#if I don’t do a little game I will just hide them around my blog like I did last year.

[morrigan-sims]

As of last night, 2/3 of my simblreen gifts are done. I’m hoping to do more work on the 3rd one tonight.

[airbendertendou]

safety [of a killer’s arms]

gender neutral reader. no killer in mind so they/them pronouns used. killer is bigger / taller than reader [bc they're a lil monstorous it makes sense in my mind]

synopsis : an unnamed survivor [he/him] makes you feel sour - for lack of better words. one trial, you find yourself running to the murderer instead of away.

if you have a blank blog [no bio, no user, no header or profile pic, nothing reblogged, etc] do not interact with my content. you will be blocked.

he always made you uncomfortable. sliding up beside you at the campfire ; his hands lingering when he patched you up ; sly nicknames that made your skin crawl. with a gulp, you flinch as the generator you’re working on finished, lighting up the spot you were hiding at.

taking in a deep breath, you stand and slowly observe your surroundings. the lack of a heartbeat and chilling feeling of being watched was absent — you were safe for now. you tread along carefully, eyes peeled for any sudden movements.

“[name],” the hairs on your arms prickle just at the sound of his voice. you don’t turn — you only continue moving forward. “we’ll be safer together. come stand with me.”

you ignore him. lips parted, your breathing struggles to steady as panic starts to build up. you can hear his feet shuffle behind you ; he’s starting to speed up to catch you. “[name], come on! it’s only us now.”

it sounds like a threat. his tone is reassuring, words light and airy, but it still feels like threat. it’s only the two of you ; no one else around. you gulp again, speeding up just a little more. he lets out what sounds like a laugh, “are we playing a little cat and mouse game?”

“go find another gen,” you call out over your shoulder. you quicken your pace a bit more, “we can still win this.”

“i did win, [name].” he lets out another laugh — it sounds menacing ; dark. everything a survivor shouldn’t be. “i’ve got you, all to my self.”

your heartbeat picks up, pounding in your ears. on the edge of a sprint now, you can see the killer of this trial in the distance. you speed up more, ignoring the muffled curse behind you as you barrel straight into their arms.

a vice grip is around their torso. arms around their waist, you bury your head into their neck as your breath leaves in panicked pants. “jus’ kill me,” you whimper out. “please.”

their hands are raised above them, weapon still poised from when they prepared to swing it at you. curiously, their eyes fly to where you came from ; to where your fellow survivor had now made himself known.

“[name],” you whimper at the sound of his voice. his eyebrows furrow, playful smile falling from his face and growing stern. “let them go. now.”

“he won’t leave me alone.” you whisper it into their chest as you burrow further into them. “watching me. waiting for me. touching me. i— he won’t leave me alone.”

their hands had fallen to your hips now, peeling you away from their torso. you whimper again but relax when they pull you behind them. just what had this man done — what had he made you feel — that was so bad you looked to a murderer for comfort? for safety?

he lets out a huff, taking a step closer. you mold yourself into their back in retaliation. “[name], come on. we have to win this game. jus’ you an’ me now.”

you want to scream at him. want to cry and yell and hit him until he stops talking ; until he stops eyeing you so desperately and hungrily. phantom fingers dance on your thighs, reminding you of the hidden touches he’d take from you ; careful whispers echo in your ears of the things he’d do to you once you were alone.

you couldn’t go with him ; refused to.

the killer of the trial made a show of raising their weapon again before they flung it toward him, hitting him directly in the chest. with a small oof!, he falls to the floor before struggling to get back up. as he limps away, he glares at you and it feels more sinister than the heart beating in your ears.

“safe.” it’s a promise. your killer pats your shoulders as gently as they can, moving you so that you’re a little more hidden. they crouch so that your eyes look into theirs, “safe.”

stay here, and you’ll stay safe. i’ll take care of him while i’m gone.

the breath of relief you let out is immediate. and it’s so stupid — how secure you do feel with someone who’s life revolves around murder. but, compared to the creeping touches and lingering gazes of your fellow survivor, they are a safe haven.

they come back after a scream of terror hits the area you’re in, drenched in blood and almost skipping with joy. gently, your hand is looped into theirs as they tug you along the map.

“home,” they say. “take you home.”

and so you’re lead to the hatch, lowered into it because your legs are too shaky to handle your own weight. before you fall, your fingers grip onto the edge of it and you peer up at the killer once more. your lower lip trembles, “thank you. i can’t say it enough — thank you.”

every trial with them after that feels gooey — warm — as you’re always saved for last and treated less harshly than the others. he never looks at you again ; instead he shakes in fear at the thought of you and the giant bodyguard you’d acquired.

lingering gazes come from outside of the campfire now — but they make you feel protected and watched over ; safe. they always manage to make you feel safe.

idk where this came from so don't even ask hehe <<33 tagging it w killers i thinlk would act like this but you can always add your fave <3 airbendertendou © do not copy, plagiarize, repost, or translate my content on any platform. if you see my content under any other name than my own, let me know. i only have this tumblr and an ao3 account under the same name.

[mermaidgirl30]

✨Masterlist✨ A03

Hi! I’m Jamie and welcome to my blog! If you’d like updates for my work, my updates page is @mermaidgirl30-updates. I mostly write about Pedro Pascal characters. Always looking to converse about music, writing, video games, Pedro Pascal, really just anything ☺️ I am always open for requests and asks and will do my best to answer them 🩵 Dividers and Masterlist main pic by @saradika-graphics

~I DO NOT CONSENT TO ANYBODY USING MY STORIES OR REPOSTING THEM IN ANY AI OR ANY OTHER WEBSITE!~

✨One Shots/Drabbles✨

Always In My Heart: Losing a pet is never easy, but you’re not alone because Joel is right there with you, keeping you afloat.

Caught In the Act: Thinking you’re home alone, you decide to unwind in bed, but the last thing you expect is to have Joel Miller, the man you’re renting a room from, find you naked in bed.

Clouded Skies Drabble

Comfort in His Arms: A little Drabble about enjoying the sunrise while you’re being comforted and held by Joel. Soft, gentle, warm. He’s your forever.

Crimson Ties: Joel was a creature of the night, a monster who begged to be released from his curse. He wasn’t a good man, didn’t think he deserved anything that shined light on his dark soul. But there was you, the girl he so desperately wanted to stick around, if only for one more night.

Dominate Me: dom! reader x sub! Joel. You dominate Joel in the bedroom, and he takes every demand you give him.

Fading Into Lilac Skies: You never meant to fall for your boyfriend’s dad, but it happened. You just couldn’t stay away from those shades of blue and grey. But your favorite thing was turning them the color your soul was. Lilac.

Happy One Year, Baby: You forget your one year anniversary with Joel and don’t remember until you see a dozen roses with a love note left on your doorstep. Since he’s away on a work trip, you decide to get all dolled up to give him a little show over FaceTime

Haunt Me: Joel isn’t all that he seems. He might be dead, might be a ghost, might somehow just be trapped in a curse, but you find him. You always find him.

Her Bodyguard, His Shining Star: You’re performing at Coachella, throwing winks and flirting with your eyes as Joel Miller watches you from the side of the stage. He’s your bodyguard, and he should know better, but he wants you just as much as you want him.

I’ve Got You, Baby Girl: After suffering all day alone with cramps, Joel comes home from work to take care of you and gives you exactly what you need.

Jealousy, Jealousy: After having a bad breakup with Joel Miller, you decide you need a night to relax at the bar and find someone new. Little do you know, Joel is there and he’s not alone. Will you let your jealousy get the best of you or will you get revenge with another man at the bar?

Love and Coffee in the Mornings: This one's just a short fluffy/smutty one shot that's filled with morning love between Joel and reader.

My Heart I Surrender: Feelings and words never come easy to Joel, but they come out slowly and surely for you. So much angst coming off the pages on this story, and it's all in Joel's POV.

My Paper Heart Will Fold: Joel fights himself over his feelings for you, not wanting to admit they’re there. He finally comes to blatant terms that he can’t lose you. He can’t ever lose you. Not ever.

My, My, Such a Sweet Surprise: When you stumble upon a cute little property with a farmer’s market, you get more than you bargain for when you meet the man with honeysuckle eyes and a thick Southern drawl that makes you weak in the knees.

Pulled by the Scarlet Reins: In the hate filled town of Salem, no one is safe. With accusations flying daily, no one is spared from speculation. When the blame is pointed at you, who will be there to defend you?

Run Rabbit: At the beginning of every month, you meet Joel to play a little game of hide and seek at the abandoned mansion near Jackson. It’s not just any game of hide and seek though. It’s dark and it’s twisted. If he catches you, he gets to do whatever he wants with you.

Show Some Self Control: It's your birthday, and Joel can't deny you from wanting to explore being with another woman, so he indulges. He sits and watches, but he can't hold back for long. Not with the way your body is writhing against the damp sheets.

Soft: Just a little Drabble about Joel being in love. So very soft.

Stay in the Light: Joel gets injured after a raider attack, and he’s wishing he could’ve told you all the feelings he held back from you for so long

Take Me to Wonderland: You find yourself in Wonderland, but you think you’ve been here before. And the handsome stranger, Joel Miller, is someone that definitely seems familiar.

Teach Me a Lesson, Mr. Miller: Tonight, you planned for beer, loud music, and sloppy sex with one of your hot college classmates. Instead, you get your best friend’s dad putting you in your place.

Tongue Tied: Your dad’s best friend, Joel Miller, finds you in the kitchen eating some cherries. For your birthday, he gives you something that’ll make you a little tongue tied.

Welcome to the Moulin Rouge: Welcome to the Moulin Rouge where touches and gazing eyes turn to feelings and longing that overpower all senses. That’s where Joel meets you, the girl of all his desires. The girl that starts a fire inside him that he can’t control. But he’s not the only one after her. No. And he’ll have to share even though it destroys him.

✨Series✨

Can You Please Be Mine?: (Ongoing multiple part series)

No Outbreak!Joel x fem! reader

It’s a hot summer’s day in Austin, and you’re cooling off by having a cold ice cream cone while riding the carousel at the fair. You see a handsome, older man that you think is just the hottest man you’ve ever seen, and you just wonder what it’d be like if he took you home with him.

Captured in the Woods:

(Ongoing multiple part series)

Joel Miller x fem! reader

Joel books a nice secluded Airbnb cabin out in the middle of Southwest Texas to get a little alone time with you for a weekend. Little do you know, you’re not alone. You’re being stalked by a deranged family, and you’re going to have to fight your way to make it out alive.

Crimson Tango: A Dance of Diamonds and Revenge: (Ongoing multiple part series)

Moulin Rouge Joel x fem! reader

Joel Miller doesn’t know what awaits him as he takes on a maintenance job at the Moulin Rouge. He doesn’t know he’ll meet the absolute love of his life, the Sparkling Diamond, as his world comes crashing down around him fast. Will he be able to stay away when he’s warned not to touch the dancers? Will he listen or will he challenge that pull that draws him to the one thing that sets his soul on fire?

Daddy’s Best Friend, Mr. Miller: (Ongoing multiple part series)

dbf! Joel x fem! reader

After going out with your classmate from graduate school, Mr. Miller doesn’t take so kindly to your date when he sees you out and about with the college jock. Will the older, attractive man you’ve been pining after for years finally give you what you’ve been wanting for so long? The only problem is that he’s your dad’s best friend.

Dancing With Fire: (Ongoing multiple part series)

maintenance man! Joel x ballet dancer fem! reader

You’re starring in the ballet Swan Lake, taking on the lead role in New York at a huge theater. You practice day and night and are always staying after hours. One day you notice the hot maintenance worker, Joel, and you can’t seem to keep your eyes off him. Lucky for you, he can’t keep his eyes off you either.

Dark Shades of Innocence Lost: (Completed)

pleasure dom! Joel x fem/sub! reader

After your friends drag you out to Club Inferno on a Friday night, you meet an unexpected man with dark brown eyes. That man is Joel Miller, who turns out to be the owner of the club. The menace that will turn your life upside down. After not dating for a couple of years, Joel finds out and strikes up a proposition for you. Keep coming back and he’ll make sure you experience pleasure like you’ve never felt before.

Deep Blue: (Ongoing multiple part series)

Diver! Joel Miller x marine biologist! FOC

Swimming with great white sharks was always on your bucket list. Now that you’ve graduated with your master’s degree in marine biology, that’s the only thing you want to do. Luckily your friend, Jenna, pulls some strings and gets you on a private shark diving tour. What she didn’t tell you was that your diving guide, Joel Miller, was going to be ridiculously hot. Will you survive the dive or will you end up falling for the man of your dreams?

Destined Hearts: (Ongoing multiple part series)

Joel Miller x fem! reader

After a messy break up with Joel, the two of you cross paths again unexpectedly at the lake. Everything seems to fall back into place, and you slowly start to fall back in love with him. Maybe he just might be your forever.

Enchant Me: (Ongoing multiple part series)

soft! Joel x witchy garden fem! reader

Joel delivers a custom built table to a little house out in the middle of the woods, but he doesn’t realize he’s going to fall for the girl behind the doors of that small purple house. He falls head over heels for her special herbal tea, tarot card readings, and talks of nature and plants as he keeps going back to see her.

Her Bodyguard, His Shining Star: (Ongoing multiple part series)

Bodyguard! Joel Miller x singer fem! reader

Joel’s your broad, handsome bodyguard that you flirt with and secretly dream about. Little do you know, he can’t seem to keep his eyes or his hands off you for long. The two of you should know better, but after Coachella it’s so obvious that you can’t stay away from one another. Could he be your end game?

Just Breathe: The Dinosaur Diaries: (Ongoing multiple part series)

paleontologist! Joel x fem researcher! reader

After going under the wings of doctor Miller, the hottest paleontologist you’ve ever seen, he takes you on a little adventure as his research assistant. You’ll get more than just knowledge and dinosaurs, you’ll also end up getting the sweet scientist who can’t seem to keep his hands off you.

Look for the Light: (Completed)

outbreak! Joel x fem! reader

Aly finds herself trying to escape the Boston QZ. What Aly doesn’t know is Tess is pairing her up with Joel to go on a dangerous mission to find Tommy. Will Aly survive the brooding, moody Joel or will she find herself falling hard for him?

Love Amidst the Blue: (Ongoing multiple part series)

sailor! Joel x mermaid fem! reader

Joel sets out on the Tyrrhenian Sea with his crew in search for hidden treasure. What he doesn’t know is that he’ll meet a beautiful mermaid that will turn his world upside down. Will he win her over or will he introduce a long ago foe to the mermaids of the hidden underwater city of Capri?

Royalty Clad in Silver Armor: (Ongoing multiple part series)

knight! Joel x princess fem! reader

You’re the royal princess of Ireland and your parents are hounding you to find a suitable man to marry. Joel gets placed as your protector (knight in shining armor) and swears an oath to put your life before his own. But after meeting him for the first time, you don’t want to leave him alone. In fact, you can’t help but to pine after him, even though he is off limits to you.

Saddle Me Up, Cowboy: (Ongoing Mini Series)

Cowboy! Joel Miller x fem! reader

One night at the country western bar was all it took for you to fall head over heels for the sweet cowboy that swept you off your feet. Little did you know, he may be what you’ve been after your entire life.

Saving What Was Lost: (Ongoing multiple part series)

You never expected to get auctioned off in a room full of filthy rich, vile men after being taken over a year ago, but it happened. And the man that buys you, the one with soft brown eyes, just might’ve saved your life. He doesn’t want to hurt you. No. He wants to show you what it’s like to fall back in love with life.

Slip Into Me: (Completed)

QZ! Joel x fem! reader

After getting caught by a FEDRA soldier in the QZ, a certain broad smuggler comes to your rescue. He’s not at all what you expect. He’s reserved, intense, and intimidating. But you soon find out he’s not all brick walls and harsh words like you thought. You just might be the one that tears down his walls and helps him see the light again in a torn up, infected world.

Somersaults and Stealing Hearts: (Ongoing multiple part series)

Coach! Joel Miller x gymnast fem! OFC

Being a competitive gymnast at UT Austin is nothing short of hard work and dedication, but winning Nationals is all I’ve ever wanted, so I stick out the long, grueling practices. When my favorite coach leaves for another job, just when I need her most, another coach has to fill in. And that coach ends up being Joel Miller. The tall, handsome man with pretty brown eyes that I just can’t seem to keep my eyes off. I won’t let an attractive man get me distracted from what I want, but what if I end up wanting him too?

Tear You Apart: (Completed)

Outbreak! Joel x fem! reader

Joel comes for you late at night. He always does. Always stalks, chases, and prowls after you like a starving wolf. And when he catches you, he devours you, feeds on you like the animal he is. Will you run and hide or will you give into the temptation that calls you into the forest?

✨One Shots✨

Guiding Light: You watch Marcus avenge himself week after week in the pit of the arena, but how much longer will it take to make you snap? How much longer can you go on watching when he’s the only man you want?

✨One Shots✨

Javi’s Playground: Javi decides to blow off some steam at the strip club, but he doesn’t intend to attempt to take one of the dancers home with him.

✨Moodboards✨

Colors 💜

Infra-Red ❤️

[ilys00ga]

hellooo, ur blog is such a comfort for me <3 ! can i request yoongi meeting reader who’s quite literally the same person as him. he could’ve met the reader through one of the members trying to hook them up. “you two are so alike it’s scary, i think you’d be a match made in heaven”. so yoongi agrees..eventually. but when he meets the reader, it’s horrible! their similar personalities clash in the worst way possible. it’s pretty funny to everyone, because they totally thought they were in matchmaker mode?? the two constantly talk about how they couldn’t stand each other, so it surprised everyone when yoongi just admitted that he’d and the reader had been dating for a few months after their first meeting. loll

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN.

pairing: yoongi x reader.

genre: fluff, i tried to make it funny loool, best friends to lovers, non idol au (?), non idol!yoongi, non idol!jimin, non idol!namjoon, jimin is the dramatic bestie and namjoon is just the very supportive friend that's happy to be there.

warnings: this is pure fiction and English is not my first language.

A/N: okay so, there was also this one ask I got from @parkjennykim that says: "Hiiii ❤️ hope this finds you well. Could you write a fluffy bsf to lovers with yoongi? Theres hardly any of those out there 😭 i need some fluff ive been too deprived and depressed".

I thought these two were similar so I decided to merge them, I hope that's ok for both of u :). thank u sm for sending these reqs, I really appreciate it and I hope u enjoy this read. do not hesitate to send more if u want to !

ᵎᵎ 𖦹彡⋆｡˚・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

“I'm sorry, WHAT?!” Jimin, who’d been slouched on the couch with his head leaning against its rolled arm, sat up straight and goggle-eyed as soon as he heard what Yoongi had said.

The latter only rolled his eyes, not surprised one bit at his friend’s dramatic reaction. In fact, he expected it to be so much worse, but he guessed the younger one was just too tired that day for all of that. “don’t be loud.” he hissed and crossed his arms.

“hyung, are you serious?” Namjoon asked from where he was sitting with his chopsticks hanging in the air near his mouth as he too was stunned by the eldest’s statement.

“why the hell would i lie and say that me and __ have been dating for almost two months now?” Yoongi muttered through narrowed his eyes. "TWO MONTHS- woah, this is crazy. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” The youngest of the three covered his face with his hands and heaved a big, disappointed sigh.

“Seriously, why is he so annoying today?”

Namjoon chuckled as the older continued side eyeing their dongsaeng, “hyung, he’s just really happy for you. I too am.”

“I’m very happy, yes, but, hyung, how could you hide such a thing from me? I literally helped you grow the balls to ask her out.” Jimin whined and slouched back down on the couch with a growing pout, “I've been waiting for you two to get together for months.”

It's true, Jimin was a man on a mission ever since he’d noticed the insanely similar character traits when you and your (now) boyfriend met for the very first time. two individual human beings but the exact same patterns and edges. on a large scale, talking to you always felt like talking to Yoongi and vice versa.

It was like a game to him. It made him buzz with excitement, reminding himself every now and then to keep a close eye and count all the similarities you two shared. not that it was hard to notice to begin with: having almso the exact same taste (especially in music), always sitting silently when being around other people and speaking little amounts of words when necessary, getting flustered and smiling shyly when being complimented, being chill and too soft to scold or yell at anyone (most of the time), having that same slow tone in your voices whenever you talk, having random bursts of energy or playful teasing despite the cold facade both of you display, getting so talkative when it comes to topics and things you’re so passionate about, being very honest but never too rude or offensive about it, being the most hardworking people jimin has probably ever met in his entire life—something that nevers fails to admire about the two of you.

You and Yoongi were so similar, even your bad habits and red flags matched. When setting your mind on finishing a task—say a project for example—you’d wear your bodies out for the sake of completing it, even if it meant you’d stay up several hours late during the night. and when mad or during intense clashes and arguments, you would put thick walls between you and the other person, ignoring and shutting them out until you're human enough to confront them. sometimes it’s too hard to even apologize, instead, you’d slowly start approaching them as if nothing had happened at all.

“No wonder you two ended up together, you’re basically a match made in heaven.” Namjoon nodded his head as he munched on his food, as if approving of his own statement.

“i know! and the way you wasted your time pinning on each other was killing me.” being the biggest shipper of your pair, Jimin huffed as he spoke with a very serious tone.

“how did you guys even make it?” namjoon asked.

“We hit it off right after the first date.” Yoongi answered with a shrug, acting as nonchalant as ever.

“you mean the date i had set for you?” it was jimin who asked this time, and when Yoongi nodded in confirmation, the younger groaned and buried his face into the couch, “hyung, you are seriously the worst.”

“hyung, you both are coffee addicts, take her to a new café this time!” Jimin suggested with a huge grin on his face. after finding out that you two secretly liked each other, he spent weeks pressuring Yoongi to confess his feelings for you. He couldn’t believe that his hyung finally obliged after many “no”s and “I don’t like __ that way.”s and “we’re just friends.”s. it was getting really annoying.

YG: “Can we hang out tomorrow? as two people wanting to know each other.”

ME: “Are you asking me on a date?”

YG: “yeah?”

ME: “okay :)”

that was the conversation you had with him the day before he took you on a cute café date. The place was impressively good, but the date was the complete opposite of that. Nothing bad happened, yet sitting down with someone you’ve known for a good period of time and have shared good amounts of vulnerability with in that intimate context was too unpleasant. Both of you struggled to find comfort and normality in the heavy awkward silence that fell on the table. and everytime he would try to play it off and throw some joke or normal piece of conversation that he found appropriate for a date, you two ended up laughing int your sweaty palms because of how ridiculous the whole situation was.

“stop laughing!” Yoongi exclaimed while his shoulders shook, giggling.

“I'm sorry, I'm trying!” you wiped at the corners of your eyes.

"Just act like this is a normal hangout.." he had said after a short moment.

"We're literally on a date." you reminded him.

“right..”

The “date” didn’t last long, and the two of you ended up at his house. eating popcorn on his couch and watching your favorite series of movies together.

Later that night, he asked, “so, what are we?”

“whatever you want us to be.” you answered with flushed cheeks.

“I like you..” he whispered, eyes never leaving the TV screen acroos the couch, "more than friends should like one another."

“Great, ‘cause I'd be sad if you didn’t like me back.” you whispered back, never daring to glance his way even for a split of a second.

“Wait, does that mean I won the bet?” Namjoon suddenly spoke, making Jimin kick him lightly on the shoulder from where he was still lying with a sour frown, and toss a few dollars he had grabbed from his wallet at the smiling man's extended palm.

“Did you two seriously make a bet on my relationship?” came a sharp question from Yoongi.

[tmntxthings]

Ok so, hi! I hope you're doing well! I really really like your blog and was wondering if you're still taking requests? If your not thats completely fine.

but If you are could you please please do a the rise boys with a reader who's like their little sister? i cannot for the lofe of me find very many of these, and I adore them.

Your writting is AMAZING btw! Make sure to eat food, drink water, and get some sleep! <3

Big Brothers

author’s notes: :D am i doing requests still? …yes?! it may not seem like it but I look over them all… just lacking in the motivation department rn, esp with this semester, but booyakasha we ball xD thanks for requesting <3 author's note 2.0: I wrote Raph's part in JANUARY and i finally finally finally had the will power to finish Mikey's tonight, the semester is over yayyyyyyy!! Hopefully my motivation will rejuvenate and I'll be writing way more consistently... hopefully lollll hope you enjoy~~

warnings: none to note, unedited, mayhaps a curse word ?

—————————————————————————

Raph

Where do I begin? He’s always the type to protect those around him. It doesn’t matter whether you’re just a regular citizen or someone he knows and loves, this turtle will protect all! He’s got a big heart.

Much like April you stumbled into the boys life at an early age. Yet unlike her, you were younger than the entire group. As a tot, Raph made sure you were never left behind, hiking you up on his shoulders along with Mikey.

Both of you giggling about the height and saying “look look I’m flyingggg!!” making superhero poses, just the works. Standard oldest brother material. He was still a kid too so there were some accidents, of course you fell off once or twice.

But he was quick to distract you from any boo-boo’s, swooping you back into his arms and snuggling his head close profusely apologizing for getting a little too rowdy. “Don’t cry!! Look Raph’s gotcha! All safe and sound!”

“Does it hurt bad? Let’s go get patched up by Lee hmmm? Raph bet’s he has the prettiest bandaids for you!”

If the group is playing a competitive game, like tag or hide & seek, Raph’s making sure you’re having a fun time. Not feeling left out or being picked on too much. In tag he may run a little slower so you are able to catch him, he would happily be ‘it’ a thousand times if it meant you beamed that mischievous smile. “Tag Raphie!!! Hehehe”

In hide & seek he’ll hide with you or better yet find you the best spots to hide. “Okay Raph’s going hide now too, goodluck and don’t make any noise!!”

As the group grows from tots to teens and the world isn’t as sparkly, and dangers lurk every corner Raph becomes more concerned with your safety. Though there’s not much he can do while your at school, any time you hang out with the bros other than the lab he’s always got a watchful eye.

“Ohhhhh guys look at this!!” Window shopping being one of your favorite past times as they walk the streets of NYC. Raph can’t help but call out for you to “Wait!” or “Watch out!” Something about those sidewalks cracks that always trip you up. And don’t even get Raph started on how many times you’ve bounded ahead of the group only to get lost.

“C’mere you!” Raph’s pulling you close and giving you a noogie. Definitely not caring as you screech about your hair. “What’d I tell ya about running off??” He continues messing with you until you either slip out of his grip or call out mercy. “You had me worried!” He breathed out with a stern look. “Awww Raphie I’m not little anymore!” You teased, but to him you’d always be his little sister. Just like Mikey would never escape being the little brother.

Leo

Oh my lord the trouble you two get into. Pranks? Yeah. Lots of them. The two of you are menaces together, and unlike Leo, you get off the hook with batting your sweet innocent eyelashes. “Whaaaaa Leo told me to!!” And he’d scoff, yelling out traitor as you stuck your tongue when Raph’s back was turned.

Despite always slipping away from punishment, Leo didn’t mind you throwing him under the bus. In fact he was quite impressed with your tactics. One of these days he’d catch you on video being a brat behind Raph’s back! So count your days because they were numbered.

While Leo is down for throwing caution and safety in the wind, if things get serious.. let’s say someone threatening you? Whoever’s spouting such nonsense better run for the hills. He doesn’t deal kindly with those who hurt his family. Especially his little prankster of a sister. “Run that by me again? You said what about my sister??” Fun, silly, charismatic Leo is gone! He’d have a glint in his eyes that scream ‘you’ll pay for that.’

What else?! Though he claims he’s nothing like Raph in regards to being wrapped around your pinky finger, he totally is. “Hey Lee can you portal me to school?? I don’t feel like walking!” He’d complain saying how you’re using his rad powers for such a lazy reason (even though he’s guilty of such a thing) but after he gives you an earful of complaints he’s opening up a portal.

Don’t think he won’t waltz in right after you. Much like those older siblings who love to embarrass their little siblings. Calling after you to “Have a greaaaaaaat day!! Big brother wuvs youuuuuuu!!” And it’s similar if he’s picking you up from school. He’ll portal in with a speaker and blare music, mostly Nicki Minaj.

Donnie

Those little puppy dog eyes you can pull off with Raph have no influence when it comes to Donnie, he has footage of your two-faced nature, having big crocodile tears at one moment and an evil grin at the next, unlike Leo who has never been able to successfully capture you in the act, Donnie has and he lords it over you as blackmail for most things, like a big brother usually does

He only brings it out when absolutely necessary, mainly whenever the two of you are in a back and forth banter that has gone too far, "Oh yeah? I seem to recall a certain purple turtle reading some very interesting fanfiction with Atomic Lass last night!" You puff up satisfied when Donnie gasps at such a true accusation, the utter betrayal! "C'mon guys don't start fighting" Raph will speak up as Donnie whips out his phone going for his passcoded camera roll.

"Oh Raphala I have something to show you!" Donnie will sing as he turns the phone over to reveal the beginning of a video of you and its one that has you immediately screeching. Jumping up from your spot to run and try and tackle Donnie to the floor, but he expects this as his battleshell takes off into the air, putting himself and his phone out of reach. "Turn it off!!! Stop it Dee!!! I never said what exactly you were reading!!" You plead as he swoops and dodges the pillows and really anything you can get your hands on to throw.

So yes, he has the dirt that you would hate Leo to get his hands on so Donnie and you have a bit of an understanding of one another. Other than that though you can find solace in his lab anytime. He doesn't mind your entry because unlike his brothers you don't start touching or breaking things. You treat his inventions carefully and he has fun explaining to you their potentials.

As tots Donnie was definitely quizzing and spitting out random facts to your malleable brain, a lot of it ended up sticking so you understood him to some degree on an academic level, but most of all he had prepared you for school to which you were forever grateful

Now you may not say so in words but with each passing grade you would go down to the lair and find Donnie specifically to show off your assignments, beaming proudly as he would smile and singing his praises about how well he had taught you. He realized that maybe he had taught you too well since you were a master manipulator when it came to tear ducts but he couldn't help but smile at that, proud to have another evil genius in their midst

Mikey

He knew what it was like to be treated like a baby despite being only a few years younger, so it came as no surprise that he would agree with you whenever you wanted to do something adventurous, something on your own, "Guys, she's old enough to go out to the movies with her friends!" Even if he sort of knew your crush would be going as well, Mikey was not going to be the brother to hold you back from falling in love!

Now heaven forbid that little heart of yours gets stomped on. The person who did so will obviously be on some sort of shit-list by all the turtles, but I think Mikey would be the one who has to be watched out for the most, he destroys people who hurts what he loves, that pizza place episode with the rock band is a prime example! He'll turn savage, lunging for violence, striking to enact karma on those who deserve it the most

Of course he will be the best brother to go to if you want to have some deep emotional talks, Dr. Feelings to the rescue, and though it hurts him to know you've been stabbed in the heart, he will be there through the whole break-up process! Cry session with tubs of ice cream or whatever sweets you desire, Mikey's a great cook so baking isn't that hard for him. He will listen to all the rants and raging that you need to get off your chest, adding in quips when necessary. Then when its time to detox fully, delete pictures, unfollow on all social medias, block their number, get rid of the gifts and physical reminders, he's there with a box, repeating how strong you are and that you don't need them nor these things!

Unlike Leo, if you and Mikey wanted something, a pair of puppy-dog eyes was better than one, even Donnie could not hold out for long if the begging was done by both of you at once, "Donnie c'mon pleaseeee set up the switch! We wanna play Mario Party!" "I thought we were gonna be playing Minecraft-" "You guys its easy you don't need me to set it up." "PLEASEEEEE"

And no doubt Mikey is whipping up your favorites in the kitchen. He loves to hear your heartfelt "thank yous!!!" and "Angieeee it's so tasty! 10 out of 10!!" You know exactly how to curry his favor when you go topside and grab him new ingredients to use. That and shooting compliment after compliment his way. Sometimes he will trust you to stir or cut up veggies when he has too many things going on at once in the kitchen. The vibes are immaculate when you get the aux cord to the speaker in the kitchen, the both of you singing out all kinds of music and going into little dance breaks when a song is just too good to not groove to!

[goldenseresinretriever]

False Confidence: Chapter 2

Pairing: Javy “Coyote” Machado x Reader

Part of the San Diego Dogfighters universe

Summary: The Athletic named Javy Machado the fifth sluttiest player in the NHL last year. He’s a known playboy who leaves every game with a different girl. As far as he’s concerned he’s living the dream, playing his dream job with the dream lifestyle. Unfortunately his friends and bosses don’t agree. At 33, they think it’s time for him to settle down. You’re a kindergarten teacher at an esteemed private school. You don't expect much when you finally accept your colleague’s invitation to attend her husband’s hockey game but when you accidentally get separated in the post-game rush, you find yourself in a compromising situation with the last person you’d ever expected to meet. When his PR rep suggests a mutually beneficial agreement, your hands are tied. How long will you have to keep up the act? And how long will you be able to?

Series CW: 18+ ONLY, swearing, angst, fluff, fake relationship, suggestive language, mentions of sexual harassment, anxiety, school system inaccuracies, hockey inaccuracies etc. There will be individual chapter warnings. No use of Y/N.

Word Count: 4.7k

A/N: This is a repost from my series, False Confidence. It was originally posted in March 2023, and was lost when my blog was deleted.

Previous Chapter // Series Masterlist // Next Chapter

Everyone’s waiting for your answer but your head is spinning. The silence stretches for just shy of too long before you finally clear your throat. “Can I have a minute?” You stand, shakily, pushing your chair back and making for the door. You curl your fingers around Josie’s wrist as you pass her, tugging her after you. No one tries to stop you and when you exit into the hallway, it’s empty. You glance in both directions, find them unfamiliar and then just pick one, dragging Josie behind you. Once you think you’re out of earshot of the office, you round on Josie who’s regarding you calmly. Your hands are still trembling but you can’t hide your anger anymore and you snap. “What were you thinking!” You snap and Josie’s eyes widen in surprise. Your voice trembles but the bite is still there. “First you tell me to sue him for sexual assault and now you want me to date him?!” Josie sighs, rolling her eyes.

“You really think that little of me, Roadie? Look, what he did was fucked up, and I knew you wouldn’t want to press charges because you’re well, you, but I want to support you if that’s something you really want. Either way he deserves to pay for what he did. If you don’t want to take this to court that’s fine, but why not benefit from this? You said it yourself, you’re worried about Dan’s rule, so play the system. Also, I didn’t say you should date him because I wouldn’t wish that fate on my worst enemy, I said to fake date him. It’s just a game, like playing pretend. It’s January, Dan makes his decisions on renewals by April at the latest and then maybe you stick with it until the end of the year and then you can say you broke up over summer break and it’s over. Plus it’s perfect, just have him show up to a few school events. It doesn’t have to be every one since he has a career that has him traveling most of the year, so you have a good reason when you don’t bring him to something. And since he’ll be gone most of the time anyway, you don’t have to put much effort into the ruse.”

“Plus,” she gives you a rueful smile. “As much as it pains me to say it, Javy’s not such a bad guy. I don’t approve of his choices but I know from seeing him with the guys and Zam especially, he’s got a good heart. When he says he’s sorry and that he didn’t mean to hurt you, I think he means it. The guy has three sisters for heaven’s sake. I wouldn’t even think of suggesting this if I didn’t trust him in some capacity. And like I said, it’s not like you’re actually dating him.” She shrugs again.

“I couldn’t do something like that. Using someone that way? It’s not right.” Your heart squeezes as you force the words out and you try your best to ignore the way your voice shakes. Josie gives you a pointed look.

“He’s using you too, remember? Zam needs him to fix his reputation. A steady girlfriend is exactly what he needs, or at least the illusion of one.”

“Does he need it, or does the team?” Your words have more bite than you intended and Josie regards you curiously.

“He is the team. It’s his job, the way your teaching position is yours.” She says coolly. “I’m not going to force you one way or another, but I’m just saying, an opportunity like this isn’t going to come around again.” Your stomach is a tangle of nerves as Josie goes back inside and you consider her words. It would be mutually beneficial for both of your jobs, and he clearly wasn’t attracted to you, so perhaps some kind of agreement wouldn’t hurt. You can’t believe you’re actually considering this but you think about your kids, your classroom, and your job that you really do love. If this was what you had to do to guarantee that you kept it, you could play the game. Your kids are everything and you take great pride in your work. As a kindergarten teacher, you’re the kids’ first impression of the school and you take that job very seriously. The idea of having to hand that over to someone else makes your heart twist painfully in your chest. You can do this for them.

“Hey,” a voice breaks through your train of thought and you jump in surprise. Javy holds his hands up in front of him, backing up a step to give you space. “Easy, I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m not going to hurt you.” He says, brown eyes widening at your terrified expression. You feel your body curl into itself instinctively and see a flicker in his eyes that you can’t read. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” He says slowly, eyes running over your figure but not in a scrutinizing way. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was checking you over. “So,” he says, posture relaxing as he leans a shoulder against the wall as he regards you. “How are you feeling about this agreement?”

You pick at the fabric of the skirt of the dress, averting your eyes so you don’t have to look at him. After it’s been a little too long without you answering you give a slight shrug before you force the words out, your voice quiet. “I really love my job. I don’t want to lose it.” It’s not an answer, not really but he nods slowly as you chance a peek at his face to see his reaction. He catches your gaze and gives you a small smile. It feels like the first peek of the sun through an overcast sky after a storm. It sends an unexpected droplet of warmth plummeting straight into your stomach. You find that you don’t want to escape his gaze nearly as much after seeing that soft quirk of his lips. Cautiously, you turn to face him fully and watch as the corners of his mouth slowly tick up in tandem. The clouds move apart and as you’re bathed in his warmth, you wonder what it would feel like to experience the full force of his smile. You think it might destroy you.

“What about you?” You don’t recognize your voice when you find it. You clear your throat and try again. “How are you feeling about the agreement?” He shrugs his broad shoulders.

“There are worse things.” You suppress the urge to flinch at his casual words that send a slice of cold down your spine. “Zam’s been on my ass for months about settling down, that’s true.”

He pauses so you ask, “And you wouldn’t rather have an actual girlfriend? A real one, I mean.” He gives you a curious look.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he points out and you feel your cheeks heat as you avert your gaze from the intensity of his.

“No,” you answer softly. “I wouldn’t.” You don’t offer any additional explanation so he just nods.

“Well, I wouldn’t either.” He says and you realize you’ve unintentionally placed the two of you at a stalemate. “So, that’s it then?” He asks, finally breaking the silence. “We’re doing this?” You swallow hard before nodding firmly.

“We’re doing this.” He nods back before extending a hand into the buffer of space he’d left between the two of you. You stare at it for a long moment before extending one of your own. He holds his hand still, leaving it to you to wrap your digits around his larger ones. He curls his around yours then and you’re reminded of how they felt on your hips, pressing into the flesh like a potter molding clay. When he shakes your hand you watch the muscles flex in his arm and wonder if you’ve unknowingly thrown yourself into the deep end, condemned to a death by drowning.

“Hi, I’m Javy, nice to meet you.” Even though he’s told you his name once before, this feels different. You introduce yourself as well. It feels odd. You’ve known him before ever being introduced. This feels different, almost like the air between the two you had shifted. He lets go of your hand as quickly as he grips it and holds out his hand back towards Zam’s office.

“Shall we?” He asks and you nod, turning to go ahead of him. You feel the ghost of fingertips against the small of your back and you stiffen instinctively at the unexpected contact. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he apologizes instantly, pulling his fingers away. “I’m a naturally touchy guy. It’s a bad habit, I’ll try to be more aware of it if it makes you uncomfortable.” He sounds genuinely apologetic and maybe a tiny bit embarrassed. He holds the door to the office open for you as you both enter and you square your shoulders, willing them not to shake as you approach Zam’s desk.

“I’ll do it.” Zam looks surprised but nods before turning to Javy.

“Javy?” You don’t turn to look at him but the pause before his answer tells you he’s nodding.

“I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Zam says, not sounding very convincing before she tries again. “Good. I’ll draw up something official that the two of you can sign. In the meantime, the two of you should get to know each other. Javy, I’ll arrange a press conference at which you’re going to address the photos and ask the press as well as your fans to respect your girlfriend’s privacy. After that you’ll need to start appearing together in public: dates, Roadie you’ll need to start attending home games and maybe even an away game or two where your schedule permits.” Your brain starts getting hazy as the weight of what you’ve just signed up for settles onto your shoulders. Zam’s still speaking but your brain is louder as it gets heavier and then Zam’s dismissing everyone.

You feel Josie’s hand on your shoulder, steering you towards the door. You file out of the office with everyone else and follow behind Josie, your mind still so busy that you don’t hear the calling of your name until a hand curls around your wrist and you jump, letting out a squeak of surprise. The hand retreats instantly and Javy gives you a guilty look. “Sorry, but you weren’t answering.” He scratches the back of his neck. You give him a shy nod, twisting your hands in front of you. “I don’t have your phone number. I figured that’s probably important.” You fumble to extricate your phone from your purse, tapping at the screen with trembling fingers before handing it to him. He inputs the digits with ease before handing the phone back. “Cool, well I’ll be in touch.” He says before giving you one last smile before turning to jog down the hallway in the opposite direction.

Once he’s gone you look down at your phone, and your eyes widen as you see what he’s done. Your texts are open to a new conversation with a contact named “Big Sexy ;)” with a single bubble from your side of the chain reading “How’s dinner sound?” Your phone chimes and a message pops up from the opposite side of the screen.

“It would be my pleasure.” Followed by an unfamiliar address. Your breath catches in your throat. Not for the first time today you wonder if you’re in over your head.

***

Your kitchen looks like a hurricane’s gone through it. The result of the storm perches on the corner of the counter, prompt seated in a frilly baking dish. The lemon-blueberry loaf fills the space with a delicious aroma as you frown at your reflection. You’d finally invested in a full-length mirror at Josie’s behest and you’re still getting used to using it. You smooth your hands down the surface of your light-wash jeans, resisting the urge to tug at the sweater you’re wearing as you regard your reflection. Your eyes shift to the sliver of the kitchen that you can catch in the mirror and frown at the mess. You’re a stress baker and so far today you have the loaf you’re taking to Javy’s along with muffins for your class tomorrow and another tray for the teachers. You glance at the clock on the wall and grimace. If you don’t leave now you’ll be late and you don’t need that extra stress on top of everything else on your mind tonight. You begrudgingly grab your purse and the loaf pan, heading out as the sun starts to paint the sky with the warm pallet of sunset.

***

You googled the apartment complex before you left but that doesn’t stop you from craning your neck up at the impressive reflective surface of the luxury apartment building. It’s smack in the middle of downtown San Diego and you’d passed a packed highway of commuters heading in the opposite direction on your way here. As you step into the opulent lobby, you feel severely underdressed, especially as you approach the front desk. You’ve never seen an apartment with a front desk but then again you’ve never had reason to interact with the extremely wealthy aside from teaching their children. The woman at the front desk doesn’t look much younger than you but she could be older. It would make sense that a job like this would age you less than corralling elementary schoolers all day.

“Can I help you?” She asks with a nasal voice that has everything to do with her pinched expression of thinly veiled disgust as she gives you a once-over that’s definitely not in her job description. You give her a tight-lipped smile in response.

“I’m here to see Javy Machado.” You consider calling him Mr. Machado but if he’s supposed to be your boyfriend you need to sound comfortable around him. Especially since this probably won’t be the last time you have to interact with… Emma. You find her name tag as she finishes her silent assessment of you, a pitying smile on her lips.

“Oh honey, you’re not going to need that.” She nods at the loaf pan in your hands. “It’s not the kind of cake he invited you over for.” She smirks like she’s won some sort of game and you wonder exactly how many girls she’s seen come through here. You plaster your polite smile on even harder, imagining her as one of your students’ mothers. You’re not sure where your confidence comes from but maybe Roadie, fake girlfriend to superstar hockey player Javy Machado is braver than Ms. Roadie, kindergarten teacher, because you respond coolly.

“I’d appreciate it if you let my boyfriend know I’m here, please, Emma. We have dinner plans.” She looks like she’s about to snort but then her expression changes completely and you don’t understand until she addresses someone who must be behind you.

“Mr. Machado! Good evening!” She chirps cheerfully and she reminds you of a baby bird. Desperate. You steel yourself and turn to face Javy, keeping your brave face in place as best as you can.

“Perfect timing, sweetheart.” The words sound clunky and unfamiliar in your mouth and you see Javy’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly before understanding fills them.

“Hey beautiful, ready for dinner?” He leans in then, eyes watching you carefully as if trying to convey his intentions before his warm lips meet your cheek in a chaste kiss that sets your skin ablaze in its wake. You give him a simple nod, words failing you as you turn over the casual term of endearment in your mind.

Emma’s watching your exchange with barely contained shock. Javy doesn’t even pay her a moment of attention, nodding to the left in silent instruction and you follow him to an elevator bay. You register then that his hands are full of takeout bags and you immediately wrestle one from his grasp as he juggles them to free a hand for the keypad to the elevator. “Thanks," he says and you arrange the bag in your arms. “I hope you like Cajun.” The smell escaping the bags hits your nose then and your nostrils fill with the rich, spicy scent and you feel a little of the tension slip out of your shoulders even though the smell is entirely foreign to you.

“I’ve never had it.” You admit as the elevator arrives and the two of you board it.

“Never?!” He looks surprised before it melts into a grin that knocks the air out of your lungs. “Well, then this is the perfect place to try it for the first time. Well, other than New Orleans.” He amends and you nod along. The two of you fall into silence as the elevator climbs. You notice then what he’s wearing as you stand on opposite sides of the elevator. You’d felt underdressed in the lobby but he’s dressed in a faded ASU shirt and athletic shorts over socks and slide sandals. He notices you looking and gives you a rueful look. “I was banking on having time to change before you got here.” He explains and you shake your head, dismissing his half-apology.

“It’s fine. It’s your house after all.” He smiles again and the silence is back before the door slides open onto an entryway. You’ve arrived straight into his apartment and you let your eyes explore the beginning of his home. The entryway is sparse and undecorated. It looks stiff, devoid of personality. There’s a hallway that turns out of sight to your left and a closed door to the right.

“That’s the spare bedroom.” He explains as he slips off his shoes and you follow suit. “It’s a weird layout but it suits my needs.” You’re not entirely sure what he means until you follow him down the hallway. Once it opens onto the living room you think you understand Javy Machado just a little bit more.

The living room is a complete 180 from the entryway. The furniture looks expensive and the floor-to-ceiling windows overlook a breathtaking view of the city but the end tables are littered with picture frames and the space has a distinct lived-in feel. You get the feeling that his overnight guests don’t make it this far into the apartment. He makes a beeline for the kitchen and you hurry to catch up with him. You manage to catch sight of at least one of the frames’ contents and a soft smile quirks at your lips. A younger Javy and Jake grin back at you. Their arms are slung over each other’s shoulders, faces sweaty, wearing red and gold hockey jerseys that you assume are from ASU given Javy’s shirt of the same color. You make your way into the kitchen where Javy’s opening the bags and accounting for all the food. He looks up when you come in, depositing the extra bag next to him and the loaf pan beside it. He snatches it up, groaning as he takes a deep sniff of the contents.

“Roadie, this smells delicious.” He remarks before excusing himself to his bedroom to change leaving you in the kitchen. Once you’re alone, you feel the nerves start to creep back in. You worry the hem of your sweater as you wait until a faint jingling reaches your ears and you turn just in time to see a wary black snout make its way around the corner into the kitchen. Of all the things you’ve seen so far in Javy’s apartment, this is the biggest surprise. The tiny dachshund regards you curiously and you do your best to manage your nerves, knowing the dog can definitely sense them and squat down.

“Hi there,” you whisper cautiously and the dog approaches carefully. You reach a hand out and she sniffs it suspiciously before licking at your fingers and you can’t help the giggle that escapes your lips. You catch sight of her collar as you scratch her head gently. “Roxie” it reads and you smile wider. “Hi there, Roxie, it's nice to meet you.” Roxie seems equally pleased and rolls over onto her belly to encourage further scratches and rubs. You’re so consumed with her that you don’t notice Javy return until Roxie squirms into your grasp to face her owner, giving a playful yip. He’s gaping at the two of you and you’re instantly nervous again. You stand quickly, dusting your hands off on your jeans.

“S-sorry I didn’t mean to intrude I just- She came in here so I just- I’m sorry.” You sputter but he’s still staring at Roxie before he slowly moves his gaze to you. Something unreadable passes through his eyes and then he shakes his head.

“No, it's fine I just, she was supposed to be in the laundry room. And I…” he trails off before continuing. “She doesn’t usually like other people, especially strangers.”

“Oh,”

“Yeah,” he says, looking back down at where Roxie’s sitting, regarding him with a cocked head on the floor. He looks back at you, expression unreadable. “Should we eat?” You nod and follow him to sit at the countertop. He pulls two bowls out of the cabinets and opens up some take-out soup containers. “How do you feel about seafood?” Your stomach drops as nerves twist your gut. He looks up and must see your expression because he just nods and grabs one of the containers, dishing the hearty-looking stew into a bowl before passing it to you. “That one’s just sausage. I didn’t know where you stood on seafood, so I got both.” Your heart aches slightly as you thank him and take the bowl. He fills his bowl from a different container before taking a seat next to you. “So, Roadie,” he says after taking a few bites in silence, “tell me about yourself.”

You squirm slightly in your seat. You’ve never been one to talk much about yourself so you decide to stick to the basics, and treat this like a job interview. It kind of is a job interview, except you’re interviewing for a position after taking it instead of before. “I’m almost thirty. I’m a kindergarten teacher at Acacia Academy. That’s how I know Josie and Reuben. Josie and I are colleagues and their daughter Skylar is in my class.” Javy nods, before asking.

“Do you like it? Teaching?” You nod vigorously and you think you see a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“My kids mean everything to me. I can’t imagine doing something else.” You admit and he nods again.

“What do you do other than work?” You give him a confused look so he clarifies. “What are your hobbies?”

“I’m an artist,” you answer easily. “It’s not in any way professional by any means, but I like doing it.” You shrug.

“What kind of art?” He asks and you shrug again.

“I work with lots of mediums, I don’t like being limited to just one.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Painting,” you answer easily.

“Why?” He rests his chin on his hand and you feel pinned under his casual gaze. It feels odd, and unfamiliar, being the sole focus of his attention. It’s like walking to your car on a cloudless day and feeling every inch of your cool skin prickling under the unyielding warmth of the sun.

“It’s so versatile,” you explain, dropping your gaze to where your fingers pick at the napkin pinned under your bowl. There are so many styles and techniques and nothing is clear-cut. You’re not limited by the colors you have in front of you, everything can blend. Anything’s possible. The only limitation you have is your creativity.” An unreadable look passes through his eyes but then he’s back to normal. You don’t get long to dwell on it, though, before he’s back to asking you questions.

***

“So, you said your principal doesn’t care about making illegal rules because it’s a private school, so why not teach at a public school?” You fidget with your spoon, looking away from him before answering.

“Public schools aren’t really a good fit for me. I can’t get comfortable.” He doesn’t push and you’re thankful.

“Speaking of comfort, we should talk about how we’re going to do this.” At your confused expression, he elaborates. “Pretend to be in a relationship, I mean. For starters, if we’re really going to sell this, you can’t be jumping out of your skin every time I touch you. People are going to expect at least a little PDA.” He must see the wide-eyed dread on your face because he holds up a placating hand. “I’m not saying we have to make out every time there are cameras around, but holding hands, hugs, and the occasional kiss here and there are going to have to be something you’re comfortable with.” You nod, weakly. “That being said, if there’s anything specific you don’t want me doing, tell me. I don’t want you to be scared of me. We’re on the same team here. This doesn’t work if we’re not working together.” You nod, nervously. It wasn’t like this last time, this is all new territory for you. “If it’ll help you loosen up, we could just have sex. No strings attached, obviously, but if it’ll make you more comfortable-“

“NO.” Your voice comes out with more force than you intended it to, laced with terror as your heart hammers in your chest. What are you doing here? What were you thinking, agreeing to this? Of course, he’d expect you to have sex with him. He’s used to having a new girl every night. You’re losing the battle with your thoughts when Javy breaks right through them.

“Hey, HEY, easy Roadie, it was just a suggestion, we don’t have to.” He looks like he’s fighting the urge to grab your hands in his.

“Please,” you hate the way the word sounds. You want something to feel real. One first to be yours, truly yours. Clearly, he hates the way it sounds too because his face contorts into something unfamiliar before he nods.

“No sex, done.” He hesitates for a moment before he opens his mouth again, choosing his words carefully and you see a flash of rage in his eyes and you bristle in fear. “Roadie… I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk about this with, but I just,” he shakes his head, pushing forward. “Did, did someone hurt you?” You realize what the rage in his eyes is now. Not anger at you, for turning him down, but protectiveness. Because he’s taken your vehement refusal as something else. You faintly remember Josie mentioning that he has three sisters. Of course, that would be his first instinct. You shake your head quickly.

“No, no, it’s not that.” You can tell he doesn’t believe you and thinks you just don’t trust him as the fire in his eyes doesn’t dim.

“If you ever need someone to talk to, all the girls on the team are really sweet and would be willing to-“

“It’s not that.” You insist and you can tell he’s still unconvinced.

“Not that you have to talk to someone but I’m sure it might help-“

“JAVY, I’m a virgin.” You squeeze your eyes shut before blurting out the words, hiding from the shame that coats your throat in their wake. The silence between the two of you stretches long enough that eventually you crack open an eye to see his reaction, but there isn’t one. He’s just sitting there, waiting for you. You wrench your other eye open, struggling to get comfortable in the silence. Your fingers twist together in your lap as you wait for him to say something.

“That wasn’t your first kiss, was it?” He says, finally and you can see the gears turning in his mind as he follows his new line of thinking but you shake your head.

“No, I, I’ve been kissed before. It’s just… it’s been a while. I’m a little out of practice.” He nods, contemplating something unspoken before he nods again and looks you straight in the eye.

“Roadie, can I kiss you?”

[offside-the-lines]

Am I Ready (To Be Loved) | Nathan MacKinnon

Summary: Nate is not known to be impulsive, especially when it comes to love. So what happens when he gets a crazy idea while hungover the day after the Avalanche Stanley Cup parade. a/n: Happy Holidays folks! My first fic back (on this new blog) is a reworking of a fic I wrote for my Winter Prompt request last year (for @fallinallincurls). Thought I needed to start somewhere. This is obviously set in 2022 because I can't stand the idea of the avs squad being different. It also features some of our fave tropes. Pairing: Nathan McKinnon x Female!OC Words: 8K Warnings: alcohol Requests: Open | Masterlist

Charlotte hated these fancy functions. The schmoozing and the small talk were things that made her feel like she was going to crawl out of her skin. No matter how much she would normally enjoy conversation, this just felt fake. And she knew how ridiculous it was. She worked in media. She was always in front of cameras. She took this job knowing this was a requirement. It doesn’t change the truth that, at her core, she would rather be on the couch watching some TV show on Netflix.

Although this wasn’t the first formal event she’d ever been to, this was the first Colorado Avalanche donors’ function. It didn’t help that she had only been working as a correspondent for Altitude TV for a few months; so many knew her name and her face, but no one really knew her personally. So, it was just smile, small talk, comment on the Avs, rinse and repeat.

After an hour or so of this, she was feeling done. Heading to the bar for a drink and found a cocktail table in the corner of the room, tucked near the obscenely large Christmas Tree, where she could just stand and watch. Charlotte looked around the room and wondered how long she had to stay before it was not inappropriate to leave.

“Hate these parties too, eh?” a familiar voice rang beside her.

Despite her shattered solitude, the voice brought out a smile on her face. “What do you mean? I don’t hate this?” she replied, not putting in much effort to hide the sarcasm in her voice. She turned to face the voice and the sight almost startled her a little as she felt her face warm. There stood Nathan Mackinnon in his perfectly tailored navy suit, eyes shining in the dim lighting. She takes a drink quickly to distract herself, reminding herself to be a professional.

“Sure,” he chuckled, “hiding in a dark corner isn’t avoiding the party, Charlotte.”

She shrugs as she turns her eyes back to the party.

“Don’t worry,” he whispers in her ear, making her neck tingle a little, “I really don’t like these parties either. I would rather be at home on the couch with my dog watching TV.”

As he leaned back to sip his drink, she turned to him in surprise. “Oh yeah? Like what? More hockey tape?”

After a bit of light banter, they find that they have the same favorite show, much to Charlotte’s surprise. In the dim corner of a fancy event, they are quoting their favorite lines to each other, trying their hardest not to burst out laughing, hiding themselves behind their drinks so as to not draw too much attention at such a fancy event. Charlotte’s laughing so hard she snorts a little, causing Nate to look at her in surprise before continuing to laugh even harder, drawing some looks from the donors and teammates closest to them. After a while, when they both finally calm down, she feels herself relax a little.

They stood in a comfortable silence for a few more moments before Nate spoke up again. “You know, Charlotte. You ask me questions all the time, but I don’t think I really know anything about you other than your name and your job title.”

“I mean, I only really ever ask you questions about the game or the team,” she responds.

“Yeah, but I’m sure you already know everything there is to know about me,” he said pointedly, but softly. He had a point; it was her job to know as much about the players as possible.

“Okay, I know about NHL Hockey Player, Avs’ Center, Forward Extraordinaire Nathan “Nate the Dogg” Mackinnon,” she says, flashing her hands in front as if to signal an imaginary banner, “I don’t know Nate “a dude who sits on his couch with his dog watching dumb shows” Mackinnon.”

“Alright, that’s fair,” he responds deep in thought. “Fine, how about we play 20 questions? You ask me a question; I ask you a question.”

“How very high school, Nathan,” she pauses to think about it. She wasn’t really sure how to feel about this new friendship. On the one hand, it is her job to get to know the players. Although, she was pretty sure that the fraternizing was only supposed to be in professional contexts. On the other hand, her heart was beating so hard that she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. And at the end of the day, it was Nathan Mackinnon, and he wanted to get to know her. Besides, she knew that he didn’t really date anyway, so she felt safe that there was one of them keeping their feelings in check. Eventually, she responds with a nod, “Sure.”

“Okay!” He said excitedly, his blue eyes lighting up, “Where are you from? Where did you grow up and go to college and stuff?”

“Nathan, that’s two questions. Should I deduct points from you?”

“There are points now?”

“I’m just kidding.”

And so, they went back and forth getting to know each other, talking animatedly, and laughing heartily, until they got through the 20 questions each. At one point, they had migrated to a table to continue sitting down because Nate noticed she was shifting on her feet from the heels. Charlotte was pretty certain that Nate now knew her better than anyone else in Denver.

Eventually, EJ came over and tapped Nate on the shoulder at which point she looked up and realized that most of his teammates and donors had left and they were a few of the last people remaining in the event space.

“Hey,” EJ smiled at you in his signature toothless way, “good to see you’re having fun, Charlotte.”

“Thanks, EJ,” she smiled back.

“Mac Daddy, you’re kind of my ride home, so… are you ready to leave?” EJ said laughing and looked at Charlotte, “I don’t think I’ve ever had to pull Nathan here away from a party before. He is usually begging me to leave.”

Nate bumped his elbow into EJ, not drawing much of a response, as he quickly looked away from her. She could have sworn his cheeks were turning a little pink, but that could also be the lighting.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s late and I want to be up for morning skate tomorrow, unlike you lazy idiots,” Nathan grumbled standing up.

She stood up too, only now realizing how tired you were. “Yeah, damn, it’s late. Well, I had a great time talking to you Nathan,” sending him a warm smile and a nod, “EJ. See you two later.”

As she started walking away, she heard some whispers behind her before Nate called out, “Hey, Charlotte, you good to get home? I mean, do you need a ride?”

“Oh, um… Actually… Sure. That would be nice. Thanks!”

She saw EJ whisper something in Nate’s ear before he was quickly shoved away. Suddenly feeling awkward, she trailed behind them quietly to Nate’s car. As soon as it was in sight, EJ called shotgun and started making a run for it, slipping a little on the ice, making Charlotte and Nate snort with laughter.

Nate offered a hand to guide her across the slippery ground and opened the car door for her, keeping his hand on her as she climbed in. She directed Nate to her apartment, thanking him and EJ quickly as she left. Once she got into her apartment, Charlotte leaned against the door and just smiled for a bit.

*          *          *

Meanwhile, in the car, EJ was basically yelling at Nate.

“Dude, you dog, what was that?”

“EJ, stop.”

“No, I’m serious. I’ve never seen you talk to someone for that long. Not even Barrie or Sid.”

“She was easy to talk to. And it was a good way to get through the event.”

“Nate, don’t give me that bullshit.” EJ’s voice is rarely serious, but it is now.

“I don’t know what to tell you, dude.” Nate shrugged.

The rest of the ride to EJ’s house is quiet and as Nate pulled into the driveway, EJ finally spoke up again, “Tell me you at least got her number.”

“Shit,” Nate let out under his breath before he could stop himself.

“Oh my god, you idiot. You didn’t get her number.”

Nate let out a groan and tapped his forehead firmly on his steering wheel in frustration. As EJ shook his head, and said his goodbyes, Nate’s head was whirring with thoughts. There was no smooth way to ask for her number now. It’s like he missed an exit on the freeway and there was no way off now. The alcohol and the adrenaline meant he didn’t sleep much that night and, for the first time in a very long time, he didn’t make it to the optional morning skate, much to the surprise of everyone.

The rest of the season flew by as the team soared through the playoffs. Nate kept thinking about ways to ask Charlotte for her number but just couldn’t stop overthinking it and psyching himself out; eventually deciding to table the topic until after the season was over to focus on the Cup. But he reveled in every intermission or postgame interview where they got to talk, or the little conversations they would get to have in the arena or on the plane. Occasionally, he’d even slip in a hug, taking in her perfume, under the guise of celebration.

The gossip had now spread through the group — not surprising since EJ has never once kept a secret — and had been an ongoing chirp for Nate. It didn’t help that at the two galas since, Nate was the first one there excitedly scanning the room, but Charlotte wasn’t at either. He’d learn she was covering the Nuggets or the Rapids those nights and would then leave as early as possible.

It got even harder to not think about her as he neared the end of the season, where every phone call with his mom would eventually turn to his cousin’s wedding in the summer and whether he was going to bring a date. Family weddings were the one time he felt he couldn’t leave early, forcing himself to endure the suffering that was being single in your late twenties and watching people be in love. Not to mention all the comments and questions: wanting gossip, wanting a date, feeling sorry for him.

*          *          *

Charlotte was happy with the casual platonic friendship that she had found with Nate. She always looked forward to talking with him at games because he was always more relaxed with her than the other boys, even occasionally giving her a sweaty hug after a good, exciting win. Her co-workers had made some comments about how unusual it was, but she just chalked it up to them knowing each other better now.

The job kept her busy, busier than anticipated. And it felt like the year had flown by before she found herself at the celebration gala for the newly crowned Stanley Cup Champions. The atmosphere was different from the last event she had been to. That one was for schmoozing. This was only for celebrating. The energy in the room was intoxicating and she had a big smile plastered to her face as soon as she walked in.

Charlotte made her way through the crowd and congratulated everyone she saw and recognized. Eventually, she stumbled into Gabe.

“Congratulations, Gabe!” you yelled.

“Lotteee! Thank you!” he yelled back, pulling her in for a tight hug before spinning her around. He was so drunk, but he did look unbelievably happy. When he finally put her down, he grabbed her by the arm and very dramatically whispered in her ear while pointing, “Nate’s that way.”

She looked at him confused and surprised, but he didn’t let her say anything before not so gently pushing her towards Nate. And she didn’t protest, because when she finally saw him, she felt her heart speed up again. He looked jubilant, swaying slightly with EJ, face pink and hair messy. She had learned over the last month or so that she really liked the way he looked with the playoff beard.

Charlotte wasn’t sure whether to disturb whatever EJ and Nate were doing, but once EJ saw her, he let out a screech so loud she had no choice but to turn toward them. “Charlotte! Lotte! Lott Ness Monster! Come here!” But once you got here, he immediately left, vanishing to leave her standing in front of the very flushed Nathan Mackinnon.

“Hi Nathan, congratulations! Well deserved. It’s been an absolute privilege watching you this season,” she said, unsure what to do as her heart kept racing faster at the way drunk Nate was looking at her.

“Oh, stop with that professional speech and give me a hug,” he slurred, pulling her in tightly.

She chuckled and let herself enjoy the warmth and the firm contours of his body against her before forcing herself to pull away. He only let her get so far, leaving one arm still wrapped around her shoulders.

“It’s nice to see you enjoying yourself at an event like this,” she said softly.

“Well, I had to! You weren’t at the last two of these, so I had to find a way to entertain myself with EJ,” he said, pouting. She had certainly never seen him pout, but she was even more surprised that he noticed and cared.

“Oh! Yeah, I had work. Sorry.”

“I know. Who even cares about the Nuggets.” he mumbled under his breath before throwing his head back and yelling a quick “GO AVS!” that was followed by a loud round of cheers. After a few seconds, he piped up excited again, “Are you enjoying yourself today?”

“Um… I think so! It’s nice to see everyone so happy and energetic.” Her eyes scanned the crowd, smiling until she caught Gabe and EJ staring and pointing at them. Before she had the chance to ask Nate what that was about, he was pulling her towards Mikko on the other side of the room.

The rest of the night passed in a blur of drinks, laughs, and the warm firm feeling of Nate’s arm around her shoulders. With each passing drink, she found herself leaning into it more. She was sure her face was so red that it rivaled JT’s hair. But if the boys noticed, which they were too drunk to notice, they didn’t mention it. And even if they did, she doesn’t remember.

*          *          *

The next morning Nate woke up with the worst hangover of his life. He had collapsed on top of all his sheets fully naked, and so he also woke up with a slight feeling of shame and dread at what he might have done the night before. When he finally reached over to check his phone, it was blowing up with messages.

gabe the babe (INCOMING): dude did nate finally hook up with the lott ness monster

JT (INCOMING): omg nate, you have to tell us if you did

mooseman (INCOMING): he definitely did, did you not see how he literally didn’t stop touching her the whole night

Nate buried his head in his sheets and groaned, trying to rack his brain for memories of himself being an idiot around Charlotte last night. But he was drawing a blank. After minutes, he finally lifted his head again and opened a private text to EJ.

Nate Dogg (OUTGOING): ej, please tell me you remember if I did something stupid last night

EJ (INCOMING): yeah. you did.

Nate Dogg (OUTGOING): FUCK what did I do

EJ (INCOMING): you didn’t take lotte home with you you fucking idiot

Nate Dogg (OUTGOING): what

EJ (INCOMING): you just fucking disappeared in an uber without even saying goodbye. and EYE had to make sure she got home okay

Nate Dogg (OUTGOING): oh, well it could’ve been worse

EJ (INCOMING): HOW

EJ (INCOMING): HOW COULD IT HAVE BEEN WORSE

Nate Dogg (OUTGOING): idk if I did something stupid or said something bad

EJ (INCOMING): dude, you have got to ask her out, you two clearly like each other

Nate Dogg (OUTGOING): i have no idea what you’re talking about. we're just friends. we just work together. like you and me

EJ (INCOMING): YEAH RIGHT DOGG if you were touching me all night like that, we would be having a very different conversation ;)

EJ (INCOMING): please tell me you at least have her number now

Nate paused and thought back to the night before, but it was such a blur he didn’t know. But when he looked in his contacts, her number wasn’t there.

Nate Dogg (OUTGOING): nope

EJ (INCOMING): you are so fucking hopeless. i hope you find a pair at home this summer so you will finally do something about this crush

EJ (INCOMING): or maybe when we come back in the fall, she won’t be so single anymore and it won’t matter

Nate felt his stomach turn and he groaned. The hangover finally hit him but he was typing a sarcastic response when another message interrupted his thought.

Sarah (INCOMING): congrats again bro! are you bringing someone to the wedding?

Nate (OUTGOING): wow, really cutting to the chase this morning.

Nate (OUTGOING): and no.

Sarah (INCOMING): what you’re telling me a stanley cup winner can’t find a date

Nate groaned again and muffled a scream in his pillow. He knew that his sister and mom would not drop this subject from the moment he got home. He knew that they would probably try to set him on dates, or worse introduce him to every single woman at the wedding. He lay there, head on his pillow, for a long time, until finally, he had an absolutely insane idea. An idea that can only come to someone after the happiest day of their life followed by the biggest hangover of their life.

Nate (OUTGOING): fine, I’ll bring someone

Sarah (INCOMING): OH MY GOD WHAT WHO

Sarah (INCOMING): NATHAN RAYMOND MACKINNON IF YOU’VE BEEN DATING SOMEONE THIS WHOLE TIME AND HIDING IT FROM ME, I’LL KILL YOU. I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU’VE WON.

Nate (OUTGOING): nope, not telling

Sarah (INCOMING): you are a child and i hate you

Nate (OUTGOING): I love you. See you soon.

Sarah (INCOMING): URGH

Sarah (INCOMING): Love you too. I’m calling mom.

*          *          *

Charlotte woke up with a splitting headache and the room spinning at 6 am. And despite how horribly she felt, she couldn’t get back to sleep. She could still feel Nate’s arm on her shoulder, and his lips against her ear as he whispered something unintelligible, and the scent of his cologne lingering on her hair would waft into her memory every few seconds making her heart skip. She was absolutely certain that he was more drunk than she was, and that he was a touchy drunk. She felt even a little guilty for taking advantage of his touchiness, getting as much as she could last night.

After a few hours of being unable to get back to sleep, she peeled herself up and drew herself a bath with a cup of tea. She still wasn’t able to stomach food yet, but she felt her body relaxing in the warm water, finally letting Nate slip from her mind. Eventually, she got up and padded around the house thinking about the long summer ahead. It was her first summer with not a lot of work to do, and since it was her first year in Denver, she also didn’t really know many people or have any concrete plans.

She had just sat down at her computer to research ideas when she heard a buzz on her apartment intercom. She looked down at her phone confused, but there were no texts there from the few friends she had made so far.

“Hello?” she stutters cautiously into the intercom.

“Oh my god, thank fuck,” a familiar voice rang back, “it’s you. I’ve been buzzing every apartment and I swear your neighbors think I’m a crazy person.”

“What?”

“Um. Oh. Sorry, Charlotte. It’s Nate.”

She was stunned silent. Stunned and confused.

“Um… Nathan Mackinnon…” He filled the silence nervously, “You know… From the Avalanche.”

That snapped her out of her trance as a laugh bubbled out of her. “Oh my god Nathan, I know who you are. Sorry. I was just confused. How do you know where I live?”

“Um, well when we first met, I dropped you off here. So, I made the gamble that you still lived here and just buzzed every apartment to see.”

“Oh. Wow,” she says, stunned, confused and flattered, “Um, is everything okay?”

“Ah, yeah.” He paused. “You know, I just realized how dumb this was. I’m really sorry to disturb you—”

“No!” she says louder than she intended, “No, Nathan, wait. Let me buzz you up.”

“Oh, okay, yeah! Thanks!”

She paced around her entryway, thoughts racing. The door knocks still startled her, and as she walked over, she looked down at her sweatpants and realized there definitely was no time to change and prayed she looked okay.

“Hi, Nathan,” she smiled, opening the door, “Um, do you want to come in?”

“Oh, sure,” he hesitates and makes a gesture to hug her before chickening out, pulling away and stepping past her.

“So, what brings you to my humble abode today?”

“Your apartment is cute.”

“Thanks. It’s not NHL superstar level, but it’s pretty good to me.”

He chuckles and leans a hip on the kitchen island, stuffing his hands into his pockets. His eyes were firmly trained on the ground. She wasn’t really sure what to say, so she moved behind him to start making them both some tea. He studies her as she moves around and wonders how it’s possible she looks so good in your sweatpants and messy bun when he feels like his entire guts might just drop out of his body.

Eventually, he spoke up, “Um, so I realized I didn’t have your number.”

This made her laugh, a proper belly laugh. “What,” she manages to get out, “you came all the way here because you don’t have my number.”

“Well…” he hesitates, “Yeah. I mean, I never asked for it I guess.”

“Okay, do you want it now?” she was still laughing.

“Um, yes?” He was shifting on his feet, rubbing his neck with his hand, leaning awkwardly on the countertop.

“Okay,” she reached a hand out.

He looks at her confused and gives it a slap.

“That was for your phone, silly. Not for a five,” she was laughing even harder now. And his cheeks turned bright red as he handed her his phone, not meeting her eyes. She passes the phone back to him along with a cup of tea, “There you go. So… What was the huge rush? You could’ve emailed me or something for it.”

He paused and laughed, “Honestly, I didn’t even think of that. I guess my brain doesn’t work very well when I’m hungover.”

Charlotte took a seat next to him on the kitchen island as they sipped their teas.

After a few minutes, he clears his throat. “Actually, that’s not why I came over. I mean it, but it isn’t the main reason.”

“Okay?” she encouraged.

“I had a really stupid idea and it was stupid at the time, but now I’m here it’s even dumber. So, I’ll just settle for the number.”

“Okay, Nathan, you can’t just say something that cryptic and not tell me.”

His face went bright red again and he shuffled in place. “No, it’s okay.”

“Okay, no. You don’t get to interrupt my hangover recovery and not tell me why.”

He sighed and looked away. After a while, he mumbled under his breath very quickly, “Fine. Icameheretoaskyouifyou’dcometomycousin’swedding.”

“What?” she said, not sure if she misinterpreted the mumbles or if she was dreaming.

“Um… Well, my cousin, back in Nova Scotia, is getting married in a few weeks. And my mom and sister keep bothering me to bring someone. And I just had this stupid idea. Because you’re the only person I’ve had fun with at those big events. So, this morning, in my post-Stanley Cup alcohol delirium I thought Hey, I should ask Charlotte if she wants to help me survive a social event and get my parents off my ass about not having a date? So here I am. But obviously, that was insane. So don’t worry about it.”

Charlotte looked at him, mouth open, in shock for longer than acceptable, and felt her own cheeks redden. A little lightheaded, before she could really stop to think, she responded, “Sure! I mean why not? What’s the harm in me going? I don’t have any plans.”

His head snapped up to meet her eyes for the first time in a few minutes and Charlotte is captivated by the way his sharp blues light up in response. It was when she saw the smile take over his face and her heart sped up that she knew this was probably a huge mistake. But a mistake she didn’t want to take back.

*          *          *

“So, how long have you two cuties been dating?” the fifth person in a row asked. Charlotte wasn’t sure if this was an aunt or a family friend, but she forced the smile back on her face as she responded.

“Oh, we’re not dating. We work together, kind of.”

The lady looked between the two of them, and Charlotte could feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickle again as she was acutely aware of Nate’s hand resting on her lower back.

“She’s here as my date, yes, but we aren’t dating. We’re just good friends,” he replies gently but firmly, the same way he had been doing all weekend, before changing the subject.

But she was lost in thought. She had been here for a few days, and she had to admit that Nova Scotia was beautiful, and Nate’s family and friends were wonderful. Despite not knowing Nate super well, she had never felt out of place. He had always made sure she was included in conversations, explaining anything that felt like an inside joke. She thought back to all the times she had met a boyfriend’s family — there hadn’t been that many, but enough to know that this was far better than any of them did.

Nate had been awkward and hesitant at first, jumping away every time he touched her by accident on the plane ride over and flinching when their knuckles brushed when he went to help her grab her luggage. But he slowly allowed himself to loosen up a little, reading her lack of discomfort as a good sign. He always prided himself on acting like a gentleman; even though women complained that he was stiff and unromantic, he tried. He found himself putting in an extra effort to hold open the door for her, to pull out a chair for her, to offer an elbow as she walked on the uneven pavement.

If Nate was in his head about every move he made, Charlotte was ten times more in her head. They had only really spent time together at work and work functions. And she wasn’t sure if that’s why something felt different here, more intimate, or if she was just imagining it. She was starting to feel like he was going out of his way to touch her; laying a hand on her knee when they were sitting next to each other, tapping her elbow to show her something, keeping a hand on her back when they were standing.

She had tried her hardest not to lean into his touch every time, but she couldn’t deny the comfort his large hand on her back felt—god, was his hand always this large. It was never too low as to be intrusive; just resting chastely on her mid back to remind her that he was there and was ready to take a break from the socializing at any point.

Whether she was imagining it or not, it was starting to drive her insane. Her skin constantly felt buzzing and hot, tingling in the places he touched, electrified in the places closest to him that craved his touch.

Nate’s low voice in her ear startled her out of her thoughts.

“Hmm?” she responded as she felt her neck and ear flush with the brush of his lips on her ear.

“Oh, I was just asking if you want to go for a walk,” he murmured, “you’re looking a little overwhelmed.”

“Yeah, sure,” she breathed, her voice coming out a little shaky with how close his tall frame was to her.

And so, she reached out and took his extended elbow as they slipped out of the rehearsal dinner and wandered down to the waterfront in silence.

“I can totally see why you love it here,” she finally said.

“Hmm?” he hummed.

“It’s beautiful. The water. With the lights reflecting. And all the beautiful trees. And the fresh air. I can understand why you love coming here in the summer.”

“Yeah, it’s truly something,” he looked over at her with an unreadable expression on his face, but his eyes were warm and soft. It looked like he wanted to say something for a second before he shook his head and looked away. “I’m glad you came with me. You make these big events bearable.”

“Just bearable, Nathan?” she laughed, trying to break the tension in the air she couldn’t really explain. And his chuckles were quick to join hers in the warm summer air.

And just like that, they fell into a comfortable rhythm again, laughing and chatting. Eventually, he walked her back to the hotel and their adjoining rooms.

“Well, here you go, m’lady,” he joked, letting his arm fall from her for the first time in a while. He began to turn towards his room but hesitated for a second before turning back and pulling her into a tight hug. She let herself melt into the hug, embracing the warm buzzing feeling in her chest as she felt his larger frame engulf her. He didn’t let go when she thought he was going to, instead whispering in her ear, “Thank you.”

“Thank me for what, Nathan?”

“For coming with me. For being so good with my family, even though they keep asking intrusive questions. For just being you,” he said, pulling back. They were standing so close together that she could see every shade of blue in his eyes as they looked at her intently. She swore she saw his eyes flicker to her lips briefly before the smallest sharp intake of breath he tried to hide as he untangled from her. She could feel her body ache a little as her cheeks burned.

She didn’t know if it was the glasses of wine or the dizzying tension, but before she could stop herself, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Of course, Nathan,” she murmured, “good night.” She smiled as she turned away and opened her hotel room door as quickly as possible.

She didn’t dare to take a peek back at him, but if she had, she would have seen his eyes wide, and cheeks flushed in shock. Instead, she quickly ducked into the room, shutting the door behind her, leaning back against the cold wood, and closing her eyes. What the fuck am I doing, she said to herself, Nate is a sweet guy, who I work with. I’m just doing him a favor. And he clearly thinks I’m just a good friend, as he keeps saying to everyone. Get it together.

She walked away and started getting ready for bed. It took her a long time to fall asleep that night, tossing and turning as her mind raced through the moments of the day, all the little touches and glances and the sparkle in Nate’s blue eyes.

 *         *          *

The following day was the wedding, and the morning passed comfortably despite neither of them acknowledging the moment they both wanted to talk about so badly. Soon, she found herself sitting beside him in the church, watching the beautiful bride stand next to her adoring groom.

While the ceremony went on, Nate was having a hard time staying out of his thoughts as the celebrant talked about love and marriage and as the happy couple exchanged adoring words with each other. It was not that he hated weddings, not at all; in fact, he loved them. He loved the celebration and the emotion. But as the years went on, it became a stunning reminder of what he did not have. With every wedding and every failed relationship in between, he felt more alone, like maybe something was wrong with him.

Charlotte noticed that Nate seemed emotional, lost in his thoughts. She had no idea what was going through his mind, but she could sense that he was troubled. At some point during the ceremony, when Nate found himself particularly emotional, he had reached his hand over and grasped hers. She had to try hard to hold back the small gasp that threatened to escape her lips. But seeing his troubled expression, she squeezed his hand. And, inexplicably to her, his hand never left hers, not during the rest of the ceremony, or the walk over to the cocktail hour space. He only reluctantly let go to help her to her seat once they got to the reception.

Although they both enjoyed the reception food, they had both been so deep in their own thoughts that their conversation with the table was stilted and almost awkward. Eventually, as the night wore on, and the gentle fuzz of liquor started to take over, they both started to relax. Nate, after starting and stopping for almost 15 minutes, finally asked her to dance; his heart rate racing as she excitedly nodded yes.

Which is how they found themselves on the dancefloor for over an hour. At first, it was awkward. They were standing a foot apart, dancing independently; she, laughing at Nate’s horrible dance moves, and Nate, feeling electrified by the way her body moved. Eventually, they got closer and closer together until they were swaying in each other’s arms to some horrible Mariah Carey song, making snide remarks in each other’s ears and not caring how obnoxiously loud they were laughing at the jokes.

A few drinks later, their inhibitions were lowered enough that she found herself with her back against him. His arms wrapped firmly around her waist as she leaned into his warm, towering figure. Both of them were no longer sure if they were intoxicated by each other or the drinks, but they did not really care. After they were grinding to a Doja Cat song, she swore she felt something press against her back, but she was not sure as Nate swiftly excused himself to use the bathroom.

And that’s how she found herself at the bar by herself.

“Nate really likes you, you know?” she heard a voice say beside her. When she looked over, she saw his mom giving her a knowing glance.

“Oh, Mrs. Mackinnon, we’re just friends,” Charlotte managed to choke out, despite feeling her throat tighten.

“I know, sweetie, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be more there,” she smiled, laying a soft hand on her forearm. She had never felt herself sober up faster.

“I appreciate that, but we do work together,” she strained.

“Please, call me Kathy,” she continued, not acknowledging Charlotte’s weak protest. And when she did not respond, Kathy added, “You know, I’ve met a number of his girlfriends, and he had never looked at them the way he looks at you. Or even treated them the same way. He’s barely left your side since you got here.”

“Kathy, I’m sure that’s not true. You have raised an amazing son. I’m sure he is just as kind to anyone.” She could feel her cheeks feel heat as she started scanning the room, desperate for Nate’s return.

“Sweetheart,” Kathy spoke softly, “I have been married for many years. There is only one reason a person looks at someone the way he looks at you, and that’s love. If you feel the same way, you should tell him. Don’t stand in the way of your own happiness, dear. Life is too short.”

She smiled as her husband came to stand next to her; and before Charlotte could protest again, she gave her a gentle hug before walking away, leaving her standing there with her head spinning at her words.

Charlotte gripped the edge of the bar and downed her drink in one go once the bartender handed it to her, earning an eyebrow raise. She jumped and let out a little squeak when she felt a warm hand press into her back.

“Woah, it’s just me,” Nate joked before he met her eyes and his brows furrowed, “are you okay?”

“Um, yeah,” she croaked out stiffly.

“Are you sure?” he stepped in closer which only made her stiffen more, “You seem… I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable?”

“What?” she tried to say calmly, although it came out an octave too high, “What makes you say that? Nope. I’m fine.”

He furrowed his brow more and leaned back, confused, before removing his hand from her back and stuffing them in his pockets. There was a twinge of sadness in his eye as he looked around, unsure what to do. “Okay, then. Do you want to go back on the dance floor? Or I guess not. We could sit back at our table?”

“Yeah,” she said awkwardly, finding a normal tone again, “Table sounds good.”

They sat in silence for a bit, just watching the other guests dancing, both deep in thought. She was stuck thinking about what Nate’s mom had said. If she thought about it, she could totally understand why an outside observer would see their relationship as something more than friends. But if Nate had feelings for her, why did he so insistently refer to her as his “good friend”? And even if he did like her, she wasn’t sure about the implications for her job. Was she going to get fired? Probably not, if she was upfront with HR. But she was new to the city and relatively new to the field. What if people started to see her as the girl who ‘goes for the stars’ or the girl who’s ‘just here to get in some rich athlete’s pants’. She had worked too hard not to be taken seriously now. And maybe if things worked out, it would eventually blow over. But if it didn’t work out… If it didn’t work out, she wasn’t sure what would happen, but she felt it would be bad.

Meanwhile, Nate was panicking; combing through every moment of the evening, trying to find where things went wrong. He was finally feeling like he had an idea of how she felt. Like maybe if he told her his feelings, she would reciprocate. Did he go too far with the dancing? Was Drunk Nate too caught up in the moment and did something inappropriate and unwanted? Nate was never much of a verbal processor — he preferred to stew on things first, —  and maybe it was the remnants of the alcohol lingering in his system but he felt the words trying to bubble up in his chest. He didn’t even know what the words would be; maybe words to explain how he felt about her, to make sure he didn’t do something wrong, to make sure she was okay.

When she finally felt the grip on her chest loosen and the thoughts begin to slow a little, she snuck a quick glance at Nate. His jaw was set firm, and brows furrowed. He was staring into the crowd on the dancefloor, but he was clearly not watching them. He looked tense, and she could see the panic she felt reflected on his face. She found herself reaching out and taking his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze; a move that clearly surprised him as he jumped a little before smiling and relaxing into it.

“Nate, I’m actually getting kind of tired. I’m thinking of heading back to the room. Did you want to stay longer?” she said gently.

He squeezed her hand back and gave her a small smile, although the worry hadn’t left the contours of his face yet, “No, I’m actually ready to head back too. Come on.” He pulled her onto her feet.

They took the ten-minute walk back to the hotel in relative silence, tethered together by their interlocked hands. Nate spent the whole walk back planning his speech; he was going to tell her how he felt because he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Holding hands with her just felt so right. But for her, despite how nice it felt, it caused an overwhelming sense of panic to rush back through her. It was nice. It was too nice. It was going to ruin everything.

Stepping out of the elevator, the words escaped her lips before she had the chance to hold them back. “Nate, I think this was a mistake,” her voice was barely above a whisper. He froze beside her and managed to choke out a “What?”

“Nate,” she said, pulling her hand away from him and backing towards her door, “This is giving me a taste of what I can’t have. And this friendship… I don’t think I can do this.”

“What are you talking about?” he replied, still stuck in the spot where she left him, his voice louder than he had intended.

“The touching, the holding hands, the being sweet… It’s too much,” she said, unlocking the door, not meeting his eyes.

“What—” he repeated, his voice cracking at the end. Her mind didn’t process that the pain she felt was echoed in his voice.

She sighed, stepping into the doorway, “I can’t do this, Nate. Because if we keep doing this, I’m going to fall in love with you. And I can’t do that while being your ‘good friend from work’. So, I’m going to bed. Good night.” She finally met his eye as she stepped back to shut the door, barely registering the way his face flickered from hurt to confusion to shock to hope.

Charlotte rested her forehead against the door and let out a shaky breath. She could feel the tears form and slide down her face. She tried to convince herself that it was the right move, but the only thing she could hear in her head was the sound of Nate’s mother’s voice saying ‘Don’t stand in the way of your own happiness, dear. Life is too short.’ What if Kathy was right? What if protecting herself from pain was causing more pain itself? What if it would work out? As she stood there, she listened for movement on the other side of the door, but she heard none. Was that hope she saw in his face there? If it was, what did it mean?

Before she could finish the thought, she heard shuffles and a rapid knock on the door that startled her. She didn’t know why, but she opened it without hesitation.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I did something earlier that made you uncomfortable. I'm sorry if I'm crossing a boundary now but I would never forgive myself if I didn't say this," he said, looking at her with concern. When she nodded, he continued speaking.

He confessed to her that he had never been this person before, love-struck and irrational. He had always been calm, detached, and calculated, but with her, he couldn't help it. He couldn't help being rash, like inviting her to the wedding or reaching out to touch her and be close to her.

She had told him that she couldn't do this because she was scared of falling in love with him, but he revealed that he might already be in love with her. He had been saying that she was just a friend and a colleague because he was scared, but he had never felt this way before and was afraid he would mess it up.

During the wedding ceremony, he looked around at everyone and realized that he had won the Stanley Cup this year, but he still felt off. He kept thinking about her - how her laughter made him want to make her laugh again, how her smile warmed his chest, and how he could still feel the tingle where their skin had touched even after she left.

He admitted that he had never been sure if he had truly been in love before, and maybe this was it. He thought they owed it to themselves to find out because he believed she might feel the same way. He knew it might not be the most rational decision, but it was everything he had to say.

Feeling a shaky breath escape her lips, she heard the voice in her mind, "Don't stand in the way of your own happiness, dear. Life is too short." For the first time on this trip, she felt her mind still and smiled as she closed the distance between them. With her chest pressed to him, she looked up at him, admiring his soft and nervous blue eyes. She reached up to cup his neck and met him in a kiss.

The kiss was gentle and soft at first, as she chastely felt their bodies slot together; his hands finding her waist, and hers fisting his suit jacket to bring him closer. After not long, she felt Nate run his tongue along her lip and she allowed herself to deepen the kiss, conveying the emotion that was hard to put into words. The feeling of his firm hands against her waist and his muscular body against hers again made her feel as though she were on fire. And she had to admit, she liked this quite a lot. Eventually, they disconnected and rested their foreheads together as they took in the moment.

“So, are you going to say something?” Nate whispered.

 “Yeah, uh, ditto,” she whispered back, giggling slightly.

“That’s it?!” he leaned back in mock horror, “After I poured my heart out, that’s all you have to say?” She could see a smile tugging at his lips.

“Well, I think for the first time in your life, you have spoken enough words for both of us, Nathan,” she laughed as she gave his chin a little pinch, drawing a laugh from him as well. She leaned back in to place another firm kiss on his lips before saying, “I like you a lot too. Like a lot a lot. It scares me. But, as the kids say, you only live once, and I need to stop being scared and just see where this goes because I think I might be in love with you, Nathan, and I need to find out if I am.”

He smiled broadly; it’s the smile she loves, the one where his nose scrunches a little and she can see the genuine happiness on his face. And as their lips rejoined, she slowly started to pull him back into her hotel room.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” he says, disconnecting their lips briefly.

“Uh, right now? Sure, I guess,” she raised her eyebrow.

“Why do you always call me Nathan? Everyone always calls me Nate.” The question catches her off-guard and she laughed as she continued dragging him into your room.

“I was trying to remind myself to stay professional and not fall for you,” she laughed as she felt the back of her legs hit the edge of the bed.

“Right…That worked so well, I’ll have to remember that one for the future, Miss Charlotte,” he laughed back before kissing her again so deeply and passionately that she forgot whatever retort was on the tip of her tongue.

[crazylittlejester]

That update was SO GOOD- I immediately went to your blog the minute I saw it LMAO (sorry for the like spam)

WARS WARS WARS!!!! HE IS SO PRECIOUS HERE- I love how we get to see a bit of his perspective on the dungeons vs battleground, and how respectful he is. He could’ve called it immoral to loot ruins/temples, but instead he highlights how they went “under Ganon’s snout” and were stealthy and resourceful. In comparison he was constantly in the limelight in his Hyrule, no where to hide or lie low someplace fortified like a temple. He doesn’t discredit their methods, just simply points out the battlefield also had its advantages. He’s a good mans!!!!!

I really hope we get to hear more about his experiences though, both for his character but to also see how the others take it as well. How different it must’ve been for him, what it must’ve been like to constantly be fighting day in and day out, and not just exploring like we often see in other games, how intimidating it must’ve felt for Wars to be the first anomaly in the cycle in quite some time (if he knew of any past legends).

Also!! Do u think there might be some doubts towards Wars from the chain because of this? We saw how Twi and Four (and maybe one more?) were questioning to each other how unusual it was for a warrior of Hyrule to not do a dungeon, and how he may not know certain monsters. That worries me on how that could reflect their view of Warriors. Will they start to doubt his strategies? Will they waste time arguing if they think he hasn’t fought a certain monster? While I don’t think they won’t trust him, I can definitely see some concerns sprouting about what he, and by extension the rest of the chain, truly know about other monsters.

I also like how Time didn’t react negatively at Wars’ statement, beyond just an odd look. It goes to show that it isn’t an issue for him because he’s seen Wars’ skills and trusts that even if he has different experiences, he’s still valuable and knowledgeable. Also- with Wars being right behind Time and sorta backing each other up, I think we’re starting to see more of co-leader/second in command Warriors and I LOVE THAT- PLS PLS MORE CO-LEADER WARS PLS!!!!!

Anyway- thems be my crazy thoughts on the update. I hope this means that Wars can finally get some proper recognition and love as we learn about him through the comic!!!!

ALKSJLKSJ don’t worry about the like spam i dont care at all. Also sorry it took me to long to answer this! I really wanted to make sure i could sit down and read the whole thing, i’ve been a little busy running around today

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, he’s gonna hate the dungeons so much i think… Like I think he’ll like the puzzles and such, but I don’t think he’ll appreciate how cramped everything is or how monsters can drop from the ceilings like that. But yes I also love how he doesn’t like, call their dungeons stupid or anything he’s just kinda like “Am i the weird one for not willingly walking into a death trap- apparently”

I ALSO REALLY WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES, and I want to see him compare more things about the war to what the others have been through! It’d be so interesting to see Jojo’s take on all that

Personally, I don’t think they’ll necessarily DOUBT him because of his lack of dungeon experience. They’ve seen how fully capable is, how strong and reliable he is, he knows what he’s doing and he’s a strategist and THEY know all that too. However, I can absolutely see him suggesting they do something in the dungeon and everyone else going “you NEVER do that first in a dungeon oh my god??” because he just doesn’t know how dungeons work. I think they might look out for him (?) more, in the sense that he’s out of his element. He has a leader personality, and he’s going to have to let the more experienced people in the group choose what to do in the dungeon and help figure out puzzles or look for hidden hallways and treasure and such, cos he’s not really used to doing that kinda stuff. I don’t think the others will doubt his abilities, I guess I just think they’re more in shock that he’s just never done that?? And it’s something they’ll just be consciously aware of (sorry if that didn’t make sense my brain is mush and my head hurts 🥺)

TIME WAS SO FUCKING OVER IT, I LOVED WARS LOOKIN AT HIM LIKE “Am i weird 🥺” AND TIME STARING BACK AT HIM LIKE “🤨”. I’m genuinely obsessed with that shot of them looking like the disappointed parents. Every time those two interact I do a little spin because i am gods most normal man ever (and i headcanon they’ve met before this. i know it ain’t canon but i still like the idea of them being close in actual lu canon)

the best part of this update was all the people who were like “Wars fans… I get it now.” like we won. we won guys, we won

[genshin-obsessed]

Who Likes You! | Haikyuu

Disclaimer: I wrote this and posted it on another blog but I'm not there anymore. I want all my writing with me, so I reposted it here. It's all my works. If you've seen it before, it's me, don't worry, but you're welcome to check the name.

I got this idea back then, but I've been desperately wanting to write more of this! It was so super fun back then ;w;

Characters: Kentaro Kyotani, Tobio Kageyama, Tadashi Yamaguchi, Yu Nishinoya, and Kotaro Bokuto

Warnings: angst ahead and maybe some ooc-ness

♢ Kentaro Kyotani ♢

You’ve been with Kentaro for almost a year now and so you know a few of his… “friends”. Over time, you got to know Oikawa and he got to know you. You didn’t spend too much time with him, there were always excuses he had, classes, practice, whatever. It wasn’t very hard for him to start falling for you. You were just so amazing, how couldn’t he? You don’t know and people can say Oikawa had dropped hints (more like failed to hide his feelings) but you never pay attention. You’re always staring at Kentaro.

Kentaro didn’t know in the beginning, either. Oikawa was constantly surrounded by girls so what was the point of him liking you? You were taken and it… really didn’t seem like it. Until one day, he was going to the club room to ask Iwaizumi for something when he caught their conversation. 

“What did you just say, loserkawa?!” Iwaizumi’s voice came through the open door. Kentaro stopped and waited, kind of curiously.

“Don’t make me say it again- OH FINE DON’T HIT ME! I… I like (y/n), ok?” Kentaro’s eyes widened and his body went rigid. He could only stand outside and continue to listen. 

“How could you?! Kentaro is your… f-friend!”

“I know,” Oikawa said as he slumped against the wall, sliding down to the ground, “I didn’t do it on purpose! I couldn’t help it, ok? I didn’t think it would happen! We don’t choose who we fall in love with!”

“Didn’t you realize you were starting to catch feelings? You should’ve pushed them away.”

“I know.” He knew. Oikawa knew the best thing to do was to get away from you so these stupid feelings would die down, but he found it so difficult. You were just so kind and so magnetic. He was pitifully weak and here was the end result. He never imagined he would fall in love with someone else’s partner and if he could change it, he would.

Or would he? Being in love with you brought him joy. Sure, you may not be his, but his day was always brighter after he saw you. He always felt more confident and secure. When you attended his games, he always did better. His happiness was directly linked to yours… even if yours wasn’t linked to him. 

“I know they’re happy with Kyotani. I know he loves them and the last thing I wanna do is hurt him. Or (y/n). He’s… a better man with them. He’s… he’s really happy with them, isn’t he?” Oikawa lamented, looking at Iwaizumi. His friend could only lean against a nearby wall and sigh.

“Idiot.” Oikawa’s head fell and he stared at the ground between his legs. Tears lined his eyes at Iwaizumi’s words. He really was an idiot.

Kentaro was furious. He already had anger issues and the only thing he wanted to do was go in there and beat tf outta Oikawa. But he stopped because Oikawa was right. You didn’t like it when he fought people, so he worked on it. He worked on his aggression and anger and it was working right now. Instead of fighting, he just left. 

Ever since, Kentaro’s always been defensive around Oikawa. He doesn’t let you two stand too close and he doesn’t like it when you’re alone with him. Kentaro doesn’t want to be controlling and so he’ll reluctantly let you spend time with Oikawa… but you just never do? You prefer Kentaro over Oikawa anyway and that makes him so happy. Cuz no way he could compete with mister pretty boy.

♢ Tobio Kageyama ♢

You and Kageyama have been dating for a little over 4 months. You got to know his friends immediately and it didn’t take long for Hinata to start falling for you. You had no idea because you only had eyes for Kageyama. You never noticed the little things, even if your boyfriend did.

Kageyama didn’t know… but he had a feeling. There was the way that Hinata spoke to you- that dumb little tone. He didn’t use it with Yachi or Kiyoko, just you. The more Kageyama observed Hinata with you, the more uncomfortable he became. Hinata blushed a lot around you and often tried to be near you. So, Kageyama confronted him.

“Hey.” Kageyama called, approaching Hinata one day after practice. Hinata looked up at him and waved, assuming it was a greeting.

“Hey, what’s u-”

“Do you like (y/n)?”

“Wh-wha- NO!” However, the speed at which Hinata answered, the way his shoulders tensed, the redness of his cheeks, they all revealed the truth. Kageyama’s glare hardened as his body moved towards Hinata. The smaller one kept backing up until he hit the wall behind him.

The last thing Hinata wanted to do was talk about his feelings for you. That was his first defense- to ignore it. If he never admitted it was true, then it wasn’t true, right? It was just a dumb little crush and it would just go away overtime. Who would’ve guessed that what Hinata felt wasn’t just a “simple crush”? Who knew these “innocent” feelings would become so painfully controlling? Who knew that the longer you spent around him, the more you took? Before he knew it, he was all yours. But you didn’t want him. No, you didn’t want Hinata, you wanted Kageyama.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Fine!” Hinata’s gaze fell to the ground as the words started to pour out of his lips. His feelings finally reached a boiling point and after holding it in for so long, they just burst out. He so desperately wanted to stop himself, but he just couldn’t. He was finally admitting something he so frantically tried to avoid. “Say what you will, Kageyama… but I liked (y/n) first. But you… you had to swoop in and just take them right? Like you always do.”

“What the hell are you talking about-”

“Don’t worry about it.” Hinata pushed past Kageyama, walking towards the gym doors. He paused and looked back at the dark-haired boy with a glare of his own, “I won’t do anything. They want you... not me.”

Practice for the next like two weeks was REALLY weird. Not only was Kageyama refusing to set for Hinata, the orange-haired boy didn’t want Kageyama as a setter. No matter what Daichi, Sugawara, and Tanaka did, the two refused to budge. Kiyoko, Yachi, and Nishinoya tried too. Hell, even Tsukishima yelled at them! The only way they started working together was when coach Ukai threatened to kick them off the team. Even then, it really seemed like the two were dead set against working with each other. Honestly, Ukai was a little scared they would quit on their own. Eventually, the two did start working together again. They weren’t ever as friendly (not that they were before), but they did end up working it out.

Kageyama doesn’t like Hinata hanging around you, but after their talk, Hinata just backed off. Kageyama noticed how sad you got when Hinata avoided you, to which he confronted Hinata once more. Hinata explained that avoiding you was a defensive measure. The more time Hinata spent around you, the more his feelings grew and the last thing he wanted to do was get between you and your happiness. Kageyama argued that this would hurt you in the process, since you and Hinata were great friends, but Hinata didn’t back down and claimed he was going to do what he wanted to and Kageyama only needed to worry about himself and you.

♢ Tadashi Yamaguchi ♢

 You and Yamaguchi had been dating for around five months. He’d finally introduced you to his team… and they were shocked to say the least! Some even teased him for “holding out on” them. You were just the cutest and it didn’t take long for you to catch Nishinoya’s eyes. It was actually hard to tell at first, because he used Kiyoko as a cover… but in truth, he was in love with you, not her.

Yamaguchi doesn’t know because just like everyone else, he assumed Noya was head over heels for Kiyoko. Everyone thought so, even Kiyoko herself! There was one day where Yamaguchi had left a textbook in the club room, so he was heading back. Everyone was gone, except for Sugawara and Nishinoya. He was going to say hello… until he heard Suga.

“What do you plan on telling Tadashi then?” Sugawara asked, his tone of curiosity and concern. Hearing his name kind of freaked Yamaguchi out, so he pressed himself behind the door and listened patiently. 

“Nothing!” Nishinoya yelled, almost immediately. “N-No one’s… saying anything.”

“Then what are you going to do about this? I mean, you seriously had us all fooled.” Nishinoya let out a self-deprecating laugh as he fell onto the ground, leaning against the wall.

“If only I could fool myself…” They were both silent, which caused Yamaguchi to get a little impatient. He wanted to know what they were talking about, especially since it concerned him. Finally, after a couple of moments of silence, Nishinoya broke it. “They’re… beautiful.”

“What?” Sugawara asked, as he sat beside Nishinoya and gently patted his shoulder. His words were so quiet, they were barely heard in the silent room.

“(y/n)... is beautiful. Every time I see them my heart beats so fast. I often forget Kiyoko’s face when they’re around and sometimes… I can’t help but just want to wrap my arms around them.” At this point, Nishinoya’s voice was cracking as tears pooled in his eyes. They slowly dripped down to the floor below as his voice died down. Finally, it hit Yamaguchi. As if his body was on autopilot, he moved to stand in the doorway.

“You’re in love with (y/n)?” Both boys’ heads shot up and their eyes widened immediately.

“T-Tadashi…” Sugawara whispered as Nishinoya jumped to his feet.

“W-wait! Tadashi! I-I can explain!”

“Ok… explain.” Nishinoya fell silent, wondering what to do or say. The last thing he wanted was for Yamaguchi to find out. The silence took over the three once more, no matter how much Nishinoya looked for an excuse, he couldn’t find one. “I thought so.”

Oh boy. Yamaguchi started acting REALLY weird since. Nishinoya too. The libero’s normal light was gone and he had become reclusive. He barely talked at practice, barely gave any effort, and started to take days off. Yamaguchi also started skipping practice, making you force him. You tried asking Tsukishima what happened, but unfortunately the blond had no idea. Finally, you were able to get an answer from Sugawara. He told you Yamaguchi and Nishinoya had an argument and things were just really tense. Sugawara told everyone else the same thing, wanting to respect his friend’s wishes as far as he could. Eventually, both of them started attending practice regularly, but it was evident it was never resolved.

Yamaguchi was more upset than jealous. He couldn’t possibly compete with Nishinoya. All he had on Nishinoya was his height, nothing else. The libero was an amazing, talented player, he was outgoing and fun to spend time with. Yamaguchi often wondered if Noya was a better option for you and eventually confronted you about it. He left out the part where Nishinoya was in love with you and simply asked why you wouldn’t just find a better partner. Especially one of his teammates, since they were better. You assured him you wanted no one other than him. No matter what happened. Yamaguchi did end up having a conversation with Noya though, not wanting to leave unresolved issues. Thankfully, they were able to work it out. Unfortunately, things were never the same between them.

♢ Yu Nishinoya ♢

Everyone was so surprised that Nishinoya had a partner that wasn’t Kiyoko! Like his devotion to Kiyoko… then out of nowhere he’s dating someone?! Weird. Just bizarre. He LOVES talking about you, he never shuts up! You spent so much time around the team due to him, it was only a matter of time before Tanaka fell in love with you. You never noticed since you assumed he was in love with Kiyoko, much like everyone else.

Nishinoya had no idea. Tanaka used Kiyoko as a mask to hide his true feelings. But that’s all it was- a mask. Tanaka was always around you and Nishinoya, so it was even more surprising that your boyfriend didn’t know. You didn’t know either, thinking that everything Tanaka did was just because you were his friend. You had heard he had a crush on someone but like everyone else, you assumed it was Kiyoko. That is until Tsukishima decided to tease Tanaka about staring at you too much.

“You’re staring,” the blond commented as he approached Tanaka, who was sitting down. Tanaka immediately looked away with red cheeks, causing Tsukishima to look at the person he was staring at. “No way, were you staring at (y/n)? AND you’re blushing. Don’t tell me you like them.”

“Wh-what!? No way! I was staring at Kiyoko!” Tanaka defended, pouting and crossing his arms.

“Uh Kiyoko’s over there.” He deadpanned, pointing at the club manager who was on the other side of the gym. Tanaka clammed up as his eyes landed on Kiyoko, she was indeed too far away from you. He wanted to respond- to try and argue literally anything- but the words were caught in his throat. It took less than a second for Tsukishima to put two and two together. “Oh my god so you actually like (y/n)!” Unfortunately, Tsukishima had been louder than intended, causing all actions to cease in the gym.

“Wh-what?” Nishinoya asked, looking at the two. Tanaka’s eyes immediately flew to you, only to find you already staring back. An awkward silence fell over the gym and it was almost suffocating as everyone looked at Tanaka for a response. The tension was broken when Nishinoya’s laughter came through, making everyone look at him instead. “I mean can we blame him? I have a crush on them too! Just don’t say anything.” Tanaka stared at Nishinoya for a second, unsure of how to respond before nodding.

“Y-yeah!” Tanaka’s obnoxious laugh filled the gym as he nodded, “(y/n) is gorgeous but nothing compares to our goddess Kiyoko!” Tanaka was at the woman’s side within a second and took her hand. “Don’t worry! I only have eyes for you! Tsukishima was just trying to make you jealous- did it work? Did it work?!”

“No.” Kiyoko answered curtly, removing her hands from Tanaka’s. Small giggles rippled through the gym as everyone returned to what they were doing. The only three not laughing were Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Tsukishima.

**

Tanaka couldn’t wait for practice to be over, he wanted nothing more than to go home and bury himself under his sheets in bed. That was probably the most embarrassing experience of his life. Unfortunately, Tanaka had received a couple of extra tasks from Daichi for interrupting practice, meaning he was the last one to leave the gym. He was partially thankful since you and Nishinoya were gone. As he made his way to the club room, he felt the anxiety return. He just wanted to go home and NEVER come back. Luck was not on his side, however, because right as he opened the club room door, he saw two people he REALLY wanted to avoid.

Nishinoya and Tsukishima.

The libero had been in the middle of asking his taller friend a question, when both of them looked at Tanaka.

“Well, he’s right there. So why don’t you ask him?” Tsukishima huffed as he crossed his arms. Nishinoya wasted no time and turned to face his best friend.

“What Tsukishima said… is it true?” Tanaka had never heard Nishinoya’s voice like that before. It was low and held hostility, which was really rare for him. Tanaka never wanted to admit it, he refused to accept it, himself. The last person he wanted to be in love with was you. But people never got to choose in situations like this. Tanaka’s gaze fell to the ground and he nodded pathetically.

“Yes.” Nishinoya scoffed and looked away, unable to believe what he was hearing. Earlier, he wanted to believe it was nothing but a joke, that’s why he treated it like one. But as the seconds passed, too many questions started popping up. How many times had Tanaka just… been there to help you? How many times did Tanaka do things for you, claiming it was just for a friend? How many times was Tanaka caught staring at you or complimenting you? Just how much did Tanaka love you? And Nishinoya knew nothing about it.

Things were somewhat tense, since. During the practice sessions that you didn’t attend, the two were fine. They were both goofing off as if nothing ever happened. But for the sessions you were at, Noya was always partially defensive. He would always wonder if Tanaka’s thinking about you or looking at you. During your hangouts (whether it would be with the team or just the two), Tanaka kept his distance, while Noya was often holding on to you in some way. Overtime, you started to wonder whether that outburst in the gym was true or not. After seeing the way Tanaka and Noya acted, the truth was kind of obvious.

In the end, Tanaka and Noya were still good friends but it was never the same. They were too close for someone to tear them apart… but to create a rift, that was very possible.

♢ Kotaro Bokuto ♢

You had been dating Bokuto for about five months, which was surprising due to a couple of reasons. Bokuto was very devoted to volleyball, more than the average player, so how could he potentially have a stable relationship like that? Well, somehow he managed. You eventually started spending a lot of time with him and his best friend, Akaashi Keiji. All was well until Akaashi one day realized he no longer felt the same way a friend should feel toward another friend. It took him a minute, but he finally admitted it. He was in love with you.

Neither you nor Bokuto know because he was really good at masking his feelings. Of course there were slip ups here and there, but nothing to be concerned about. Akaashi found it harder and harder to contain his feelings. There were times where he just felt so uncomfortable, he would physically need to leave. He didn’t hate Bokuto though, how could he? Bokuto was the reason you smiled every single day and your happiness was Akaashi’s happiness. But all good things have to come to and end someday and today just happened to be one of them.

“Isn’t (y/n) so cute?” Bokuto giggled as he showed Akaashi his phone, where there was a picture of you. His dark-haired friend looked over, his eyes glancing over the beautiful picture. You looked so happy, so carefree, so radiant. He could feel the warmth in his chest, yet the happiness didn’t reach his eyes or lips. Akaashi only nodded as he returned to the book in front of him.

Bokuto gushed over you all the time, this was nothing new. Akaashi was used to it, always doing his best to ignore the twinge of jealousy that he often felt. Akaashi wasn’t one to express too much emotion and this was no exception. It’s what made it easy to hide his love for you. Akaashi’s eyes were always on you. Every time you three would spend time together, he would find himself looking at you often.

It didn’t take long before he’d started to pick up on your habits. Cute little things such as fiddling, whether you played with your hair or not, the little face you made when you were concentrating, the way your fingers tapped on the table, or when you would hold Bokuto’s arm… everything.

“(y/n)-chan’s so cute when they nibble their food like that!” Bokuto babbled on, showing a video of you nibbling on a rice ball. “They have such adorable habits~”

“Or the way they clap twice every single time you serve.” Akaashi mentioned, offhandedly, his eyes never leaving the book in front of him. Bokuto paused and looked at his friend.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“(y/n) claps twice every time you’re up to serve. Not only that, but they also clap twice every time you spike a ball and wave at them. It’s this little habit they’ve developed. I think it’s like a good luck thing now.” Bokuto paused to think about it… he’d never really noticed. But… why did Akaashi know this? Akaashi’s usually on the court with him so when did he have time to look at you?

“That’s weird that you know that. Do you stare at (y/n) a lot or something? It’s cuz they’re so blindingly beautiful, right?” Bokuto’s eyes returned to the phone screen as he let out a little laugh; his words were originally a joke so he definitely didn’t expect Akaashi’s response.

“Yeah.” Bokuto looked at his friend once more, this time with shock written all over his face. Finally, the phone slipped from the volleyball player’s hand as he turned to his friend, ready to ask him something he really didn’t want the answer for.

“Dude… do-do you like (y/n) or something?” There was still a light-hearted tone and Bokuto was begging for Akaashi to just insult him or something, but he didn’t. Finally, Akaashi raised his head, his eyes meeting the ace’s. Bokuto tensed, unable to breathe. The look in Akaashi’s eyes was exactly the look he would have when looking at you. No, Akaashi didn’t just like you, he loved you. “No way… you love (y/n).”

Finally, Akaashi shut the book he was reading and sighed. He wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. Akaashi didn’t have the energy to deny his immense love for you. He’d been denying it all this time now and he was tired. After standing up and gathering his things, Akaashi stopped at the door and spoke.

“Yeah, I’m in love with (y/n)... but that’s none of your business.” Then he left. Bokuto was left in silence as his best friend’s words rang in his ears over and over.

Things were kind of tense between you three. Bokuto didn’t completely shun Akaashi and the latter pretended as if nothing happened. Bokuto desperately wanted to talk to him about it, but Akaashi never let him. He claimed it wasn’t something they needed to talk about, they were fine before and they should be fine now. Things were left unresolved and you were still in the dark. You confronted both of them, separately, and neither gave you a proper response, claiming it was just a small disagreement.

You did end up finding out, eventually, and asked Akaashi about it. He told you not to worry about it and refused to talk about it afterward. Akaashi’s habits never changed; he wasn’t overbearing, he didn’t flirt, he didn’t treat you any differently. Overtime, both you and Bokuto got over it and things returned to normal. Days went on normally, even if Akaashi was suffering. At the end of the day, seeing the person he loved smiling always brought him some form of solace.

[beelsnack]

Back in the Saddle - Obey Me! Boys and an MC Who is Overcoming a Depressive Episode

Hyper-specific coping mechanisms? On my blog? It's more likely than you think.

(Just kidding that's like the whole reason I started the blog in the first place lol)

I'll be honest, I'm not caught up on the games at all. I got like 2 chapters into Nightbringer before the rhythm games gave me sensory overload. But they're still my emotional support demons and I'm still going to write about them on my silly little blog. Enjoy!

May make a part 2 with the other characters, this one was getting kind of long.

-----

Lucifer: The music room had always been one of the few places that Lucifer could seek solace from the chaos that seemed to follow him. Most of his brothers had no desire to practice an instrument, and those who did tended to want to do it on their own, so if he was there, they tended to avoid the area. He had come to expect the room to be empty when he arrived there.

So seeing the human hunched over the grand piano threw him off a bit.

He knew they played the piano - it had been in their paperwork when they first came to the Devildom. They played quite frequently before, taking comfort in the familiar feeling of the ivory keys when the strangeness of their new home got to be too much. But something in recent months stopped them, and he didn’t have the faintest idea what. They hadn’t been very forthcoming about their mental state, and Lucifer didn’t want to pry. 

Well, actually, he did want to pry, but each time he asked, they got more and more irritated and withdrawn from him, and that stung just as much as not being able to help.

They were making considerably more mistakes than they had before, likely due to a lack of practice, but Lucifer could see a bit of their old spark returning to their eyes as muscle memory took over. They were playing an ost from a human world show, something slow and soothing that they played often. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Lucifer thought he could see the beginnings of a smile on their face.

Before he quite knew what he was doing, he had silently made his way over to them. His shadow fell over the keys, and they jumped in shock. They whipped around so fast he was worried that they would twist something. “Lucifer?!”

“Don’t stop on my account, my dear,” he smiled gently at them, perching himself on the bench next to them. “It’s been so long since I’ve heard you play, won’t you indulge me a little?”

Mammon: It was just a little doodle.

Borrowing the human's notes was a pretty common occurrence for Mammon. If he even remembered to take notes, they were sparse at best and incomprehensible at worst. He had just wanted to take a picture of them at first but the human insisted he write them himself. 

"We don't need to make it too easy for Lucifer to tell you don't pay attention," had been there reasoning, but Mammon wasn't going to turn down some alone time with them. Even if it was in the library.

When the human had presented their notebook to him, his eyes had immediately gone to the little drawing in the corner. It wasn't very detailed, more like random scribbles that eventually morphed into a flower and some stars. When they had first come to the Devildom, their notebooks had been absolutely filled with doodles and drawings, ranging from rudimentary shapes and shading to full-on sketches in the margins. They claimed it helped them focus, so Mammon had been a little concerned when the drawings had dwindled to nothing.

"What are you smiling at?"

Mammon jumped, heat creeping up his neck as he realized he had been caught. "Nothin'!"

He glanced back at the drawings, wishing he had his shades to hide behind. "...I missed the doodles, is all."

Leviathan: Right.

Left.

…Alright, the coast was clear. Sighing softly in relief, Levi emerged fully from his room and made his way downstairs. Most of the residents went their separate ways after dinner, and he knew for a fact Beel had his Fangol game so the kitchen should be free.

Levi stuck his hand in his pants pocket to make sure the folded square of paper was still there. One of his favorite Deviltubers are done a video recreating various dishes from different anime, but Levi just had to try them as well. But any sort of attempt at baking was doomed to fail if Beelzebub was in the house, so as much as Levi had wanted to jump right in as soon as he had seen the video, this excursion needed careful planning.

He was feeling rather hopeful until he got to the kitchen and saw the light on.

Defeated, he was about to turn around and head back into his inner sanctum to await his next opportunity before he realized that the shadow moving along the wall was far too small to be Beel.

Quietly, carefully, he poked his head around the corner and peered into the kitchen. There, in an old t-shirt with an apron tied around their waist, was the human scooping flour out of a bag.

Either he made some sort of noise or they just felt his presence. They turned around, looking startled for a moment before regaining their composure and grinning sheepishly at him. “Hey, Levi, what’s up?”

Levi blinked owlishly at them for a second. “Uh, well…”

The human’s baked goods had quickly become treasure in the House of Lamentation when they first arrived for the exchange program. It had been their passion, but something happened somewhere to tamp out the gleeful little spark they had whenever they were trying out a new recipe. But, like a storm passing, that light was beginning to peek through the dark clouds.

“Levi?” they asked, cocking their head at him like a confused puppy. “You alright?”

“I-I’m fine!” Levi had to physically shake himself out of his train of thought. “You-you’re baking something?”

“Mm-hm,” they hummed, turning back to the counter to glance at the recipe on their phone. “I was really in the mood for some chocolate cake.”

Chocolate cake wasn’t one of the recipes on his list, but seeing them passionate about something again made him forget about his whole mission. “Do you…want some help?”

Satan: Someone was humming.

Satan had thought he was alone in RAD’s library. Very rarely did students venture here at this hour, and his brothers were causing suck a ruckus back at the house that he hadn’t been able to focus on his book even shut within his room. And now someone was being annoying here.

His already short fuse was slowly but surely reaching the end, and he slammed his book shut with a bit more force than necessary. He would get his quiet time or there would be blood.

The perpetrator was somewhere in the fiction section, it sounded like, and Satan rounded the corner of the shelves like a predator sniffing out its prey. Finally, after a few moments of following the sound, he caught sight of another person. He stopped at the beginning of the aisle, mouth already open in a snarl to scold whoever had the balls to - 

“Oh, Satan, hi!”

He deflated like someone had poked a hole in him. Of all of the people he thought he would encounter, the human had been very low on the list. Recently, they barely left their room except to go to class or eat. Usually if he wanted to spend time with them he had to gently coax them out into the open like one would entice a cat with treats.

Satan cleared his throat. “Well, this is unexpected.”

The human had their arms full of books. Quite the assortment, too. A thriller, a book about previous kings on the Devildom, what appeared to be some sort of romance manga and an autobiography of a well-known witch.

“I ran out of things to read,” they shrugged, looking away. “Went through everything I had at least twice.”

“You know,” Satan walked over and took two of the books out of their arms - they always got irritated when he took everything, like a stubborn kitten, so letting them hold on to something would preserve their dignity. “You can always come to me if you want recommendations.”

Asmodeus: “Hey, Asmo?”

There were only a few people who were brave and/or stupid enough to go into Asmo’s room without knocking. Not because he would be angry or anything, but one never knew what kind of salacious activities would be going on in there and it was better for all involved if there was some warning before opening the door to Asmo’s den of debauchery.

“Hello, darling!” Asmo chirped, beckoning the human inside. They were lucky, he had just gotten out of the bath and was in the middle of his skin care routine. “What’s up?”

“Do you have anything for eye bags?” they asked, poking idly at the puffy skin beneath their eyes. It was clear that their mental health hadn’t been in top condition lately, their stress written in the dullness of their skin and drawn across the acne that dotted their face. But Asmo knew better than anyone that pointing out someone’s physical flaws did nothing for self-esteem, so he hadn’t said anything.

“Of course!” he grinned, scooting over a bit to give them some room on his vanity stool. “Skin care is self-care, darling, glad to see you treating yourself.”

The human sat down next to him, and now that they were closer Asmo could tell just how drained they were. They sat with their shoulders slumped, and they had an air of exhaustion about them.

“Oh, dear, haven’t you been sleeping well?” he asked, reaching over to pick up a small tub of cream. “Sleep is extremely important, you know. I’m a hot mess without my beauty sleep.”

“Really?” they quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Emphasis on hot,” he giggled, dabbing his fingertip into the cream. “Now, hold still for me, darling, wouldn’t want to poke your eyes out~”

Beelzebub: Beel had grown to like the quietness of the gym in the morning.

He was one of the few demons who had the diligence to work out every morning, and the ones who did make it a daily habit tended to leave each other alone to work on their own things. Everyone knew each other there, to the point where they each had their own spot where they left their stuff and there was an unspoken rule that nobody touched anyone else’s belongings.

It was also an unspoken rule that anyone who tried would get eaten by Beelzebub but he tried not to think too hard about that one. He still felt kind of guilty about it.

Muscle memory took him over to the bench by the weights where he usually set his things down, and he was in the process of sliding his gym bag off of his shoulder when he realized that there was another bag there that he didn’t immediately recognize. He stared at it for a moment, trying to see if he could figure out who the owner was until he got close enough to smell it.

Usually gym-bag-smell wasn’t something he would actively seek out, let alone find enticing, but he would recognize that scent anywhere. It was the human’s.

Sure enough, when he turned around, there they were, stretching in front of the weight bench. It had been…Beel didn’t even know how long it had been since he had seen them in the gym. They used to go quite frequently. Not enough to call themself a gym rat, but they kept up with their fitness pretty well. Until they didn’t.

Beel hadn’t wanted to pry, but he had been worried about them when they stopped working out. He could tell they were suffering physically from it as well - whatever had stopped them from exercising had also stopped them from taking care of their body in general, and he could tell by the weakness in their arms and the dragging of their feet that they weren’t at the top of their game.

He called out their name as he approached them. “You’re here.”

They jumped, eyes wild before they realized who was talking to them, and they shot him a sheepish grin. “Oh, hey, Beel.”

“You haven’t worked out in a while,” Beel stated matter-of-factly before smiling warmly at them. “It’s good to see you here again.”

“Ah, yeah,” they mumbled, looking away. “Kind of…lost my momentum for a bit, I guess. But!” they perked up. “I’m back at it!”

“Good. That’s good.” Beel dropped his bag next to theirs on the bench. “Want me to spot you?”

Belphegor: He was trying to stay awake this time, honest.

Belphie didn’t exactly have the best track record for showing up to class, much less managing to remain conscious for it. Lucifer had been nagging him lately about his attendance, but he was always nagging him about something. No, the real winner of the annoying yet effective big brother olympics was Mammon, who had looked Belphie dead in the eye and said “I bet you couldn’t show up to class for a whole week if you tried.”

And Belphegor was nothing if not a stubborn asshole.

Although, the dare was about going to class, not staying awake, so technically he could snag a nap and Mammon couldn’t say any - 

Belphie’s eyelids snapped open - he hadn’t even realized he had closed them - when something small and bright blue landed on the desk in front of him. It took a moment for him to refocus, but when he did he noticed that a small folded paper star had bounced in front of him.

He raised an eyebrow before turning to look at the human, who was sitting a few seats away from him looking too innocent for them not to be the culprit.

“Can I help you?” he muttered.

“Wakey-wakey, Belphie,” they grinned back at him. They had surrounded themself with a myriad of different-colored paper stars, something Belphie hadn’t seen them do in quite a long time. They had claimed that keeping their hands busy helped them focus during class, and even outside of class they were usually doing some sort of origami project. But at some point, they had stopped. Maybe someone had pointed it out to them, maybe something happened to make them depressed, he didn’t know. But he had kind of missed seeing their little army of paper animals.

“Can you make a fox?”

[sweet-drmzzz]

wowowowow I’m finally doing a pinned post

Hiya!! My names are Z-Fey, and Faele (pronounced fey-elle)!! I am the host of a median collective, and this is my/our main blog. You can find our plural side blog here: @treehousearchive

I go by Fae/Zi/It/They pronouns, and idrc how the grammar around them works (so you could say “fae are a person with adhd” or “fae is a person with adhd.” Please use my neopronouns as much as, if not more than you use they/it

if you misgender me I’ll eat ur knees /hj

I am faekin and foxkin, and I’m absolutely amazing at it. Don’t try to disprove alterhuman shit. I won’t listen. Also keep any alterhuman discourse off this blog. All nonhumans are welcome here. Yes even physical ones. Yes even ones that truly believe they are an animal. Yes even mentally ill/delusional ones.

Collectively we are aspec and arospec. Afaik that goes for everyone in our collective but I could be wrong.

currently I don’t check my discord, if you need to reach me my asks and DMs on here are the fastest ways.

I use a lot of emoticons, abbreviations, and tone tags :3

tone tag key:

/lh- light hearted

/j- joking

/hj- half joking

/sarc- sarcasm

/nm- not mean

/nf- not forced

/gen- genuine

/aesth- aesthetic (used to describe aesthetic attraction. Ex. “He’s hot /aesth”

if I ever use one u don’t understand just ask! I’m more then willing to inform!

DNI:

Pedos. Like genuinely. Pedos maps etc fucking disgust me. Stay tf away from my blog

Zionist. Yeah nuhuh. If u support genocide I don’t want to talk to u.

Homophobes/Transphobes. I’m gay asf. I don’t think you want to be here.

Zoophiles. No. Just no.

Anti furry/Anti alterhuman. Once again. I’m a therian. Y would u want to be here???

Sexual/kink blogs. Nothing against you, have ur fun. Idrc. I’m just not comfy w that.

Anti-endos. I don’t want that negativity on my blog. All good vibes here.

If you demonize mental illnesses (like schizophrenia or npd) fuck off. If you use “delulu” or treat serious mental illnesses as silly little things fuck off.

Anti aro/aspec. This shouldn’t even be a thing? Just let people exist?

if I don’t like u I’ll block u.

With all due respect, which is none, leave me alone.

Tags!!

#Happy Fox Hours

Foxkin euphoria and just generally happy foxkin related stuff

#Happy Fae Hours

Second verse, same as the first but w fae stuff this time.

#Zi speak!!

text posts and me ranting

#Soda Spill

My writing. Includes poetry and short stories/snippets from bigger stories. (Please note that since originally making this I have stopped using the name Soda, as that has gone to one of my headmates. This tag may change soon.)

#Faele agrees

Rebolgs!! I might forget to tag my rebolgs. I’ll try my best but if I do my apologies.

#Sad bitch time

vents n stuff. Me being depressed.

Boundaries: mostly im fine with anything.

pls don’t tag me in angelic/religious stuff, or send it to me. Especially if it has eyes featured prominently.

uhh i feel like this shouldn’t need to be said but just in case: foxes are a game animal where I live. I already see my kind’s hides enough. Don’t show me pics of that.

just yk… if i ask u to quit do so please. There’s nothing rly big other than those two things that I can think of. Be nice.

My filter tag list is here. If you are intentionally rude and disrespectful about it you will be blocked.

I have a side blog for Will wood stuff called @willwooddaily

thank you for your time!!

[archiveikemen]

'Secret in Your Heart' Collection Event: Ellis

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by playing their games and buying stories. Not 100% accurate, expect mistakes.

read this before interacting with my posts

thank you so much @candied-boys for sharing this story + the screenshots with me ♡♡!!

When I was about to go shopping on my day off, Ellis offered to come with me.

Ellis: Kate, let me carry your bags for you.

Kate: That’s alright. You’re already carrying the things I bought earlier.

Ellis: I still have one free hand.

Ellis: Moreover… I’m physically stronger than you.

Kate: Of course you are…

Ellis: I want to pamper you. Can’t I do that…?

(Uh…)

Kate: … Then I’ll accept your kind offer. Thank you, Ellis.

Ellis: Mm, you’re welcome.

(... Ellis is so kind, as always.)

Ellis was always excessively kind towards me, as if I were his lover.

But it wasn’t because I was special, Ellis was kind towards everyone.

Whenever I was with Ellis, my heart felt lighter.

Ellis: — Hey, how happy are you right now?

Kate: Hmm… this is the happiest I’ve been since I woke up this morning.

Ellis: … I see.

(This question again.)

— “How happy are you right now?”.

He would ask that question to me and everyone around him at every opportunity.

Initially, I thought that it was just a habit of his, but—.

(I feel like there’s specific meaning behind it. Something very important to Ellis.)

There was a sense of uneasiness that felt like being choked by a ball of cotton.

As I pondered about the question I couldn't find answers to, I heard small footsteps next to me.

(...?)

Little Boy: Because I like you, I’ll tell you my secret!

Little Girl: Then I’ll also tell you a huge secret because I like you too!

The little children held hands and ran off giggling.

Kate: Fufu, how adorable. It must be nice to have a close companion.

Ellis: Shall we tell each other our secrets?

Kate: Huh?

Ellis: I want to get closer to you.

Ellis: Maybe we can get closer if we tell each other secrets. … What do you think?

His cute child-like suggestion made me smile.

Kate: Okay.

Ellis: … Great.

(What secret should I tell him?)

Ellis: Someone once said to me that if you tell someone a secret you’ve never told anyone else, you’ll get along very well, but…

Ellis: … Don’t go too far because you're going to end up having a hard time.

Kate: … Ellis?

Ellis: Which one is better? A secret that will hurt, or a happy one?

— It felt as if the bustling city suddenly stopped.

(Huh…?)

Kate: A secret that will hurt?

Ellis: Mm-hmm.

Kate: … Am I the one who will get hurt? Or you?

Ellis: Both of us, I guess?

Ellis: It’s a secret I’ve never shared before.

(How should I respond…?)

If I chose the painful secret, I might get to find out the reason behind his disturbing aura, and the meaning of that question he always asks.

(But once I find out, there’s no turning back.)

Ellis: I’d hate to make you sad.

Ellis: So I suggest you choose the happy secret.

Ellis: … What’s your decision?

(...)

(I…)

Kate: Then… I’ll do as you suggested.

Ellis: Mm, okay.

I decided to go for the escape route Ellis offered me, and he brought his lips to my ear.

Ellis: To be honest, I’m in a bit of a fix because both my hands are full.

Kate: Huh?

Ellis: I realised that I can’t hold your hand because of all the bags I’m carrying.

The unexpectedly adorable secret made my heart feel lighter again.

Kate: I didn’t notice that.

Ellis: Fufu, I did my best to hide it.

Ellis: Anyway, what’s your secret, Kate?

Kate: Don’t laugh at it, okay?

Ellis: … I might laugh because of how cute you are.

Kate: Then I won’t say it.

Ellis: Just kidding, my bad. I promise not to laugh.

Ellis: So tell me more about yourself, Kate.

His words and actions never failed to make me feel like a large weight had been lifted off my heart.

However, I had a hunch that I would someday be consumed by the dark secret he was burdened with.

It would be like I’m paying the price for overlooking it.

[yelenabelovasbxtch]

Locker Room Sex

Shuri x f!reader Basketball player

A/n: hi everyone! Are you also shocked I didn’t write one story and dip for another 6 months?😂 couldn’t leave you guys hanging after the last smut-less shuri story. Also I’ve heard the cries over the professor series I promise I’m thinking abt it and gonna try writing smthn soon! I’m just in my Shuri era y’know what I mean😩😫anyways, enjoy! Submit requests if u feel like it.

Warnings: Smut! 18+ oral fingering and Shuri being a fine ass mf

Word count: 2102

TAGLIST: @yelenaslyubov @youreatotalposer @jeyramarie @flosbelova @bridgecitybrad @justthis-stuff @chloe7076 @ailenepuff @thorya22 @ravenclawbitch426 @mellowladyangel @amcg0605-blog @kassies-take @yelenaswife1996 @wandanatchick @lilroachsworld

“y/n what are you doing?” Your Coach asks as he sees you pulling folding chairs out onto the court.

“Just getting some shots up, coach.”

“Y/n, I think you can afford to take the rest of the night off after that game. 25 points in 28 minutes is not exactly an easy thing to accomplish.”

You let a small chuckle come out under your breath, “Gotta make it 28 in 28 next time coach, only one way to get there.”

He smiled at you, waving his clipboard in the air as he walked towards the door. “You know the drill, don’t forget to lock up when you’re done.”

“Sure thing.”

The gym cleared out pretty quickly after the game and before you knew it, it was just you, the ball and some blaring music. You can’t work out in silence obviously. You start practising your dribble combos around the chairs with clean finishes down in the paint. Spinning off the “defender” for the quick pull up fade away middy getting banked in. Putting in the late hours wasn’t new for you, you pretty much lived for the sport and when you weren’t eating or sleeping you were playing basketball. You didn’t get too deep into your practice when you saw one of the gym doors open and a familiar face walked through the door.

Fuck– you thought to yourself.

She is the most effortlessly attractive person you have ever met…well…seen? I guess “met” is a stretch. You technically have never really talked to her, there was that one time when you briefly interacted in a class but you were fairly certain she did not know who you were. You, of course, knew who she was. You had been crushing on Shuri for quite some time now and no of course you never have worked up the courage to talk to her. She was wearing this purple-y blue tracksuit that just looked insanely good on her with some of the cleanest sneakers you’ve ever seen.

“Sick game 8.”

You glanced up from the ball you were holding and made eye contact with her as she had the most devious but sexy looking smirk on her face. Her chin held high as she complimented you basically causing you to freak out on the inside like a little school girl and she didn’t even know it.

“Thanks” You reply, trying your hardest not to sound like you were absolutely losing it.

“25 points is pretty crazy.”

You feel your cheeks flush, “yeah, aha”

She knows your stats from the game?

“You gotta work on that footwork in the paint though, the bigs will just eat that shit up if you don’t know how to work around them.”

“Oh is that so?” You reply. Where the fuck did that come from? Oh is that so? WHAT? Tell me why I thought that was the right response to that?

I guess we’re committing to this random burst of confidence I got now.

Shuri’s eyebrows raise at your comment with a small smile creeping across her face.

“Hit me.” she says as her hands raise up motioning for you to pass her the ball.

“Look, you gotta attack the paint here just like you were but instead of going for the layup and getting blocked every time you gotta stop, plant two feet fake jab right, turn left, sweep and shoot.” She says as she demonstrates footwork that is honestly cleaner than what more than half of your team can do.

You look at her with slight shock and try not to be absolutely obvious about it but clearly you weren’t hiding it well enough based on her reaction.

“Didn’t expect that?” She says with a laugh, “your turn,” she tosses you the ball.

On the first try you manage to pull off the same move with ease.

“Okay, okay, I see you Y/L/N.”

What– so she does know who you are?

Honestly hearing her say your name even if it's just your last name was making you feel all sorts of things.

“How about we see how you do with some actual pressure now hm?” She says as she positions herself just in front of the net ready to play defence on you.

You drive to the net about to pull the same move that she of course easily predicted, resulting in you being blocked and kind of embarrassed.

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that 8. Pulling my own move on me? C’mon.”

You feel your cheeks getting rosey again and your heart is racing and it is definitely not because you were working up a sweat playing basketball. She had you feeling unbelievably flustered as she made direct eye contact with you as her hands were up reading to guard you and whatever move you chose to pull off. You start your dribble, staring her down as she smiles back at you, making you unbelievably nervous. You start to run towards her, hit her with the hesitation that she did not fall for, faked right, euro stepped around her and laid the bucket up and in.

A smile crosses your face as her brow furrows.

“Okay, okay, so she got moves I guess. We goin’ again?” She said ready for you to check the ball.

After about 45 minutes you were starting to feel a little wiped.

“I gotta hand it to you 8, I didn’t think you had it in you but damn you play a mean game.”

You just sort of chuckle as you take down the last gulp of water in your bottle.

“Man I gotta get out of these clothes, could you point me in the direction of the change room? I got an extra outfit in my bag.”

“Yeah, I can show you I gotta bring the balls back anyways.”

You and Shuri walked to the changeroom, and it’s definitely safe to say that the two of you were border line friends now after that entire experience.

When you get into the change room, you head to the sink to wash your hands from the filth that are the school's basketballs and as you look up in the mirror you catch a glimpse of Shuri taking her shirt off in the reflection of the mirror. You quickly look back down at your hands and act like you did just see her toned abs and arms. All that time spent together made you forget for just a moment how nervous she makes you.

“Ah shit—“ you hear muttered from behind you.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah I uh I just thought I had an extra shirt but I only have pants.” She says

You turn around to face her as your eyes quickly dart to the floor as she’s standing there in pants and a bra. “I uh— I have an extra clean hoodie if you want to borrow it?”

“Man really? That would be great thanks.”

“Cool, I’ll just um grab that.” You say as you start walking to the area of the change room with the player lockers.

You start rummaging through everything in your locker and finally find the hoodie, when you turn around Shuri is standing right behind you, still with no top on and your eyes didn’t know where to go but you could feel her staring at you.

“Here” You say holding the hoodie up practically right in front of your face.

You hear a small chuckle from behind the hoodie as her hand comes over the top pulling it down so she can look at you. Your eyes trail up her body to lock on her face that's looking down at you. She takes a step forward backing you up against the locker, your heart is racing unbelievably fast.

“Do I make you nervous y/n?” She says slowly under her breath.

Your mouth opened to respond but nothing came out. The smile on her face grew when she realised how tense you looked.

“Relax love, there’s no need to look so stressed out.” Her hand slowly comes up to your face, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. Her fingers trail along your jawline until they reach your chin giving it a soft tug, tilting your face up towards hers. “May I?” Shuri whispers.

Your head was nodding before you even processed what she said and before you knew it her soft lips connected with yours as her hand made its way to behind your head, fingers running through your hair.

Nothing has ever felt so natural before, her lips fit perfectly in yours. You could tell from the kiss alone she had much more confidence and experience than you did. Your hands didn’t even know where to go while hers went everywhere they wanted to.

You felt her hands slowly go under the hem of your shirt and the skin on skin contact made you let out a small whimper. You’ve never experienced anything like this before and her touch alone was enough to make you pool in your underwear.

She bends over slightly grabbing you on each of your thighs and pulling you up against her, wrapping your arms around her neck and legs around her torso as she continues to kiss you again. Her hands gripped your ass as the two of you passionately made out, fuck you wanted her so bad. You want her to kiss and touch every inch of your body and make you beg for so much more.

With your legs still wrapped around her, Shuri walks you over to one of the benches, and gently lays you down on your back. Her chain is practically resting on your throat as she hovers over you, only inches apart. Her lips start kissing your neck, leaving a trail, making sure to go as slowly as possible just to see you squirm beneath her. She kept kissing a soft spot just above your collarbone causing shivers to shoot down your back. You could barely sit still and you just knew she was going to make you beg for it.

“S-Shuri please.” You whisper.

Her demanding eyes looked up at you, undressing you in her head with a smirk across her face.

“I do like hearing you beg for it but you’re lucky I’m feeling generous today.” She says as her fingers dig into the band of your shorts, pulling them off you. She starts leaving small kisses on the inside of your thighs, taking her time, making sure that you were brought as close to the edge as possible without giving you the touch you craved the most. You could feel her breath on you causing your head to tilt back and your eyes to flutter.

She laid soft kisses on your pussy causing your breath to hitch. Your lack of experience meant you had no idea what anything was going to feel like.

Her tongue gently pushed between your folds causing your entire body to tense and relax which you could hear her smile over as she went down on you. Shuri painted circles over your clit starting slowly and gradually increasing in speed and pressure. She could tell how excited you were getting which caused her to pull back ever so slightly. You didn’t realise how amazing the touch of her tongue felt until it was gone.

Her tongue was replaced with one of her long fingers which steadily entered you soon after.

“F-fuck.” you groan.

“That feel good princess?”

You slowly nod your head letting out tiny moans as she puts in another finger and gives them a slight curl to hit your G-spot. Her tongue starts running along your clit, God, it felt like she was spelling out the entire alphabet in swift movements.

Your core began to tighten as her pace increased. Your one hand is clenched onto the back of the bench while your other has her head in hand. You gripped her tightly pushing her face deeper into your pussy as your heart continued to race.

“S-Shuri– I am so close.” You manage to get out just before you let out a loud moan and your back arches up off the seat.

Her pace slows as you come down from the most sensational high you’ve ever felt.

As you catch your breath, she comes up to you and gives you a kiss where you taste yourself on her lips.

She pulls away only inches from your face with a smile, “you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that for.”

“Me too” You say softly.

– The End –

[inglourious-imagines]

Poker Game (Lewis Nixon x GN!Reader)

Summary: It’s the end of the war and you’re playing poker with some of the officers, including your one and only crush, Lewis Nixon.

Requested by: anonymous (Hi! You’re back! And you wrote a new Nixon fic 💗🤗👏 Here’s an idea for another Lewis Nixon x reader fic, but it’s a little specific so ignore this if you don’t want to write it 💕)

Prompt: 116 – “Are you flirting with me?” “You finally noticed?” (the prompt isn’t strictly used but the imagine is loosely based on it)

A.N.: Here's another Nixon one (it not proofread). Also, Generation Kill and SAS: Rogue Heroes appeared on my fandom list, so feel free to send requests. I'll be faster this time, I promise haha.

Taglist: @alienoresimagines @teenmagazines @meteora-fc @eugenesmorphine @band-of-brothers-cz @real-fans  @not-john-watsons-blog @tealaquinn @ok-roemanov @mrseasycompany @punkgeekchic @wexhappyxfew @hellitwasyoufirstsergeant @rayofshanshine @mavysnavy @easynix @georgeluzwarmhugs @easy-company-tradition @immrsronaldspeirs @snafus-peckuh @curraheewestandalone @warrior-healer @justamadgirlinabox @happyveday @order-of-river-phoenix @whoahersheybars

.

.

.

Playing cards when the war is over certainly doesn’t feel that much different than in Aldbourne or in Haegenau. It is a rather strange emotion, knowing that you will not have to pick up your M1 Garand the next day (or in a few minutes). You still can’t differentiate it because you have not wrapped your head around it. None of the Easy Company soldiers have.

But something is nonetheless different, you can breathe more easily, the sun is somehow brighter although everything is just the same. A strange emotion indeed.

“Stop daydreaming, Lieutenant, and fucking play.” Nixon’s voice disturbs you from your thinking and you turn your head to him. He’s smiling, actually smiling, something you haven’t seen him do for far too long, his cheeks are red, although that might be from all the alcohol he’s already drank.

“Calm down, soldier, I’ll kick your ass in no time!” you reply, a devilish grin appears on your face and Nixon’s smile immediately widens. You can’t see it, for your eyes are still fixated on Lewis only while figuring out your next move, but Harry Welsh is whispering to Lipton (like two little girls) just how oblivious you are in the most loving manner. That is something that Lipton, too, hasn’t been quite able to comprehend; you seeing everything in combat, knowing where everybody is, anticipating enemy movement, but absolutely unaware of how Nixon has been watching you with the biggest lovestruck eyes for months.

The truth is, Nixon has been crushing on you, hard, since goddamn Toccoa, Lip knew this, Dick knew this, Welsh knew this, hell even George and Liebgott noticed too, but he was still married at that time, even though unhappily, so he tried to hide it somehow. But then his wife divorced him, and he was angry, not particularly because she was leaving him but because she was also taking his dog, that he loved immensely and was his dog in the first place. But then you appeared, right after he threw away his helmet, and he forgot to be angry completely.

You knew about the troubles he’d been having with his wife, feeling the sting of jealousy that you didn’t even bother to deny to yourself. So when Dick, who’d been there to take on Lewis’s initial anger, gave you a look you knew what had happened. After that, Lewis Nixon has been a total lovestruck idiot.

You raise the bets, feeling particularly lucky this evening, and turn to Nixon with raised eyebrows. You can see just how drunk he truly is, again, but not that much as he can be, but you hate it nonetheless. So when Lewis reaches for his money to raise the bets too, you grab his full glass and down it in one take. At first, you feel like coughing because the whiskey is stronger that you anticipated, but you manage to fight it.

The whole table is looking at you in surprise, Lip and Welsh giggle in anticipation, both of them knowing (even before you two) exactly where the evening will lead for the two of you; Speirs is sort of just sitting there, sipping on his beer, amused by the whole situation.

“Don’t you toy with me, woman.” Nixon says, his voice somehow deeper than usual and you, despite trying not to, shiver. Lewis shifts in his seat, and then, just like that, his leg is pressed against yours in a manner that is not apparent to anyone sitting at the other sides of the table.

Harry coughs. “Should we go?” The question is unanswered for too long, both of you waiting for the other one to talk.

“There is no reason for you to leave,” you finally manage to get out of yourself as nonchalantly as you can. You barely just register you answered for all you can focus on is Lewis’s leg against yours. You want to pull away, not make it too easy for him, but you can’t, you need his touch, to feel him present, next to you.

Somehow you finish the game, you’re very much aware of the fact that Lewis hasn’t poured himself another drink for the rest of the evening and you’re wondering if he figured out that you hate his often drinking.

You immediately excuse yourself from the table, desperate for some fresh air for the room is suddenly too small for you and Lewis Nixon. You’re just reaching for the door knob when you hear another chair being pushed away and a deep voice saying “Sorry, gentlemen. I gotta… go.” Harry laughs at that, “That you do!”

You smile to yourself, your cheeks reddening.

Lewis catches up to you in the corridor, his arm instinctively finds your waist, rests on your hip, as he lightly presses you into him. It’s so nice to finally feel something after those long years of combat training and war.

You’ve been alone for too long, he’s been alone for too long, no words are needed, all communication is carried out between your eyes only because that’s all you need. He is here, after all this time, and it “only” took one war and one divorce for you to find your way to each other.

[moonlit-han]

super secret project! do not enter!!

pairing: lee felix x gender-neutral reader genre/au: fluffiest of fluff, est. relationship word count: 1.1k  warnings: two (2) slightly suggestive comments request: yes (well, mostly) a/n: (oh gods, this has been on the wip list for way too long). hello to the anon from becca’s blog: it’s finally here, the felix wedding scrapbooking fic we’ve all been waiting for! i hope you like it!! ✨

↠ masterlist to reblog |  comments & feedback encouraged! ↞

↠↞

“Lix?” You called, having not heard from your boyfriend for roughly an hour. While it wasn’t unusual for him to go into his own little world in your shared bedroom, whether that be for gaming, chatting with friends overseas, or just reading—a full hour without him coming to find you or texting you, even when both of you were home, was definitely out of the ordinary.

So, you made your way to the bedroom’s closed door and lightly tapped on the wood. “Yeah?” Came the muffled reply.

“You good, baby?”

“Yep!”

“Can I come in?” You asked, opening the door before Felix could answer.

After all, it wasn’t as if either of you had anything to hide. On the rare occasions you did, like when wrapping birthday presents and such, notes to the effect of “Super Secret Project In Progress. Do Not Enter. I Love You!!!!!” were typically taped to the door.

As you entered, Felix looked up with a look on his face you’d only really ever seen on a cat. It was as if you’d caught him just after he’d knocked a glass of water off the counter or had ripped a rug to shreds. Before you could say anything, your boyfriend was shoving the papers strewn over the desk into a pile and stuffing them into a drawer, then standing in front of said desk with a foot on said drawer to stop it from popping open.

You giggled. “Babe, whatcha got there?” 

“Nothing, just something I was working on,” Felix said nonchalantly. As if he could appear anything short of guilty now that he’d so clearly been working on something he did not want you to see.

You sauntered toward him, swinging the overlong sleeves of your—his—hoodie as you went. “You sure about that? Are you sure it’s not something for me?”

“Oh, very sure, honey,” Felix replied, nodding and grinning like a fool.

You hummed, snaking your arms around his waist as you reached him and staring directly into his eyes. “You know, Lix,” you mused, “your ears always turn red and you end up staring into space a little more than usual when you’re lying.” You smirked. “Your ears are red.”

Felix huffed a laugh, returning your embrace. “My ears also turn red whenever I’m particularly excited to see you.”

“Right, that’s not the only thing that happens, baby,” you said, pressing yourself against him and letting your hands slide just that much closer to his ass.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Felix warned, moving away just enough to end up dropping his foot to the floor. Taking advantage of his distraction, you tried to disentangle yourself from your boyfriend’s arms.

“Now let’s see what you were—” you began, only to be pulled away by Felix.

“Nope, secret project, baby,” he insisted, resorting to lightly tickling your sides and kissing your cheek as you squirmed and reached for the drawer. “You are so not finding out what that was.”

“But Lix, I wanna know!” You whined, doing your best impression of his sister’s youngest child. “Please?”

“Nope!” Felix said, now having successfully maneuvered the two of you over to the bed. You quickly found yourself flat on your back on the mattress with Felix over you, still tickling you.

“Please, please, please?” You begged, but to no avail. At this point, you weren’t even sure whether you were begging for Felix to tell you what he’d been doing or to stop tickling you.

“Only if you give me a kiss,” he relented, pausing for a moment.

You stared up at your boyfriend, his eyes sparkling and cheeks ever so slightly flushed—and ears tinged a cherry red—and gave in.

It wasn’t such a hardship, after all.

Craning your neck, you pressed your lips to his in a brief kiss. “Okay, you’ve got your kiss. Can I see what you were doing now?” You said confidently.

“That was barely a kiss,” Felix said sorrowfully. “I’m so unloved. The love of my life won’t even kiss me properly anymore.” He pouted.

And who were you to deny him?

Ten minutes later, you were both quite out of breath and more than a little excitable. “So, Lixie, my baby, my darling,” you panted. “Are you going to tell me what you were working on now that you’ve gotten a little more than just a kiss?”

Felix sighed, burying his face in your neck. “Okay, but it’s a little embarrassing.”

You stroked his hair. “I’m sure whatever it you’ve done is lovely.”

Felix slid backward off the bed, grasping your hands as he went so that you sat up as he stood. “Here, um… Just close your eyes for a moment. Please?”

You nodded, even going so far as to cover your eyes with your fingers.

After some rustling and little comments along the lines of “Okay, that goes there and that goes… Shit. Not there,” from your boyfriend, you felt warm hands cup your cheeks and soft lips press to yours.

“Come see,” Felix murmured against your mouth.

What lay before you on the desk took your breath away. “Is that…” you began, leaning forward to peer at the little photos and dried flowers on the pages of what was unmistakably a scrapbook.

“It’s us,” Felix said, hand securely around your waist.

“Is this a wedding scrapbook, Lix?” You asked, voice quiet with admiration and more love than you knew what to do with.

“Maybe…”

“I love it, baby,” you said, turning to kiss Felix’s cheek. “Can you show me all of it?”

So, he did. There were pictures of the two of you, more dried flowers—“This is what I’d have in my boutonniere!”—pictures of your friends, drawings of table settings, pictures of suits and dresses and everything in between… In short, Felix had compiled all his dreams and wishes for a wedding into one book.

“Wait,” you said after looking through the entire scrapbook. “Does this mean… Are you… Are we?”

“If you’re asking if I’d like to marry you, Y/N, then yes. Yes, I would, if you’ll have me,” Felix said sincerely. “It would be the greatest honor of my life if I could marry you.”

You threw your arms around Felix’s neck, clinging tightly to him as your murmured—and squealed—“Yes! Yes!” He spun you around, the two of you laughing and giddy, before finally stopping to kiss you soundly again.

“I love you, Felix,” you said, gazing at the man who would someday be your husband. The thought alone gave you such a thrill.

“I love you, too. More than you know.”

“Care to show me?” You asked mischievously.

“Later, later,” Felix promised. “But first I have a very serious question.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“Which one of us will wear the garter belt?”

You burst out laughing, drawing him back down onto the bed again. The rest of the evening passed languidly, the two of you moving from the bed to the bath and finally to the kitchen, content and more in love than either of you thought possible.

Perhaps, some Super Secret Projects were worth the wait…

[sigyns-drafts]

【☀Lazy Sunday chase🐍🌾】

Adopted!Oc with Loki's family

➩ Heldril had been taken into Loki's family, thanks to Sigyn finding the young girl wandering alone during winter ''exploring''. After being accepted with open arms, Heldril quickly adjusted into her new life and chaotic famliy!

Matching their strange natures and behavior, like she had always belonged there. Compared to most days the famliy spent outside, on this sunny day it seemed like Loki was in a playful mood, enough to be planning on something for them to do today!

➩ Reader type: None!

⚠: Family fluff, romantic fluff, flirting between parents, siblings teasing each other!

A/N: This was orignally a story that i posted on my main blog, as a gift for my online daugther @heldril oc, Heldril! I thought i would repost it here to bring back good old memories, i adore you so much kiddo!! ♡

Loki and his family were spending a lazy Sunday afternoon together, lounging in the grass outside of Asgards walls. It was a rare occasion and one with unusual peace and relaxation for the trickster god, who always found himself up to no good.

Sigyn was lying on a picnic blanket, her eyes closed as she was soaking up the warm sunlight with a relaxed smile. Loki shifts his gaze at her and couldn’t help but smile to himself.

“Sol really does help your freckles show, darling~” The god said softly, admiring his wife happily.

The amount of joy he got from just staring at her was unbelievable.

“Oh is that so, have you been staring again~?” Sigyn chuckled, smirking at him.

She could tell he had been staring at her and loved teasing him for it.

Loki let out a laugh as he felt his cheeks turn red, he should have known he would be caught sooner or later!

It wasn’t often Sigyn’s freckles were ever visible on her face. For some reason, they would only appear in bright sunlight over time, but so would the slight sun burns she so easily got. It was a shame!

In the distance Sleipnir, Fenrir, and Vali could be heard playing tag. They were always nearby and so very loud too!

It almost disturbed Hel as she was reading a book to Heldril and Narfi, both siblings sitting patiently listening. Meanwhile Jormungandr bathed in a lake near by.

Suddenly, Loki jumped up from his seat and announced, “I have an idea! Let’s play a game everyone!”

Hel could be heard sighing intentionally loudly, “Oh father, and what could that possibly be?”

“Probably something stupid, I bet” Narfi expressed, not seeming so enthusiastic as Hel.

“Oh I love games!” Sleipnir neighs, trotting over to the rest of his famliy, his brothers right behind him trying to keep up!

“Sleipnir youre always so eager for a new challenge or game aren’t you? Just like fenrir.” Jormungandr teases, turning into his more humanoid form to join in more easily on the family game.

“Oh shut it jormi! At least we have a sense of wanting to achieve things around here, lazy bum” Fenrir barks at his snake brother. Much to Jormungandr’s entertainment.

“Gosh you’re so easy to make tense brother~!” Jormungandr spoke one last time before Loki stares at the two.

Obviously telling them with his expression that it was time to stop.

“It’s a new game i just invented at the spot,” said Loki with a mischievous grin.

“I’ll hide somewhere in the woods, and you all have to come find me. But here’s the twist - I can turn into any animal I want, and you have to chase me down.”

The children and Sigyn all looked at each other excitedly at the prospect of the game, but Narfi, as always seemed a little hesitant.

“I don’t know about this..” said Narfi.

“What if something goes wrong?”

Loki just laughed. “Relax, kid. It’s just a harmless game. What could possibly go wrong?”

“Yeah brother! Listen to dad, If something goes wrong I’ll protect you!” Heldril spoke proudly, always ready to protect her younger siblings from harms way.

“Well i- I was thinking more about pa-” Before Narfi could voice any further of his concerns, Vali jumps on top of him out of excitement.

Causing the boy to fall on his back, “oof!”

“Oops- Let’s start!!” He grind happily waving his hands around, still on top of Narfi.

“Okay, everyone close your eyes and count to ten,” Loki instructed, as he snuck off into the woods to find a hiding spot.

With that the game began. Loki shifting into different animals along the way to get a head start. The children and Sigyn counted and waited before they started chasing after him, laughing and shouting.

The gods and creatures around the woods probably wondering what was going on.

The family split up. Everyone comping the woods, looking behind trees and under bushes, but Loki was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the bushes, and Fenrir let out a growl.

“I think I smell him!” he exclaimed, as he took off in the direction of the sound.

Heldril and Narfi who had grouped up with fenrir followed him, running as fast as they could through the woods.

Eventually Heldril stops as she saw Narfi gasping for air.

“Oh crap! Nari you alright buddy?” Heldril asks slightly concerned at her brothers well being. Narfi nodded just trying to catch his breath back.

“F-Fenrir..is getting away we need to-”

“Get on my back brother!”

“Wha-?!”

Just like that Heldril picks Narfi up and runs her quickest to catch up with Fenrir again. Narfi was for sure taken by surprise but at least they’d make it!

Back together again, Heldril let’s Narfi down and pants heavily, soon enough they caught glimpses of Loki in various animal forms - a bird, a rabbit, even a snake - it felt quite impossible to catch up to him.

Finally, after what felt like hours of chasing Loki through the woods, they all managed to corner him in a small clearing.

Loki gave up and in his snake form, he carefully starts slithering up to Sigyn and around her arm she had offered him.

“You got me,” Loki said with a sigh, sad they couldn’t keep on playing forever.

Sigyn couldn’t help but smirk as she clearly had something clever to say. As she held her husband up.

“A snake huh, suits you at the very moment sly one~” she spoke, teasing him excitedly.

Loki just hisses at her with his snake tounge as he transformed back into his human form and ends up in his wifes arms.

“Oh shush!” He blushed rolling his eyes jokingly.

The children couldn’t help but all collaps onto the ground, panting and laughing. Sigyn puts Loki down but continues to hold him close.

“That was truly an amazing adventure!” Heldril said, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Absolutely! Can’t wait to get back into the waters..” said Jormungandr, grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh brother, such a selfish soul..” Hel shook her head in a joking manner, making fun of Jormungandr’s behavior.

“Am not! I’m literally cooking out here and have for a long time now. I might shed my snake skin and throw it at you if you don't watch it Hel!”

Jormungandr tries to defend himself, joking back. Waving his hand on himself to try to cool down.

“But seriously guys, good job! Next time, I’ll be even trickier to catch.” Loki jokes, picking up Vali who was exhausted to his limits. Tounge out and everything pretending to be dead.

Sigyn finds his behavior silly and chuckles, but gets to the point of what she was going to say. “Now, who’s ready for some lunch?”

“You bet I am!” Fenrir barks, his tail wagging excitedly.

“Make that two, don’t let the greedy wolf eat everything me and Sigyn brought.” Hel spoke, calmly hiding away her smirk.

“Hey! What was that for?!” Fenrir raised an eyebrow and looked offended.

“Make it three! I’d die for some juicy apples right now.” Sleipnir happily joins in.

So with that the family went out of the woods and back to their picnic blanket. The rest of the afternoon was filled with food and joy, as Loki and his family enjoyed each other’s company and the simple pleasure of being together.