#i'm like a melting ice cream from the ice cream truck that they hand you and it gets all over your hands and drips onto the ground

[sooouth]

god DAMN it.

just cried over satosugu for the first time.

[guiltysungho]

— favorite flavor

genre : tags. fluff, highschool crush, reader is super shy

pairing. highschool!woonhak x highschool!gn!reader

wordcount. 1338

a/n. didn't really expect this to be this long, it's mostly one sided yearning and woonhak's cheerfulness

Spring was coming to an end, the days kept getting brighter, you would find yourself smiling more often, hopeful for the hot summer days. Still there was school you had to go through that stage before reaching any sort of freedom, so you studied.

In class you studied, at lunch you studied, on breaks you studied, you wanted that taste of living after putting in all the work so it was fine. However once the last bell of the week rang, you let yourself breath. You enjoyed your walks home where you could soak in the beauty that the sun brought to the world. So you were looking forward to it on such a sunny day.

It was an unfamiliar sight, the truck, it was blocking the alley you usually took on your way home right at the school entrance, impossible to ignore, that was the first obstruction. An ice-cream truck, it wasn't a bad idea, it would make your stroll more enjoyable.

So you approached the van with a cheerful greeting, there was a large variety of flavors, some you had never thought of before, you scanned the display meticulously from one end to the other to make the perfect choice and there it was, not your flavor but your second obstruction.

"Oh sorry" you were sure you had bumped into him too consumed by the different picks, yet he was the one apologizing and with a bright smile on his face. With a quick head bow you return the apology before return to your scanning, at least you tried to.

His voice was distinct in the small space, chatting to the truck owner about which flavor would be more interesting to take, he had this light to him whenever he spoke a smile would appear on his lips as if he couldn't do one without the other.

"Are you also having a hard time choosing, young lady?" you turn your face back to the owner who had noticed you looking at their other customer, you shake your head taking a quick glance at the flavors one last time before pointing to a random one, in a hurry to escape.

"Cherry-banana, that's a good one" the owner agreed picking a cone for your single scoop of ice-cream. You look over to your company ruffling his hair from the complexity of the decision, it was cute, you think as you turn away. Stretched out for you over the counter was your cone, it had already started to melt, he saw you gawking again, you were a lost cause.

You quickly take it from him, pay for the treat, leave the stand and make your way home. After a few licks you had to throw it away, you weren't sure if it was the flavor or something else but it tasted like neither cherry nor banana. So you wouldn't be visiting that spot again.

And you tried not to but he was always there every Friday, he would greet you with a tummy turning smile that made your heart pounce till you reached your fresh air conditioned bed sheets. You would buy one cup of ice cream each time, the taste never got better but you kept going back even if all you got was a smile and shitty ice cream.

He would always pick the same thing, chocolate mint, have a small chat with the owner about their respective days and then he would leave. Sometimes you'd be there when he left and he'd say bye waving his hand to you and you would mirror it, that was really all you could do around him, stare and wave.

"You should talk to him" you had been looking in the direction he walked away for the past few minutes before their voice brought you back. You smiled at the suggestion, you realized you had never had to talk to anyone first so that was a fairly challenging task.

"I'm okay"

"I think a tear rolled down your cheek when he walked away" they teased, for all you know it could have been the truth but you weren't in control of your body when he was around, so it was hard to say.

"School is almost over, it really doesn't matter"

"Just try, he's really nice and you might be surprised"

You hadn't fully made up your mind the next week, you had tried to centre your focus on other things that would be useful for your future, but the owner was right he wasn't mean, he was very welcoming. You just had to use words, even boring small talk would be a big step.

Friday once again and he was already there only this time he wasn't alone, you glanced at the owner who shrugged in response, they were probably his friends. He finally noticed you in between all the attention his friends were taking up.

“Hi.”

Spoken only for you, his head turned in your direction waiting for that moment when your eyes met to whisper it, his smile growing as you lift up a hand to greet him back. Your eyes are back on the display but your mind was blank, what was that?

He was gonna make you miss out on your freedom, is he gonna pay for your tutoring fees after distracting you so much from your student duties? It was so annoying, so why did you go back?

Standing there as usual, tight lipped even though the words where right at your throat, then the owner spoke up.

"You guys are in the same class right? You're always together" they smiled at the horrified expression on your face.

"No I don't think we are, this is just a coincidence" He laughs quietly, putting a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, glancing at you for confirmation.

"More like fate" the owner corrects as they hand you your ice cream cup, you furrow your eyes at them shaking your head in disapproval, only for him to continue.

"Wait? Do you know his name?" you sigh shaking your head before looking over for him expectantly, he turns away immediately hiding his smile with his hand.

"You want to know my name?" his head tilts as he asks pointing to himself flashing all his teeth at you.

"I do. What's your name?"

"Woonhak. Don't worry I already know yours"

"Why?" you ask nervously.

"Curiosity. It's really nice hearing your voice." he thought for a second before answering, hearing those words you thought, that was going to take a toll on your grades, "Don't feel shy around me anymore, okay?"

"I don't know if I can do that" you felt an urge to walk away from the situation, not that it helped, he simply followed.

"Why not? I'm a really good listener"

"You're really persistent"

So you let go, just a bit more for that time after school on Fridays, hoping all your growing feelings wouldn't infest your mind with thoughts of all the new things you had learnt about him when it was time to think about solving equations.

It didn't get easier, you found yourself thinking about him more often than not, and his attention remained purely platonic which only left you daydreaming. At that point you had probably tasted all the flavors at the stand, just for him.

"I'll see you guys next summer i guess" you glance over to Woonhak, a spoon in his mouth as he smiled at you before you both wave goodbye to the ice cream truck for the last time, ever.

"I might come back seriously" Woonhak insisted taking another spoonful of his ice treat, you were convinced he had gotten the only good flavor that you couldn't even try because you were allergic to mint.

"Mint choco is that good?"

"Oh, no it's terrible. I've just gotten used to it"

"What? Why did you keep coming back for it?" your obvious surprise makes him laugh.

"I kept coming back for you, dummy."

[sphireath-wisp]

please do sae and kaiser next for You and Me - Always Forever i love it sm!!! 💗💗

#You and Me - Always Forever

Sypnosis: What was one of the moments that made them decide they wanted to marry you and vice versa?

Warnings: Might fall in love with the reader, no actual proposals (just the moments that spark the thought, that feeling that you'd want to spend a lifetime with that person), not proofread, messy interchanging grammar

Notes: SOMEONE HAS ANSWERED MY PRAYERS I FINALLY GOT A REQUEST, ILYSM ANON TYSM 💪💪💪

Featuring: Sae Itoshi, Michael Kaiser x GN! Reader

Sae Itoshi - What made him want to marry you?

"One ice cream for the newlyweds!" The ice cream uncle ecstatically exclaims, a smile beaming on his face. He passes you the ice cream and swipes the money from Sae's hands - he would have usually done the uncle a favor by passing the money directly, but his assumption about the both of you made him malfunction for a moment.

Sae exchanged quick glances with you - any longer and you would have noticed a hint of red creeping up his cheeks. "We're not newlyweds," Sae speaks before stuffing spare change in his wallet.

"Oh?" The uncle's eyes widen, "You both looked on the younger side. How long have you both been married?"

"Aha, no, we're not married." You blurt out, the already-dopey smile on your face growing even wider as you feel Sae's pinky finger link with yours. "We're not engaged either." You add on, just in case.

"Really? I'm sorry for making assumptions then," the uncle nods as you insist it's okay, he did give you and Sae quite a euphoric moment to remember - a small moment etched into both of your memories.

As you laugh about the whole situation after waving the uncle goodbye, you notice Sae seems to be... absorbed in his thoughts, hands still tucked in his pockets and silent as ever - he didn't even taste the ice cream you both agreed to share, he was so excited to show you his favorite ice cream truck that he almost annually visited every week as a child.

"Sae?" You nudge him lightly after scooping up a portion of the ice cream with a small spoon. "Come on, eat some ice cream, or else it'll melt."

Sae blinks and snaps out of his dazed trance, eyes on the ice cream before looking at you - gaze melting ever so slightly. "You can have all of it. I had a lot of it as a kid."

"But, didn't you say it's your favorite flavor? Plus, we agreed to share or else I'll be too full for lunch." He still seems to be out of it as his eyes linger on you for longer than usual. His mind was still stuck on the interaction between you, him, and the ice cream uncle.

Did you both look like a couple that much? Did the both of you really act like a married couple? The thought that both you and Sae were just dating never even crossed the uncle's mind. The look on his face when you told him that you weren't married to Sae... was it really that surprising?

Sae's eyes narrow slightly at you after you take another bite. Taking the complimentary tissues the uncle passed you, one hand lifts your chin up, the other hand using the tissue to wipe the corner of your mouth gently. He didn't laugh or make fun of you, the gears in his body turning to help you without any judgment.

Sae pauses, taking a mental note of his actions. His eyes locked with you once more before shifting back... perhaps the both of you did resemble a married couple a bit. "...What were you saying?"

"...Nothing." You glance away, swarms of butterflies invading your stomach.

After that, even when you both returned to your shared apartment, he began realizing just how automatic and in tune the both of you were together. Every morning, you always prepared that extra cup of coffee for him. He'd always warn you of hot surfaces beforehand. You'd always prepare the bath before he reached home and he always reminded you to water the plants outside.

Sae was logical, calculative, and always thought before he acted. He had no reason to marry you (if he ignored how hopelessly in love he was with you, but he wouldn't accept that as a legitimate reason.). However, at the very same time, he didn't have any reason to not marry you (which he used to convince himself that everything he was doing was planned and completely logical.)

The more he considered it, the more he thought about his life with you. He loved waking up with you next to him every morning. He loved how adaptable you were, waiting in bed for him for his nap so he wouldn't have to drag you into bed with him. He couldn't see himself in a future without you. He had someone to lose.

So, he'll hold you close and never let you go, forever.

You - What made you want to marry him?

Sae was always someone that sensed more than he spoke.

His eyes are constantly at work, observing your every reaction, greedily stealing glances from you because he could never get tired of looking at you despite living in the same apartment. The smell of your perfume/cologne comforts him to unbelievable lengths, it calms him down. And occasionally, he wouldn't mind a bit of physical touch if it's with you. Give him that sweet smile and his barriers are broken down in an instant; maybe his lips will work their magic on you if he has the time (Sae always says he does).

But, of course, we're left with the last of the 5 senses - hearing. If there was one thing he loved doing, he absolutely adored hearing your voice. He's always the first to notice when you have a sore throat or when you're sick because of your voice, he's so sharp that even slight changes in your tone don't go unnoticed.

Sae would always insist that you call him, but since he rarely had the time overseas, you would resort to voice messages instead. Long voice messages about you rambling to him about your day, about the stone you accidentally tripped over, about that new Cafe that just opened up and smelt just like him during slow mornings - freshly brewed coffee.

Even after he was back from his overseas trip, he still continued to (indirectly) ask you to send him voice messages. It was a bit... strange to you. You didn't mind honestly, but it did pique your curiosity.

"Why do you want me to send you voice messages when we can just talk like this?" The question pops up in your head and you blurt it out without a second thought, adjusting yourself in the passenger seat of Sae's car to get comfortable. "You're back from your overseas trip, we could always talk in person."

Sae doesn't respond and you notice his lips part slightly before he purses them back - little changes in his body language that you've learned to take note of. He was hesitant to respond.

He was aware of how aloof he could be, painfully aware. Even in times like now, he was still trying to frame his words in a way that wasn't too blunt.

"Once..." Sae parked the car first before finally speaking. "You told me you felt like I wasn't listening to you and you got sad. You stopped rambling and talking to me as much as you used to." Sae lets go of the steering wheel, body twisting to the side to face you fully, demonstrating to you just how much he meant every word.

"You always told me you didn't like one-way conversations... but I like your voice." Sae openly admits - something he's sure he would've regretted in the past, but he knows you wouldn't judge. You nodded as he spoke, eyes locked with his as you felt heat creep to your cheeks and up the tip of your ears - he really was listening.

"For the first time in a while, I heard you ramble in your voice messages. It was... nice to hear you talk for so long and you sounded so happy." Your eyes capture the heartwarming image of him glancing away to hide the pink dusted on his cheeks, a smile tugging on his lips. At that point, you couldn't stop smiling, words like this would make anyone fall in love. "I just wanted to hear you ramble like that more."

His hands land on the back of his neck, scratching it lightly whilst waiting for your response.

It was weirdly innocent and pure for someone like Sae, even you couldn't hold back your giggles after hearing his reasoning. Sae grip on your hand tightens as you laugh. Damn it, did you have to be that charming?

"Sae," Your voice lowers and he feels shivers crawl down his spine at the way you hum his name. You've immediately stolen all of his focus with one word, you really are remarkable. "It feels uncomfortable because sometimes you never reply. When I talk, I wanna feel like I'm being heard, you know?"

Sae nodded.

"A simple 'uhuh' or asking questions makes me feel like I'm being listened to." You gently stroke his knuckles with your thumb and his gaze alternates between you and your hand interlocked with his. "Plus, hearing my voice like this, in real life, sounds much better, right?"

"Mmhm, you're right... Could you continue about that cat you saw at the pet shop?" He was always a fast learner.

Michael Kaiser - What made him want to marry you?

"How are you feeling?" You almost flinch when you press your hand against Kaiser's forehead, his rising temperature alarming you. You tilt your head to the side, allowing him to bury his face comfortably into the crook of your neck. "Not so good, meine liebe." Kaiser grumbles, voice hoarse.

You feel heat radiate from his body and arms wrap around your waist, leaving not even a centimeter of breathing room between you and him. Usually, if he was in a better condition, he'd be teasing you in soft whispers or planting delicate kisses against your skin, smirking at your reaction.

Hot breaths against your neck give rise to even more concern and you quickly guide him back to bed - the place where he gathered so much of his energy together to escape from so he could be with you despite his worsening fever. "No crawling out of bed and no rebutting that." You order, lowering his head down on the pillow and spotting the sweat trickling down his face. Strands of hair cling to the back of his neck, breathing heavy and erratic.

"You're so cruel to me, der Liebling." Kaiser groans softly, chuckling in spite of his unfortunate situation. You feel your cheek flush slightly at the way he calls you, though he doesn't sound as pleasant to the ears with his sore throat. "I'll be nice if you listen, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Kaiser's gaze melts and you almost feel yourself melting along. The effect this man had on you was crazy.

You sigh and stand up, "I'll go make you some food. Eating more is important especially when you're sick." Kaiser's fingers inch towards you just as you're about to leave, but he lacks the energy to stop you entirely.

It was... nice to see your nurturing side towards him. How you gently creak the door open and innocently peek your head in, muttering his name in case he was awake. How you'll always catch him when he pretends he's asleep - he just likes feeling you pat his head and run your fingers through his hair to soothe him to sleep. The way you always rush to his room when he calls out your name, you purposefully don't listen to music when he's sick so you can always hear his voice.

You insisted on doing the chores for the week and - no matter how much Kaiser tried to get up and help, you were just as stubborn as him and refused any assistance. He feels exhausted, but he'll ignore that exhaustion if it means he can help you even in this situation - it's out of character for him to be so selfless.

"Kaiser... can you sit up and eat?" You highly doubted he could, especially when all he could do was return you with a weak nod instead of a verbal response. "Okay, I'll lead you outside, but please tell me if you need to go back to bed."

Kaiser wraps his arm around your shoulder, trying to wobble back onto his own two feet. Usually, you would be spoonfeeding him chicken soup or something warm by the bed, but the table bedside didn't have enough space to fit all of the food you prepared.

Weary eyes glance at the whole feast on the table and you help him sit down before sitting down next to him. "Recognize any of the dishes?"

"...are these all German dishes?" He instantly recognizes them from the smell alone. "Mmhm! I got a little carried away with how much I prepared, but I hope they make you feel a little more at home, or at least better." He could practically burst into tears right now, gaze switching between you and the food you spent the whole morning and afternoon preparing.

You pick up a spoon and grab a bite-sized portion of the food in front of you, cupping his cheeks as you ask him say 'aahh'. He obeys, opening his mouth before being fed the food. "How is it?" You inquire, scooping up another bite.

"It tastes like an amateur made it." You almost drop your spoon and your chin dips. It felt like you just received a kick to the stomach and you chuckle. You both sit in silence for a moment and you begin to reconsider whether his initial comment was sarcasm or not.

"But," Kaiser's hand rests on your thigh, thumb lightly caressing your skin - he's always been a bit of a romantic. "It's one of the best dishes I've ever had, der Liebling."

You - What made you want to marry him?

Kaiser was always a risk-taker. His charms never failed him when it came to others and his skills always proved him superior in soccer, so of course you assumed it was the same thing when it came to you. You were sure you were just another victim of his charms and he happened to fall in love so hard that he stuck with you until now.

Though, that all changed when you began reminiscing about your younger years with him.

"Do you remember when we had our first kiss?" The words slip out of your mouth suddenly as you stare out of the window of your shared apartment with Kaiser, entranced by the ocean of stars glittering like jewels in the midnight sky.

Kaiser steals a glance at you and you don't stare back - good, he didn't want you to tease him about the (most likely) obvious blush on his cheeks. "Yeah," he mumbles out loud before your head swerves to look in his direction.

Simultaneously, both of your lips part.

"It was horrible."

"It was amazing."

You blink at Kaiser, lips pursing to hold back your giggles in vain. "You thought it was amazing?"

Kaiser fidgets with the pen in his hand, scoffing. "Yeah, why do you think it was horrible? I invited you out to a nice restaurant, we walked home together and I kissed you goodnight - sounds like it came out of a movie, what's wrong?" His eyebrows furrow as the memories of him being laughably nervous that evening suddenly flood his mind.

"I was a terrible kisser back then." You admit, a tinge of embarrassment laced into your words. You look away, back at the stars. "You broke this kiss so early, I screamed into my pillow all night."

Kaiser rests his cheek on his knuckles, elbow resting against the table and glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose slightly. He uses the pen to guide your chin, making you face him. "You weren't terrible, Meine Liebe."

Your fingers gently hold the pen, rolling your eyes with a dopey smile. "Don't use your flattery and charms against me. You always got me all flustered in the past."

"I'm being honest, really. From my very clear memory, you weren't as bad as you described." He's beginning to ramble. "In fact, you were the one who unintentionally made me flustered."

"Oh?" Kaiser pauses as you interrupt him, mind processing what he had just told you. "Like? Give me a few examples."

Oh fuck.

"Was it when I gave you a hug all of a sudden when you won the first match you invited me to?" Oh god, all of the memories are really coming back to him. He wanted to impress you so bad and actually considered that he might lose.

You inch closer, grinning from ear to ear. He had always known you looked good up close but wow.

"Was it when we accidentally bumped shoulders and you couldn't look me in the eye? I thought you felt bad for spilling my drink, but were you actually nervous around me?" You have no idea how many times he's actually stared at you from afar, sweaty hands stuffed into his pockets as he spoke to you.

Did the temperature suddenly rise? Why is he sweating so much?

"So... you broke that kiss with me so early because you were shy?" You hit the nail right on the coffin, watching him melt right before your eyes and glance away. Oh, how the tables had turned.

"Wow, I never knew." You hum in satisfaction, leaning back to give him a little more breathing space. "You fell for me hard, didn't you?"

Kaiser's dead silent, his heart pounding in his chest. He wished his heartbeat was loud enough to block out the sound of your voice, maybe then he would have time to recover and retort. "Meine Liebe, please..."

You place your hand on his, eyes glued back onto the stars as an amused chuckle escapes you. "I like this side of you. I like all sides of you." You heard the leaves rustling outside in a minute of short, sweet silence.

"I love you, Kaiser." You announce, almost too proudly. Kaiser sighs, still unable to lock eye contact with you. "...I love you too."

[trancylovecraft]

(AOEX) The Blood Of An Unwilling Covenant

PART 6 OF 8: Mephisto Pheles

(Yandere Platonic Demon Kings (Ba'al) x Reader)

SERIES SUMMARY:

BARISTA'S NOTE: I'm bACK. GENDER: Femme FANDOM: Blue Exorcist

☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★

LAST PART ,AO3 LINK, SERIES MASTERLIST, NEXT PART

"Ah man, What a bust!"

The new afternoon sky was as blue as ever, Barely even a cloud in sight. The sun shining over the Texan heat made sweat start to gather along with the number of people outdoors.

The sound of children laughing both far-away and passing was as clear as the sky, Adults talking around the chipped picnic benches laid out for them. [F/N] could even swear she smelt the smoky start of a barbeque rising up from somewhere.

Though unlike the gathering of people a good bit away, The two of them sat lazing on one of the park benches laid along the trail. A small one, Just big enough so that their legs were grazing each other. Each with a tub of ice-cream on their laps.

[F/N]'s was fairly modest, A few scoops of a flavour she particularly liked along with the toppings she currently had a hankering for, All shovelled into a tub and already half-eaten.

Lewin, On the other hand, Had a good few bucket-full's of double chocolate fudge all crammed into a single large tub. Both strawberry and chocolate sauce drizzled down the sides, Dripping over the edge. Other bits of candy were sprinkled on top, The cream only starting to melt a bit under the heat.

And [F/N] could swear that when he had said he was "going to the bathroom", His ice-cream had come back just a little more full than it was before.

"Better luck next time, I guess. These things happen, Maybe the next lead will get us somewhere?" [F/N] replied to Lewin before shovelling another helpful into her mouth, Making sure the plastic spoon was licked clean when it came out.

Lewin groaned, His mouth dripping in chocolate sauce.

"Mhm- I know, I was just really banking on this one, You know? I mean come on! How could they know we were coming? They couldn't just up and leave just like that!" He ranted, Not bothering to stop hastily piling the cream in his mouth, Chewing in between his words.

Another raid, Another one failed. After working arduously to track down another base and organise a team to bust down their door, They had come up empty again. Nothing but barren file cabinets and fingerprints wiped clean.

Sure, It was a much smaller base than the ones they had raided before, But that still didn't explain how absolutely everything was wiped clean. Like they had anticipated they were coming, Like somehow they knew.

And [F/N] knew that it was starting to build up in Lewin, Something that started to irk him. Even though he kept up a calm façade, [F/N] could tell that it was starting to bother him, Make him tear his own hair out from his scalp.

So now they sat in the middle of a park, Lewin deciding that it would be a nice treat for both of them (Even though Ice-cream was basically all they had within their freezer). The truck they had ordered it from still being parked on the road up ahead.

[F/N] hummed.

"You think that they could have a spy running around the order? Someone had to tell them you were coming, Right?" [F/N] asked, Starting to scrape at the corners of her tub, Scouring for the last of her ice-cream.

Lewin huffed.

"More than likely." He responded as he scooped another few into his mouth. "Mm- The question is who it could be though. An accountant? An actual exorcist? Mmph- Maybe it could even be a legion member!"

[F/N] licked the little plastic spoon clean, Her ice-cream finished and only leaving the remaining chill on her tongue.

"Maybe you should go tell Arthur about this- You know, Since he's in charge of the legion and all." [F/N] offered, Scrunching up the tub before tossing it and the spoon into the trash-can beside her. "Or what about the Paladin? Whatever his name is.. Fujimoto, Was it?" Lewin grumbled.

"And let them know that I'm onto them? I mean, Arthur's cool and all but he has a problem with letting things slip, Ya' know?" Lewin explained as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "And the Paladin isn't a good option either, He's not exactly the most patriotic about the order or whatever you call it.."

[F/N] nodded, Turning back to face the scenery in front of her. It was clear that Lewin wasn't really in the mood for any kind of advice or suggestion, This was something he needed to figure out on his own.

As usual.

[F/N] shifted in her seat, Suddenly feeling uncomfortable. She tugged at the hem of her yellow raincoat, A piece of clothing she had decided to bare within the unbearable heat. She was lucky she was wearing shorts, Otherwise she'd be melted into a puddle by now.

Lewin scarfed down another half-scoop of ice-cream, Not caring that he smeared the other half across his face. He had a rather unusual frown too, It only deepening once he spied the uncomfortable expression across his younger sisters face.

"You know, I can practically see you melting in that thing." Lewin chirped as he wiped off the chocolate from his mouth again. He eyed her from under his bangs, Watching as she turned to him.

"What do you mean?" [F/N] asked, Sweat running down her brow.

"That thing." Lewin said, Vaguely gesturing to her rather thick-fabric raincoat. "I know you have sentimental value to it or whatever, But can't you just take it off for a little while? Don't want you bring you back home in a bucket."

"I'm not that warm, I'm fine." [F/N] scoffed slightly, Leaning back into the bench and by proxy her raincoat. She ignored the sweat dusting her face and the pools of it under her armpits, Deciding to shake her head instead.

Lewin shrugged.

"Whatever you say, But I am kinda worried." He replied as he continued to eat his ice-cream, Turning away from her to focus on the treat. [F/N] only eyed him from behind, Unable to see his face from her position.

She would've shut it down, Opened her mouth to brush him off. But Lewin just happened to be quicker.

"You don't have any kind of hobbies that don't involve exorcism. I mean, I should not be the one to talk to you bout' this but-" Lewin's laughter died down, Whittling like a flame. "-You don't really have any friends."

[F/N] frowned as she looked at him, Suddenly feeling exposed, As if her raincoat wasn't on at all. She huffed slightly. Sure, She didn't have many people she talked to other than Lewin, But that didn't bother her at all!

Not at all.

"You're starting to sound like my old counsellor, You know." She grumbled, Kicking a pebble with the shoes she trained her eyes on. "Always going on about my personal life or whatever.."

Lewin chuckled slightly, Slightly. [F/N] could tell it was forced.

"Do you even want to become an exorcist? I kinda just found you one day and threw you into all of this without question." He asked, Turning to face her with a surprisingly serious face.

[F/N] glanced up at him, Curling back into herself just a little further once she saw his expression. Of course she wanted to become an exorcist, She wanted to kill demons. She wanted to avenge him.

But why did Lewin's stare make her feel so small, Make her feel like an ant compared to him?

"Of course I do.. I've wanted to find demons for my entire life, I've wanted to kill them just as long so being an exorcist would just be perfect for me! So what if I don't have any friends, The reason I wanna become an exorcist is to avenge my only one!" [F/N] exasperated.

Lewin nodded, Seemingly taking it in.

"I remember you telling me about what happened, You know, With that other kid you talked about." Lewin hummed. "And of course, I did do some digging like going into the case file and such.."

[F/N]'s breath hitched in her throat at the mention of him, The mention of Tetsuya. Of course Lewin would've done some research, But she thought he'd at least have some respect for her privacy! Either way it hit just as hard as it always had, Breathtaking in the worst possible way.

"Don't take this to heart but.. I'm saying that maybe you should stop focusing on his death and start living your life. You're fifteen, You should be kicking around in malls or doing dumb shit with your friends. Not doing mission reports or hours-long study sessions in your room.."

Lewin leaned back in his seat, Back pressing up against the bench with his head tilted up towards the cerulean skies. He watched as birds flew by, Sparrows to Seagulls. And [F/N] watched him do so with damaged eyes.

He sighed, Staring up at the sky.

"Just go have fun, Don't waste your childhood caught up in past, Okay?"

She hugged herself into the raincoat closer, Finding a sort of comfort in the blistering heat. [F/N] knew that he was right, He knew that she felt a sense of longing every time they passed a group of kids her age in the street. Laughing as they pushed each other around.

[F/N] shifted rather uncomfortably, Leg brushing up against Lewin's. Even if she did want some kind of emotional intimacy with someone, That didn't mean she knew how to get it. I mean, How could she? She spent the majority of her childhood on her own, The minority ending with a mutilation.

After all this time, There's no way she could even fathom gaining the skills to actually talk to people!

But her lips thinned, Looking at Lewin. Suddenly feeling sour.

"..I dunno. I.. I mean I guess since I'll be going to school soon I could try to make friends there..?" [F/N] suggested, Not particularly liking the idea as she felt herself grip onto the hems of her raincoat.

Lewin didn't respond.

[F/N] bit her lip.

"You know, In the exorcism classes..? Maybe I'll have something to bond over with someone there since.. You know?" She said once more, Still unable to see his expression from where she was sitting.

But his silence spoke plenty.

She gulped.

"..I mean maybe I could even meet someone in the entrance exams? I could see if I could.. Hey- Hey! Lew'?"

His ice-cream fell onto the floor.

[F/N] was cut off mid-sentence by the sudden lack of pressure on her leg and the new room on the bench, Lewin, Got up to his feet in a near second. [F/N] looked up at him with wide eyes, Watching as he stretched and turned his head to the side so she could see his expression.

Delight.

"That's it!" Lewin cheered, A wide smile spread across his face as he spinned on his heel to meet [F/N]. She, In turn looked at him with confusion as she near watched the cogs turn within his head.

"W-What's it?" [F/N] stammered out.

"The Illuminati! The Traitor! That's where it's all going down, All of this has an origin place- Yes!" Lewin started to pace back and forth along the path, Muttering familiar ramblings under his breath.

[F/N] got up to her feet, Stumbling in her gait as she reached Lewin. Sweat rolled down her brow, She knew what this was. He had unlocked a new door in his investigation, This reaction not uncommon for her to wake up to in the middle of the night.

Lewin laughed.

"Oh I gotta get back to the apartment and write this down! Finally, A break in the case! No time to waste!" Lewin cheered, His feet almost moving for him as he started to run. Picking up a fast pace almost immediately, He sprinted off down the pathway.

"H-Hey, Wait up!" [F/N] gasped as she started to chase after him, Trying not to knock over any of the few people walking down the pathway while getting to him. "You know I'm not as fast as you!"

Lewin laughed, A hand holding his hat down in the wind as he ran.

"Don't be such a slowpoke then, Come on! Catch up if you can!" He snickered like a little kid, Leave it to Lewin to be such a jerk. [F/N] scoffed in between breaths, Gunning faster as he treated it like a game of tag.

[F/N] knew she had to catch up to him, To find out whatever he was up to. When he had a reaction like this, [F/N] knew that it didn't mean anything good. Lewin was up to something, And she needed to know what.

And this time she hoped it wasn't anything stupid.

☆♡☆

[F/N]'s stare was fixed at the high double-door, So intense that you could almost make out eye-shaped burn holes upon the intricate wood.

Her hands were balled into fists so tight that her knuckles almost popped. Sweat started to dampen her brow and it showed through the plain grey band-tee she darned, A group she didn't recognise and one she had borrowed and ruined from Lewin.

Despite the amount of perspiration starting to come from her, Her throat felt dry. Her mouth was cursed with a drought and even started to cause a headache. Despite her efforts to stay level-headed, [F/N] had failed to keep it internal.

"Hey, You good there? You're going to ruin my shirt now, That's one of my favourites you know." Lewin chirped as he eyed the state of his apprentice from behind his mop of hair, Catching the beads of sweat rolling down her face.

[F/N] sighed, Almost in a shudder.

"..Fine! Just a bit hot.." [F/N] responded, Ignoring the slight draft in the hallway and the fact that it was the middle of February. Despite Lewin beside her, [F/N] didn't take her eyes off the doorway for a second.

They stood amongst a grandiose stretch of hallway, High ceilings and beautiful Victorian architecture to match. It made her feel small against the checkerboard floors, Tiny under the beautiful candle-lit chandelier dangling above her like a guillotine.

The walls were the colour of candy, Parma-violets if she was told to choose. And the scent in the air matched it, Though it was far from the cheap candy that the wall colour suggested it was, Much more expensive in smell.

The ticking of the grandfather clock tocked along to the rapid rhythm of her heart. The polished mahogany door reflected her irked expression. And despite the multitude of servant's [F/N] had passed on the way here, There was no noise of livelihood to be heard.

This entire place felt wrong, So strange to her.

Almost like it was alive.

But the architecture and interior design wasn't entirely what made her so on edge, No, It was the thing behind the door she was stood directly in front of. The creature that was lying inside, The demon that she was suppose to meet with.

What's worst was that she was already in it's maw, It's territory. She was standing within the highest floor of his mansion, Outside his office door and ready to meet him face to face. [F/N] bit her tongue, The one that was ready to beg Lewin for them to just go home.

But she needed to stay strong, Raise her shoulders and face him head on. He wouldn't do anything to harm her, At least that's what Lewin had told her..

"It's gonna be fine, No need to worry! Sir Pheles won't try to harm you, You can relax!" Lewin chimed in once more as he continued to watch her shaky stance. He huffed rather sarcastically however once she didn't respond.

"I don't get it, You were fairly fine going to see the old man. Now you're sweating bullets, Any reason why?" Lewin asked, Still focused in on her as [F/N] finally pulled her burning stare off of the door towards him.

"This is different from Azazel, Lew'." [F/N] responded, Rather exasperated. "This is Samael, King of Time and Space! One of the most powerful demons in the Ba'al, Second only to Lucifer!"

Lewin shrugged.

"He actually goes by Mephisto Pheles around here, But remember to address him as Lord Pheles, He prefers it that way and I need you to make a good impression!" Lewin reminded as he started to pick something out of his teeth.

[F/N] scoffed at his dirty behaviour, Tossing her head back over to the doorway.

"Whatever.. I still don't get why I can't just attend an American exorcist school.." [F/N] muttered, Shoving her hands into the depths of her yellow raincoat pockets, The same coat she had worn for years now.

It annoyed her, Why Lewin had decided to bring her back to Japan after all this time. It had been two years since she had stepped foot in the country, And after taking the back-breaking time to learn English and ingrain herself in the culture, It was baffling as to why she was brought back here.

Besides, It seemed like too much trouble to enrol her in True Cross. The entrance exams had already been finished and filed here, Which is why Lewin had arranged a personal meeting and dragged her to his office for a one on one discussion.

[F/N] didn't know why he was so insistent on bringing her here, Why it was so superior to the school in the states.

A hand on her shoulder brought [F/N] back to reality, Tugging her closer to Lewin.

He too grew close, Shuffling nearer to her as his voice dropped an octave.

"..The reason you're here is to keep an eye on him, Understand?" Lewin muttered to her, Quiet as a mouse as he lowered on his knees, Closer to her ear. [F/N] breathed out, Eyes darting back to Lewin as her stare steeled.

"What do you mean?" [F/N] asked, Asking it as low as he did to prevent her voice echoing down the expanse of the hall. Lewin gave her his signature lazy grin, Hand reaching to itch the back of his neck as he raised away from her ear.

"I mean that something strange is going down in the Japan Branch." Lewin explained. "I can't explain much to you right now, But what I can say is that it involves Sir Pheles in there."

[F/N] blinked, Body now fully turning to look at him under the near glaring light of the candles holstered in the chandelier. Strange? If Lewin Light of all people described something as strange, Then [F/N] figured she should take it to heart.

But she still thinned her lips anyways, Scowling as she stared back at him.

"I don't get it, Lew'. You're an Arc Knight, You should be able to find this stuff out on your own, Right? Why do you need me to do anything?" [F/N] retorted lowly, Rolling her eyes.

"..Because it turns out that Sir Pheles won't let someone like me too close to his operation here. Which is why I want to enrol you here as my personal informant." Lewin explained as his voice grew an edge to it.

Lewin's grin died down into a frustrated frown. It was an expression that [F/N] recognised from his late demon research, An expression that happened when he was stumped over a single difficult detail.

It often kept him awake for days on end, Where she'd have to bring him food as he often forgot to eat.

So when she finally met face to face with it, [F/N] finally understood the weight of the situation.

"I.. I understand. What do you need me to do?" [F/N] asked as she straightened her shoulders, Straightening her back up to what would only be compared to a military stance.

Lewin hummed, Turning back towards the door as he shoved his fists into the pockets of the exorcist jacket he wore loosely around his shoulders.

"I just need you to keep me informed of what goes down in there, You know! Just daily reports of what you get taught.. Any suspicious behaviour and hey! Maybe do a bit of snooping for me on the side!" Lewin chuckled as he slightly nudged her with his elbow, Hand still in pocket.

[F/N] huffed, Hitting his elbow back with her own as she shuffled away from him.

"Alright then, I'll do whatever you need. Though you better tell me more about this later, I ain't doing this blind.." [F/N] responded as she stumbled backwards, Pressing herself against the parma-violet coloured wall to lean against it.

Lewin nodded.

"Fine by me, But remember: Make sure to make a good impression on Sir Pheles, Him letting you into the cram school is your main goal here. Try to use your penchant to your benefit, Kid."

Almost on cue, The rich mahogany door let out a click.

[F/N] instantly raised back to her full height, Hands wrenching themselves out of the pockets of her raincoats. Lewin followed suit as the door started to swing open, [F/N] watched with trained eyes as a man stepped out.

It was Belial, The butler. A thin and dainty demon with a host within his middle ages. [F/N] watched as he emerged from the room, Dark and slicked back hair to contrast with his paling skin being the most noticeable as he turned around and softly shut the door behind him.

"Ah, Finally!" Lewin laughed as he watched Belial lower down into a bow, An arm behind his back. [F/N] examined the butler from his pristinely polished shoes to the points of his ears, Watching as the flickering blue light pulsated near his heart, Signalling his demonic status.

Lewin took an eager step forward.

"Come on then, [F/N]-" He called out to her with a grin. Though once he took another step forward towards the door, He was suddenly blocked by Belial, Who had raised up from his bow and swiftly stepped in front of the Arc Knight.

Belial cleared his throat.

"I apologise, Mr. Light." He started, Fixing the tie around his neck as he stared Lewin dead in the eyes. "But my master was rather insistent that the young lady should meet with him. Alone."

[F/N]'s eyes instantly widened at this information, Jerking her head over to Lewin whose grin instantly devolved into a scowl at the butler in front of him. Alone? Samael, Demon King of Time and Space wanted to meet her alone?

Lewin didn't seem to like that either, But even so the scowl on his face was wiped immediately and replaced with that careless expression he wore, The one that masked what he felt underneath.

"Oh really?" Lewin asked, Eyes kept on the butler and suddenly the draft running through the hallway felt like volcanic steam on [F/N]'s skin.

Belial nodded, Slightly bowing again once more.

"Yes, He was rather explicit on that detail. I apologise for the inconvenience.." Belial continued in a rather stale voice. Lewin only shook his head and [F/N] could swear she saw him roll his eyes under the mess of his hair.

But before he could open his mouth to protest, Lewin felt the firm tug of a hand wrapping around his wrist.

"It's fine, Lew'." [F/N] piped up, Stumbling closer to him with her hand still wrapped around his wrist. "I'll go in by myself, It's no big deal.. I can do this alone."

Of course, [F/N] was lying through her teeth. Lewin could tell as the sweat dampening her brow didn't dry, He could tell by the way she gripped onto his wrist like it was the only thing keeping her afloat.

He sighed, Which [F/N] could tell was originally suppose to be a groan.

"Ah, Well only if my apprentice insists!" Lewin chuckled dryly as his stature started to mellow out, Shoulders releasing from their previous tight-tensioned stance.

Lewin backed away from Belial, To which his stoic and unreactive expression even seemed to relax a bit. [F/N] released the iron-tight grip on Lewin's wrist, Stepping away as the hallway's draft finally started to cool off.

"Thank you. Now if this matter is sorted then I would suggest that the young lady should go now, It is not wise to keep my master waiting." Belial said, Turning to [F/N] now as she nodded in response.

"R-Right, That's fine by me." She replied, Fixing up her appearance from her hair to her raincoat as she prepared to enter through the door.

"Ah, well. I'll be waiting for you out in the livingroom, Wherever the hell it is suppose to be." Lewin hummed. Turning so his back was facing her before he started to strut off somewhere down the hallway, Soles of his slip-ons creating stomping noise that bounced off the walls as he made his way around the corner.

Belial followed after him, Assumedly to keep her masters mess to a minimum.

"Good luck! And make a decent impression!"

And with that he turned the corner, His words echoing then dying as it did. [F/N] stood there rather awkwardly as Belial trailed after him, Leaving her alone within the long expanse of the hallway.

And just like that she felt tiny again, A little woozy too as the checkerboard floor looked more psychedelic by the second. [F/N] tried not to look at it long, Averting her eyes towards the task which lied behind that ol' mahogany door only a few steps away from her.

[F/N] admired the complexity of the wood, But in her mind she knew it was only a short-term distraction. She needed to get this over and done with, As much as she loathed demons she couldn't act like she usually did.. Not with this one.

As she wandered closer to the silver coated handle of the door, She recalled Lewin's briefing on the demon before they arrived.

Johann Faust V, Mephisto Pheles, The demon went by a menagerie of names but most importantly he came under Samael, Demon King of Time and Space. He was one of the most powerful in the Ba'al, Second only to Lucifer himself.

From what Lewin had said, Mephisto had aligned himself with humanity. But what her master had also said was that it was not like Azazel, Who had chosen to give his vessel up for the sake of Assiah. No, Mephisto was very much active.

He liked making bets, Deals, At least that's what Lewin said. He was a trickster and enjoyed being elusive even to the Vatican, Evident by how he was in cahoots with Amaimon, Something she had found out years ago.

Mephisto wasn't to be trusted, Whether he was on the side of humanity or not was up for debate. But [F/N] wasn't able to argue, She had to stay calm when facing him. She needed to get to the bottom of whatever he was up to, Both for her and her masters sake.

So [F/N] laid her hand upon the artic cold of the silver handle, Gripping it with enough intensity to melt it down. Her other hand raised towards the bark of the door, Curling fingers into a fist before resting her knuckles on the door.

Breathe, Stay calm, Breathe out.

Her hand chapped the door, Once then Twice until it came to a total of three.

.

..

…

"Come in~!"

A jovial voice came out muffled through the door, [F/N] felt her sweat drop at the first word. The hand resting upon the silver of the handle pushed down, The mechanism in the door retracting as she swung it open in one single act.

And without a second thought, She stepped in.

Instantly once she did she was hit with the saccharine scent, The one that smelt expensive, It was turned up to a near maximum now and was so sweet that it made her want to puke. Disgusting, She thought. But she couldn't show it unless she wanted a bad impression.

The room was filled with much more natural light in the hallway outside, Not that the tall Victorian windows out there were useless, But it was more concentrated mostly due to the large bay window taking up the far back of the room.

Potted plants of various sizes were scattered throughout, Some reaching tall towards the high ceilings and the thick wooden structure supports. Others potted and placed as the centrepiece of the expensive looking seat and table in the middle of the room.

If [F/N] didn't feel small and poor out in the hallway, She absolutely did now. From all the foreign imports lining the shelves along with the oddly expensive looking anime merch muddled in, It all felt so.. Big.

"Ah, Finally~! I was starting to wonder if you'd ever show up at all!"

[F/N] finally raised her head towards the root of the voice, The one located at the end of the room. Eyes widening as her lips thinned, Desperate to keep whatever yelp of surprise buried deep in her throat.

At the end of the room where the blocky yet intricate desk stood was the demon of the hour, Mephisto Pheles, Lounging carelessly in the high-back swivel chair.

And he was nothing like she expected at all.

He was tall, Impossibly so. Even though he was sitting down, [F/N] knew that he towered above her by a wide margin.

He was gaunt, Like the paleness of a hour-old corpse. High cheekbones and dark circles to deepen his cat-like emerald eyes, The ones staring directly at her. But it wasn't his complexion or the wine-stained iridescent hair that caught her eye, No, It was what he was dressed in.

Head to toe in a blinding white, Punchy pink and purple as accents. From his top hat, His pink polka-dot ascot, Violet gloves and dove-white tuxedo coat. It was a stark contrast from his deathly complexion.

His thanatoid appearance mixed with his childish-candy coloured garb, It gave her an indescribable sense of dread.

[F/N] swallowed back her enraging fear, Snapping back into the situation.

"..Sorry, Lord Pheles. I got caught up." She replied curtly, Trying to hide the already blooming distaste she had for the demon. Eyes kept on him, Her hands never unfurled from the fists that chapped on the door, Only clenched down even more.

Lord Pheles would've smirked if it wasn't already on his face. Elbows on his desk, His fingers interlocked as he stared at her.

His eyes glinted.

Almost if he knew something..

"I understand. Your master is quite a handful, So I suppose that I should have expected some sort of hold-up..~" Mephisto replied in a sing-song voice, Carrying each syllable like a note in a cantata.

It disturbed her, Making [F/N] shift awkwardly within the spot she stood.

"Ah, Where are my manners!" He exclaimed suddenly, A dramatic tilt to his voice as he raised up in his chair. "Please, Take a seat! No need to stand around all day now, Is there?"

His hand stretched out, Eccentric demeanour showing in his movements as he gestured towards the fancy little chair and table set-up.

[F/N] glanced towards it, Looking at the pristine bubble-gum pink of the cushions and the rich wooden structure it stood on. Looking back up towards Mephisto, [F/N] quickly moseyed over to the set-up.

She fell down onto the one placed nearest the door, The longer one by coincidence. Though despite the extra room and the admittedly soft cushioning, She still felt rather uncomfortable.

Probably because of his stare, That cat-eyed glare that didn't let up for a second. [F/N] felt herself shift under the defining silence of the situation, Neither of them speaking as she shuffled further into the cocoon of her raincoat.

Shit. What was she suppose to say? [F/N] didn't dare to look at it. Lewin was suppose to come in here and talk to Sir Pheles for her, He was suppose to take the lead. [F/N] wasn't suppose to do this alone!

But now she was in the belly of the beast, The beast in question being something that she loathed with a lovers passion. And now she was suppose to be cordial with it?

Even if it did "align himself with humanity". It didn't have the respect to give up his stolen vessel like Azazel did, Instead keeping it and himself alive. Disgusting, Being nice to this thing would be difficult to say the least.

The silence weighing down the room was finally broken by the clearing of Mephisto's throat, [F/N] instantly snapping her head up to look at the man.

"..I believe this is the part where you introduce yourself." Mephisto chimed. Gaze slightly sharpening in on her as a single hand raised to cover his snide laughter. "My my.. I see that spending too much time with Mr. Light has had an affect on you, Hm?"

[F/N] gulped, Trying to regain her composure. Fuck, She had forgotten to introduce herself.

"..R-Right, Sorry." She stuttered "My name's [F/N] Light, The current apprentice of Lewin Light. I don't currently have any 'qualifying' meister's and that's kind of the reason my master has set up this meeting with you today.."

"Oh, Really?" Mephisto prompted, Leaning forward only slightly on his chair as he waited for her to go on.

"..I'm here to ask if you could possibly, Maybe, Accept me into True Cross Academy? Both the main curriculum and the cram school, Even though the entrance exams have already been held and done- If that's okay." [F/N] said, Trying to sound as formal as she possibly could even though it didn't come natural to her in the slightest.

[F/N] gripped the hems of her raincoat, Kneading them in her fingers as her eyes averted from his.

Mephisto's eyes lowered on her, Almost eyeing her up and down before the fingers he had locked together came undone.

[F/N] blinked as she watched him lean back in his high-back chair, Eyeing him carefully, Every movement registered in her mind. Even as he reached a casual arm over to an old-timey phone set on the edge of his desk, She kept him in sight.

Was he going to answer or..?

He picked up the phone from his desk, Raising it up to his ear she could hear the faint buzz of it ringing. Once, Then twice. It was answered quickly as she could hear the quiet noise of muffled talk come out from it.

"Hello? Ah, Yes. Belial! Could you please prepare some tea and .. Ah, Right. Yes, See if that one wants some too, Yes.. Preferably English or oolong depending on what's in stock.. "

"..Excuse me?"

Words spilt out from her tongue, One's she didn't know she spoke until she said them. Her eyes widened once she heard them, Hands tensing up to try not and slap across her mouth. Mephisto's eyes darted back over to her, Raising a brow.

"..Not a fan of oolong?" He queried, Slightly lowering the phone from his ear.

[F/N] bit her tongue, Trying not to let anything else out. Was he seriously ordering tea right now? In the middle of their conversation? For all of his high-class persona and get up, He sure didn't seem to have many manners..

"..No, Never mind." [F/N] replied, Bowing her head slightly before pushing herself back onto the long chair she sat on. Uncomfortable, She shifted.

Mephisto eyed her movements, A smirk still on his face before he brought his eyes back to the phone. He replied something that [F/N] couldn't make out, Uninterested and only brought back by the slam of the phone back onto it's set.

When she snapped her head up, She saw him lean forward. Elbows on the desk with his chin resting on the bridge made by his fingers.

"Well then, Now that that is done.." Mephisto drawled, Eyeing her up and down. "From what I hear you intend to enter my school after the entrance exams have already finished up."

"..Yes."

"And the American school? I do believe they're still accepting applications.. Wouldn't it be much more comfortable to attend somewhere close to home?"

"..Well since I grew up in this country, I told Lewin that I wanted to return and do my schooling here.. Besides, Everyone knows that True Cross is the top school for exorcists. If I'm gonna get my Meister's, I want to get the best education with it." [F/N] replied, Trying to make her voice as steady as could be.

Sugar talk, Something she had picked up from Lewin to get her way. [F/N] tried not to let it show that she was lying, Try seem as genuine as she possibly could be. In truth, [F/N] could care less about that stuck-up rich kid school.

Mephisto smirked.

"Ah, What a charmer you are!" He sung with a dramatic lean back in his seat, A hand pressed to his chest. "Yes, I must admit that it is true! My academy is rather prestigious especially among exorcists, So I suppose I can understand why you would want to attend my institution.."

[F/N] watched as the rather whimsical demeanour he had displayed turned back down, His eyes refocusing and sharpening back towards her. Smile brandishing as he honed his vision on her.

"..But I also must say- As the headmaster I do have some concerns.." Mephisto hummed as the sound of a door swinging open came out from behind her. [F/N] pried her vision off Mephisto for a moment to watch Belial stroll in, Baring a fine silver plate in a single hand, Fine Flower-painted china atop it.

Mephisto tilted his head.

"Lightning has always had a rather nasty habit of conducting his own little investigations, Who knows why and I must admit that it's getting rather concerning.." He explained. "I just can't help but wonder if he had sent you here to do his business for him?"

He eyed her up and down, And [F/N] tried not to look so squeamish under his surprisingly uncomfortable gaze. God, How she hated how weak she felt in the moment, How horribly nervous she was.

[F/N] gripped the edge of the couch she lazed on, Flipping a leg over the other. She couldn't let him get under her skin. Belial moved around to the small centre-table in front of her, Setting down the silver tray as the china on top rattled along with it.

"..Not that I'm aware of, No." [F/N] replied as she watched Belial start to fill up the twin tea cups sitting pretty on the tray. She gulped. "Lewin's always been straightforward with me, I honestly just think he wants me to get a good education."

Mephisto nodded as Belial finished his work, Picking up one of the steaming tea-cups and plates to carefully bring it over to the desk at the head of the room. He set it down in front of Mephisto, The steam rising high into the air.

Mephisto carefully picked it up by the handle, Taking a sip of the boiling water without a flinch.

"..And you're completely sure?" He asked, Settling the cup back down onto it's plate.

"Completely." [F/N] responded, Not missing a beat.

Belial bowed to both her and Mephisto before quickly turning on his heel and leaving back out where he came, The tea-set still on the table, Her own hot drink steaming up into the sky, Too hot to touch.

Mephisto dabbed his mouth with a handkerchief, Drying the residue.

"Well I suppose that I could let you into my academy, Considering your credentials of being Lightning's apprentice and the rather flattering recommendations I got sent by a few of The Arc Knights." Mephisto hummed as he settled back down.

[F/N] thinned her lips, Trying not to let the smile show on her face. Leave it to Lewin to plan something out. He must have gone to some of the other Arc Knights, Most likely Arthur and Osceola if she had to guess. She didn't even have a clue.

So she kept herself calm, If only for a second.

"So.. Does that mean that I'm able to attend?" [F/N] asked, Hands gripping even tighter onto her raincoat to try and keep her voice from shivering. Mephisto hummed, Tapping his fingers against the polished wood of his desk before it suddenly stopped.

"Yes, Yes. I suppose you can, I'll get your paperwork in order to send to Lightnings estate and I'll be expecting them by the end of next week, Make sure to tell him that!" Mephisto replied, Lilt in his voice as he took another sip of his tea.

[F/N] finally grinned, Letting it come across her face without resistance now. Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, [F/N] dusted herself off and pushed herself up to her feet, Only stumbling a little bit once she got settled.

She turned towards him slightly before bowing her head in faux respect.

"..Thank you, Lord Pheles. I'll make sure to tell my master of the news." [F/N] said in the most gratuitous tone she could muster. Once her head raised, She turned away from him and towards the door instead.

She wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, Especially once she felt eye-shaped holes start to burn on her back. Being in the same room as a Demon King was bad enough, But the scorching feeling of it watching her was even worse.

Her hand lunged out to the silver-plated handl-

"Where are you going?"

Her muscles tensed. [F/N] was about to grab onto the handle, fingers so close to wrapping around it that she could feel it's chill.

She blinked before turning her head around, Meeting the eyes of Mephisto at the far end of the room. Still leaning forward on his desk with that same hot stare, Smile still on his face.

[F/N] blinked.

It disturbed her.

"..Oh, I thought that we were done here?" [F/N] replied, Hesitant as she watched him push his hands onto his desk, Pushing himself up from his seat that rolled back to make way for his overwhelming height.

[F/N] snapped her jaw shut as she watched him saunter around the perimeter of his desk, Hand still trailing on the furniture as he made his way to the front.

"You still haven't touched your tea." He simply said, Finally leaning up against the front of the desk. [F/N] just watched him, Eyeing him up and down from the swirl of his hair to the polished slacks he kicked in.

[F/N] swallowed, The warning Azazel gave her ringing through her head.

"..My siblings, The ones that have met you have not taken it as a single experience to be done with, [F/N]. They haven't forgotten about you, They remember very well.."

It made her freeze, Almost like she was staring into the serpentine eyes of a gorgon, Which she supposed wasn't an entirely inaccurate description. Ever since Azazel had warned her, She had been vigilant.

Eyes darting to every corner of a room when she entered, Making sure to stick close to Lewin like Azazel had advised her to. Of course he had also told her that it was basically inevitable that she would meet the final two.

And he was right, And she was standing before another.

She couldn't stay here, Not in the belly of the beast.

"..I'm sorry but I'm just not in the mood to have anything right now, I ate before I came here and it soured my appetite." [F/N] laughed nervously, Trying to seem as relaxed as possible within the current situation.

Mephisto tilted his head, Eyeing her like she was to him.

"Ah, But you must try it! The ingredients I have imported here are some of the highest quality, I assure you. It would be a shame if it would go to waste now, Wouldn't it?" Mephisto said as he continued to watch her movements.

[F/N]'s eyes darted from his face to the tea-set still on the table, Her tea-cup still filled to the brim with the beige liquid and steaming high. She bit her tongue. Though it certainly looked enticing, The expression on his face certainly wasn't.

[F/N] gulped, The hand hovering around the door handle finally lunged to grip around it.

"..I'm sorry, Lord Pheles, But I need to go meet up with my master now. I've kept him waiting long enough- Goodbye!" [F/N] stammered out, Instantly pushing down the handle and swinging open the door before escaping out into the hallway.

She pulled the door closed behind her before slamming her back against it, Breathing heavily, [F/N] wiped the sweat off of her brow. Blue lights floated around her, Coal tars no doubt from the way that they flickered around.

[F/N] swatted them away once they got too close, The conversation she had with the literal Demon King of Time and Space still playing in her mind. Every word, Sentence and gesture playing in her head.

She had gotten into True Cross, Something that Lewin would be proud of. [F/N] remembered the interaction she had with Lewin before, Where he told her how to act in front of the demon.

[F/N] bit her lip, A sudden thought coming to her mind.

Her penchant didn't seem to work on him, The penchant Lewin had told her to use to her advantage. He had no moment like all the others before him, Where they proclaimed that their heart was beating once more.

The sudden change in demeanour, The sudden favour they had for her.

He didn't have that moment, Despite the conversation between them being much longer than some of the others. Or did it just feel that way? [F/N] didn't know, But she thought about it anyways.

She raised a thumb up to her lips, Beginning to bite on her nail.

[F/N]'s breath hitched in her throat, Eyes widening as she tore off the excess of her nails. And all at once, She understood why Lewin had wanted her to attend here in the first place.

Her penchant didn't seem to work on him-

Because he was already affected.

☆♡☆

Mephisto watched the girl exit his office, Slamming the door behind her so quickly that it shook the walls foundations. His slit-pupils didn't remove themselves from her, Not until she was completely gone from sight.

The tea still sat steaming on the desk, The cup she didn't touch. She was suspicious and vigilant, That was something he could respect yet all the same he felt his smile start to twitch.

It downturned into a grimace, Especially once he heard the slam of boots hit the floor behind him. Heels clacking, He knew very well who it was.

"Amaimon." Mephisto stated, Not bothering to turn around to meet the face of his younger brother standing there. Deep eyebags staring into the back of Mephisto's head, One's he had felt throughout the entire meeting he had with [F/N].

Lurking in the darkness, Somewhere hidden within the higher parts of his room.

"Brother.." Amaimon spoke and Mephisto finally turned to look at him dead in the eyes, Sly smile finally returning to him. Amaimon didn't reciprocate, Only stared dead into Mephisto's eyes with that same blank expression he always wore.

"Lurking around again, Amaimon? It's rather rude not to announce yourself when entering another's home.." Mephisto chided, Knowing very well that Amaimon wouldn't care about house etiquette.

"Why did you just let her leave? It would've been easy to just take her, That other annoying human wasn't there to stop us." Amaimon stated. Despite his blank visage, Mephisto could sense the irritation under it.

It didn't appear on his face, But it shone in his eyes.

Mephisto's grin widened.

"I've told you before, Amaimon. You must be patient." He said as his hand lowered to the side of his desk, Scooping up the tea-cup into his hand and taking a sip. Amaimon glared, Mephisto only continued.

"You must wait a little while longer, There is still one more she has yet to meet.. But until then, You will not interact with her. In fact.. I don't want you to even look at her until it is time."

Amaimon's eyes widened.

"But Brother-"

"I don't want to hear anything more about this." Mephisto cut in. Eyes suddenly sharpening and almost on cue, Amaimon snapped his mouth shut. His face returned to it's original plainness.

Mephisto smirked at that, Turning back away from him. There was no more words to be spoken, Not if Amaimon knew what was good for him. Mephisto just continued to sip his tea, All until he felt the presence of his younger brother disappear.

☆♡☆

[F/N] felt nervous.

Her hand rested on the cold chill of the doorknob, Gripping it in a vice as sweat rolled down her rather reserved expression. Staring at the door like it disgusted her personally, [F/N] took in a deep breath.

The hallway she stood in was cold but vibrant, Seemingly stretching on forever in an exotic set of colours. Greens, Reds, Blacks.. It was built in a hodgepodge of architecture, Some Victorian here and some middle-east design there.

It felt confusing, But [F/N] wasn't focused on the colours or the architecture right now. Instead she was attentive to the doorway she stood before, Inside being what she dreaded the most:

Social interaction.

[F/N]'s lip trembled as she tried to calm her nerves.

Come on, You can do this.. For Lewin's sake.

It was her first day at school. [F/N] had been able to survive the first part of the day, Wandering throughout the expanse of the hallways, Managing to keep away from the large groups of people that passed her by.

Her heart had never been so stressed, It had been ages since she had actually been in proper education. The last time being a few years ago when she was still in the youth centre, Lewin seeming to prefer home-schooling than

It gave her more time to study demons, That's what Lewin said anyways. But being out of school with absolutely no friends made her a quite literal outcast, Being much more undeveloped when it came to social situations.

[F/N] groaned, Why did it have to be her?

By now she had been able to get through without talking to anyone. Sitting in a lonely stairwell when she wanted to eat lunch, Not answering any questions that teachers proposed to the class. And her rather aloof demeanour was enough to deter anyone who was trying to make friends.

But now? This was the point where she was meant to speak to people. Ingrain herself into the social structure all the while snooping around for Lewin's investigation, Unfortunately the socialising part was not debatable.

A bead of her sweat hit the floor, Almost deciding that it wasn't worth it at all. Though [F/N] was able to pull herself together, Take the biggest breath of her life and tell herself that she'll do just fine with the people inside.

They were her age after all, And school was the perfect place to make friends.

The doorknob turned much louder than it should have, [F/N] not minding though as she swung open the door and stepped into the classroom with her head held high. Her expression steeled on her face.

And as soon as she did.. She was surprised.

"Erm.." [F/N] mumbled under her breath, Surveying the rather empty though lengthy classroom. Her eyes were wide as she realised there was barely anyone here, Her expectations being much higher.

Within the class there was only a few people. A group of three or so boys near the right and two lone girls sitting right next to the door where [F/N] was standing, Apart from that there were only two lone parties at the back. A boy and some other person in a rather baggy hoodie.

[F/N] gulped, Mind wandering off.

"Is.. Is this everyone?" She muttered more to herself than anything, However the echo made it much louder than intended, Eyes widening as she froze up.

"Most of us, Probably. Bell's gonna ring in five so.." One of the boys spoke up, Answering for her. It was the one with the mohawk, Tough face, Tanned skin and all in all made him look like a punk.

[F/N] nodded slowly, Taking time to process as she tried not to seem nervous in front of them all.

She stepped forward on the chromatic tiled floor, Wandering a few feet as she observed the mostly empty rows of desks to choose from. She bit her lip, Shit. Why did she need to be so awkward?

Her skirt worn rather unfitting on her, Maybe a size too big with a studded belt to keep it in place. A baggy blouse and a tie that was done by Lewin himself, All the while patting her on the shoulder and telling her of her mission.

The yellow canary raincoat was still thrown over her, Hood up to shadow her face and hide her shy expression. Her hands gripping onto the hems as she tried to find a seat.

Though her appearance was strange, She hoped her attitude would be enough to make up for her aloofness.

"Oh.. Hey!"

Another voice spoke up, One that was from the same table the boys were and one that made [F/N] jump.

Darting her eyes over, She seen that it was the boy with faded pink hair, Legs kicked up on the table but perked up once he noticed her. He had a rather lazy smile on his face, Though his eyes were certainly interested.

"I recognise you-! You're lightnings apprentice, Right?" He called out to her which made the other boys jerk around, Finally getting a good look at the girl who felt exposed by the sudden recognition.

"You are?!" One of the boys called out, Suddenly turning around to look at her in the doorway.

Her shoulders tensed slightly.

"Oh- Erm.. Yeah." [F/N] spoke, Slowly trudging closer towards their desk with a sheepish smile on her face. She stuck out her hand towards the boy with pinkish-hair. "My name's [F/N] Light, I'm Lightning's apprentice as you said- But Uh-"

The boy took her hand before she finished, A lazy smile on his face as he happily shook her hand.

"Renzo Shima! Nice to meet 'ya..!" He grinned as he looked up at her, Releasing her hand and gesturing towards the empty seat beside him to which [F/N] moved to take, Her heart pounding in her chest.

The boy with the Mohawk furrowed his brows, Glancing towards [F/N].

"An apprentice? Of Lightning himself? Damn.. I'm gonna need to catch up." He concluded as he stretched out a hand towards her, A firm yet welcoming expression upon his face. "Name's Ryuji Suguro, Though you can call me Bon, Great to meet you."

"I-It's great to meet you too..!" [F/N] responded with a nod, A sort of excited yet nervous smile on her face as she took his hand and shook it too. Turning towards the final boy, The one with the red-rimmed glasses.

"Konekomaru Miwa..!" He greeted, Instead of shaking her hand he bowed slightly towards her, His own form of greeting as he smiled almost as nervously as she did. It comforted her slightly, Knowing it wasn't just her who was on edge.

She smiled a bit wider, Especially once she sat down on the empty desk beside them.

[F/N] felt herself calm, The frantic rhythm of her heart calmed down into a steady thump. Those jitters that crawled through her skin seemed to ease, If only a little bit. As she spoke to them, She found it to be a back and forth she could keep up with.

It was relieving even though her body remained tense, Smiling and even genuinely laughing at the banter between them which she happily joined in on. It made her calm, Ease down to the point that she didn't even care about the little blue lights drifting around them anymore.

She smiled.

Maybe things were gonna be okay.

[xzerosparrowx]

For week six of @astrangersummer

Prompt: Ice cream/sweat | wc: 741 | rating: E | cw: mild language, strong sexual themes | tags: gratuitous use of a popsicle, Jawbreaker-esque, horny.

popsicle

✨️🍦✨️🍦✨️

The sun is bearing down on them, the oppressive sweltering summer heat forcing the residents of Hawkins to use their air conditioners, fans, and fridges in an attempt to cool down.

When Steve invited Robin and Eddie to his house to cool down he never thought about what Eddie would wear. He just sort of assumed the resident metal head would just be wearing his usual clothes; jeans, leather jacket and a band shirt. What Steve never imagined, or at least never imagined in broad daylight was Eddie wearing black cut-off jean shorts and a threadbare Elvis shirt that had been cropped haphazardly.

Steve wondered if he was hallucinating, or had died suddenly and his brain was showing him random, horny images of Eddie Munson as a last fuck you from life. It felt like he was in that scene in the Breakfast Club where Emelio Estevez had finally realised how pretty Ally Sheedy was before her awful makeover, or that fucking volleyball scene with Tom Cruise.

The outfit simultaneously exposed too much and not enough. Too much thigh, and frustratingly not enough waist. He felt out of sorts when Eddie walked through his door, his eyes catching on tattoos he had never seen before, the black ink swirling down his right thigh and up his waist. He caught himself staring way too often when the three of them laid on the kitchen tiles, the open fridge cooling the air slightly around them as they shared whatever was left of the vanilla ice cream.

Apparently, the meager offering was not enough for Robin, who sprang to her feet when the familiar tune of an ice cream truck rounded the corner onto the street. It didn't take much convincing to get Steve to pay for all of them; Robin bought an ice cream sandwich, Steve bought soft serve with hardened chocolate topping and Eddie bought…

Well he fucking bought a popsicle, the asshole.

So here Steve was, sitting out by the pool with his friends, their legs dangling in the cool water and watching the, frankly disgusting, scene of Eddie Munson practically blowing his popsicle. He looks to Robin to see if she is also witnessing the borderline porno happening right in front of them but she's too busy reading Slyvia Plath and eating her ice cream to notice.

Steve wonders if this will be a formative experience, if he will look back on today in twenty years and say “yeah, this is the day I associated eating popsicles with head.” He tears his eyes away from Eddie's now bright red lips, only to be met with large chocolate brown eyes staring straight at him.

He shoots up, mumbling an apology to Robin for splashing her and practically running inside the house. He can feel bullets of sweat line his forehead as he scrapes what's left of his ice cream in the kitchen sink and throws the cone in the trash. He readjusts himself when he opens the fridge, taking a bottle of water and swallowing down large gulpfuls of it in an attempt to calm the fuck down.

He startles when the backdoor clangs shut, spinning on his heels to face Eddie walking into the kitchen. Steve watches him throw Robin's wrapper in the trash, Eddie's own, mostly uneaten and melting, popsicle still in his hand. There is a cocky grin plastered on Eddie's face, a knowing mischievous glint in his eyes as he saunters towards Steve.

“Hey big boy, you ok?” Eddie's voice is low and Steve's brain is working at max capacity to take everything in. Taking in the way Eddie's hair is tied up, the way a bead of sweat drips down the length of Eddie's long neck and how warm Eddie is as the guy crowds him against the fridge.

“Yeah, I'm uh- I'm cool-” he stumbles through, swallowing when he watches Eddie bring the red popsicle back to his lips.

His eyes are glued to Eddie, breath hitching watching this fucking guy in front him swallow around the iced treat, his head bobbing up and down its length and those large brown eyes staring straight into Steve's as his tongue slurps around the popsicle. It's obscene, it's disgusting, and it's one of the hottest fucking things Steve has ever seen.

Eddie finishes the show with a kitten lick at the head- top, the fucking top of the popsicle before turning it towards Steve.

“You wanna taste?”

[gingerteafairy]

confession club. (kyle spencer x reader)

You were walking down the hallway beside Kyle Spencer, your classmate, both of you so focused on your difficult homework that you completely missed the college bus. You had met Kyle back in school, but it had been a few years since you’d seen him. He was your first love. You thought you had moved on, but being around him again made your heart ache, as if you had never really forgotten about him.

tags: fluff, friends to lovers, kissing, drabble, angst, anxiety, depression, mentions of sex, frat!kyle, predeath!kyle.

Words: +3k

disclaimer: this one is inspired by a walk i had with my crush one night, we didnt end up togheter (obviously), but it kinda inspired me to write something, with the ending i would like lol. Feeling delulu. btw, enjoy your reading.

You were walking down the hallway beside Kyle Spencer, your classmate, both of you so focused on your difficult homework that you completely missed the public college bus. You had met Kyle back in school, but it had been a few years since you’d seen him. He was your first love. You thought you had moved on, but being around him again made your heart ache, as if you had never really forgotten about him.

Trying to get closer to him or start a conversation felt a little awkward. It always seemed forced, and you didn’t want to make it weird. But Kyle had this way of making you feel at ease, like you didn’t have to worry about anything. He was so good at it.

Luckily, another bus pulled up. You’d never been on this route before, but Kyle said he knew it well. He sat next to you, giving you that sweet smile that made your heart do funny little flips.

“Are you sure you’ll be safe out there by yourself?” he asked, looking at you with concern.

“I’m used to walking alone at night,” you replied, trying to sound casual and shrugging.

He nodded, lips pressed into a straight line, looking worried.

“It’s dangerous for a girl to be out there alone,” he insisted, tilting his head.

“I know, but I do it all the time. Don’t worry about me,” you said, watching him glance out the window as the bus started moving.

The city was quiet, with only a few people going about their business. Honestly, though, the thought of being alone at this hour made your stomach twist. Your neighborhood wasn’t exactly the safest at night anymore, and the thought of being out there all alone, with who-knows-what lurking in the shadows, made your hands tremble with anxiety. You peered out of the window, suddenly realizing that Kyle’s stop had passed. You waited for him to get up, but he stayed seated, still looking out the window.

“Corndog Pop,” he laughed, pointing at a food truck. “Who told them that was a good name?”

“Kyle… isn’t that your stop?” you raised an eyebrow, confused.

He looked up at you, giving you a shy smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I couldn’t leave you alone, you know.”

His soft, honeyed voice made your heart melt like ice cream. You shyly met his gaze, noticing a faint blush on his cheeks, probably from his cute smile.

“Thank you, Kyle.”

You couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, feeling a little giddy as you locked eyes with him for the first time in what felt like forever. The bus seemed to be taking its sweet time, weaving through the city with no sign of your neighborhood in sight. But you didn’t mind. As long as you were with Kyle, everything else just felt... right.

“Do you remember that day that you tried to look if I saw porn on my PC and you just found a whole pack of Sonic whole lore and fanarts?” He remembers, belly laughing at the memory of how flustered you were discovering it. 

“Of course I do,” you said, smiling as you remembered that day. “That was the moment I realized you were the sweetest person I could ever imagine.” You gently massaged your stomach, still laughing at the memory of how embarrassed you had been back then.

“Hey, don't say that! I'm cool, okay?” Kyle chuckled, mimicking your gesture and laughing even harder. It was so contagious, you both ended up giggling for a while.

“You’re cool and sweet, Kyle,” you corrected yourself, smiling at him with a warmth that felt like sunshine. God, just being around him made you so happy. You felt like you could smile forever, and your cheeks would be sore from all the laughter and joy he brought into your life.

“Hey, kids. You’ve gotta get off, that’s the last stop,” the bus driver said, his voice flat and bored, cutting through your lovely conversation.

“But there are still a few stops—” Kyle started, but the driver interrupted him.

“I don’t care, that’s the last one,” the bus driver grumbled.

You squeezed Kyle’s hand, reassuring him, and the two of you got off the bus together, watching it drive away with a cloud of smoke trailing behind it. The quiet of the streets felt a little lonely after the bus disappeared. Kyle kicked a small rock, his expression turning a little serious as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“It’s okay, Kyle,” you said softly, reaching out to comfort him, gently rubbing his back.

“You’re right. He’s just... ugh, never mind,” he muttered, frustration lingering in his voice, but it softened when he looked at you again. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

“What? Really? But it’s so far from here, and it’s late... I don’t want to keep you out so late,” you said, worried.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kyle said with a grin, adjusting his backpack. “Come on, lead the way.”

And so, you both started walking together, just like you used to when you were kids. No, this was better. You were so much closer now, and he was sharing all his funny stories—embarrassing secrets, too, while ruffling his hair as he heard your laugh. He told you all about his classmates, the silly guys at his fraternity, and his big dreams. You listened closely, hanging on every word, wishing this moment would never end. Even though it was freezing cold outside, you felt like you were wrapped in the warmth of summer just by being with him. How could you not be in love with someone so kind, so funny, and so beautiful inside and out?

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve talked to someone like this,” he said, looking down at you with a soft chuckle.

“Yeah, me too,” you smiled, gazing up into his tender dark eyes. “But, wait, how? You’re so popular now.You were so shy and now you’re in a team.”

“You think so?” He lit his face, “Uhm… it’s not something I say normally to anyone.”

“Then... why are you telling me?” you asked, a little confused, closing your eyes for a moment as you thought about it. It felt strange, but in a good way. He wasn’t even that close to you, but it still felt like... maybe you were closer than you thought. He chuckled at your question, then looked up at the stars, like he was thinking about how to answer.

“I feel comfortable around you,” he admitted, sounding a little unsure, like he was testing the waters to see how you’d react.

He takes a deep breath and glances at you. “So, uh... there’s something I’ve never really talked about, but I guess I should. It’s... kind of embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing?” You glance at him, curious

“Well, when I was younger, I had some... serious social anxiety. Like, I was terrified of talking to people. I used to avoid speaking in class and I’d get so nervous around anyone I didn’t know. I even went to a speech therapist for a while because it was that bad.”

You stop walking for a moment, surprised. “No way. You? But you’re so... confident now! I mean, I never would've guessed.”

“Yeah, it sounds weird, right? The therapist helped, though. But, honestly, even now, I still get those moments when I freeze up or get all tongue-tied.” He chuckles softly and scratches the back of his neck

Your face softens as you think for a moment, then nods in understanding. “Wow, that’s kind of crazy... because, um, I have social anxiety too. I’ve had it for ages, and I'm not getting really better.”

“Wait, really? You do too?” His eyes widened, clearly surprised.

“Yeah... like, all the time. Especially when I’m in big groups or have to talk to people I don’t know well. I freeze up, or my brain goes blank.” You shrug slightly, smiling a little sheepishly. 

He looks at you thoughtfully for a moment, a little smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I honestly didn’t expect that... but it makes sense. Now that you mention it, I always feel so... comfortable talking to you. Like, I don’t feel that nervous, even when I’m saying stupid stuff.”

You grin at him, feeling your heart flutter a little. ”it’s just... easier. Even when we’re just talking about random things. I don’t feel all nervous or like I’m going to say something dumb.”

He lets out a little laugh, looking relieved.

“Yeah, exactly. It’s like, we’re not judging each other. It just feels... right. I don’t even know how to explain it.”

“Two anxious kids coming along.”You chuckle, looking up at the stars.

“Yeah, we got our club..”He smiles warmly at you, his voice soft and sincere.

As you approached your house, you felt a wave of sadness. You didn’t want this moment to end.

“Thank you... again,” you said, looking down at the ground to hide the sadness in your eyes. Kyle noticed, though. Without saying a word, he pulled you into a big hug, and you hugged him back just as tightly.

“Be safe, okay?” he said softly, pulling away from the hug with a gentle smile.

Kyle started walking toward his home, but something was gnawing at you. You had to tell him. You couldn’t let this moment slip away like the last time, when you never told him how you felt before leaving for another school. You knew if you didn’t say something now, you’d regret it for the rest of your life.

“Kyle,” you called out, your voice trembling a little. He stopped and turned back toward you.

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember... before I left town, I wanted to tell you something?”

He grinned, but his eyes were full of curiosity. “Oh, I remember. I was so curious I couldn’t even sleep that night!” he joked, but you didn’t laugh. He must have noticed, because his smile faded just a little as he took a step toward you. “What did you want to say?”

You took a deep breath, your heart pounding in your chest. “I love you,” you blurted out, the words tumbling out before you could stop them.

You braced yourself, waiting for him to laugh or make a joke—anything to brush you off—but instead, Kyle stepped closer, cupped your face in his hands, and gently kissed your lips. It was soft and sweet, like everything about him. He kissed your forehead, and then rested his forehead against yours, his eyes closing.

“I love you,” he whispered, kissing you again, this time even more tenderly. “I’ve loved you all this time.”

His eyes were a little teary as he looked at you, and your hands reached up to touch his face. His skin was so warm, and his tears felt almost unreal against your skin, like they didn’t belong to this world.

“I’ve loved you since the first time you called my name, Kyle,” you confessed, your voice thick with emotion. Tears started to spill down your cheeks, and he gently kissed your eyes, trying to stop them from falling. He couldn’t stand to see you cry.

“I could say it all day, darling,” he said, repeating your name with so much love as he kissed you again, his lips brushing against yours, sweet and full of affection. “Most beautiful name in the world.”

“Indeed, son,” you suddenly heard your father’s voice, and you stumbled, startled. Kyle caught you in his arms before you could fall. “Aren’t you running late, lady?” your dad asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Sorry. I missed the bus.” You whined, watching your father rolling his eyes and step aside, calling you by the hand. 

“It was my fault, sir,” Kyle quickly said, his voice full of sincerity. “We were doing homework, and your daughter is amazing—smart and helpful. If you need to blame someone, blame me. I don’t mind.” He held your hand tightly, as if to reassure your father that he meant it.

“I know, son,” your father said, giving him a sharp look. “Kyle, from the baseball team, right?” He paused, his eyes lighting up with sudden recognition. “Wait, you’re that Kyle! The one who hit that home run in the final game last year?”

Kyle blinked, surprised by your father’s enthusiasm. “Yeah, that’s me,” he answered, his cheeks flushing a little. He wasn’t used to the attention, especially from someone like your dad.

Your father’s face broke into a proud smile. “I remember watching that game! You were amazing, son. I’ve been following your games for months now, and let me tell you, you’ve got real talent! That hit was one of the best I’ve ever seen. You’ve got a strong arm, too—definitely one to watch in the future. I’ve always admired how you kept cool under pressure.”

Kyle was taken aback but smiled, grateful for the compliment. "Thanks, sir. I love the game. I’ve been playing since I was a kid."

“Kid? You were practically a pro by the time you were in high school!" Your father laughed, shaking his head fondly. "I swear, the whole neighborhood was talking about that play for weeks.”

Kyle chuckled nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Well, sir, I do try my best."

“I know you do. And I know you’re the type who’ll take care of things, especially when it comes to my daughter,” your father said with a serious look, though his tone softened. “But now, she needs her sleep. Okay?”

You couldn’t resist. Before your father could finish, you leapt into Kyle’s arms, laughing as he caught you effortlessly. He held you close, both of you giggling in the quiet of the night.

“Alright, sir. G’night,” Kyle said, his voice soft and full of affection. He kissed your forehead tenderly, still grinning at you as you pulled away and headed toward the house.

“Hey, big boy,” your father whispered with a knowing smile.

“Yes, sir?” Kyle asked, turning back toward him.

“Take care of her, okay? That girl sure likes to put her life in danger walking alone at night,” your father joked, his tone light but full of warmth. “And hey, you better keep up with your game, alright? I’ll be watching.”

“I’ll do it, sir,” Kyle said, shaking your father’s hand firmly. “And I’ll keep working on my game too.”

As Kyle made his way back home, his heart was still racing with the conversation. The excitement of your dad’s praise mixed with the warmth of holding you in his arms. That night felt like a dream—perfect in every way.

Once home, he quickly changed into his sleep clothes, still smiling to himself. He lay down in bed, scrolling through a series of ridiculous texts from his frat friends, but his thoughts kept drifting back to you—the way you looked, the way you laughed, and the way he felt when he was with you.

Jake: Yo, big man! How’d the homework session go w the girl? Kyle: It was fine, man just homework and stuff. Jake: Homework and stuff? Bruh that sounds like a code for a bang to me. u took her out, right? Kyle: Dude, it was not a date. We just missed the bus, so I walked her home end of the story. Josh.: Okay now drop the picssss Mike: Hold up... u telling me u 2 were alone together and DIDNT make out? not a single kiss? Kyle: We didn’t go anywhere. We were just talking and stuff. Like, normal people do. Tom: Normal? u were alone with a GIRL and didn’t even kissed? Bruh, u def went on a date. I'’M CALLING IT Jake: Yeah, bro. I can already see it: “Kyle Spencer, the master of subtlety.” Kyle: You guys are RIDICULOUS. It was not a date. I promise. We just... talked about school, baseball, stuff yk Josh: gave her the "soft eyes," huh? Kyle: Soft eyes?! What does that even mean?????? Tom: Oh, come on. Yk what it means. It’s when u look at her all gentle, like ur thinking about her future babies or smth. Mike: k, but, like, when’s the second date, bro? Kyle: SECOND DATE?! There was never a first date, u guys are insaneeeee Tom: 100%. I can see it now: “Kyle and the Girl Who Missed the Bus”—coming soon to theaters. Kyle: U guys r the worst Tom: Don’t worry, bro, we’re all rooting for u. AND if u don’t end up together, at least we can call it a “Missed Connection” on Craigslist or something. Josh: Yeah, “guy helps girl off bus, sparks fly, she definitely wants his number.” Kyle: I’m logging off. This is getting out of hand -_- Jake: We’ll keep the popcorn warm for the premiere. U WELCOME. Kyle: I’m out. See u morons tomorrow.

He chuckled. Well, they weren't wrong, he was with a girl. The prettiest girl in the world was now sending him texts before sleep, he could ignore all this bullshit of his friend and stop the world, just to talk to you again. 

You: thank u for bringing me home <3 Kyle: don't mention it it was an honor thk u for the chat You: glad i missed the bus :p Kyle: lol I could say the same, princess glad ur dad didn't kill me You: he likes u tho u play his favorite sport blackmail, kyle Kyle: hey don't say that it's a good coincidence You: a perfect one Kyle: hey u should call him to see me and my team tomorrow night u coming? You: Can I wear your jerseys? Kyle: babe, I'd lose the game if I see it You: y Kyle: too pretty for my concentration;) You: lol don't think i have this power  Kyle: u do have a lot of power over me sleep well so u can see me, hmm? You: okayyy sleep tight, Kyle  I love u <3 Kyle: sweet dreams, my darling i luv u

[honeysuckleharringtons]

"All The Time" ~ S. Harrington

Summary: When Y/N stays late to help Steve with some laundry, it gets them both thinking about forever, thinking about if life was like this all the time.

Pairing: single dad!Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1,096

Content Warning: mentions of swearing, very mild swearing, lmk if i missed anything!

Genre: extremely domestic Fluff

Extra Notes: EVERYONE'S FAVORITE DAD AND DAUGHTER ARE BACK!!!!!

Based On the Prompt: "Stained Clothes" from this year's @domaystic prompts

Originally Written: 05/07/2023

Beta Read By: @dungeons-are-too-cold

honeysuckleharringtons masterlist can be found here!

single dad!steve masterlist can be found here!

"Lori, Y/N, I'm home!" Steve called, slipping his shoes off by the door.

YtN rounded the corner with a sleepy Lori in her arms, resting her head on her chest. "Hi," she said with apprehension in her voice.

"Hi, Daddy," Lori yawned, holding her arms out toward Steve.

Steve chuckled, taking his daughter from Y/N. "Did you have fun with Y/N today?"

Lori nodded tiredly against his chest. "Mhm. We went to the park and I got to pet a dog."

"That sounds fun," he smiled, rubbing soft circles on her back. "You ready for bed, Lori-girl?"

Lori nodded again, letting out a quiet yawn. She held tight to his shoulders as he stepped toward her bedroom. Steve turned his head toward Y/N, mouthing, "You okay?"

Y/N shook her head lightly, waving her hand toward the bedroom. "I'm fine. You go," she mouthed back.

Steve took Lori into the bedroom, setting her lightly on the bed and then headed toward the bookshelf. He figured it wouldn't take long to get her to sleep—considering she was already having trouble keeping her eyes open—but grabbed her copy of Goodnight Moon regardless.

"Y/N let me get ice cream from the ice cream truck today," Lori said through yawns.

Steve chuckled, kissing her forehead as he sat down beside her. "That sounds fun. What flavor did you get?"

"Vanilla," she answered, her eyes slowly closing.

Steve's eyebrows furrowed. "You didn't get chocolate like usual?"

"Well, you weren't there," Lori paused to yawn, "so I got your favorite since you couldn't."

Steve's heart felt like it would melt as he leaned over and kissed her hair. "That's very sweet of you."

He barely had a chance to crack open the book before he heard quiet snores beside him. He pulled himself out of the bed as swiftly as possible, knowing any sudden movement might wake his daughter. Steve planted a soft kiss on her head one last time, whispering, "Good night, Lori-girl," before heading back to the living room to find a fretting Y/N.

"She hates me, doesn't she?" Y/N asked, looking up at Steve.

He chuckled, sitting down beside her. "Why would she hate you? She got ice cream and she pet a dog. If anything, she probably likes you more than me."

"She got grass stains on her favorite dress," she admitted. "I tried to tell her not to wear it in case she spilled food on it or something, but she insisted."

"Y/N, it's okay," Steve reassured her, patting her knee. "It's nothing a little peroxide and vinegar won't fix."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I got it. Unless…" he trailed off, leaning in to kiss the pout off Y/N's lips, "you want to help?"

"It would make me feel better," she admitted.

Soon enough, the two stood in the kitchen, hovering over a small bowl of vinegar and peroxide. Y/N wasn't sure how these two items were going to remove the giant, green stain on Lori's white dress, but she trusted Steve's judgment.

Steve scrubbed at the stain as hard as he could without fraying the fabric. "You know," he said, "stuff like this is a lot more bearable when you're around."

Y/N felt butterflies go off in her stomach, a red tint appearing on her cheeks that Steve took pride in seeing. Any time he made her laugh or blush was a win in his book. "You really think that?"

Steve nodded, giving her a soft smile. "I love being around you. I can't wait until we do stuff like this all the time. Getting stains out of Lori's clothes at 9:00 p.m. Eating boxed mac and cheese and watching the nightly news. The little things."

"Stevie," she teased, "Who knew you were such a sap?"

"For you? Of course, I am," he replied, poking Y/N in the ribs and eliciting a laugh from her.

A comfortable silence came over the room as Steve finished scrubbing the dress, handing it off to Y/N so she could soak it in the sink.

A flurry of thoughts overtook Y/N's mind as she finally processed Steve's words. All the time. He wanted her around all the time.

"Hey, Steve?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Yeah?" he asked, drying his hands off while moving closer to her.

"What did you mean earlier? By 'all the time,' I mean."

Steve moved to stand behind her, his hands settling on her hips as he kissed her head. "Just what it sounds like. You and me and Lori. All the time. The three of us."

She turned to face him, her hands flying up to hold his cheeks. "You really mean that?" Y/N let out a laugh as water dripped down Steve's face, though she couldn't quite bring herself to care.

"Hell yeah, I do," he answered without a second thought. "I mean, yeah, it's hard right now. We're at that age where most people move in together when it gets serious. I don't know how well that would go over with Lori, since she's always had a harder time with change. But, if it's okay with you, you could always try staying over one night. We could see how she does with the change. Ease her into it a little bit without any serious damage."

Every word that came out of Steve's mouth was laced with love and adoration, Y/N was convinced. She could've sworn she saw his eyes go heart shaped. Her heart flipped with a mixture of excitement and apprehension, but the excitement was winning. "You mean that too?"

Steve scoffed lightly. "Does this look like the face of a liar to you?"

"I've had men lie to me in the past. You definitely wouldn't be the first."

His heart panged at the thought of any man ever hurting her like that. "I want forever with you. I really do. I…"

Y/N knew what he was going to say, but she stayed silent anyway. She knew this was probably hard for him, since he hadn't said the L-word to anyone since Margaret, so she gave him all the time he needed.

"I love you," he finally said, leaning down to kiss her. To anyone else, the kiss might've been bad. The room smelled like vinegar and Steve's lips were probably the most chapped they'd ever been, but to them, it was the sweetest kiss they'd experienced since they started dating.

"I love you too, Steve. And you know what?" Y/N said, giving him another peck, "Forever with you sounds amazing to me."

GUYS THEY'RE BACK 🥹

okay, maybe they aren't back back but i am happy to announce that i wrote some more single dad!steve content for you guys!!

i have like three other Steve and Lori wips that i just can't seem to finish. but i truly do miss writing them and i hope to write some more for you guys soon!

also yes this was supposed to be posted yesterday but tumblr ate it and i had a migraine so i just gave up 🤣

anyway, thank you guys for reading today's domaystic fic!! hope you enjoyed 🫶🏻

-> taglist: @dungeons-are-too-cold @ducky-died-inside @awkotaco24 @liberhoe @princesseddie @aftermidnightwriting @manuosorioh @esoltis280 @hereiamhereigo @mcueveryday

[daydreamgoddess14]

Could you do Garvez with #7, a snowball fight? Pretty please? Preferably starting as friends but ending with them together.

suggestion: ending in a scene where they trip and fall on top of each other in the snow and they kiss for the first time?

Impeccable Aim ❄️

Hi love!! Thank you so much for your request 😊 It's been an age since I wrote for these cuties, so I'm wildly out of practice! Hopefully, I've done this justice for you 💜

Luke Alvez x Penelope Garcia

Penelope Garcia was not a fan of winter. Specifically, wintry weather. Rain, wind… snow?! The only benefits of days like these were being able to curl up on the sofa with a book and a hot chocolate - one doctored with the heavenly spiced orange liqueur Rossi had gifted her. The spicy notes of the spiced orange liqueur mixed with the rich chocolate hit her tongue, instantly warming her up and transporting her mind to a place free of snow and ice.

As she took another sip, there was a sudden knock at her door.

She struggled to untangle her legs from the blanket, "be right there," she called out, buying time.

"It's Luke, you OK?"

"What're you doing here?" She muttered quietly. She finally managed to free herself from the blanket, nearly stumbling as she made her way to the door. As she flung it open, she was met, as promised, with the sight of Luke standing on her doorstep.

"Newbie," she exclaimed, surprise etched across her face. "What on earth are you doing here?”

He flashed her a smile, handing her a box of cookies. 

"Special delivery," he said, stamping snow from his boots onto the coarse mat outside her door.

She stared at him in disbelief, "You drove here?!" 

He shrugged nonchalantly, "I was in the neighborhood. Thought I'd see if you were doing alright, cooped up in here alone."

She frowned, gesturing outside. "But it's awful out there,”she queried. 

"Ahh, it's not that bad. My truck," he told her, "is ideal for this. Do, you doing OK?"

"Yeah, sorry, come on in," she held open the door for him

"Thanks." he said as he stepped past her, a hint of a smile on his face at her invitation.

He shrugged out of his coat, revealing a snug sweater underneath, the epitome of cosy

She shivered. 

"Are you cold?" he frowned. 

"No, no. hot chocolate? You can either have the Rossi special, or the boring alcohol free version,” she offered. 

He followed her further into the apartment, his eyes taking in the familiar surroundings. 

"I think I'll stick to the safe version, I know your alcohol measures," he teased. “I won't stay long, it's getting dicey out there.”

Penelope carefully stirred the mixture on the stovetop, watching the chocolate slowly melt and transform under her watchful gaze. With a generous handful of real chocolate flakes and a sprinkle of sea salt, she stirred until the concoction was smooth and creamy.

She took a spoonful, tasting the rich, velvety liquid and nodded in satisfaction. It was just right.

She added a healthy glug of the spiced liqueur to her own cup, watching the liquid mix in with the hot chocolate and then poured Luke's hot chocolate into his mug. She carefully topped them both with a generous dollop of whip cream.

With a knowing smile, she turned to him. "Marshmallows?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

He chuckled, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Do you even need to ask? Of course!”

"So, how you holding up?" he asked. "You need anything?"

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Alvez," she warned.

He chuckled at her defensive tone. "I know you are, Pen. I don't doubt your independence for a second. I was just checking in."

He took his hot chocolate to the sofa and sat down, draping his arm along the back as he looked up at her with a twinkle in his eye. "Just trying to be a good friend.”

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to sound so defensive.”

He smiled at her apology, genuinely touched by her sincere tone. 

She took a seat next to him and clinked her mug against his. "Cheers. I hope this clears up soon.”

He laughed, gently bumping his own mug against hers. "Cheers to that. I am not built for winter. Good thing I've got the truck.”

Luke blew the whip cream on his hot chocolate, watching as it melted slightly into the cocoa.

She laughed. "I do not think my little car will get very far in this.”

He chuckled, his eyes sparkling in amusement. "No, I think your little car won't make it onto the road."

He took another careful sip of his hot chocolate, savoring the smoothness of the whipped cream blending into the rich cocoa.

"Want me to pick you up tomorrow? So you don't have to drive to the office?”

She raised an eyebrow, surprised by his offer. "You're really willing to pick me up tomorrow? In this weather?"

She was skeptical of his intentions, but a small part of her was warmed by the gesture.

"It's what friends do, Penelope." he told her with a wry smile. 

He finished the hot chocolate and took his mug to the sink, "I should get back before it starts coming down again.”

"You're probably right," she admitted reluctantly. 

There was a part of her that didn't want him to leave, but she refused to acknowledge it.

"Thank you, Luke," she said sincerely. "It means a lot that you stopped by."

"Anytime, Pen. you know that.”

He smiled warmly at her gratitude, touched by her appreciation. "It was no trouble, I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright. You know I always have your back.”

He shrugged his thick jacket back on and took a step towards her, as if unsure how to say goodbye. 

He looked down at her, his eyes meeting hers, "Well, I better get going.”

He gave her one final wave goodbye before he headed down the communal hallway and out of sight. She stood at the window, watching as he made his way to his truck and got in.

He started up the engine, which roared to life with a powerful hum. With a cough and a splutter, the engine croaked. He stepped on the gas pedal, hoping the truck would come back to life without any problems. He tried again, but the same sound echoed through the night air. His frown deepened as he leaned forward, clearly frustrated with the vehicle's reluctance to start.

Moving without thought, Penelope tugged on her snow boots and a jacket and went out, knocking lightly on the window of the truck.

He looked up, surprised and rolled it down, a mixture of confusion and relief washing over him when he realised it was Penelope.

"What're you doing out here?" he asked, leaning out of the window to speak to her.

"Do you need some help?" she asked, teeth chattering. 

"No, Pen, you'll freeze out here."

"Don't be ridiculous, come on. what can I do?" 

He popped the hood of the truck and stepped down, gesturing for her to take his spot.

He grumbled under his breath, knowing that refusing her help was a lost cause. "Get in for a minute, warm up a bit while I take a look.”

He peered at the engine, waving his phone flashlight to see properly. 

"Turn the engine over for me?" he called from the front of the car. Penelope did as he asked, the truck rumbled to life for a brief moment before sputtering and dying down again. 

He swore under his breath, clearly frustrated with the vehicle's defiance. "It wasn't this bad earlier," he muttered as he tried to inspect the engine.

"Again?" he asked. 

This time there was no answer. "Garcia?" 

"Here," she appeared next to him.

He stepped back, allowing her to look into the engine. "Any clue what could be wrong with it?" he asked, his voice gruff with frustration.

The cold air made his breath visible, and the light from the street lamp cast an eerie glow over the two of them as they huddled over the engine.

"Not my strong suit. Should you call breakdown?”

He scratched the back of his head, clearly not thrilled with the idea. "I could, but it'll take a while for them to get here. I was hoping we could fix it ourselves. Maybe it's just a loose wire or something simple.”

"It could be worse than that, you don't want to get stuck in this. Come on inside while we call them and wait." She told him, as she made her way back to the apartment door, she suddenly felt a small thud on her back. She turned around to see Luke standing there, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

He held up a snowball, a smirk on his face. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," he teased.

Her jaw dropped. 

"Seriously, newbie?" 

His grin widened as he continued his attack with a second snowball. This time, it landed right at her feet, sending a flurry of snow up over her boots.

There was a playful challenge in his eyes, daring her to retaliate.

She quickly bent down and scooped up a handful of the snow from the nearby wall, molding it into a tight snowball.

He watched her, his eyes tracking her every move with a hint of wariness in his gaze. He seemed to be bracing himself for the inevitable attack.

"How's your aim?" He taunted bravely. Penelope smirked.

She gripped the snowball tightly, feeling the icy cold in her palm. "Oh, my aim is impeccable," she retorted, a sly grin spreading across her face.

She took aim and hurled the snowball straight at him.

The snowball found its target, landing with remarkable precision in the collar of his coat. A gasp of surprise escaped him as the snow seeped into his skin, causing him to wince slightly.

He looked at her with a mix of admiration and a hint of irritation, surprised by her accuracy.

"Not bad, chica. not bad," he scooped up more snow and took another shot, his competitive nature rising to the challenge. 

He took aim and flung it towards her with all his might.

She let out a small shriek, barely dodging the snowball that would have struck her hip.

A cheeky smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she quickly scooped up more snow for her counterattack.

This time, her aim was off as the snowball sailed past him and landed harmlessly in the snow a few feet away.

He laughed loudly at her missed attempt, a cocky smirk on his face. "You really need to work on your aim," he teased. "Impeccable my ass."

She rolled her eyes at his taunt. "Oh, come on, I was just warming up," she retorted with a scoff.

She quickly crafted another snowball, determined to redeem herself and land a hit on him.

"Get ready, Alvez," she warned.

His eyes sparkled with excitement. 

"Bring it on, Penelope," he taunted, bracing himself for her throw.

She took a different approach, instead of immediately throwing the snowball, she walked deliberately towards him.

His eyes widened in surprise as she neared, his mind racing to anticipate her next move. But before he could react, she launched the snowball directly at him.

It landed on his chest, covering his coat in snow. With a laugh, he took up more snow and set off towards Penelope, closing the space between them, she shrieked again and tried to run from him, giggling.

He pursued her with determination, closing in on her quickly as he clutched the snowball tightly and took aim.

He hurled the snowball towards her, aiming for the collar of her coat. It landed with precision.

She gasped in shock, breathlessly spluttering at the shock of the cold. 

He laughed at her reaction, pleased with the outcome. He closed the remaining distance between them, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

“You done now?” he asked. 

“Are you done now? she retorted.

He raised an eyebrow at her indignation and couldn't help but smirk. 

"Oh, I'm far from done. This is just getting started," he responded, gathering more snow in his hands.

Her eyes widened with alarm as she backed up, feeling her foot catch on a hidden patch of ice. She stumbled, her balance rocked, and she began to fall backwards in the deep snow.

Just before she was about to hit the ground, she felt a strong, steadying hand on her arm. Luke caught her in his firm grip, preventing her from taking a hard fall.

He gently guided her back to her feet, his arms still holding her steady until she was stable once more.

"Maybe we should call it quits," he murmured. His eyebrows furrowed with a mixture of concern and something else as he felt her cool hand, holding a lump of snow at the back of his neck.

A shiver ran down his spine as the snow melted and dripped down his shirt, the cold seeping through the fabric and against his skin.

"Are you kidding?!" He exclaimed. Penelope laughed.

"Couldn't resist," she teased.

“Jeez,” he exclaimed, feigning annoyance. "I can get you back, you know," he teased.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah,"

"Prove it," Penelope dared him.  

Without warning, he surged forward and captured her lips in a fierce kiss, crashing against her unexpectedly.

The shift in their combined centre of gravity sent Penelope backwards again. 

This time, Luke was standing far too close to be able to prevent their fall. 

She tumbled back, the thick, fresh snow breaking their fall. 

He felt her body tense up, sensing her surprise at his sudden move and their fall. He began to pull back, worried that he'd hurt her or crossed a line. Penelope’s cool hand on his cheek prevented him from moving away completely.

He looked at her, his eyes searching her face to gauge her reaction.

"I'm sorry," he started. To his surprise, she smiled. Her smile caught him off guard. He paused, his apology suspended in the air.

She looked at him, her eyes sparkling with a mix of curiosity and anticipation. He took a deep breath, willing himself to say something worthy of the moment.

"No apologies necessary," she said, a soft smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "That kiss was worth the surprise. And the fall, though I do have a very cold butt now.”

“Why don't we go in?” He suggested with a relieved smile, “I might let you make me a real drink after all.”

[ruinedbylanadelrey]

Ceilings Joel being protective of his family 🤭

Like maybe you’re at the park with your daughter and some guy comes up to you while Joel is off somewhere(maybe getting ice cream for your your daughter) and he starts flirting and being all creepy or something asking about which kid is yours etc and Joel is just comes in and is like bitch bye

We love protective Joel especially when it comes to his girls.

masterlist

-

Joel is a family man. He will do anything for his girls. Especially when someone poses a threat to his family. The fear of loss eats at Joel every day, he would do everything in his power to make sure he will never go through it again. When Joel is around you and Gisele no one even dares to look your way because the guard dog you have is Joel.

"Shit! Joel, we left the diaper bag in the truck. She needs her bottle." You realized when you were half into the grocery store. "It's okay, doll. I'll be right back. I'll meet you in the baby aisle." Joel quickly turned around to go to the truck. He grabbed the bag from the backseat and also grabbed Gisele's favorite stuffed animal, a cat that she demands to take everywhere she goes. Joel didn't care how silly he looked when entered the store with the cat in his hand, he held it close to his body like it was a prized possession. It was to Gisele so that means it was to him. 

"I'm sorry I'm married." You tried to get around the man who kept pressing you to give him your number. "Happily?" the younger man slyly asked. Joel stumbled upon the scene and you looked past the man in front of you and your eyes cried out for help. "Happily is an understatement." Joel stood right behind the guy and he spun around to see Joel right in his face. "I'm the husband now beat it before I put you six feet under," Joel growled, and the young man scurried away. You laughed at how the guy was tripping over himself while high tailing it away from you. "Are you okay, baby? Did he touch you?" Joel looked you over making sure you weren't touched. 

You started to laugh and shake your head. "I'm fine, I knew that my big scary guard dog was coming back." You kissed his cheek and took the diaper bag out of his hand. Joel smiled at you and how you weren't scared because you knew he would be there to save you. "Kiki!" Gisele blubbered when she saw Joel holding the small stuffed animal. Joel walked over to her and picked her up out of the cart and set her on his hip. Her small hands grabbed her toy and held it herself. Joel melted at his daughter being happy in his arms. "I love how scared he was of you even when you had her toy in hand." You laughed again.

[ralith]

Kiss roulette: A kiss on the nose for Humanformers Ratchet/Ironhide

This is set in the Baker AU

--

All around them the fairgrounds were beginning to shut down. Amusement rides were ceasing operation, animals were being corralled into their transports, and the throng of people was thinning as they headed for their cars.

And as Ratchet and Ironhide stood in front of a shuttered ice cream stall, Ratchet realized he had ruined yet another date.

They were seven dates into their relationship and there wasn't one Ratchet hadn't screwed up, whether it be from a poorly cooked meal that resulted in them ordering take out instead of risking food poisoning (he was a baker dammit, not a cook!) or arriving to each date late from work, he felt he had disappointed Ironhide each time. They had seldom kissed and the furthest they had gone was some light, but very awkward frottage in Ironhide's truck (car sex was not for them at this age).

And yet the former soldier texted him afterwards each time, asking when they could see each other next.

Why the hell Ironhide still remained by his side Ratchet didn't understand. At this point he was sure there wouldn't be an eighth date.

"I'm sorry," Ratchet mumbled. He had spoken those words too often to the old warrior.

"It's fine, Ratchet." The exhaustion in Ironhide's voice was evident.

"It's really not."

Ratchet had purposefully kept the bakery closed today so they could attend the fair. They would shop the craft tent, maybe pet some farm animals, and, what Ironhide was most enthusiastic about, gorge themselves on unique fair delicacies. There was an ice cream vendor Ratchet had expressed interest in, wanting to introduce Ironhide to the banana, brownie, quadruple fudge and peanut butter monstrosity that was original to this stall only.

But barely 30 minutes into their date, a friend of the baker had dashed out from the food tent, begging Ratchet for his help filling a vacant spot on the funnel cake station. It would be for a short time while they called in a full replacement.

Ironhide had no problem letting Ratchet assist. He knew the baker's penchant for wanting to help anyone he could.

But a 'short while' had turned into several hours and Ratchet had lost track of time as the food tent was overrun with hungry guests.

By the time he managed to escape, the sun was already setting and when he saw Ironhide again, the man was sunburned and exhausted.

Ratchet wouldn't have blamed the soldier if he'd driven off without him.

As they turned to leave, Ratchet glanced at the other man's face. He expected to see anger in those battle-hardened eyes, but he saw none.

"So, what did you do today? Did you have fun?" What a stupid question, Ratchet berrated himself.

"I did. I pet some of the sheep and goats the farmers had brought. But the alpaca wanted nothing to do with me. Had a bit of lunch. Tried, and failed, to win you a stuffed bear at the game tent."

"You didn't have to do that for me."

"Yeah, but I wanted to." Ironhide turned and flashed a wide smile at the baker. "I did get you something else though. I hope you like it."

Ratchet's heart ached. He had given the soldier so little in return, why did Ironhide continue to pursue him?

It was dark and there were only a handful of cars in the lot when they climbed back into Ironhide's truck. The soldier toggled on the overhead light and reached into the cooler behind his seat. They had brought it full of drinks as the fair prices for water were exorbitant.

"It, uh, melted a bit by the time I got it on ice, but," Ironhide started, withdrawing a large bowl from the cooler. It was so large as to need two hands.

Ratchet's eyes went wide. It was the fudgey ice cream monstrosity he was craving.

Ironhide handed him the bowl as the soldier fished around in the cooler and withdrew two spoons.

"I thought we could share."

Ratchet stared at him in a moment of disbelief, before the anxiety and frustration he had held in himself began to melt away. He took the offered spoon.

For a long time they talked and shared the bowl of ice cream in the dim of Ironhide's truck. There was no one around to hear the baker's racous laughter as Ironhide told a terrible joke, or the ugly snort Ironhide let out as Ratchet described how he had horribly messed up a cake the other day.

"I'm telling you, I've never tasted a flavor like that in my life, and I don't intend to ever again."

When they were finished, they sat back, full and satisfied.

"Ironhide, I-"

"Ratchet, thank you for taking a chance on me."

The baker was caught off guard. He made a questioning hum.

"It's been a while since I've dated. Aside from a few one-night stands who barely cared to give me the time of day, I've never been with another individual. When I came out of the military, dating was a terrifying concept. I had no idea what I was doing. I still wonder if I'm doing this dating thing right.

"I...I just want to thank you for being patient with me. I truly enjoy every chance we have together. And if you're willing," Ironhide began, leaning forward and flicking his tongue out to swipe away a bit of fudge sauce from Ratchet's nose before pressing lips to the tip of it. "Can we see each other again next week?"

The chasteness of the gesture had Ratchet's cheeks flushing pink.

Ironhide pulled away from the kiss, but not from Ratchet, resting his forehead against the baker's and staring into wide eyes.

"But before then, would you...," Ironhide's gaze slid away for a brief moment as he realized what he was actually asking. "Would you like to spend the evening at my place? I can drop you off at the bakery in the morning."

Ratchet pushed forward, suddenly emboldened, and met Ironhide's lips.

"I would love to stay the night," Ratchet whispered against his lips when they broke apart. "But no need to worry about dropping me off in the morning. I enjoy sleeping in on Sundays."

[chickenmetenders]

Request from @cucumbersncheese :

Mamiya and natsume at a new ice cream that just opened up aka basically an ice cream date that mamiya initiated but natsume is oblivious (Highschool au)

Sorry if this is ooc, I'm delusional. But also this is a human au, so I guess that's inherently gonna be delusional. Also there's a single spoiler for DDD in here

It was like watching Kirby inhale his food whole.

"Don’t you get brain freeze?" Natsume grumbles as Mamiya practically unhinges his jaw and swallows an entire scoop of ice cream, all in one bite.

Mamiya’s lips end up absolutely covered in beige cheese-cake colored cream, and Natsume watches in morbid fascination as Mamiya’s tongue pokes out and licks it all off--and then Natsume realizes he’s staring and quickly looks away.

Mamiya loudly smacks his lips. "No," he finally answers. "But I’m so touched by your concern, Natsume."

Then Mamiya bites off half of his scoop of matcha ice cream. Natsume shudders--despite how warm the spring afternoon is in this park, he can still imagine the sensation of blisteringly cold ice on his teeth.

He glances down at his own single scoop of chocolate ice cream instead. Mamiya had made fun of him for ordering something so plain and boring, but what was wrong with that? Natsume likes chocolate ice cream! He takes a lick of his ice cream. It’s a small lick. A sane one. Mamiya ate with a hunger matched only by that of Monkey D. Luffy, but Natsume is a regular human with a regular appetite. No need to try to wolf everything down.

Ooh. This was pretty good.

Natsume takes a slightly bigger lick. When he looks up, Mamiya is smirking at him.

"Tastes good, right?"

Mamiya was, unfortunately, correct. But Natsume isn’t going to just flatter his ego like that. "It’s ice cream," he says defiantly. "It’s not like ice cream is ever not good."

"But it’s really fucking good ice cream, right?" Mamiya leans in to elbow Natsume’s side. "You’re glad I dragged you out to that food truck, right?"

Mamiya stays pressed up against Natsume’s side even after he lowers his elbow. Ugh, this guy had no sense of personal space. Natsume lightly shoves him away. "Shut up."

"You’re too stubborn to admit it. But it’s okay. I know how you truly feel." Mamiya clasps a hand to his chest. "I can read your heart, Natsume."

Natsume takes another disgruntled lick before replying. "Really? And what is my heart saying now?"

Mamiya closes his eyes and furrows his brows is faux concentration. "Hm, let’s see… Yes… Your heart… I can hear it speak to me… It’s saying… It’s saying…! That you want to go on the swan boats with Mamiya!"

He was such a weirdo. "No, it’s not."

But Mamiya insists. "Wow, Natsume! I didn’t know you wanted to share that kind of experience with me!"

"That’s because I don’t!"

Mamiya clicks his tongue. "You’re no fun. What have the swan boats ever done to you?"

"It’s not the swan boats that are the problem, it’s you, Toujou Mamiya!" Natsume yells. He huffs. "And anyway, they’re not going to let us on when we’ve got food on us."

He eyes Mamiya’s tall stack of ice cream. Reds and green and browns and beiges--Mamiya has an unholy combination of ice cream flavors in his cone, four scoops high. Oh, wait--he finished the scoop of rocky road. Three scoops high, now. Anyone else would probably struggle to finish all of that ice cream before it melted into a puddle of dairy, but Natsume knew from their many years of friendshi--uh, acquaintanceship that Mamiya didn’t just eat a lot, he ate fast.

Mamiya makes a contemplative sound. "So if we want to ride the swan boats--"

"Stop saying ‘we!’ There is no 'we!’"

"So if we, the two of us, Natsume Souichirou and Toujou Mamiya, wanted to ride the swan boats, then we’d just have to finish our food, right?"

Natsume stares at him, a mounting sense of realization rising in his mind.

Mamiya smiles at him, and then shoves half of the rest of his ice cream cone in his mouth.

…One scoop high, now.

Mamiya keeps smiling as he chews on the ice cream in his mouth and Natsume stares at him in utter bafflement--but then suddenly Mamiya’s eyes go wide and he hurriedly swallows everything down and clutches his head.

"Ow ow ow ow," Mamiya says.

"Hah!" Natsume exclaims. "So you do get brain freeze!" Schadenfreude is real and feels delightful. It’s always great fun to be reminded that despite Mamiya’s monstrous appetite and overall general weirdness, he really is just a human.

"Arggh," is Mamiya’s eloquent response. He looks kind of funny, writhing in pain with cream all over his mouth and chin.

Kind of funny, but mostly gross.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, his brain reminds him. Sighing, Natsume decides to take pity on Mamiya and pulls out the wad of napkins he’d stuffed into his pants pocket when they were at the ice cream truck. He’d been expecting Mamiya to make a mess out of his food, honestly--although not quite in this fashion.

"Would it kill you eat like a normal person?" Natsume asks, handing the napkins over to Mamiya. He scrunches up his face. "Ewugh. Don’t let that stuff get on your scarf."

Mamiya shivers one last time, then grabs the napkins and wipes them over his mouth and chin. "Shaddup, you can't tell me what to do."

"Suou Keito would be devastated to learn that you treat his present so carelessly."

"Hop off my dick," Mamiya grumbles. Then he glances between them. "Oh, look. Now we both have one scoop of ice cream!"

Natsume takes a little nibble off his ice cream. He’s not a slow eater, okay? Mamiya was just abnormally fast. "I guess so."

"This was destiny all along!"

"No, it's not! I'd rather die than be destined for anything with you!"

They keep bickering even after they’ve finished their ice creams, even as they’re waiting in line for the swan boats, and even after they’re settled on board. They only stop once Natsume stumbles trying to take a photo and falls into the lake--and when the life jacket bobs him up to the surface of the water, all he can hear is Mamiya laughing hysterically above him, so then he grabs Mamiya by the foot and drags him into the water, too.

An average day of hanging out with Mamiya, all in all.

Human au headcanons:

Mamiya and Minato are twins

Natsume, Mamiya, and Keito are childhood friends

Natsume thinks of himself as Natsume despite Souichirou being his first name. Everyone except for his parents refers to him as Natsume (although perhaps Keito called him "Sou-chan" in the past? Would be cute)

[overwhlcmed]

status closed : closed / ( @apcthetics ) location : we all know where we are, move along

☁️ ⠀  ⠀ ⠀  ⠀ ─────────────         giselle   wanted   her   arrival   to   be   a   surprise;   responding   to   jackson's   messages   about   it   with   half-certainties   and   vague   answers   about   work   but   '   i'll   try   !   '.   she   was   a   terrible   liar,   so   she   opted   to   keep   her   answers   short   and   then   placed   her   placed   her   phone   in   a   drawer,   distracting   herself   with   actual   work,   before   she   could   breakdown   and   ask   if   he   just   wanted   to   go   together.   the   plan   was   to   go   unnoticed   long   enough   that   she   could   pick   them   up   some   ice   cream,   approaching   him   confidently   by   saying   something   like   '   something   sweet   for   my   sweet   !   '   without   fumbling   !   but   it   seemed   she   wasn't   going   to   get   the   chance.   she   had   got   roped   into   another   conversation   with   the   ice   cream   truck   owner   (   he   was   talking   about   why   summer   was   his   favorite   time   of   the   year,   it   felt   rude   to   turn   away   from   him   !   ).   by   the   time   she   was   backing   away   from   his   truck,   saying   goodbye   and   issuing   promises   to   follow   his   foodstagram,   there   was   ice   cream   melting   down   the   side   of   her   hands.   the   collision   with   the   man   behind   her   solicited   a   quick   yelp   of   surprise   and   the   treats   tumbled   to   the   sand.   ❝   oh   no   !   ❞   she   exclaimed,   a   frown   present   on   her   features,   her   body   leaning   down   instinctively   to   clean   up   the   mess.   ❝   i'm   really   sorry   i   wasn't   looking   where   i   was   going.   i'm   such   a   clutz...──   i'm   also   really   sorry   again   to   ask,   but   do   you   have   a   bag   on   you   ?   ❞   she'd   been   scooping   up   the   ice   cream   and   sand   into   one   easy   pile   when   she   looked   up   and   realized   the   man   she'd   been   speaking   to   was   the   man   she   was   trying   to   surprise.   ❝   oh   no...   ❞   she   said   again,   this   time   with   more   of   a   whine   as   she   stood   up.   ❝   this   was   meant   to   be   a   surprise...───   can   we   have   a   redo   ?   i'll   clean   this   up,   you   go   back   where   you   were,   i'll   get   more   ice   cream   for   us   and   we   can   just   have   a   do   over,   and   it'll   be   sweet,   and   cute,   and   nice   like   it   was   meant   to   be.   but   you   have   to   work   on   your   surprised   face.   ❞

[casey--owens]

casey's immaturity got him in plenty of trouble during his late teens. he could remember not giving a single fuck about anybody's feelings other than his own when he was going from one girl to the next. that stage of his life was one of the worse parts looking back at it. he didn't look back on that time of his life as an achievement or with fond memories. his own mother didn't like who'd become back then. she hadn't raised him to hurt other people's feelings. he'd been selfish and dumb and an idiot at the time. nowadays, however, he was a changed man and it was all because of coral's influence on him. casey remember looking out at the wedding guests from the stage and spotting the girl from across the room and thinking she was maybe the hottest girl that he'd ever seen with his own two eyes. "we're called registry, not regency, baby girl." casey couldn't help but to chuckle at coral's honest mistake. the bands name was unique. "still, i agree. i'd hate to imagine how my life would've turned out without you walking into it and giving the chance at having two little baby girls." emily was still his daughter in his heart. one day casey knew they would meet when he was time was done in this realm. emily would be right up there waiting to meet them at heavens gates. coral was the perfect missing puzzle piece to him. she brought things into the relationship that complimented what he couldn't bring in it. "we're each other's missing pieces. you bring in whatever i lack." casey didn't know why the ice cream had start melting down his hands the instant that he grabbed them from the ice cream truck's driver hands. the vanilla was starting to drip down between his fingers which was kind of gross and made them feel a little bit sticky. "i'm pretty sure you've had my finger's in your mouth at some point." casey winked at the girl knowing that she wouldn't have done that exact thing in public though. he most likely would've been the one to tease the girl in the first place to do it too. casey made sure his one arm was securely around celeste as his other hand reached down into the back pocket of coral's pants. casey tilted his head with a cocky expression on his face as she warned him about them being outside. casey found the tissue right away but decided to squeeze the girl's ass because he could do and thought it was playful. "i'm your boyfriend. this ass of yours is all mine."

casey helped her grow in ways she never expected. she had been pretty mature when they met, but over time, they’d grown together. they had gone through so many different experiences—some that filled her with joy, moments she wanted to hold on to forever, and others where they had needed each other just to get through. losing emily was one of those times she thought they’d never find happiness again. but now? now she was living her dream. they had a beautiful baby girl, the cutest pup at home, and the man of her dreams right by her side. “well, you’re lucky i booked the regency. probably the best decision i’ve ever made,” coral chuckled, a smile tugging at her lips. if she hadn’t booked them for the wedding, who knows what would’ve happened. it was crazy to think about, really. she playfully rolled her eyes as casey told their little girl how they were both the best in their own ways. “we really do complement each other, huh?” she smiled, pushing the trolley along behind him. watching casey hold their daughter like that melted her heart. she couldn’t imagine a better life. after giving her order, coral’s focus shifted entirely to casey and celeste. she could watch the two of them together all day. as casey juggled the baby and the melting cones, she laughed when he asked for help. she quickly tucked her phone away and took the cones from him. “i’m not licking your hand though,” she teased, carefully holding the cones. “i think i’ve got a tissue in my back pocket if you need it.” she chuckled, “and don’t worry about my pants, they’re heading straight into the wash later.” she gave him a playful look, “just remember we’re outside—you’re getting awfully close to my butt.”

[mistletouchunderthetree]

the steady fall

[Buck/Eddie | 5661 words | Rated E]

Eddie confesses his love for Buck; Buck spirals. Or, the Buck Sexuality Crisis Fic

For Buck, the words come out of left field. He's in the passenger seat of Eddie's truck, which, while it doesn't happen terribly often, isn't that out of the ordinary, and they're parked in front of Buck's loft. They're not really the type to sit in the car and talk before going inside, so when Eddie's hand on his arm stops him from getting out, he's a little thrown.

"What's up?" He asks, fingers curling around the door handle.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Eddie says, and the words sound deliberate, almost rehearsed. Buck's stomach twists uncomfortably.

"Okay, well why don't you come inside and we can have a beer -"

"No," Eddie interrupts. Buck lets go of the door handle. "I think it's best if I say this here."

Buck frowns. He tries to think back on their evening, if he'd done something that might've upset Eddie, but he can't think of anything. They'd just gone out for burgers and then gotten ice cream, and Buck had assumed Eddie would come into the loft for a beer or two and they could pretend to watch sports and spend the whole time just talking about stupid shit. Eddie seems to have a different idea.

"You're kind of freaking me out," Buck says honestly.

"Sorry." He frowns, eyes darting all over the cab of the truck, never landing anywhere specific. "I'm uh - I'm a little nervous, but… Well. There's something that I want to tell you. About me. And then there's something I want to tell you… About me and you. And I want to do it in a way that makes you comfortable, so I figure this way… Well, you can just get out of the car and I can drive away."

"None of that made me feel any better," Buck admits warily, his stomach in knots.

"Right," Eddie says awkwardly. He takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly, eyes on the steering wheel. Then he turns to Buck and says, "I'm - fuck, I still don't know what word to use. I - I like men. Like. Sexually. Romantically.”

Buck instantly feels like a balloon that's been popped, all the tension melting away in an instant. "God, Eddie, is that it? You had me worried you were like, dying or something! That's great! I'm so proud of you, dude! I hate that you felt nervous about telling me but -"

"That's not everything."

Buck closes his mouth. Eddie looks kind of like he's about to puke. Suddenly the tension returns tenfold.

"Okay," Buck says slowly, when Eddie doesn't elaborate. "What else is there? Do you - do you have a boyfriend?"

Eddie lets out what sounds like a mixture of a snort and hiccup, and Buck watches him nervously.

"I don't have a boyfriend, Buck," Eddie says, then even quieter, "the second thing is about me and you, remember?"

Buck didn't remember, but he does now. He thinks he probably looks as ready to puke as Eddie does.

"Okay," he chokes out. "Hit me with it, then."

Eddie looks at him, then looks away, staring at the steering wheel again. His hands are curled into tight fists, resting on his thighs, and Buck wants to take them in his own and make him relax, but he doesn't think this is the right time for that.

"I'm in love with you."

There's silence as the words flow through Buck's brain like thick honey. Once the message has registered, he thinks maybe a bomb went off without him noticing after Eddie confessed, because suddenly his ears are ringing.

"And I don't expect anything from you," Eddie pushes on, still staring at the steering wheel. "I know you don't feel the same way, this isn't about that, it's about - I need - I needed to get it off my chest. And I need to move on from it, and I don't think I could do that without - without telling you. I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable -"

"It's -" Buck starts, but the words stick in his mouth. He swallows thickly. "I'm not uncomfortable. I'm - um - are you sure?"

Eddie barks a laugh that sounds a little maniacal. "Yeah, Buck, I'm sure."

"Right. Sorry. Uh." Suddenly he understands why they're currently parked in front of Buck's loft, Eddie ready in the driver's seat of his getaway car. "I don't know what to say."

"That's okay," Eddie says. Buck can see his fists shaking. He still wants to grab them, uncurl his hands and make them relax. He doesn't think he's allowed, now. "You don't have to say anything."

"I - I love you," Buck says honestly, hoping it might lessen the blow. From the way Eddie winces, it probably is more like salt in the wound. "I just - Eddie, I'm straight."

"I know," Eddie says, and his voice is quieter now, an edge to it that wasn't there before, and Buck recognizes it. As a best friend, he wants to stay to be here for Eddie when the dam breaks; as the person who cracked it in the first place, he should probably leave before it happens.

"This doesn't change anything between us, okay?" He says finally, grabbing the door handle again. "We're good. Nothing has to change."

"I know," Eddie repeats.

"I'm gonna go now," Buck states awkwardly, then opens the door and climbs out of the truck. His legs shake beneath him when they hit the ground, but he ignores it, closing the door behind him and taking a few steps toward his building. As soon as he's a few feet away from the truck, it takes off, and Buck thinks he feels something a little like his heart cracking at the way Eddie couldn't get away from him fast enough.

continue on ao3

[motionlessxgirl]

UHM HI YES ME HELLO I WOULD LIKE GARETH SMUT PLEASE AND THANK YOU I LOVE YOU ❤️

YES!! YOU WERE MY FIRST REQUEST!❤️ I HOPE THIS DOES NOT DISAPPOINT YOU, this was my first time hehe, but I present Gareth smut!

Ice Cream Man🍦

Gareth helps you beat the heat with a sweet treat

Ice Cream Man by Van Halen

It was a scorching hot day in Hawkins. Probably one of the hottest we had in a long time. Gareth and you both agreed to stay in the air conditioned house and lounge while watching TV. Since it was so hot, you were both stripped down to our underwear, thank god your parents were away on vacation.

"Gareth, this pop isn't working. I'm burning up here!" You moaned feeling like you were melting even further into the couch.

"I'll get you some more ice, here." Gareth took your glass and got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. You were sitting on the couch when you heard the familiar tune of the ice cream truck make it's way onto your street.

"Gareth! Hurry!" He ran in, trying not spill ice water all over your mother's white carpet. "What?"

"Will you please get me a popsicle, anything cold really?" You pointed towards the door. Gareth smirked handing you the ice water and grabbed his jeans, throwing them on real quick. "Cherry flavored, right?"

"Yes please and thank you."

He waved you off and went out into the blistering heat. About five minutes later, Gareth walked in, sweat dripping down his neck and chest. He had two popsicles, one orange and one red. "Cherry for you," Gareth said handing you the frozen treat. "Orange for me." You peeled off the wrapper and instantly wrapped your lips around the frozen stick, sliding it in and out of your mouth.

From the corner of your eye, you could see Gareth watching intensely. You turned your head and looked over at him. "What?" You asked removing the popsicle from your mouth. "You make something so innocent look so bad." He laughed continuing to eat his popsicle.

An idea popped into your head, so you crawled into Gareth's lap and pulled the orange popsicle from his mouth and slowly slid it into your mouth, running your tongue all over, never breaking eye contact with him. "Like that?" You sweetly asked, placing it back to Gareth's lips, who instantly opened his mouth. "Is someone turned on?" You giggled feeling the slight bulge in his jeans.

"So much." He took the popsicle from his mouth and placed it back in the wrapper. He placed his hands on the back of your head and lowered you down for a kiss. "Gare-Gareth!" You giggled pulling away. "What, sugar?"

"Our popsicles are gonna melt." You informed him as you looked down to see red dye dripping down your hand and onto your bare thighs. "Looks like I'm gonna have to clean you up, babe." He took the popsicle out of your hand and took both of your treats to the kitchen. You could hear Gareth tossing them into the freezer and closing the door.

"Now, where was I?" He smirked walking back in, rubbing his hands together. "I think I was on my way to here?" Gareth lightly pushed you onto your couch. He ran his tongue over your sugar coated thighs, inching his face closer to where you needed him the most. You instantly latched your hand onto his locks and lightly tugged at his curls, earning a small whimper from him. "Please, Gareth?" You begged, opening your leg for him to have a better view.

"Well since you asked so nicely." He sat back and pulled your soaked panties off. You hissed as your burning skin made contact with the cold air in the house. Gareth ran a finger along your center, coating his finger with your slick as he slowly pushed it in. "Come on, don't tease." You whined.

"So needy." Gareth said before placing a gentle kiss right against your clit. Your gasps turned to moans as your hands gripped harder onto Gareth's fluffly locks. He harshly sucked at your clit as he added another finger in, slowly pumping them in and out. "G-Gare, ple-please, can I-I?" You stuttered.

"You're gonna cum, huh?" He challenged, now stroking his fingers at a quicker pace. "Go ahead, such a good girl. Cum all over my fingers."

You came with high pitched squeal as white light flooded your vision. You came down from your high and stared at Gareth, who had nothing but pure dark lust in his eyes now. You sat up and pushed him back, fumbling to pop the button and zipper on his jeans. Gareth chuckled and gave you some help, sitting up a bit to slide his jeans and boxers down and off his legs. His erection sprung free, the tip had small beads of pre cum leaking already. You sunk down to your knees and placed him into your mouth, staring at him as you bobbed your head up and down his length.

"Shit, babe." Gareth groaned as he latched his hand into your hair. "God, you take me so we- fuuuuck." He choked on his own words as you began to deep throat him. You came back up and released him with a loud pop.

You smirked at him and ran your tongue along his length, coating it in spit as you put him back into your mouth. Swirling your tongue around his tip, tasting the salty pre cum that oozed from Gareth's manhood.

"Ugh, babe, you keep do-doing that, I-I won't last much lon-longer." You climbed into Garth's lap and sunk down onto his length, both of you moaning out at the sensation. Gareth placed his hands on your hips to help you, bouncing you on his lap. "Shit, just like that. You're so pretty riding my cock." You moaned at Gareth's filthy words. You cried out when he reached down to rub fast circles against your clit. "Gareth! Gare!" You moaned as you felt your second orgasm approaching.

"Gonna cum again, hmm? Cum for me baby." He cooed in your ear as your second orgasm hit you like a ton of bricks. You collapsed against his chest as Gareth positioned you down on the couch, hooking your legs around his waist. "Shiit, you feel so good around me." Gareth moaned into your neck as he slipped inside you again. "Take me so well." He groaned as he began to pound you into the couch. He let out a loud groan when you clenched around him. "Fuuuck." Gareth looked down at you, grabbing a hold of your chin. "Open your mouth." You obeyed, sticking your tongue out as he spit right into your mouth. You could taste the remains of his orange popsicle from earlier.

"Such a good girl." He leaned down and kissed you hard, a small string of saliva coming from both your lips. Gareth continued to slam into you, nothing but the sounds of skin against skin and your moaning could be heard through out the house.

"Gare, m'gonna cum again." "Me too, shit." His thrusts started to get sloppy as he neared his orgasm. "Fuck, fuck, cumming." Gareth repeated as he brought you to your third orgasm, painting your walls with his thick ropes of cum. He laid on top of you, both of you even more sweaty and breathing heavy. You ran your fingers through Gareth's sweat soaked curls as you placed a gentle kiss to his wet forehead. Gareth lifted his head and smiled at you, giving the tip of your nose a sweet peck.

"Think we need to start stocking up on popsicles." He chuckled.

[newmih]

Pistachio ice cream

Words: 765

Characters: Jason Todd x reader, Dick Grayson

Summary: Y/N meets Jason at a charity ball.

A/N: The first person who dares to tell me that pistachio ice cream is not good is banned! do you understand??? You can imagine any version of Jason and Dick. /English is not my first language. Sorry for any mistake I made./ /Picture is not mine./ /What is in italic is from @write-it-motherfuckers (in part)./

Masterlist

Bonne lecture

Y/N had been standing in the corner of the large room with a glass of champagne in her hand since almost the beginning of the reception. To be honest, she had never really felt comfortable around so many people and the only reason she was here tonight was because of Dick Grayson. The man certainly carried his name well. Her lifelong best friend had almost begged her to go with him and when she had finally agreed she knew she would regret that decision later. The later was obviously now.

She had spent the first hour exchanging courtesies with people she didn't know and whose names she didn't even want to know, clinging to her friend's arm for fear he would disappear. Then he'd gone to the bathroom, leaving her with a rude old rich lady (who the H/C thought would die very soon) and hadn't seen her after that. So, she had watched for a few seconds around her before heading to a corner where no one would come and disturb her, taking two drinks from a waiter's tray in the process. She was certainly going to need them.

She was bringing her drink to her lips (again) when she felt a warm breath against her neck.

-You seem to want to be anywhere but here, don't you like the festivities?

It was Jason Todd. Of course it was. Who else would take the time to come and talk to the woman who seemed to prefer stuffing herself with cakes rather than shimmying around in a dress that was worth more than some people's cars. Y/N turned, putting a polite smile on her face. Perhaps it was a bad idea as her face came within inches of the man's. She cleared her throat and quietly walked away, which Red Hood did not miss as he frowned.

-Not really. Dick brought me here because he didn't want me to be alone tonight, but now that I'm surrounded by so many people I feel- -Like I'm even more alone than before. -Yeah, exactly.

She smiled thoughtfully as she looked at him. Maybe he wasn't such bad company after all. She felt the man's gaze roam over her body as she thought about it. She was thinking too fast, that was for sure.

-You know what?

She tilted her head to the right, waiting to hear what he wanted from her. But she didn't get a chance to ask him as he took her hand and pulled her through the crowd. A few seconds later, she could feel the cold late winter breeze hitting her hard. Her sleeveless dress did not protect her from anything other than people's eyes, and that was for some people who didn't have slanting eyes (not like Jason).

She handed the glass she was still holding to a passerby and didn't even have time to hear him scream because Jason's long legs had already carried them several yards. She couldn't even speak because she was so shocked at what was happening and even if she could have, she doubted the man would answer her. They finally stopped and the H/C could catch her breath, bent over.

-Can I know why you just kidnapped me?

He laughed softly before heading to the ice cream truck a few steps away. He returned with a cone in each hand and handed her the pistachio one. She watched, eyes wide open for so long that he had to force her to take the food.

-What? Why are you looking at me like that?

She stammered before finally pulling herself together. Just because a guy she only knew for being her best friend's brother had shown her probably more attention in a few minutes than her ex had in their entire relationship, she shouldn't let her guard down. He always remained Jason Todd. She gave him a suspicious look before licking her ice cream, afraid that it would melt on her hand.

-How do you know my favorite flavor?

He dared her shoulders and muttered something about being lucky or something. Y/N smiled at him and started to walk, along the river that was flowing peacefully. Even though he wasn't talking, she could still feel the presence of the man to her right and she felt peaceful, somehow.

-So... How come the great Red Hood was at a party like this?

She turned her head toward him and saw him daring her shoulders.

-Is Bruce a valid answer?

She nodded and smiled at him, continuing their walk in silence. Maybe his company wasn't so bad after all.