#if you get frustrated take a break you'll notice your mistake in like an hour when you feel better

[burning-academia-if]

Hey, this isn’t related to the story but I was curious how you got started with twine? Your story inspired me and I want to learn the program so I can make my own. I wanted to see if you had any advice or reference points. Perfectly fine if not, much love regardless!

I've messed with Twine on and off for a while now, so I'm not sure when I actually got into it? It was probably when I originally got into IFs back in like 2015 lol

I use Twine Sugarcube specifically, and I pretty much just watched/read through these:

Twine or Treat: a youtube playlist where a guy shows you how to make a game. Focuses more on making an exploration/puzzle game in Twine, but still has some useful/relevant info

Introduction to Twine: another video playlist, although again, I really only watched what I needed

The Twine Grimoire: there's 3, with each one going through more complicated concepts each volume, includes Harlowe as well as Sugarcube

Sugarcube (and Harlowe) also have their own documentation, but it's so Long and Daunting that I honestly just ignored it when I first started LOL. It's obviously useful to have and reference, but I always need to watch people doing the thing first. I really struggle with just reading through things personally. I'm comfortable enough with Twine now that it isn't overwhelming though lol

Also I'd argue you really only need to learn how to set variables to get started with IFs. Once you know how passages work and how variables work, you're almost set to make an IF.

I'd also recommend learning the very basics HTML and CSS just in case. There's plenty of Twine templates available for free on itch.io, but if you want to adjust them in any way, it's helpful to know CSS/HTML. Also just have fun and mess around! From visual novels to this IF, my learning process has honestly just been 'fuck around and find out' and it's been useful so far! I also think it helps with the inherent anxiety of trying something new too

But yeah, hopefully some of this is helpful/useful to you!

[patscorner]

So Much More

Summary: After a bad day, you seek comfort in your girlfriend.

wc: 2,032

Contains: slightly suggestive...?

______________________________

To say it'd be a bad day would be an understatement. For starters, you woke up alone, instead of intertwined with your girlfriend, like you usually would. Waking up next to KK was easily one of your favorite things to do, basking in the quiet mornings you have together.

But today, she had an early morning practice to go to, so you woke up relishing in the ghostlike scent that she'd left behind. Not only that, but you woke up with a headache right over your eyebrows, making it hard to do easy tasks such as keeping your eyes open. But you had three hours till you had to go to work, and you didn't want to hear your boss bitch about how you'd called in too late. You really didn't feel like being written up, so you dragged yourself out of bed and trudged to the kitchen.

You put a bagel in the toaster and decide to make some coffee. That's mistake number one because as you go to lift the mug, your knee gives out, and in an attempt to steady yourself, the hot coffee spills all over your KK’s shirt. Quickly, it starts to burn, so you swiftly put the mug down and take the wet shirt off. You curse as you pull the shirt off and use it to clean up some of the coffee that's spilled on the floor.

Wait…what's burning?

Your eyes widen as your head snaps to the toaster, watching as gray smoke wafts through the air. “Shit, shit, shit!” You pop the toaster and pull the bagels out, wincing as the charcoal bread stings your fingers. “Motherfucker!” You exclaim, frustratedly giving up. Guess no breakfast for you.

Definitely another mistake, but at that moment, you didn't care.

You stomp into your bedroom and begin searching for the outfit of the day. Normally, you enjoy this process, but when you notice that KK had forgotten to do the laundry before she left, your hope dwindled. Finally, though, you made your way out of the house and to your car. You sigh heavily as you notice a white ticket in your window. This isn't the first time you'd gotten an unnecessary ticket, but being a transfer, they hadn't put your name in the system yet, so you just had to deal with the growing stack of white papers in your glove compartment.

The day drags on as you feel yourself growing increasingly overwhelmed. As another disgruntled customer complains to your boss about how you refused to take their expired coupon, you grow even more eager for your lunch break. The routine was always the same, you'd take your break and call KK, who was usually doing homework or hanging out with Ice and Paige, and you'd rant about your shitty customers and boss. And KK would listen and add her own comments, never failing to lighten the mood. But a frown makes its way to your face as you call KK twice, and you get no answer. You notice she hasn't answered your messages since she sent the ‘good morning’ text.

You text her again before slamming your phone frustratedly down on the table. You ignore the stares you get as you fight the tears threatening to fall. You get up from your chair, the wood scraping on the tile floor of the café. Fuck it, you'll eat in your car.

Finally, finally, the day is over. Finally, you get your car and drive away from the job that doesn't pay you nearly enough for what you go through every day. Finally, you pull into the college dorm parking lot and sigh as you notice your neighbor parked in your spot again. Finally, you walk past that same neighbor’s door, having no energy to argue about it. Finally, you approach your door and groan as you hear Sexyy Red blasting on the other side. Finally, you open the door and you smile as you finally see your girlfriend.

Your smile falters as you look around the room and notice there are 4 more people in your home than what you want there to be. KK must've invited Paige, Ice, Azzi, and Aubrey over after practice. You feel frustration brewing inside of you as you see the mess they've made of your dorm. KK is on live, doing a talent show with Aubrey and Ice standing behind her, doing some dance. Paige and Azzi are sitting off-camera, Azzi's legs over Paige's, the blonde's hand rubbing Azzi’s leg lovingly.

Gross.

They don't notice you walk in, but they do notice when you put slam your bag down on the table.

“Oh, hey, baby.” KK says, barely sparing you a glance. It hurts, of course, and normally, you'd have said something. But with two thousand people watching, as well as four other unwanted guests, you hold your tongue. Instead of answering her, you walk over to her and wrap your arms around her waist, resting your head on her shoulder.

You and KK weren't a secret. You were just really private about how much of your relationship was on the internet. Knowing this, you didn't think it'd be that big of a deal if you were close, and even if it would send shockwaves through the internet, you were too tired to care. Apparently, KK hadn't noticed your gloomy mood, or if she did, it didn't stop her from shrugging you off and muttering something along the lines of ‘we're on live’. You back away immediately, unwrapping your arms from her completely.

“Are you fucking serious?” You say taking a couple steps away from her.

You watch her eyes widen as she glances between you and the live. You already know you're gonna regret doing this in front of everyone.

“You don't answer my texts all fucking day, and then when I come home, I find out that have you've been on your phone, you'd just rather fuck around with random people than spare your girlfriend a text.” At this point, Aubrey had ended the live, and she and Ice had migrated to the couch awkwardly.

“What the hell is your problem!? You can't curse on live!” She asked bitterly. You and KK rarely fight, and never in front of people, so this was so new for everyone around you. Usually, you'd talk this out later when you were both much calmer, but now, it's too much.

You scoff dryly. “Me cursing is seriously what you're worried about right now?!”

“Bab-”

“No, don't fucking ‘baby’ me. After the shit day I had, all I wanted to do was come to a clean and mostly empty house, and as much as I love to clean up after you and your friends, it wasn't necessarily on my agenda tonight.” Tears have started to fall at this point, all of your emotions from today finally boiling over.

You frustratedly wipe your tears away. “Fuck.” You whimper quietly. KK knows you, inside and out, and she knows when you're angry at her, or if your irritation is just misplaced. She quietly grabs your hand and leads you into your bedroom, hand on your waist, closing the door softly behind you.

“What's going on, baby? What happened?” She sat on the bed, against the headboard, and pulled you onto her so you were straddling her. Your cries haven't stopped, and your silent tears have turned into sobs as you lay your head on her chest. It's been a long day, and all you could do was cling to her shirt like your life depended on it. She wraps her arms around your back, gently rubbing circles under your shirt.

“Shh, I know, baby, I know, it's gonna be okay.” She whispered, kissing just above your ear, on the crown of your head. You cry for god knows how long, KK never stopping her words of comfort. She knows that in times like this, logic doesn't matter.

You sigh deeply into her chest, hiccuping as you feel yourself starting to relax. Your sobs turn into cries, which turn into soft sniffles. She feels your body relax into hers, almost as if you've melted. “Do you wanna talk about it?” She spoke softly into your ear.

You pull away, and her hands cup your face to wipe your tears. You smile at her gesture before nodding. “It's just been a long day. I didn't feel good when I woke up, and I got another ticket, and work was shitty, and you didn't answer when I called you on break, and that bitch parked in my spot again and-”

“Baby, baby, take a deep breath. You're gonna work yourself up again.” She's right, and you know it. You sigh as you plop your face back onto her chest.

She laughs lightly. “I'm sorry I didn't call you, baby, I completely lost track of time after practice. It won't happen again.” She kisses your head.

“It better not. Next time I'll just beat your ass.” you say playfully. She smiles, her hands dropping to your thighs. “I have no doubt- speaking of which, do you need me to beat up that lil’ girl downstairs? This is like the third time she's done that shit.” You laugh, placing your hands on her chest, leaning in to peck her lips.

“Mmm… I missed you.” She murmurs before leaning in to kiss you again. You grin as you ball her shirt up in your hands, pulling her closer, your lips just grazing hers. “I missed you, too.”

She groans as she smashes her lips against yours. The kiss turns heated quickly, and as much as you'd like to continue, you know there's people in your house. So reluctantly, you pull away, and ignore KK's protests as you stand up.

“C'monnn, man.” She whines, reaching for you as you grab a towel. “I'm gonna wash my day away. I'll be back.” You whisper, pecking her lips again, dodging her grabby hands. “You're so fucking lame.” She groans as you walk out of the room. You see the girls playing a game of uno, SZA playing low in the background. Paige lets out a sigh of relief when she sees you.

“Thank God. Time was almost up.” You furrow your eyebrows in confusion before Ice looks up and groans. Paige laughs as she digs into her pocket and pulls out a twenty dollar bill.

“You couldn't have waited-” She checks her phone. “-Two more minutes?” Ice deadpans. You raise your eyebrows and Ice cowers a little bit. “What the fuck are you talking about?” You ask.

“I told Ice that you two weren’t fucking, she said that if fifteen minutes went by, you definitely were.” Paige shrugged. “You saved my wallet.”

You gape at Azzi, who's shaking her head. “Do not look at me. I told them you'd beat their ass.”

“You're a fucking idiot.” You say looking at Paige.

“That's what I said.” Azzi mutters.

“How?! Ice did the exact same thing, yell at her, too.”

“Why the fuck are either of you betting on our relationship?” You raise your voice, but you're not being serious, and they know that.

“That's what I said.” Azzi repeats.

“Yo, who's side are you on?” Paige turns to her. Azzi raises her eyebrows. “You're an idiot, and I will always stand by that.”

The room erupts into laughter as you shake your head. “Yo, yo, wait, how scared was KK?” Aubrey asks through her laughter.

“I wasn't scared!” KK calls from the room.

“That face you made before you went in begs to differ.” Paige calls back.

“Girl boo, can you shut the fuck up?” KK shouts back.

You shake your head as you head to the bathroom, the laughter quieting as you walk further away from it.

Even though your day was shit, and even if you broke down, you know that no matter what, KK would be there for you.

And as you showered, you thought about how she had already been through so much with you, and you know that, without a doubt, she's willing to go through so much more.

______________________________

taglist: @wintersstan @bueckerslover @lilia22hicks @fake-intelligences @girlokwhatever @pbloverr @breeloveschris-deactivated20240 @cosmopretty @hellokittyfeenie @averagelobotomyenjoyer @elliewilliamsthang @chelisbae

[augustsprincess]

Will Shaw x reader Drabble

Imagine you lose your virginity to Will Shaw. You're head over heels for him, but you never see him again. He never comes back. You wait for hours, and nothing. The next few days he disappears and all people will tell you is he took a high end important job in the big city.

It's been 13 years and you've dated, you've tried. But nobody has your heart like Will did. In an attempt to cheer you up your friend invites you to a huge party, an old friend owns the manor she tells you. She tells you to find a guy and have some fun.

But when you turn a corner in the main hall to see Will, in a well tailored suit with facial hair you're glued to the spot. You think you're seeing things, maybe it's not him. But his face is so familiar. He turns and sees you and his face lights up.

"Y/N?!" He bellows out to you as he storms over. Determined to not have your heart broken by the same man you rush off back the way you came, trying hard to ignore the man who runs after you.

He finally gets you to slow down by grabbing your wrist and yanking you to a halt, pulling your body flush against his, facing you. You plead with him to let go but he won't.

"I've missed you so much, you've no idea."

"Don't do that!" You retort.

"Don't do what?"

"That! Don't lie to me! You broke my heart, Will!"

"August. It's August now....and I didn't break your heart, you broke mine when you never came back."

"Aug-what?! You're the one who never came back! I waited for you for two hours."

"Wait, slow down. You were still there when I left? But-" Will or, August..slows down as he thinks.

"Yes I was still there, why would I have left?" You ask, face flushed with frustration and tears threatening to spill.

"But...she said you'd left. That you didn't want to see me. That we'd made a mistake." He finally released your wrist and lets you go as he stares at his feet.

"Who said that to you?" You were outraged. You couldn't tell if he was telling you the truth.

"Lori. Your friend Lori. She said you'd told her to tell me you'd left...did you not- were you really still there? And I left you?"

"She was never my friend, Will."

"August." He corrected, his face flinching at the name.

"S-sorry, Aug- oh whatever your name is doesn't matter. I never said that, I loved you with all my heart. And then I never saw you again." You start to step away from him slowly, struggling to digest the new information he'd given you.

"You loved me?" He whispered. You notice how rapid his breathing becomes after those words are said. You're about to walk away from him but his hand cups your face, his thumb wiping away a loose tear you hadn't noticed. You visibly flinch. He was the last one to touch you so Intimately all those years ago. It felt alien. But it didn't feel wrong.

"I still love you." He whispers quietly, as if he was afraid the universe would hear and take you away from him again. "Please don't leave. Don't leave me."

You feel yourself falling again. Your mind tells you to leave, protect your heart and don't let this man break you again. But your heart is oh-so forgiving.

He leans down, reaching for your lips with his own. And you willingly close your eyes and let him kiss you.

You allow yourself to smile as you pull away from each other.

"Take her." August says clearly. You give him a puzzled look before letting out a loud cry as you're grabbed from behind by two large men. All you remember is the smile on his face and the smell of the cloth that covered you before you fell unconscious.

-

You awake in a daze before the memories come rushing back, you sit upright sending your brain spiralling at the speed, but before you can jump out of the large bed you're in you're held down.

August is sat beside you with a small smile, holding your hands down. He hushes you gently as you cry, confused and terrified. This man was not the Will you knew.

"It'll be okay, shhh. I'm here. I'm sorry, there was no other way. You belong to me. With me. Here. You'll want for nothing, I promise. It'll take time but you'll get used to it. I've already brought your dress. The wedding is in a month's time." He continues to shush you as panic fills your body. He was insane. But why were you so unafraid of him? You'd wanted him back in your life for 13 years. Once again your brain wanted to protect you, but your heart was in charge now. And it belonged to August. To Will. To this man by your side.

You began to calm down as you made a decision.

"I love you, Will." You announced with a smile. The man pushes you down with the weight of his body in an unruly kiss and as you break away his fist tightens around your neck.

"Don't Use. That name." It was a warning. A final one. One last kiss as an apology has you forgiving him one more time.

Will was dead, but August was right in front of you and you didn't care how much he'd changed. You were finally his.

[6yuns]

( 💤 anon just came back 2 life again omg..... ) HIIII YARIIIIII IM SO SORRY 4 DISAPPEARING!!!! i forgot abt tumblr & i didnt remember your username so forgive me pls my fav writer silly scrunkly sprinkle tinkle :( also, pls show that youre alive at least i can live in peace

you dont need 2 worry abt writing or some shit like that, everyone needs to take a break for themselves ! its okay, im sure anyone will understand it ^_^ i get that some days can be rough, but youve already came this far, didnt you? im sure such a amazing & strong person like you would get over hard obstacles, go yari go!!! dont be afraid to cry, crying is a way of our body to release tension, im sure you'll feel better aftwr releasing even a liiiiiittle bit of frustration. stress, frustration & etc is not something that you should only bottle up (emotions & feelings tbh) until you break, its good to let it out when necessary, ya know? i dont appear around here often, but i want to know if things are better, worse or the same as before!! im sure your existence already makes a lot of change in other people's life, anyone would be glad to have you in their lives ^_^ make sure to take break for yourself, dont push yourself too hard for others' wishes! drink water, eat & sleep properly, okay? dont eat more than you should BUT dont eat less than you should, dont skip meals or i will find you and kidnap you and torture you to kill you ❤ dont forget to drink water, its very important!!! sleep at least EIGHT hours, take a nap if you couldnt sleep before!! i believe in you, yari <3

enflish is not my first langauge I HATE BRITHS PEOPLE AND AMERIFCAN OJ MY FUCKINH HOD sorry for any spelling or greammar mistskwes my brain is not workrkinh too well rn. also i like to play these satusfifjnh games but it genuinely pisses me off when a level is hard WASNT IT SUPPOSED TO BE SATIDFYING. YOU STUOID FUCKINH BITCH I FUCKED YOUR MOTHER SHES SCREAMING HIGH PITCH (/ref) im also not good at comforting people sometimes sorry 4 anything

im actually crying, i love you so much. having you interact makes me so happy, ive been going through alot, found out my gma hot cancer (idrc cus i never liked her but its putting my mom in a bad place), im moving, also starting school again so this made me feel better and gave me the motivation to try again, i love you so much 💤 anon

and its okay that eng isnt your first language i cant even read the spelling mistakes cus im dyslexic and dont notice it so its spelled correctly lmfao!!! and im glad your getting into new stuff!!!!! pls reccomend some games to play cus all i play is honkai and idv [ i dont rlly play either of those games rn ]

[theperfectlovestory]

You Were Everything Right

Summary: "You were everything right for me," Natasha smiled sadly "and I'm everything wrong for you"

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

TW: Sexual mentions (?)

Theme: Fluff/Angst

Word Count: 2, 279

A/n: I feel bad for not uploading so long and I'm still gaining followers steadily, I started my first work and I just feel tired mentally all the time 😔 I hope this at least makes up for it

All her life, Natasha excelled in all the things she put her mind to. In the Red Room, she was a valuable asset, maybe even the best. In Shield, she immediately climbed ranks, and in the Avengers, despite not having any powers, she can hold herself well and balance

Natasha is very confident in herself, she earned it. She achieved many victories that even her mistakes can't catch up to her, not until she met you

You were but a simple worker in a small grocery store, earning less than the minimum wage per hour and working 9 hours a day while studying for college on the sideline and collecting more debts than you can ever pay but you carry yourself with pride. A smile on your face from the freedom you have to decide on your fate

It's something Natasha can't afford. She doesn't have many choices. She can always choose what path she'll walk on but it will always have to be the morally right path and grey. It will always be for the sake of others and very rarely for herself

The first time you caught her eyes is when Wanda asked Natasha if she can drive her to the grocery, craving a specific type of snack that only your shop sells. It was like fate. Tony made sure to have all the cars maintained but for some reason, Wanda's tires popped and she had to beg for a ride. Natasha never goes to the grocery, everything is delivered to their cabinets under Stark's order. Only very rarely do they buy a specific food

At the store, Natasha ended up buying a lot and Wanda chuckles the whole time as the assassin chuck snacks after a snack on her cart. Your manager saw this and immediately open another till to accommodate them, not wanting to take up the time of superheroes just to check out. You were assigned to that till which rarely happens since your job is to haul and restock

That day was full of events caused by fate

. . .

After that, Natasha made sure to go with Wanda every time she asked, taking everyone's order to make sure they get another till open for them in hopes you will cashier again. Every time, it was you standing and greeting them with your beautiful smile. Wanda immediately caught on to her friend's little crush. It was cute to her, how Natasha flirts with you and you laugh and smile but never taking her seriously, it frustrated Natasha so much and pouts all the way drive to the compound

"Why don't you just be direct and ask her number and a date," she asked and Natasha's frown deepened

"What are you talking about?"

"That cashier, I think her name is Y/n" Wanda leaned on the car seat and looked at Natasha "You like her"

Natasha looked at Wanda briefly before her eyes go back to the road "Well...does she?"

Wanda's eyes glimmer a different shade, a look of hesitation on her face "Well, one way to find out?" She offered a reassuring smile

. . .

Natasha thought that Wanda is right, there is indeed only one way to find out and that is to ask you directly. The next day, Natasha walked in confidently but the moment she saw you, her palms started to sweat. You were about to walk out to take your break outside and get some air while at it when you saw her

Since she was a regular, you walked to her and greeted her with a genuine smile. She did the same

"Forgot some things to buy yesterday?" You playfully asked and Natasha shook her head

"I'm here for you actually"

If you knew Natasha then, you'll notice how nervous she is. Her hand tucked into her leather jacket's pocket. Her weight slightly transferring from one heel to another and she hopes her voice is not as shaky as she feels it to be

"Is that so?" You gave her a shocked but pleasant smile "I'm currently on break but how can I be of service?"

The word ‘break’ gave Natasha an idea. She swallowed the lump on her throat and muster all the confidence she had at that time

"Well, want to have lunch with me?"

. . .

Days for Natasha went better. She never liked texting but it became a habit to check on her phone from time to time to have a conversation with you. Your life is so interesting to Natasha even though you find it repetitive. She admired the routine, it's a comfort to Natasha

When she found out that you run every morning, she offered to run the same trail with you and she's surprised to watch you keep up with her with very little difficulty. Now it's not as hard for her to get up even when she had very little sleep to run with you

. . .

Natasha's busy and ever-changing schedule made her worry that you'll eventually get tired of it. Especially when she can't respond for days but she always comes back to link messages of videos you think is funny. Natasha didn't realize she looks forward to those now even if she find it ridiculous at first. She realizes you think of her once in a while whenever you send videos, it made her smile

At first, she doesn't know if she's required to reply to it, Wanda then told her to just react to it based on her emotions, she pressed the message longer and emoticons popped out, Natasha spammed the videos with it and you chuckled, you appreciate that she watched every one of them

One thing you do that Natasha likes is greeting her goodnight before you sleep. She knows that you will no longer respond so she doesn't have to wait for it all night. You also ask her how she is every time, it was weird for Natasha at first, no one really ever ask her how she is but now, shd made sure that her answer will be something you'll like, she made sure to make her day enjoyable and productive in her way

. . .

At times there's enough overlapping time for the two of you to go out, Natasha made sure to plan it from start to finish. You smile every time Natasha proudly smiles when one task in her head is accomplished perfectly but you admire that she doesn't mind changing plans if needed like when she planned on a picnic-style date but it rained so you turned it into a stay-in pillow fort and movie marathon in your apartment instead

It was one of the best nights for Natasha

That night, things became official between the two of you and from then on, Natasha felt that everything wrong became right

. . .

Natasha changed your world. The day you found repetitive before became a welcome routine. Jogging in the morning became like a morning ritual that never failed to make the start of your day better. The lonely lunch in the parking lot became a guessing game of what Natasha brought for lunch. Going home became a long, calming walk that wraps up your day. Natasha transformed the repetitive chore into an enjoyable routine, one of the things she had wrapped her hands around that you failed to notice

Slowly but surely, you were introduced to Natasha’s life. At first, it was the little things, getting to know the surface, what she likes, what she doesn’t. Then she started introducing you to her hobbies. Natasha liked hiking, she adored water sports such as surfing, and she likes to go to firing ranges after a long mission but Natasha also loved the play.

She once brought you to a classical concerto where you two had to dress formally. She wore her black lace long dress that hugged her curves perfectly, red faux fur wrapped on her elbows and back, gold and ruby red accessories perfectly placed on her body, it was a different Natasha, she was more playful, sly, and persuading

That night, Natasha had her way with you like never been before. The silhouette of her body was illuminated only by the light of the burning candle, an evil smirk forming on her lips when you let out a soft but sultry moan when she licked her lips. Her body pressing in between your legs, her heat almost enough to push you on the edge. Her touches ghosting the skin of your body making you squirm and gasp whenever she passes the place you want her to touch the most. Her chuckles filled the room as your mouth pleads and begs for her to touch you, to let you experience a moment of bliss, a peak in heaven that you so crave to reach

It was a night full of frustrations and begging and tears but Natasha never failed to deliver. That night, you tasted heaven in the form of her sloppy, hot, and wet kisses. That night, Natasha made sure to engrave to you how much she love you

. . .

It was hard, heavy. Natasha's love is sometimes too heavy for you to carry. There wasn't enough space for you to give yours. You were just carrying all of hers until it brought you down on your knees. You tried hard, sweat running down your face, jaw clenched so hard you can feel your teeth cracking, your hair started turning white with the burden

Natasha gave you everything and more but it was something you never asked for, something you never wanted. You watch your independence die in front of you. You don't feel yourself anymore

A lot of your time was focused on Natasha, it doesn't matter if you're studying or if you're with friends, you had to stop everything to be with her at the moment she's free

You hated waking up at two in the morning to her knocking only to find her bleeding in all kinds of places. Your heart clenched at the sight of your partner suffering and yet seeing you is the only thing in her mind, not even caring if her cuts and shots will kill her

You repeatedly begged her to take care of herself, think of herself first but she continued going to you instead, even when you cry as you clean up her wounds

Natasha's problems are as extraordinary as her job. She sees a lot of things that will push a person crazy with trauma. She never gives you details but you see it in her eyes, the horror she had to face every day. She also has to deal with it in her sleep, she will sometimes wake you up with her moaning or shouting and struggling, those you don't mind, you'll wake her up, give her water and she'll be okay but there are times when she'll just be crying and when you wake her up, her eyes will be filled with so much sadness as she stares blankly at in the distance.

You can only hug her tightly in your chest as tears continue to pour on her cheeks until she falls asleep once again. You never can after that, it's like you can see the events she had to face in her green wet orbs. It makes you stand up hurriedly and puke in the bathroom

Natasha will wake up and see the bags under your eyes and she’ll immediately feel guilty. She knew you were having a hard time with her baggage, she knew she had to do something about it but the only solution she can come up with in her head, she doesn’t have the strength to do it. Only the reassuring smile you give her makes her feel a bit better but when can you take it

. . .

Natasha’s mission grew longer and longer, sometimes you can’t see her for months. Worry filled your brain but there’s a sense of relief in you that you despise. The freedom you so seek only appears when she’s gone. You hate yourself for thinking like that, for liking the wind freely blowing in your face when you’re not walking behind the woman you love meanwhile, Natasha is risking everything to make sure you can live a safe and peaceful life

Every time Natasha comes back from a long mission, she’ll see your face refreshed and well-rested, not like when she’s with you where you feel tired and restless. Natasha’s feelings are divided, while it is good that you felt great, it hurts her that she can’t make you feel the same in her embrace

. . .

It’s not too long after where more problems arise. The media found out your relationship with the woman and now, you get stopped every time you are with her. Natasha worries about your safety. She notices cameras surrounding your area. Paparazzi’s are mostly harmless, the information they send out, however, is not. In her long career, she accumulated a lot of enemies, and now, she has a weakness they can use and Natasha can’t afford for you to suffer the consequences of her action. You were immediately brought to a safe house

Natasha slowly watches you wither away, lonely in the middle of nowhere with no job and purpose in life but to be with Natasha. Her heart clenched at the thoughtful frown you wore on your face while looking in the distance. The bright yellow flower you once were now slowly turning brown and it was her fault for picking you up and cutting from your stem

Natasha didn’t want to regret anything in your relationship. You were everything right to her, but she’s everything wrong for you

[mooniefics]

— personal punishment

pairing : nanami kento / fem reader

word count : 1.8k

tags : pnp, degradation, authority kink, office sex, semi-public sex, boss / secretary, nanami literally being the sexiest man to ever live and breathe

warnings : nsfw, power imbalance

summary : He couldn't expect you to be perfect—but he could definitely expect you to pay for each imperfection in more ways than one.

notes : thank u so much to @suna-reversed for hosting the incredibly creative jujutsuhub collab and allowing me to participate !! much love (୨୧•͈ᴗ•͈)◞*♡

you couldn't exactly say you weren't proud of your performance today.

for one, you'd come into the office late, knowing that your penalties would be formally waived by your boss but well aware that you would have to face his own personal punishment. it was just your luck that this very day was the most busy the office had been all month, leaving you running papers back and forth from your boss' office for hours, nearly tripping over your own heels three times too many before you even reached your lunch break, praying that you weren't screwing anything else up in your frantic rush.

but before you could even think about escaping the confines of the office building to make up for your missed breakfast at a cafe nearby, your boss was already calling back into his office. you already knew exactly why he was requesting your presence, fear and anticipation immediately tangling into a heavy knot in the pit of your stomach. but still you went, obediently as you always did, keeping your head low as you passed your coworkers in the hall.

your fate had been sealed the moment you made a mistake, the same outcome that had been repeating for months now each time you made an error, whether it was as small as not taking the trash out from the waste bin when it was too full for his liking to something as grievous as spilling his morning coffee all over one of his pristine white button-ups. for any and all errors, you were certain to face this punishment.

the position you were in wasn't unfamiliar, bent over nanami's desk, pencil skirt hiked all the way up to your waist with your underwear around your knees, completely at the mercy of the man caging you in with his body from behind.

"if you keep making all that noise, you're going to end up getting us both fired." he growled, voice low in your ear, one hand still pressed firmly over the center of your back, forcing your chest down onto his desk. the other was occupied between your legs, two thick fingers plunging mercilessly into your needy cunt as you struggled to hold in every whimper and moan each snap of his wrist drew from the back of your throat.

"'m s-sorry, s-sir..!" you barely managed to breathe out, nails beginning to scrape at the edge of the wooden tabletop, teeth digging almost painfully into your bottom lip.

"'sorry' doesn't even begin to fix everything you've fucked up today," his stern tone persisted, ribs aching between the pressure of the heel of his palm and the hard desk, "you know just how much stress i've been under and yet you went out of your way to make it worse."

"no, n-not that..! p-promise!" you whimpered, breath coming in pants, struggling to not rock back into his hand with the knowledge that he'd stop entirely if he noticed you doing it.

you had no choice but to keep your eyes trained on the door in front of you, thighs trembling with anticipation, muted gasps and mewls managing to find their way out into the open air despite your efforts. you knew he didn't mind the noise as long as you were making a conscious effort to keep quiet, only loud enough for him to have the pleasure of hearing, only expressing the pitiful broken attempts at showing remorse that seemed to arouse him to no end.

he curled his fingers to rub at spot inside you that made your knees weak, barely chuckling when you writhed under him. "enjoying your punishment like this... you're just a pathetic slut. That's all you'll ever be, isn't that right?"

Your head hung low as you came over his fingers, shuddering, biting firmly at the inside of your cheeks to hold back the whine threatening to escape your heaving chest. you knew you should be ashamed to be so excited in the face of his cruelty, but when it was his voice and hands—discipling you harshly but still paying such good attention to you and your body—you couldn't help yourself.

before you had enough time to begin catching your breath, you could already hear the clinking of his belt buckle as he pulled it free from the belt loops of his pants, the warmth of naked skin as the length of his cock met the back of your thighs, already hard. the hand resting at your back slid up to rest at the base of your neck, fingers working their way into your hair to firmly grasp, holding you still while he eased himself between your thighs.

"please, s-sir.." The words spilled out of you before you could even think to maintain your obedient silence, earning a tug at your hair harsh enough to jerk your head back, arching your body further.

"snd who are you to be making any demands?" He muttered scornfully, the head of his cock now rubbing directly over your dripping pussy, making no effort to do anything more than painstakingly tease.

"i'm not, i j-just—" You sucked in a quick breath as you felt a sharp sting over your ass, certain there was a reddening welt where his hand had just struck it, "i pr-promise i'll be better..."

"and how can I be certain that you actually will? you say the same thing every damn time, and you still have yet to show me any improvement."

your eyes watered as you searched for a proper response, stammering over your words for just a moment too long—long enough to reignite the anger you'd found a momentary mercy from. you just barely pressed your hand over your mouth in time to muffle your own cry as he slammed himself inside of you, the desk shifting across the ground with a harsh squeak, insides struggling to accommodate his size all at once. he found a quick, ruthless rhythm of thrusting almost immediately, paying your quick gasps and pitiful whimpers no mind, almost painfully deep.

"is this is really the only thing you're good for?" he huffed, groaning lowly despite his apparent ire, "just taking cock and nothing else?"

"n-no!" you protested, barely able to hold your voice steady enough to respond, swallowing down each hiccuped breath interrupting your words, "this is the l-last time, i swear..! p-please sir, please—"

he shushed you harshly before you could continue, large hand rubbing over the aching flesh he'd previously slapped in a silent threat to repeat the action. you wouldn't be entirely opposed to feeling his large hand strike you again and again, leaving prints of red across your skin that wouldn't fade until hours after you'd left the office for the night, but you knew that you still had the entire second half of your day ahead of you to pretend as if he hadn't completely ruined you just meters away from the rest of his hardworking employees.

"at this point, i might as well just be paying to fuck you." he muttered callously, the speed of his hips slowing the slightest bit, each thrust still hitting deep enough for you to feel in your stomach, "then what does that make you, hm? a prostitute? my personal little plaything.."

you strained to vigorously shake your head side to side, fingers aching from how tightly they were clenching around the edge of the desk, your own arousal trailing down between your trembling thighs, hot tears dribbling down your flushed cheeks. you should've felt more inclined to deny his assertion, to prove yourself to be more than just a toy for him to used whenever he desired, when he needed to take out the pent up frustration he saved for your errors and your errors only—but you knew in the back of your mind that you were perfectly content with your position, as immorally lucrative as it was. you would embarrass yourself everyday for the rest of your career if it meant you could experience this at least once more.

"sorry, s-sorry..! oh fuck, sir, 'm so sorry!" the apologies you knew he loved so much spilled from your lips in a pathetic, broken moan, eyes nearly rolling into the back of your head as you held out for a few more mind-numbing moments before cumming around his thick cock.

you barely registered his hand grasping your hair painfully tight as he grunted a few low curses beside your ear, shakily exhaling a sigh when he emptied himself inside you, finally letting you rest back against the hard surface of his desk while you both caught your breath. it was all over far too soon, the intense intimacy that never lasted longer than the half-hour of your lunch break, even though you were sure he could steal you away for far longer without anyone daring to question him.

you wiped at your damp under-eyes with quivering hands, trying to not further disturb your already ruined mascara, swallowing down a whimper when pulled himself out of you and tugged your underwear back into place, readjusting your skirt for you before moving away from your body entirely.

he had already tidied up his own clothes by the time you pushed yourself to stand, that familiar expression of cool indifference having already resettled onto his handsome features. he barely ever let you see his face when he was disciplining you, always making sure you were facing away from him, or that you couldn't lift your head enough to get a good look at his face. it made it all feel so impersonal, inspired something that felt like sadness in the back of your mind, despite how you tried to remind yourself that what you had wasn't true intimacy, and that he could really replace you any day if he felt so inclined to do so.

"go clean up in the bathroom." he said without looking at you, straightening his tie back into place and checking the time on his watch, "you will need to take a call from a new client soon, and it is imperative that you give them the perfect first impression of our company. i expect you to be back here within the next ten minutes." his brow furrowed, the look of someone who'd just thought of something unpleasant flashing across his features when he finally met your gaze. "no more exceptions today."

"yes, sir." you replied obediently, voice hoarse, quickly turning away before the weight of a sudden sadness could show, advancing towards his door as briskly as your state allowed you to. you didn't look back on your way out, even though you so desperately wanted to, maybe deliver a genuine apology now that you knew he was genuinely irritated with you.

but you didn't, and the day continued as it always did, phone calls and document filing keeping you occupied for the rest of your shift, not receiving another word from your boss regarding anything. you tried not to take it personally when he didn't bid you farewell before leaving the building, reminding yourself that it was most likely just the pressure of a busy quarter, cursing yourself for screwing things up and enjoying your momentary bliss before the true consequence of genuine disappointment from nanami anchored you back to the somber reality of your situation.

it was foolish of you to think you'd be anything more than a secretary in his eyes.

[halsteadlover]

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲

*Gif not mine, credits to the owner*

• Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader.

• Requested by anon: Please can you write a Jay fic where they make a bet on who can last the longest without touching each other but on a night out she teases him to try and make him break? Thanks!

• Warnings: maybe some bad words.

• Word count: 2290.

• A/N: I don't know what to think about this, I hope you'll like it, let me know what you think if you want. I'm sorry for any mistakes. Sending lots of love to everyone, stay safe 💞.

“Let's make a bet. We have to stay as long as possible without touching each other, whoever resists the most wins.”

You didn't know why you had the amazing idea of making this bet with Jay, your handsome and sexy as hell boyfriend. Seriously, what the heck was going through your head that moment? How were you supposed to resist touching him?

It seemed like years had passed since that bet when it was just only few hours. Damn, you didn’t realize how much you constantly wanted to have physical contact with him until now and certainly seeing him fresh out of the shower still dripping water with only one towel around his waist didn’t help at all.

Fuck he looked like a Greek god.

The book you were reading was now forgotten as your eyes studied every inch of his perfect body. God, it had to be illegal to be so hot and sexy and the way his back muscles flexed with every movement he made, how his biceps twitched as he dried his hair with a towel, winning that bet was going to be really hard.

“You like what you see baby?” he asked when he noticed the way you continued to devour him with your eyes.

“Oh you have no idea” you replied enchanted, biting your lower lip. Jay tried to ignore that gesture of yours and that hungry look in your eyes.

“You want to end the bet already? You know I wouldn’t be against it,” he said with a grin on his face. He walked over to the side of the bed where you were sitting and you had to leverage all your strength not to give in and not to pass your tongue all over his body and his sculpted abs.

You took a deep breath, only causing the grin on Jay’s face to rise. “You wish Halstead, you’ll be the one to lose and do what I want,” you said with a winking tone and a smirk on your lips before giving him a wink and continuing reading the book. God only knew how difficult it was to try to ignore him but if the urge to throw yourself at Jay was high, it was more to win the bet and have him at your complete disposal.

Jay started that bet confident and 100% sure he could win it but over time he realized how wrong he was and how hard it was not being able to touch you as he really wanted. Not being able to touch made teasing each other more intense and fun, as well as obviously more frustrating.

A little over a day had passed since the start of the bet and this was the longest time you and Jay had spent without running your hands all over each other.

You were at home getting ready for a night out with Jay's team when you heard your doorbell ring. You wrapped your body in a towel as you just got out the shower and went to open it, a huge smile on your lips when you saw Jay in all his splendor and beauty. He was dressed completely in black and you couldn’t ignore the fact that he was wearing a shirt, you knew it wasn’t a coincidence and there was no need to say that you didn’t want to do anything but rip it off him.

“Look who’s there,” you said with a grin noticing the way Jay’s eyes were tracing your towel-covered body. You let him inside and then shut the door behind him. You started laughing when Jay walked over to you to give you a kiss but stopped immediately as if he just remembered the bet.

“What is it baby?” you asked in mock amazement receiving from him a dirty look.

“I’m starting to regret taking this bet,” he replied, running his hands over his face and taking a deep breath. He hadn’t missed the way you were looking at him too, damn the sexual tension had never been so high and if you hadn’t both been so determined to win by then you would’ve already literally ripped off your clothes.

“You can always give up, no one forces you to go on.”

“You tried baby but it doesn’t work, I’ll be the one to win,” he whispered, an inch from your face. God, he was so close to you that you could feel his breath on your lips, it would’ve been enough for you to lean forward slightly to kiss him. You kept alternating your gaze between his beautiful green eyes and his lips that you ardently wanted to kiss as you deeply inhales his scent. It was so intoxicating that resisting him became more and more impossible.

“You better take a step back” you whispered back, clenching the towel in two tight fists so as not to go with your hands and touch Jay.

“Or else what?” he asked with a raised eyebrow, his tongue sensually wetting his lips.

You took a deep breath trying to regain control of yourself. “I’m going to get ready,” you said before turning around and going to your room as you heard Jay chuckle.

It was absolutely a coincidence that you decided to wear a long-sleeved shirt with a V-neckline that accentuated your breasts. You didn’t do it on purpose, absolutely not. Just as you didn���t wear a white, adherent skirt on purpose, which casually happened to be Jay’s favorite.

If he didn’t give in with this outfit then there was really something wrong.

After giving your hair and makeup a final check, you joined Jay in the living room, who was sitting on the sofa fiddling with his cell phone, his legs resting on the coffee table.

“I’m ready baby, we can go.”

When Jay looked up from his cell phone he cursed himself and the moment he decided to take your bet because seeing you he didn’t want to do anything else that slam you against the wall and fuck you till you both fell unconscious.

“Oh my…” He almost went cross-eyed as he didn’t know whether to look at your boobs or your legs. He wasn't the type to be left speechless very easily, but you somehow always managed to get him stunned and in loss of words.

“You like it?” you innocently asked doing a little spin to give him a nice view of your ass too.

“Holy shit…” he whispered almost collapsing “Y/N c’mon that’s not fair.”

“What?” you asked blinking your eyelashes in mock confusion.

“You know damn well what you do to me with that skirt… And your boobs… You’re gorgeous God,” Jay said mesmerized as he watched them and tried to suppress the ever-growing desire to throw himself at them with his whole face “Fuck you’re killing me.”

“You also know damn well what you do to me when you put this shirt on, I guess it’s an equal war,” you said with a smirk on his lips “Now let’s go, the others will be waiting for us.”

“God, it’s going to be torture,” he whispered more to himself than to you, running his hands over his face, his eyes still glued to you.

As the evening passed between chatter, jokes and laughter and you were more and more determined to make Jay lose the bet and considering how he was reacting you knew you were on the right path. He was trying so hard to adjust himself on his chair as you looked into his eyes and seductively sucked your straw to take a sip of your drink, your tongue gently playing with it.

“Baby you’re playing all kinds of dirty tonight,” he whispered on the verge of losing his mind as he took a deep breath.

“We didn’t impose any rule darling,” you whispered back and gave him a slight wink before continuing to talk to Kim.

You felt Jay’s gaze on you all the time, he indeed had done nothing but stare at you and your cleavage and being seated in front of you he had a perfect view of it.

“What’s up man?” Kevin asked next to him, nudging him lightly.

“What?”

“You look like you’re on another planet tonight,” Kevin said with a laugh, even though he actually knew why his friend was so distracted. Jay rolled his eyes, taking a sip from his beer and changing the subject.

You were fiddling with the straw of your drink while you looked at Jay while thinking about how you could provoke him. A slight grin appeared on your lips as he looked back at you, but he didn’t keep eye contact much as his eyes kept alternating between your breasts and your mouth. You and Jay kept looking at each other as if only you two existed, you didn’t care about anything else, neither to participate in other people’s talk or to seem strangers to events, the only thing you cared about was the burning desire you felt for each other and it was enough to see the way your eyes seemed to strip each other of all your clothes to understand how intense this desire was.

You decided that teasing him a little more wouldn’t be a bad idea, just because you loved seeing the way he reacted to your taunts, how he seemed to quiver with each passing second.

The rest of the group was talking to each other, not paying attention to you and Jay, so you took an ice cube from your now empty drink and brought it to your mouth, closing your lips around it while your eyes were fixed on Jay.

He kept looking at you completely mesmerized, his rapt gaze carefully following every single movement of yours. You noticed how his pupils were dilated and how his lips parted slightly as you let the ice cube slide down your chest until it reached the hollow between your breasts, obviously making sure no one was looking.

“Y/N for my sake stop it right now,” Jay muttered under his breath, his hands clenched in two fists so tightly as if he wanted to vent all his frustration that way.

“I’m not doing anything baby,” you said, slightly tilting your head to the side and fiddling with a lock of your hair. Jay took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair as he continued to stare at you with a hungry gaze. God only knew what he would do to you if you weren’t in public, he didn’t care about that damn bet anymore, he just wanted to rip your clothes off and take you to every surface possible and imaginable.

“Oops baby I dropped my purse by accident, can you please take it for me?” you asked him blinking tenderly. He looked at you cautiously, as if he was trying to read what was going through your head.

“Sure,” he said, then lowering himself under the table. He grabbed your casually dropped purse and almost had a heart attack when you slightly spread your legs, enough to show him the underwear you were wearing.

White lace. White fucking lace.

You knew perfectly well how much it drove him crazy and you were in fact successful in your intent, Jay lost his god damn mind and all his rational thought. Without attracting attention you slipped your hand under the table, and while you pretended nothing was happening and aware that Jay was watching you, with your fingers you started to touch the bare skin of your thigh, drawing imaginary circles on it before driving them up to your panties.

Jay was totally stuck and as much as he realized he was wasting too much time under that table he couldn’t take his eyes off you and your sensual movements. The desire to have you was literally devouring him, it was a desire so fiery and visceral that he could no longer resist and, fuck, he didn’t even want to do it anymore.

You almost winced when you saw Jay suddenly get up, your purse in his hand but what made you almost faint was the way he looked at you. You knew that look, that light he had in his eyes, it was the same that he always gave you before fucking you so hard that you couldn’t regularly sit for a week.

“We’re leaving,” Jay said and before anyone could argue you were already on your feet, the purse in your hands as you tried to suppress the smirk that threatened to come out on your lips.

“C’mon already?” Kevin said looking between you and Jay.

“Yeah, we have to wake up early tomorrow” your boyfriend replied and at that point you both said goodbye to your friends before leaving the club.

Jay didn’t even give you time to open the door of your home that he had already pressed you against the wall, his hands on your face and his lips on yours as he devoured you in a passionate kiss full of all the accumulated tension, his body pressed against yours. You slightly opened your mouth and his tongue immediately searched yours.

It was a kiss that completely took your breath away, that made your knees weak, that made your heart beat faster and made a knot in your stomach. You had never kissed like this, without limits, with so much desire and strength that made you even forget your names and everything around you, with so much passion as to steal your soul. You were a whole of gasps, sighs, lips biting and consuming each other.

“Why are you smiling?” he breathlessly whispered, his lips still brushing yours.

You kissed him again, still smiling. “I won.”

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[barsformars]

Tricky

//

g - fluff, slighttttttt angst, suggestive

p - san x reader

w.c - 1.9k

t.w - san touching reader's naked body

c - san takes care of you when you get injured and are left all alone at home. the catch is? both of you obviously have feelings for each other but.....san

a.n - uusjsjjs this was requested through private message! im sorry it took so long lmao uh, this is just 1.9k of plotless words nothing will be solved by the end of the story so its almost like word vomit???

t.l - @closer-stars @jeongyunhoed @fairyofdusk

//

"It's not funny," you snarled at the pink haired boy who seemed to be overly amused at this situation in which both your arms were put in slings. You had slipped over a puddle of water, and that had sent you flying down the small flight of stairs right outside the taekwondo dojang, resulting in two dislocated shoulders. San pressed his lips firmly into a tight line to stop the corners of them from quirking up. On one hand, he does feel really bad, but if he said you didn't look ridiculously hilarious right now, he'd be lying. "I wonder who was on the verge of tears earlier on."

"That's because you were in so much pain I felt so bad for having asked you over for a sparring session!" San defended himself, a small pout forming as he did so. "At least the body and shin guards saved you from breaking your bones."

Once the elevator reached your floor, San pressed on the button to hold them open while keeping a close eye on you as you slowly exited. You've never noticed how much arm or shoulder action happens when you walk, until now.

It was only when you stepped through your front door and noticed your roommate's house slippers still sitting on the bottom of the shoe rack do you remember that they were out on a business trip. Being alone at home right now wasn't an option for you when you couldn't do anything by yourself, but your roommate wouldn't be back till next week. You didn't want to burden any of your other friends so late in the night, you had no choice but to rely on San.

But things...are always a little trickier with him.

"I can only stay for tonight," San sighed as he placed his phone down on the coffee table. You don't know if it was a sigh of relief or one of frustration; he had pleaded over the phone for ten minutes. "But my manager said that they can send someone over to help you out for the next few days."

"It's alright, I'll ask Jimin for help tomorrow. If they aren't available, I'll let you know, yea?" San nods, though rather reluctantly. He trusts that you'll be able to take care of yourself, except physically for now at least.

San holds you by the waist to support you as you got up from the couch, keeping an arm wrapped around it as he brought you to the bathroom. "Please tell me you have a bathtub."

"I insisted on having one, glad it's finally of actual use."

"Oh yeah."

As you soaked in the warm bath that San had ran for you, you couldn't help but think of everything that has been happening between the two of you. The lingering touches, the jokes with double meanings, the way he gazes at you so softly, and the sudden tension that fills up the atmosphere following all those. San hasn't put a title over what this relationship was, and you've been too afraid to take the lead even though you knew that friends don't act like that towards one another. You didn't want to pressure him, he already has a lot on his plate. But he ought to give you an answer soon if he's about to see you in your most vulnerable state, right?

There comes another knock on the door, the tenth one in the whole duration of your bath. "I was being serious when I said don't try to act tough and do everything alone." The knocking continued on non-stop until you replied.

"You're an impatient one, aren't you?" You joked. "I'm done, I need help getting out."

"Not impatient, just worried." You hear his back leave the door for a moment as he stood up from the floor. And as politely as he could be while intruding into your private space, San pushed open the toilet door gently and stepped in after informing you first. You couldn't stop the giggle from escaping your throat when you took sight of him, his eyes shut close in consideration that you might not want him seeing you naked.

"Oh, you're laughing? At me?" San asked in disbelief as he pulled his arms that were searching for the wall back and rested his hands on his hips, a playful smile growing on his face. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you're cute," you cooed, much to his dismay.

"I'm not cute!" San argued, his eyes now open and glaring at you, still rather adorably. But before you could tease him any further, San practically stomped his way to the bathtub, leaning down to your eye level as his arms gripped onto the sides. "Don't mistake my manners for cuteness, I'm not." He said, almost with a growl, as he reached into the water and wrapped his strong arms around your torso, pulling you up so that you could stand. Taking pride in the way your eyes widened in surprise, San couldn't help but smirk before giving you a quick peck on your forehead. "You're cute."

Once he got you out of the bathtub, San tried his best to not look at your body as he dried you up with a towel while you stood there blankly, still at a complete loss for words. "You're so rude," you told San after finally able to process whatever just happened a minute ago. The boy merely raised his eyebrows, his lips pursed. "Taking advantage of my injuries to show off your strength when you know how I feel about it."

"Well, you're not stupid, you know how I feel about you. It's only normal I act cool a little," San replied nonchalantly but you could tell that he was too afraid to look you in the eye. "Come on, let's go get you dressed."

"Also, just thought that you should know...." San paused for a moment to make sure that you dried your feet properly on the mat before continuing. "I almost patted your bare ass earlier on." You can't even blame him. With how touchy he and his members are, you aren't even surprised that touching people's butt has become their second nature. But even then, he really didn't have to tell you.

"TMI dude."

San had been watching YouTube tutorials on how to put on shirts with a dislocated shoulder while waiting for you to wash up earlier on. You wouldn't have known either if he wasn't showing off all the knowledge that he had learnt less than half an hour ago by trying to convince you quite passionately, and with demonstrations, about why a dress shirt would be much easier to put on than a t-shirt, especially in your case.

"I will. I will wear dress shirts until my shoulders recover," you sighed heavily in defeat. "But just for tonight, can you help me with a t-shirt? I want to sleep comfortably even if it's just for tonight."

This time it was San's turn to sigh as he reached out to pinch your cheek. "I already told you that it will hurt."

"Make it not hurt then." You shook your head so that he would let go.

"Just sleep naked then," San mumbled under his breath but loud enough for you to hear, causing you to scowl at the boy. He catches your expression and sticks his tongue out at you. "Am I wrong?"

"T-shirt," you stated firmly, refusing to comply even when you knew San only had the best intentions for you in mind. You already don't think you could sleep with two injured shoulders, much less with your crush staying the night with you, and definitely even much lesser with an uncomfortable sleeping outfit. "Or I'll bite you." Those words becoming a reality became much more probable when his dimples makes an appearance once again, resembling the dent on a mochi when you press into it with a finger.

"I don't think that's a wise idea right now, maybe next time-" he gave you a gentle boop on the top of your nose with his finger-"now, your majesty, may I help you put on your gold thread shirt made from silk of the finest quality on so that both me and you can be spared from getting ourselves into a tricky situation?" If you could throw a punch at San right now, you would, but all you could do right now was to sit on the bed quietly and accept the teasing. And also whatever San was about to do to help you put on the shirt.

You wonder if it's too late to change your choice of clothing after San kneels down behind you on the bed, his chest and toned abdomen almost plastered onto your back as he reached over your shoulders to grab your forearms. "I need you to put your arms a little closer together, we'll have to try to get both through the sleeves together," he explained clearly and waited for your nod before he moved your arms as cautiously as he could, his eyes studying every twitch of your facial expression to check for discomfort or pain. "Tell me if it hurts okay? Don't act tough, I keep telling you that but please, please don't act tough."

All you could manage was a soft "mhm", your throat feeling too tight for proper words to come out of your mouth. You wonder if San, like how you could feel the warmth of his hands and body, could feel the heat radiating off your cheeks too. "I'm going to pull both sleeves up now, it may hurt a little," San warned, one hand coming up to pat your head affectionately before he gripped onto the sleeves again. Even with how gentle he was being, a wince still manages to escape from you, putting a pause on San's actions as he tilt his head to look at you. "I'm sorry, it will be over soon." You nodded, fully trusting him.

Though there were still a couple more times your shoulders hurt before the sleeves were fully through, the little apology he makes every time that happens comforts you, and also, makes your heart beats embarrassingly fast. Getting your head through the hole was a much easier feat and it didn't take long before your shirt was on.

San got off your bed to fetch his backpack and for a moment you thought that he was going to pull out the painkillers that you were prescribed with but instead, he took out two boxes of shoulder brace. "When did you even get that?" You asked, amused and touched at the same time. The shoulder slings the hospital had put you in was terribly uncomfortable and while the brace may not be way better, it was still better than the sling.

"When you were getting your x-ray done," San replied with a proud smile.

"Aw, I would give you a pat on your head if I could."

Upon hearing that, San practically shoved his pink hair into your face as he bent down. "You can kiss me on my head."

"I will bite you."

[msmarvelouswinchester]

Last First Kiss

Summary - Jensen finally lets his feelings towards you known but it doesn't get the reaction he had anticipated.

Pairing - Jensen Ackles x Reader, Jensen x OFC!Jessica (brief)

Characters - Jared Padalecki, Gen Padalecki, OMC Mark, OMC Luke, OFC Jessica

Warnings - Fluff, Insecurities, Bad dates, Implied smut, Language, Angst-ish, happy ending

Square Filled - Valentines Day ( @anyfandomgoesbingo ) Jared Padalecki ( @spndeanbingo )

Word Count - 2262

A/N - Written for my 500 Followers challenge

Request by @akshi8278 - Hi, once again congratulations on your 500 followers. 🥳🎉 Could you write number 23 and 25 for Jensen. It could be fluff/ smut, whatever you want. Thank you 😊 (I added a little bit of angst for the course of the story. Hope you like it!)

This is also a submission to @negans-lucille-tblr' 6k Roll The Dice Challenge

Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine. Prompts are in bold.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

You trudged down the empty hallway, your body slumped with exhaustion and feet hurting from wearing the ridiculously high heels to impress a man who never showed up. The silence in the empty halls was deafening unlike the crowded diner which was buzzing with lovestruck couples on the fine evening of Valentine’s Day. When you reached his door, you were barely hanging in there. Hesitantly, you knocked twice, immediately cursing yourself for fucking up his Valentines Day as well.

“Y/N?” Jensen tilted his head in confusion at your dejected state. “What happened?”

“I am done with dating.” A stray tear rolled down your cheek as you replied. Jensen pursed his lips as he opened the door wider to let you in. He threw an arm over your shoulder, guiding you towards the couch.

“Mike was a douchebag.” He said, as you plopped down on the blue couch.

“His name is Mark.” You rolled your eyes at him, “I dressed up all for nothing. I am done trying to find the perfect man. I will get a cat and become a cat lady. At least it will show up when we have a cat date with cat food and pizza.”

“You can't just swore off dating because Macaroni didn't show up.” Jensen smirked. “You just haven't met the right person yet.”

“I got stood up thrice within a span of two months. I surely know how to pick them.”

“Sweetheart, I'm so sorry but I know you'll definitely meet the right person. It's just a matter of time.” He rubbed your arm as you snuggled closer to him. “Should we order takeout? I am starving.”

“Mhm. I wouldn't mind some chinese. I'm sorry that I fucked up your plans for the night.” You said.

“I didn't exactly have anything better to do. Spending time with you is much better than third wheeling Jared and Gen.” He chuckled.

“What am I doing wrong, Jay? Something is definitely wrong with me or the entire male population is a douchebag.” You sighed, as Jensen took out his phone to place an order in your favourite Chinese restaurant.

“Y/N/N, nothing's wrong with you and there are good men out there in the world.” He said.

“They are all taken.” You replied, nonchalantly.

“I'm not.” Jensen said and your heart skipped a beat at his words.

“Maybe I was too blind to notice it,” you wanted to say instead you blurted out, “You're my best friend, Jensen.”

His hands dropped to the side as he visibly tensed up. An unbearable silence followed the awkward conversation. You could barely look at the actor beside you who was staring off into the distance, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Fortunately you were both saved from further conversation by the delivery guy.

You bit down on your lip to stop the yawn that was threatening to leave as you pretended to listen to the man in front of you complain about his work life. You hummed along to the man’s words as your mind reeled back to that night at Jensen's house. You still didn't know why you didn't speak about your true feelings. Even though his little confession didn't break you two up, whenever you used to hang out, a discomfort lingered in the air and so you had ditched the weekly movie night the day before.

After another painfully long hour, your extremely bad date came to a very fortunate end. As a sign of politeness, you had agreed with Luke, your date, when he had offered to drop you at your doorstep. With no promises for a second date, you had left Luke’s car after successfully dodging his attempt at a kiss. You sprinted across the usually empty hallway and found yourself in front of Jensen's room. You knocked at his door.

“So I was on a date and oh god, time wasn't passing by at all! Luke was such a boring guy. I surely do know how to pick the guys- and I'm so sorry I didn't come yesterday for our weekly movie night-” You rambled on as soon as Jensen opened the door without giving him a chance to pitch in his two cents.

“It's okay.” He finally spoke but his words were soon forgotten when you saw the half-naked brunette standing behind him, glaring at you.

“I'm sorry,” You turned your attention to the man in front and noticed the swollen lips, tousled hair and his unbuttoned jeans, “I didn't know you had company.”

“Next time try to call before you barge in complaining about yet another bad date.” Jensen grumbled, rolling his eyes before he shut his door to your face. You stared at the closed door, crestfallen as tears started to pool in your eyes. You made your way back to your room which was on the next floor in the same apartment building all the while wondering if your insecurities had really messed up a good friendship.

Jensen had neither heard nor seen you since he had closed the door on your face. He winced every time he remembered how rudely he had pushed you out of his apartment when Jessica was over. He was finally trying to move on since now he knew how you felt. Jensen was definitely hurt when you made it clear that you didn't reciprocate his feelings but he didn't hate you. You were still his best friend so it hurt when you had started to distance yourself from him, even ditching him on your weekly movie night. All that bottled up frustration had turned into anger when you had knocked on his door the next night to complain about your boring date but he still regretted the way he had told you off.

“Is Y/N going to come to Gen’s party?” Jared asked his tv brother during one of the takes.

“I don't know. Why don't you ask her yourself?” Jensen snapped as he went back to reading his script.

“What happened?” The hazel eyed actor frowned at his friend's behaviour.

“I haven't talked to her in weeks nor have I seen her.” Jensen grumbled.

“You two are like the Siamese twins and now you are saying you haven't even talked to her? Dude, what happened?” Jared asked. “Maybe you should talk to her.” He said after Jensen opened up about what happened.

“I have called her. Dozens of times. She is not picking up.” He scoffed.

“Gen is going to invite her I suppose. Maybe you can talk to her then.” Jared shrugged as they were called back on to set.

Jared was right about everything. You were invited to Gen’s backyard birthday party and so was Jensen. You had hesitated before you finally made up your mind to go to the Padaleckis' because you knew someday you had to face Jensen. When you had returned home that night, you had realised why no one was ever good enough for you since the perfect person for you was right in front of you but your insecurities had made you blind. You knew you had missed your chance when you had caught him with the brunette but what hurt more was when he shoved you out of his apartment.

Jensen had called you a dozen times but you hadn't picked up. You didn't know what to say and the longer you stayed away from him, your feelings for him grew stronger so instead you started to avoid him like plague, trying your best to move on.

The clinking sound of bottles behind you pulled you out from your deep thought.

“Hey.” Jensen awkwardly said.

“Hi.” You returned the same awkwardness.

“You weren't picking up my calls. I'm sorry for the other night.” He said, his gaze quickly dropping to the floor.

“It's all right.”

“No it's not. Then you wouldn't have avoided me.” He said. “I know things have been awkward since that night but no hard feelings. It's perfectly okay if you don't feel the same. I just want my best friend back.”

“I do feel the same.” You muttered quietly which made him look up to you. Jensen stared at you dumbfounded.

“Then why didn't you tell me?” He finally said.

“I panicked. I got scared because you know me, I don't do well with men and I thought if we didn't work out, I would lose you.” Your lips trembled ever so lightly as you stared into his green eyes.

“You won't ever lose me.” Jensen walked up to you, “Even if things don't work out relationship-wise. I will always be your best friend.”

“I don't wanna lose you. You're my person, Jay. So I lied not realising that I had pushed you away myself.” You said.

“I will always be your person just like you're mine but I can't fight this feeling anymore. I think I'm in love with you and I don't know what to do.” He said while walking up to you.

“Maybe you do know now.” He leaned down, cupping your face, his lips hovering over yours. You closed your eyes, feeling his hot breath fan against your skin but then you felt him pull back. You opened your eyes as you saw him stare at you with a look of regret in his eyes.

“I can't.” Jensen sighed.

“Why?”

“I have a girlfriend.” You gaped at him, heart broken into millions of pieces. Before Jensen could get another word out, you fled the scene.

“Hey Y/N.” Gen beamed. “Are you going home already?”

“Yeah I think I'm coming down with something. Sorry Gen. Happy birthday, again.” You said and wasted no time to get into your car and quickly drove back to your home.

Jensen had repeatedly called you since you had fled the Padaleckis’ house but you hadn't picked up. The first two days you had hardly left your house. You had been sobbing uncontrollably. You had bared your heart and soul to the man you had fallen head over heels only to get your heart broken.

You were lying on your couch, watching a sappy romantic movie when you heard a knock on your door. Pausing the movie midway you got up to open the door.

“Hi.” The green eyed man spoke quiet as when you opened the door. The sight of him brought tears to your eyes again. He was carrying a box of chocolate and a bottle of wine. “I would have brought flowers but I know how sad you get when they start to wilt.”

“What're you doing here?”

“I heard a guy hurt my best friend so I'm here with chocolates and wine.” He smirked. You snatched the box of chocolates from his hands as you held the door wide open.

“Sappy romantic comedy? Oh sweetheart, want me to kick the guy's ass? He deserves it. No one hurts my best friend.” He said as he pulled you into a tight hug. The intoxicating smell of his cologne finally breaking you. “I'm so sorry.”

“I'm so sorry too.” You sniffled as you looked up at him. “Our timings sucked.”

“It did. Can we start afresh?” Jensen smiled.

“What about your girlfriend? I don't wanna be your ‘slutty mistress’.” You said, quoting Grey’s Anatomy which made him chuckle.

“I broke up with her. I tried to date other girls to keep you off my mind but there wasn't a single damn second when you didn't cross my mind because I am totally, completely, hopelessly in love with you.” He grinned as he leaned down to kiss your cheek.

“I am in love with you too, Jay.” You said, “Kiss me.” Jensen dropped his head as he leaned into you, capturing your lips with his. His hands travelled all the way down your body before stopping at your waist. He gripped you tightly and pulled you closer, your hands landed on his biceps as you tried to steady yourself. His teeth grazed your lips lightly, making you moan into his mouth. Your hands left his biceps, hooking themselves at the nape of his neck, your fingers tugging at his hair, eliciting a groan out of him.

“Are you trying to turn me on or are you just that oblivious?” He growled into your ear.

“Is it working?” You smirked. Jensen growled once more into your ear before pulling away from you. He effortlessly picked you up, your legs hooking behind him as he went towards the bedroom.

Panting hard you tried to come down from your high as you felt him go soft before he pulled out. He placed a chaste kiss on your lips and rolled off to the side. His chest heaved as he tried to control his breathing, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Lost in an euphoric state, you didn't notice when Jensen had left the bed to get a cloth to clean you up. After a few minutes, he returned back to bed. You laid there in his arms, naked, basking in the afterglow of what was actually the best sex of your life. Jensen was tracing tiny, imperfect circles on your arm as a sigh of contentment left his lips. Your back flushed against his chest, smiling, you spoke.

“We might be each other’s last first kiss.” You turned towards, kissing the corner of his mouth.

“No more bad dates. No more bad first kisses. You're mine.” Jensen whispered.

“You're it. You're my person. My world is a better place with you in it.” You said, snuggling against his warm chest. “I love you.”

Feedback is highly appreciated!

[dreaminae]

We All Need The One Friend

Chapter 15

Sure, distance makes the heart grow fonder, but it also drives the brain aloof. Or so, that was Liv's take on her current situation. Almost four weeks went by since the big family dinner blowout where Billy and Jordan learned of Liv's drinking. Four weeks since her father's overwhelming disappointment swallowed Olivia whole with a growing fear of being sent away for help once more. Four weeks since her fear led to Liv, running away for help from the one person who she hadn't been in contact with for months -- her sponsor. And four weeks since Liv was giving a large wake-up call when she found her former sponsor behind bars for attempting to steal from her very own parents.

That night Olivia saw what could be her possible future if she didn't receive proper treatment while she still had the chance. Despite her fear of being sent away, she returned home after hours of dodging calls and texts from her loved ones. She walked into her home ready to accept the help, no matter the consequences. And perhaps that why fate played into her hands.

Fore when Olivia returned home, she found both her parents welcomed her with open arms, simply content that she was alright. Following the long night, Liv was surprised to find her family already with a suitable compromise. Instead of shipping her away, Billy and Laura decided upon an intensive program that allowed Liv to remain at home while she recovered.

Later into that evening, Spencer dropped by for what they both knew would be their last moment together for a long term. Acknowledging that they both had things to work on, they agreed to delay their romance until they were both in a good place to be together for real. They weren't breaking up or taking back the feelings they once declared. No, they were -- as Liv put it that night -- 'playing the long game'. Sealing their goodbye with a heartfelt kiss, they parted ways.

Focused on her recovery, Olivia found a new sponsor and confidant in Nurse Joy. Admitting her dependency upon Alcohol, and accepting responsibility for falling off the wagon, Olivia began her road to recovery. Meanwhile, Spencer centered his time on football and plotting his plan to bring Crenshaw a state championship.

Ignoring their constant desire to be together they cut off all physical communication, choosing to stick to the everyday messages to check in on one another. It wasn't until the night of Jordan's second concussion they were able to be in each other's arms.

Utilizing each other as helping shoulder through damaging announcement of Jordan's future in football, they found comfort in their buried affections. Having each other's back when Simone dropped the marriage reveal, Spencer and Liv supported each other when confronted by Billy and Laura.

The secret marriage only adding to Liv's troubled life as Laura grounded her into the next century for her deceit. Life toppled their trivial matter with the death of Tamika, shaking Olivia's inner social justice warrior to its full-frontal.

From leaking footage of Tamika's wrongful death to protesting for the indictment of the guilty officers, Liv found something bigger to be a part of. Her best intentions leading to backfire as Laura took the heat of alleged bigoted D.A. Learning to accept her mistakes, Liv tried to make the best of a complicated issue.

She and Kia's devotion to cause, sparking Spencer to follow suit, persuading his team to take a knee during their most important game. Inspiring by the Crenshaw team their opponents took a knee in protest. As a result of more football teams following Crenshaw's players in taking a knee, Crenshaw was granted another shot at the state championship.

Everything seemed to play into Liv and Spencer's hands, except the main thing they both desired since summer. It was all in a matter of timing, and they both couldn't help but anticipate when that moment would finally arrive.

So when they found themselves planning a surprise party in honor of Spencer's mom earning her college degree, the anticipation rose to a new peak.

"So no gouging out my eyes?" Liv playfully joked, allowing herself to make a joke of the foolish comments people were making about her online.

Spencer scoffed as if insulted. "What, those pretty eyes? You crazy." His eyes drifted from the direction of her eyes to her lips.

Olivia smiled softly as he quickly shifted back to their original conversation, unsure if now was the right time for them to share that type of moment. "You gon' help me fix this came or what?" He questioned with a crooked grin.

"Yes," Liv replied with a cheeky grin as she hopped from her seat, wondering how long he'd wait to make a move.

The next hour and a half flew by with them baking the cake while making basic small talk to catch up with one another. They discussed Liv's daily meeting with nurse joy and how her recovery was coming. Liv caught Spencer up on Jordan's everyday hobbies since his time away from football, while Spencer tried his best not to admit to Liv that he was aiding in Jordan's desire to return to football. Their topics switched until they circled back to Spencer's upcoming game against Westlake, and how Olivia punishment lifted just in time for her to come see him play.

"You'll be my personal cheering section." Spencer goofed as he iced the bare cake.

"Of course. I'll be decked in your jersey number and sporting Crenshaw colors all night." Liv giggled, imaging herself ornamented in Spencer James merchandising. "I'll be shouting the loudest. Go, Spencer! Kick some Westlake ass!" She shouted cheerfully, causing Spencer to chuckle.

"And what about I finish kicking Westlake's ass?" He wondered aloud. "Do I get a prize?" He inquired with a lifted brow.

"You'll have won the state championship for Crenshaw and saved your school. What more could I give you?" Liv snickered, sipping her lemonade.

"I can think of a few things." Spencer flirted causing Liv's cheeks to redden as she swallowed her refreshment.

The knocking of the front door interrupted their flustered juncture. "I'm should...um..you know..."

"Don't worry, I will still be here when you get back." He chuckled towards her rattled nature.

He frosted the cake as Liv dealt with a package delivery on behalf of the coach baker. Shortly after leaving the package in the living room, she rrutrned. Her reserved nature now contained after she took a moment to compose herself.

She returned to the kitchen with more pep in her step resolved with knowing that the moment she and Spencer both delayed was finally arriving, and all she had to do was lead it.

Eyeing Spencer with a twinkle in her eye she cheekily leaned over close to his direction, dipping her finger in the canned frosting. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" She inquired sassily, catching his attention as she strutted a few feet around the counter.

"Girl, you know I got skills." He responded cockily, earning a snicker from Liv as she shut the refrigerator to from putting leftover baking ingredients.

"Hey, I was thinking that we should have that graduation won't playing at my mom's party," Spencer suggested, humming his ideal tune aloud.

Olivia listened to the tune with a puzzled expression. "Umm, that's the wedding song."

Spencer eyed her strangely, confused as to how he got the two melodies muddled.

Giving him a sympathetic grin, Liv rubbed his arm, comforting him. "Hmm, you'll get it." She laughed as Spencer twisted his face in slight embarrassment. "It's okay." She added jokingly.

Rolling his eyes, Spencer gestured down to the finished cake. "Well, what do you think?"

Liv analyzed the frosted cake, impressed by how well it came out. "It's good." She complimented with growing suspicion. "Like really good." She added, smirking at Spencer. "You've done this before, haven't you?"

"Maybe like once for my moms birthday..." He dragged out, sensing that his cover was blown as he smiled crookedly. "And maybe all of Dillion's birthdays." He admitted, redhandedly causing Olivia to laugh.

"Alright, you caught me." Spencer chuckled, then grew serious. "N'all but, I just wanted to get your mind off everything." He confessed wholeheartedly, hating the low amounts of times he witnessed a real smile from Liv over the last few weeks.

"You did," Olivia assured him, touched that Spencer went found the energy to help her through the day's mess, even though she was meant to be helping him today. "You made me feel a lot better." She added, wanting him to know that his intentions were highly effective.

Spencer simply nodded, content to help in any way he could.

Liv smiled thinking back to how their last few hours together reminded her of the summer they spent together. No matter if it dumb shows or extended time at the mall shopping, Spencer remained glue to her hip just to make Liv happy. If he noticed she was having a bad day, he'd make a stupid joke to make her laugh. When she felt alone and needed someone to talk to, Spencer spent hours on the phone with her. When she felt like crumbling, he was always the rock that steadily held her up.

"You've done that before too." Olivia slipped out, letting her affection take over. Her eyes darted to his with a knowing twinkle.

Spencer observed her stature, finding Olivia in control and sure of herself. She beamed gently with a slight tilt of her head as if waiting to see what he would do next. She wanted to know if he still wanted her, and this was her way of conveying her yearning for him. With an assured confirmation that she was ready, Spencer took this as his cue.

Without saying another word he walked towards Liv, ready to give in to their passions. His head tilted in the opposing direction of Liv's as they both leaned in to close the small space between them.

However, right when their lips were about to meet Spencer's phone buzzed. Spencer grunted under his breath, annoyed by the bad timing, but reached for his phone nonetheless. Liv sucked in a tight breath, frustrated by another halted moment.

Remaining with barely an inch separating them, Liv took matters into her own hands. Literally.

"Spence," Liv mumbled, topping the hand that held his phone with the palm of her hand to gain his attention. His phone continued to buzz, as Spencer gave Olivia his awareness. "Yeah."

"It'll still be there afterward." Liv sighed with an unsure smile, gently pulling his phone out of hand. Her finger dragged across the screen, rejecting the call. "But I'm right here. Right now." She remarked, locking eyes with him, lust emitting from her own. "And I don't know about you but I'm tired of waiting." She snickered sassily, earning a smirk from Spencer.

Liv eyes danced from Spencer's brown orbs, falling to his lips, then back to his eyes. Cupping his face, she brought his lips to hers for a kiss that was weeks in the making.

[1dfangirls35]

The Language of Your Soul

An enemies to lovers ballet au in 5 acts

Masterlist // Tell Me What You Think

Banner: @booksncoffee​

Act II

Sorry for the intermission guys but I’m back! 

Warnings: This story (and chapter) will contain language, mentions of emotional abuse from a parent and eating disorders. Please read at your own discretion. 

Eight Weeks Until Opening Night

Giselle's left hand grips the cool metal of the bar, her legs shaking uncontrollably beneath her -a result no doubt, of her five mile run this morning before rehearsals. Maybe that hadn't been the best idea after all.

Giselle hears Teagan enter the studio after her, announcing her entrance with the loud thud of her duffle bag hitting the floor. Giselle watches as Teagan grabs her pointe shoes out of the bag, taking a seat on the floor a few feet away from Giselle.

Giselle hates that Teagan has to be here, taking part in Giselle's solo rehearsals. The role of Odette was challenging enough- a true feat of technical perfection and stamina. She didn't need Teagan, the person who could snatch her dream role out from under her with just a few missteps, to watch her struggle through her early rehearsals. It makes Giselle feel like she is the prey, and Teagan is lurking in the shadows simply waiting for a moment of weakness to swoop in and swallow her up.

"How are rehearsals with Harry going?" Teagan asks, breaking the silence.

"Fine," Giselle responds shortly. But rehearsals are not going fine. They are an all-out disaster.

In the week and a half since the cast list had been announced, Giselle and Harry had yet to practice beyond their scheduled company rehearsals and it was showing. Giselle had tried on numerous occasions to suggest they work on the basics on their own but Harry had pushed it aside saying, "You've just got to know the choreography better."  Giselle left every rehearsal feeling like a complete and utter failure- unworthy of dancing with the likes of Harry Styles.

"A dancer like that can make anyone look good," Teagan says with a tone that implies that Giselle needs some help "looking good". Giselle ignores the comment, instead, mentally running through the choreography for the Act II variation.

Anna Elliot interrupts Giselle's mental rehearsal as she enters the room. It's strange to see Anna in a black tracksuit instead of a leotard and tights, her dark black hair falling around her shoulders instead of pulled back into its usually neat bun. Her face looks tired; her usual bright smile absent. Giselle supposes it can't be easy for her to be on the other side of the stage, leading the rehearsal instead of dancing it.

"Ladies," she announces. "We are going to run through the Act II variation today. Giselle, you'll go first."

Giselle nods, pulling up the waistband of her white practice tutu as she positions herself upstage center in the studio. She tries to ignore Teagan's narrow eyes staring at her as the pianist begins  to play.

As she dances Giselle thinks through each and every movement. Smooth développé, lifted attitude, airy bourrées. When she finishes her chaîné turns at the end of the variation, she exhales deeply- not realizing how much she had been holding her breath.

She looks towards Anna for approval. "Nicely done Giselle. Now I'd like you to work on those  chaînés at the end. Really make sure they are tight and quick."

Giselle nods in understanding.

"But overall, beautiful execution of the choreography. We really just need to fine tune."

Giselle smiles smugly, glancing at Teagan who stands with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Teagan," Anna announces, gesturing for the understudy to take her stab at the variation. Giselle watches as Teagan runs the variation, but mentally she's thinking about all the things she could have done better in her own.

"Well done, Teagan. Now your attitudes were a little sloppy, let's work on really lengthening that back leg and lifting your chest okay?" Teagan nods. "But I loved the emotion that you put into your dancing. Giselle?" Anna calls, grabbing her attention. "Did you notice the emotion that Teagan puts into her movements? It's something that I'd like you to work on incorporating into your variation. The audience needs to feel what Odette is feeling through you. Let's do it from the top."

Giselle runs the routine again. She tries to 'portray the emotion' like Anna wants, but instead her heads caught up in executing her turns and keeping her arms sharp. When she ends the variation, Anna looks over at her with disappointed eyes. "More" is all she says.

Giselle runs it again. And another time. And each time, Anna tells her it is not enough. That Giselle needs to embrace being Odette. That the audience needs to understand the pain of her being trapped in this body of a swan with no escape.

"Teagan, why don't you run again. Giselle pay close attention this time."

Giselle feels her frustration grow as she watches Teagan again. Teagan's movements are still sloppy, and she messes up the step-over turns at the end, but when she finishes Anna looks over at Giselle like they've just watched the most magnificent performance. "That is the emotion I need to see Giselle."

Anna looks down at her watch. "Well I think our rehearsal time is up for today. Keep working on that emotion Giselle, its a very important part of this ballet."

Giselle nods and smiles, but inside her guts are wrenching at the thought of this rehearsal getting back to her mother. She has to do better. She must.

******

If Harry had learned one thing in his time as a professional ballet dancer, it was that relationships and commitments were the hidden poison of a professional dancer's career. He'd watched many sets of partners fall in love, only to ruin their careers in the aftermath of their failed relationship.

That is why Harry chose to remain unattached. Well, the why he chose to accept anyway. He wasn't a man that ignored his needs, but a night with Harry Styles was just that- a night. No feelings and no attachments.

Take for example the girl he took home last week after the party for his addition to the company. What was her name again? Eliza, yes that's right. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Eliza. She was pretty, a fair conversationalist and perfectly good in bed. Harry had supposed she must even be a decent ballerina, considering she was a corps de ballet member at the American Ballet Theatre. But to Harry, Eliza had only been a nice shag and a body to fall asleep next to on a night when a bustling New York City felt a little too lonely.

Apparently, however, Harry had been less than clear with dear Eliza about this, because as Harry chats with the tall, auburn-haired dancer standing in front of him as they warm up for company class, he can see the daggers of jealousy emitting from Eliza's eyes. He doesn't know this girl's name, the new one, but he can already sense the desire wafting from her body. The way she's learning forward to be closer to him as she stretches. The way she's laughing theatrically with every word that Harry says. The way her eyes are lingering on his lips for just a second too long as he speaks. He's beginning to think she might be a little much for him and makes a mental note to choose a different spot at the barre for tomorrow's company class.

He knows he's in trouble when the second the reverence ends, Eliza rushes over to him with and without saying a word slaps him across the cheek with more force than he thought possible out of her thin little arms.

Harry's skin stings from the blow, the corner of his eye watering ever so slightly. He presses a hand to the injured tissue in response to the attack. But this is not the first time Harry's received such an offense, and it likely won't be the last.

"So what are you just jumping on to the next one?" she shrieks. Harry looks around the room, noticing that people have stopped packing up their things and are now staring at him like he's a caged animal at the zoo.

"I'm sorry love, I'm not sure what you mean," Harry says in a low voice, hoping to signal to this highly emotional girl that this was not the time nor the place to have a reaction like this.

His words, however, appear to have the opposite effect because he watches her eyes flair with a new burst of anguish.

"Rachel!" the girl shouts, as if Harry has the foggiest idea who Rachel is. "Everyone in the room could see how much she was flirting with you. Did last weekend mean nothing to you?!" Eliza's thrown her hands up now, gesturing wildly in a way that's anything but graceful. "You said you would call and you never did."

Harry glances at his audience.  Mistress Ivanova is standing in  the corner with her arms crossed, looking less than pleased. He grabs Eliza's arm, pulling her towards the door and into the hallway. "Let's take this outside."

When they stop in the hallway, dancers bustling past them on the way to their next rehearsal. Eliza looks up at him. Her brown eyes are tinged with red and Harry wonders if she's about to cry. He'd made a mistake with this one clearly. She was too emotional. Too clingy. Too easily attached. "I never said I would call." Harry says softly, trying to keep his voice calm but firm.

"But you said you had a 'lovely time last night. Thank you.' Eliza sniffles.

She isn't wrong about that. Harry thought. And he did have a lovely time. He usually had a lovely time. But that certainly didn't mean he planned to repeat it. "I did have a lovely time Eliza." he begins, watching as her eyes flicker with something resembling hope. "But that doesn't mean I was going to call."

"It doesn't?" the girl sniffed, bringing her hand up to wipe a stray tear from the corner of her eye.

"Listen, love. I don't do dating. I don't do commitments. I don't do relationships. It's nothing against you. I'm certain you're a lovely girl. It's just..." Harry pauses. "How I do things."

Eliza looks at him wide-eyed, like Harry has just burst her forty-eight hour fantasy that they were going to run away together and travel the world and fall in love.

"I'm sorry if you got the impression that that was simply more than a one night thing. That was never my intention."

"Okay," she says timidly, and he can tell she's embarrassed. She shouldn't be- she wasn't the first girl to react like this. Harry seemed to draw admirers to him like mosquitos to sitting water. Some knew it couldn't be more than a one-night stand, others, like Eliza, reveled in the fantasy that they were the one that would convert Harry Styles into a life of commitment. The later were always disappointed.

"Are we good then? This won't happen again?" Harry raises his eyebrow. He's already fearing the repercussions he may get from Eliza's little outburst. He is already on a short leash here at ABT, and this was surely not going to help matters.

"We're good," she replies softly, but her face is filled with defeat.

"Well then, off to rehearsals." Harry adjusts his duffle bag across his shoulder and makes his way towards his rehearsal studio.

Harry already knows he's late when he enters the rehearsal studio. Giselle's standing there with her arms crossed, tapping the tip of her pointe shoe against the floor with impatience. She doesn't scare him, but the face of Mistress Ivanova when he enters the room does.

"Mr. Styles," she announces with a voice that resembles that of a mother about to lecture her young child. "Let me be the first to say that I take little interest in who you choose to spend your personal time with. When the choices made in that personal time, however, disturb my class and my rehearsals, it becomes my business. What happened today was completely unacceptable. And it will not happen again. May I remind you that you are on a very short leash here at ABT. Another incident like today and you will be replaced."

Six months ago, when Harry was at the Royal, he might have argued back. Reminded this instructor that she could replace him all she wanted but that people had bought their season tickets to see HIM- not some understudy. Reminded Mistress Ivanova that he could have a spot at any company in the world, and that it was HER job to make sure he stayed. But that kind of reaction, that thought process, was exactly what had landed him in this position in the first place- half a world away from home. Alone and at risk of losing a career in dance. So he bites his tongue and simply replies, "I understand."

He glances over at Giselle, who has something resembling a smirk across her face. When his eyes meet hers she quickly turns away.

"Now, we are going to work on the Act II white adagio today. I presume you two have spent some time together working on partnering so this should go smoothly." Mistress Ivanova claps her hands and signals the pianist to begin playing the music.

The fact that they hadn't practiced quickly becomes apparent. Their timing is completely off, the promenades are wobbly,  and the dancing seems forced and unfamiliar.

"Maybe if you weren't making your way through the entire corps de ballet we could actually rehearse together," Giselle mutters under her breath as Mistress Ivanova leaves the room with a face that looks less than pleased.

"Maybe if you didn't act like I was about to drop you every time we promenade..." Harry begins.

"How do I know you aren't going to drop me when we've barely danced together?!"

Harry laughs. "I'm Harry Styles. I don't drop my partners, no matter how...annoying I may find them."

"Oh please," Giselle rolls her eyes. "Are you trying to make everyone in this company hate you? I mean if you keep at it with the corps and you'll have to skip company class all together." Giselle preps for a pirouette then relevés, feeling Harry's firm grip on her waist as she turns and he stops her abruptly. "Although I don't know, I get the sense that you like all that attention."

"Believe me Giselle," he accentuates the end of her name like it's a bad sound. "The last thing I want is to get emotionally involved with any of these company members."

Giselle preps for a pirouette again, this time Harry stops her smoothly, and she comes to balance in passé before lowering herself back onto her heels.

"Seems like Eliza was emotionally involved this morning. Sex will do that to people."

"Sex is just dancing without clothes, love." Harry replies, and the way his eyes meet hers in the mirror while his hands are placed on her waist sends a shiver down Giselle's spine. "Haven't you ever spent the night with someone just to escape?"

"Of course." Giselle responds, stumbling in her words only slightly. "But I know the importance of keeping my career and my private life separate."

The truth of the matter was, of late, Giselle hadn't had much of a private life. It was ballet this, ballet that. Any hours not spent in the studio were spent icing her achying feet and tired muscles. Giselle had done it once, the whole relationship thing. He was a young businessman who she met at a fundraiser for the company and he had been wonderful. Until she began to spend time with him instead of in the studio, and her mother quickly noticed her regression of skills.

Natalia Korsakova had been quick to express her distaste in the relationship and the effect it was having on her daughter's dancing. But luckily (or unluckily) for Giselle, she didn't have to be the one to break it off. One night she was laying in bed, watching a movie with a man she thought she might be falling for. Two days later, he simply stopped answering her texts or picking up his phone. He simply dropped out of Giselle's life with no explanation.

After that, Giselle knew better then to get involved with anyone who might distract her from her career. She decided maybe it was for the better, after all if there was one theme to be taken from the world of ballet, it was that love rarely ended in happy endings. There were far too many leads who sacrificed their lives in the name of love and for what? A pretty pas de deux in a pancake tutu of the afterlife?

"Hmm," Harry replies, but by the way his lips have formed into a kind of half smirk Giselle doesn't think he believes her.

They run through the variation again. It's better, their timing not nearly as disasterous as it had been a half hour earlier, but it still feels off. Unfamiliar. Like they were two strangers dancing, which Giselle supposed they were.

Mistress Ivanova doesn't return to the studio. Instead, it's Viktor who appears, twisting his hands together in awkwardness as he steps towards the front of the room. "Mistress Ivanova sent me in to run you through the variation again. She says she doesn't want to see it again until it, and I quote," Viktor pauses for emphasis. "No longer looks like it's torture to dance with each other."

Giselle hears a low chuckle leave Harry's lips. Was he amused by this? The fact that his inability to do what was asked of him had pissed off Mistress Ivanova.

"Let's run it. From the top," Viktor gestures to the pianist that has also returned to the room.

Giselle sighs, taking a deep breath before making her way to the starting point. The run the piece once- Giselle falls from the promenade. A second time- Harry doesn't stop her on the last pirouette. The third time is less technically faulty, but when Viktor stops them again, his face looks less than thrilled.

"Look guys, I know it can't be easy, being thrown into rehearsals with someone you've never danced with before. All your issues can be fixed easily once you are more comfortable with each other. More familiar with each others movements. It's going to take time, and rehearsal. And that's going to have to be rehearsal outside of normal hours."

Giselle glances over at Harry. His lips are formed in a straight line- emotionless.

"Just please. Practice before next weeks rehearsal with her?" Viktor's eyes are pleading this time, like he doesn't want to have to be the bad guy in this situation anymore.

Giselle nods, but out of the corner of her eye she notices that Harry remains completely still.

"Well, that's all for today. Thanks guys." Viktor announces before leaving the studio.

Giselle sits down, untying the ribbon of her pointe shoes. "So when would you be available to practice?"

Harry scoffs. "Practice? I don't think I'm the one that needs to learn the fucking choreography."

Giselle is taken aback by Harry's harsh tone. But she wasn't going to put up with this. Like it or not she was Harry's partner. And like it or not, they were going to have to put in some time if they wanted to keep their roles as the stars of the show. Harry was simply going to have to realize that he had just as much to practice as she does.

"No one said anything about the choreography," Giselle replies, her voice strong. "This isn't the Royal, Harry you can't go walking around like you own the place."

"And you can?" Harry scoffs. "Just because your mother's got a spot on the board doesn't make you the star of the show, love."

The word love at the end of his sentence almost cushions the blow of his words. Almost.

"You don't know the first thing about my relationship with my mother," Giselle spit back.

"And you don't know anything about starring in a show-clearly."

Giselle doesn't respond to this one. Instead she just narrows her eyes. "Tomorrow night, after rehearsals. This studio. We have to practice Harry, I won't have Mistress Ivanova storm out of another one of our rehearsals."

"And what are you going to do if I don't show? Are you going to run and cry to your mummy?" Harry taunts.

Giselle stands, slinging her bag across her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow," she states firmly.

She can feel her blood boiling as she exits the studio and makes her way towards the staircase. If this was what it was like to be Odette, maybe she wasn't cut out for it. It was hard to imagine a scenario and which her and Harry's partnership would result in a magnificent performance.

"Giselle!" she turns and sees Viktor from the corner of eye, near the end of the hallway. He rushes towards her.

"Good job today. Harry may not be the most..." he stops, his mind searching for the word, "enthusiastic partner."

Giselle offers a weak smile. "You can say that again."

"If you ever want extra practice, I'd be more than happy to run through any of the variations with you. It may not be the solution to all your problems but..."

"Thank you Viktor, I appreciate it." She smiles and makes a step towards the door. "Sorry to hear about your retirement by the way, I'll really miss watching you on stage."

Viktor shrugs. "I guess sometimes it's just time to let one journey come to an end. You won't miss me too much though, I'm gonna be more involved with rehearsals." He smiles, but Giselle can see that behind his blue eyes, pain hides.

"Good. Well, I better go get some rest. Caleb has been texting me non-stop about our dinner plans for the evening," Giselle gestures towards the stairs.

"Better get on that then, don't want to keep the man waiting. Good night Giselle."

"Goodnight," she replies.

******************************

Giselle wishes she hadn't agreed on dinner with Caleb as she opens the door to her apartment. But Caleb was her best friend, and after a long day of rehearsals, his company was something that she desperately needed.

As Giselle sets her black duffle bag on the floor inside her bedroom, her phone begins to ring on the kitchen counter. She leaps across the floor to reach it, but when she glances down, the name on the screen makes her pulse quicken. Could this day get any worse?

"Hello mother," Giselle brings the phone to her ear, walking over to the couch and laying down, her feet up in the air.

"Giselle," her mother replies curtly. There's no darling at the end of her name. That's how Giselle knows this isn't a happy check-in motherly phone call. It's going to be the kind of phone call Giselle wishes she could mute. But then again, that's what everyone of mother's phone calls was.

"I ran into Mistress Ivanova this afternoon. I have to say Giselle, I was quite disappointed when I asked about rehearsals and she told me that she had to leave your pas de deux rehearsal because of how much work needed to be done. How many times have we discussed the importance of going into rehearsals prepared?"

Only a million times. Giselle responds in her head, but instead she remains silent.

"Now what on earth is going on between you and Harry Styles? Do you know how hard we worked to bring him here? I hope you are being a good partner. Have you been following that diet I sent you? Getting your extra mile in in the mornings?"

"Yes mother," she responds in monotone. She won't mention the street tacos Caleb is bringing over for dinner. She can't listen to that lecture tonight. "I've been trying to get Harry to put in the extra time, but he seems uninterested."

"Well try harder Giselle. You can't be the reason he doesn't stay at the company. Can you imagine the embarrassment I would get if my own daughter was the reason we lost out on one of the premier male ballet dancers of this generation? I don't know if I could show my face at a board meeting ever again."

Of course it was her own reputation her mother was concerned about. It didn't matter that Harry Styles might ruin Giselle's chances of every making principal. All that mattered was that Natalia Korsakova maintained her legacy.

Giselle hears a knock at the door. Caleb, thank god. She rises from the couch and makes her way to the door. "Find a way to get things going with Harry.  Rehearse with him. Next time I speak with Mistress Ivanova I don't want to hear a negative thing about your performance." Giselle opens the door to see a smiling Caleb, brown paper bag in hand. "You have to do better Giselle, this may be your only opportunity to prove you can dance at a principal level."

Caleb mouths "Your mom?" and Giselle nods as he enters the apartment, setting the bag on the table and then making his way towards the white cupboards for plates.

"I know mom. It won't happen again. Listen, I've got to go. Caleb's going to run through Act II with me for a bit. Okay?"

"Okay," her mother sighs on the other line. Like it's a terrible inconvenience for her to have been on the phone for so long. "But don't forget to reach out to Harry about rehearsals too."

"I won't. Goodbye mom."

"Bye," Natalia responds, but Giselle barely hears her words before hanging up.

Giselle slams her phone down on the kitchen table which results in a raised eyebrow from Caleb "What'd she have to lecture you on today?"

"My disaster of a pas de deux rehearsal," Giselle shakes her head, making her way to the sink and filling a glass of water.

"And why was it such a disaster?" Caleb asks, setting a plate and napkin in front of Giselle's spot.

"Because Mistress Ivanova walked out on us,"

Giselle watches as shock fills her best friend's face. He stops what he is doing. "She what?"

"She walked out. And she won't rehearse with us again until we don't 'look like it's torture to dance with each other."

"It's that bad?" Caleb asks, now taking a bite of his taco.

"Worse. I mean it's been almost two weeks since cast posting and Harry has yet to agree to practice with me outside of rehearsals. I mean how our we ever going to dance with each other if we don't practice!"

Caleb opens his mouth to say something but Giselle continues. "I finally had enough today. I told him we are practicing tomorrow night. Doubt he shows though. And then what? My one chance to prove myself and it's a complete disaster."

"Gi," Caleb says, reaching for her hand across the table. "Take a deep breath."

She looks into his brown eyes and follows as they inhale and exhale in unison. It was an action they'd done a million times before, backstage awaiting their first performance as company members, when Caleb submitted his first choreographed routine to a local amateur dance company. It always seemed to bring them back to center, wherever they were, whatever the stressor, one deep breathe and things began to fall back into place.

Giselle would like to say that this worked a miracle. That the thought of failing her mother yet again wasn't racing through her mind. But it still was. Fainter, but still lingering.

"I just don't know what to do with him, Caleb. Harry Styles has to be the worst partner in the world."

"He's definitely proved why he got kicked out of the Royal. Guy's got an attitude."

"Why couldn't you be my partner?" Giselle sighed.

"Because, as Mistress Ivanova would say. I waste too much of my time on that choreography dream," Caleb sighs.

"It's not a waste of time, Caleb. You're choreography is groundbreaking."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But do you know what is groundbreaking? These tacos."

Giselle hasn't touched the fried, greasy mess wrapped in foil in front of her. To be honest, she isn't even hungry. If she had been alone in her apartment, she'd likely have opted for a salad, if anything at all. But Caleb was one of those people who believed food was the best cure after a long day. And Giselle needed his company more than anything, so she forces down the greasiness bite by bite.

Caleb begins to fill Giselle in on his own Swan Lake rehearsals. As well as the piece he is choreographing that he hopes Gregory, the artistic director will consider for the school showcase come spring. Then he updates her as always, on Finn, the coffee shop owner from down the street that he is infatuated with.

As they chat, Caleb's favorite street tacos grow heavy in Giselle's stomach.

Giselle makes her way to the bathroom, locking the door behind her with a click. She examines herself in the mirror, bringing a hand up to pull at her cheek. Her chin looks large, like she's had just a few too many street tacos, and her collarbones lack the definition that usually makes them stand out from her shoulders. Her mom's words echo through her mind. "Eat less Giselle. Exercise more Giselle. You need to be a good partner Giselle."

Giselle doesn't want to. She's been so good for so long, but yet- the urge is coming over her and it's so strong she can't ignore it, because she just knows that if she does this she will feel better. Just this once. Just until that heavy feeling of greasy street food is no longer lingering in her stomach.

She flips on the faucet, letting the sound of running water drum in the background.

She walks over to the toilet and kneels down, the gray ceramic tile of her bathroom floor is cold and hard, and her knees crack as she adjusts her weight. She leans over the toilet, her mouth open and her fingers nearby, willing up the strength to just do it. A few moments, and she could forget those tacos happened all together.

Giselle closes her eyes and executes and soon her dinner is staring back at her from the toilet bowl. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, reaching up and flushing the evidence. She then moves to the sink, cupping water into her hands until there's enough to gargle in her throat and rinse the sour taste from her mouth. She reaches for the pink toothbrush on the corner of the counter, applying a thin line of mint toothpaste before beginning to brush.

As she brushes, she tells herself this is just a one time thing. A solution to one poor dietary decision. She wasn't falling back into her old habits. This wouldn't happen again.

As she spit out the minty foam and looked in the mirror once more, Giselle told herself she felt better.

"Gi?" Caleb knocks on the door, bringing her out of her trance. "You alright in there?"

Giselle opens the door quickly, forcing a smile on her face. "Fine, tacos just didn't settle well." She pushes towards the couch, eager to get something else on her mind. "Shall we watch the next episode of The Crown?"

"Sounds perfect," Caleb replies, settling into the couch beside her.

**********************

Harry's not sure who is more surprised as he walks into the rehearsal studio later the next afternoon- Giselle or himself. He hadn't wanted to show up. But after the events with Eliza and the way rehearsal went, he knew he didn't have much choice. This didn't have to become a regular occurrence, just enough to get the Director off his back - and his obnoxious partner. Plus, dancing was better than sitting in his tiny New York City apartment alone, which seemed to have become even more lonely in recent weeks.

"Look who decided to make an appearance," Giselle says, hands on her hips as Harry slings his duffle bag to the side of the room.

"Yes I'm here. No need to gloat about it," Harry snaps. He wasn't sure what had come over him lately, this newfound bitterness. He supposed it had something to do with the fact that for the first time in his career, he was feeling the pressure of messing up. He could lose everything.

Harry had always been arrogant. He knew that about himself. It was the role he played to protect himself- from getting too close and getting hurt all over again. But as this personality trait slowly burned through his professional life, he began to wonder if it was doing more harm than good.

"Well then," he asks. "Shall we rehearse?" He looks at Giselle, who simply stares at him. The tip of her pointe shoe tapping against the Marley floor. What was she waiting for?

"Look Giselle, you don't like me. I get it. I'm not particularly fond of you either, but I showed up today and I'm ready to figure this out. This partnership. So can we please just rehearse?"

Giselle stares at him, slightly amused by the reversal of roles- the fact that for once Harry Styles was the one begging for her to practice with him. Her lips curve into a half smile. "Okay."

"I think we should go back to the basics. Finger pirouettes, whip turns, the whole lot." Giselle nods in agreement. Where had this Harry come from? She felt like at any moment she might jolt awake from her bed and realize this was all a dream, because this was certainly not the version of Harry Styles she had encountered during their first two weeks as partners. She wants to ask him about his sudden change of heart, but decides to bite her tongue. It didn't matter why Harry was here, just that he was.

Giselle stands in front of Harry her feet in relevé. She reaches for his hands, one above her and one beside her.

"How's that for grip?" Harry asks.

Giselle's startled that he's asking for her input. "Good...ya...let's just see..." She raises her leg to passé, then développé it to the front and turns. "Maybe bring my left arm a little more forward," she suggests, then turns again. "Yes that's better."

They continue this formula through the basics. Whip turns, fish dips, shoulder sits, promenades. Harry tells Giselle when she's not holding enough of her weight. Giselle tells Harry when his grip is too strong, too lose.

He's calmer today- more present. Giselle can see that he actually could be a very good partner- when he tries too. He's gentle with his lifts, steady with his balance, and although she doesn't trust him fully, she doesn't get the sense that he's going to purposefully let her fall on her face.

Giselle even thinks, that as she stares into Harry's eyes after a dip- that there's a glimmer of softness between the strong green hue. She sees why women find him attractive. Why girls in the corps fawn over him. His jawline was flawless- razor sharp. What are you thinking Giselle, she thinks to herself. All the beauty in the world can't hide his personality.

"Shall we run Act II?" Harry asks, and Giselle is shocked. She figured that she'd only be able to convince Harry to rehearse for an hour tops, and two had already passed.

"I think that would be good," she says.

Harry nods as they move to their places. Act II goes smoother than it has before. There's still hiccups. Giselle's body still feels unfamiliar in his hands and he can't anticipate her movements like he could Mia's- but Giselle's confidence has grown and he thinks there's a potential for this not to end in full on disaster.

She's quite good actually. Her technique is near flawless- no doubt due to the hours of late nights she spends in the studio. And Harry realizes that maybe he has been a bit unfair to her. She still was annoying, a perfectionist, too wrapped up in the movement instead of simply dancing- but she was a good dancer. She had potential.

"Think that's enough for tonight," Giselle pants, out of breath from their third run-through of the pas de deux. "Shall we do this again tomorrow?" After the words leave her mouth, she wonders if this is pushing it to far. Maybe she should have settled for one rehearsal with Harry. Getting him to show up for to rehearsals two nights in a row seemed highly unlikely.

"Okay," Harry responds, his answer shocking even himself. "I think we are getting somewhere. It just takes time." He makes his way over to the bar, leaning forward to stretch his hamstrings.

Giselle sits on the ground, unwrapping the silk ribbon of her pointe shoes.

"You know the steps Giselle and I'll make sure you look good out there. Promise," he says, and Giselle thinks that maybe she can see even a hint of a smile.

Giselle pulls her foot out of her shoe, folding her tights back to reveal her stinging blistered feet. She glances over at Harry, his face buried against his leg at the bar- his tights showing off his perfectly toned leg. It makes her think about him- the rumors about his arrival at ABT. She knows she shouldn't ruin the moment but she can't help herself. The words slip out.

"Did you do it?"

"Do what?" Harry asks, but the smirk on his face tells Giselle that he already knows exactly what she is about to ask about.

"Sleep with the director's wife."

"What's it to you?" Harry mutters, placing his other leg on the barre and stretching against it, the muscles of his back growing taunt beneath his white T-shirt.

Giselle shrugged. She didn't know why she was asking. She didn't care. Whatever had transpired at the Royal to bring Harry Styles into her studio was said and done. It's not like she could ship him back there, much to her dismay. "Just wanted to know if there was any fact behind the rumors."

"I could have," Harry says the sharp green of his eyes temporarily dimming. "There are countless women who have thrown themselves at my feet during my career, Mrs. Abbot included."

"But if you didn't... why'd you leave the Royal?"

"Now why would I tell you that when there's such a good story brewing in the company? I hate to kill a good rumor," He chuckles, his voice deep and velvety. He picks up his bag, sliding it across his body in one fluid movement. "Goodnight Giselle. I'll see you tomorrow."

And for the first time Giselle found herself not watching Harry Styles walk away with a feeling of distaste, but a feeling of curiosity.

Taglist:

@tpwkhoney​ ,  @swtxel , @stylessugarhigh

[spicyizuku]

—𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 | 𝙠.𝙨.

genre: fluff

pairing: sugawara kōshi x gn!reader

warnings: none

summary: your fiancé is one of the many that have to teach during a pandemic. It's caused him to overwork, so you try to get him to relax.

word count: 1.4k

The pandemic has been hard on him.

Every night he crawls into bed later and later, exhaustion visible in the tension of his body. It worries you, but Kōshis efforts with online learning will not be stopped by your concern.

Trying to teach elementary students through a screen is probably the hardest thing Sugawara has done in his adult life. Every week he tries methods to increase retention and every week he fails. Kids can't sit still for hours and it's unfair for a school to think they can- it frustrates him to no end. A few times a week you have to listen to your fiancé rant about how unsustainable this method of teaching is- he always gets red in the face when he thinks about his students that don't have access to functional internet. You help him as best as you can- figuring out ways to get his kids access to education, going on countless runs to drop off school supplies at every home- but you have a job too, so you can't put in as much time as you want to.

And the worst part is watching him tire himself out and succumb to irritation when he so dearly loves those kids. You thought maybe teachers would be able to have more breaks during quarantine, but you regularly find him working on lesson plans well past midnight.

The kitchen lights are dimmed as he sits at the island. Elementary Education textbooks and lesson plans litter the countertop. You cleaned the kitchen earlier so he didn't have to worry about the mess. You both had home offices, but Suga's favorite workspace has always been the kitchen. In the afternoon, He'll usually work on plans while you busy yourself by making mapo tofu.

Depending on the day the kitchen could be filled with laughter and conversation or comfortable silence. Its been more quiet, lately. It's hard for the two of you to be excited about life when you can't even go outside. Your weekly grocery shopping together has been replaced by delivery, movie dates cancelled, meetups with old friends rescheduled months out. You two had planned for a vacation, but that was easily forgotten about when cases suddenly went from dozens to thousands. Hell, even wedding planning was abandoned.

You watch him shuffle in his seat, busying yourself with getting him a glass of water.

Even when tired, he looks beautiful. His long eyelashes flutter as he tries to stay awake, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. He looks soft- contacts abandoned for large rimmed glasses. He's wearing a faded crewneck you got him a few years ago, sweatpants too big for him and mismatched wool socks. When he looks up from his laptop, greeting you with a tired smile, your heart lurches. Whether in sympathy or adoration, you don't know.

You make your way over to him, slippered feet shuffling quietly.

"You know what time it is, love?" You say softly, placing the glass of water down before leaning over him and pressing into his back. He whispers a small "thank you" and you hum. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and run a hand down his chest. Its nothing more than grounding, just present, a reminder to him that says hey, i'm here. He relaxes and leans back into your touch.

"Time for you to get some rest." He responds. It almost sounds like a command.

"Not without you."

His shoulders shake as he huffs in laughter. Something about it tells you that he already knew exactly what you were going to say.

"I've gotta get this done."

"It'll be there when you wake up."

You press your face to the crook of his neck, leaving a few soft pecks. His shoulders droop and he lets out a barely audible sigh. He doesn't want to lose to his exhaustion, but you're the only one in the room that knows him going to bed is nothing if not a win.

"I'll lose momentum." He turns his head slightly to acknowledge you.

"Never in my life have I seen you lose drive. Your energy is unparalleled."

"So you know that I can't give up now."

"You're not giving- Thats not what I meant and you know you're exhausted." Your reply sounds exasperated.

"Yes, beloved. But-"

"Kōshi."

He pauses. You run your hands down his arms as you continue.

"Don't mistake hard work with overworking. 'nd don't mistake taking a break with giving up. You gotta relax, baby."

He stays silent, still leaning into you. You take it as your cue to continue.

"How about we both lay down 'nd I help you relax, hm?"

Suga's eyebrows raise almost involuntarily. You let out a half-suppressed laugh.

"Not like that, you absolute horn dog. Just a back rub- in the morning I'll make you miso soup and you can go back to work. I just want you to rest. You've been so tense for so long, Kōshi- It's worrying me."

He pulls away, but your separation only lasts for a few seconds as he turns completely to face you. He brings his hand to your face, lightly running a thumb along your cheekbone.

"I don't want you to worry. I'll come to bed- just let me clean this all up, okay?" He almost sounds guilty.

You smile, "Don't, then you'll have to set everything back up in the morning. C'mon-"

You pull him out of his chair and the two of you quietly make your way to your bedroom. Kōshi all but collapses on the bed, burrowing his face into a pillow and groaning in relief. He grunts lightly as you climb into bed and on top of him, straddling his back as you lean over and press a kiss to the top of his head. He lifts off the pillow to rest his head on his arms, face turned enough to find you in his peripheral.

"Close your eyes, dearest." You say as you raise his shirt up slightly, just over his lower back. You run your hands up and down his back, he hums.

"And what if I want to see your pretty face? You're enchanting-" When he responds your face starts to heat up. It's crazy how he still knows what to say to get your heart racing.

"Sap-" Your response is quiet, and he does as he was told earlier.

Your hands slowly make their way up his back as he melts into the mattress. All that can be heard is the soft whiring of the ceiling fan and Kōshis sounds of contentment. You try to work through knots as gently as possible, but he groans in discomfort as you press your thumbs into his skin. His grunts quickly turn into sighs of relief when you finally work through tense muscle.

You get the opportunity to watch him slowly relax. His breath deepens slowly. When you work over his spine he struggles to hold in a whine.

"Y/n"

"Yes, baby?" You go back to running your hands up and down his back. He sighs as you press a kiss in between his shoulders.

"love you,, so so much-" He slurs, and you know you finally got him where you want him.

"I love you too, Koshi."

"Can't imagine life without you- y'make me so happy." His voice is barely above a whisper. Your heart swells in adoration. He's always been such a sweetheart- but its almost maximized when he's at his most relaxed. You're suddenly reminded of how lucky you are to have such an affectionate partner. A life partner.

"Please don't waste your talent."

"Hm?"

"By not becoming a masseuse- you're a god at this."

His comment makes you snort. "Go to sleep, love. We'll talk about my future in massage therapy in the morning."

"Over miso?"

"Over miso."

He gives you a small grin, his eyes still closed. You didn't know he could melt into the mattress any more- his breathing deepens and his facial features slowly relax. Before you know it, He's finally asleep.

You roll off of him as gently as possible before curling into his side, finally noticing your own exhaustion as you force your eyes to stay open. You pull a blanket over the two of you and sigh, listening to your fiancés soft breathing and letting it finally lull you to sleep.

The love you two shared over this night will not be forgotten.

Thanks for reading bestie ❤️ requests are open nd id appreciate feedback!! have a lovely day <3

[roseyserpents]

Don't Hold Me

Summary: After Sweet Pea is cheated on, he doesn't believe he can be loved again. You try to convince him otherwise.

Word count: 1,787

Warnings: cheating, self-doubt

A/N: this is based off Don't Hold Me: by Dean Lewis (one of my fav songs) sorry if this is bad I just wanted to get something out because I haven't posted in a while

Posted: April 14, 2020 7:00 P.M. EDT

Have you ever wished you could rewind

Have you ever lived on borrowing time

Knowing your mistakes are chasing you down from behind

When he first found out, Sweet Pea didn't want to believe she could do it. He didn't believe the girl he'd said he'd loved and returned the words could hurt him so deeply and painfully. He'd rounded the corner of the street on his way to the Whyte Wyrm and down the alley he saw her pressed against a wall with her lips kissing someone else's the way they kissed his own. The breath was taken from his lungs at the sight as he tried to tell himself it was a trick of the shadows all the way back to his trailer. He replayed the scene over and over in his head as he finally realized that exact moment was the end of his relationship with who he thought was the love of his life.

He looked back into the relationship and looked for mistakes he made, holes in the fabric that were unnoticed. He tried to see when these mistakes caught up to him and led to her going to someone else that night. He wanted to go back, rewind and fix what he was certain had to have been broken to cause this. He wanted to gather up the pieces that'd been chipped off and somehow put them back together to fix what was beyond repair.

When she got home that night, Sweet Pea couldn't even bring himself to look her in the eye; to touch her that night or pay attention to the kiss she pressed to his cheek. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about how her lips had been on someone else's less than an hour before and she could go on and lie with him like she wasn't destroying him.

He tried to keep the relationship going on its last leg, unable to bring himself to call it off with her because despite it all he loved her; he loved her even when her love was a lie. He wanted so badly to repair them, but eventually he realized he was living on borrowed time with her. One day he told her he saw them that night. The break up was messy and painful with screaming and regrets ending with her picking up and walking out the door. After that, Sweet Pea wasn't Sweet Pea much. He didn't have a shine in his eyes as he'd used to, a smile rarely making its way on to his face. His heart felt broken and lost, to pained to pick itself back up again and repair the damage she'd done.

And then one Summer, you came into town. You were bright and sweet and kind and everything Sweet Pea was missing. You joined the Serpents and he saw you everyday, your contagious smile from across the room or the sound of your laughter at someone telling a joke. He noticed you and something in him seemed to pull towards you but he was still to hurt to try to talk to you.

You saw him, too. When you were welcomed into Riverdale, you saw the serpent with a distant look in his eyes and who looked away every time you caught his gaze. You tried to learn more about him from Fangs and Toni, but they wouldn't tell you what had caused his distancing and coldness towards everyone else. They told you it wasn't their story to tell, this only making you want to know him more.

"Hi, Sweet Pea, right?" You greeted after the urge to know more about the mysterious serpent grew stronger.

"You are?" He asked with an indifference in his voice, his gaze harsh as he looked down at you.

"Y/n. I thought you'd like to talk." You explain.

"And why's that?" He asks.

"Because I've noticed your not-so-discreet staring."

He gives you a look you can't quite figure out as if he's judging the options in front of him before his stance seems to relax.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

Over the course of that summer you grew closer and closer to Sweet Pea, your light seeming to fill some of the cracks in his heart. The two of you spent much of your free time together, the closest he'd been to anyone since her. He felt not just happier with you, but lighter as if a weight he'd been carrying around had been lifted off of him. He still couldn't bring himself to admit to the butterflies that flew through his stomach when he saw you, fearing if he did he'd make mistakes again and something would go wrong as it always seemed to.

"Hey Sweets?" You say. The two of you sit at the Quarry where the sun that is split by the branches dots your skin and the gentle water below.

"Yeah?" He wasn't quite paying attention, more of his focus on trying to skip rocks as they sink time after time.

"Have you ever thought of us being more than friends?"

He goes quiet and the rocks stop gliding across the surface of the Quarry, the only noise being that of moving leaves. You turn to look at him and find him seemingly lost in his own world, his eyes looking somewhere further than you could travel.

"Pea?" You ask, reaching out and placing your hand on his arm. He jumps up to his feet, something raw in his eyes as he seemed to remember where he was.

"I-I can't. Sorry."

Before you could say anything else he walked, almost ran away from you and your question. You didn't understand what had caused this bizarre reaction, trying to figure out which signs you read wrong and where. You thought he'd felt the same about you, the way he went out of his way to be near you or make plans with you.

"I just don't get it Toni," You sigh, sitting at the mostly empty bar with your pink-haired friend, "It just seems like everything was lined up but then he just left. He said he can't. What does that mean?"

"That sounds like something you should ask him." She says, raising her brow, "There's something holding him back from being in a relationship with anyone. He was hurt."

"This major event that you all keep talking about but won't tell me? You want me to ask him about that after I already screwed up?" You ask.

"Y/n, he'll tell you if he wants you to know." Toni explains. "You should go talk to him if you're really that set on knowing."

"I love you, but you're really frustrating sometimes." You sigh before walking out of the bar and heading towards Sunnyside Trailer park.

I know it's hard to replace

But the feelings that you had for me, will one day be erased

And you will learn to move on

Like footprints in the snow

Are lost when the winter's gone

"Pea?" You call out as you open the door to his trailer. You find him sitting on his couch with his head in his hands. He looked up and you could see tear tracks staining his cheeks, his eyes red and rubbed raw.

You sit down next to him and cautiously put your hand on his arm again, his body stiffening.

"You'll move on." He whispers. "You'll forget about ever having feelings for me at all. It'll be like a momentary emotion that fades. It always fades."

"What happened?" You ask softly, wanting to know what caused this much pain that still lasted a year later, that made him believe people couldn't love him. After a few more moments of silence he finally revealed to you the story of the girl he'd loved and lost to someone else. He told you how it shattered his view of the world and how he realized no matter what he made mistakes that would kill any relationship he'd be in.

"You are not unlovable, Sweets." You say, taking his hand in yours. "That wasn't your fault. She made the mistake of giving up the most amazing man anyone could have."

Oh you must let go of me

'Cause if you keep me you will lose it all

So darling don't please, please

Don't hold me 'cause I am falling back down

And I wouldn't wanna see you hit the ground

Well little darling you found my heart in the lost and found

But the scars they still follow me around

"You don't want to love me. Don't love me. If you do I'll just bring you down with me, and I don't want to see you fall. I'm broken and scarred. You're amazing and full of life and just everything I'm not." He says.

He speaks so harsh of himself you look to his face to find an expression that says he's joking but you find one of seriousness and self loathing. He truly believed he couldn't be loved because of this one girl who cheated on him.

"Listen to me," You say sternly, your hand coming up to hold his cheek and make him look at you. "I love you. I love every piece of you, even if some of those pieces might be broken or damaged. I know what she did was horrible and in no way did you deserve that, but none of it was your fault. She made those decisions and none of them were based off of what you did in your relationship."

"But I-"

"No buts. You are not unlovable and you are not just a person who only makes mistakes. You made me love you, Sweet Pea. I love all of this amazingly wonderful person in front of me."

It's quiet again, the two of you looking at each other and you trying to read his thoughts through his eyes. There's a million thoughts racing through his mind as he tries to believe what you said. Maybe it wasn't him, maybe he could be in a relationship with you.

Sweet Peas hand comes up and rests on top of yours on his cheek, his thumb running over the top of your hand. He moves to cup your cheek before pulling you closer and pressing a soft kiss to your lips that spread warmth through his chest and further strengthened his belief in your words. The two of you pull away, wrapped up in each other and lost in the still lasting feeling of the kiss.

"You can love me." He whispers.

"Oh yeah?" You reply, a smile dancing on your face.

"Yeah."

[lauras-collection]

Can I ask for 60 and 71 from the fluff list and 50 from the angst one where you and Ned, maybe, broke one of Peter's Star Wars toys by mistake which was very dear to him and then you get into a little, little argument and then continue.... Idk if you'll like this.😔 Love you!❤🖤

Thank you so much for this request! I hope you like it! @parkerpeter24  ❤️

Prompts:

60. “Oh, God. We broke it–dude, he’s gonna be so pissed! This is all your fault–it was your idea.”71. “Shut up and kiss me, you idiot.”50. “But I’m saying that I’m sorry!”

-

You and Ned were in Peter’s room while your boyfriend was out on patrol. Ned had decided it would be a great idea to get one of Peter’s board games from the shelf to pass the time. So now you were standing in front of Peter’s shelves to decide which game to play.

“We haven’t played that in ages.” You said pointing at the ‘Clue’ box on the top shelf.

“You need three people to play that.” Ned mentioned and you sighed.

“What about… ’Chutes and Ladders’?” You asked unsure, there weren’t a lot of games in Peter’s collection that you were able to play with only two people. Ned shrugged his shoulders but nodded so you climbed onto Peter’s desk chair to reach the top shelf. ’Chutes and Ladders’ was all the way on the bottom of the pile. Peter probably hadn’t played that game since he was 10. You carefully pulled the game out, not wanting all the other games to

topple down. However, you didn’t notice that the corner of the box was nudging Peter’s Lego Star Wars Ultimate Collection Millennium Falcon off the shelf until it came flying towards you. Ned shouted, “Watch out!” But it was already too late. With a crash the toy hit the ground, breaking into several pieces. You were so shocked that you lost your balance on the chair having to step down - right into the lego. Rupturing it into thousands of pieces.

“OW!” You jumped away from the lego clutching your foot while muttering expletives under your breath. Stepping on one lego hurt like a bitch but stepping on a whole bunch of them was pure torture. Tears sprung to your eyes because of the pain. And then you finally registered what just happened.

“Oh, God. We broke it–dude, he’s gonna be so pissed! This is all your fault–it was your idea.” You looked at Ned who was staring at the broken toy on the floor with an open mouth. 

His eyes snapped to you. “My fault? You’re the one who stepped on it!”

“Stepped on what?” Peter’s voice made your blood run cold. Why was he home so early? He had just climbed through the window and pulled the Spider-Man mask off his head.

“Uh…” You didn’t really know how to tell him without making him mad. He had had spend days to build that thing. You saw Peter look at the pile of lego in front of you, his eyes going wide.

“You stepped on my 2008 Ultimate Collection Millennium Falcon? Y/N, why would you do that?” You could see the little crease between his eyebrows slowly forming as he got angry. 

“It was an accident! Ned and I wanted to play a game and I got ’Chutes and Ladders’ from the shelf and it must’ve nudged that thing from the shelf. I-“  

“That ’thing’ is consisting of 5197 pieces and it’ll take me days to put it back together!” He crouched down on the floor to assess the damage. You looked at Ned to say something but he kept quiet. Thanks a lot.

“Peter I-“ 

“I don’t wanna talk to you right now.” He mumbled as he tried to pick up all the pieces from the ground.

“But I’m saying that I’m sorry!” You pressed out exasperated. New tears formed in your eyes but this time from frustration. “I’ll help you rebuild it. I’d say I do it for you but you know it’d end up completely wrong. I’m sure Ned will help, too. Right, Ned?” You gave him a look that said ‘If you say no I’m gonna kill you.’ And Ned was quick to nod. 

“Of course, man. It’ll be back to normal in no time.” 

Peter let out a huff and looked between you and Ned. “Okay.” You could tell he was still a little angry but not nearly as furious as he had originally been.

For the next half an hour, the three of you rebuild the Lego in silence. You only dared to ask a couple of questions. There was still a good amount of work ahead of you when Peter spoke up.

“I’m sorry.” He said after he took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that.” He looked at you sheepishly and you smiled softly.

“It’s okay, Peter. I understand. And I already got my punishment from the Lego.” You point at your foot that was still hurting a little. 

“Oh no! Are you hurt? Do you need ice?” Peter’s eyes were wide with concern as he gently took your foot in his hands. “Why didn’t you say anything? What-“

“Shut up and kiss me, you idiot.” You interrupted Peter before he rambled on. 

Peter was stunned for a second but then leaned over to you, placing a soft kiss on your lips. When he moved away you put your hand on the back of his neck pulling him in for another kiss.

“Ok if that’s what you guys are gonna be doing I’m outta here.”

Sleepover 

Masterlist

[hinshinotsuki]

🖤 Switched 🖤

***

***

"She's gonna stay here for a while." Hange said, answering Armin's question and successfully making everyone scramble back to their seats.

(F/N) noticed that Levi looked at her. She saw that he got annoyed by her presence and clicked his tongue as he walked away to get some food. This made (F/N) really annoyed and depressed at the same time. She did escape from her own, troublesome world, only to see a duplicate of him who clearly had issues with her own counterpart.

Just, what did the other (F/N) do to make him this grumpy?

"Hey, (F/N)." whispered Hange as she sat beside her.

"Welcome back." said (F/N). "How's it going? The experiment?"

"Good, as always." Hange laughed. All of a sudden, she nearly collapsed on the table, arms spread wide and eyes shut tight in exhaustion.

"What happened to you?"

"You don't know how hard it is to make that man come over here."

"What?!"

"So! How was your day?" Hange said, suddenly looking at her with much enthusiasm on her eyes, creeping her out with her very sudden mood change from depressed to excited. "Did you get used to the Scouting Legion life, yet?"

"No." (F/N) answered unapologetically. It was the truth.

"I see you changed your clothes." Hange uttered, a single brow raised in suspicion.

"Yeah, (F/N)'s clothes didn't fit me, at all. They're large."

"Hmm, I'm almost sure you are the same size. Guess you're not."

"I don't understand. How was she larger than me?"

"I'm not really sure. Muscles, I guess? Man, I'm starving!" Hange stood, then stretched her tired arms. "Gotta go grab something to eat. Want to join me?"

"Nah, I'll pass." she answered, having had enough of cold soup and hard bread.

"You should come by my office later." Hange told her. She leaned in closer and whispered to her, "And bring  that cellphone of yours."

"I don't know what you're up to but, yes. I will."

"Good! It's settled then." Hange cheerfully said, then strode away towards the counter, humming to herself happily as she walked, making (F/N) laugh.

"Aww, I think she wants to beat my score on CandyScapes." (F/N) said to herself when she felt someone staring at her all of a sudden. She turned just in time to see Levi staring at her with a strange, unreadable look on his face. And, as he took a sip of his tea in that odd way, she can't help but feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand. He was not taking his eyes off her even though he realized she found out about his strange actions. 

After a few moments of their staring contest, she looked away, feeling defeated after what just happened. She was fully aware that she mustn't be angry with him, because he was just someone's counterpart, and not the person she knew. But, something in him told her that he had more than grudge for her or her counterpart. 

But, what was it? She just couldn't tell exactly what. And as she made her way to Hange's office an hour later, she heard some voices coming from the room. She leaned in closer, careful not to make any noise, and listened in on the conversation.

"You are making a huge mistake, Hange."

"I'm sure I'm not! I told you, we can trust her."

So, they're talking about me, huh?

"She looks suspicious enough. Why would you even let her mingle with the others?"

"I can't keep her in her room forever!"

"What if everyone started suspecting? What if they find out? What would you tell them? That (L/N) got replaced by a counterpart from a different world? I know you are insane, but the whole district would soon find that out if news of that,... lunatic,... ever got out!"

"She's not a lunatic! For your information, Levi, I have proof that she's not one!"

"Oh, is that why you brought me all the way here when we're supposed to be on the lookout for Eren?"

"Exactly! But, not just that! I want you to - "

"Enough of this, Shitty Eyes! I'm disappointed you forgot about our top priorities. And to think you associated with the likes of her. You both should be in the lunatic house."

"I'm not crazy!" (F/N) angrily whispered to herself. As she was about to lean on the door again, it suddenly opened, making her collapse on Levi's hard chest.

Levi was, indeed, angry upon realizing that she was listening in on them and pushed her away from him, making her almost stumble to the ground.

"Levi! Come back here! I have something to show you." Hange called, anger and frustration getting the better of her. She strode towards him, helping (F/N) on her feet on the way, and grabbed his arm.

However, Levi got even angrier as he pulled his limb away from the grasp of the bespectacled woman. "I have enough of this bullshit! I'm going back to the old HQ."

"At this hour, you can't!"

"And why can't I?!"

"Because I asked Moblit to take your horse away! You'll get there by foot!"

"I will if I have to!"

"Grrr, LEVI, YOU'RE MAKING ME MAD!" Hange shrieked then took both Levi and (F/N)'s arms and dragged the two of them towards her messy office. She closed the door and stood in front of it to prevent anyone from getting out.

"Are you stupid? You know I can jump out of the window if I want to." Levi told her sarcastically.

"I'm not jumping anywhere." (F/N) added, feeling as mad as the two people in front of her.

"(F/N), show her your phone." ordered Hange.

"NO!" (F/N) angrily answered, making Hange's eyes wide with shock. Then, she looked at Levi and started pointing at him. "You have enough of this bullshit? Well, then, I have enough of your ignorance!"

Her words made Levi even angrier. His narrow eyes eve widened and his teeth started gritting. "You, brat, how dare you,..."

"Who's the freaking brat here?!" (F/N) raged on, unable to stop her wildly beating heart. She so wanted to lash out at Levi, but she clearly was doing it on the wrong one. "If someone tells you to listen, you listen! If someone tells you to stay, you stay! How can you be this rude and stupid?! You're worse than your own boss! Lunatic, my ass! You are the crazy one here!"

"Alright, (F/N), you can stop now,..." Hange was getting so afraid for (F/N) that she started to get a hold of her before she could further make the Captain beyond angry.

"And if you think that I will you show you my phone, think again, you loser! You rude, arrogant,... BASTARD!"

"NNGGRR!" Levi growled as he held his palm up, ready to slap her. He expected her to cower in fear, but she only offered her right cheek even more. She even went closer to him in blind bravery.

"Oh, yeah?! Try me, mister!" she screamed at him, channeling all of her anger towards him and actually challenging her to slap her. "That's what you're good at, after all. Hurting others! Go on, HURT ME! I DARE YOU!"

But, despite her tirade, Levi couldn't bring himself to hurt her, after all. His eyes suddenly indicated hurt, and as he slowly gained patience, he lowered his hand, unable to say anything. This gave (F/N) a feeling of both victory and regret.

"Well?!" she challenged even further.

Levi did not answer. Instead, he took a few steps away from her and shrugged his head. "It's not worth it." he quietly said with his normal, low voice and made his way towards Hange, pushing her slightly away, opening the door, stepping out of it, and closing it behind him, leaving just the two women inside.

Hange crossed her arms as she looked at (F/N). "Wow. Didn't expect you to give him that kind of verbal beating."

"Well, he deserved it." (F/N) said, pouting as she sat down the dusty sofa, arms also crossed, just like Hange. "And if he thinks he'll win next time? No, no, no. I won't let him."

"You do realize that he's just concerned, right?" Hange chuckled, then sat down next to her.

"No tones of concern there." (F/N) answered. "But, I do feel a bit guilty. It's like, he was used to that kind of treatment."

"From others? Of course, not. He would punch their faces right away."

"So, what gives?"

"I think you remind him of her. Of your counterpart."

(F/N)'s eyes slightly narrowed as she looked sideways at Hange. "Why would you say that? I thought we're different."

"Yes, you are different." Hange told her. "But, that way you defied him? (F/N), to inform you, there is no one in history who tried to defy him the way you just did other than your counterpart here."

"Hold on a second here, this has me thinking all day,..." (F/N) said, then turned to her right to see Hange more clearly. "How did they even break up? Nanaba told me that you knew."

"Well, of course, I know. I'm her friend, after all."

"So, can you please tell me?"

Hange just looked at her with that sad smile on her lips. "I want to tell you, but I think I' am not the right person to tell you that."

"Not even a hint?" (F/N) begged, feeling a bit disappointed.

Hange sighed and stretched on the sofa. "Let's just say that they both have issues. They - "

But, as she was about to give out her hint, a sound came from (F/N)'s pocket.

"What's that?" Hange asked.

"Uhh,..." (F/N) took out the phone on her pocket, brought it to life, and found that she has a new social media notification. "What in the - ?" She unlocked her phone, went directly to the site, and saw, with huge, bewildered eyes, the news that a friend just shared to her.

"I can't read it. What does it say?" Hange asked, having a different way of writing from (F/N).

"I know having a strong data connection here is crazy. But, to receive social media notifications? That's ridiculous! And what did Jean just tagged me? Local Cosplayer Beats Up Thugs On Jinae Street? Hashtag (N/N)IsThisYou? What is going on?"

(F/N) scrolled down, and as they looked at the several photos posted on the social media platform, they can't help but be  totally and utterly confused,...

... for those photos showed a girl wearing the Scouting Legion uniform taking out several men on a dirty street.

"Is that,..." Hange stuttered. And when she realized who the girl was, her eyes widened with confusion. "IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?!"

(F/N)'s eyebrows furrowed. There was a video clip, and the moment she clicked on it, all things turned upside down for the two of them.

"Give us your wallet, nerd!"

"How dare you insult me, I'm a Squad Leader!"

The men in the video laughed, but they were interrupted as the "nerd" took one man's arm and twisted it halfway towards the neighboring street, breaking it as easily as tearing  paper. And as the fighting went on, (F/N) turned up the volume to the maximum level and watched as the "nerd" in question single - handedly kung fu'd the thugs.

"Impossible!" (F/N) uttered as she saw the woman in question give out moves that she could not imagine herself doing. And as the crowd went wild with cheers, including the one taking the video, they got a better look at the female who kicked the asses of the perverts on Jinae.

There was no hint of doubt right there: it was none other than the infamous Squad Leader, (F/N) (L/N), herself. Her own counterpart. And, boy, could she kick men's ass!

"We've got to show this to Erwin right now!" Hange insisted.

"That I can agree upon." (F/N) answered, and when the two of them simultaneously opened the door to race towards the Commander's office, they saw Levi standing just outside of the room, eyes wide with shock and confusion.

"The hell was that just now?" he uttered, his low voice more threatening than ever before.

***

🖤🖤🖤

***

[kiara-carrera]

#3 for silver and dean bc this bitch knows exactly what you'll write for this

#3: i’m sorry i yelled at you for wingrove

She fucked up.

That was all Silver knew. No one had to say it, the silence of the ride back to the motel was enough to tell her as much. It was eerily quiet in the Impala, not a word from either brother nor the sound of one of Dean’s cassettes to permeate the air. All that was audible was the sound of the engine and the tires against the pavement as Dean drove them back to their temporary home.

From the backseat, Silver couldn’t do much else but stare at her hands. Hands that were covered in blood, residue of untying a whole round of victims that the monster had taken for his prize. There were bruises beginning to bloom on her body, littered against the once pure skin. There was a gash on her leg, though the blood flow had stopped a while ago. She was in pain, but mostly she was nervous. And that’s why she kept looking at her hands.

If she looked up, she was terrified of what she’d see, although she already knew as much. There’d be Sam, who’d look exhausted and sympathetic. Exhausted, because he was the one who had to take the brunt of the blows from the creature they had been hunting and he hadn’t exactly been getting his eight hours recently anyways. And sympathetic, because he knew that Silver knew that she fucked up. Sam was more attuned to her guilt and he also knew that while she fucked up, it wasn’t necessarily her fault. She hadn’t been raised the same way he and his brother had. She was knew at this, mistakes were bound to happen. And then, there was what she’d see if she looked at Dean.

Anger. His jaw clenched tightly and his fingers gripping the wheel so hard that Silver was certain he’d rip it from where it jutted out of the dash. He had already yelled at her, had been the one to save her ass at the last second, as well as the civilians that she had been in charge of getting out. She had made a wrong move, one that had almost cost three innocent lives as well as her own. Dean was livid, that was a no brainer. And while he had yelled at her once, right when the mistake had happened, she had a feeling he wasn’t done being pissed with her.

Getting back to the motel was enough to tell her that much. The tires of the Impala had screeched to a stop and Sam had ducked out of the car as quickly as possible, heading for the shitty room that the three were sharing. Silver tried to follow suit, disappear into the motel room and possibly lock herself in the bathroom long enough for Dean to cool down. She was ready to run off like a reprimanded dog, tail between her legs.

She had barely managed to shut the door to the backseat when she was pushed back up against the car. Dean had lightly moved her backwards against the car door, but there was a fierce anger in his eyes as he looked at her. Silver gulped. This was the sort of expression he reserved for demons and freakish monsters, not her.

“Look, Dean, I already said that I was sorry,” she started, tugging her lip between her teeth.

“Yeah, you did, but sorry isn’t going to cut it when you almost screwed up the entire plan!” he shouted, slamming an open hand down onto the hood of his car, leaving his arm next to her, blocking her from leaving on one side. He wasn’t caging her in and she knew that she could walk off at any moment if she wanted to. But the Silver who would normally bitch back at him and stomp off like a pissed off teenager was nowhere to be found, simply because she knew she deserved to be yelled at. She. Fucked. Up.

Dean was close to her, close enough that she swore she could hear his jaw click. “We had a plan for a reason, Silver, for Christ’s sake! Sammy and I told you this thing was dangerous and you didn’t fucking listen. People almost died, you almost died.”

“But they didn’t. I didn’t, Dean. Isn’t that good enough?”

Yup, saying that was a mistake. The instant she let those words out she regretted them.

“Are you … are you kidding me right now? Isn’t that good enough,” he mimicked, making Silver swallow. “Silver you could have died! Just because you didn’t and those people got out doesn’t make what you did okay? You nearly screwed this entire thing! I can’t be there to save your sorry ass every time you mess up. You should have known better, you do know better!”

He kept going, but at that point, Silver was beginning to drown him out. He was right, he was always right. And now, here she was, alive and well, but all she could think about was the fact that she almost died. She could literally feel the creature breathing down her neck at this very moment and all she could picture were the civilians she had almost gotten killed. Killed. All of them. All of them and her. And it would have been her fault.

Her fault, her fault, her fault.

And because she was in pain and she was angry and frustrated and upset and being yelled at, Silver Hargrove began to cry. They were tears that she so desperately tried to hold onto, fearing the second they spilled down her cheeks that Dean would see her as weak. It was bad enough he saw her as a screw up dumbass kid already, she didn’t need to look like a fucking baby.

But the tears came anyways, silently spilling over her eyelids and down her cheeks, one right after another. Dean didn’t notice them at first, instead he kept yelling. But at some point he seemed to notice that she wasn’t answering, wasn’t talking back like she normally would when he got mad at her. So he focused on her and instantly, everything he wanted to continue saying at her flew out of his mind.

“Crap, Silver. Are you crying?” he asked, tone suddenly a lot softer than it had been. His entire body language changed from stiff and angry and the arm that was kept on the hood of his car was dropped down back to his side.

“No,” she muttered in reply, looking down at the ground. But it was a pointless lie, her voice sounded wet like she was close to breaking into a sob and the tears were unmistakable running down her eyes.

Dean sighed, suddenly more annoyed at himself than her, especially with the way he’d been yelling. He moves forward, pulling the younger girl into his arms slowly. She doesn’t fight it, letting him wrap his arms tightly around her, chin arching up to rest on the top of her head. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“S’not your fault,” she mumbled into his chest, her arms eventually coming up to wrap around his waist. “I fucked up.”

“Yeah, but I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that, you’re already beating yourself up enough about it,” Dean relented.

She doesn’t reply again this time, but instead just lets herself melt into his hold. And in that parking lot of the shitty motel, with tear marks staining her face, she found content in Dean’s arms which only seemed to launch her further down the path of no return.

send me a prompt and a ship and i’ll write a one shot!