yourself for waiting so long for this to happen. You assume he went to wash up, too, and as he comes back into the room he stops and frowns. “Are you wearing my t-shirt?” He puts his fists on his hips, making his arms and chest look even better from where you’re sitting.

“Of course I am, I had to get up earlier and it was the first thing I found.” You shrug, and he shakes his head, climbing back on the bed. Both of you sit on the bed, crossing your legs and you stretch out your arms, feeling your back relax right after.

“I must have like five hundred texts from Sam.” He runs a hand through his still messy hair.

“I’m sure I have twice that.” You roll your eyes, thinking about every single joke Sam must be making up right now, saving them for the moment he sees you and Bucky together. Wait…are you two together? What did last night mean? Did it mean anything at all? Your head’s filled with all the questions you’ve wanted to avoid all this time and clearly your face can’t hide your concern.

“Y/N, are you okay?” You shake your head and smile at him, trying to hide whatever’s bugging you.

“Yeah, I was just, um…thinking about…” He stares at you, his eyes glistening in the way they always do when he’s around you. He always looks you in the eye when he listens to you, he’s a great listener. You gaze at him for a moment and remember every single moment he’s made you feel as if you’re floating, of every time you thought of him when buying a CD or a record and how he would like it when he borrowed it from you, when you watched him make Sarah her favorite waffles and every Saturday breakfast you shared. There was nothing you could do, you were in love with Bucky Barnes.

“About…what an idiot I am for taking so long to…do this.” He leans over and kisses you, a deep but short kiss, resting his hand on your neck.

“Are you sure? Is that it?” He frowns, caressing your cheek with his thumb. You nod give him a small smile.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” You sigh and gaze at him for yet another moment, relishing in the peace of this moment. “I had a lot of fun last night…but…” You take a second to think and finally realize that there’s something you need to say now before it’s too late. “I’m scared of hurting you and Sarah, of getting involved in that small family you have there and messing it all up.”

“Y/N, doll, you’re not gonna hurt us, I want to be with you.” He takes your hands in his. “I can take care of myself…and Sarah. And all I know is that being with you is what I’ve wanted since you recommended all those CD’s and records at the store that day.” You narrow your eyes at him, unable to hide the smile he just caused on you.

“Really? Ever since that day?”

“Well, if you didn’t like me that day, then I didn’t like you either.” He holds up his hands. He makes you chuckle; he always makes you laugh. You grab a pillow and hit his head gently, making him fake an Ouch! and hit you back, messing up your hair.

“What are you, eight?” You laugh at him, fixing your hair and faking a judgmental face.

“I have a daughter younger than that, you know.” You chuckle, look down at your knotted fingers, thinking about how someone could ever walk away from him and Sarah and the wonderful home they make, then again, you don’t even know what happened with her, you don’t know who she is, how they met and how he ended up getting Sarah. You barely know anything about them and all the uncertainty has caused you the fear you feel right now.

“Y/N, honey, I still feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.” He says, making you look up at him. “Is it about Sarah?”

“No!” You quickly reply. “No, it’s not Sarah, I…I love that kid.” You assure him. “It’s just the fact that you’re a single dad and…that I still don’t know anything about…”

“Her mother?” He frowns, and it strikes you that maybe this wasn’t the moment to bring that up. You frown, too, nodding but he remains silent for a moment.

“You don’t have to tell me, it’s just that what’s held me back is that I don’t know enough about you and your story and you don’t know a lot of things about me either…”

“I want to tell you, Y/N.” he cuts you off. “I’ve been meaning to tell you but the moments weren’t right or I was afraid of doing it.”

“Which is exactly why you don’t have to tell me, Buck. I’m just always full of fears, even about things that feel…more than right.” You pause. “I don’t want to spoil this moment and last night, so let’s not talk about this for a moment.”

“I just…don’t want you to ever feel afraid of anything when you’re with me.” More than being crystal blue, Bucky’s eyes had a truth and emotion in them that you had never seen before. You’ve trusted people, you’ve believed in somebody’s good heart but not like this.

|Tagging some people I haven't talked to in a while but that I really appreciate (feel free to ask me to remove your tag)

@stuckonjbbarnes @mushyjellybeans @honeyvbarnes @babblingbonky @mrwinterr @valkyriesryde @mypassionsarenysins @livyourextralife

Permanent taglist: @imma-new-soul

Fic taglist: @eliza5616 @jamesbarnesappreciationclub @93generation

@shawnie--jo @cheeseedreams47

[blackberry-gingham]

This is a bit personal but how about beatle x reader headcannons/imagines of how the boys would react to their reader feeling self conscious about their body

No problem at all! So, I've seen this trope done quite a bit on other headcannon type pages for other fandoms, and since body insecurity is something very serious to me that I myself use to (and still do) deal with, I wanted to try and take this a little deeper then "you're sad, they tell you you're beautiful, the end", so I'm sorry if these get a touch angsty, but I promise everything works out ❤️

Also, I'm so sorry this took so long dear! These are somewhere between headcannons and my usual imagines, so I hope they're alright enough to make up for the wait! And remember, you're amazing and wonderful, just the way you are ❤️❤️❤️

George

Personally, I feel like George is sort of ?? forgotten ??? Of all the boys

By that I mean, like even non Beatle fans know Paul and John, and they might know Ringo just bc that name stands out, but George???

I mean, ik back before I was a fan I could never remember who "the fourth one" was

So anyway, even tho he's kind of in the background compared to the other three, that doesn't mean he's not sensitive to how the others are treated/feeling

At the end of the day I think he'd be his usual self and a good, sympathetic ear to insecurity issues

When he finds out, it's kind of an overtime process

He's use to bringing you snacks and take a little break like that with you, especially after a long day of recording or practice

But lately, you've been... Strange about it

Either straight up turning him down, or picking at the food and not really touching anything

He asks what's wrong, as gently as he can, seeing as he honestly already suspects the answer

You and George have been together for a while now, and he's always been easy to talk to, and understanding if you don't feel like sharing, so you feel that you can be honest

"I'm just... Trying to watch my figure, you know?"

He just kind of looks at you, confused at first

"Why?"

His face is hard to read, and yet still manages to turn to a completely different, very serious, emotion

"Has someone said something to you?"

You now have his full attention as he puts aside his guitar

You assure him that no, it's just a personal thing

"Oh", he nods

"Yeah", you nod

You're not sure how this makes you feel. Perhaps you're glad it's over, but you can't help but feel... Shunned?

But before you can ruminate too much, George brushes off his lap as though he's about to stand

Instead he sits back and looks at you

"Come here"

His voice is serious, but not quite stern

Invitingly, he becons you over and nods towards his lap

You look from his face to his long, thin legs

At first you decline, brushing it off almost as a joke

You look to your own legs

He can't be serious?

He asks you again, "Come on, I want to show you something"

At this point your curiosity is peaked

You get up and approach cautiously, as though he might run away

When the moment of truth arrives, you slowly, s l o w l y, begin to sit

Tired of waiting, George hooks his hands under your knees and pulls you forward

You fall onto his lap with a little thud and you figure this is it, expecting him to shove you off

Instead, when nothing happens, you dare to peak your scrunched up eyes open and see his smile waiting for you

He leans in for a gentle kiss, all the while his hands are resting on your thighs

His legs are like iron, not uncomfortable to sit on, quite the opposite actually, but strong in a way you hadn't expected

When the kiss is broken, he slides his palms up and out until they're resting on your hips

His callused fingers tickle a little, even through the fabric of your clothes

"So um, what were you going t-?"

He shushes and you, and picks up your hand in his

George brings the heel of your palm a mere inch away from his lips

He pauses just for a moment, making direct eye contact with you, before turning back to his work

He presses a trail of kisses along the inside of your arm, to the crook of your elbow, and up your bicep

You shiver, tensing as he goes up

But he doesn't recoil, or hesitate, or do anything of the sort

He gives equal love and attention to every inch of your flesh as he goes, only stopping at your shoulder to make sure you're still alright

As though giving permission, you bite your lip and give a subtle nod, curious to see what happens next

George releases your arm, now dedicating both hands to massaging your hips with all the thumb dexterity of a skilled guitarist

Next he moves along your shoulders, dropping down just a moment to give some attention to the bump of your collar bone

When he's done there, he lingers on your neck, gently kissing and sucking up and down before settling in one spot

After a moment, he starts humming a familiar tune against your skin

"Do you this song?", His voice is just a whisper

"Hm?"

"It's one of the first songs we wrote together"

George pulls back again to look at your face...

"As much as I love you for what's out here"

...Then presses one more kiss to your lips

"I love you even more for what's in here"

He kisses your forehead

Finally he pulls back one more time, and the way he looks at you is as though all the love in the world is inside those eyes

"Never forget that. Promise me"

You seal your promise with a kiss

John

Ok so I think we all know John struggled with an eating disorder(s)

So he knows the whole nine yards of what it's like being "overweight", "underweight", somewhere in between, and still never being good enough for everyone else

I mean John is basically infamous for having been body shamed and criticized out of all the boys, particularly in the early years

So all this to say, he knows how awful it feels

To wake up in the morning, try to get dressed, and take forever to choose an outfit because you hate how everything looks on you

To look in the mirror and be unable to stand your own reflection

To think once, twice, and yes, even thrice before enjoying your favorite little snack, or even just a regular meal

He wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy

And when he finds out that you, the most lovely person in the world, feel that way...

Oh, his heart breaks

All the boys would take this quite seriously of course, but John simply has a certain... understanding that the others don't

He finds out one night on a dinner date with you

You've picked at everything all night, hardly a bite

This is starting to form a pattern, and rest assured, he has been noticing

At the end of the meal, he asks if everything was alright in a way that references much more then the food

"Oh yes, fine", you force that same smile you always give when he asks that question

He waits until you're both in the comfort of your flat to breach the topic

You see, John is a man of many faces

The first layer is prickly and aggressive, the second is a mischievous joker, the third a sweet, but anxious individual

And under all those masks, the real John, is the most compassionate and loving man you've ever met

So when he does ask you what's really going on, he's very serious and very gentle

He wants you to know that you're safe to tell him anything and that he wants to help with whatever is so very clearly bothering you

It's tough to get it out, but John is patient and encouraging all the while and you manage it

You're surprised to hear that he suspected as much

John tries to go a little deeper, asking of there's anything particular that makes you feel this way or if it's just a constant thing

Regardless of your answer, he offers you what advice he can, from both personal experience and what he learned from his therapy sessions

John's not too great at comforting speeches, but he'll be damned if he doesn't do everything he can to make sure you know just how much he loves you

He loves you for your heart, and how patient and kind you are with not just him, but everyone

He loves you for your mind, and how you too can have deep conversations about topics that are important to you both

And perhaps most of all, he loves you for your personality and how you can poke a bit of fun, just like he does, and you aren't afraid to put him in his place when he's being an arse

"Is there anything I can do for you love?"

You smile, feeling just a bit better after his speech

"How's about a cuddle?"

John grins cheekily, "Now you're talking!"

He half tackles you from his seat beside you, turning your seated position into a reclining one

You can't help but laugh playfully as he easily picks you up in a bear hug and slips under you so you can rest on top of him

He presses a kiss to your cheek

"How's that?"

You smirk back

"It's a start"

John gasps in mock disbelief at your remark

You just wrap your arms around his shoulders, snuggling against him

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to keep it up"

At that, he nuzzles the side of your face, glad to see you finally feeling relaxed

John give you one more squeeze in his strong arms, holding you close

You two spend the rest of the evening cuddled up and cozy until you fall asleep in each other's arms

Paul

Now it's no secret Paul has always been the "pretty one" of the Beatles

I mean heck, even in the freaking cartoon he has the least goofy and caricature esque face of all the boys

But personally I would imagine that he's felt a certain pressure from time to time to keep up his looks!

It would be quite draining for everyone to have this flawless image of you and then expect you to live up to it 24/7, so in that regard he understands struggling with feeling less then perfect

And certainly with feeling subpar when others just expect far too much!

The night it comes out, the two of you have plans to attend a soiree of sorts

Music, lights, dancing, champaign, the hosts are pulling all the stops and it'll be absolutely a black tie affair

You've got a very fancy dress for the occasion that you got as a gift from Paul some time ago, it's all sparkly, exquisite, and your favorite color to boot

And it... "fits"

As in, you can zip it up and move and breathe comfortably in it, but it just....

Paul finds you standing in front of the full length mirror, mascara beginning to run quietly down your face as you tug and smooth and pull the dress in varying places

He's honestly a bit panicked and confused at first. After all, he does hate to see you upset, let alone cry

"is something wrong love? Do you not like that one? There's plenty of time to change!"

"it's nothing! Just an eyelash"

You try to laugh it off and hope that he'll just leave you alone

You see, Paul has been talking about this shindig for weeks in advance

It's hosted by a good friend, many more of which will be in attendance tonight

Not to mention he hardly ever gets to do something nice away from the press, so you're trying very hard not to ruin things for him

Paul walks over to you, concern written all over his face

"No really, what's wrong?"

You try to wave him off, but he takes you gently by the shoulders and looks you square in the eye

He looks around your beautiful eyes, searching, and it almost feels as though he can read your mind

At last he says "You don't want to go?"

With that, you just can't manage to hold a brave face any longer and the tears come rolling down

Without another word, Paul guides you to a seat on the bed and returns swiftly with some tissues

He dries your eyes as best he can and thumbs a soothing circle on your hand, giving you space to tell him what's on your mind

When you've had the chance to situate yourself, you tell him that you don't mind the party it's just that the way you feel in that dress, in fact, in all your dresses is just...

Paul nods understandingly as you trail off, and the two of you sit in silence for a moment

You're concerned you've upset him and ask as much

"What? No, of course not love!"

"But I know how much you want to g-"

Paul shushes you and brings a hand up to stroke your cheek

"I don't care about some stupid party, nothing matters more to me then you. I mean that"

He tilts his head and smiles at you

"Tell you what? We'll just skip it and have some fun right here!"

For a moment you're afraid he's doesn't mean it, but there's a childlike gleam in his eyes and grin on his face that tells you he not only means it, but is excited at the prospect

You're still a little doubtful that you haven't made him upset, but Paul reassures you until you're able to take him at his word

Absolutely relieved, you agree and wipe away your last few tears

"Good. Now let's get this off you, eh?"

Paul helps you take out your jewelry as well as undoing the far too complicated latches, ribbon, and zipper on the back of the dress

His delicate fingers slide up and down the length of your neck and back reverently as he works, planting gentle kisses to the nape of your neck every so often

With the hardest part over, and ever the gentleman, he gives you space to slip it off and put on something more comfortable

When next you see him, he's putting on a sweet and slow record, something like what you would've probably heard tonight

He's removed his suit jacket, tie, and shoes and when he turns to see you in your adorable PJs he smiles at you like you're the belle of the ball

"Ahem, may I have this dance?"

He bows low and offers you his hand, peaking up at you for just a moment to shoot you a playful grin

You laugh at his silly antics and give in happily to the charade

Paul leads you in a steady waltz around and around the room, the two of you stealing kisses and suppressing laughter all the while

When the record comes to an end, you both collapse on the couch and catch your breath

By now, you're fully confident you've had more fun just now then you would've all night had you gone

After a minutes rest, Paul hops up from his seat

"Just a minute, I forgot something... Wait right here!"

He darts off around the bend and when next you see him, he's carrying two flutes of champagne

Paul takes a seat beside you again and hands you yours

"I was saving this for when we got back, thought we could leave early and enjoy the rest of the evening alone"

You smile, touched by the thoughtfulness and still riding the high of the previous activities

Finally, you propose a toast

"To my amazing, lovely boyfriend"

Paul smiles at you with adoration. You mean so much more to him then a mere toast could describe

"To my love, the most gorgeous dance partner in the world"

Ringo

Idk if this is/was a thing, or if it's just something I've noticed, but Ringo seems to be the butt of the joke, particularly in regards to his appearance, a lot

Like he's the "short" one and he's got that nose

I only ever see him take it like a champ and all in good fun, and laid back as he is, it doesn't seem to hold him back but I'm sure he'd understand feeling insecure about ones body/looks

But for you to be insecure???

He just??????

When Ringo finds out, he's honestly the most bewildered of all

He finds you sat against the wall, hunched up and crying, half clothed, and a mess of clothing strewn around you

Usually whenever something's bothering you, you know you can bring it to him.

He's always there for you, after all

So to see you like this, he's absolutely terrified that something truly awful has happened

In that moment, thanks to his roaring adrenaline, he goes from rock star to olympic sprinter and dashes to your side so quickly it's as though he teleported

"What's wrong love, what's wrong?"

He holds your face up to look at him and quickly checks over you to make sure you're not injured or sick in some way

When he sees the pain in your eyes, he's nearly crying too

He wants so desperately to help you, and take all your troubles and worries away this very moment.

Even if it meant he had to shoulder the suffering for you, he'd do it in a heartbeat, no doubt

You feel rather embarrassed to be caught like this, and even worse still to see your boyfriend so upset on your behalf

This takes you back to square one, crying and nonverbal for a bit longer

Luckily, Ringo catches on that him getting upset is only going to make you more upset, so he settles himself and holds you until you're ready

When you are ready, you manage to choke out your insecurity, trusting him as you always do

And when he hears you're insecure about your body, or even your looks in general, he is just....

Ringo.exe has stopped working

Mind, it not that he doesn't understand your feelings!!

It's just that you are so completely and absolutely beautiful and kind and so much more to him, that he simply cannot fathom the idea of holding the opinion of you as any less

"is it the clothes? Because forget the damn clothes" He takes a handful and throws them up and away, like confetti

"I'll buy you a whole new closet if you like! W-would you like that?"

He smiles hopefully at you, as though you truly would like that, and it'll solve all your problems

You simply shake your head

And, after moment, Ringo starts to understand

He sits with you silently for a moment, the gravity of your feelings is so important to him that he's not sure plain old him has something good enough to say

But he knows he wants to say something

So, he meditates on it for a moment, and decides he can only tell you the truth

"Well... you know that I love you, yeah? Sometimes I wonder how a guy like me got so lucky to be with a right angel like you.... And so do the lads"

He laughs that deep, silly laugh you love so much

"Why, I think you're the loveliest girl in all of England er uh, no, all the world!"

That earns a little smile from you

You're about to respond when you catch a shiver

You're only down to your undergarments after all, and it's a bit drafty

Ringo notices and before any mention can be made, he sets to work at removing his sweater, eager to make sure you're cared for

It seems to be putting up a bit of a fight, but he manages to come out on top

"Er uh, will this be ok? I know you're fed up with clothes right now, but I don't want you to freeze neither"

He's genuinely concerned about your feelings in the subject, even as he holds the garment out to you

Buuuut... It's cozy and oversized on you, plus it smells comfortingly of him, so you take it

"Hey, that looks better on you then it does me!"

He laughs again, the state of him made a bit more comical by his now frizzed up mop top

You point the issue out to him, grinning yourself, and he shakes it out like a dog

Which, of course, only makes it ten times worse

For the first time that day, you laugh, and it's the most beautiful sound Ringo's ever heard

Feeling a bit better now, Ringo helps you stand and offers you some tea downstairs

You take a few steps, and then stop feeling the draft give rise to some goose bumps all up your legs

"Maybe I should get some pants..."

At the mere suggestion, Ringo looks at you like he has a bright idea and immediately goes to undo his belt

You burst out laughing, and stop him

He's confused at first, but when he realizes his own absurdity in his effort to be helpful, he can't help but laugh a little too

In the end, you come to the conclusion that a blanket and a cuddle on the couch will do nicely instead... Which is exactly what you do

Ringo spends the rest of the day keeping you entertained, warm, and covered in kisses

[prettyboybarzal]

13 . Stop being so cute with Morgan Rielly

sorry it took so long, i went in on this one 🥴

13: “Stop being so cute.”

“Are you busy next Saturday night?”

You lifted your head slowly to eyeball Mitch Marner whose back was too you while he stole snacks from your kitchen cabinets. You let his question hang in the air for a moment before responding.

“Why are you asking?” you asked. He turned around, bag of Doritos in his hands, and leaned up against the counter.

“Morgan needs a date for the gala.”

“No, no,” you said. “No.”

“Three no’s?” he asked. A mischievous smirk appeared on his face. “Why? Morgan’s not that bad.”

“Mitch, you know I can’t do that.”

“For what reason?” he asked. You glared at him. “Other than the fact that you’re completely in love with him.”

You picked a pencil up from the counter and threw it at him. He dodged it skillfully, laughing out of enjoyment as he shoved another Dorito in his mouth.

“I’m not in love with him.”

“Yeah, okay, and the sky isn’t blue.”

“I just broke up with Luke,” you remind him. Mitch barked out a laugh. “Don’t laugh.”

“YN, you broke up with him a month ago,” he stated. “And you didn’t even cry about it! You can’t use that as an excuse. Besides, Auston is bad at keeping secrets and he told me you confessed it to him while drunk last week.”

“I hate him,” you groaned, dropping your face in your hands.

When Auston had everyone over for drinks a week prior, you had no intention of getting as drunk as you did. But, the boys liked drinking games and they were very good at peer pressure. So, you and Steph were drunk before 11 p.m., which is the quickest you’d ever ended up slurring your words with them.

Everyone had left the apartment around midnight but you and Morgan, both offering to help Auston clean up. Morgan was a little looser than usual that night, his hand lingered a little longer on your back as he passed by you, and he called you cute when you got the hiccups from drinking too much. And when he left, Auston had a lot to say.

“Are you in love with him?” he asked, mouth agape at the rosiness of your cheeks and the way your eyes followed him as he slipped out the door.

“Shut the fuck up.”

“You’re in love with Morgan Rielly!” he exclaimed. He grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you. “I’ve never once looked at anyone the way you looked at him tonight. Not even that guy you dated!”

“Jesus!” you yelled, shoving his arms away. “Maybe I have a little crush on him, but that would never happen. He acts like I’m his kid sister. He just called me cute.”

Auston stared at you for a moment, studying your frowning face, and then shrugged.

“You never know if you don’t try.”

The conversation ended at that, and nothing had been said about it after. Until now.

“Listen, I don’t care if you like him or you don’t like him. Morgan needs a date or else he’s going to be mopey all night,” Mitch stated. “Besides, everything’s a whole lot more fun when you and Steph get drunk.”

The mention of Steph’s name was enough to convince you.

“Fine.”

“Fine?” he asked. You nodded. “It was that easy?”

“I mean, I could make it more difficult if you really want me to.”

“No, no, don’t do that,” he stated. He shoved one last chip in his mouth and threw the bag in the garbage. “Well, expect a text from Steph tonight. I already told her you’d be coming cause I knew you couldn’t say no to Morgan, and if you said no to him the mention of Steph would be enough.”

“You know me too well, Marner.”

 You found yourself at Mitch’s apartment a week later with plans for dinner with him and Steph and a movie after. They were made for just the three of you, and then Morgan showed up with wine.

“Mo!” Mitch exclaimed as he opened the door to reveal the sandy haired boy. “Just in time for the movie!”

Morgan stepped in and gave a wave to you and Steph. That’s when you realized that Steph and Mitch had strategically given you the couch knowing that you’d need to share it with Morgan. You caught Steph’s eye and glared at her, but she gave you an innocent look like she had no idea what she had done.

How had this become a double date?

“I brought that wine you asked for,” Morgan stated. He handed a brown bag to Mitch who then pulled the bottle out of the bag and waved it at you.

Mitch smirked and remarked, “It’s your favorite, YN!”

“Excellent!” you exclaimed sarcastically. Mo laughed and dropped his wallet, phone, and keys on the coffee table before sitting beside you. The couch was small, a loveseat actually, so when he sat his thigh rest against yours.

“Hey, I’m glad you’re coming to the gala with me this weekend,” Morgan murmured as Mitch poured glasses of wine for everyone. You smiled at him, and he returned it. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you myself, but Auston and Mitch were pretty aggressive about it.”

“Yeah, I know,” you responded with a laugh. “I’m excited. It should be fun.”

The conversation ended when Mitch reentered with the wine and Steph started playing the movie. You didn’t even really know what happened during the movie because your mind was racing. Mo’s thigh rested up against yours the entire time. He kept bouncing his knee and, eventually, it had gotten so fidgety that your hand fell on his thigh to stop him.

His eyes met yours, a little wider than they had been before, and your hand flew back.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he murmured. “I didn’t realize I was bouncing my knee that much.”

The night ended after the movie because Steph had fallen asleep towards the end. You walked with Mo out to the parking garage, engaging him in conversation about absolutely nothing important or worthwhile. He walked you all the way to your car, which was past his own, and stood beside you while you unlocked it.

“I heard about Luke,” he stated. “I didn’t know you two broke up.”

“Oh, yeah,” you said. “I keep forgetting because it feels like forever ago.”

“So, you weren’t upset about it or anything?”

“No, I think it was the right move for me,” you answered. He nodded, shoving his hands in his pocket. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious,” he stated. He took a step backwards. “He was around for a while I feel like, so I thought you were kind of in it for the long haul.”

“No, there were some things we couldn’t work through.”

Like my friendship with all of you, you thought.

Morgan nodded, a warm smile on his lips, and said, “Well, I’ll see you on Saturday.”

 Steph came over the night of the gala to get ready with you because she claimed Mitch would annoy her too much while she did her makeup. But, really, you figured she was there to talk you down from standing Morgan up.

You were in your bedroom standing in front of the closet while she did her make up in the vanity. The stare down you were having with your dress for the evening was doing nothing for your nerves. You hadn’t dressed this nice since that wedding you went to last summer, and it didn’t really matter how you looked then because you had a boyfriend.

“Stop staring at it and put it on,” Steph said. “You’ve just been standing there for like fifteen minutes.”

“Do you think I can pull it off?”

“Are you kidding?” she asked, turning on you. “I was there when you put it on. You looked banging.”

With a sigh, you undressed and took the dress from the hangers to pull it onto your body. Steph stood to help adjust it on your shoulders and then she zipped up the back. She gave a low whistle when you turned to look at her.

“Okay, hottie!”

“Stop!”

“Morgan’s eyeballs are going to fall out of his head,” she stated. “And if his don’t, I’m sure one of the other guys will pick up the slack.”

You rolled your eyes at her, then turned to look at yourself in the mirror. The dress really was beautiful. It was a black dress with sleeves that fell off the shoulders and the velvet fabric of it made you want to run your fingers along it all night. The dress hugged each part of your body perfectly. That’s when you decided if Morgan wasn’t into you after tonight, you had to move on.

Mitch called an Uber from your apartment to Auston’s when you girls were ready, and when you got there his place was crowded with guys from the team and their significant others. You said hello to those closest to the door, unable to find Morgan in the crowd. You found Auston near the kitchen and hugged him hello.

“If Mo doesn’t bring you home tonight, I might have to,” Auston teased. He dropped his hand lower on your back with a grin, shifting it lower as you spoke to him until…

“Are you trying to steal my date, Matthews?”

You turned to face Morgan and had to stop your eyes from going wide. He looked so good in that suit that you were immediately wishing you could run your hand beneath the suit jacket and over his chest.

“I will if you don’t snatch her up first,” Auston stated. He wrapped his arm over your shoulder and murmured, “You’re welcome.”

Then, he made himself scarce.

Morgan shook his head and reached forward to tug you in by the waist. He placed a kiss on your cheek and whispered, “You look great.”

“So do you.”

You could’ve stayed in his arm for the rest of the night, but the moment was ruined when the apartment erupted at the arrival of the Hymans.

 The rest of the night was much like the others you spent with the Maple Leafs. You were all drinking and dancing all night. Morgan wasn’t around too much, opting to hang by the bar instead of on the dance floor. But, at some point in your drunken state, you marched over to him and tugged on his hand to bring him out to the floor.

“I didn’t come with you to just dance alone all night.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he responded. He placed his glass on a nearby table and spun you in his arms while Mitch did the same with Steph, both of you girls giggly drunk and having the best time. It felt, once again, like a double date.

 On the way out of the reception hall, you stumbled over your heels and sent Morgan into a fit of laughter. You shoved his chest as you turned on him, but he captured your arms in his hands, then wrapped his arms around your waist to hoist you over his shoulder. You banged on his back.

“Morgan!”

“I’m just carrying you to the Uber, drunkie.”

He opened the car door and placed you down so you could climb in, then he slid in beside you. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his side. You melted into him, your head falling to his chest on the way back to your apartment.

When you got out at your building, you grabbed his hand to stabilize yourself. Okay, maybe you did it just to hold his hand. Morgan sent you a sweet smile once your hand wrapped around his, but it didn’t mean anything. You were sure of it.

You finally got to the door of your apartment and fumbled with your keys upon realizing how close he was. You could feel his breath on the back of your neck. Finally, you unlocked the door and pushed it open, motioning for Morgan to step inside. He did as he was told and immediately dropped his jacket on the hook by your door.

“I need some water.”

“Yeah, you do,” he teased. You glared at him, but continued your pursuit for a water bottle. He followed. While you grabbed the bottles from the fridge, you hiccupped. Morgan giggled at the sound.

“Don’t laugh at me!” you whined. He smiled back at you, eyes falling to your lips as you pouted up at him. You handed the water to him, trying your best to ignore his gaze.

“Then, stop being so cute,” he responded. The comment had you throwing your head back in frustration and a groan leaving your throat. Morgan laughed again. “What was that for?”

“Stop calling me cute!” you exclaimed. You looked back at him with a furrowed brow. “I hate when you call me cute. I feel like a toddler. I want you to call me beautiful, or sexy, or hot. But, you don’t see me like that! And I hate it because every time you call me cute it’s like a backhanded compliment.”

Morgan’s mouth opened and then closed as he processed your words.

“Whatever, Morgan,” you murmured. “Forget I even said anything.”

“I don’t think I’m going to forget that,” he stated. He leaned up against the counter opposite you. “You’ve never raised your voice at me before.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have gone tonight.”

“Woah! Take that back,” he said. “I thought you had fun!”

“I did, but I knew that it would just get my hopes up for no reason,” you muttered. “And it did. And, here you are, calling me cute, again.”

“Just because I call you cute doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re all those other things, too,” he stated. You looked up at him, confusion flooding your head. He stepped forward, walking towards you until he was in front of you. He pressed his palms against the counter on either side of your and crowded your personal space.

“You walked into Auston’s apartment tonight and I was immediately thinking about getting you out of that dress.” His voice was low, eyes darker than normal. “And the other night at Mitch’s it didn’t escape me that it was essentially a double date. I couldn’t stop thinking about you in those shorts and your thigh brushing up against mine like that, and your hand when it touched me.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Oh.”

You didn’t have time to think before he pressed his lips to yours. Suddenly, his hands were around your hips, hoisting you onto the counter. He settled between your legs as his tongue trailed across your bottom lip. It was all happening so fast that you needed a minute to think. You pulled away and leaned your forehead against his.

“I think you’re cute,” he stated. You pulled away with a roll of your eyes. You leaned your head against the cabinet, frustrated with his comment. And, then, his lips touched your wrist. “And I think you’re beautiful.”

A smile came to your lips, and you sat up. He placed a kiss to your shoulder.

“And hot.”

Then, his lips were on your neck and your hands were in his hair.

“And I think you’re sexy.”

Finally, he pulled away to look at you.

“Are you happy now?” he asked. You nodded. He leaned in, his lips ghosting over your own, just enough to say, “Good, so am I.”

[omg-imagine]

⊱ Someday I’ll Breathe Again (Part 3) ⊰

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Summary: Loki wants to make amends, but is he too late?

Words: 2,035

Warning: Angst

A/N: I’m sorry that this took longer to post than I had initially promised, but here we are at the end! Thank you to all who read this short series and for all of the kind words that motivated me to keep going. 

Part 1 | Part 2

“You’re beautiful,” Loki remarked as you and he left the dining hall together.

You chuckled and shook your head at the tipsy prince while guiding him back to his quarters. “You’re drunk.”

Loki stopped for a moment, and you turned around to see why. You caught his eyes raking up and down your body, and you suddenly felt the warmth rise up to your cheeks. Cautiously, he took one step forward as you watched him.

Your mind tried to remind you that he’s had a few drinks, and this wasn’t entirely real. But when you felt one hand on your waist and the other caressing your neck, all thoughts had ceased.

“I am telling the truth,” Loki whispered as he tilted your gaze up to his. “Years of friendship taught me how beautiful you are inside and out. Why you choose to remain here on Asgard when you could travel and explore the universe, I could never understand. But I am certain about one thing, and it is that I’m thankful for every second you spend with me.”

Loki then leaned in, closing the small distance between the two of you and letting his lips place a chaste kiss on yours.

Your breath hitched in your throat as Loki deepened the kiss, and you easily allowed him to take control. His fingers threaded in your hair while you rest your hand on his chest, feeling the swift beating of his heart underneath your palm.

Just as quick as he initiated it, Loki broke the kiss but still kept you close.

“Come with me,” he said softly, and you eagerly followed him down the long corridor.

You made it to Loki’s bedroom, and he was quick to open the door and step inside. You found yourself unable to enter, however, and Loki realized the look you had on your face—hesitation.

“If I am overstepping my boundaries, I apologize. I’ve thought of this for far too long and believed that you wanted this, too.”

“I do,” you assured before letting out a sigh. “I just don’t want to get hurt in the end.”

Loki understood, knowing well his reputation when it came to relationships, and you witnessed it firsthand. “I promise you that I will never hurt you.”

He held out his hand as you decide on an answer, understanding that if you accept it, things will change forever. But you have known Loki for a long time and trusted him. Ever since you were a child, you felt something for him. It wasn’t until you were older did you understand what those feelings were.

He was right, you had dreamed for this to happen and it finally was.

A minute had passed, and Loki was still staring at you. His enchanting blue eyes were captivating, and they almost begged you to take his hand.

And you did. You reached out to Loki, his coolness encompassing your hand, and he pulled you inside his quarters.

Once the door shut behind you, he enveloped you in his arms. You buried your face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his intoxicating scent. When his nimble fingers began removing your clothes, you silently prayed to the Norns above that he would never let you go.

Snapping out of your dream, you then shot up from the bed and felt your heart beating wildly inside of your chest. You blinked twice as you tried to calm yourself down. Once your heart rate finally settled, you dragged your body out of bed and padded over to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Unfortunately, those kinds of dreams had been a regular occurrence for you ever since Thor’s visit two weeks ago. Every night, you dreamed of Loki—from the days you spent wandering around the palace to the nights you shared together in either his or your bed.

As hard as you tried, you couldn’t stop thinking about what the god of thunder had said. After hearing Loki’s name for the first time in months, it was as if the wall you had put up in your mind collapsed and a flood of memories came pouring out.

You desired Loki, yearned for him, missed him. Despite believing that you would be able to move on, all you could think of now was him. There was a possibility that Loki was still in love with you, and yet you were in denial of it. You couldn’t understand your emotions towards him as of lately, and it was driving you insane.

The sun outside was just beginning to set, and you got dressed for the remainder of the evening. You had been traveling all day to reach this place, and after checking into a small inn, you lied down for a short nap. Luckily, you didn’t oversleep, or else you would miss what you came here to see.

You zipped on your coat and threw on your boots before stepping outside of your room. A low, cold breeze blew as you walked down a path towards the fire pit area. You took a seat on one of the tree logs encircling the fire and glanced up at the darkening sky. The sounds of the owls hooting and the nearby trees rustling filled the air. It was relaxing, and for a moment you shut your eyes.

“(Y/N)...”

At the utterance of your name, your eyes instantly opened, and you saw the shadow of a man standing behind you. You froze as you recognized both the voice and the silhouette, not knowing whether you were still asleep.

A large, but gentle hand landed on your shoulder, and immediately you pushed yourself up from your seat and turned your body around.

Standing before you was Loki, and you couldn’t bring yourself to move. He had a somber expression on his face as he stepped over the log with his hands fidgeting the ends of his cloak. Loki maintained enough distance between you two as you gaped at him.

“What are you—” you were unable to finish your sentence as your throat suddenly felt dry. It was difficult for you to believe that Loki was actually here and speaking to you again.

“I know that you are not expecting me to be here,” Loki began, dropping his arms down to his sides and locking eyes with you, “but I need to speak with you.”

“How did you find me?”

Loki looked at you sheepishly. “I knew you were coming here to see the lights. You do have a fascination with the sky since you were a child.”

You swallowed thickly as he tried reaching for your hand, but you quickly moved away before he could lay a touch. Noticing his sunken eyes and gaunt frame, you knew that he hasn’t been taking care of himself. Exhaustion and stress had overwhelmed him during the months you were apart, and you wondered if it was the result of his duties as king or your absence.

“What the hell are you doing here?” You asked sharply. “Why did you come all this way?”

“I came to apologize,” Loki revealed as he waited for a reaction. “I’m here to admit to you my wrongdoings and how much I regret acting so cold-heartedly the last time we saw each other.”

Not giving him a response right away, It felt as though it was becoming too hard for you to breathe. Here was Loki, the love of your life, realizing his mistake and wanting you to forgive him. You stayed silent as Loki attempted again to hold your hand, and this time, you let him.

“You’re married,” you pointed out flatly, the glint of his silver wedding band on his left ring finger catching your eye.

Loki heaved out a sigh. Without tearing his gaze away, he removed the ring and tossed it in the fire pit behind you, getting lost in the burning flames. “I was.”

Loki doesn’t love you. He’s not capable of love. You would be fooling yourself for a second time… Your thoughts screamed at you to leave the area and get as far away from him as possible, but you couldn’t move your feet. Perhaps it was your heart telling you to stay and hear him out…

“Just go back to Asgard,” you muttered bitterly, snatching your hand away and stepping back. “Go back to your princess and your throne. You should not have sought me out.”

“I no longer have those anymore,” Loki stated. “I gave it all up—the riches and the power—to be here, to be with you.”

You glanced at him, confused as he continued. “No one in their right mind would hurt the ones they supposedly love. I was there when you said those words to Thor, and you’re right. I hurt you so badly despite how much I love you, and nothing I say or do will ever atone to that.”

“Love?” You repeated as if the word was unfamiliar. “Loki—”

“Yes,” he affirmed, approaching you. “I love you, but I was selfish. I was led to believe that I wanted the throne more than you, though I was wrong. Even as I sat there with a crown on my head, all I could ever think of was you.”

The tears began pricking your eyes, and at last, you let them fall. “So, you just expect me to forgive you and run back into your arms?”

“No, of course not,” Loki shook his head, shedding tears of his own. “I already know it won’t be easy. But I do hope you give me a second chance to do it properly this time. Have myself regain your trust, court you, and bring you flowers. Allow me to show you off to the rest of the world as my beloved and treat you as I should have had.”

You bit the edge of your lip as your thoughts engaged in a battle with one another. “What if I say no? What will you do then?”

Loki lowered his gaze. “As I mentioned before, I gave up everything to be here. Odin was furious when I informed him of my intention to abdicate the throne and end my marriage. He asked if my decision had anything to do with my relationship with you. I told him truthfully that between you and Asgard, it will always be you.”

Sitting back down, you buried your face in your hands. Loki sensed your reluctance and sat next to you. “If you say no, then I will go. I had hurt you and if your rejection is punishment for my actions, then so be it. I don’t deserve a second chance, but if you find it in your heart to give us another try, I will be forever grateful.”

Your eyes flickered up to his face, but you didn’t see the man who betrayed you, who crushed your heart and had broken your trust. You only saw the man you loved for years, pleading for your forgiveness, and the opportunity to start over.

The bright green and purple hues of the northern lights finally appeared, and you both shifted your attention to the sky. Silence erupted, and at that moment, Loki was sure that you were done with him, that he had lost you forever.

But then he felt your hand rest on top of his, still staring up at the stars and the lights as he deciphered the wordless gesture. Loki’s mouth curled up into a broad smile as you tenderly caressed the back of his hand with the pad of your thumb.

“Midgard is much different than Asgard, Loki,” you spoke out loud. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back home?”

“Darling,” he sweetly said, bringing your hand up to his lips and gently kissing the inside of your palm. “Home is wherever you are.”

You rest your head on Loki’s shoulder as you both took in the view of the night sky. Taking a deep breath in and out, you felt as if all the weight resting on your shoulders had vanished.

The stars seemed much brighter, the world much more beautiful. Midgard truly felt like home now that you were reunited with Loki.

Tags: @eviethewriter @jessiejunebug @5289belle @pulplorrd @heda-mikaelson @laxarnas @wayward-timetravel-collecter @constellationkat @amecchii @just-the-hiddles @peterman-spideyparker @s-i-i @darkwolfpeanutskeleton @oceans-deep-ice

[bobasheebaby]

Unforgiven- Crimson Rain chapter 15

Pairing: Bastien x Liza; Liam x Raven

Word count: 3,434

Warnings: fluff, angst, manipulation, character death

Summary: Someone causes trouble.  

A/N: A smidge of fluff and then shit hits the fan. I’d apologize, but no one would believe me. If you want to listen to the songs that fueled this chapter Smile by Uncle Kracker, Final Warning by Skylar Grey, Monster by Beth Crowley (god is this song so Madeline this chapter, oops) and Monster by Imagine Dragons

Series warnings: Mobster AU, there will be violence, and death. Possible NSFW to come. Possibly dark and deals with pregnancy loss. If you ask to be tagged you acknowledge you are at least 18 years of age.

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist.

Disclaimer: I own my OC’s, the rest I’m simply borrowing from PB for a bit.

Present day; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

Liza felt like she was floating on a cloud, still overcome with joy over what transpired in the last forty-eight hours. She pulled her phone from her purse as she settled back into the plush seats of the SUV, Buttons laying with his head in her lap. She opened her messaging app, her finger hovering over a name she desperately wanted to push, she clicked another name, smiling as she typed out the words.

Liza: Guess who just got married!

She smiled as she watched the dancing dots.

Percy: Without me?! I’m wounded!

Liza giggled as she envisioned him clutching his chest, his face etched with mock hurt.

Liza: Oh calm down! We eloped. Only Liv was there… well and our new puppy Buttons.

Her smile grew as she scrolled through the pictures, selecting one where Liv pretended to be annoyed, but her smile proved she was just as overjoyed as everyone else. Elvis stood between Liza and Olivia, striking his signature pose, Buttons cradled in Bastien’s arms by her side.

Percy: You were a beautiful bride.

She blushed at the compliment.

Liza: Thank you.

Percy: For telling you you’re beautiful or calling Bastien to tell you where you were hiding?

Liza: Everything.

Percy: I hate to ask, but does your dad know?

She frowned as she bit her lip. She wanted to tell him with every fiber of her being, but she refused to allow his disappointment to pop her happy bubble.

Liza: No, you know how he feels, he won’t ever accept that I’m happy.

Percy: I’m sorry kitten.

Liza: Don’t be, at least I have you I can count on.

Percy: Anytime kitten, & congratulations.

She smiled as she closed out of the app, tucking her phone back in her purse. She turned her head, smile growing wider as Bastien took her hand in his squeezing it gently.

“Telling your dad the good news?”

“No, you know he wouldn’t be happy for us, I don’t want his negative energy to ruin things for us.” She shook her head, refusing to allow her smile to drop from her face again. “I was telling Percy, he says congratulations, and pretended to be hurt he wasn’t invited.”

“He could have had my invite.” Olivia quipped from her spot up front. “I mean cheesy Vegas Elvis wedding, no thank you.”

“Oh Liv, stop pretending you hated it, I saw you smile, and cry. Besides you would have been pissed if you weren’t there.”

“Whatever you have to tell yourself.” Olivia said as she rolled her emerald eyes towards the heavens, still unable to conceal the smile on her lips. At least I’m up here so they can’t see my face.

Bastien stifled a chuckle as Liza mouthed ‘she’s in denial’. An unfamiliar ringtone broke through the mostly silent car. “Hope.” Bastien said sliding his phone from his pocket.

Hope. Oh shit! Regret engulfed Liza, coiling around her body squeezing her tightly. How could we forget Hope? What a great start to being her stepmother. First I run out in tears and then we exclude her. She was pulled from her thoughts by Bastien’s gentle squeeze of her hand, her hazel eyes meeting worry filled grey. “Hmm?” Did I miss something he said?

“I need to go to Trenton after I drop Liv, Buttons and you home.”

“Why?” Concern etching her features.

“Hope called, something happened, I’m not sure what she was too panicked to understand fully but I need to make sure she’s okay.”

“I’ll come with you.” The words jumped out of her mouth without thought, though she felt sure of her decision.

“Are you sure? Last time—”

“Last time I was in a bad place. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but I’m doing much better now that I’m not hiding our losses from you.”

“I’m glad you finally trusted me.”

She grimaced, it’s not that she didn’t trust him, she just didn’t want to burden him with the pain. “Me too.”

Present day; Trenton, New Jersey: 

Two weeks ago:

Madeline paced her room, hastily grabbing clothes, tossing them haphazardly into an open suitcase on her bed. “How could he keep this from me? He wanted me to lead Liam to take down Bastien I needed to know Emmaline survived!” She glared at the man standing the door waiting to escort her out of her home. Who the hell does he think he is throwing me out like this?! I will show him! She wasn’t taking this lying down, she refused to be made to look the fool. She was promised she would be by Liam’s side and she would do anything it took to take it from that ungrateful bitch who stole it from her.

She slammed her suitcase shut, angrily zipping the lid. She grabbed the bag roughly, her heels clicking loudly as she stomped to the door. “I can see myself out, thank you!” She said as the low level soldier tried to lead her out, taking offense that Liam thought so little of her. I will be back and I will win Liam, I will be your wife!

Now:

It had been weeks since her mother accidentally revealed that she was the one who had actually pulled the trigger that took Emmaline from Liam. She had never felt more confused in all her life, she wanted her to pay, but at the same time it was her mom and what would be gained in both of them losing their mothers. She couldn’t help but wonder if her mother would have kept the secret till she died had she not overheard their conversation about Emmaline.

She knew as hard as it was on her it had to be even harder in Liam, he needed to prove he was the right man to head the Rhys family, and that meant dealing with Mara. She was aware that the decision was also weighing heavily on him and she knew it wouldn’t be if it were anyone else, and if he hadn’t wrongly gone with Bastien. He couldn’t afford another misstep, but he also needed to show he could take action. She hated that she was part of the reason that was making it tougher on him to decide what to be done.

Raven nervously chewed her lip as realized what she needed to do. She always knew deep down, on some level what she had to do. She needed to remove herself from the equation, if she didn’t Liam would never be able to do what he needed to without a guilty conscience.

Mind made up, she headed towards Liam’s study to tell him he needed to act as if she wasn’t involved. It was the only way he’d be able to handle the situation, he couldn’t be worried about her and her feelings if they were to ensure that Mara paid for what she had done to Emmaline.

“Liam, can we speak for a minute?” Her voice soft as she entered the study. If she didn’t say it right away she knew she might not ever.

“Hello love.” He smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. He motioned for her to sit down, the weight of his decision showing in his tired face.

Raven gave her own forced smile as she sat. “I think you should do whatever you need to with my mother. Don’t worry about me, I won’t fault you for whatever you choose. What she did was wrong, she never thought of anyone but herself in any of her actions. She’s the reason I was ever threatened, and she made her choice out of self protection. She knew Emmaline would be stopped but she only worried about her own position. So I want you to do what is needed and I promise we will be fine.”

Liam looked at her in awe, trying to decipher how she could be so calm and strong. “Thank yo—” The phone rang cutting off his words. “Hello?” His brow furrowed and his face contorted in pain as he listened to the voice on the other end. He silently hung up, his head hanging in disbelief. “My mother, she’s gone.”

The morning before:

Madeline moved swiftly down the halls, her heels clicking against the cool polished linoleum. She managed to talk her way into the details she needed, her name still held some weight, even if Liam didn’t see it. I’ll teach him to underestimate me and push me aside.  She stopped outside the door, smoothing down her dress and painting her face with remorse and worry, while inside she could feel the anger churning in her veins waiting to erupt in a fiery rage. She pulled a large diamond ring from her bag, slipping it in on her finger as a small smile played on her lips. She twisted the knob, pushing the door open. “Oh, Emmaline, I just heard.”

Hope jumped up from her seat by her sleeping mother’s side, her textbook falling to the ground. “Who are you?” Her fingers inched towards the call button.

“I’m Madeline, you’re soon to be sister in law.” She raised her hand, diamond sparkling as it caught the light.

Hope’s face twisted in confusion. “What are you talking about? What happened to Raven?”

“Oh dear? Is she at it again? She’s convinced she’s Liam’s girlfriend and that he loves her. It’s sad really. She’s loved him since we were children, but I’ve been his betrothed for years. Except every time we try to get married she somehow finds out and stops the wedding. We’ve tried having her committed but her mother always has her released. And now she’s gotten you fooled too?” She painted her face with mock concern, she could sell this, just a little more. “Oh my poor dear. I would have been here sooner but I’ve been abroad, my own dear mother is gravely ill, I’ve barely been able to leave her side. But I’m sure you understand.”

Hope nodded in agreement, her head spinning, Raven had seemed so sincere, but how else would Madeline know?

“Did she try anything? Please tell me she didn’t! I’d be beside myself if anything happened to Emmaline. She was like a second mother to me, when I finally heard she was alive and Liam had a sister I had to come! I still can’t believe he did this to her.”

“Who?” The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. She’d been wanting answers all her life, maybe she’d finally learn the truth she’d been searching for.

Madeline turned, carefully concealing her smirk. “Constantine.” Her hand flew to her chest. “Oh dear, don’t tell me they kept you in the dark. It was well known that Constantine had Mara, Raven’s dear mother kill Emmaline, although he allowed it to be spread that it was her jealous lover. Had I known she was alive all this time!”

Hope sank to her seat, tears pooling in her eyes. “H—he knew? Liam really knew?”

Madeline closed the distance resting a comforting hand on Hope’s shoulder. “I’m afraid so. The only person who didn’t know who really did it was your father. Constantine tried to disgrace him and most everyone fell in line. Liam learned the truth at a young age, we both did, in training to take over for Constantine. I guess he didn’t want you to hate him because of his father. I truly thought he’d tell you.”

Hope looked up through tear filled grey eyes, missing the smile threatening to break across Madeline’s face. “Th—thank you for telling me the truth. Can you come back, maybe later after I’ve had the chance to process?”

“Of course, anything for my dear sister in law to be.” Madeline’s smirk grew as she shut the door, Hope’s sobs filtering through the door. She slipped off the large diamond, depositing it back into her purse. Oh, I will be back, but when no one is here to stop me. She smiled as she passed the young orderly in green scrubs, his hungry gaze boring into her. Ugh. He’s a means to an end, the position I deserve, the place I’m owed. Just a few more hours and she’d have Liam exactly where she needed him.

Two years ago; Trenton, New Jersey- Constantine/ Madeline:

Madeline was fuming, her heels clicking as she paced the study. “I can’t believe you just sat there and let him call it off!”

Constantine sat back in his chair, an unnerving sense of calm coiling around him. “Patience Madeline, he will fall in line.”

Madeline spun, her eyes flashing with fury. “No! I’ve had enough with being patient! I. Want. What. I. Was. Promised. I have waited for him to fall in line for four years listening to you placate me, no more!”

Constantine’s blue eyes narrowed, his fist coming down on his desk causing Madeline to jump. “Enough! I would kindly remind you who you are talking to and disrespecting, yes you were promised Liam’s hand, and you shall have it. He will fall in line or he will learn of his girlfriends mothers involvement in his mother’s death, with a few omissions on my part.” Madeline opened her mouth to speak, stopping as he raised his hand, palm facing her. “But, if you ever have another outburst like that towards me, you will get nothing. Understood?”

Madeline’s hands clenched in fists at her side, before she released them. “Fine!” I can’t wait until he’s dead and the real plan can start.

Present day; Trenton, New Jersey: 

Early Morning:

Madeline smirked as she carefully slipped from the supply closet undetected. She straightened her scratchy polyester green scrubs with a look of distaste. It’s a means to an end. The phrase becoming her mantra with every task she had to endure that she found beneath her. In the end, it will all be worth it when I’m at my rightful place.

She carefully navigated the quiet halls. Shift change, I should have just enough time to do this and slip out without being spotted. She patted her scrub pocket, ensuring the syringe was there. Just a few more minutes and everything will be on its way to being the way it’s supposed to be.

She slipped into the darkened room, moving through the room towards the bed without making a sound. She smiled down at Emmaline’s sleeping form. “Oh Emmaline, if only things could be different but this is the only way to make your son fall in line.” She pulled the syringe from her pocket, a devilish gleam in her clover green eyes as she uncapped the thin needle. She carefully pulled up the sleeve of Emmaline’s top, exposing her upper arm. “This won’t hurt.” Her smile grew. “Well me, it will hurt you a lot.” She drew back her arm a few inches, pinching the skin with her other hand, her arm came down, needle piercing the skin. Emmaline’s eyes shot wide open as Madeline pushed down on the plunger.

Emmaline’s mouth dropped open in question, fear quickly filling her eyes as she felt her fingers go numb, she drew her arm up only for it to fall back to her side like dead weight. What’s going on? Panic set in around her heart as she struggled to move, to breathe. Why can’t I breathe? Every breath was a hard and painful gasp. Who would do this? She tried to glance around the room for help, but she was still, motionless, trapped in her bed with no way to call for help. I’m going to die and I can’t scream.

Madeline’s sadistic smile grew as she watched the panic set in on Emmaline’s face. She remained quiet, watching until Emmaline’s body went limp, dead chestnut eyes staring up at her unseeing. She carefully closed her eyes, making her appear to still be in a peaceful sleep. She slipped from the room, retracing her path back out of the nursing home, smug smile on her lips. Let’s see you say no to me now. It was only a matter of time before she finally received all she was promised, all she was owed.

Now:

Liza worked to force the nervous feeling bubbling up from the pit of her stomach back down as she walked through the familiar doors. Things are different this time. She nervously twisted her rings as she took a deep breath. You know where you stand, just breathe. The only similarity between this time and the last was the nervous energy hanging in the air. The air was heavy, wrapping around them as they wondered what to expect.

They barely made it three feet, before a streak of dark hair ran towards them, tears falling heavily down her cheeks. “Bas!” Hope choked out between sobs. “Thank god.” She swiped at her cheeks with the backs of her hands trying to stem the flow of tears. “My mom.” Her lower lip trembled as she struggled with the words. “She’s gone!” She sank to the floor, her body collapsing in a heap as her legs gave way, no longer able to hold up her weight.

Liza crouched down, her hand instinctively going to comfort the younger woman. “Let’s move to the sitting area and you can tell us what happened, okay?”

Hope nodded, accepting Liza’s helping hand up. They moved to the same corner they spoke just weeks prior. Liza sat next to Hope, gently wrapping her arm around her shoulders, her need to comfort coming on pure instinct. Bastien sat on Hope’s other side, his hand resting on her shoulder. “Can you tell us what happened?”

Hope sniffled as she nodded her head. “My mom, she’s just gone, someone killed her.”

“What makes you say that?”

“She was fine. She was perfectly stable, then this morning they found her just after shift change. Nothing else makes sense. They tried to kill her before, so why wouldn’t they try again now?” She roughly wiped at her cheeks. “Plus I got a visit from Liam’s fiancé yesterday.” She shook her head in disbelief. Maybe I could have stopped this. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but it can’t be a coincidence, she comes and then my mom is dead.” She choked back a sob. “She didn’t remember anything, I just don’t understand why she had to be killed.”

Liza gave Bastien a questioning look, he shook his head in response. They could understand her line of reasoning, but they couldn’t think who would want her dead with Constantine gone.

Hope suddenly jumped up, her face contorting from sadness to fury. “You have some fucking nerve showing up here!” She shouted as she spotted Liam and Raven approaching.

Liam scowled. “Yea you must be surprised since you tried to tell them not to call me!”

“Why do you even care?! You knew! You knew where she was, who put her here, you always knew and yet you tried to blame the only one of you who even showed me an ounce of care or told me any truth!” Hope’s hands clenched into fists as the anger took over, tears of anger and grief rolling down her wet cheeks. “All you ever did since you got here was lie to me! Both of you!” She laughed at their shocked faces. “You think I wouldn’t find out about your fiancé?! She was here, she told me everything!”

Liam felt the anger coursing through his body. He knew of only one person who would feed her such lies. What was the point, it’s not like we were close.

Liza reached out to put her hand on Hope’s shoulder, Hope shrugging her off. They need to know what he did! “How could you? How could you protect her mother when she hurt ours?!” She turned to Raven. “I can’t believe I ever trusted you! You just wanted to know how much I knew, see if your mother was safe!”

“Will you stop?!” Liam shouted, his jaw clenching in anger.

“Why?! So you can spout more lies?!”

“ENOUGH!” Liza shouted stepping between them. “This isn’t the place.” She turned to Hope, watching her body deflate. “Let’s move somewhere more private and try to discuss this.”

Hope nodded in agreement, Liam’s phone beeping in his pocket before he could acknowledge. He slipped the phone from this pocket, he gritted his teeth, his hand curling into a fist as he read the text. Think before you say no to me next time. Be in touch, my dearest fiancé. His eyes flashed with rage. “Madeline!”

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[fatandnerdy30]

The Itsy Bitsy Spider 10

"Um, hi...I-I...I'm Peter Parker," the boy said, paling when the eyes widened. Oh my god, he was talking to freaking THOR! The god of Thunder! He was in nerd heaven! "Are you one of Stark's new projects? A miniature robot of some sort?" "Um....no...I'm a kid.." Suddenly Peter felt gravity push him down as the man stood, the boy wobbling a bit.

"You are a mite smaller than a Midgardian child. Are you perchance a fairy child?" Thor's eyes lit up. "I have heard quite a bit about the children of the fairy realm, especially as a child myself." Peter smiled. "No, just...just a regular kid..." He didn't know how to explain his situation. "Oh, I see," The disappointment was clear in the god's eyes. But as he studied Peter, his head cocked to the side. "Is that why you are dressed like me? I've heard Midgardian children like to dress up as their favorite characters." The boy's face lit up red as he tried to explain himself, but was cut off. "Uncle Thor!?" Morgan cried, and Peter struggled to see over the man's fingers, but froze when he felt his senses prickle the back of his neck and sunk back down. "Oh thank God," the woman breathed as her head filled Peter's vision, relieved but angered eyes staring down at him. "What were you doing up in that tree? I told you not to wander. I was so worried when I heard you screaming and...." She reached into Thor's hands and picked Peter up, cautiously lifting his arms and legs, searching for injuries. "I'm fine!" Peter argued, trying to tug his limbs back. "Even if I got hurt, it would heal in seconds." "That is not the point, young man," Mr. Stark came from behind the woman, more anger than the boy had ever seen on his face. That must have been what his senses were warning him about. "Pepper trusted you, and you broke her trust by putting yourself in danger. You deliberately disobeyed her. " "Mr. Stark, I was just-" "I don't wanna hear it," the man said sternly. "From now on, when you're outside, you either have two choices. Shoulder or pocket, that's it!" "I'm not your kid!" Peter shouted, suddenly freezing when every pair of eyes was focused on him, even Morgan looked surprised. "I-I mean...I'm not a child, Mr. Stark...I'm fifteen years old and have been looking out for myself since I was nine years old after my uncle Ben died. I'm sorry if I worried you, but-" "No, there's no buts here, Peter," Mr. Stark snapped. "You may not be my kid, but I took responsibility for you, and right now, you're not a normal teenager who can take care of themselves. Right now you're less than four inches tall and until we can fix you, you need to learn that we're trying to keep you safe!" Pepper even flinched at the tone of voice her husband used. Something in those words, coming from his childhood hero, the man that saved him, it was almost like he was treating Peter like the prisoner he was afraid of becoming, and that scared him into screaming,"well, who's choice was that? You were ready to drop me off at my home and just forget about me and everything, which I was perfectly fine with!" Tears were now leaking from his eyes as he ranted, unable to stop, unable to plug the emotion of knowing that he was defenseless in this world of giants he used to be a part of. "Stop treating me like I can't take care of myself!" Tony stared at the boy angrily, jaw ticking."You know what, I'm done." ��Suddenly reaching out, he grabbed Peter between his thumb and pointer, dropping the boy into his breast jacket pocket, zipping it closed. "You can stay in there as long as you think you don't need help. I don't care if it's all night." Peter was fuming when the man zipped up his pocket, slamming his fists against the man's chest. "Let me out!" he demanded, but received no answer. The others just greeted the god of thunder, the pocket vibrating with Mr. Stark's voice and laughter. After a few minutes, the boy had stopped trying to rip open the zipper and was now sitting in the fabric corner pouting, arms crossed over his chest. How did it come to this? He only wanted to stretch his legs. It wasn't his fault he got an idea that caused him to climb up a dumb spider thread. Well, maybe it was. He huffed and the pocket started moving again, but this time the movements were jarring, signaling they were walking. "Stark...is that really a child in your pocket, for I thought Midgardian children were much bigger<" Thor said motioning to the raven haired girl in his arms. "That's a long story, but he's just a kid." Tony said, feeling the kid move against his chest. He felt bad about where he put the boy, but there were worse places, plus it would keep him warm. "We're trying to fix him." "Ahh, I see. Then it wasn't a small robot you were making?" "No. Although, that is a good idea. Be able to get around in places we can't. Plus, if it gets destroyed, can always build another one. Are the others with you, or did you come alone this time?" "No, it is just I. The others decided to stay on Yoromis for, Quail called it a 'honeymoon'." Pepper smiled. "Was it Drax and Mantis who got married? That's great to hear." "Yes. The ceremony was short, but quite beautiful." Thor smiled at the memory. "Drax was quite overcome with emotion....and sickness at the thought of consummating the marriage with Mantis. Very emotional." Tony and Pepper smiled at each other knowingly. "Sure it was. Will they be coming any time soon?" "That I do not know, I will ask Quail. But, let us talk of other things! How have you been faring?" He slung a hand over Stark's shoulder, but stepped away when he realized he was pressing against the man's pocket, feeling the small thing occupying it jump and smack his chest. "Don't worry about him. He's just in a mood." Tony rolled his eyes. "Let's go." He took Pepper's hand as they walked and talked. Meanwhile, Peter felt forgotten and slumped in the pocket, Mr. Stark vibrating and pounding all around him. It was true that it was comforting, but he hadn't been punished in such a long time, he had forgotten what it was like. May never had the heart to do it, which he guessed now, that was a bad thing. Peter figured that once he was able to see her, they need to talk. The boy sighed and let himself move with the jacket, thinking about what had happened and feeling bad about it. He would have to apologize, but first he needed to be out of the pocket. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Justin was settled into his chair, about to start work on a new droid, when suddenly there was a loud crash from another room. The man groaned, his head falling back and smacking the wall, making him wince. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" he screamed and forced himself up. "I'm out of jail for one day and already my home is being destroyed. Unbelievable." He stormed through the large house to where the crash came from. "Ah, Mr. Toomes! Or, is it Vulture while you're dressed like this? I forget." "Where is my family?" the man growled, his voice sounding more sinister behind the mask. "Oooh, so scary. But seriously, take off the suit, sit down, have some coffee or something stronger-" he was cut off when Toomes lunged forward, gripping his throat. "Give me my family...Now." Hammer choked out a laugh as he pressed his watch and out of nowhere a battle droid came running and grabbed Toomes' arm, squeezing until Justin could hear the bones rubbing together and the man let go, cursing. "Now," Hammer panted. "Is that any way to treat a team member? Come on." Rubbing his throat, the man leaned against his droid. "Your family is safe and sound, in a well protected, undisclosed area. Here, look." Hammer brought out his phone and tapped the screen, a hologram of Adrian's wife and daughter popping up. "See? Safe and sound." "Why are you doing this?" Adrian asked, pulling the mask off to see his family more clearly. "Oh, you know, because I was set free on the off chance you would join me on a mission," Hammer smiled, then it quickly turned into a frown. "Why the fuck do you think I'm doing this!?" he screamed, veins popping out of his neck. "I just got out of the hell hole Pepper Potts put me in, and I am not going back. So you either help me take back whatever it was Tony Stark and his Ass-vengers stole from Mr. Bloom, or your family dies. So, what do you think?" Hammer stared at the man who in turn, stared at the hologram of his family. "I need an answer, here, Mr. Toomes. You see, my 'friend,'" he used air quotes, "has a very tight schedule. So, he needs to get this little thing back, but he can't do it alone. I mean, he has the resources, but he needs help now. And his help will take too long to get there. Can you see his predicament?" Toomes only nodded. "So, you want to know if you and your employer-" "Friend," Justin corrected, his mood becoming pleasant again. "Oh, yeah, your friend, can get this thing back from the Avengers? It must have been something valuable." Toomes' eyes were still on his family as he spoke. This was the only way to keep them safe. "Oh you have no idea. It was a piece of very valuable research material, nothing like it. Worth millions, actually." At least that's the idea he got from talking to Mr. Bloom. "So, what is it we're stealing back from the Avengers?" Toomes knew this was a dangerous thing to be doing, especially who they were doing it too. He needed details, for sure. "That, I don't know. My friend never told me, just that we would know it when we saw it. Said it was something small, but amazing." Justin didn't like not having details, but for something like this, for revenge against Tony Stark, he didn't need much to do that. "But, you'll get to see your daughter again. Think about that one. Imagine the look of love when your family sees you, think of them running to you in joy when you come to rescue them!" He clapped his pale hands. He needed to get out of there to tan soon... Adrian sighed deeply. He could die if he did this...but then again, if he didn't, his family was going to die definitely.  "Fine," he said. "You have a deal. But, I want your word that my family will not be harmed." Justin smiled, a strange glint in his eyes. "Fine, that's fine by me, hey I'm just glad to have you on board. Shake on it?" He held his hand out for a second before Toomes grabbed it, and his smile grew deeper. "Good man."

@letsbeinspiredby @sparrowrider @carttorchdeatth @6inchicon

[fatgirlwritesscenarios]

Hot Chocolate Kisses

((Wooooaaahhh...when was the last time I was here, ya’ll? None of you better say last year because I know that! Haha. How is everyone doing?! I hope the start to your new year was a fresh one. I’m having good thoughts for myself this new year and some New Year’s resolutions that actually seem attainable! Anyway, I’ve been working on this little cutie off and on for awhile and finally finished it, so I hope you enjoy it! Thank you to everyone who still follows me and reads my stories even though it’s been forever since I’ve updated any of them!))

Pairing: MinghaoxChubby-Black!Reader

Genre: Cute and fluffy

Word Count: 3,372

Summary: You like the hot chocolate from a certain cafe and Minghao is all too eager to join you on your outing. Vernon wants to tag along, but Jeonghan is having none of that shit because he and Joshua have been waiting for a confession between their favorite couple of their favorite real-life romantic drama and he’ll be damned if Vernon ruins that for them. 

“Ah, Y/N, are you going somewhere?”

“I’m being a brat today. I want hot chocolate, but only from a specific café that’s further in the city. I think it’s like a block away from that Chinese restaurant that Jun and Minghao took us all to. Does anyone want to come with?”

“I’ll go! I can drive us!”

Joshua caught a chuckle before it made itself known, watching with Jeonghan and Jihoon as their resident cool cutie magically appeared in the living room of the dorms the minute your name was spoken and quite eagerly volunteered to accompany you on your outing. The smile you gave him radiated warmly and Joshua could only guess a blush was heating your cheeks from the way you patted one with the back of your fingers after Minghao asked you to wait for him and then ran into his room to get ready.

“Does anyone else want to go?” you asked, turning your attention to the three hyungs of the Vocal Unit with an inviting smile, “Jeonghan? Josh? Woozi?”

Jeonghan answered for them, waving his hand with a grin and saying, “We’re okay, Y/N. You have all the company you need with our cool cutie. Go enjoy yourself.”

You patted your cheeks again and smiled bashfully for reasons you never voiced but everyone knew of regardless, for they were the same reasons that Minghao was always so quick to respond to your name or the sound of your voice: Minghao had a crush on you and you had a crush on him, too.

Minghao’s signs that he was rather fond of you started manifesting not long after you and your performance group came to South Korea for a collaboration you were doing with Seventeen, though one could argue it started even before that. Your group had arrived two months ago, but for a full month before that, both groups had been in contact via phone or video call. During that time, Minghao had mentioned- more than once- how nice your voice sounded and how much he liked the way you spoke, a rather ‘funny’ grin on his face as he casually said this with the barest hint of a blush.

Meeting you face to face only solidified that fondness, intensified it to something more until every member of Seventeen and your performance group noticed a shift taking place

Joshua was the first one to notice and had been a faithful viewer of this cute and sweet drama he- like the dork he is- dubbed “Baobei: The Minghao and Y/N Love Story”.

“Where are you going, Y/N?” Vernon meandered into the living area, his face aglow with the blue of his phone screen.

“Do you remember that café next to the Chinese restaurant we all went to that one time?” you responded.

“Oh yeah, I love that café! I want to go, too!”

“No, you don’t,” Jeonghan intervened quickly.

Jeonghan was a faithful viewer, too, and quite eager for the love to finally bloom and flourish.

Vernon’s brow furrowed, “What? Come on, hyung.”

“You still have to finish your lyrics with Mingyu, don’t you?”

“We’ve been working on them all afternoon!”

The three older members chuckled at Vernon’s whining, but Jeonghan wouldn’t budge, “And you’ll be working on them all night if you stop now. Get it done now and you won’t have to worry about it at 3 AM like last time.”

Vernon pouted exaggeratedly, pulling a laugh from you as you went to comfort him with a hand on his shoulder; “Sorry, Vernon. Do you want me to bring something back for you?” you offered, smiling when his face brightened.

“Can you?” he asked just as Minghao came back into the living room.

“Ready. Thank you for waiting,” he said, fixing a black mouth mask to his face before moving to grab his coat from the front closet along with his scarf.

“No problem,” you answered, smiling up at Minghao a notch brighter than before, “Just text me what you want, Vernon, and I’ll bring it back, okay?”

“Thanks, noona!”

You waved your goodbye to those that were present and turned towards the door when Minghao casually grabbed the lapel of your coat and pulled you back; “Zip up. Zip up. It’s especially cold right now,” he said, sliding the zipper into place for you.

“Oh.  Thank you.” You didn’t meet his eye, but smiled nonetheless and patted your cheeks before zipping your coat up further, “Ready?”

Minghao nodded and followed you to the door, “See you guys later!”

“You two be careful. Behave yourselves,” Jeonghan called, rising from his armchair to go into the kitchen.

“We know, hyung. We have fans everywhere, so we’ll be careful not to draw attention to ourselves.”

“That’s not what I was referring to, but okay,” he said cheekily, disappearing into the kitchen while you and Minghao stood in the entrance way just before the door, puzzled.

Joshua snickered and waved them off, “Have fun!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nearly every radio station had Christmas music playing on loop, but you weren’t a fan of all the commercials. So Minghao handed over the AUX cord and let you plug your phone into your Spotify Christmas playlist. The car ride was relaxed and fun, you and Minghao giggling and dancing to the music as much as sitting and driving in a car would allow…but the atmosphere was…different.

Neither one of you spoke much and when you did, it wasn’t very loud like it normally would be. This was far from the first time you two had been alone together, numerous V-Lives and recorded performance rehearsals proof of that, so you weren’t uncomfortable around one another. And the atmosphere wasn’t ‘tense’. Just…different; like a simmer of change hanging in the air, corralling the both of you into a comfortably peaceful world that you didn’t want to disturb.

Minghao struggled to concentrate on driving, only wanting to stare at you as you sat beside him…because you seemed to be glowing. He could be disgustingly cheesy and say you were glowing like an angel, but…well, even if he did want to be that cheesy, it wouldn’t be accurate. You were glowing more like…Christmas. Lit up with a hundred bright colors was how you glowed, bringing warmth and wonder and magic into Minghao’s world.

You were already the prettiest person he had ever seen- brown skin like ground cocoa beans, the curliest hair that wrapped around any solid thing that played in it, and a round, chubby body perfect for hip-hugging jeans, body-con dresses and day-long cuddles. And you glowed…like Christmas. He wanted to stare at you all day.

“Speed bump!”

“Oh! Hang on!”

His arm shot out across your torso as he braced himself, Minghao unable to slow down fast enough or safe enough before the car was going over the speed bump roughly. He felt you lurch against his arm and bounce up, your head nearly hitting the roof.

“Whoo! Six Flags!” you joked with a laugh.

Minghao shook his head, his own laugh a little jilted and nervous, “Ah…Sorry. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! I didn’t hit my head or anything,” you answered.

“Are you sure?” He moved his arm away from your chest and rested his hand over yours, his palm big enough to cover from your wrist to your knuckles.

You paused for only a moment, your heart stuttering at the heat of his hand, but not wanting to embarrass him or make him stop, you spread your fingers enough for his own to fit in the hollows and tightened your hold afterward. “Yeah, I’m sure,” you said, watching his reaction carefully and grinning when he first looked down at your joined hands and then up at you.

His smile was bashful and obvious, even through his mouth mask, focusing back on the road with renewed confidence.

*~*~*~*~*

The vintage sign of your favorite cafe shined like a welcoming beacon from its place on the corner of the semi-busy street, Minghao giggling at the cute happy dance you did as he pulled around back to park in the parking lot. You were out of the car before he even turned it off, the man forever amused and even saying as such as he stepped out to find you bouncing on your toes near the trunk, waiting for him.

“I’m surprised you didn’t just run inside without me,” he teased, nudging you with his elbow.

“Trust me, I took time to seriously consider it,” you replied, scrunching your nose up at him before looping your arm through his, “But…I don’t want to go too far away from you.”

Minghao felt himself go breathless, but a smile remained ever prominent on his face, and ever obvious in the shrinking in of his eyes, as the two of you made your way from the frigid outdoors into the comforting warmth of the cafe. The baristas greeted you, the afternoon appearing to be rather slow since there was no one else in line and only a few tables were occupied.

“Hi! Welcome! What can I get started for you?” the barista asked, friendly smile in place.

“A large hot chocolate and a strawberry muffin for me!” you ordered, glancing at your companion, “Order something.”

“Hmmm…” Minghao took a moment to consider his options, “I’ll get a large hot chocolate, too, and a blueberry scone.”

“Two large hot chocolates, one strawberry muffin and one blueberry scone. Will that be all?”

“That’s it!”

“For here or to go?”

You looked at Minghao, who shrugged at you, “I wouldn’t mind taking it here.”

“For here.”

“You’re total is $16.50!”

“Y/N, there’s something on your shoes,” Minghao pointed down at your boots.

“What? Where?” Distracted, you inspected your footwear with a curious furrow of your brow, your debit card held between your fingers.

Minghao took the opportunity to give the Barista his debit card, the girl giggling as she ran it and handed it back just as you looked back at him, extending your card out.

“There was nothing on my-”

“Here’s your receipt and a number! We’ll bring your order to your table!”

“…You snake.”

Minghao laughed at the unamused glare you gave him, pinching your cheek and cooing in the process, “When you’re with me, you don’t pay for anything.”

“Really? And why is that?” you asked, quirking a brow as a little smirk tugged at the corner of your lips.

Minghao shrugged, “Because I said so.”

You were rendered speechless as the dancer took your hand in his and lead you over to a corner booth on the left side of the cafe, grateful for their choice in tinted windows that allowed for the patrons inside to enjoy the view, but kept them hidden from passersby on the outside. You slid into the booth first, closest to the window, and found your heart skipping a beat when Minghao slid in beside you. You both worked your arms out of your jackets, Minghao discarding his scarf and pushing up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows. You sat entranced by this simple action, having always enjoyed staring at his hands, even when they were doing nothing more than adjusting his sleeves.

“How is your throat feeling?”

“…Huh?” It took you a second longer to catch up with what Minghao was asking, quite embarrassed to be caught staring at his fingers as closely as you were, “Oh! My throat. Better, actually. A lot better.”

“Good. I was worried,” he admitted, brushing a finger underneath your chin, “I told you not to push yourself so hard. You’re so stubborn.”

In the past week, you had been nursing a swollen throat that made singing a very difficult task and although you had promised not only your group mates, but Minghao as well that you would take it easy and relax it for a while, you decided to push your luck in recording a song that you were excited for when you weren’t even half-way healed. The song came out beautiful and rough, just like you imagined, but at a cost.

“I had to take advantage of how my voice sounded while it was sore. The song came out great!” you defended yourself, “Besides, I don’t want to hear anything from you about being stubborn Mr. ‘I’m Fine, I’m Fine! I Just Tweaked It!’.”

A month before you strained your throat, Minghao had twisted his ankle pretty badly. Instead of following everyone’s advice to let it rest, he insisted it wasn’t that big of a deal, that he just ‘tweaked’ it, and continued to push himself far beyond exhaustion learning new choreography. Not long after, he severely sprained that same ankle and had to be on bed rest for the following two and a half weeks.

Minghao glared dully at you as you simply stared back, your temple resting on your propped up fist. The staring continued for only a few seconds more when he- the sly, sneaky thing that he is- slipped an arm around your back and tickled your side. You squeaked and attempted to squirm away, but found yourself with nowhere to run as he locked you against his side and continued his assault, his giggling melding with yours.

“Here’s your order!” the Barista suddenly appeared and interrupted the torture you were under.

“Thank you! Thank you! Oh god, thank you!” you gasped for air, remnants of your giggling slipping through your lips.

The Barista nodded and snickered herself before she took the number that Minghao was given and then skipped away back to the counter. Once you gained your breath back, and had been reassured Minghao wouldn’t try to attack again, you picked up your drink, blew into it a few times, and took a gratifying slip. The chocolaty splendor coated your tongue and warmed you beautifully from the inside out. You hummed happily and took another sip, wiggling in your seat.

Your companion, his mouth mask tucked under his chin so he, too, could enjoy his drink, smiled at you and tapped the back of his finger against your cheek; “You’re so cute when you do that,” he mused, earning a confused hum from you, “You know, when you…”

He wiggled in his seat and you nearly choked on your muffin giggling. Minghao laughed at you, eyes shimmering and crinkled, and you were about to say something when you noticed the two baristas at the counter glancing over in your direction every few seconds or so, giddy smiles on their faces as they waited in possible anticipation. Your smile slowly fell, wondering if perhaps they recognized you and were on their way to recognizing Minghao, too.

If so, then you two would have to make a quick escape because it would only take one picture posted to social media before the cafe would be swarmed with Seventeen fans.

“What is it?”

“No, no, don’t look.” You grabbed hold of Minghao’s shoulder to keep him from turning around and averted your gaze from the counter to your table, “I think the baristas recognize us. They’re looking over here a lot.”

“Oh…” Minghao sighed and fixed his mouth mask back in place, “Maybe we should start heading back?”

“I wonder if I can order Vernon’s drink before we do,” you mused, glancing back at the counter…and pausing.

The two females had gathered together on the side closest to you and Minghao, waving you down with wide, excited smiles before pointing above you. Your brows furrowed as you glanced up…and then felt very grateful that a blush wasn’t easily noticeable on your face.

“Y/N?” Minghao followed your gaze only to find himself face to face with a mistletoe, “…Oh.”

“It’s tradition!” the baristas echoed from the counter, giggling girlishly now and waiting expectantly.

“It’s already the middle of January. I can’t believe they still have this up,” he mumbled, laughing half-heartedly in an attempt to lighten the tense atmosphere and hide the thundering of his own heart.

When his gaze settled on you again, you looked every bit as shy and nervous as he felt: quick, embarrassed glances into his eyes, your bottom lip caught between your teeth, a single curl wrapped ‘round and ‘round and ‘round your finger as you fidgeted. If Minghao weren’t caught up in this embarrassing situation with you, he would have been teasing you.

As it was, though…

“It may be tradition, but we don’t have to follow it, Y/N. It’s okay,” he assured you, his eyes narrowing with his reassuring smile beneath his mask.

You finally worked up the courage to meet his eye, holding his gaze for extended seconds that felt like minutes…hours…an eternity. He couldn’t tell what you were thinking, only that you were coming to some final conclusion. He stiffened when your hand lifted up and your fingers, soft and gentle, curled into the top corner of his mouth mask. You pulled down carefully until it settled underneath his chin again, your fingers resting there, trembling.

Minghao didn’t know if he had taken a breath in the 60 seconds that had passed, but he felt lightheaded and his lungs were burning. His eyes never left yours, even though it became increasingly difficult to hold contact with how close you were drawing to him. Closer and closer until your breaths were mingling, until your nose bumped his…until your lips were slanting with his and colors were exploding behind his eyelids. He remembered to breathe at last, inhaling you and the chocolaty taste on your lips…and he never wanted to be anywhere else ever again.

The baristas might’ve squealed. They might’ve taken a million and one pictures, but literally nothing else held any importance except for you and this warm, chocolaty kiss. A smile curled your lips as you pulled back, your dark eyes glimmering and his own vision all fuzzy with adoration. He laughed breathlessly in the short space between your lips before his hand cupped your cheek and he was kissing you this time.

He was vaguely aware of a sharp squeal, but…he was sure it wasn’t important.

*~*~*~*

Stepping out of the cafe with Vernon’s drink held securely in your hands, you and Minghao bid your goodbyes to the baristas- ignoring their incessant giggling. Snow fell quietly around you, soft little flakes brushing your cheeks and landing in your hair. Minghao stood before you then, quiet and thoughtful, just staring at you like he’d been doing after the kiss you shared under the mistletoe. You gazed back, unabashed and only a little shy.

He chuckled quietly; “Just so we’re clear,” he started, unwinding his scarf from his neck, “That kiss meant more to me than some silly tradition.”

He draped the scarf around your neck, wrapping it around twice and melting when you snuggled into it, “I like you, Y/N. I have for a long time…I think I liked you before I Even met you, the minute I heard your voice over the phone.”

His cheeks were stained pink and you had a good feeling it was from more than the cold. A smile as sweet and bright as all the Christmas lights prettied your face, “I like you, too, Minghao. I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while, but…I was too chicken.”

In his elation, the dancer lowered his mouth mask, grabbed the edges of the scarf wrapped around you, and tugged you close for another tender kiss.

“You’re mine to take care of now,” he said as he pulled back, taking your hand in his and leading you to the car, “So I’m going to be taking extra care to make sure you don’t strain your voice like that again.”

“And I’m going to glue your ass to a chair the next time you ‘tweak’ your ankle,” you shot back, giving him a little half-smirk that dissolved into laughter when he pinched your side, Minghao resisting the urge to press you against the car and kiss you silly.

There would be time for that later…plenty of time to make up for.

[switchysmythe]

First Date |Killiot

WHO: Elliot Smythe and Kirin Rhodes ( @kirinrhodes )

WHEN: 3rd August 3019.

WHERE: Town/Kirin’s dorm.

WHAT: First date.

NOTES: I never posted this cause I’m trash but it’s just first date feels between these losers.

Elliot was definitely nervous for tonight because this was an actual real first date and he doesn’t think he’s ever had one of those. He goes for casual clothing, though, because it’s drinks and drinks are easy. He can drink. He’s not running late, not really, he just had been freaking out a little and got himself all worked up because he was going on a date and his nerves were getting the better of him. He needed a damn shot. He did make his way to the parking lot when he was finally ready, dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with a black bomber jacket. He spots Kirin there and he smiles, feeling his nerves lessen ever so slightly.

Kirin too had never been on a proper date, but he’d been on so many awkward social engagements he figured that this couldn’t be any worse. Besides, any time spent with Elliot was always less awkward than his normal life.  Sitting behind the wheel of his green Maserati he spotted El and revved the engine, and smirked. He waited for El to get in and leaned over to kiss him. “Hello Gorgeous,” he chirped, throwing it into gear and peeling out of the school.

Elliot easily kisses the Dom back, smiling into it. “Hey,” he replies, laughing softly. “Nice car,” he teases. Of course Kirin had a stupidly flashy car, the switch wasn’t even surprised by that at all. He literally screamed rich stereotype, expect for how awkward he sometimes was but that was just adorable and endearing and he liked that side of Kirin. Even if Elliot was awkward himself so it made for extra awkwardness. “I am so ready for a drink,” he tells him.

Kirin chuckled, “could do with one myself,” he agreed, “but first, dinner.” He drove into town and parked near the park. “I’ve ordered food for us, it should be here,” he explained with a sly smile as he got out. In the park a small tent was set up with a kitchen set up and handful of people dressed in white bustling around. A picnic table was laid out with a table cloth and proper table setting. “Shall we, gorgeous,” he asked, offering his hand as they walked up to the table. A waiter met them and seated them, pouring champagne.

“Oh, yeah, can’t drink on an empty stomach,” the switch says with a laugh despite the fact he does that almost every single time he drinks. Elliot notices the tent and the strangers before he gets out of the car, he turns to look at Kirin once he gets out of the car. “Oh, my god, Kirin,” he says with a grin as he takes the Dom’s hand and walks towards the table. “This is... so cute,” he says biting down on his bottom lip as the champagne is poured for them.

Kirin smirks. He loves making Elliot squirm. “The staff is all French, so you’ll have to do the talking,” he explained and then added with a say smile,”and probably very tired, they just flew in this morning”

Elliot lets out a laugh, eyes wide. “You’re unreal, do you know what?” he asks, unable to stop smiling. “You flew in French waiters for our first date?” he asks. He can’t even comprehend it, honestly. He had no idea how their date was going to go but he really hadn’t expected this at all.

“I have been told that before yes, although, usually with less of a smile and more of a eye roll,” he said pleased with himself. “No, that would be silly,” he said, “I flew in a French cook and he brought the waiters.” A waiter came over and offered them bread and cheese and said something Kirin didn’t understand.

“I definitely mean it as a compliment,” the switch assures him. He doesn’t think he deserves this, in all honesty, but he loves that Kirin has done it for him anyway. This is definitely a good first date and it’s barely even started. “Oh, my bad, of course that would be silly,” he says with a laugh. Elliot turns to the waiter and smiles, “je vous remercie,” he says to the waiter once he’s placed the bread and cheese down.

Normally, people speaking in another language around him made him feel uncomfortable mostly because he didn’t like that feeling of not being in control, but it pleased Elliot and he was fairly sure that he was paying the staff enough that they wouldn’t be talking shit behind his back. “You should most definitely speak French more often, Gorgeous. It’s pretty on your lips.” He buttered some bread and unfolded a napkin on his lap. “Does it feel like home yet?” “Yeah?” Elliot replies with a grin. He didn’t speak French very often mostly because nobody here could speak France so it was kind of hard to speak a language where no-one expect your brothers would understand. He liked that Kirin liked it on him, though. “Maybe I will, and I’ll just translate it for you so you know what the hell I’m talking about,” the switch says. “I just said thank you, then by the way,” he explains. He thinks about the question for a moment before he nods his head. “It does, yeah,” he confirms with a sort of longing sigh. He missed Paris too much.

Kirin chuckled, “that would be much appreciated.” He was far from home as well, not nearly as far, but definitely out of his element but he didn’t miss home. It was obvious from the sigh that Elliot did. “Tell me more about it. About Paris. Your favorite places”

“Then expect more French from me,” he tells him, knowing it probably wouldn’t happen all of the time but he could definitely slip it in every now and again. “I just love all of it, I’m super biased but it’s just such a good place to be.” He would recommend it to anyone. “There was a cafe me and my best friend always used to go to, The Hood Paris, it’s amazing. It sometimes has live music and the staff are the nicest, honestly. I don’t know how they could be so nice, it would drain me,” he laughs.

“I look forward to it. The only language my father encouraged me to learn was Mandarin. The plan backfired when the tutor was hot and had sticky fingers.” He listened as El spoke of home but more he watched the Switch’s face. “Sounds nice. I bet you and your friend raised a lot of drinks and havoc. I can agree with that. I’m not cut out for customer service. All the niceties and small talk. No thank you.” The waiter returned with appetisers that looked incredible especially for something made in a tent.

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound like it worked out well. Why did he want you to learn Mandarin?” he questions. He doesn’t know how he feels to have Kirin’s undivided attention, having someone just watch him as he speaks. He thinks he likes it, he’s just not used to. Especially in a date setting. Elliot laughs and hums in agreement. “We really did. I miss her,” he says with a soft smile. “Honestly, small talk is not for me. It makes me super awkward so it was food I went that often it stopped being small talk and they just talked normally to us. Made it a whole lot better.” He thanks the waiter again when the food comes and it honestly looks amazing. And kind of familiar.

“Because we do a lot of business with China,” he shrugged. “Everything is about the business. But let’s not talk about that.” Kirin sampled the food. It was nothing like food in Texas, but delicious in its own way. “What’s her name? Was she a school mate?” He tried to think of thoughtful questions as he’d read up on proper date etiquette and it had been big on asking questions. “It sounds nice. You’ll have to take me there one day. Do you plan to move back after school?”

That made sense but he knew business was a sore spot for Kirin so he was happy to respect his request of not talking about it. “No more business talk, got it,” he says as he mimes zipping his lips and then grins at Kirin. “Yeah, we met in high school. Her name’s Simone,” he tells him. “I’ll take you there, definitely,” he says before he nods his head. “I want to, but I guess it depends on my future here, doesn’t it?” He couldn’t force someone to move to Paris with him but that is literally all he wants, to go back home.

“Well don’t zip them. I quite like your lips,” he said. “Simone- Pretty name,” he shrugged as the conversation veered close to small talk. “Well, I could make that very easy for you, you know,” he said. His feelings varied day to day, but his father hadn’t bothered him this week and he was back to sure he could claim Elliot and have happiness. Rather than the ‘I can never have any happiness’ route he usually was on after speaking with his father. “After dinner I thought we could go get proper drunk. I hope that’s not breaking too many date rules.”

Elliot smiles at the compliment. “Thank you, I’m glad you like them,” he replies. “You could?” he asks, eyebrows raising as he speaks. Things were Kirin were never the same, sometimes he was a glass half empty kind of person about his future, and sometimes it seemed like he might realise he doesn’t have to be his father but it never stuck. Elliot laughs. “Who cares about dating rules? We should just date how we wanna date and I am so down for getting proper drunk.”

“So far your lips haven’t done anything I don’t enjoy.” Kirin sipped some champagne frowning when the bubbles tickled his nose and setting it far away from him, wrinkling his nose. “Yes. If you were mine. I’m sure I could make a case for moving the head quarters to Paris. Or at the very least having a vacation home there.” Kirin spoke very matter of fact about this as if it were more a business transaction that he had faith in, than their future. “I suppose I thought everyone did? This isn’t actually my expertise, I specialize more in disposable food related dry goods, than dates. Oh that sounds like perhaps I’ll get a second date. Have I sealed that deal so soon in the first date?”

“Likewise, your lips are also pretty awesome.” He watches Kirin sips the champagne, a small smirk on his lips as he watches the scene unfold. He doesn’t understand Kirin most of the time, especially with his matter of fact he was being right now. The fact Kirin is saying he would change his plan, even slightly, for Elliot makes him feel some sort of way. “You should get a vacation home there anyway,” the switch replies. He’s not sure he wants to hold onto Kirin doing that for him even if it would be really nice. “No idea, honestly, I don’t date,” he says with a shrug. “So it’s also not my expertise either.” He sticks his tongue out between his teeth when Kirin asks about the second date. “I should have kept you hanging a bit longer,”’he teases. “I don’t see why I wouldn’t want a second date with you.”

“Perhaps I’ll have to show you what else they can do later.” He hopes that didn’t come off creepy as he fought off the bubbles. “Perhaps I will. You speak so highly of it. I’ve always thought it was quite a dirty city.” It did make him feel more at ease that Elliot had no standard to judge him by. “Ah but you have been seduced by my Wiley ways,” he laughed, “ah the meal.” The waiter arrived with quite the spread smelling of pure deliciousness. “I had worried this would be...too extravagant.”

Elliot presses his lips together, eyebrow quirking. “Is that so? I think I’d enjoy that,” he tells him. He laughs. “Like I said, I’m biased but you still should do it.” Elliot is kind of stuck on Kirin, it’s frustrating honestly because he hasn’t even known him that long and he also doesn’t think he’ll have a future with him. Not that he thought about the future much but Kirin did. Elliot thanks the waiter again as the food comes and it looks amazing. “It’s not too extravagant, I mean I totally wasn’t expecting anything like this but I love it. A lot so thank you.”

“I’ll look for real estate tonight,” he agrees. They’d been looking to open a branch abroad and expand, why not Paris, he thought. But he was just a kid with no real power, yet. It was still fun to pretend he did though. “I’m glad,” he nodded, “you deserve to be spoiled.” They ate with less conversation and more humming at the deliciousness until the waiter returned with dessert. Kirins eyes big and stomach full he whimpered, “oh I couldn’t possibly.”

Elliot doesn’t know why he’s surprised, Kirin has said before he’s not the type to joke but still, he’s surprised. “Wait, really?” he asks. “Like, that easily?” Elliot can’t even decide what he wants to eat on a day to day basis never mind just decide to get a house somewhere. He rolls his eyes fondly, he definitely didn’t deserve to be spoiled. He thanks Kirin anyway. He laughs at Kirin’s reaction to dessert. “Dessert goes to the heart, not to the stomach,” he jokes.

Well it doesn’t hurt to look, now does it?” The food was amazing and well worth the thousands it had taken to get the chef over on short notice just for them. “Oh that’s quite the saying,” he said, liking it quite a bit. “Alright then, I suppose it is rather small and we’ve come this far.” He would just have to hit the gym hard tomorrow. Once they were finished he sat back in his chair. “I think perhaps we should walk to the bar, maybe walk some of this meal off. I’m not sure how you French do this every day.”

“You make a good point,” Elliot agreed easily. He smiles when Kirin says he likes the saying, he heard it on a vine himself and he literally quoted at the damn time cause it was relatable. After the meal was over, and Elliot has thanked the waiters again. He turns to Kirin as he speaks and chuckles quietly. “Walking to the bar is a good idea,” he agrees. “I personally don’t do it everyday but we totally just build up a tolerance to it,” he teases.

Kirin hummed happily as Elliot spoke French to the waiter. He moved closer, casually letting his hand run over Elliot’s ass before paying the chef and thanking him. They started to walk and Kirin kept Elliot close, hand in hand. “I think that much butter would have me dead by 30,” he chuckled, “I’m surprised you’re not 300 pounds,” he teased, tickling Elliot’s side. “I’ve yet to be out in Lima. I’m sure the night life is...rather disappointing. Where do you recommend we go?”

Elliot smirks and doesn’t miss the way him speaking French affects the Dom. He does lean into his touch all too easily. “It’s a good job you don’t eat that much butter all the time, then, isn’t it? We wouldn’t want you dead so young,” he responds. He laughs when Kirin tickles his side, squirming away from him but he’s soon putting himself back at Kirin’s side. “It’s not the best,” he admits. “There’s a bar we can go to, though.” They know Elliot’s order by now, it’s kind of embarrassing.

“If I died who would take you on dates?” He realized that sounded weird so added, “kidding, they’d swarm if I wasn’t here scaring them all away.” He laughs rather cutely as Elliot squirms then clears his throat, not sure where that girlish giggle came from. “Lead that way, Gorgeous.”

Elliot laughs and rolls his eyes. “Are you scaring everyone away?” he asks with a smirk. He was pretty sure that people didn’t even know about him and Kirin, not that he was keeping it a secret. He grins at Kirin’s laugh. “Yes, Sir!” he says as they make their way towards the bar.

"Well not everyone, I allow your family contact," he joked, "But the ones who just want you for your body, I swat like flies." Of course he was doing nothing of the sort and for the most part had kept to himself since arriving, a bit too nervous to jump into the school with both feet. On the plus side, his new hobby of painting had emerged and was slowly taking over his suite. "Ooh don't tease me like that," he said, loving when El called him Sir for some reason. He held the door for the other as they walked into what seemed like a dive bar to Kirin, but by normal person standards was probably just fine. The bartender seemed to know Elliot and Kirin found it quite amusing. "Is this your other boyfriend then?"

Elliot rolls his eyes at Kirin’s response, shoving at his shoulder. “Idiot,” he mutters but he’s smiling. He doesn’t think there’s anyone wanting Elliot for more than just his body anyway. That’s how it’s always been or how Elliot’s made it to be, maybe. “You like it when I call you Sir?” he asks with a smirk. When they arrive at the bar, Elliot is greeted in his usual fashion and he sticks his tongue out at the Dom’s question. “Yeah, got boyfriends all over me.”

"I like when you call me Sir quite a bit, yes, "he said a little blush tinting his cheeks. "Is that alright?" Kirin smirks that he managed to slip one by Elliot and that he didn't notice he said "other " boyfriend, implying he was one as well. "I should have brought a leash," he teased, pulling Elliot closer to him by his belt loop. He ordered a gin and tonic and warns him " Keep that tongue in your mouth unless you plan on using it on me"

Elliot laughs softly and he doesn’t miss the slight blush on Kirin’s cheeks which is kind of really adorable. “Yeah, that’s fine,” he says. He may not be completely onboard with the whole system but he doesn’t mind using titles.  He smirks when Kirin pulls him closer by his belt loop, his stomach swooping at the action. “You want me to use it on you, Sir?” he asks, unable to stop himself smirking cockily at the Dom.

Kirin rolled his eyes hard. “Oh please. The leash is for you. Keep you close,” he said shaking his head. He took his drink from the bartender and gave him a card to keep a tab open. “So what do you do here...”

Elliot looks around the pub for a moment before he looks back to Kirin. “I usually just come with Kurt and we just drink and talk and get really drunk,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders. He moves closer to Kirin after he’s ordered his own drink and has it in hand. “Nothing special but,” he trails off. “It’s alright.”

“Talk.. mmm,” he hums, wondering if Kurt was better at conversation than he was. His eyes scan the room. “Perhaps you should show me your billiards skills, Gorgeous,” he said eyeing the tool table.

“Yes, talk,” Elliot confirms. He follows Kirin’s gaze before he looks back at the Dom and shrugs his shoulders. “Okay but I’m not the best,” he warns.

Kirin narrowed his eyes. "For a man who spends enough time in this bar that the barkeep didn't even need to ask you what you wanted, you certainly seem like you haven't taken full advantage of this amenities." He wandered over to the pool table and started to chalk a cue. He'd played a decent amount, mostly as a child on the pool table at his father's office. His father would bring him in, but then mostly just leave him to entertain himself. The pool table had been a good source of fun for most his childhood . "Come on, Gorgeous. I'll help you," he said, slipping up behind Elliot and handing him the cue, then leaning into his back side as he reached around to put help El hold the cue properly. He had no doubt Elliot at least knew how to hold the cue, it was all just an excuse to be this close to him.

Elliot rolls his eyes. “I come to the bar to drink, why do you think they know my order?” he asks with a laugh. He only ever played pool as a kid and then if he ever won or came close to winning it was always a fluke. He follows the Dom to the pool table. He’s placed his drink down before Kirin comes up behind him. He huffs out a laugh. “I’m not completely hopeless, I can hold a cue,” he tells him with a laugh as he takes the cue from Kirin. “Not that I mind you being this close to me,” he adds art a smirk on his lips.

Kirin uses the position to his advantage and leans into Elliot, breathing hot on his neck. "No? I was really hoping to make you very very hopeless...helpless...mine," he whispered, kissing up his neck as his hand wandered south to grab the Frenchman's ass. "You sure you don't need my help..."

Elliot relaxes into Kirin, feeling those stupid butterflies in his stomach once again. He lets out a shaky, content sigh. “Will you only have me if I’m hopeless?” he teases as he feels a shiver run down his spine from the Dom kissing his neck.  He presses his ass back into Kirin’s touch. “Uh, actually, I think I definitely need your help.”

"No, Gorgeous, but it would make things a lot easier," he teases with a chuckle straightening up only slightly, body still pressed into El's back. "Oh yeah? Well then...let's clear this table and start our own game, yeah?" He reached around holding the cue around Elliot's body and taking a shot. The sharp pang echoed as the cue sent the balls flying towards the pockets, sinking one of the three balls left on the fuzzy table top. He shifted, moving Elliot with him, and shot another in the corner pocket. The cue ball curved right back to his stick ready for the last shot. "Mmm this one will be difficult," he explained, as if shooting around an entire person wasn't challenge enough. "You'd better turn around," he said, gently turning Elliot in place so they were face too face> "And scrunch down a little...might be best a little lower,..."

lliot just lets Kirin control his moves, where he should be, and honestly he’s not paying that much attention because Kirin is so close to him and that’s all he can focus on right now. He laughs when Kirin turns him around so they’re face to face. “Idiot,” he says with a fond smile on his lips as his hands come to rest of the Dom’s hips. “You want me to get on my knees for you?” he asks, raising his eyebrows with the question.

Kirin simply give a smirk as he lines up his shot awkwardly around Elliot. "Well if you think that would be best, then perhaps yes, "he said, smirking the whole time. "Just while I shoot. You understand, don't you Gorgeous?"

“I’m not sure that I do,” Elliot teases, feigning innocence as his hands move from Kirin’s hips to the front of his jeans. “Just while you shoot?” he asks, repeating the Dom’s words as he presses the palm of his hand against his crotch.

Kirin shuttered as El’s hand touched him. They’d yet to get into bed together but if the night went on like this, Kirin doubted he’d be able to resist. “Tonight..tomorrow... the rest of your life...” he said with some strain in his voice

Elliot couldn’t help but feel smug when he heard the strain in Kirin’s voice, knowing it was because of him. “Yeah?” he asks. “Think you could deal with me for the rest of my life?” He asks as he undoes Kirin’s jean button and zips his jeans down so he could feel more of him.

“I co-“ he started, but Elliot’s hand made him freeze and try to catch his breath. His eyes darted around the bar. There were people but not so many they could be lost in a crowd and not so few no one would notice shenanigans happening. He swallowed and took a few quick breaths as El grabbed him. “Not if you kill me first,” he breathed, wrapping a hand around to grab El’s ass. “Naughty naughty. Don’t make me punish you in your bar,” he said, trying to gain any control.

When Kirin falters, Elliot smirks. He knew they were in public and it wasn’t like Elliot hadn’t done things in public before but he came here all the time so he was being brave, or an idiot. “Oh, I don’t want to kill you, that wouldn’t be fun,” he laughs. He raises an eyebrow. “I can stop,” he says as he pulls his hand away slightly. “Not sure I want to be punished,” he adds with a laugh.

Kirin’s eyes were scanning the room again, but this time for doors not people. “You’re going to If this keeps up,” he said under his breath, then grabbed hold of Elliot’s hand pulling it away and pinning it on the edge of the pool table. He knew he was going to regret this, but he didn’t have a choice, “...bathroom. Now,” he ordered, pulling Elliot towards the back of the room

“Hm, does that mean I can’t touch you?” he teases. He hadn’t really expected this to be how their date went but he’s not mad about it, honestly. He should be bothered that Kirin is pulling him into a bathroom he’s been on his knees in way too many times, drunk and with strangers. But he doesn’t care because he wants Kirin. “Fuck,” he practically groans. “Okay,” he says as if he would have ever even considered saying no as he’s pulled away from the pool table.

Kirin practically dragged Elliot into the small room shoving the door shut and then pushing Elliot back up against it. He leaned into El, a hand braces on either side of his body against the door. “You. You are a tease,” he growled, the Dommy side of him creeping out more and more, but he couldn’t help it. “

Elliot looks at Kirin with wide eyes, anticipation hanging heavy in the air. He swallows thickly and despite being desperate to touch Kirin and feeling a little dizzy, he manages a small smirk when Kirin calls him a tease. “But you like it, right?” he asks

He’s not used to having to hold back. Before school he was almost always fucking and scenening with someone he’d hired. No need to hold back anything much then. But Elliot was important. He had to temper himself because god only knows how El would react to his unleashed dominance, seeing El didn’t even believe in the system. In answer, Kirin grabbed Elliot’s hand and pushed in on to his hard cock again. “You could say that.” He lunges in, kissing the boy hard, running his hands all over his body, and trying to strip his shirt off.

Elliot keeps his hand on Kirin’s cock as the Dom kisses him. He groans into his mouth, palming at his length as the kiss heats up. He pulls back ever so slightly, having to move his hand, so his shirt could come off but then his hips are back on Kirin’s and his hand his back on his length. He pushes his hand into his underwear so he can actually touch him. His fingers wrap around his length and he strokes him.

What was he thinking? Hooking up in a dirty bar bathroom? How very pedestrian. But Elliot already was shirtless and that hand on his cock was threatening to drive him mad. His lips crashed back into Elliot’s and he shoved his own hand down the back of Elliot’s jeans, teasing his fingers over the Switches hole. “You deserve better than a quickie in a toilet stall,” he grumbled.

Elliot moans into the kiss as Kirin teases at his hole. He lets out a breathless laugh at the Dom’s words because he wasn’t stopping. “I don’t care,” he tells him without hesitation. He didn’t think he deserved better but he wasn’t about to say that and ruin the moment.

That moan just about drove Kirin insane, and almost convinced him to drop the argument. But he knew he was right. Elliot deserved far better than this. He kept kissing the boy but pulled his hand back, whining. “I will not...” he paused to kiss him again, “...tell our children.... our first time was in a bar bathroom.” He finally, breathlessly, pulled back from El’s lips. “Let’s get drunk and go back and at least allow me to bed you in a proper bed.

Elliot almost pouts when Kirin stops this. He can’t be mad, not that he would be anyway, especially when Kirin is being so nice about it. Though, children? Elliot was not about to touch that. “Fine, okay,” he says but he isn’t really annoyed, he’s smiling. He kisses Kirin again, slow, and then pulls back. “I plan on getting stupid drunk cause I need to focus on something that is on mine boner, or yours,” he says with a laugh as he grabs his shirt and puts it back on.

Kirin is sure he's lost his mind. He'd been dreaming of fucking Elliot for weeks now, nervously dreaming,but still. And here he was turning him away. It was the right thing to do though and this bathroom was grossing him out. "My tab is open, but I don't wish to carry you home, yeah?" He kissed Elliot's lips again, not eager to give him up. "Maybe I can help with that," he said, just as knock came at the door and they had to vacate awkwardly. Kirin lead them back towards the pool table and their drinks on small high top table. He took a big gulp of his gin and tonic to try and ease his nerves and lust. "You will be the end of me, I just know it," he sighed.

‘Hmm, okay,” Elliot replies with a smirk. “I’ll not get too drunk that you’ll have to carry me home, promise.” He kisses the Dom back, and wishes it could continue but he can wait. He’s never been the most patient guy but he’s sure Kirin will be worth the wait. He coughs awkwardly as they leave the bathroom. He smirks as Kirin takes a large drink of his gin before he takes a sip of his own. “Sounds fun,” he jokes, grinning at him.

Kirin eyed the Switch and the smiled. "I suppose, if you're the death of me, I can lay back in my grave with a smile on." He pulled Elliot in by his shirt, kissed him and then pushed him gently towards the pool table. "Come on, show me what you've got, Barfly," he teased. They played a few games of pool, drank, laughed, kissed..a lot, but finally the darkening sky told them it was time to head back. "Balls. It's  nearly curfew. We need to hussel," he said, downing the last of his drink.

“Well that’s adorable,” the switch replies with a shy smile before he’s being pulled in. He hums happily and kisses the Dom back. He rolls his eye at the nickname. “Yes, Sir,” he teases. He’s pretty impressed with how long he’s able to last without just dropping to his knees for Kirin, he manages to even forget about it for a little while as he gets more and more drunk, but not too drunk that he won’t be able to get it up when they get back. He turns to look at Kirin and actually pouts because he kinda of really doesn’t want the date to be okay. “I suppose we should go,” he says as he slides up to Kirin.

Kirin put his arm around El's waist, pays his tab, leaves a decent tip and they walk back to campus with a decent amount of laughter and tripping. Maybe even falling off the sidewalk once or twice. "You're drunk," he teases, though he is clearly just as drunk. "Shhh going back to campus, we have to be good or they'll spank us, "he says, laughing loudly then shushing himself as they get up to the gates and show their ids to get in.

“You’re drunk,” Elliot quips back as they make their way back to campus. He definitely feels drunk and he’s back to just wanting Kirin. “You want them to spank you?” he teases, he’s loud though, always gets louder when he’s drunk. He shows the guards his ID and then walks, stumbles mostly, to the Dom’s dorm.

Kirin's face got red and his eyes huge and he grabbed El pulling him close and covering his mouth. "No.  Shush your mouth now," he said sternly, then laughed at himself. They're laughing when they tumble into the door and Kirin accidentally slams it closed behind them, sending them both laughing again. He pulled El in tight, kissing him hard and fast, hands going to strip the other's clothes off him fast. "You need to be in my bed, right now, naked."

Elliot feels dizzy, and not from the booze. He’s so desperate and needy for Kirin in this moment and god does he want to be in his bed. “Yes, please,” he breathes against his lips before he kisses him again, needy and rough and he doesn’t care.

Kirin's tempted to shove the boy to the floor and demand his mouth, but he forced some control on himself.  He groaned into El's neck as he kissed over his chest. He paused to strip his own shirt off revealing his ripped chest and abs. He walked El backwards towards his bed and then shoved the switch backwards on to it, letting El bounce on the bed as he slipped his jeans off and then with a devious smile, climbed over El, holding himself up with one arm, using his free hand to cup El's face. "You're so sexy...such a tease though....driving me crazy all night.

Elliot’s eyes fell to the Dom’s chest and abs, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide a she took in how good Kirin looked. “Fuck,” he hisses out as the other climbs over him, he’s still looking up at him with wide eyes. “I wanted to see if you’d cave and just fuck me there,” he teases. He leans up to kiss him as his hands trail down the Dom’s chest. “Fuck me,” he says into the kiss as one of his hands palms at the other’s cock.

“I told you...you deserved better than that. You deserve better than this too, but it’s what I’ve got at the moment,” he said, wondering why Elliot couldn’t see that a bathroom was no place to fuck anything but a whore. Kirins eyes roll back and his cock goes rigid as Elliot touches him and begs so softly. “Are you sure,” he asked coyly, pressing his hand down between them, teasing El’s cock. “Are you positive that’s what you want?”

Elliot didn’t care, as long as he had Kirin, he didn’t care where it was . “This is perfect, Kirin, because the date was perfect and you’re here,” he replies. They could be anywhere and Elliot wouldn’t care as long as he had him. He lets out a groan at the touch and nods his head. “I’m sure, I want this. I want you,” he assures him. He doesn’t think he’s been more sure of anything in this moment.

Kirin softly shook his head. "You deserve better than a bathroom fuck," he said simply, "So do I. " He leans in kissing El again, their bodies writhing against each other. Kirin groaned at the request. God he wanted to fuck this man. "Ah ah ask nicely, "he teased, losing all domminess as Elliot palmed his cock and made him whimper. He returned the favor, moving to tease El's hole. "I think I want that mouth first."

Kirin wasn't wrong about that. "You do deserve better," he agrees without hesitation. He rolls his eyes when Kirin tells him to ask nicely as if telling the Dom he wanted him, and this, wasn't nice enough. He moans as Kirin teases his hole. "Kirin," he practically whines because god he just wanted him.  "Okay, fuck, you can have my mouth," he agrees.

"As do you," he corrected, not willing to let Elliot weasel out of that.  With their bodies so close, Kirin feels like the world has gone and time has stood still for them. The way Elliot whines his name makes his heart flip in his chest. "Elliot," he whispers back, teasing his finger into his hole gently.  "Good boy..." he whispers gently, lovingly, "But ...I realize now...I don't wish you to move from my arms. I quite like your body so close to mine." He continued to kiss El's neck and back, holding him tight to him. "I believe I could be quite happy if you never moved again." Elliot, once again, does not comment. He also doesn’t let on about the fact he doesn’t like to be called good boy because this moment is too good to bring up that. “How are you being so cute with your fingers when they are?” the switch asks. He lets out a quiet laugh as his twists his fingers in the Dom’s hair. “I think I would be quite happy if I never moved again as well,” he says and he’s smiling fondly at the Dom on top of him because he’s ridiculous and Elliot can’t seem to get enough of him.

“It’s one of my many talents,” he whispered, making his point by gently kissing El’s skin and making him moan by finding that sweet spot with his fingers. “Well...perhaps a little moving wouldn’t be awful,” he said, taking his fingers back and quickly grabbing lube from the side table and slicking his cock. Gently he lined up with El’s hole, kissing his neck. “You ready Gorgeous,” he asked, hips barely containing their excitement.

Kirin was definitely going to be the death of Elliot. He shifts to watch the Dom as he applies the lube and then he’s there and this s about to happen. He looks at Kirin and nods his head, he’s more than ready. “Yeah, yeah, I’m ready,” he confirms eagerly, eyed wide and his body tingling with anticipation and excitement.

Kirin smiles softly. The booze still tingling in his system is making this moment feel good ls a little extra. Like a movie. Something he needed to get perfect.  Slowly, he eased in steadily, until his thighs met Elliot’s ass.

Elliot tenses around the Dom’s length before he lets himself relax, groaning at the feel of Kirin inside of him. “Fuck, Kirin,” he moans as he grips hold of his forearms, looking up at him with lust blown eyes. This was really happening and Elliot was delirious with how food it felt to feel so full by him.

Kirin gasped as he bottomed out inside Elliot. He'd never done this this slow before, never stopped to savor the sensations. "FUck" he echoed, kissing Elliot's warm skin and wrapping his strong arms around the other. "You feel even more amazing that I dreamt you would," he whispered, starting to very slowly ease out and then back in.

[vickypoochoices]

Most Girls - The Never Been Kissed Girl.

This is it guys, the last full chapter to Most Girls. Got an epilogue coming up soon to wrap it all up. Thanks so much for reading!

[MASTERLIST.]

Previous.

"That's it Violet, I can't take it anymore! I'm sick of seeing that sorry little face of your's, you're slowly dragging me down into this depressing little pit you've been in for weeks and I'm officially done."

Violet found herself shrinking back at the tone in Zack's voice, nervous about what was to come. If she knew Zack at all, then he had a plan to get her out of this bedroom and it wouldn't be long before he put the plan into action.

Looking around at her surroundings, she felt a jolt of shame strike her. She'd barely left this little sanctuary of her's recently, apart from classes and caffeine boosts, and that was clear for all to see. Her laundry basket stood in the corner, overflowing with dirty clothes. A stack of empty coffee cups littered her dressing table. And the curtains hadn't been touched in days, leaving the room looking dark and gloomy.

"You know I think I'm going a little bit crazy Zack." She muttered, staring off into space as her lips moved.

Pulling the curtains back, a weak beam of sunlight bounced off the walls, dwindling quickly as evening had begun to sink in.

"Yeah well I'm not really surprised when you've been holed up in here for days."

"No, no. I mean actually insane. Four times this week I thought I saw Chris. I even chased after him the last time but we all know anyone can run circles around me. And it was a waste of time and energy anyway, it's not like Chris is even here. I hope he's not going to be in trouble for this, missing classes and stuff."

A look of panic flashed across Zack's face, but Violet was none the wiser, too consumed by her own thoughts to notice.

"That sure is crazy talk there Violet. Anywho, I'm fed up with the pity party. How about we have an actual party?"

And there it was. Zack's plan, about to play out!

Her attention snapped back, looking at Zack incredulously.

"You really think I'm in the mood to party? I see what you're trying to do and I appreciate the thought, but I just don't feel like it."

Placing a hand on either shoulder, Zack shook her lightly.

"Well tough Violet. Our first guest has already arrived, and he's specifically asked to see you."

"Is it Chris? He's back?"

Zack shrugged, pointing at her ajar bedroom door, silently willing her to go.

She bounded down the hallway, finding a little spring to her steps. She hated herself as she felt her face slip for a second once she found Zig in the spot she'd hoped to find Chris.

"You always keep me guessing with the greetings. First it's a snort for a hello, today it's a look of disappointment, I'm hoping next time we might even make it as far as a hello." He smirked, walking over and drawing her into his arms for a hug.

As Zig enveloped her in his arms, Violet felt the tension start to melt away. She knew things had been strained between them recently. One minute she forgot the world and all it's problems and just relaxed in the moment with him, the next she caught herself, clamming up and retreating back into her shell. But Zig never gave up on her, and if he was growing tired of her ways he never let it show. He'd been so kind, so patient. If Violet hadn't been so terrified of rejection she would have found some way to show him how much she appreciated all of this.

As they pulled apart Zig took her hand, raising it to his lips and tenderly kissing each knuckle individually. Violet's cheeks scorched as his eyes gazed into hers intensely.

"I should probably get out of these clothes if i'm sticking around for the party." She gulped, watching the room slowly fill up with people.

"If anyone can pull off the homeless look it's you Violet."

Zig couldn't help but laugh as she gave him a feeble attempt at a shove.

"I'm quaking in my boots over here." He teased, as she flounced off back to her bedroom.

Zig took in the scenery, smiling as he caught sight of a framed photo on the sideboard. Tracing the outline of Violet's face with his finger, his back straightened subconsciously as he felt someone sidle up next to him.

"Long time no see Chris." Zig commented, not bothering to look at who had joined him. He knew.

Chris didn't respond, but joined Zig in looking over the photo in his hands.

"You realise Violet's been miserable without you."

Chris scoffed. "I doubt that. She has you now."

Zig placed the photo frame back in it's place, head shaking angrily.

"Seems you've wasted your time away if this is the attitude you've come back with. Come on man, you don't need me to butter you up."

Chris's head dropped, letting silence ring out between them.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence Zig worked up the courage to ask the one question he was desperate to be answered.

"Do you love her?"

A fire ignited behind Chris's eyes, angered that there was even a doubt in Zig's mind.

"Of course I do."

"You know what I meant." Zig pressed on, undeterred.

"I thought maybe I did. Seeing you two together stirred up some emotions that I've never felt before. It's been me and Violet against the world together for so long. This all escalated so quickly and I just lost myself a little bit. I went home because of a silly argument, fully intending to come back and sweep it under the carpet. But then you two showed up and I couldn't help but question my feelings. I love Violet, but I genuinely feel like she's family."

"Well that's not hard when her Mum loves you like a son. She probably loves you more than her own daughter." Zig retorted.

Chris gave Zig a questioning look.

"You never thought that was odd? After meeting Violet's Mum it's obvious she never stood much of a chance with someone like that to look up to."

"What are you talking about?" Chris spat, feeling anger bubble to the surface.

"You know what I mean." Zig replied, maintaining eye contact.

"Clearly not."

"What are you saying? After all these years you never noticed Violet was a little off when it came to eating. You never thought to question her when she only ever ordered a salad? You didn't worry when she started dropping weight?"

Chris's mouth slackened, jaw gaping open as he tried to process what he was hearing.

"I...She...Fuck. I need to find her."

Heading straight for Violet's room, he ploughed straight in, not thinking to knock. Something he immediately regretted as she stumbled back in shock, awkwardly using her arms in an attempt to shield her body from view.

"CHRIS!" She shrieked loudly, turning her back to him and throwing on a dress hastily.

"Shit! Sorry sorry sorry! I didn't see anything I swear!" He gabbled.

As she struggled with her dress, he pressed forward, gently gliding the zip upwards, fingers lingering a second longer as he gathered his nerve.

"You're here." She breathed.

"I'm here."

"Is the dress okay? Oh God, it feels so clingy! Do I look like a blob? Should I change?" Violet nervously babbled, her voice shrill.

Taking a step back, his eyes travelled the length of her body. Skimming over her curves, dress clinging to every inch in all the right ways, Chris shook his head despairingly, unable to comprehend how he'd somehow missed all the now painfully obvious signs. She was stunning, truly, and his heart ached at the realisation that she couldn't see herself as others did.

Closing the distance between them, he propped her chin up to look at him, needing her full attention.

"Violet, the dress is gorgeous. You're gorgeous. Don't change."

Her eyes seemed to search his for an eternity. As she found whatever she'd been looking for in them she gave a quick nod in acceptance.

"Listen I..."

"Violet wait. I need to apologise. For a lot of things. I've been a jerk."

"I didn't like to say but..." She laughed.

"I'm meant to be your best friend and here I am running away from you and hurting you. Violet you've always been there for me, no questions asked, and i threw it back in your face. I haven't been the best friend that you deserve, I've been awful recently if I'm honest. I..." He paused mid way through his speech as Violet threw her arms around him, knocking him backwards. Catching himself, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, anchoring them to the ground.

"Just shut up Chris! You're here. That's all I care about right now. All that other stuff? We'll talk about it another day if we have to. For now, I'm just glad to have my best friend back."

"Okay, alright. But there is one thing I need to say. That Zig guy that's waiting out there for you? He's a good guy. In my expert best friend opinion, you should give him a chance."

Violet waited a beat.

"I'm just waiting for the sarcastic comment to drop."

"I mean it, I promise. Don't think that means I won't be beating his ass if he ever so much as looks at another girl. But for now, I'm in his corner."

After giving Chris a final squeeze, they parted ways, both relieved to have their best friend back.

"I've never told you just how adorable those dimples of yours are." A husky whisper caught her off guard as a strong pair or arms snaked around her waist firmly. Recognising Zig's voice, she leaned in to him, pressing her body against his lightly.

"Adorable huh? Like a five year old?"

"Hm, you're right. Not adorable then. How about sexy?"

"You sure you don't want someone like that?" She worried out loud, pointing out a leggy blonde across the room.

Zig's nose crinkled as though in disgust.

"I've been with girls like her before. Pretty to look at, but dull as hell. I wish you could see what I do when I look at you. You may not think you're perfect, but you are perfect for me. All those little things you get hung up on and think of as flaws? They are what set you apart from everyone else in the best possible way."

Spinning herself around in his arms, she looped her hands around the back of his neck, confidence at an all time high after getting back on track with Chris.

"I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that you were a smooth talker, but that was something else Zig." Violet gave a half laugh, mouth suddenly feeling dry.

He smirked back in response, and Violet swallowed hard. The air around them had grown thick, her breathing a little heavier. She longed to close the distance between them, but she wasn't sure she could handle the rejection that was sure to come her way. They'd maintained a flirty relationship, but Zig had never pressed for things to go further, and Violet was starting to question why.

"Talk to me." One of his hands gave her a gentle squeeze at the waist, his touch burning hot.

"I'm...scared."

"Of me?"

"Of...well pretty much everything. Rejection, lack of experience, knowing I'm not good enough for you...I'm feeling all the emotions right now." The temptation to run was high, and she attempted to wiggle out of his hold.

Tightening his grip, Zig pushed their bodies even closer together, gently pushing his forehead to rest against her's.

"It makes no difference if you've been with no guys, twenty guys, a thousand guys, I still want you. Not good enough for me, huh, that's funny. Because I think it's actually the other way around. Violet you do realise you have two guys here tonight who would ride to the edge of the world for you right? No questions asked. And this whole party tonight? All for you, because your friends love you and worry about you. Because you are beautiful, inside and out, and that's something you don't see much anymore. I'm so lucky to have met you. Most girls would have tried it on or moved it on by now, but you've stayed. And in doing so you've given me the chance to get to know the real you. And as for your concerns over rejection..."

Zig tailed off, tilting his head to the side. One hand trailed tiny circles across the small of her back, the other reached up, thumb tenderly stroking over the small dimple in her cheek. He pressed his lips gently to Violet's, just for a second, before pulling back and holding her at arm's length.

Her mouth fell open, and a shiver ran through her as the warmth from his body left her.

"How was that?" Zig asked, lips pursed tightly as be tried to stop himself from laughing.

"That...was...Zig! Are you messing with me?"

His eyes lit up, struggling to contain the laughter as it seemed to spill out. Folding her arms firmly across her chest, she fixed him with a steely glance.

"First kiss, check. Did it suck? You bet!"

Zig's head jerked back, the laughing seizing immediately.

"We can't be having that. Maybe we'll have to try again. A few times. Until I get the hang of it." He suggested, entwining their hands together.

"Well if you think you're up to the challenge..." Her eyes glittered in the dull light, and she found herself subconsciously biting on her bottom lip.

In an instant Zig pushed his lips to hers, forcefully this time, past the point of messing with her. She felt his cheeks rise slightly in a smile as his tongue patiently waited for permission to enter, which she quickly gave. Their tongues danced together, slowly caressing, gently teasing, and Violet found herself lost in the moment. After a few moments, they eased apart, Zig's eyes full of wonder as he watched her attempt to regulate her breathing.

"Second kiss, check. Nailed it."

Tagging: @zigortega4life @emerald-bijou @syltti78

Next.

[endlessmoonrise]

A Quiet Moment

Notes: Well @kitsunewingstar I think I'm officially the worse @csficformal gifter ever :’) Not only was I unable to contact you through this entire event, but I'm also posting a day late. I’m sorry you didn't get a say in what you were gifted, I really did try to get in touch, but I'm not the best with tumblr. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little oneshot, its a fluffy moment that’s been in my head since the S6 finale. I started a little drawing to go with it but you seem to be a much superior artist and I didn't want to embarrass myself :’). Enjoy!!!

Summary: Emma and Killian take a few much needed quiet moments alone after the final battle. 

Rating: T

Emma was perched on a stool in front of her dressing table hitching the sleeves of the pink satin dress she wore on their first date up her arms and peering over her opposite shoulder towards her husband. “Killian? Can you zip me up?” She pulled her damp hair to one side and grinned at the view of the brief covered backside that she was greeted with before he managed to pull his jeans over his hips.

 “Course, Love.” He turned and made his way over, fly still undone, and ran his hand gently across her shoulder, thumb dipping beneath the strap of her dress to knead at the tense muscles there, the shower and the heat of the water had eased it somewhat, but she was still stiff from wielding that sword just hours before. She leaned into the touch and let herself fall back against his chest. “You sure, you’re up to entertaining?” He murmured pressing his lips to her hair.

 They had guests downstairs, her parents, Henry, Regina and Zelena had all come back to their place, still in all their wedding finery, for a makeshift wedding reception. Her mom had insisted, and even though all Emma felt like doing was curling up in her husband’s arms and staying there for weeks… She guessed that further down the line, after a good night’s sleep and a few of those much needed quiet moments, she might look back and thank her for it.

 “Hmmm.” She hummed the affirmative and turned her cheek against the bare skin of his stomach. “I love you.”

Killian smiled softly, in awe with the ease of which she told him that now, and carded his fingers lightly through her hair, which was still slightly damp from her shower. “I love you too.” Emma turned her head further against him, pressing her lips to his skin and nipping at it lightly with her teeth.

He grunted in surprise, clenching his jaw to hide his grin and she giggled against him. Killian lowered himself slowly down to his knees behind the stool she’d perched herself on, pressing his lips to her neck, her shoulders, her spine, stubble scratching deliciously across her skin, as he went.

 He stopped just below her shoulder blades, where the back of her bra rested, deep wine coloured lace against milky pale skin. “This is new.” He nosed at the fabric, running his lips over her ribs as he did.

“Killian.” She laughed, a little breathlessly a little giddily, but she couldn’t help herself, there was a lot that was getting to her at the moment, things that she only now let herself indulge in, now that the threat of the Black Fairy and her imminent death were no longer a concern.

 She had her whole life ahead of her again, one that she was going to spend with her husband, her family, the fact that she could now call Killian her husband, excited her only slightly less than the fact that he’d now call her his wife.

 Then there were the little things, like the fact that she could call herself ‘Emma Jones’ or ‘Emma Swan-Jones’ she hadn’t quite decided.  She liked that Swan was a name she gave herself, and even now she liked her ten year old self’s reasoning behind it, but she also like the idea of having a name that was legally hers, hers and Killian’s.

 The whole engagement, non-engagement, portal jumping, re-engagement, top speed wedding planning business, hadn’t exactly given her much time to think about it, but either way she’d have to change her signature… the name on all her mail would start changing… and where as a year ago… hell maybe even six months ago, that would have scared the shit out of her, all she could feel right now was excitement.

 Then there was the fact that she also now seemed to be at a point her relationship where said husband had such intimate knowledge of her underwear selection that he knew and appreciated when she splurged on new stuff…  it was a stupid, insignificant thing, but she realised that she actually kinda liked it. “It is technically my wedding night, the panties match… figured I’d really go all out.” She whispered coyly in way of reply.

 She could feel his smirk and his hot breath against her skin. “I shall make sure to thoroughly enjoy tearing them off you later then.” He murmured, making her jump and gasp when the cold metal of his hook came into contact with her side as he slipped it beneath her dress.

 “Not a chance.” She hissed, biting her lip and waiting for the metal warm against her skin. “I don’t think I've ever spent this much on underwear in my life.” She’d bought some new stuff when they’d started getting intimate, something she’d never bothered with for one night stands… but this particular set was more than an Emma that wasn’t high on dress shopping ever would have spent on underwear.

 “Hmmm.” Killian hummed, a little dejectedly and Emma laughed, but the laugh died in her throat and heat flared deep in her abdomen as he kissed lower down her back, then lower still, tongue darting out against her skin… before pulling her zip up with his teeth. Emma groaned, cause God dammit, the black fairy hadn’t succeeded, but if he carried on like this, that mouth was going to be the end of her. He chuckled and kissed her neck before standing up. “There you go, Love.”

 She huffed out a breath “Why do I feel like we’re doing this whole wedding night thing in reverse.”

 He laughed quietly and murmured huskily against her lips. “Trust me, Darling, I’d much rather be undressing you.”

 Emma wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as enthusiastically, pressing herself flush against his chest in an attempt to get closer, but the muscles in his shoulders were stiff and he winced when she hugged him a little too tight, so she loosened her hold and ran a hand up her chest. “Sore?”

 “Aye.” He huffed out. “Apparently I’m not as young as I used to be.”

She grinned mischievously. “What? You mean like two hundred?”

 “Ha ha.” He deadpanned, rolling his left shoulder back to try and ease the ache there.

 She brushed his shirt to the side and tried to ease her fingers beneath the straps of his brace and failing. They both winced, him in pain and her in sympathy, the skin around it was an angry shade of red and rubbed raw, ideally he should have taken it off, but she knew he wouldn’t, even around friends and family.

 “You’ve got this far too tight, babe.” She pulled on the worn leather strap that circled his shoulder, undoing the buckle and loosening it a couple of notches, before moving onto the one on his bicep. “Better?”

 “Better.” He smiled down at her tenderly, tucking her hair behind her ear. She ran her hands over his chest, and raked her nails through his chest hair as she did, before giving him a taste of his own medicine and pulling both sides of his shirt together to button it up

 He groaned in protest, turning his face into her neck, and she laughed, cradling the back of his head in her hand and rocking with him side to side.

 There was a flash of light, and both Emma and Killian turned to find Snow, camera in hand and pulled up to her face. She smiled guiltily at them, winding on the film in her camera, and pointing it back at them.  “Cuddle up you two. I need to catch up on wedding photos ”

 Emma rolled her eyes. “Mom.” She laughed, but gave in to the tug of Killian’s hand on her waist. He pulled her to his side, and wrapped his arm around her, posing for the photo with his lips pressed to her temple.

 One photo became two, and then a third and a forth, but Emma humoured her, smiling until her cheeks ached, all the while trying not to react as Killian ran a hand over her ass and squeezed.

 She gripped the offending hand in her own and pulled it back up to her waist, watching out of the corner of her eye as his lips turned up in a devilish smirk. “Jackass.” She muttered through her teeth, just loud enough for him to hear, and smiling as her mom took another photo.

 He chuckled, spinning her around and dipping her low the way he had at their wedding and she squealed, scrambling to grip the back of his neck, as he muffled the sound with his lips.

 Another flash, another photo, and Emma tucked her chin up and pulled her lips away, batting his chest playfully and pulling herself upright. “Alright.” She laughed. “That’s enough.” She felt giddy, almost drunk on happiness and relief.

 She was safe, and the final battle was won.

 She wasn’t naive enough to think life would be plain sailing from now on, this was Storybrooke, there was always going to be some drama or another. But right now she was feeling more optimistic than she ever had. This most recent alternate reality (Damn, she really needed to start labelling these things) had given her some clarity.

 Her life was so different than it was when Henry first brought her to Storybrooke, she could hardly remember a time when having family dinner with Snow White and Prince Charming, and kissing Captain Hook had sounded crazy… but it wasn’t just the fairy tales that had been beyond her imagination.

 The simple things, like having a family, a dad that made her breakfast and a mom that made up wedding binders. Her son, her little boy, who’d she’d resigned herself over a decade ago to never see again, coming over and playing video games on her couch and eating her Pop tarts.

 Her boyfriend… No, Husband, god was she ever gonna get used to that? Who supported and loved her, in a way she’d never even thought was possible. Her loveable dork, who still couldn’t figure out how to work the ‘picture box.’ Who took her on dates, held open doors for her and brought her flowers, just because.

 She’d never believed she’d have any of this. She’d lived her life so long, alone, walls up and never letting anyone close. She wasn’t sure how she’d thought her life would pan out, but being a mother, a daughter, a wife, had certainly never been a part of it.

 One thing was for sure though; she wouldn’t have it any other way.

[namjoonsteeth]

Ruin The Friendship (part VIII)

Title: Ruin The Friendship (mini-series) Part 8

Word-Count: 7.4k

Pairing: Jay Park/ Reader (kinda)

Summary: Best friends to lovers. Inspired by Ruin The Friendship - Demi Lovato.

Genre: Smutty Fluff

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

“Has anyone ever told you exactly how dramatic you are?”

Chae waits with a lamp in one hand and the other hand on her hip in my doorway. She shakes her head at me while I say goodbye to the important areas in my apartment. I’ve been officially moved into Jay’s place for a little more than 48 hours, and honestly, I’m really dragging this out but I love this apartment. It’s like the beginning and the end of the second era of my life. Everything just looks so bare now, even more so than when I moved in. Where before I could at least see all the ways I wanted to decorate and make it my own, now it just feels empty.

“Yes, my boyfriend tells me at least ten times a day but thank you for your input,”

“You barely even lived here for the last month and a half, Y/n,” Chae sighs and turns around to leave me and my apartment with our last few seconds together.

I give everything one last look before shutting the door behind me. We’ve moved everything out within a few days and I really wouldn’t be able to do any of it on my own. Chae and her perfectionism came in handy once again as she made sure we sorted everything correctly and in a timely manner.

We go through the garage toward my new 2013 Ford Focus, which is of course far less ridiculous than Jay’s car. He complained how it’ll just sit in his garage for three months but I can’t do it every day.

“Thanks again, Chae,” I sigh as we slide in beside each other.

“You know it’s no problem. How do you feel? You still freaking out?”

I roll my eyes. “I never freak out,”

“You’re a liar. You’re the queen of irrational cognitive displacement,”

I look at her. “What is that? It sounds made up,”

“It is,” she laughs. “You just, I don’t know. You think in circles. It’s like a spiral or something. With each loop, everything just gets bigger and more complicated,”

I sigh, unable to disagree because she’s right. I am in a constant state of irrational cognitive displacement or whatever. I think too much. I’m over-thinking, over-analyzing, over-exaggerating.

“I definitely am glad I’m moving in,” I say. “I didn’t think I would be. Ask me a few weeks ago if I’d be moving into Jay’s place and I’d call you crazy. I just,” I trail off trying to find words not caught in my complicated spiral of thoughts.

“I can’t tell you a legitimate reason for why I’m moving in with him other than I just want to. I feel like I have to justify it for some reason,”

“Who are you justifying it to?” Chae asks while I pull onto the street and head to Jay’s place, my place.

“Myself, mostly,”

“You love him,” Chae says.

I nod in agreement.

“You don’t see anyone else for you. He’s the only person you’re planning to be with for the rest of your life,”

“Correct,”

“You want to live with him,”

“Yes,”

“Then fuck everything else, Y/n,” she laughs. “Honestly, life is too short to second guess what makes you happy,”

“You don’t think it’s too soon?” I ask.

“What does Jay think?”

I pull my lip between my teeth. Jay has been helping me unpack and making space in his closet and the rest of his home for my stuff. And he couldn’t be happier. He’s taken to emphasizing that everything is *ours* now. It’s gotten quite annoying.

“He’s happy,” I say.

“Well, who cares what I think! Listen, you guys have loved each other for so long. The regular rules and social expectations don’t apply here. If you’re happy and feel good then go for it. There’s not a doubt in my mind that that boy won’t drop everything just to make sure your feet won’t touch the ground,”

*Who cares?*

She’s right. Of course, she is. At the end of the day, it’s just me and Jay. It has been since I moved to Seoul. Contrary to how subtle I thought I was being, it’s obvious why I moved here in the first place. LA, New York, even parts of Portland would have been better options for starting a fashion career.

“Have you heard from that journalist from the blog?”

Gina called me yesterday with an update on the Elise situation on her front. It turns out the writer of the shitty article was actually paid to write it. I don’t understand the mechanics behind all of it but I did get the most important part; Haute Magazine is suing Elise Reagan. I’ve always been a big believer in what energy you put in the universe come back to you. Elise is a snake, whatever she deserves for her behavior will come back to here without me.

“Haute is taking care of Elise,” I say pulling into the garage of my new home. I park beside Jay’s car, glad he’s home for once before the sun goes down. No doubt he’s still working.

“Since you’re moving in with your boyfriend does that mean our sleepovers are done?” Chae pokes her bottom lip out.

I shake my head. “Of course not. He signed up for this. We can take just kick him out to the guest bedroom,” I say smiling.

I pull out my phone to call him to help with boxes. Hopefully, he can take a break from whatever he’s doing.

“I’m downstairs with a few more boxes. Can you please help,”

“Am I helping or carrying everything by myself again,”

I smirk remembering how taken Bora was with Jay’s closet when she helped me bring over a majority of my clothes. Jay ended up bringing my stuff in by himself despite me telling him we’d help as soon as I got done showing her around.

“Chae’s with me and she couldn’t care less about your closet,”

I hear him shift around, probably coming down the elevator. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“Not necessarily,” I say. “Besides it’s only a few. We could probably all grab one or two and make it in one trip,”

“Ok, baby. I’m on my way down now,”

He hangs up just as the elevator doors open. With a white tank top and a pair of basketball shorts, he looks like he’s been lounging around the house since I left this morning. *Good.* He doesn’t take off nearly enough time for himself.

“Hey Chae,” Jay says while waving at my friend. He leans over to kiss the side of my mouth. “You,”

“You?” I scoff. “You’ve really gotten too comfortable,” I frown at him.

He makes a face, scrunching up his nose at me and I can’t help but smile.

“Boxes in the trunk and back seat. We need to hurry so we can get ready for the wedding,”

“Yes ma’am,” he says while opening the back door. Jay ends up with two in his arms while Chae and I grab one each. This is just the stuff I want to get unpacked as soon as I can. Anything else I’ll get tomorrow. The three of us ride up to the apartment. Chae and Jay talk about work, mainly Jay leaving in a couple of days.

“Do you want a tour?” I ask her. She shakes her head and waves me off.

“No, go get ready. I’ll see it another time. Call me tomorrow?” She leans in to press her lips against my cheek and she’s off.

Jay walks past after setting the boxes in his closet. His hand slaps my behind roughly.

“Let’s go, you’ll take at least two hours to look for something to wear,”

I rub my stinging cheek and frown at him before slapping his ass right back. “Actually, I have it  hanging in your closet-,”

“Our closet,” he says with a smile. I roll my eyes, ignoring the correction.

“We get two hours, and we’re out the door. And since you want to complain about me taking too long, I’m not doing your hair,”

“You do realize I’ve lived alone for more than ten years now, right? I can do my own hair,”

An hour and a half later my makeup is done and I’m just about to slip into my dress when Jay knocks on the bathroom door. He peeks his head in, a  sheepish smile on his face.

“Can you part my hair for me?”

I laugh loudly and shake my head at him. Still, I put some products away to make room. I lift my self on the counter and wait for him to come over. He settles between my legs, his hands running up my bare thighs.

“I’ve lived alone for ten years,” I mock his voice from earlier. “I can do my own hair,”

Jay’s eyes narrow on me. “You’re so annoying,”

“You like it a lot,” I say as I focus on styling a side swept part in his hair. I feel his hands move up my sides, touching the lining of my red push-up.

“I like this a lot,” he whispers. I reach for some hair pomade and work it through his hair so the style stays.

“I’m not surprised. Come on, Jay, we have to get going,” I say pushing him gently so I can hop off the counter. “Don’t go anywhere, please. I need you to zip my dress,”

He leans on the counter beside me, his eyes roaming over my body. When they come back up to my own gaze, his eyes are soft.

“I don’t tell you enough, but you’re very pretty,”

I lean in to kiss him gently before grabbing my dress off the back of the door.

“I’m wearing three pounds of make-up,” I point out. His arms come up to wrap around my waist. He brings my back to his chest and his chin on my shoulder.

“I see you with dried drool on your chin every morning. I still think you’re pretty then too,”

“Why are you being cute?” I laugh. He laughs too and squeezes me tight once before dropping a kiss down on my neck. His mouth moves across my skin gently.

“I can’t just want to call my girlfriend pretty?”

“It’s weird. You aren’t this nice,” I say. His teeth scrape across my skin, sending goosebumps down my spine. His fingers go up to the back of my shoulder where my tattoo is. He traces the curved lines of the short phrase slowly.

“Are you still mad that I went without you?”

He pulls me in again, his arms wrapping around my waist. I try not to react to my ass pressed against him or how good his skin feels against mine.

Jay sighs, his chest moving heavily against my back. “I wasn’t mad. I was just a little upset with myself. I made you a lot of promises. I told you I’d show you around and help you get settled. Even the little things that you needed me here for. Just bring your friend, I haven’t been here,”

“I understand, Jay. I’ve always gotten how busy you are,”

“Doesn’t make it less shitty,”

I turn around in his arms so I can see his face. “You never asked me to wait on you. You didn’t even ask me to come here, it was all my choice,”

He reaches up, cupping my neck. “It kind of makes it worse though, because I knew you would be here. I didn’t ask you to wait until I got my shit in place because I knew you would,”

I think about what he says. Maybe I should care. Maybe it does matter that for the better part of our relationship together, I’ve been unknowingly put on hold just so he could do whatever he wanted.

“I don’t care,” I tell him. “We were kids. We’re still kids. There are things you wanted for your own life and you accomplished them. What kind of friend would I be if I was upset with you trying to achieve your goals?”

I pull away from him and pull my cocktail dress over my head. He reaches out to help me be careful of my hair. I turn again so he can zip it up for me.

“Why does it always seem like you’re trying to talk me out of wanting you?” I say.

He’s quiet behind me for a few seconds as his fingers glide across my spine while he closes my dress. Finally, he sighs.

“I don’t want you to feel stuck,” he says. “Before you had boyfriends and it didn’t matter if I was on a three-month tour. I just don’t want you to think that you have to stay just because-,”

“I’m here,” I tell him. “Even if I didn’t want to be, there’s something about your stupid face and hands and mouth that’ll keep me in your bed,”

“So, you’re saying you’re using me for my body,” he looks fake offended.

I pat his chest and lean up to kiss his neck. “Just keep looking pretty and you’ll have nothing to worry about, baby,”

“Let's go,” he sighs rolling his eyes.

I slip my shoes on and grab my purse on our way out. Jay holds my hand throughout the drive. This is one of the few times we’ve gone out together. We’ve just been so busy that conventional date nights never cross our minds. We both much rather be wrapped around together in bed or having takeout in his office than anything else.

The venue for the wedding is a pretty building made of mostly glass. Everything seems so open and clear, with sunlight pouring in. Jay pulls me toward our seat at a round table with other label mates.

“I’m going to find something to drink,” I tell him as he greets his friends.

“You sit,” he says pulling my chair out for me. “I’ll find you some water,”

“Thank you,” I smile up at him while he goes.

Chase catches my eye across the table. “This is so weird,” he mumbles.

“Your face is weird,” I shoot back at him.

“No, it’s not weird it’s kind of gross,” he says ignoring my insult. “I haven’t seen him out since you guys started dating,”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Are you jealous?”

He rolls his eyes at me. “No, I bet the other guys back home would be weirded out too,” he explains.

I shake my head at him, rolling my eyes. Still, I can’t keep the smile off my face. I miss spending time with Chase. The three of us used to get in tons of trouble back home for skipping classes.

“I’m glad you guys are together finally though,” he smiles genuinely at me. “You might want to save him. He looks like he’s gotten caught by a few fans over there,” he gestures behind me.

I turn around to see Jay surrounded by a group of women, which isn’t that much of a surprise. He looks like he’s been trying to inch out of the circle for a while now. Someone besides him leans in with a laugh and touches his arm.

“He can handle himself,”

“Are you sure? I’ve seen that look on women before,” he points at the group. “That blonde one looks like she’s ready to jump him,”

I look one more time, ready to brush it off until I see her face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Elise smile so much. I stand to make my way over to her.

“I’m taking my phone out so  just make sure she hits you first,”

I roll my eyes and flip him off as I walk away. I feel my blood boil the closer I get to her. Why does she have to be so pretty? Evil people shouldn’t look like her.

Jay sighs in relief when he sees me. He tries to move further out of the circle but like one entity, they follow him. He opens his arm so I can settle beneath it.

“Baby, these are friends of the bride,”

I greet them all, purposely ignoring Elise. Her mouth curls up into a Cheshire smile.

“You don’t want to say hi to me now, Y/n?”

“Not really. I do want you to stay away from my boyfriend, though,” I smile politely at her.

She laughs. “We’re at the same wedding. What do you want me to do?”

“You’re going to pretend you have no idea who Jay Park is because the next time I see you even breathe on him, it might be your last,”

Her light blue eyes widen for a split second before they narrow on me. She takes a long gulp from the glass between her fingers.

“Wow, you actually are crazy. Possessive girlfriends aren’t a trendy thing anymore, Y/n,”

“Possessive girlfriend my ass,” I smile. “If this was me being possessive I would have stuck my tongue in his mouth made you watch just so you know that he’s mine,” I tell her. I take a step closer to her. “But you already know, right? Or you wouldn’t be so salty,”

I step closer to her so that I can lean in. “It burns that he doesn’t want you doesn’t it? That you aren’t allowed to have him? I would be mad too, I mean look at him,”

Smartly, Jay stays silent; avoiding eye contact with both of us. I lean into him, wrapping my arm around his waist. His arm comes around my shoulder.

“Maybe you’re right, though. I am a little possessive. So this is a warning. You only get one Elise. If I see you, specifically you, touch this man at all, crazy won’t come close to what I’ll do to you. As far as the Haute article is concerned-,”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she interrupts.

“As far as the Haute article is concerned,” I repeat. “Ms. Waters has proof you monetarily coerced a writer with information that didn’t belong to you. I can sue your ass,”

“You’re threatening me,” she says looking around to make sure everyone heard me. I don’t care. I want as many ears as possible so she has no excuse. I’m making sure she 100% knows what I’m saying.

“Sweetie, I’m not threatening you. Haute magazine is suing you. I don’t think I’ll have to do anything. That’s of course if I find out you’re fucking with my company again,”

“You have to be fucking kidding me,” she exclaims loudly. A few more eyes land on our small gathering.

“Careful, Elise. You don’t want people to think you lack class. Try reigning in the dramatics a little,”

Jay taps my shoulder. When I look up at him he tilts his head toward our seats. I say goodbye to the rest of the bride’s friends leaving Elise for last.

“Do yourself a favor, and be a stranger Elise. At least to Jay, right? You wouldn’t want any of those pretty extensions out of place,”

We sit. I know that Jay is itching to say something. He pulls my hand onto his bouncing thigh, intertwining our fingers. I watch his mouth twist to the side. Finally, he leans forward to whisper in my ear.

“Since when are you confrontational?”

I roll my eyes at him ready to pull my hand away but he grips me tighter. “Stop letting people touch you,” I frown.

“You’re mad at me?” He laughs.

“No, just stop being so,” I trail off looking at him.

The red silk patterned shirt would look tacky on anyone else. He has somehow turned it into a thing; three buttons undone, his tattoos peeking out, one side tucked into his jeans while the other hangs. He looks too good. I want to cover him up with a tablecloth but I also want him on display while letting everyone know he’s mine. I’m having mixed emotional reactions to him.

“Never mind,” I settle, keeping my eyes pointed toward the stage.

“For what it’s worth, I’m really turned on,” he whispers.

“Unsurprised,”

“The whole passive-aggressive thing was what did it I think,” he muses. “Anyway, I think I saw a broom closet or something earlier,”

“We’re not fornicating at a wedding, Jay. That’s bad luck,”

“Says who?” He asks.

I ignore him, mainly because the ceremony starts up. It’s too beautiful. It doesn’t make me want to rush to walk down the aisle but I definitely get the hype. The bride looks like a princess. None of us can really take our eyes off of the couple.

When the ceremony ends, a few people give speeches and some of the AOMG artists sing.

“I’m going to go pick out some music,” Jay says getting up to stretch while other guests stand to congratulate the couple. I watch the shirt rise a bit showing just a sliver of his skin.

“Are you the expert on wedding music or something,” I raise an eyebrow at him.

He laughs bending down to press a kiss to my cheek. “You really can’t help but be sarcastic,”

“It’s who I am, baby. You love it,” I tease.

He shakes his head with a smile and heads toward the DJ table which is just Ugly Duck and a system.

I watch him lean over the computer, smiling at his friend.

“Can you stop looking at him like that? And I can’t believe you didn’t even tell me,”

I look behind me just as Chase takes the seat Jay has abandoned. He looks nice in a pressed, chic suit. He smiles at me as I roll my eyes.

“You’re too busy for me,” I tell him.

I grew up with Chase too. Of course, we’re both closer to Jay than we’d ever been to each other. I’ve still known him for about the same time as Jay. I was cheering for him just as much as I was Jay back then. I don’t think I can consider him a best friend but there’s definitely a mutual love and respect between us.

“Is that your excuse? I’m actually offended,” he crosses his arms over his broad chest, a hint of a smile on his lips.

“It just happened. I wouldn’t be able to tell you the beginning of it if I wanted to,”

He laughs loudly. “I can tell you the beginning. Your apartment, two months ago, Jay Park is Jay Park. It was only a matter of time,”

I frown at my boyfriend. “I swear men talk more than women do,” I scoff.

Chase knocks his shoulder against mine to bring my attention back to him.

“He’s wanted you since we were kids, you know?” His lips pull into a smile when I shake my head.

“You’ve always been off limits. All the guys in the crew knew that they couldn’t even think about approaching you,”

I raise an eyebrow. “He said that?”

Chase shakes his head and leans back in his chair, watching me like he’s seeing sixteen years old me still trying to fit in with the guys.

“No, he never said anything. You know how it is. He doesn’t give anything away if he doesn’t want to. It was an unspoken rule. I remember one of the guys mentioning you for some reason and he shut it down immediately. He said you were too good for any of us. Which was true,”

I roll my eyes but turn my attention back to Jay who laughs with his friends as they look at something on the screen.

“Why did he wait so long?”

“I can’t tell you. Maybe with everything happening so fast he finally wants something that he knows has always been consistent. You aren’t going anywhere, right?”

I cut my eyes at Chase. He laughs holding up his hands in defense. “I’m kidding! I’m glad you guys are finally figuring it out,”

He reaches over to knock his knuckles gently against my jaw. “I know you think I’ve always been partial to Jay, but we’re friends too, Y/n. I’ve known you for as long as I can remember, so if you need anything you can call me,”

I nod. Chase has always been Jay’s right hand and vice versa. For some reason, I used to think that Jay could only have one of us as his best friend. There were a few times when I was jealous of how close they were. Now, I know it’s just always been different. There were things about Jay I never got or he’d never really been able to talk to me about and Cha-Cha stepped into those areas. Likewise, there were parts of Jay’s life that Chase couldn’t fill.

“You’ve always taken care of him. I know you don’t need to hear it, but thank you,” I say.

Chase smiles. “You’re welcome, but I’m completely absolved of all responsibility for now on,”

“No, that’s not what I said,” I laugh.

“Yeah, well, that’s what I heard,” He laughs too.

I look at Jay moving to the music and laughing with a few guests. He really is a magnet, pulling everybody in easily. There are people around him with their phones out taking videos and pictures but he seems wholly unbothered.

Suddenly, Chase blanches next to me. I look over at him fake gagging. He takes a sip of the liquor in his cup like he’s washing down something foul before his face splits into a grin.

“You’re disgustingly in love with him,”

I roll my eyes standing. “Shut up, you’re disgusting,”

“You literally haven’t changed since you were sixteen,” he shoots back.

“Shut up,”

He laughs at my lack of creativity as I flip him off quickly before going to dance with my boyfriend. Jay catches me around the waist just as I make it to him, singing some soul song that’s playing. I rest my arms over his shoulders as he sings to me.

I’ve noticed that I haven’t stopped smiling. I don’t think I actually have been this happy before, this content. I don’t think about the fact that he’s leaving me in a day and a half or that I won’t see him for months. He’s here, with a smile pressed against my cheek and his arms around me.

“You and Cha-Cha ok?”

“He gave me his blessing, I think,” I smile.

Jay shakes his head smiling. “You guys have always been  odd together,”

“We used to compete for your affection,” I laugh. “Well, I did anyway. He couldn’t care less,”

Jay’s mouth touches mine before he pulls me close, tucking my head under his chin. I hold him tighter, closing my eyes as we sway together.

“Did you pack yet?” I ask him.

“No,” he laughs. “I’m sure you did for me anyway,”

“They’re suggestions, nothing set in concrete,”

Jay laughs again pressing his lips against my forehead. “You’re obsessed with my closet. I think it’s the only reason you’ve moved in,”

“Actually, that shower head in the main bathroom is the only reason. Your closet is an added bonus,”

“Wow,” he says. “I feel used,”

“You’re being used, you should,”

“I don’t think this is a healthy relationship,”

“Should we see a counselor or something?”

Jay pulls back to look at me for a while. Before I know it, he’s kissing me so thoroughly, I almost forget that we’re in the middle of a wedding reception. His fingers dig into the material of my dress as I pull back embarrassed.

“I don’t know how I’m going to say goodbye to you,” he whispers.

I feel my throat clog up. I pull him close to stop myself from looking at him. I cry when I do. When he’s sleeping and I lay eyes on him, counting down how many nights I have left, I can’t help but tear up.

“Is it too early to go?” I ask.

“Not at all, baby. Whatever you want,”

“I want to stay in bed for the rest of the night,”

“Ok, let’s get out of here then,” he says. He pulls me along as he says his goodbyes to his friends. We congratulate the couple one more time before we exit, eager to get home.

I don’t even think it’s about sex, right now. I want to get as close to him as possible and soak in whatever I can. We get home and climb into bed with the light still outside.

Jay pulls my thigh to hook over his hip, his fingers moving absently over my skin. Every so often, his hand ghosts over my ass. And we talk. We laugh and make fun of each other. We watch movies for hours, curled together sharing each other’s space. I’m wondering if I’d ever had a better night with him, and I want more of it.

A few hours later and it’s still early. Jay taps on his phone, a concentrated pinch between his brows.

“I got you something,” he says after a while. “I would’ve had you come with me but I went and fell in love,”

I raise my eyebrows at him tiredly. “What are you talking about?”

He sets his phone down and gets out of bed just as the doorbell rings. He leaves to get the door. I can hear him talking to someone quietly before he calls my name.

I grab another one of his t-shirts and shorts quickly before making my way toward the living room.

Jay is sitting on the floor with white fluff crawling around on his lap. I sit across from him and he sets it on my thigh.

“You got me a cat?” I ask holding the small white ball against my chest. Jay reaches over to scratch at the cat’s chin. I feel its body relax in my hands. Even animals can’t resist him.

“Junior isn’t just a cat,”

“You named my cat already?” I ask. I’m feeling like Junior is more for Jay than for me.

“He’s not yours, that’s first of all,” Jay frowns. He places his hands under Junior’s body and brings him against his own chest.

“Second, you can’t tell me his face doesn’t look like a Junior,”

I look at the cat curled up against Jay like there’s no other place in the world he’d rather be.

“He’s trained and everything, baby. And he’s so sweet. I was going to get you a kitten but I saw him in the back and I couldn’t resist,”

I can see how he’d get enraptured by how beautiful he is. They’re the same in that way, bringing people in without really thinking about it.

I reach out to run my hand over to scratch behind his ears while Jay stares down at him lovingly.

“You’re kind of ridiculous,” I smile.

“I don’t want you to be lonely,” He says looking at me. “I know you have your work, and your friends, and a life outside of me, but at least with him someone will be home when you get in,”

“You’re not even home when I get in,” I laugh.

“Beside the point, Y/n,”

I laugh and lean into him. His arm comes around me, pulling me in closer.

“Do you like him?” He asks softly. He presses his lips against my hair.

“I do. I like that you don’t want to leave me alone especially,”

My phone rings pulling us out of the moment. I get up to get it out of my purse on the couch. When I answer, it the manager of a girl group I work with often.

“I need a favor,” he says quickly.

“Ok,” I say. I’m not getting what’s so important that he’s calling me at eight-thirty.

“We need you to style the album jacket photo shoot in the Philippines tomorrow. We know it’s short notice but we’ve really run out of options, and you’re the only one we trust to do it right,”

“I have plans tomorrow and I can’t spring this on Bora,”

“I’m begging you, Y/n. The girls are literally down to a single make-up artist and two hairdressers between the nine of them. No one can decide what to wear, we’re also missing pieces that’s we’d planned out specifically for the concept. I’ll pay you whatever you want. I just need you here,”

“You know it’s not about the money,”

“I’m begging you for help, Y/n. I need you here,”

I sigh running my fingers over my eyes. Already I’m trying to think of flight times and if I can make it to Jay’s show. I can’t ask Bora to drop everything to help me again.

“Let me talk to my-,” I trail off shaking my head. We had more time than this. A whole day was left for us to spend with each other.  “Let me figure some things out and I’ll call you within the hour to see what I can do,”

Jay looks at me with Junior against his chest when I hang up. “You aren’t coming to Macau,” he says simply.

I shake my head, tearing up again. Our flight was scheduled out of Ichleon early in the morning so he could have time to rehearse, but I’d have to leave at the same time or a little earlier so I can get there with enough time to see what I’m working with.

“I’m sorry,” I say. I feel a lump of emotion start to clog my throat. I don’t want to say goodbye. Not tonight. Not in the morning.

“Work is work, baby,” he sighs.

Work is work.

*I guess*

“I’ll see if I can wrap it up early and get a flight so I can make the show,” I try to rationalize even though I already know it won’t work out. He’ll have to leave straight from the show to the States like we’d planned.

Jay leans over to press his lips against mine. When he pulls back, I see how disappointed he really is in his eyes. “Go,” he says quietly. A tiny smile touches his lips.

“Go, I’ll see you in a few weeks. I can’t ask you to keep taking off time from work,”

I sigh, dabbing my eyes again.

Jay sighs too, his arm draws me against his side. “This is going to be the longest three months of my life,” he laughs humorlessly.

Between the shows he has in the states and Canada, he has to put out his English album and promo for that starts right after he wraps up the shows. His schedule is so packed tight, I highly doubt he’ll have time to come home in between. I’m really trying not to think about the high possibility of not seeing him for almost three months.

“You’ll call me every night right? You’ll take care of yourself and make sure you’re not overworking,”

“Yes, baby,”

I sniff frowning up at the ceiling. “God, I’m such a fucking baby,”

Jay kisses my neck, his mouth trailing down to my collarbone. I try to subdue the shiver that crawls down my spine for Junior’s sake. He shifts a little before falling still again.

“I love you,” Jay whispers. A hand reaches up to cup the side of my face, pulling my mouth toward his. “I’m going to call you so much you’ll get sick of me,”

“I don’t know how I’m going to do this,” I pout. Jay runs his thumb over my bottom lip that sticks out. He brings his mouth down on mine again, sucking my lip between his.

“Stop acting like you’ll never see me again,” He scolds with a  small smile.

“I feel like I just got you back,” I whisper shakily. I’ve been spoiled for close to two months now. I’d gotten to touch him and see him every day now. I got more than I expected from that short call what seems like years ago. A few months ago I was just content with seeing my best friend when I could, now I can’t see how that was ever enough.

In our little space, it was easy to forget who he is. It was easy to forget that he belongs to his fans first and foremost. I don’t think I even want to try to compete with his dedication to them. And I’ve been ok with it. I really was. Now, I can’t get enough of holding him, kissing him, touching him.

“What are you thinking about?” He asks quietly.

“That I’m going to have to get used to saying bye to you,” I reach up tracing the stars that surround the compass.

“That’s your favorite, right?” He asks me.

“Huh?”

“The compass,” he explains. “It’s been your favorite since I got it,”

I shrug my fingers immediately going to one of the points. “It just makes me think of us back home for some reason. I don’t know why, but it makes me nostalgic,”

“I got it because of you,” he says quietly.

My eyes snap to his. “What?”

“I’ve always struggled with where exactly home is. For the longest time, I couldn’t decide if it was still Seattle or not. But then you moved here and it was like I didn’t have to choose anymore. You were always who I wanted to go back to. No matter if you were living in the states or here; you’ve always been my definition of going home,”

I don’t know what to say. Very few times has he struck me speechless. But now, I really can’t form a sentence.

“My life has been chaotic recently,” he continues when I stay quiet. “There’s been a lot going on and I know what I said earlier about having you wait for me and I’m sorry to ask you to wait for it to slow down a little, but I’m asking anyway because I don’t think I can go back to not having you love me like you do. I know that it’ll be hard and sometimes we might get frustrated and take it out on each other. I’m fine with that, Y/n. If I know that at the end of all of this I’ll have you, I’m fine with everything else that comes with it,”

I imagine how hard it’s been for him. He’s been in a few relationships. I’ve seen him really try to make them work but have them dissolve in a matter of weeks. This is new to him too. The only difference is that we really have no other option. I’m more than prepared to spend the rest of my life with him. We just have to figure out this part of it.

“I’ll be here,” I say.

“I’m kind of glad you aren’t going to be able to send me off to the States,”

I snap my eyes up at him, frowning. He reaches over to smooth the dent between my eyebrows.

“Asshole,”

“You’ll cry and I won’t be able to go,” He smiles weakly.

“I’m going to cry regardless,” I say.

“Yeah, I know. I just, I can’t handle you and airports anymore,” he pushes my hair out of my face for me. “I feel like you’re always crying recently,”

I roll my eyes. “Shut up. It’s always because of you,”

He stands and sets Junior down on his bed before reaching out for my hand. He leads me to our room, his fingers entwined with mine. When he looks at me, I feel my heart crack into pieces. It’s our last night in our bed, for a long time. We climb into bed, clinging to each other, our mouths trying to say all the things we won’t be able to until we see each other again.

Wordlessly, he grabs a condom and pulls himself into place. We make love slow like we have all the time in the world. I hold his face, my thumbs tracing over the sharp angles while I arch above him.

I sigh against his mouth, trying to commit all of this to memory. I don’t want to forget what it feels like to have his attention solely on making me feel good. One hand threads in my hair while the other directs my hips exactly the way he wants me to move.

“Fuck,” he groans against my mouth. “I love you, Y/n, so much,”

I can’t say anything because he takes my mouth again pushing his tongue against my lips. Pulling back, I press my hands against his chest. My head drops back as I lose myself in the swivel of my hips against his.

When we finally collapse against each other, I bury my face into his neck and hold him tight against me. This is the last time I’ll let myself cry. At least that’s what I tell myself. Jay holds me tighter, rubbing my back as I shake against him. I don’t think it’s ever been this bad. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much foreboding about him leaving. I’ve just been so happy, so in love that I forgot what it’s like to miss him for more than a week.

“Please stop crying, baby,” Jay sighs. He pulls back, swiping his thumbs under my eyes.

“I know, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me,”

His hands coast over my skin softly. I press my lips against his neck, his chin, his lips, touching every part of him that I can.

Jay falls asleep not long after.  I change my flight from Macau to the Philippines. Even after that, I’m up for at least another two hours thinking ahead about how I’ll rearrange my schedule as soon as I can.

In the morning we get up to shower groggily. I’m leaving before Jay has to. With my carry-on on my back, I cling to him tight.

“I’ll call you later,” I say.

“Ok,”

“Chae said she’ll check up on Junior for us,”

“Ok,” he says squeezing me tight.

“Don’t work too hard, and try to have fun,”

I feel Jay’s chest shake as he laughs against me. “You’ll miss your flight,”

“I kind of want to,” I pout. He pulls back before kissing me hard. His mouth stays glued to mine until I can’t breathe. His hands reach down to cup my butt. He squeezes my flesh gently.

“I love you,” I tell him, leaning my head against his chest.

“I love you too,”

I get a text alert that my car is downstairs and I let go of him reluctantly. I say goodbye to Junior while Jay walks me to the door. He leans in again kissing my cheek.

“I’ll see you in a few weeks,” he says.

“Ok,” I call behind me.

I leave finally. My plane ride is spent sleeping and trying to forget that I have a day of work ahead of me instead of going to Jay’s show.

As expected, the shoot lasts all day. By the time I get back to the hotel, Jay’s on stage and I can’t call him. I send him a text telling him to call me when he can and end up passed out.

I’m home by noon the next morning. Junior circles around my feet when I come in. I pick him up and hold him to my chest looking around. Everything just looks too big. It still feels like a bachelor’s pad, but I don’t really want to change anything yet. At least not while Jay’s gone. I plop myself on the couch and pull out my phone to reread my last message from Jay.

Jay: flight is taking off now, I’ll call you when I land. Take care of Junior and don’t touch my clothes. Love you, baby

That was this morning. I won’t hear from him again until probably late tonight. Another thing I’ll have to get used to, time zones. There’s nothing else to do but wait to hear from him.

[guardianofreaks]

Sam and Maggie's Adequate Social Encounter

Started this fic while I was off my antidepressants then fought tooth and nail to finish it hope some one reads it. Haven't decided if I'll let it stand alone or if I'll add more chapters let me know what you think. Sam couldn't believe she'd actually been invited to the legendary Loud House. It was a warm summer evening and she was taking the heel toe express at double speed because there was no way she wanted to miss an opportunity like this. Sam was glad she'd dressed light it was a bit warmer out then she would have liked she wore a tank top and cargo shorts Okay she thought to herself maybe it wasn't legendary but everyone at school seemed to know, have a sibling who knew, or even just a passing encounter resulting in an awesome story involving the at least one of the Loud siblings. They were an entire seven degrees of separation unto themselves. Okay technically she was only meeting Luna at Casa Loud before heading to the open stage night at Royal Woods only all ages club. Sam had actually been a bit surprised when Luna had asked her to come she'd thought Luna didn't like her. Luna had never come right out and said anything mean to Sam but they shared a few friends in common. Whenever they had reason to hang out Luna seemed to go pretty quiet, sometimes Sam would catch Luna starting at her then when Luna realized she'd been caught she'd look away pretending nothing had happened. When Luna had asked her to the show she'd been acting pretty strange she hadn't seemed to be able to make eye contact and kept getting flustered completely different from the calm and confident girl everyone assured Sam Luna was. Sam was so deep in thought that she barely had to react when a small ragamuffin with a red cap and overalls ran past her shouting a warning "gangway Lola's on the war path." Sam spun around as she passed only to find herself being barreled down upon by a pink jeep she threw herself to the side in time and heard the driver shouting "Lana don't think you'll get away from me." Catching her breath Sam stood up dusting herself off and realized she arrived at Casa Loud. It was smaller than she had imagined; the paint was peeling, ihe grass was dead and marked with tread marks both caused by repeated use, there was sports equipment, and toys all over the place. She pulled out her phone and sent Luna a quick text letting her know she had arrived. Luna seemed to reply instantly that she'd be right down. As Sam walk up the stairs she realized she wasn't alone sitting under a black parasol on the railing leaning against the house was a goth girl quietly engrossed in her phone. Sam smiled and approached her "Hi you must be Luna's sister Lucy." The goth didn't seem to have heard her do she tried again "That's a beautiful dress." It was a black sundress with intricate silk patterns of skulls weaved into spider webs. The goth girl sighed looking away from hey phone, "I'm not Lucy, I'm Maggie I'm hear for Luan." Sam wasn't sure how to respond she'd thought she looked a bit old to be Luna's younger sister luckily she was interrupted before it became anymore awkward. The door opened and Luna stepped out, Sam was stunned for a second she suddenly felt a bit underdressed Luna was rocking a heavy purple leather jacket over a black tee and a purple leather mini skirt. Sam was glad when Luna spoke first "Hey dude sorry a family emergency came up it shouldn't be long, I see your already making friends with Maggie." Before Sam had a chance to speak Luna had stepped off the porch and shouted for the twins attention "Lola, Lana sibling conference!" The twins immediately stopped their bickering eager to be included in something that sounded so important. The three sisters were quickly back in the house. Sam looked back at Maggie who had slipped from her perch on the railing and down on the ground with her back against the house. Sam looked back at the door unsure what to do. She was caught off guard when Maggie spoke to her "You might as well sit down these conferences have a habit of dragging on." Surprised but thankful for the olive branch Sam sat across from Maggie against the railing. She quickly realized conversation wasn't going to flow easily so she looked down at her The Whom tank and thought to herself that if Luna's outfit was anything to go by she was definitely underdressed. Maggie chose to break the silence again this time even going so far as to pocket her phone "Luan says you're coming to the open stage with us tonight." Sam nodded looking up from her poor fashion choices. "Yeah I guess though Luna didn't tell me about you or Luan." Maggie brushed a wisp of hair from her eyes "yeah well I think Luan wanted to offer her moral support, Luna doesn't have much experience with this kind of thing and she's been a bit of a nervous wreck." Sam looked at Maggie curiously "Sorry experience with what?" Sam saw the smallest flicker of what looked like realization cross Maggie's face. "Oh nothing really she's just been working on an acoustic song for tonight." Then making no attempt at segway "sorry about earlier Luan has been encouraging me to try talking to people but it's not easy I've got what my shrink calls pragmatic social communication disorder which is a fancy name for I have trouble interacting with people I'm not used to." For a moment Sam forgot her curiosity and wasn't sure how to react. She had her fair share of friends with problems, she took a point of pride when they trusted her with their secrets but most of tended to be embarrassed and closed off. They only talked to her when they got to know her. She wasn't used to someone so forth right about there conditions. "That's okay forget about it." A less awkward silence followed, Sam was okay with silence but she could tell from Maggie's fidgeting that she might appreciate further conversation. "So," Sam broached "have you had to wait through many of these sibling conferences." Maggie shrugged "in a family as big as the Louds there tends to be quite a bit of drama." Maggie looked wistfully past Sam "Ronnie Anne and Bobby used to keep me company but they haven't been around much since they moved." Sam nodded "Must get lonely?" As much a question as a statement. Maggie shook her head in a nonchalant manner, "it's not so bad sometimes Lincolns friend Clyde sits with me, we have the same phycologist, he's okay for a kid I guess; certainly seems to know his psychology." Maggie broke off for a moment, "and sometimes Lucy sneaks out and visits me." She gave a curt nod to what Sam was sure had been thin air only a moment ago however when she turned her head a smaller goth girl had appeared sitting next to her. Sam was so shocked she unintentionally slammed her back it to the railing cranking her head. Maggie could not help but let out a giggle, Sam frowned at her only to recieve an eye roll back. The new girl whom Sam took to be Lucy let out a sigh not just an exasperation of breathe but actually vocalized the word sigh. "Sorry about that," said Sam, "you startled me." Lucy repeated her sigh, which Sam decided must be an affectation, "I'm used to it, your Sam." Lucy said all of it as an acknowledgment of fact in a quiet monotone voice. Sam nodded "you must be Lucy, did Luna mention we were hanging out today?" The corners of Lucy's mouth moved upward not quite forming a smile but she sounded a bit more positive as she replied "More like she hasn't said anything else." "Really?" Asked Sam bemused, she was definitely starting to come to the conclusion that she had misjudged Luna though she still couldn't make sense of her odd behavior. Lucy started to say something else when Maggie gave her look and she closed her mouth. The two goths seemed to have a quick conservation between each other using only micro facial expressions which was all the more impressive with most of Lucy's face covered by her long black bangs. The conversation seemed to end; Sam began to think the two girls knew something about Luna she didn't. Well of course they did she told herself one was her sister and the other apparently a close friend of another sister. Sam decided to change the subject she didn't want to alienate herself when she was trying to become better friends with Luna. "So Lucy if there's a sibling meeting why are you out here with us?" Lucy rocked uncomfortably before saying "I usually leave for a bit to get a snack or visit Maggie, my sister's and Lincoln don't usually notice." Sam thought of trying to say something to reassure the small girl but after the fright Lucy had just given her she imagined her family might not be in tune with her comings and goings either. "So," Sam said trying her best not to pry "what's the family drama today" looking toward the house. Lucy looked at Maggie unsure of what to say. Sam was starting to become frustrated but could see how it might be a bit private so once again she changed the subject. "So Maggie how long have you and Luan been friends." This seemed to get a much better reaction a grin actually seemed to form on Lucys face and Maggie laughed. "What?" asked Sam not understanding. Maggie smirked "It's not really funny it's just me and Luan are a bit more and less then friends if you know what I mean." Sam's eye grew a little "your gay?" she asked quietly. "Well," replied Maggie "I actually consider myself to be pan and Luan is bi but that seems to run in the family." Lucy glared at Maggie who quickly realized she may have said more then she meant to. Sam wouldn't consider herself to be sheltered she knew a few gay guys and girls but she had never heard anything about any of the Louds being gay. She supposed in a statistical way it made sense but she couldn't help it , her curiousity got the better of her. "Who else is bi?" Maggie had securely zipped het lips after her previous faux pas even going so ffar as to retreat back into her phone. Sam looked back Lucy unable to read anything from the small goths blank expression Sam started to think of some way to take back the question but Lucy reprieved her. "Would it matter if any of my other sister's or Lincoln were bi?" Sam didn't even have to think on the question she automatically responded "of course not." Lucy seemed reassured by this answer she looked to Maggie who refused to look away from her phone. Then in a quieter voice, "and you wouldn't treat them any differently if you found out?" Sam felt an ache in her heart it was obvious this little girl was carrying a heavy burden. Before Lucy had time to process what was going on Sam leaned over and gave her a hug. Lucy went stiff as a board, the hug went on for longer then she would've liked but when it was over Sam smiled at her and said. "Lucy you're a very special girl and no one should ever treat you different because of who you like, if anyone ever does you can tell me I know people who will clobber them." From across the porch Sam could hear Maggie snickering from behind her phone. Sam wanted to punch her if the face but before she even had the chance to shoot her a dirty look, she felt Luna to her arm. "While I quite appreciate your sentiment I wasn't referring to myself." Lucy shrugged and continued, "I don't quite know what I am yet but I know we live on a small insignificant planet in a vast universe all I know is I'd probably like a companion for the long night though I don't know what form they'll take. " Sam didn't know how to respond; between Maggie and Lucy she felt like she was on the world's most awkward merry go round. "Well I only really know your sister Luna so . . ." Sam trailed off mid sentence the hamster wheel in her brain had just started spinning like like vinyl on a turn table; quickly and in multiple directions. Hoping her face wouldn't betray her Sam pulled a folded up piece of paper from one of her pockets "Lucy you wouldn't know if Luna left this in my locker?" Sam asked already assured of the answer. Lucy remained silent but turned to look at Maggie it was hard to say because her hair veiled her face but it seemed like she was imploring the older girl to help her. At first it seemed Maggie deep in her phone and not planning to extract herself but finally Lucys silent gaze seemed to break the trance. Maggie put her phone down and clasped her hands together. "I'm not good at things like this my brain freezes up and I can't find the words I want." Maggie's already pale hands seemed to be turning white but she continued "officially I am not hear saying anything I'm at bat day at Disney World with my friends, but if I were here I would tell Lucy that sometimes things start spiraling and it seems like there's nothing you can do but be direct and hope for the best." With the attempt at advice Maggie unclasped her hands allowing normal blood flow to return and went back to her phone. Lucy nodded to herself then reached out and took the piece of paper unfolding it delicately and with a glance nodded to herself the returned it to Sam "Yes that does appear to be the crush letter Luna wrote for you." Sam began to understand Luna's behaviour; the glances and the awkward silence started to make sense. Sam couldn't wrap her head around how had she been so blind. Her feeling about being underdressed seemed to be confirmed. "Why didn't Luna just say she wanted to go on a date." Sam asked this to no one in particular but Lucy came to her sisters defence. "She wanted to but she loses all her confidence when it comes to courtship, especially when it's someone she really likes." Lucy put extra emphasis on the last part. Sam shook her head, "but I've seen her play in front of crowds lots of times she's so brave." Lucy shrugged "That's music it comes naturally to her. Dating is an entirely different monster, that's what the sibling meeting is about trying to convince her your not some terror in disguise." Sam felt her self blush, "no way is Sam afraid of me she's like the coolest musician in our whole school." Lucy pulled out what looked like a walkie-talkie "this is one of Lilys baby monitors I use it so I don't miss anything." Lucy flipped the switch and the baby monitor turned on; a young boys voice could be heard Sam assumed it to be Lincoln, "Come on Luna you're just psyching yourself out." Sam recognized the voice that followed as Luna's "Linc bro I love you but you just wouldn't understand." "Maybe I won't but why don't you try to explain it." Lincoln sounded a bit hurt in his reply. Luna could be heard to sigh exasperatedly "look I appreciate all your dudes help but I'm hopeless, can you guys just give me some space to think." There followed a general sound of shuffling and indistinct murmuring followed by a door shutting. There was a moment of silence broken by a new voice. " Lincoln might not bi the one to understand you but maybe I can help." Maggie reacted immediately to the new voice putting her phone down and sitting up. Lucy put her hand over the monitor and whispered to Sam "Luan", though her normal speaking voice would have been just as sufficient. Taking her hand off the monitor Luna's voice could be heard "Luan how did you know Maggie would like you?" There was a small laugh, "You should leave the jokes to me," Luan continued "I had no idea Maggie would like me, all I had to go on was that she laughed at my jokes so I took a risk." There was a sigh and Luna said "Not like that I mean how did you know she wouldn't laugh at you and tell everyone that you like, you know . . ." "Girls?" Luan said finishing Luna's thought "Like I said I didn't I just took a risk." It went quiet again and what sounded like bed springs compressing was followed by Luan spesking "Luna I know it's scary but if it helps I'll be here for you, whether it's tomorrow or next month or next year I'll have your back when your ready to tell Mom and Dad I'll be ready to and Lincoln and the others will have our backs." Sam wasnt sure but she thought she could hear Luna sniffling and she felt a tear run down her own face." There was the sound of a small knock followed by dozen feet scattering then a door opening and creeks as a single tiny person entered the room and climbed onto the bed. A younger but self assured voice spoke up "Luna I don't know why Sam is so scary but your the bravest person I know" Lucy repeated her earlier actions letting Sam know this was Lana, one of the twins she'd seen on arrival. Lana continued "remember the time we all played for that Mick Swaegger guy, he's like your hero I don't know if I could wrestle an alligator in front of Betsy Irwin." There was a pause, "You know what dude maybe your right maybe I can be brave." Luna replied to her little sister. "And if she is mean to you we can always feed her to the gators and Lucy is getting really good at her grave digging!" Lana suggestion was met with muffled laughter from her older siblings. Sam looked at Lucy a little bewildered whom just blushed. There was a thud from the monitor and Luna exclaimed "Its time to get this show on the road." "But first I think I should change, I am way over dressed. Lana can you get Leni and the others." Luna was cut off as Lucy stood up and switched off the monitor. "I should get back there, they're going to need me, sigh." Lucy left, Sam and Maggie both stood up settling themselves on the railing again. Sam unsure what to say when she felt a tap on her leg she nearly fell off the porch when she saw Lucy had one again appeared from nowhere. She didn't have time to catch her breath before Lucy began to speak "Though life is one long painful experience and I don't expect you to show feelings for Luna if you don't have them, if you cause her any more suffering then need be well I think Lana said it best, and remember there are seven more of us." Lucy left again and Sam waited a moment unsure if she would reappear again. She looked at Maggie who was once again looking at her phone. It occurred to her Maggie might have an idea what it was like being asked out an by another girl. Sam cleared her throat, "Maggie I was wondering if I could ask you a question?" Maggie looked back at the pop punk morosely "I suppose, though whether I answer to your satisfaction is something else altogether." Sam decided this was the closest to a yes she was going to get. "So when Luan asked you out the first time how did you react?" Maggie considered the answer for a moment and said "Sheer utter terror for all the potential social pitfalls, and then I said yes." Sam wasn't sure how to use this answer so she risked a second question "but when she asked you out did you know it was on a date? Maggie considered the question "I did consider for a moment that perhaps my friends had paid her off as some sort of cruel trick, then I considered sadistic and embarrassingly specific revenge scenarios for each of them but in the end I decided it was real." Maggie took a moment to read Sam expression and said "I'm going to hazard a guess and say that wasn't what you wanted to hear all I can really say are no two lgbtp girls are the same, not to be presumptuous but if you are interested in Luna you might have to take it slow but those are just my thoughts." Maggie trailed off and looked at her feet. Sam was a bit surprised by Maggie's forthrightness "I mean I think I'm interested but I've never really thought about her that way before; she's always been so standoffish with me I didn't think she liked me." Maggie prevented her from returning to her own thoughts jumping down from the rail; brushing and straightening her dress and unfolding her parisal. She looked at Sam and said "I guess you'll be able to figure that out tonight." Then looked at the entrance expectantly. The door opened Luan and Luna exited, however rather than done up to the nines Luna was looking much more comfortable in a Union Jack tank top and a regular purple skirt and her guitar case over her shoulder. Sam smiled as she noticed one more changed. Luna now had a purple streak in her hair. Luna blushed when she noticed Sam looking at it. "Do you like it," Luna asked uncertainly, "I mean I didn't have time to do a permanent one this is just a gel so it washes out if you think it's lame." Sam could tell Luna was flustered so she cut her off "I think it's awesome also I wanted to thank you for inviting me we never seem to get the chance to hang out together." Luna's face seem brighten further but she nodded enthusiastically, "Sorry dude I've been meaning to ask you out, you know to hang out for awhile." Sam shook head, "no problem Lunes, were hanging out now and that's all that matters. Luan and Maggie had moved to the end of the drive way to give the other two some space. Luan took Maggie's hand and looked into her eyes. Maggie smiled meeting her eyes for a moment before looking down. Luna understood and broke the silence "I'm sorry for leaving you alone so long; was Sam nice?" Maggie nodded "She was okay I would say it was an adequate social encounter." Luan searched Maggie's face for a moment then nodded joking, "I guess you could say it was a Sam-tastic time?" Maggie stifled a giggle and replied "I guess you could." They both looked over to the porch where Luna and Sam were moving at their own pace. Maggie checked the time and indicated it to Luan who nodded and called out "Hey you to if Luna's late for her set we might be in treble! Get it?" Luna groaned at Luan's bad pun, Sam giggled and said "your sisters funny." Luna nodded knowingly "Yeah well will see after you've known her awhile." Stepping off the porch without looking back Sam replied "I guess we will." Sam smiled to herself as she walked down the driveway towards Luan and Maggie wherever the day went from here this would probably be a loud house story she kept for herself.