#is this from a sleepover from nearly two years ago? maybe

[annab-nana]

After that gut punch of an angsty fic (said with love because it was written beautiful) can we get some fluff. Maybe one where Eddie comes home late and finds us sleeping on the couch because we tried waiting up for him….

Your writing is incredible 💜

aw thank you angel 😍 here is some tooth-rotting fluff for ya

warnings: not proofread, use of petnames (love, angel, sweetheart)

❀ masterlist ❀

you glanced down at your watch for what felt like the twentieth time that night. at this point, you were having a staring contest with the door, but you kept letting it win to check the time.

"’i'll be home by nine’ my ass," you muttered while getting a bit frustrated with the shorthand of your watch. it wasn't that little piece of metal's fault that eddie was later than he said, but the fact that it was almost pointing to eleven annoyed you.

eddie always commented on your stubbornness, and tonight was no different. you refused to get up and go to bed without eddie. you would sit there on the couch, leaning your head on your hand and your elbow on the arm of the sofa, until eddie walked through that damn door.

"she is going to kill me, gareth," eddie said exasperatedly as they loaded the last of the equipment into his van. "do you hear me, man? she will kill me."

"i hear you," gareth commented, tossing a rolled-up aux cable haphazardly in with the rest of their stuff before slamming shut the van door on his side. eddie shut the other. "and guess what? you say that every time you think she's going to be mad at you, and nine times out of ten, you're overreacting. you really messed up that one time at her grandma's lunch though."

eddie's shoulder rose when he took in a deep, steadying breath. "i thought i told you to stop bringing that up."

gareth's sputtering laughter echoed in eddie's ears as well as throughout the back alley behind the venue they were at. "i can't, man," gareth spoke between chuckles, "it's too funny."

eddie cut his eyes at his best friend who quickly straightened up his act before he ran a hand over his face and let out a sigh. "okay," eddie started, "i'm gonna go home. wish me luck."

gareth rolled his eyes at eddie and walked to his own vehicle, shouting to him, "you'll be fine!" over the growing distance between them.

eddie braced himself for the worst when he began to unlock the front door of your shared apartment nearly two and a half hours after he told you he'd be home. he really didn't mean to be this late. his gig started late, which meant that it ended late. then, the place was packed for the band that followed them, so getting their things out was difficult. it already took a little bit to pack it all back up in eddie's van. then, there was traffic getting out of the venue and heading home.

however, when eddie opened the door, he was met with a sight he liked a lot more than he anticipated, even if he was overthinking your reaction. you were passed out on the couch, and he could tell by your position that you didn't fall asleep there willingly. you were sitting up still, but your body was curved over the arm of the couch. your arm on the sofa's was sticking straight out, your hand limp at the end of it. it seemed you were using your bicep as a pillow, and how your neck was bent to achieve such a position was sure to leave some discomfort later on.

as quietly as he could, eddie slid off his shoes and jacket and set down his keys. then, he turned to the adorable sight that was you and made his way over to you. he squatted down in front of you, delicately kissing your cheek with his thumb. in a moment, your eyes fluttered open to meet his and a small smile pulled at your lips.

"hey, angel," eddie greeted in a gentle voice, eyes full of love and adoration for you.

"hey," you spoke softly in return. you picked your head up slowly and reached your arms up over your head to stretch.

eddie felt like his heart was going to burst at the seams with how much he loved you. he didn't know it was possible to feel this much until he met you. his big brown eyes watched you before you let your arms settle in your lap. tenderly, he reached for one of your hands and asked, "you ready for bed, sweetheart?"

"mhmm," you replied in a hum as you brought your free hand to your eye to rub it.

eddie's heart was seconds from combusting, but he miraculously managed to keep it under control. he squeezed your hand in his and rose to stand, you following his actions. he leaned forward to press a light kiss to your temple and whispered against your skin, "let's go, love."

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[spidermans-l-o-v-e-r]

Violent Night, 2022

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Words: 2.7k

Notes: I’m doing great rn😌😌😌 so fine so peachy so wonderful

You’re not surprised when Steve opens the door and he’s looking confused and disheveled like he’d just woken up from a nap. 

“Hey baby, I thought you were coming for the party tomorrow” He mumbles as he steps aside and lets you in. The house is silent as he takes your coat and hangs it up in the hall closet, you slip off your boots and go right into the bunny slipper he holds out for you. He smirks as he takes in your outfit, you’re wearing one of his old t-shirts and a pair of pajama pants, which as he looks closer he realizes is also his.

“It’s Christmas Eve,” You tell him like it perfectly explains everything and he follows after you as you walk through the house with your overnight bag.

“Okay… yeah?” 

The house is beautifully decorated, of course, his mom did it up before they went to the Bahamas, she’s even got three stockings hanging like they’d be there. 

But they’re not, they never are. 

“You have like an insane amount of things to do tomorrow and I just figured-“You shake the bag and he takes it from you now.

“Maybe I’d sleep over and we could get an early start together!” 

He smiles at you, cupping your face and pulling you closer to kiss your forehead.

“You don’t have to do that sweet girl, you should be with your family on Christmas Eve, opening presents with them tomorrow morning before coming here” 

“I am with my family Steve” You smile as you tilt your head up for kisses “Besides my mom wants me to bring you home, she said she wants her favorite son with her on Christmas. If you don’t wanna come I’m all set to sleepover” 

He kisses you softly, running his hand down your shoulder and interlocking your fingers. 

“Don’t you literally have a brother?” 

“Yup! So, why don’t you get packing? And we can leave in a couple hours after setting some stuff up for tomorrow?” 

Steve can feel the lump in his throat as he chuckles and nuzzles his nose against yours. He knew the moment he’d met you, you were the one. He can only hope you agree and don’t find the Christmas present he’s hiding in his closet. 

It’s a little cheesy the way he feels with his stuff packed in the bag with yours like you’re the ones going on vacation together. He’d thrown some stuff for overnight in it and called it a day and came down to help you start setting up. 

He’s not really sure when it happened but he’s not surprised it has. You’d lost your pants along the way, pouting that they were too long for you. 

“I mean, they’re not too long for me,” He says as he hands you the star for the top of the tree. The party was mainly going to be in the basement so he’d set up another little tree downstairs. It doesn’t look nearly as neat and perfect as his mother’s and somehow that makes it even better. There’s room for everyone to put an ornament on when they come in, Steve holds your waist as you put the one up he’d gotten you last year, it’s a mini Polaroid frame of your first Ferris wheel ride. Eddie had gone to incredibly dangerous lengths to get that photo and you still remember the way Hopper lost his shit on all three of you as you tried not to giggle.

“Can’t wait to go to the fair with you again” He kisses the tip of your ear, and you smile. 

“Mhm, and I can watch you win a bunch of prizes for me” You turn in his arms, wrapping your arms around his neck and he pecks your lips. 

“You remember, like two? Years ago… when you decided to do the dunk tank?” 

You groan into his chest as he snickers and pulls you into him closer “Oh my god and my top fell off!!” 

“Literally there has never been more donations in the freaking history of the dunk tank” 

You smack your head into his chest and he laughs, his head tilting back. 

“I’m like ninety percent sure half of that came from Ed-“ 

You squeak as the power goes out and he holds you close to him. 

“Hey, don’t worry I got you” He takes tiny steps with you over to the desk in the corner of the room and roots around in its drawers for a moment. You stay stuck to him and he doesn’t let go, he knows how much you hate the dark. 

He turns on the flashlight and hands it to you before grabbing a second one. 

“You cool if I go check the fuse box?” 

“Where is it?” 

He goes through the desk again and grabs a couple walkie-talkies, he turns it on and to the right channel before handing it to you. 

“In the other room, but I’ll be with you the entire time, alright pretty girl? Can you be a big girl for me?” He cups your face and you lean into him, gulping a little but nodding 

“Yeah… yeah I can be” 

“Alright… you know how to use this, yes?” He taps the device and you roll your eyes playfully 

“Oh trust me, yes.” 

“I’m sorry what? Over” Steve holds the walkie to his mouth and you giggle, clicking the button 

“I know what I’m freaking doing. Over” 

You keep the flashlight on him as long as you can until he disappears into the next room, you’re starting to get nervous when the walkie-talkie scratches. 

“Y/N? You there? Over” 

“Hi Stevie, over” You sigh into it and you can hear the smile in his voice 

“Awww, is my big girl scared of the dark? Over” 

“You shut your fat trap. Over” 

“I think it’s cute, all cuddled up with your teddy bear, little flashlight in your hand…bet you’d look even cuter with me pumping my-“

You hear a scream and a door slam and suddenly the radio cuts off, you jolt up from the couch clutching your teddy bear and holding onto the flashlight tighter. 

“Steve?? Steve are you there???” 

It’s silent for a few seconds, your heart hammering in your chest. 

“You didn’t say over. Over” 

“Steve Harrington!” You screech into the radio and scream when you’re suddenly tackled over, you go to smash your flashlight across his face and he catches it 

“No no baby it’s me it’s me!!! It’s Steve!” He’s wheeze laughing as he holds you down, and you try and kick at him. Tears are streaming down your face and he coos, letting go of your arms. 

“Ohhh nooo no baby don’t cry I’m so sorry” He laughs as he cups your face, kissing your cheeks. You shove him off you and he grabs your waist. 

“Hear me out, hear me out”

“No! I’m breaking up with you!” You wipe at your eyes, your hands shaking and he hugs you as tight as he can 

“I swear I screamed for a reason! I promise! The grabbing you part was just me being an asshat”

“What the hell were you screaming for!” You punch him in the gut and he wheezes, falling over and letting go of you 

“There was a bat, it literally flew right at my face” 

“A bat?!” 

“Don’t worry! I locked him in the laundry room”

“What about the power??” 

“…Lemme make a call” 

Steve comes back in the room from calling the power company and flops onto the couch, he sighs loudly as he runs his hands over his face and you snuggle into his side, putting your head on his chest.

“So?” 

“Uh… well, the power will be back on in a few hours. But this house is going to be freezing by then, we can go home to your place if you want” 

A little thrill shoots up your spine when he says, “Home” You look around the room and sigh. 

“Well we can’t exactly hang more decorations in the dark” 

“I mean I could always start a fire if you wanted” He shrugs and nods over to the fireplace. It’s clean with fresh logs in it and you sit up excitedly 

“Can I roast marshmallows?” 

“I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be chestnuts, but sure” He snickers as he crawls over to the large fireplace and stacks the logs properly, he grabs some wrapping paper and lights it before setting it on the kindling. It goes up fast and you’re clearly impressed as you come to stand next to him.

“You know, that’s pretty sexy” You cross your arms over your chest as you watch him slowly stack the logs, the fire burning brighter with each piece. 

“Why thank you, would it be sexier if I told you I chopped the wood myself?” He looks up at you after placing the gate and you squirm a little, squeezing your thighs together

“Maybe…” 

He smirks as you bend down and kiss him. You pull away a little, looking into his eyes. His lashes are so long and pretty; you like the way they dust his cheeks when his eyes are closed. 

“You wanna do somethin’ fun?” He asks suddenly, breaking your little haze and you perk up

“Yeah okay” you shrug and he claps his hands together before standing up 

“Put those cushions on the floor, I’ll be right back okay?” 

“Okay” He pecks your lips before leaving and you blush as you get to work, taking all the cushions from the floor and putting them in a little pile on the floor. He returns with a ridiculous armful of blankets and tosses them on the floor. 

“If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s build a fort” 

You work together, and he teaches you how to build a fort, putting the pillows at the perfect angle so they’ll stay up. You giggle watching his intense concentration as he puts the blanket over the top. You set up the inside with more pillows and blankets and make it nice and comfy. Eventually, he crawls in with you, settling on his side. He holds out his arm and nods. 

“So? Opinions?” 

You giggle and lay on your back, looking up at the star-covered sheet on top. Man, he really did know what he was doing.

“It’s great!” You make grabby hands at him and he puts his arm over you, nuzzling his face into your neck 

“Good, I’m glad you like it. Gonna build you a real house someday” 

Your heart melts immediately at his words, your cheeks flushing hot as you hold him to your chest. He kisses your neck gently, slowly sucking a dark spot onto it. His hands come up your sides and you run your fingers through his messy hair, tugging lightly as he pulls your leg up. You squeak as he rolls you over on top of him and smiles as you sit up, your hands on his chest. 

“You really wanna be with me that long?” You ask quietly and he sits up with you, cupping your face 

“Baby I wanna be with you forever” 

“Oh Stevie,” You say softly as you press your lips to his, he wraps his arms around you, going right back to where he was as he eases your shirt up slowly, taking his time to feel your soft body in his hands as you take his shirt off. His chest hair feels good under your fingertips and you purr quietly as he pulls your hips down on him.

“You wanna do somethin’ else fun?” He mumbles against your lips, smirking as he pulls away a little and you smile with him. 

“You wanna know what I’ve never done before?” You scoot back off the pillows and onto the plush rug in front of the warm fire. You slowly remove your bra, toss it back into the fort, and sit back on your palms, your body on display for him as you make a little come here motion with your finger. 

“I have a feeling I can guess” He crawls out toward you, lying his body between your spread legs and kissing your thighs. 

“So fuckin’ pretty, gonna make me cum in my pants” his voice breaks and your eyes roll back at the soft whining noise he lets out as he grinds his cock into the floor. He nuzzles his nose against your panties, inhaling the sweet scent before dragging his tongue over the wet patch on the front. He swirls his tongue around it, making out with your panties before hooking his fingers in the waistband and pulling them down. You lift your hips and he takes them off, tossing them aside, and leans in again, his eyes rolling back as stares at your glistening puffy lips.

He gets on his knees, shoving his pants down and wriggling them off and you giggle as he awkwardly throws them aside. He strokes his cock a few times, tapping it on your clit and running it through your folds. 

“You ready for me sweet girl? Ready for me to stuff this pretty little pussy?” He comes forward, bending down to suck your nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue around the perky bud as it hardens. He pushes you down slowly, releasing your nipple with a wet pop and you moan softly, reaching for him. 

You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling his chest against yours and purring at the soft curls coming into contact with your skin, he buries his face in your neck, biting that soft spot between your neck and shoulders before pushing into you slowly. 

The fire crackles around you, filling your chest with a deep warmth as he slides into you, thrusting shallowly a few times. You mewl softly and he swallows your moans, kissing you deeply as he pumps his cock in and out. He balances himself on his elbows, rolling his hips and grinding against your clit with each deep stroke, you wrap your legs around his waist, pushing him in further with each thrust. 

"You like that, don't you?" He growls, his eyes dark with lust. "You like feeling my big cock stretch this pretty little pussy?"

His body has a light sheen of sweat on it as he picks up the pace, sitting up on his knees and grabbing your leg, pushing it upward so you’re in an L shape. You let out little high-pitched squeaks as he thrusts harder, his body snapping against yours. 

You reach forward with a shaky hand, rubbing your clit as he drapes your leg over his shoulder, the fire warms your back, as he ruts into you, growling lowly.

“F-fuck Stevie, Jesus Christ” You whimper, your eyes falling closed and he knows you’re just as close as he is. 

“Cum on my cock baby, fuck lemme see you fall apart” 

He reaches down, replacing your fingers with his and rubbing your clit in fast messy circles, your body shudders and you reach out for his arm, scratching at it as you cum on his cock. You gasp loudly, your head falling back into the fluffy carpet underneath you, your face twisting in pleasure. 

“Fuck you’re so pretty when you cum, so pretty cumming all over my cock like a little slut” 

He thrusts into you one last time, lifting your hips up with his cock as he cums inside you, burying his cock deeply as he finishes inside you. He presses into your tight heat, slowly putting your leg down before falling on top of you. 

You let out a soft “oof” and he nuzzles into you, peppering little kisses over your jaw and neck.

“That was good,” he says breathlessly and you nod, running your fingers through his sweaty hair and massaging his scalp. 

“Very very good” You agree, turning to face him. He kisses your nose and you giggle, nuzzling yours against his 

“I love you” He moves a strand of hair from your forehead, kissing you softly. 

“I love you too” you whisper back, looking into his eyes. He stares at you, trailing his finger over your cheekbone and he’s never been more sure of what he’s going to do tomorrow, under your favorite tree, while it snows. He’s already got the lights up and the candle-paved walkway ready. 

[lauronk]

happy birthday to my wonderful friend @march-flowerr who i love and adore and admire!

i wish i had more to offer you today, but for now i hope you accept all my love and this follow up to rocky's bday fic (just a dream)

breath of fresh air through smoke rings

word count: ~2k tags: alternate universe - canon divergence; joel & ellie; star wars; joel needs a hug; ellie needs a hug; fluff with a touch of angst; hurt & comfort; but mostly comfort

It’s not a big deal. It’s not a big deal. It’s normal, everything’s normal, this is just…normal. He can be normal.

Or, Joel tells himself resignedly, he can just accept the fact that he’s nervous as all get out. Worse than the first time he asked Sarah’s mom out, damn near as bad as the time he let her go to her first sleepover without him. Heart beating a kick drum in his chest with every step he takes across the floor.

Tommy’s watching him pace with an amused glint to his eyes, perched on the arm of the recliner. “Seemin’ a little stressed there, Joel.”

Joel just grunts, coming to a halt at the wall only to pivot and turn back the other way. “Maybe I oughta pick out a different movie.”

“Ellie loves Star Wars.”

“Yeah.” He stops pacing, hands on his hips. “But maybe she’s tired of it, maybe she’s seen it too many times. Maybe she don’t actually like it anymore, I don’t…” Joel hangs his head, not quite wanting to see the pity sure to be on his brother’s face. ��She ain’t talked to me in nearly two years, Tommy, I feel like I don’t know her at all, not anymore.”

Firm hands clamp down on his shoulders, shaking gently until Joel gives in and looks up. There’s no pity to be found in Tommy’s eyes, only understanding and encouragement. “You know her just fine, Joel. You know what movies she likes and what snacks she likes and how to make her tea. And the biggest bridge is already crossed - she’s willin’ to come hang out with you.” He releases Joel, stepping back and leaving him wondering when his little brother got to be the wise one. “It’ll be a good evenin’, alright?”

Joel’s pained noise of agreement is muffled by the faint rapping on the back door, and his heart launches itself into his throat.

Ellie’s here.

He gives his living room one last sweep; no dust, no clutter, blankets on the couch, A New Hope sitting by the TV waiting to be loaded in. There’s water in the kettle in case she wants tea, he’s still got honey to add to it because that’s what she likes, and he’d picked up some of Heidi’s roasted pumpkin seeds just an hour ago because they’re her favorite. He’s as prepared as possible, and terrified down to his core that this is his last chance at making in-roads with Ellie.

She knocks again, a little louder, and Joel hears Tommy chuckle behind him.

“Shut the hell up,” he mutters, taking one last deep breath before crossing to the back door and opening it wide. Ellie’s waiting there; hand lowering, all her weight on her left foot, the same nerves sitting in Joel’s chest flickering across her face.

Least it ain’t just him.

“C’mon in,” he tells her, reaching automatically to steady her when she hobbles forward. She’s in slide-on sandals, the thick white of the bandage around her foot peeking through, and she leans easily on his arm as they shuffle towards the couch.

Tommy gives her a small wave. “How’s the foot, darlin’?”

“Hurts,” Ellie tells him flatly, flopping down onto the couch and swinging her foot up onto the coffee table. “Sorry to be messing up the patrol schedule for a couple weeks.”

Tommy just shrugs, easygoing as ever. “‘S alright, we’ll just shuffle some people around, make Joel pick up an extra route or two.” He pushes up from where he’d been braced on the arm of the chair. “I’ll leave y’all to the movie, I’ll be back by tomorrow with the updated schedule.”

They give him a wave as he lets himself out, shutting the door firmly behind him, and then it’s just Joel and Ellie.

The silence is thick, heavy, Ellie staring determinedly at the darkened TV screen. There’s a sort of unease to her face, a discomfort that Joel hates to think is from her regretting her invitation and wishing she was anywhere but in his living room.

But then her head lifts and her eyes lighten and she asks teasingly, “Are you just gonna stand there all night?”

Joel startles. “No, I – no. D’you need anythin’? Water? Tea? I got snacks too if you –”

“Joel,” Ellie interrupts, lips pressed together like she’s trying not to smile, “let’s just put the movie in.”

“Yeah - yeah, alright.”

He crosses to the TV, holds up the case so Ellie can see what’s on the itinerary for the evening. She visibly brightens, and Joel feels a little of his earlier fears slip away. Maybe he does still know her, maybe she did mean it when she said she wanted to try forgiveness.

Maybe it’s all gonna work out.

–

The movie flies by. It feels like the droids have barely managed to escape Vader, and then suddenly the Death Star is exploding and the credits are rolling. The jar of pumpkin seeds sits empty on the coffee table; Ellie had devoured them as soon as he’d handed them over. Joel had also dug out his small stash of jerky and popcorn to make something of a pitiful dinner - he hadn’t said it, but it had reminded him of their time on the road, even as he kicked himself for not making anything better.

He presses the power button on the remote, the screen fizzling into darkness and leaving them with only the faint light of the lamp in the corner. Ellie makes no move to leave, fingers playing with the corner of a pillow.

“Thanks for joinin’ me,” Joel says quietly, a little unsure of what to do now. He doesn’t want her to leave; he doesn’t want to make her feel like she has to stay if she doesn’t want to. “It was fun.”

Ellie just looks up at him speculatively, something unreadable flickering through her eyes. “It was. I — thanks for having me.”

“Anytime,” he replies, maybe a little too eagerly; Ellie smiles. “You can pick next time, if you want. I just…knew this was one of your favorites.”

“We can just keep going through the Star Wars movies,” she says with a shrug, and Joel tries not to let the elation at her planning ahead show on his face. “And I bet there’s a ton of other space movies out there I haven’t seen yet. Oh!” She snaps her fingers excitedly, leaning forward with a grin. “We can watch the Jurassic Parks!”

“We can,” Joel agrees, chuckling at her exuberance. Wild to him how she’s nineteen, closing in on twenty - he can still see that irrepressible fourteen-year-old clear as day.

He feels like he missed so much of her growing into this woman; he can’t believe it took a nightmare to bring her back.

Ellie’s eyes rove over the living room, much like they had that morning when he’d bandaged up the slice on her foot. He doesn’t know if she’s looking for changes, for things that may be the same, or if she’s just wondering what in the hell she’s still doing there.

“Can I ask you something?” Her gaze is locked on the frame on the mantel, the drawing of him she’d done. There’s a weight to her voice that tells Joel this isn’t something like what movie do we watch next? or do you have any more of those pumpkin seeds?

He nods and waits with his hands clasped between his knees, elbows braced on his thighs.

Ellie picks at invisible fluff on the pillow in her lap. “Why didn’t you — I mean, why, at the hospital —” She cuts herself off, lower lip between her teeth.

“Why did I kill the Fireflies instead of lettin’ make the cure?” Joel guesses, and Ellie nods slowly, her face tight and unreadable. He lets out a slow breath, tapping his right thumb on the back of his left hand. “It’s…there’s a lot of reasons really, reasons I’ll sit and talk to you about if that’s what you want. But what all those reasons add up to is that, to me, nothing was worth your life. Not a cure for cordyceps or cancer or an end to every conflict ever. None of it was worth you.”

“But it wasn’t up to you to decide,” Ellie says, the first bite of anger slipping into her voice.

“I know that,” Joel admits, trying to read the emotions flickering over her face. “I know. And I knew it even then, knew it was somethin’ that you were probably gonna hate me for. But it…I couldn’t let them do it. If hearin’ that again makes you wanna go back to how you had things, kiddo, I don’t blame you. But at this point I owe it to you to be honest, and in my mind there was nothin’ that justified killin’ a little girl. Not even a cure.”

Ellie swipes at her cheeks, chin ducking to her chest. “It’s crossed my mind,” she whispers. “Not coming here, going back to not speaking to you because I’m still so fucking mad. And then that…that fucking nightmare comes back to me.”

 “Ellie…” Joel sighs and scrubs a hand over his face. “I know that dream freaked you out, but I don’t want that bein’ what makes you decide you want me in your life again. You gotta make that decision for yourself, because it’s what you want.”

“I don’t want any regrets.” Another drag of her hand across her cheek, a missed tear tracking down and dripping from her chin. “I can’t - if that dream would have been real, I would have torn myself apart with regret. Being mad at myself for not trying, hating how much time I let go by and everything I didn’t say to you. And I can’t fucking do that.”

“Okay.” Tentatively, he reaches over and pats her knee, retracting his hand when she stiffens. “Okay. I’m just…I’ll follow your lead here. ‘S all up to you.”

Ellie nods, a sharp, jerky motion. The smile she offers him is forced, nothing like the easy one she’d given him when the movie had started, and Joel’s stomach sinks ever so slightly. He’d known it wasn’t gonna be instantaneous, or even quick, repaving this road between the two of them. Knew it was gonna take a lot on his part, and so much grace on Ellie’s.

But that don’t mean he ain’t disappointed.

“I think…I think I’m gonna head out,” Ellie says quietly. “I don’t have patrol tomorrow because of my foot, so I’ll be in the swap helping Oscar sort stuff instead. Early start, you know.”

She doesn’t wait for a response, just uncurls from the couch and begins to hobble towards the back door. Joel stands and follows but doesn’t try to steady her this time; his hands stay tucked in his pockets. This is probably it, he knows that - this was his chance and it’s over now, and he just has to accept that. This is still more than anything he would’ve thought to get again, and he’s damn grateful. Maybe with a little more time…but ain’t no point in getting his expectations too high.

Ellie limps carefully over the threshold and out onto his back porch - Joel lingers behind and holds the door open, unwilling to let her out of his sight until he absolutely has to.

She hesitates at the top of the steps down to the yard, hand gripping the railing, and Joel takes a half-step forward. In case she needs help getting down again, even though she’d done it earlier by herself.

But Ellie surprises him - she turns back to face him, one corner of her lips pulled up ever so slightly. “Empire Strikes Back tomorrow? Or later this week?”

Hope flares in his chest, bright and warm. “Any time you like, Ellie. Any time.”

Maybe…maybe he’s still got a chance.

happy birthday girly, i love you lots and i hope you have the most marvelous day!

[c0smic-dawn]

SELF-SABOTAGE | Chapter 32: Master manipulator

(Sns images near the end of the chapter)

A thump echoed in HYBE university’s empty practice room as (Y/n) fell flat on the ground. The polished wooden floors feeling cool on her sweaty back as she stared up at the ceiling. Her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath from practicing the routines for what felt like the 10th time now. Even though she already knew them like the back of her hand.

Perhaps she just wanted to perfect them; Being the perfectionist she is. Or maybe, it was another distraction from the thoughts that caused a dull ache to form in her chest. A distraction from him to be exact.

For the past few days she has been doing everything in her power to keep herself busy. Not wanting time to even think because each time she was alone with her thoughts he was all she could think of.

All the sleepovers. The movie nights. The laughs that would keep Hyunjin up half the night. Odi. His dimples. How soft his hair was. His smart ass responses. How stupidly tall he was.

And it didn’t help that she couldn’t avoid Soobin all the time as they shared a major.

The girl was quick to sit up from her lying position on the ground and break herself from her moment of self pity before it got worse. Her (e/c) eyes meeting her reflection in the mirror as she sat up.

Damn, she looked rough and not just because of the hours of practice she just did.

Her face was flushed and slightly sweaty from dancing. Her hair messy and unkempt, which was probably also from dancing, but the dark circles under her eyes and paler than usual complexion were definitely her own doing.

(Y/n) nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the door to the practice room open.

“(Y/n)? What are you still doing here? It’s nearly 9 pm and tomorrow is the pep rally.”

It was Yeonjun.

The (H/c) snapped her head over to look at Yeonjun in the doorway. He looked like he wasn’t here to practice. He must’ve known she was here.

Ever since the confession of her and Soobin’s faux relationship, she hadn’t really been active in her friend group despite none of them being upset with her. If anything they wanted to help.

“Practicing.” (Y/n) blandly replied before flopping her back down to the floor.

(Y/n) didn’t even have to look at Yeonjun to know he rolled his eyes at her response.

Footsteps echoed in the room as the boy walked over and plopped himself down next to her still somewhat sweaty form.

“Practicing? Yeah, okay.”

His sarcasm didn’t fly past the girl but she just continued to stare at the ceiling.

The two sat in silence for a bit. The crappy fan that the captain bought a few years ago because the AC is shitty being the only sound in the room. It was a comfortable silence despite the headspace (Y/n) was in.

(Y/n) could feel Yeonjun’s eyes burn into her when he finally turned her attention to her.

“You are gonna work yourself to death, you know that?” He commented while gently shoving her shoulder.

(Y/n) glanced at him from the corner of her eye and quirked her brow.

“That’s rich coming from you.” She shot back, causing Yeonjun to roll his eyes again.

“I’m just saying if you die on us, I’m not giving you a good funeral. I’m going to make it the worst you can imagine. Kai would be in charge of your makeup, get all the ugliest pictures Hyo has taken of you over the years, probably post all your internet history on the service papers, and give you the ugliest outfit ever but that wouldn’t be too hard considering your fashion taste.”

The last comment was enough to get him a harsh shove from the girl next to him. It also caused a chuckle to escape her as well. A small grin making its way onto her tired features.

Yeonjun smiled and poked her side in retaliation causing (Y/n) to squirm slightly in response.

“You know I’m not mad at you, right?” His voice became softer as he asked. His brown eyes looking down at his best friend as she continued to lay on the floor.

A small sigh left (Y/n), “I know you’re not…”

she trailed off slightly as finally sat up and looked over at him. The duo staring at each other for a few minutes before Yeonjun extended his arm out for the girl.

(Y/n) quickly slotted herself between his arm and his chest, leaning her head on him as his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Her tired body finally relaxing a bit. However, the moment felt bittersweet.

“It hurts, Jun…”

“I know and I’m sorry, but I believe it’ll all work out soon enough.” Yeonjun said softly as he held his best friend close to him. The girl gently nodding in response despite not believing what he said. The dull ache in her chest still there.

Yeonjun looked down at (Y/n) as she seemed to stare off into space.

Gently shaking her shoulders and sending her an encouraging smile, “hey, lighten up. You’re gonna crush it at the pep rally tomorrow, kiddo.” He stated making (Y/n) smile once more and roll her eyes at him.

Muttering out a dismissive ‘yeah yeah’ as he continued to shake her with his stupid grin.

“Now, let’s get you home so you can rest up…plus you smell fucking awfu- OW!”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Before (Y/n) knew it, it was the next morning and she wasn’t too thrilled about it. The girl tossed and turned all night from the nerves of the upcoming performance and late night thoughts.

The day was jam packed with shit to do.

Doing some final adjustments to the decorations and uniforms for the event. Helping out the audio and tech club with music set up and set lists. Checking in with the school staff to make sure everything was in place and ready to go. Squeezing in a small final practice just to be sure everyone knew what they were doing.

(Y/n) thought poor Chaeyeon was going to lose a chunk of her hair from dealing with the captain stressing and the nervous freshmen.

Chaeyeon was never one to admit when she was nervous but (Y/n) could see clearly that the girl was nearly sweating from all of this. It was understandable, not only was this a big deal for them to be headlining as the main act of the pep rally but it was also the Captains last year meaning that this was Chae’s chance to prove herself strong enough to be the next head of the team.

Hueningkai was also a nervous wreck. Despite being a naturally gifted performer, everyone had their doubts and Kai wasn’t excluded from this. The poor boy was pacing back and forth while going through the whole routine in his head.

Hell, (Y/n) felt her nerves slipping even though she had performed many times as well. I guess nothing could truly ever get rid of performance jitters.

The team stood backstage waiting for the event to start. Chaeyeon and the captain standing side by side in front of the group both sporting proud smiles. The freshmen standing behind (Y/n), Jun, and Kai whispering nervously before the dance captain went on to give a small speech to encourage them. Chaeyeon adding in a few things here and there in the speech as well.

Chaeyeon sent a small look (Y/n)’s way before smiling and turning to face the stairs that led up to the stage.

The school’s fight song blasted through the speakers and the staff greeted the crowd. Loud cheers could be heard from the students ready to show their college pride.

Yeonjun, (Y/n), and Kai all shared a look before feeling themselves smile as their nerves from earlier finally turned into a burst of adrenaline; With a loud announcement from someone from the staff, it was time.

To say the performance was a success would’ve been an understatement. Or in (Y/n)’s eyes, at least.

Something about being on the stage felt so freeing to the girl. Even though it was just a club, it felt like an outlet from all the stress of classes and life and she was thankful for that.

The crowd seemed to love the performance and the interactions with the team; Lucy being the loudest in the crowd and taking a shit ton of pictures. People also seemed to love Yeonjun and Kai (no surprise there). Chaeyeon also got a lot of attention with how light she seemed to move up on the stage.

When the performances were over, the team said their goodbyes with a bow and hurried off stage. Once off the stage, nearly everyone screamed and celebrated.

All their hard work finally paid off.

Now it was time for them to join everyone else in the festivities.

(Y/n) sighed as she looked around for her friends only to not see them in sight. She simply shrugged and headed to the dressing room to quickly change and freshen up a bit. Before she could leave the dressing room, her phone went off.

A huff left (Y/n)’s mouth as she shoved her phone in her pocket and started making her way to the staff’s break room.

The girl was a bit confused on why Chaeyeon wanted to meet there. If she wasn’t in trouble or anything like that, then why couldn’t she just tell her over the phone? Whatever. It was weird but she knew better than to keep questioning her actions.

The halls were empty as she walked down them. Most of the students were out messing around and having fun with the rally. Hopefully she could get this over with quickly and she could join the crowd.

Eventually, (Y/n) found herself in front of the room and gently pushed open the door.

“Chae?” She called out as she peeked her head in the room.

No one.

Huh, okay then. That was weird.

(Y/n) walked into the room fully and walked around, scanning the room for the vice captain.

Maybe she got held up with something. (Y/n) was going to give her the benefit of the doubt. Nothing wrong with waiting for a little.

The (H/c) let out a tiny sigh and took at seat at one of the tables. Pulling out her phone while she decided to wait.

A minute passed. Then 5 minutes. Almost 10 minutes.

Where the hell was she??

Just as (Y/n) was about to text Chaeyeon, she heard muffled voices talking outside the door. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she thought it was just going to be Chaeyeon and her. Not that it mattered but it was a bit strange.

Suddenly the door to the break room swung open and Beomgyu came into frame as he quickly shoved someone into the room.

“Beomgyu, what the hell!” The person yelled as Beomgyu was quick to slam the door closed and another voice spoke up from behind the door.

“It’s for your guys' own good! Now sit and talk!” Yeonjun’s muffled voice yelled from the other side. Kai suddenly chiming in as well,

“Also please don’t kill each other and just know that this was all Yeonjun hyung’s idea!”

And with that, the door was locked with a click.

(Y/n) stared at the door in confusion before turning her attention to the person who was suddenly shoved in the room.

Soobin.

‘You have to shitting me’

Summary: After (Y/n) breaks up with her ex, Do Jaeyi, she isn’t left alone by him. Finally after being bothered nonstop, she breaks and tells him she is dating her high school rival, Choi Soobin. Now they are left to keep up the act of being a couple till this all blows over. Little does (Y/n) know Soobin has been waiting for a chance like this.

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A/n: Woohoo! We are slowly getting to the end of the story guys! I’m sorry again that this came out a day later than usual :p as I said before, really depressed plus I got my period on top of that so my fatigue has been RIDICULOUS. Anyways, like I said, we are getting to the end of Self-Sabotage soon! I am glad to have made it this far with it. I really want to do another smau after this one but I’m not too sure on some ideas and plot. If there is anything you guys want to see, please let me know! I’m more than happy to hear your ideas on what my next smau should be about and who about! Love you all!💕

TAGLIST. Open @etherealcherrie @i2lain @hoonfever @faeryhee @prettyhoonie @aloverga @boiohboii @bunniesoobinie @chocorenchin @artstaeh @soobiverse @suzirumas @denimtangerine @silkino @moraxology @stigmasefecto @blamemef0rit @dead-isshh

[serendipitouswasteland]

That Person Wasn't A Girl, Was It?

Note: This was transcribed from my AO3.

ship: byler pov: third person written: July 23, 2022 first published: July 24, 2022 word count: 1,985 - summary: After a long week of fighting Vecna from afar, the Cali Crew is finally safe and back in Hawkins with all of their friends and family (some better off than others). Then they watched as the Upside Down began to swallow their world whole. At first they wanted to create a plan, but they ended up calling it a night instead. But that brought on capers of its own, specifically between two boys who have been through it all together, leading them both to keep secrets from everyone they know and each other.

Will follows Mike upstairs and to his bedroom, a place that he hasn't seen in nearly a year now, maybe even longer. For the first few months after Will was still recovering from being possessed, the two would have a sleepover every night that they possibly could, as per Mike's request (although Will wasn't going to complain. after all, it allowed for some much needed one-on-one time with his best friend). Then things between Mike and El started to get more serious, and Will was happy for them, and he himself needed some time to himself, too, so when Mike began visiting El on Saturday's, Will hadn't had a problem. But then summer hit, and that's when everything changed.

During the school year, Will at least had Dustin to lean onto with being single (and singled-out) in comparison to Lucas and Max and Mike and El. But summer came and Dustin was off at science camp, so that left Will to be the third wheel to the rest of his friends. He didn't mind so much whenever they were all hanging out, or even when Mike and El weren't there, because Lucas and Max always made sure to make him feel included. But just like all couples, Max and Lucas went on their own dates sometimes, leaving Will with El and Mike.

Mike pushes his bedroom door open, allowing Will to go in first. As Will looks around, he can feel as his heart sinks to his stomach. It's a mess (and considering who Mike's mother is and how his room has always been spotless, Will could immediately sense that something is wrong). The floor is covered in piles of clothes, shoes, and school papers. The desk is littered with past-due assignments and...is that artwork? Will shakes his head, diverting his attention to the closet, the door open wide with a mirror hanging off of it, a jacket hanging over top of it. Inside it's clear that the mess isn't any better, only a few shirts hung up and junk crammed all on the floor. Even Mike's bed isn't made, the pillows all shuffled around and the comforter pulled halfway to the foot of the mattress.

"I know it's kind of a mess. I've been having some trouble keeping things clean and organized."

"Has your mom seen this?"

"Yeah, and she's not happy about it, but when I explained to her that...nevermind. It doesn't matter. Uhm, you can borrow whatever clothes that you want. I'm just gonna grab whatever this is and go to the bathroom and change, so I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Mike smiles tightly, leaving the room quickly with a pat on the doorframe. Will continues to look around for a moment before digging through one of the piles on the floor next to Mike's bed. He pulls out a white shirt with black sleeves, a red devil, some weapons, and the word Hellfire bridging over top of it all. Will slips off his gray sweatshirt (his yellow flannel having been taken off hours ago after he'd showered at the cabin) and slips the shirt on.

It's a bit long, a product of Mike being quite lanky, but Will fills it out pretty well. Will digs around some more, eventually finding a pair of gray sweatpants from years ago that, despite probably no longer fitting, Mike still has lying around. It was times like these that Will being shorter than Mike came in handy. Will slips out of his khakis and into the sweats quickly, his socks coming off too. He looks at himself in the mirror, insecurity quickly rushing over him, but that doesn't last long when his self-deprecating thoughts are interrupted by Mike clearing his throat at the door. Will turns around and does his best to give a small smile, Mike returning it and shutting the door slowly and quietly as to not wake anyone up.

"Hellfire," Mike says shakily, nervously glancing between Will and his bed as he sits on the mattress.

"Yeah, what is it? A band?"

"No, it's...shit. I was going to call you on the phone and tell you, but I remember my mom was on the phone with one of her friends until really late that night and I ended up falling asleep."

"Tell me what?" Will asks, sitting down next to Mike on the bed.

"Hellfire is the DnD club at school."

"Oh."

"I would tell Eddie, our dungeon master, about you all the time. He really wanted to meet you. You would've loved him."

"Eddie."

"Don't tell me you're jealous."

"What? No! No, I'm not jealous."

"You so are!"

"Maybe just a little bit."

"You have no reason to be. He was more of a mentor to me than anything. He taught me a bit on how to play the guitar, and he's the reason that I grew out my hair."

"Really?" Will says, this time in awe as he finally has an opening to talk about Mike's hair, but then...

"Yeah, I mean," Mike yawns, stretching his arms out and crawling over to the far side of his bed, covering himself with his blanket.

"Are you gonna finish that thought?" Will asks, sliding under the comforter on his own half of the mattress.

"No," Mike says simply, and they both laugh a little. "Goodnight, Will."

"Goodnight, Mike."

Will lays facing away from Mike, staring into the open closet. Despite the room being filled with darkness, he's able to see an outline of what looks to be a shelf in the corner, something that hadn't been there the summer prior. Will reaches his arm out, pushing the door closed slightly, and he can feel Mike turn over in the bed before turning back. Will sighs quietly, snaking his arm back under the blanket and pulling it up to his neck, a sudden chill running through him, causing his teeth to chitter.

"Hey," Mike says, placing a hand on Will's shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just cold."

"Does that mean he's back in you?"

"I don't know," Will says nervously, wrapping his arms around himself tightly, pulling his knees up to his chest.

Then, as if it had happened a million times before (even though it hadn't ever), Mike slips his arms around Will's waist, pulling him close until their bodies are flush. It would be a lie to say that Will's body temperature didn't rise immediately. He can feel as his heartbeat gets faster, his breathing becoming deeper and uneven, his mouth drying, all of that worsened when Mike buries his head in Will's neck, his breath hot on the sensitive skin that lies there, sending a rush down Will's spine.

"Better?" Mike says into Will's ear, barely above a whisper, a tone of voice that Will has grown to know quite well over the years.

"Y-yeah. Better."

"Good," Mike says resting his head back in Will's neck.

It goes quiet after that, but neither boy falls asleep. Mike is rubbing circles against Will's elbows and nuzzling his face into his neck continuously, the small amount of friction enough to keep Will from going as cold as he'd been before. After a long, daunting silence, Will finally turns over to be face to face with Mike, his breath immediately catching in his throat. With his eyes now well-adjusted to the darkness, Will can see that Mike's face as a flushed, soft look to it, his hair ruffed all up already, and his eyes barely staying open. Guilt washed through him, hating that he's keeping up his friend.

"You don't have to watch over me you know. You're allowed to go to sleep."

"I know, but," a yawn, "I want to. Someone has to."

"Nancy is just down the hall. If I need anything I can—"

"But I'm already right here," Mike says firmly, and it's silent for a moment again. "El told me about the painting."

"What?"

"It was after she broke up with me."

"Wait, you guys broke up?"

"Yeah, but, that's not...I was so confused because I thought that I had said what she wanted me to say, because of the painting, but she told me that she didn't commission it. And I didn't think that she had, but you've never lied to me before, so I went with it, but..."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied. I just thought that if I said the right thing that you'd finally be able to tell El that you love her and—"

"But I don't."

"What?"

"I mean, I do, but...not like that."

"I don't— but you said that if you had just said it that—"

"That doesn't mean that I wanted to say it, or that I meant it, and she knew that. But the painting...when she told me that she didn't commission, I new right away what it meant."

"And what's that?"

"El wrote me a letter the day before I left for Lenora. She'd told me that you were painting a lot but wouldn't show anyone. That she thought it was for a girl, that you liked someone and that you'd been acting weird."

"Oh."

"Then you had it at the airport, and you didn't give it to me, so I was confused, but then El mentioned her friends, well, I guess they weren't actually her friends, but, my point is, she mentioned Angela, and you seemed nervous all of a sudden, so I thought that it must have been for her."

"What? No! No. Angela is not my type."

"Well after seeing her that's what I thought, too. I mean, you? Crushing on a preppy blonde? They wish," Mike jokes, pulling a laugh from Will. "But then in the van...if El hadn't commissioned it, and what I said to her wasn't what she wanted to hear, and the painting was for someone you like, then..."

Will starts to pull back, worried for what's to come, but Mike pulls him close again, caressing Will's cheek. He pulls their foreheads together, their noses brushing together as a smile creeps on his face.

"That person wasn't a girl, was it?" Mike asks, sincerity in his voice.

"I—"

The words Will was going to say get caught in his throat as Mike stares at him hesitantly. Then, Mike's lips are on his own, the action being soft and slow, caring and sweet. It takes Will a moment to realize what's happening, but when he does he slowly starts moving his lips in sync with Mike's, not entirely sure what exactly he's supposed to be doing. Will had dreamt of times like this; having his first kiss. Now it was actually happening, and with his best friend, a boy he's been in love with since before he went missing those years ago.

Mike's hand pulls Will close by the back of his head, fingers carding through the smooth, short hair. Will lets one hand travel up Mike's chest, resting on his shoulder, the other one landing between his neck and jaw. Mike pulls back, his lips glossy. He brings his other hand up to Will's cheek, running a thumb over his mouth. Will shudders under the touch, and he feels like he's on fire.

"I love you," Mike says, pressing a kiss to Will's cheek.

"I love you too," Will says without a second thought, the words all squished together. There's a calm smile on both their faces, but the on on Mike's quickly fades as he looks away from Will's face.

"You're shivering," Mike says, running his hand up and down Will's arm.

"Like I said at the cabin, I can feel him."

"Well I'm not leaving your side," Mike says, wrapping his arms around Will's waist once again.

[extinctcorruption]

Nothing (Empty)

Taeyong was slouched over his desk. The world seemed to be exceptionally slow since the sleepover at Doyoung’s last week. 

He wondered if he should check in with Mark. The younger man had seemed stressed the last few days. 

Taeyong sighed and woke up his laptop which had nodded off a while ago. 

He didn’t have the strength to write a text to Mark. That was bad, because it also meant he didn’t have the energy to write anything else.

Taeyong hadn’t updated his writer’s blog in a while. There were a few messages from people who read the book he published nearly a year ago. 

It would probably do good to answer those people. His work might gain a bit more popularity if he did. 

He couldn’t bring himself to care.

Now thinking about it, Taeyong realized that it didn’t matter anyways. It didn’t matter how many stories he wrote, how many worlds he brought to life, or how many people read his work... He wouldn’t be happy in the end.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a new discovery. It was quite old, actually. The fact was merely being highlighted by an awful case of writer’s block on Taeyong’s end. 

It would have seemed strange, were his usual thoughts not very similar to these.

Taeyong sank further into his chair and continued to stare at the few words sitting on his laptop screen.  They didn’t seem to make sense anymore. His story had a decent plot, alright, but the motivation of his characters didn’t make sense to him now.

Who would want to travel across half the world just to see a person for a few days? Why would they do it so spontaneously? How would anyone have the energy for all that? 

The young author sighed. His gaze slid to his empty coffee mug. 

It was too late for another cup of coffee but who cared anyways? Well, Johnny cared but he wasn’t here right now.

Taeyong stared at his mug for a while until he finally got up and took it to the kitchen. 

He started the coffee machine and sat down at his small kitchen table. 

While his coffee was brewing, Taeyong decided to brainstorm a little for his story. Maybe if he developed the later chapters, it would motivate him to continue writing. 

He took some sticky notes and a pen from the windowsill and wrote the title of his story on the first note. The next two were his main characters.

Sticky notes stuck onto the table, he started to map out some of the relationship changes. Half-way through a possible break-up scene he decided that one of the characters could be terminally ill. Excited that he had found something, Taeyong added a few more notes. 

After a while he added another one, then another one and a few more… until he realized that he had created a completely new story which had nothing to do with the one he was currently working on. 

Tears of frustration welled up in Taeyong’s eyes.

He lowered his head in defeat. 

His current story was too far along already. There was no way he could start a new project. A new project that Taeyong was sure he would abandon as soon as he found something new again. 

Taeyong reached for his phone just to realize he had left it by his laptop. 

Right, he wasn’t sitting at his laptop because he was making coffee.

Taeyong looked at the coffee machine. His cup wasn’t steaming so his coffee surely was lukewarm by now. 

He sighed and stood up.

Should he throw the sticky notes into the bin? It was a good story but if he didn’t throw it away, he would be distracted by it sitting in his drafts.

No, he had to keep the story. He liked it a lot. It would be such a shame to throw it away and anyways: once he finished his current one, he could start working on it.

Taeyong collected the sticky notes and took them to his home-office where he kept a little box with story ideas. 

It was quite full as he kept making up barely finished stories but he got anxious if he didn’t keep them all. They might turn into a beautiful story, Taeyong always told Johnny, who knows.

Once the new story was securely stored in the box, Taeyong returned to his laptop. He had been so enthusiastic about this new story, surely he could fuel that enthusiasm into his current one?

Taeyong managed to write half a page before he burned out again. The next scene was a vague idea but Taeyong couldn't bring himself to flesh it out properly. 

He pulled himself into a proper sitting position and tiredly stared at his screen. 

Today was not his day. He told himself. This week just wasn’t his week. The whole month hadn’t been great, either. Actually, the past couple of months hadn’t been going well. 

Maybe life just wasn’t his, Taeyong mused. Why did God put him on earth? Why not someone else? Someone who didn’t waste his time with not being able to do things because Mental HealthTM. Someone who did great things, actually enjoyed life and didn’t feel like he was suffocating with every step he took. 

Taeyong sighed for the tenth time this evening.

Maybe he should go to bed, he decided.

He almost forgot to save his work progress. 

He skipped brushing his teeth altogether.  

For pajamas he just took off his sweatpants and put on a sleeping mask.

When he finally was in bed, he remembered his cup of coffee which was still standing under the coffee maker.

Oh well… 

He would have to put it away tomorrow.

[talesofcrypt]

RILEY, TATUM:

“Oh that thing?” Tatum waved her hand in disregard. “I thought that was just for decoration.” Her tone was light and teasing. She never could see Dewey shooting anyone. No matter how many times he threatened to kill Stu for breaking her heart, he never pulled the trigger.

“Wait—“ at the mention of a date, Tatum sits up, flabbergasted. Dewey doesn’t date. And if he does, it’s only in his head. “You’ve got a date? Like with an actual.. human?” Consider her shocked and intrigued. And also, a little nosy. “Who is she? Tell me.” Tatum moved to the end of her brothers bed. She was on her stomach, knees bent and legs crossed behind her back, as her chin settled in her propped up palms.

“Where are you two going?” The questions just kept on coming, left and right. But, she couldn’t help herself. This kind of news didn’t happen often. “Must be nice if you’re wearing a suit.” Tatum eventually rolled off the bed and landed two feet back on the floor before she slipped between Dewey and the mirror to help tie his tie. She learned how to from Sidney a long time ago. “I guess since you’re ditching me tonight, maybe I’ll go out. Stay at Sids.” The last part she only said to appease Dewey. Sidney actually had to work. There were cheer tryouts though, at the campus gymnasium. Some girl was putting together a new squad and needed recruits. Tatum used to do gymnastics and dance. She hasn’t touched a skirt in years but, the Dean at Westham told her she needed to join a club or else she was this close to being kicked out of school. Tatum never told Dewey because she knew he’d be pissed given how many hours he put in at the precinct just to cover her tuition.

“There.” The knot on his tie had been secured and Tatum gave her brother’s chest a gentle pat. “Although, I think it might be a little too much for a first date. It doesn’t really look like you.” Dewey doesn’t wear suits to impress people. They were Rileys. They dressed down and told others to shove it when asked why.

/

This was the problem with Tatum not having more friends. She expected Dewey to sit down and share all the intimate details of his social life with her. He nearly rolls his eyes as he catches a glimpse of her lying on her stomach as if she were at a sleepover, preparing herself for a night of juicy gossip. “She’s a journalist. That’s all I’m giving you, Tate.” She would have to be satisfied with that. If he were to give her anymore details she might be able to piece the puzzle together and then he would never hear of the end of it. 

He was grateful when she abandoned her gossip girl position on the bed to help fix his tie. He was useless when it came to these sorts of things. It’s why he was always wearing his leather jacket when he’s not in uniform. It was simple and relaxed. But not too relaxed, like Tatum whose been borrowing his tee shirts since she was eleven. Every time he turns around one of his band tees are cropped or stained with bleach because she never bothers to read labels or follow instructions. 

“We’re going to Rosie’s. You know, the restaurant where dad proposed to mom.” They never followed through with the wedding, but their mother always spoke very highly about how special and magical the restaurant was, with its dim romantic lighting and beautiful chandeliers. It was expensive and way out of his price range but Dewey was planning on selling his motorcycle to some guy online. It would be worth it to impress Gale. “Can you do me a favor?” He asked once his tie was perfect and Tatum reassured him she would be fine. “Don’t mention this to Sid. I don’t want her to think I’m hopping into anything too quickly.” They’ve already gotten over their hurdle of drama when Tatum found out he was dating her best friend. “There’s also this girl from channel six news, she’s a college student who’s interning there. I had an interview earlier and met her briefly. If Sid’s ever busy, I think you two might make great friends. She’s dedicated and diligent, I wouldn’t mind her rubbing off on you.” He also needed her to spend time with someone other than Sidney. It was too awkward seeing her at their house. Especially during sleepovers. He was still attracted to her despite their breakup. 

[madaboutmunson]

Again - Part 1

Part 2 | Full list of Again series links inc AO3 Link

Steddie fic where Steve and Eddie are in their mid 30's and everyone has sort of drifted apart

Thank you to @gamerdano for all their help with this 💚💚💚

================================================

Steve loved being a Dad. 

Not just the caring protecting aspect, but surprising to him more than anyone, he loved the learning aspect. Nearly every day, he was learning something new. For example, today, he was learning that you can now play games in the library. That was definitely not allowed when he was a kid.

The only thing Steve loved more than being a Dad was being a Single Dad.

He didn't dislike his ex-wife. They got on really well to this day, and being a single parent was really hard, truly, but it meant that no one was hovering around telling Steve how to do things, and he didn't have the added pressure of being responsible for meeting all his partner's needs as well as his kids. He could just focus on them, and when it was mom's week, maybe he'd go on a date (probably not), treat himself to something (a haircut at most), get involved with a hobby (play a video game he's forgotten all the controls to), get some exercise (a run, god bless the invention of cell phones and in-ear headphones).

The problem for Steve was he didn't like being away from his home too much. Home was safe. 

When the kids were away, he didn't like to go too far in case something happened, and they needed to come back, or one of them wanted to speak to him. If he went someplace, he'd only be worrying the whole time. The cell phone let him get a little further afield, but there was just something about being near the house phone, and he hadn't worked out how to get his cell phone out of whatever language his youngest had accidentally put it in. He'd figured out some of the main menu options by trial and error.

Steve can't believe how much had changed in his life over the last 15 years. Friends he thought he'd keep for life were now mostly just names on a Christmas card list or an occasional phone call. He often thought it was because, like himself, seeing them just brought it all back, and everyone deserves to move on, didn't they? Just be normal, average human beings.

He'd gone from King of Hawkins High to Monster Slayer to Doting Husband to Suburban Dad to Single Dad in what felt like a blink of an eye.

Steve pulled into a spot in the nearest parking lot and turned around to his eldest child, Mackenzie, 13.

"Want me to come in with you, Mac-attack?" He asks, turning to the back seat.

"Want? No! Need? Unfortunately, yes!" She frowned, lifting one headphone slightly before letting it spring back to her ear, as she returned to gazing hatefully out of the window like she was trying to set the world on fire with her mind.

Steve turns back in his seat, bites his tongue and reminds himself that Mac has got it tough.

It's not that he and his wife are divorced, causing the current issues. Sure it's a historic contributing factor, no doubt, but this was because she drew the short end of the stick, hitting puberty earlier than most, and when you're 11, that fucking sucks. The world could have at least waited two more years or something.

That's why they were here; Mac's friend group was solely boys. Steve and his wife had no issues with that. The other kids' parents in the group didn't have a problem with that until a few months ago. The changes were small. She wasn't allowed at sleepovers anymore. Then there were the comments from some of the moms, or maybe she shouldn't be wearing that spaghetti strap vest anymore; perhaps you should invest in something more supportive. Then she wasn't invited to things because they weren't for girls movies, sports events (which Steve was certain was because she would have annihilated them all at them), or parties. And because she was being pushed out and would miss out on group happenings and banter, the worst thing of all happened: 

They kicked her out of their dungeons and dragons party.

Steve was sure that soon she'd lose interest in the little nerd game anyway, but as it stood, she still wanted to play on, and she saw this poster in the library last week, so here they are. Steve looks in the rearview mirror. She's not glaring out of the window anymore; she looks scared. She didn't know if in there it was going to be precisely the same or not. "Let's do this!! Whoooo!!!" Steve shouts loudly, clapping his hands to break her out of her thoughts, which gets him an eye roll. He'd take it, he thinks and smiles.

Mackenzie wasn't the first person he'd heard about the game from, he knew a few of his old friends played it, but she was undoubtedly the first person to show him the magic of it.

The escapism, the collective storytelling, the adventure, your character's fate depending on a roll of the dice. Once he understood, he made sure to get her everything she needed. She was never happier than after a game, whether it went the party's way or not because she had a story.

Corey, 8, was deeply engrossed in his Gameboy. "Hey, Cor, can you peel your eyes away just until we get inside, alright? There are cars all around, buddy" Steve gets a grunt in reply and wonders if the next 5-10 years of his life will be learning to decipher grunts from his children because it was the only language they were willing to speak to him.

Mackenzie is clutching her books to herself. There was room in her backpack for them, but Steve wondered if she was using it as some kind of shield or line of defence. He wants to say, don't worry honey, I'm right here, but he knows how well that goes down, so he lets her take the lead, "Just let me know what you need me to do, honey." He gives her a small smile as she turns to take to the woman at the counter, who seems to be directing her elsewhere.

Books held firmly against her like some kind of magically imbued chest plate and her eyes boring into the floor, she speed walks past Steve towards the front door, "Hey!! Where are you going??" He yells, running after her while making a mental note of Corey's location. As he should have suspected, he is safely in a chair, thumbs clicking away.

"Mackenzie Robin Harrington!!" He shouts, and she stops in her tracks. He's glad to see at least one thing still works. He bends down to look her in the face, "Honey, what is going on?"

Her face is bright red with embarrassment, and Steve remembers the kind of parent he wants to be, "I'm sorry I embarrassed you by shouting your name like that. I just wanted you to stop walking, so I could talk with you and understand what's going on, ok? That's all. We don't have to stay if you don't want to. I just want to make sure you aren't missing out. Please?" Steve tries his best. He sees her swallow, and her eyes flick up to his for a moment, "I got the time wrong. We're late, like nearly a whole hour late."

"I thought this was just a workshop for character creation type thing today, not an actual game session? I'm sure it won't matter. Do you wanna try at least?" Steve is amazed he's retained any of this information. 

"I just…I wanted to get here before everyone else…so when other people turned up, it looked like…it looked like I belonged…because I was here first," She says, eyes blinking at the ground.

"I tell you what. I'll go in first, check it out, and then relay the info to you, and then you make the call, huh? How about that?" He says excitedly, like he's in a timeout huddle. She looks up, and her shiny eyes meet his with a nod and didn't his heart just explode into a million tiny cute plush toys when that happened. Dad mode engaged. "Ok, let's get your half-electronic game system of a brother and point me at the target, honey."

"It's a Gameboy…" Corey starts to correct him, and honestly, Steve could be mad about the attitude, but it's the most he's said to him all day so far.

"...Advance, I know I paid through the nose to get it on release day for you, Cor," Steve says, hand on hip pointing at the little plastic attention black hole.

"Er, no. I've actually completed all the games I had for that one, so I'm back on the Colour. They look completely different! Urgh," Corey almost peels his eyes from it to target Steve with his disdain. Almost.

Time was of the essence, so rather than try to engage verbally, Steve lifted Corey out of his chair and gently pulled him along with them.

Steve opens the door to the side room and can see a bunch of kids of all different ages at tables, happily scribbling away and talking. He does note the distinct lack of girls in the kids he can see. Some of the older kids have polo shirts with something printed on them. They must be like the instructors or what was it, Masters…Dungeon Masters, that was it.

Then Steve hears some booming footsteps and an almighty roar. His spirit nearly leaves him until he hears a ripple of laughter after it and sees one of the polo shirt wearers sporting a paper mache dragon head stomping around the tables.

The dragon…locks eyes with him…and runs over.

Everything in Steve says run, but he's here for Mackenzie. So he pretends he isn't alarmed in the slightest. The dragon extends their hand, and when Steve accepts the handshake, he is engulfed in a hug, the dragon head bumping him several times before it finds its way over his shoulder. Steve grimaces with something between disgust and horror. What kind of weird place was this? He's glad they were late; if this had happened to Mackenzie, this dragon's head would have been punched somewhere into next year. The dragon is gesticulating, and Steve's hearing isn't the best. He knows they're talking, but all he can hear are mumbles, and he has no mouth to read for assistance.

"I'm sorry. Can you speak up? I can't hear you."

The dragon puts its hands to its head and laughs before revealing itself.

"Shit! Long time no see, Harrington!!" The familiar voice says.

Steve takes a moment to process, The big smile and eyes, the dark wavy hair that reached his jawline, the ringed hands, and the scars. Steve knows those scars and instinctively reaches for his side. He holds up the dragon head, "Sorry about that, um, the kids find me less scary if I scare them with the dragon head first," he says quietly.

Steve laughs, "Eddie?"

"In the flesh!" He gestures at his whole self, with a flourish, and the hugest smile, that Steve can tell he's trying hard to turn down a little from max wattage.

"Wow, I mean. I know you loved this game, but it's like huge, and we're nowhere near Hawkins. I'm just surprised, is all. Pleasantly, obviously. It's just…wow…" Steve says a little nervously. It was a little guilt for not keeping in touch, mostly surprise, but also, Eddie looked different, even though the trademarks were all there. His hair was less frizzy and more defined, and his face had aged a little. He looked more manly.

"Ah, don't get all flustered over little ol' me now", he laughs, and Steve feels comforted by his teasing. It was the Eddie he remembered.

"Er…listen so. I'm not here for me." 

"Well, I could have guessed that", Eddie snorts out a laugh.

"My kid wants to join."

"Ok, we'll circle back to the fact you have a kid but do continue."

"Well, I have two, but anyway, the point being she really wants to join in and was worried it would be a problem because we're late. My fault, you know. She wanted to get here first, so it looked like she belonged here, and she was just worried it would be full of assholes that might give her a hard time about it, you know."

Eddie looks at him, confused, "About being late?"

"Er..yes…but because she's a girl."

Eddie's eyebrows furrow, "Well, thankfully, for everyone concerned, a penis is not a required piece of starting equipment." 

Steve's eyebrows shoot up. One because of the comment and two because Eddie censored himself by whispering the offending word.

"Look, if she wants to learn to play, there is room. I'll make sure she's good. That sexist bullshit doesn't fly in my games. Or any prejudice crap, for that matter. It's a fantasy game, for Christ's sake. It's got magic. Why would it be so unbelievable a girl can't play? That's just dumb," Steve notes the self-censoring again, tries not to laugh and pushes it into an appreciative smile instead.

"Well, she already knows how to play. Pretty well, actually, I think her Cleric, life domain, is about level 8 now, but she did say she's happy to roll up a new one. Though that does mean she'll need a new dice set and stationary.." Steve gets lost in his thoughts for a moment before he turns back to Eddie, whose expression looks like someone just presented him with a surprise puppy.

"But anyway, yeah, she's looking for a new party because the last one, well, they kinda forced her out because, you know, they're all growing up or whatever and some bullshit like that" Steve takes Eddie's lead on the self-censorship.

Eddie is gobsmacked for a second and then immediately furious, that nose wrinkle and tensed, pressed tight, mouthed expression, it’s the same as Steve remembers, but he tries to keep his voice down, no full-blown Eddie tantrum here. "The little scrotes kicked her out of the party because they're growing up? What kind of nonsensical bullshit is that? You know what, get her in here, now, Steve. We've already wasted too much time. She could be throwing away her player's handbook as we speak." The urgency in Eddie's voice is endearing because there isn't a drop of sarcasm or condescension in it. He is genuinely alarmed this massive game might lose one player. Steve got the feeling this wasn't just for him or Mac, and he'd be the same with anyone isolated that way.

Steve smiles and goes to turn around and get her before he's stopped by Eddie's hand on his shoulder and an unsure look on his face, "Think I need the dragon head to be less scary?"

"For Mac, no, you're good. She's seen mine when we've been swimming and stuff. If Corey looks at you at all, count yourself lucky he bothered to peel his eyes away from the screen."

"Ah yeah, but yours aren't…um…well…you can hide them, and they don't make you look a dollar store Joker" Eddie half smiles awkwardly, creasing up one of the scars in question.

"Eddie, your scars were the last thing I noticed about you today. You're still as pleasant to look at as you always were," Steve adds reassuringly.

"I'm still undecided if that's a compliment or not, but there are more pressing matters, like losing one of our own from the game!" 

Steve rolls his eyes, "Something's don't change do they" he sighs, "It was a compliment, Eddie."

Eddie makes a bashful smile, "Well, alright then. No dragon head it is"

[wholesome-holland]

cassie howard x female reader where cassie chose nate over the reader and during lexi’s play, lexi shows a scene of the reader singing a song to cassie that the reader wrote for her (tyler durden by madison beer) which makes cassie regret her decision and begs for the reader back.

Permanent Mistakes

request for: anon!

pairing: cassie howard x fem!reader

warnings: nate jacobs, swearing, angst, crying, arguing

When Cassie Howard heard her little sister was doing a play, she did not expect what was coming. She assumed maybe it would be a cute little musical, just something simple and cliche. It was neither. Cassie was sitting quite a few rows up with her boyfriend, Nate Jacobs. She was holding his hand, occasionally running her acrylics through her straight platinum blonde hair. From where she was sitting, she could see Maddy, Kat, BB and Y/n all grouped together. She pretended not to notice Y/n glancing at her every now and then. Little did she know, Nate was pretending not to notice Cassie glancing at Y/n as well.

The play had been going on for about a half hour, and she didn’t know how to feel. It was focusing heavily on Lexi’s life and not so subtly what it was like living in Cassie’s shadow her whole life. It had just finished a scene where “Halle” and “Marta” had a bit of an emotional moment during a sleepover, and Cassie was already holding back tears. She didn’t want to admit, but a part of her missed that. A part of her missed what she had with Maddy and regretted ruining every possible chance of having that again.

“It wasn’t just Marta that I had seen a lot of, there was also Tessa,” Lexi’s voice over came back over the speakers as the actresses acted out painting each other’s nails. Cassie shifted uncomfortably as she realized who “Tessa” was meant to be. “Tessa was really sweet. The first time I met her, I knew we would get along great. She started coming around mid sophomore year after transferring from another school, and soon she had become close with Halle and Marta’s friend group. She and Tessa seemed to click the most, in a way they didn’t with the others. I didn’t know then what it was, but soon enough all of us would find out.”

What Lexi had been referencing was Y/n and Cassie’s almost year long relationship. It wasn’t a secret to anyone that the two had dated, they flaunted their relationship all around the school and the town. They were proud girlfriend’s, and were deeply in love with one another. Lexi’s play gave a nice little summary of how they started dating, not revealing too many private details or things their peers didn’t already know. Lexi may have fished out a lot of people’s business, but Cassie and Y/n both were glad she was careful about how she addressed the relationship. Specifically their breakup, she didn’t touch on that at all. Not many people knew for sure, but could infer, it was because of Nate.

Nearly a year after dating, Cassie had gotten caught up with Nate Jacobs in a party bathroom on New Year’s Eve. She hated to admit it, but she had cheated on Y/n for a good month or so before they actually broke up. Y/n found out the night that Maddy did, and was more than an emotional night.

•

“Hey Cass?” Rue had asked, sweat dripping down her face.

“Yeah?” The blonde responded, sounding perky as ever.

“How long have you been fucking Nate Jacobs?” Cassie froze, her face dropping. She began stuttering almost instantly.

“W— what?” She nervously laughed, “w—what are you talking about?” Y/n, Maddy and Kat all exchanged confused looks as Y/n felt this awful sinking feeling in her stomach.

“How long have you been fucking Nate?” Rue asked.

“I’m not,” Cassie responded, almost tripping over her words. “I’m not.”

Maddy stepped forward, “what are you talking about?”

“Well, I just I—I saw her get into his truck and kiss him and drive off. That was like what, what like a month ago?” The brunette explained, looking between Maddy and Cassie— who was trying her hardest to find the words to defend herself but was too nervous and thrown off guard to properly do so.

“Are you kidding me?” The Latina scoffed.

“Cass, that’s like, really bad.” Kat stared in shock as she spoke. Y/n just stood there, an unfamiliar look on her face. Rue could only imagine it was a look of betrayal, heartache, and absolute and utter shock.

“You’re fucking Nate, are you kidding me?” Maddy voice was starting to raise an octave as her anger grew.

“No I— I don’t even know why she would say that,” Cassie once again nervously laughed, motioning in Rue’s direction as tears began to welt in her eyes.

“You’re lying.” Maddy deadpanned.

That was the start to a long, and dramatic night. Maddy was screaming at Cassie, Kat was trying to make sure Maddy didn’t beat Cassie’s ass, and Y/n had but one thing to say to Cassie. She quietly approached her and got right in her face, tears falling continuously from her eyes.

“You and I are done.” She didn’t even feel the need to yell, call her names, or add fuel to the fire. She didn’t think it was worth it. She left after that, and decided she would never speak to Cassie ever again.

•

The scene changed and the actresses of Halle and Tessa were in Halle’s room, Halle sitting up, guitar in hand, and Tessa laying with her head in the girl’s lap. Halle was singing softly to Tessa, a song that Cassie recognized as Y/n Y/l/n by herself. She wrote the song for her girlfriend, hoping she would love it, and she did. The blonde realized what moment this was recreating, and it was almost as if she could see herself and Y/n.

•

“With my fingers in your mouth, you’re only speaking vowels,” Cassie hummed softly, strumming the stings on her guitar.

Y/n grinned up at her from her lap, “keep going, I love your voice.” She whispered. Cassie blushed slightly, but was quick to oblige. Y/n didn’t know the song, but she loved it. She loved anything Cassie sang, and Cassie knew her girlfriend would love it even more when she found out what it was about.

“Now I got to stay up all night, or else I’m done for, I’m done for,” the girl sang, getting progressively louder. “I’m in love with Y/n Y/l/n! That’s why this shit ain’t ever working for me, I’m in love with a fantasy,”

She sang the next few verses before Y/n sat up, he’d jaw agape and face beat red. “Did you write that?”

“Yes ma’am.” Cassie responded.

“That’s amazing, baby! what’s it called?” The girls exclaimed, placing her hand over one of Cassie’s as she held the instrument.

“It’s called Y/n Y/l/n.” Cassie was cheesing as she watched her girlfriend’s eyes widen.

“You wrote a song about me? Why?” She asked.

“Because I’m in love with you, Y/n.”

•

Cassie’s lip was quivering by the end of the scene, she quickly got up from her seat and raced out of the auditorium and to the girl’s bathroom. She burst into tears as she walked up to the sink, crying to herself for a few seconds before covering her mouth and looking up at the ceiling, willing herself to stop crying. The girl tired her hardest to take deep, calming breaths. God, she really fucked up. What was she thinking? With Nate, she was nothing but a Brainwashed Barbie doll. But with Y/n? She was loved— really, truly loved. And she had taken that for granted. It was in that moment as she stared at herself in the mirror, makeup smudging slightly, her nose and cheeks a crimson color, that she was going to try and get her girl back.

She cleaned her face up and made sure it wash my obvious she was crying before going back to the auditorium, sitting next to Nate.

“Nate?” She whispered, picking at her cuticles.

“Hm?” Nate hummed in response.

“I can’t do this anymore. I need to get my stuff and go home, I’m sorry.” She watched as his face morphed from casual to pissed, an annoyed huff leaving his lips.

“Whatever.” Was all he muttered, not wanting to cause a scene. He stood up from his seat next to her and moved elsewhere, which Y/n noticed as she looked up at them. She caught her ex-girlfriend’s eyes, feeling like Cassie was staring into her soul before she turned back around. She couldn’t help but wonder what happened.

By the time the play had it’s musical number, Y/n had forget completely about it. The play had been quite long so far, so Lexi announced they would be taking a 10 minute break for everyone to move around for a bit. Nate had already stormed out of the room, which no one really minded anyways. Cassie stayed in bed seat until she noticed Y/n getting up, and she decided now was her chance. She followed the girl to the hall where she stopped her.

“Y/n, wait up.” She called. The y/h/c haired girl turned around, coming to a slight stop as she was approached.

They decided to step outside and go somewhere more private to talk, so they sat on the steps together.

“So… what’s up?” Y/n asked, checking the time on her phone.

“I broke up with Nate.” Cassie stated bluntly, not really wanting to beat around the Bush. “I left him. I’m not— he’s not what makes me happy.”

Y/n nodded, not knowing how to respond to that. The awkward tension was thick in the air, and she didn’t know if she even wanted to try and cut out the tension. Hell, she didn’t even know why she was talking to Cassie now.

“Look, Y/n, I’m so sorry—” Cassie was cut off.

“For what, exactly?”

“For cheating on you, for leaving you, destroying what we had.” She listed, her voice soft and timid.

“Okay,” Y/n responded. If she was being honest, she moved past that as best she could in a few weeks. It was still kinda fresh, but she had finished crying it out at this point and managed to shove her emotions away.

“I know I don’t deserve forgiveness, so I won’t even ask for it. That’s for you to decide to give when or if you ever feel it’s necessary or, like, needed, if that makes sense?” The girl stammered out, almost as if she was uncertain of what she was saying.

The girls sat in silence for a moment, neither knowing how to continue the conversation.

“Is that it?” Y/n inquired, staring at the concrete.

“No,” Cassie exclaimed. “I actually… I was wondering if you would be open to the idea of giving me another chance?” Y/n stared at her as if she had just asked her to lick a toilet seat. That was not a good sign. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I know what I want this time and I’ll make it better I promise.” Cassie pleaded, reaching for the other’s girl’s hand.

“Cassie, no. I’m sorry, I really am. I have to go—” Y/n began, standing up and pulling her hand to herself.

“Y/n please, I love you!” Cassie was practically begging, trying to get up as quickly as possible.

“No. No, just no. I can’t do this, I’m sorry. Look, what you did, I’m sure you feel bad about it. But, I can’t ignore the fact that you betrayed my trust for someone who you knew was bad news. I respect myself too much to put myself through that again.” Y/n was firm as she spoke, not wanting to sound too soft or too harsh. She sighed, watching Cassie’s face crumple up with sorrow. “Cass, I’m sorry, I just can’t. Maybe one day we can be friends again, but not for a very, very long time. I truly hope you find somebody else who makes you happy and who loves you the way you deserve to be loved, but it can’t— and won’t— be me. I have to go now, I’m sorry.” With that, she went back into the building and left Cassie crying on the steps. The thing was, she got it. She understood why Y/n rejected her, she just wished she had never put their relationship at risk in the first place.

hiiiiii! I’m so sorry anon, this took forever for me to get out but i hope you like it!! i had major writers block for couple days, but i wanted to get this out by today. thank for you the request<333

[mypoisonedvine]

vignettes of a bond || alpha!bucky barnes x omega!reader

I originally wrote this in two parts for my sleepover but after I realized how long it accidentally became, I've reformatted it, added/changed a few things, and made into a oneshot!

word count: 3.1k

warnings: smut, angst, knotting, violence

June 2nd, 1943, 11:43 p.m., James Barnes’ bedroom

“I wanna do it, before I go,” he whispered against your skin. “But I know it’s wrong. It’s too cruel.”

“No, please,” you whimpered, “I want it. I want your mark.”

Bucky pulled back for a moment and you examined your Alpha’s face carefully, knowing it might be the last time for a long time. “I couldn’t bond to you and then leave you. It wouldn’t be fair… you deserve to find somebody who can stay, and be with you, and protect you.”

“All I want is you,” you whispered. “Please, Alpha… bite me.”

You saw him hesitate for a moment before he leaned in and sucked at your neck, building the anticipation before he finally sunk his teeth into your skin and you cried out, one single tear rolling down your cheek. “Mine,” he growled against your skin as he lapped at the healing wound, “my Omega. Forever.”

“Yours, only yours,” you agreed eagerly.

It wasn’t the first time Bucky had taken you, but that night he really and truly claimed you, left you a desperate begging mess, stretched out over his knot as he filled you over and over.

The next morning, you were still sore between your legs as well as on your new mark, and it took everything in you to be strong as you saw him off at the train station, waving goodbye and praying that your Alpha would return to you soon.

November 9th, 1943, 2:24 p.m., undercover SHIELD facility

“You promised Bucky you’d take care of me,” you reminded him with a little smile, wiping a tear from your cheek.

“I know,” Steve relented, “but we both know I can’t do that. Not in this state. But maybe I can protect you if I do this. Maybe I can protect my country. I owe it to everyone, especially Bucky, to try.”

You nodded. “But I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too. Come see me before I ship out for good, alright?”

“Of course,” you agreed.

December 27th, 1943, 8:32 a.m., your front porch

“You’re lying,” you gasped as you shook your head. “You’re wrong, no, it’s not true.”

“It is,” Steve promised as tears welled in his eyes, “I’m so so sorry, I saw it myself, I had to watch him fall…”

“It’s not true! He’s not dead!”

“I know he loved you so much. He talked about every day, he couldn’t wait to come home to you,” Steve remembered, choking up noticeably. “But he won’t. He’s gone.”

“You don’t understand, I know, okay? I know.”

“You’re in shock, I understand, it’s hard to lose your mate—”

“You’re a beta, you wouldn’t understand,” you dismissed; sure, he looked like an alpha now, but it didn’t make a difference. “Omegas, we know when our Alpha dies, we feel it, it kills us. He’s far away, but he’s still there, I still feel him!”

Steve held you as you sobbed, your body crumpling into his arms. Sometimes you thought maybe he held you too tight on accident because he was still getting used to his new strength; other times you thought he did it on purpose.

February 3rd, 1944, 12:00 p.m., undercover SHIELD facility

“Even when I had nothing, I had Steve,” you recalled shakily, “and now he’s gone too.”

“Is that why you’re volunteering?” Agent Carter asked you. “Because you’d rather sleep for a hundred years than live without your mate and your best friend?”

“I’m volunteering because my mate and my best friend died for SHIELD,” you corrected firmly, “and if I’m not willing to also, then I’m admitting I think they went to waste.”

“Steve told me you didn’t think Bucky was dead,” Peggy remembered.

You winced. “I’m not sure. But I know he’s not coming home again. I came here to give whatever I could to help find him… I was asked to participate in a cryogenics research study. If it helps him, then I’ll do it.”

She was about to get up, apparently satisfied with your final interview, but you stopped her.

“On one condition,” you added. “If James Barnes is found, alive or dead, wake me up to see him.”

She nodded, stepping out of the room and leaving you alone again.

May 8th, 2012, SHIELD headquarters

“Can you hear me?”

You slowly blinked awake, your vision taking a moment to catch up with your mind. You saw tubes coming out of your arms; you saw Steve above you, looking like the day you saw him last.

“Did you find Bucky?” you asked instantly. Why else would they wake you up?

“No,” Steve answered, seemingly a bit disappointed that that was your first and only question.

“Then put me back to sleep,” you demanded.

“It’s been 68 years,” he told you. “You’ve slept for 68 years. It’s time to wake up.”

And you did, more than you ever wanted to, because you realized you couldn’t feel him anymore. Your Alpha was gone. Worse, he probably died while you were asleep; he probably died alone.

One more time, like he had 68 years ago, Steve held you while you sobbed.

August 1st, 2014, 2:11 a.m., Avengers compound, Steve Rogers’ quarters

You ran into Steve’s room barefoot and still in your pajamas, barreling through the door and right into his bed.

“Steve, I feel him!” you rushed.

“What?” he groaned sleepily, looking up at you as he blinked in confusion.

“I feel him again, he’s alive,” you explained. “I know it. He’s weak… he’s hurting… but he’s there.”

“That’s impossible,” Steve shook his head. “It’s been too long, he would’ve died of old age anyways.”

“Don’t you want to believe it? Don’t you want to think he’s out there?”

“Do I want to think he’s alone and I didn’t save him?” Steve hissed. “No, I can’t say that I particularly do!”

“But we still can, Steve, we just have to find h—”

But before you could finish, the feeling left you, and you were just half of something again.

“Oh,” you breathed.

“He’s gone again?” Steve realized.

You nodded, biting your lip as it started to quiver. He sighed and pulled you into a hug. “If I could just see his body, and know it was over,” you whispered, “if I could just bury him, have a funeral…”

“We’ll have one,” Steve decided, “after this mission. We’ll put him to rest. He deserves that, and so do you.”

You nodded into his shoulder. It shattered you into a million pieces but it was still the better option, to try to let him go in whatever small way you could. He would always, always, always be your Alpha, nothing could change that, but a funeral would at least bring some closure.

That would have to wait until after your next mission though… and it was going to be a big one: tracking the elusive Winter Soldier.

August 3rd, 2014, 1:14 p.m., Lower East side

You were a few blocks away, helping civilians escape the firefight, when you felt it.

For one impossibly brief moment, you felt him, stronger than you had in nearly 80 years. He was here.

You instantly got up and ran like you’d never run before, finding the Soldier and Steve locked in a brutal showdown— but his mask was gone now, and you nearly fell to your knees at the sight of him.

“Bucky!” you yelped, but you knew he wasn’t there or you would’ve felt his presence. Your Alpha was somewhere underneath the shell that wore his face, and you needed to find him.

You ran forward just as Steve made a break for it, getting to him just in time to stand between the Soldier and his mission.

“Alpha, please,” you whimpered, clutching at his chest. A metal hand backhanded you to the ground.

“Out of my way, Omega,” he growled, stepping over you, but you grabbed at his ankles even when he tried to kick you away.

“My mark,” you explained hastily, pulling your shirt down some to make sure it was visible. “It’s yours. Do you remember? You gave me this. This is your mark on me.”

He stared down at you, seeming to be contemplating it, and you scrambled back to your feet and faced him.

“I still feel you,” you whispered. “I knew you were alive, I knew you’d come back to me. I could feel you, right here,” you explained as you took his hand and placed it on your chest. “Could you feel me? Did you know I was waiting for you all this time?”

His eyes were watering but he still seemed confused— stunned, more specifically, as you placed your hand on his chest.

“I’ll always be yours, Bucky. I’ll always be your Omega, no matter where you are.”

A stun gun took you down, an array of masked men appeared, and before he could really see you for what you were, he was dragged away and taken to be erased again.

August 3rd, 2014, 9:04 p.m., Avengers compound, medical bay

“I can’t believe we let them get away,” Steve lamented, resting his face in his hands. “I can’t believe they took him again…”

“They’ll be back,” you promised sternly. “They’re going to figure out what I am to him. They’re going to realize I could break his programming. And they’re going to come for me.”

“And when they do?” Steve pressed.

“We’ll be ready. And I’ll get my Alpha back.”

August 3rd, 2014, 9:04 p.m., temporary HYDRA operations facility

"The woman on the bridge... the Omega..." Bucky mumbled. "She knew me... she had my mark."

"No she didn't."

He furrowed his brow. "She showed me..."

Pierce sighed, glancing over to the HYDRA scientist who looked back at him sternly.

"She's too dangerous to be left alive," the man sighed, shrugging in his lab coat. "We can't deprogram a bond like that."

"We'll take care of her," Pierce promised.

Bucky launched from the chair, snapping his restraints like paper. "Touch her and I'll fucking kill you!" he bellowed, tackling his handler to the ground.

Pierce just laughed as another scientist jabbed Bucky with a needle, dosing him with something strong enough to kill any other man but just enough to knock out a super soldier. Pierce stood up and dusted himself off as he watched Bucky go limp and be lifted back into his chair.

"I can see the fight in your eyes, Soldier," he taunted as he leaned into his face. "I know you really would kill me, if you could. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, right? But don't worry about your mate, we'll make it quick and painless. Hey, maybe beforehand me and a few of the other Alphas will show her a good time, poor thing's been without her mate for 70 years... I bet she's raring to go."

Bucky's arm twitched as his eyes started to fall shut, a tear falling down his blank and motionless face.

"Wipe him," Pierce instructed to the scientist, turning and walking away as the electric whirr of the machine charging up filled the room.

August 11th, 2014, 3:53 p.m., SHIELD headquarters

Steve was impressed with how accurate and imminent your prediction was; HYDRA was hot on your trail and desperate to eliminate the biggest threat to their Asset. Knowing they were coming made it easier, but it was still a brutal fight.

You and Steve tried to stay together, but they were smart, they used the perfect bait to lure you away.

"Tell me where he is," you demanded from the HYDRA agent as you held a blade to his neck, "then I'll kill you."

"Isn't it supposed to be 'or I'll kill you'?" he frowned.

You shook your head. "Not the way I operate."

Opposite to the reaction you were expecting, he grinned widely. "He's here."

Your heart stopped.

"On the roof. He's here to kill you."

You dropped the knife and ran straight for the stairwell, ascending them like they were nothing and calling out for your Alpha.

You found him there, waiting, gun trained on you. Raising your hands in surrender, you yelled to him again.

"Bucky," you called across the windy roof, eyes nearly blinded by the bright afternoon sun. "Alpha."

"I'm not who you think I am," he yelled back. "I'm not your Alpha."

It hurt to hear it in his voice, but you knew it wasn't him. Cautiously, you stepped closer. "Before you left, you told me you didn't want to mark me and leave me behind," you recalled. "But I wanted it. I wanted to be bonded to you more than I'd ever wanted anything."

He could clearly see you were coming closer, he even tightened his finger over the trigger of his weapon, but he was waiting. You kept walking to him, slowly.

"I've never regretted it," you continued, "not even when I thought you were dead, not even when I had to spent a lifetime-- more than that-- apart from you."

Finally you were face to face, and you stepped closer until his gun was pressed right into your chest.

"You can shoot me now and I still won't regret it," you promised. "I love you."

Shakily, he lowered his weapon. "Omega..." he breathed.

"Your Omega."

He pulled you into him and you sobbed as you felt him come to life in your arms-- the real him, your Alpha, your Bucky. He held you close and breathed against the top of your head and it was like a dream coming true decades after you'd forced yourself to let it go.

But you'd never given up. And now you had found him again.

Agents started to come onto the roof and Bucky spun the two of you around, firing with his right hand and using the left, metal arm as a shield for you.

He carried you and you didn't even know where he was taking you, but it didn't matter. In his arms, you were home.

August 12th, 1:03 a.m., Avengers compound, your quarters

You hadn't stopped coming or crying for at least an hour. Bucky had all but split you open on his knot all night and he didn't show any signs of stopping.

He apparently intended to make up for lost time. And you'd lost a lot of time.

"Just one more, I know you can give me one more," he groaned furiously rubbing your clit as his knot began to swell again.

You could give him anything, as long as he asked for it like that.

You'd lost count of how many times he'd told you to come for him, and how many times you did it immediately.

"I can see how full you are," he whispered as he rubbed your stomach gently. "So much seed in you that your body can't hold it all."

You looked down and yep, you were distinctly bloated from his come alone; it made you a little dizzy to even look at it.

"The idea of you alone during your heats, no one to protect you, it kills me," he explained with a growl. "I won't let you go again. I can't."

"Then don't," you sighed. "Never leave this bed, fill me with everything you have."

"Did anybody ever help you through them? The heats?" he asked. "I wouldn't blame you, they can be so painful... I just need to know so I can make sure you forget about them."

"No, Bucky, never— I never let anyone touch me."

"Steve could've helped you, at least some..."

"He wouldn't have, he loves you too much. And I wouldn't accept anything less than you, ever. You're my Alpha. We're bonded. There's never anyone else."

That didn't seem to satisfy him, his eyes darting away as he swallowed. Your gut sank with the realization he probably wasn't being totally honest about why he asked.

"Your ruts," you gasped. "Were you alone for all of them?"

He shut his lips tighter.

"Bucky, it's okay, just tell me. I was asleep for 70 years, I skipped most of them, but you... you had to live through them all."

"They gave me betas, and omegas," he mumbled, "but I don't... I don't really remember. I know they wanted me to. They threatened to hurt me if I didn't, because they knew I'd go crazy after so many ruts alone, but I can't remember if I really did it. I remember... I remember crying, and begging for you."

"Alpha," you breathed as you felt new tears run over the stains of your old ones. "It's okay. Whatever happened, it's okay now. We're together again. Everything's okay."

You wiped his tear away with your thumb, holding his face tightly, weaving your fingers into his long hair.

"I'll always be your Omega," you promised.

He leaned in closer to you, kissing your cheek before pulling back a little. "It's faded," he whispered as he ran his thumb over the mark on your neck. "The last time I saw it, it was still fresh."

"It's older, sure, but it's stronger than ever, Bucky."

August 14th, 10:12 a.m., Avengers compound, residential area kitchen

Steve's eyes went wide when he came into the kitchen for breakfast and found you there, steeping your tea. "Surprised to see you out of the love nest so soon," he smirked.

"It's been three days, I don't think that counts as soon," you scoffed.

"It does to him," Steve frowned. "He's asleep, isn't he?"

"Yep."

"I know he wouldn't let you out of his sights if he was conscious," Steve chuckled.

At that moment, you heard Bucky call your name and run out into the hall, only a bedsheet covering his groin as he appeared in the doorway. You spun around and smiled when you saw him come running towards you, embracing you with his free arm.

"You should've told me you were leaving, I got scared when I woke up without you," he admitted weakly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry!"

He pulled back and clutched your face in both his hands. "I'm waking up next to you every morning for the rest of my life, you understand?"

You nodded dutifully. "Yes, Alpha."

"One hand on the sheet, please, Buck?" Steve winced, looking away.

“Whoops,” Bucky groaned, reaching to cover himself as you laughed softly.

“Let’s go back to bed, baby,” you decided quietly, taking Bucky’s (free) hand in yours and waving goodbye to Steve, who was already making his way as far out of earshot as possible.

[sexy-opium-ravioli]

Dating Marceline HC's

-Hey babes!! These dating HC's have NSFW under the cut, so be warned!!! Hope y'all enjoy :)

Dynamics:

Marceline... She has trust issues.

In any universe where she takes a romantic interest in you, she and Bonnibel didn't really work out.

And for a pair that's curated their relationship over the span of decades, perhaps even centuries? Well, that's some leftover hurt.

So you might come into the picture long after that. For any timeframe, Finn might be in his late forties? Jake, however stretchy, still had the lifespan of an average dog. Had.

Marceline doesn't really believe in rebounds and for awhile after the relationship with Bonnie ended, she flew solo for awhile.

Until she stumbled upon you.

At first, things are real cautious on both sides.

Who?? Is this weird goth lady that literally never touches sunlight?

And on her end she just thinks you're a beam of sunlight, so. There's kind of an oil-water reaction happening.

Slowly, however, over a span of years, things bleed together.

You guys hang out in the vast reaches of Ooo every so often, maybe hang out at each other's house later on.

Marceline learns your interests and hobbies. You learn her love for red, singing and playing the bass.

Eventually, you guys have sleepovers and giggle under forts. She introduces you into her group of friends, Finn, Jake, Peppermint Butler. The sleepovers, of course, grow in size.

Eventually, she invites you to one of her concerts. Usually they're mid sized venues at the cemetery with pretty good turn outs, she's had centuries to build a reputation, after all.

You've never went because she treated it like an intimate thing to behold, and although she performed for others, she never did for you.

Until she gave you free tickets.

That was the main turning point in your guy's relationship. After it started, Marceline still held a lot of that caution.

But she'd give you little smiles, or float over to where you were and interlock her fingers with yours and nuzzle her head in your neck.

Marceline, no matter how moody or boisterous she seems to outsiders, is someone who is kind of reserved behind closed doors. Eventually, she opens them for you.

Remember to be patient with her. Even though she's hundreds of years old, really a millennia, she still has the brain chemistry of an older teenager. Sometimes her emotional processing isn't the best, so it's important to walk her through things patiently.

She loves you dearly. She'll give you small hints of her perception- your favorite type of drink that's stocked up, moss on the porch that you said needed cleaning is already gone when you get home. Things like that.

Romance:

Marceline, the Vampire Queen, does in fact like making out with you. It's one of her favorite things like, ever. Ever ever.

It's just very calming for her, knowing that the person she loves is in her arms. And even though her insecurities might tell her that they'll leave eventually, she finds that in the moment, she has them now.

It was your guy's three year anniversary. Not even a speck of time to Marceline, but she knew that tonight would feel special anyways, because it was you she was celebrating, as you celebrated her.

So, she spruced the house up. Sent you away for a couple of days (who was she kidding. She didn't even try for a cover story, she just sent you to the treehouse for nearly a week), and employed the help of some friends to freshen things up.

Repaint the walls, fix some furniture, help out the porch, put up string lights. Things like that. She even put up pictures of the both of you on her wall, all thanks to BMO.

When it was time for you to finally come home, it was like looking at a house that was just built a thousand years ago. It held an ancient air to it, but it felt young at the same time. Like Marceline.

You stepped in the door, and there she was. Your love, with a feast for a dinner in the middle of the dining room. She looked lovely, her hair up in a bun and her eyes adorned with eyeliner. Not too much changed, but just enough to be formal.

You two sat, and ate, and talked together. Grocery shopping plans mixed in with 'Glob, I love you so much,'s and handholding.

Eventually, Marceline has a look in her eye. A twinkle that says she's up to no good, but you'll like her antics anyways.

She walks over to you. She kisses you, and with all the sparkle in her eyes, she bends down on one knee and holds out a simple wedding band from her pocket.

Of course you say yes.

(And then she starts making out with you).

NSFW:

Not surprisingly, Marceline has had a lot of time to herself to explore her anatomy and the anatomy of her partners. And even though every partner is unique when it comes to their sex preferences, still still notices things across the board that help.

It seems like with a flick of her fingers she can get you to cum, it doesn't take very long.

But where's the rush? Where's the fun?

What I'm trying to say is that this woman is into edging and orgasm denial and you will have to fight me on this-

She just loves taking her time with you. Getting you riled up for hours before giving you what you desire.

You also cannot tell me that she likes giving you bites. Especially on the neck, shoulders, wrists and chest.

What does she prefer? Well, considering how little control she's had in her life, she might like some in the bedroom. She likes telling you what to do, when to do it, and I feel like she genuinely prefers anyone who's obedient. She craves for things to run smoothly.

Sometimes, she does step down for you to give her hours of pleasure. These are rare occasions, but still very memorable.

She's very playful and kind of sarcastic in bed, but she's also extremely sweet when the moment calls for it. Marceline can make you cry with words.

👏DO👏NOT👏TELL👏ME👏 that during aftercare she doesn't sing in your ear while she's cleaning you up or feeding you chocolate covered strawberries. Don't tell me. I will not listen nor will I perceive.

All in all, Marceline is an extremely complex but rewarding lover who deserves the world.

[holy-hyuck]

NCT Dream Reaction: They See You Wearing Their Clothes

warning: there’s like a swear word or two in jaemin’s

by the way, would you guys want me to add shotaro and sungchan as a bonus into these since they’re not in a permanent unit yet?

also no, i absolutely do not have a crush on jaemin, what are you talking about?

Mark

It was so cold, so unbelievably cold in Mark’s apartment. You told him to fix the heating but he’s been too busy binging Netflix to bother. Shivering in your thin tee, you rummaged through Mark’s closet for something warm to wear. If he wasn’t going to get the heating sorted, you were going to steal every last one of his hoodies until he had no other choice.

Throwing the black, oversized hoodie over your head, you made your way downstairs and plopped on the couch beside him, making him turn his attention away from the TV screen and towards you.

“Is that my- Is that my hoodie?”

“Yes, it is. Actually, it’s now mine, at least until you get the heating fixed.” You crossed your arms over your chest and raised an eyebrow at your boyfriend.

Laughing, he threw his arms around you and started mumbling into your neck.

“Gosh, you’re so cute, you have no idea.”

You let out a whine, surrendering. This was not how this was supposed to go.

Renjun

You stayed over at the Dreamies’ dorm with the intent of catching up with them since their busy schedule meant you barely saw them - especially your boyfriend. A sleepover and a movie night seemed like a great idea.

The boys already had a table stacked with snacks and drinks.

You made the awful decision of wearing denim shorts, which meant twisting and turning for the first thirty minutes of the first movie Jeno picked until he had to go to the toilet and you paused it.

“Are you okay?” Jaemin asked, seeing your discomfort.

You shook your head, looking over at your boyfriend. “Do you have anything comfortable I could wear?” you asked, a puppy-like look on your face (or at least an attempted one), and he obliged, bringing you a pair of his sweatpants.

Once Jeno exited the toilet, you changed into your boyfriend’s clothes, coming back into the living room. Upon seeing you, Renjun burst into laughter, the already slightly baggy (on him) sweatpants completely drowning out your legs so it looked like you were wearing a trash bag over them.

“Y-You l-look great-”

He managed between laughs, covering his face, his head falling back into the couch cushions as he nearly fell on Jaemin. He was hoping his hand also covered his blush because - although he wasn’t sure what exactly it was - something about you wearing his clothes made him feel fuzzy inside and he hoped to see you in them again - just maybe in different circumstances.

Jeno

Out on the beach with your friends was the best way you could think of to spend the last weekend off before school. You sat on the sand, watching Yeri and Jaemin splash each other with water, their swimming suits soaked. They've been at it for the past fifteen minutes, and it all started because Jaemin drank one espresso too much and threw Yeri into the water.

You sat next to Jeno, both of you watching your friends laugh, and next to him sat Renjun, who typed on his phone like his life depended on it. You and Jeno didn't speak much; you were a bit awkward around each other, you'll admit, but that's only because two months ago, you kissed during a game of spin the bottle, and it was a little more heated than you would like, and now maybe, just maybe, you've developed a crush on the black-haired boy.

It was weird - you've known him for three years, and never looked at him that way. Only after the kiss, you started seeing him as this handsome guy with crescent-shaped eyes when he smiled, and not just a friend who wasn't ugly.

Your two friends finally got out of the water, making their way to their towels and drying themselves off. You shivered, the evening weather finally catching up to you. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you rubbed the skin harshly, hoping to generate some heat, and hoping you'll be making your way back home soon.

Renjun noticed this and shoved Jeno with his elbow, gesturing to you. When Jeno gave him a confused look, he rolled his eyes and started tugging on Jeno's jacket in an attempt to take it off. They had a little fight to the right of you, but you were none the wiser and ignored them until Jeno cleared his throat. You looked in his direction to see him taking off his jacket and draping it across your shoulders before giving you a small smile.

"You looked like you needed it."

You smiled at him. "Thank you." Both of you looked at the sand beneath your feet, heat rising to your cheeks.

To your left, Jaemin and Yeri exchanged a look and simultaneously rolled their eyes. You were both so goddamn oblivious.

Haechan / Donghyuck

You clipped your hair back with the lonely bobby pin in your pocket, pulling the jacket around you tighter to brace yourself for the ruthless winds outside. Exiting the shop with Donghyuck by your side, you picked up your pace to make it home before it became any colder or windier - which it did, a minute into your journey.

The wind made your eyes water and you shrunk yourself, head down, ignoring your boyfriend, who began failing to catch up to you.

Suddenly, you felt something warm wrap around your neck and turned around to find your boyfriend securing his scarf around it, unzipping your jacket to tuck it underneath, then zipping it back up. It left his neck exposed due to the low-cut t-shirt he wore under his leather jacket, and you frowned at the sight of it, opening your mouth to protest before he interrupted you.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. You look like you need it more than me.”

Wrapping his arm around you, thus offering you even more of his body’s warmth, he led you towards his apartment, where he made you hot cocoa and cuddled you until you felt warm again.

You still didn’t take off his scarf, and he never asked for it back.

Jaemin

Maybe you didn't remember much from last night, however, when you woke up with a white, oversized denim jacket hanging from your desk chair, you were reminded of Jaemin - a loud and charming boy from one of your classes - lending you the covering after he walked you home after one too many drinks. In your defence, you bet with your friend that you could handle more shots than her, and won (the vomiting-in-the-garden part doesn't matter).

You got ready and rushed into your lecture hall, sitting somewhere in the middle and eyeing the students to spot the black-haired boy. When you managed to finally do so, he was already talking to one of his best friends, and the professor had started the lecture.

At the end of the lecture, you went up to Jaemin, who again, had busied himself talking to his friend. But when the other boy, Lee Jeno, saw you, he slapped Jaemin across the chest to get his attention.

Finally, Jaemin turned to you, taking a second or two to take in your appearance, his denim jacket hanging loosely on your shoulders. He almost laughed, his smile getting bigger than you've ever seen it. In the background, Jeno was laughing his ass off at Jaemin's reaction.

You cleared your throat. "Sorry, I just saw it on my chair today. It's yours right?" You took the jacket off of you and handed it to him once the boy nodded his head. "Thanks for last night, I don't know how I've survived but you certainly made it easier. Anyway, I'll see you later. You too, Jeno."

The older boy waved his hand at you and walked to Jaemin as the two of them watched you leave. "They looked good, huh?"

Jaemin looked to Jeno and smiled. "Fucking gorgeous."

Chenle

You may or may not have gotten too comfortable during your last few weeks of university, wearing sweatpants and a hoodie every day around your house, only swapping out the bottoms for a pair of jeans when going out. Honestly, you couldn't even remember the last time you put any effort into your appearance.

However, the dreadful day came when you had to meet Chenle's friends. You weren't dating for long, only a couple of weeks at most, so you felt the need to impress both them and your boyfriend. Thankfully, the plan to go to an amusement park were cancelled and swapped out for a movie night, so you felt okay with throwing on a hoodie and calling it a day. Spotting a bright blue coloured one in the corner of your bed, and realising it's Chenle's, you quickly pulled it over your head and rushed out of your house after realising you were late.

You were shaking the whole way to Jisung's house, hoping to calm down by the time you got there. He graciously let you inside and introduced you to two other guys and a girl, and you hoped they would spare you the embarrassment of wiping their hands after touching your sweaty palm.

"I like your hoodie," the girl said.

"Oh, thank you. It's Chenle's, actually," you replied after a beat. "Um, where is he?" You looked around, unable to spot the blond boy.

Suddenly, you heard a high-pitched scream coming from your right, an exclamation of "cute!" yelled your way, right before being tackled to the ground by the man-child in question. He pulled the hood over your head and grinned down at you.

"I'm guessing you like it?"

Jisung

Grabbing a book off Jisung's bedside table, you plopped on his bed with nothing but his thick, blue robe on. Admittedly, it was warm and cosy; definitely something you would have to steal. You skimmed through some of the pages of the history textbook before becoming bored and chucking it next to you.

Standing up from the mattress, you wandered around his room, waiting until he finished his shower.

"Hey, have you seen my-" Jisung came out of the bathroom, holding a towel to his chest, "-robe?"

He sighed, looking at you in his garment as you smiled like the Cheshire cat.

"Can I have that back?"

You skidded across the room to stand in front of him, going on your tip-toes and giving him a peck on the lips. "Nope."

Jisung shook his head at your antics before going to change into some clothes.

[jfleamont]

do you have any favourite marauders headcanons?

Hi friend! Thanks for the ask 🥰

I do, actually! A month or so ago we had a very interesting conversation on the Jily discord regarding the formation of the Marauders and whether they would have existed had James not been there, so I'm going to share my headcanons about that as well as some more lighthearted ones about James ❤️

James hadn't been around many kids his age before Hogwarts. I think he was kinda lonely, thus probably the most excited out of the 4 to make friends. He wanted brothers, and he had always gotten what he wanted so he put in the work and made the lot of them inseparable

Sirius was probably more chill about going to Hogwarts, because that's simply how he was, more nonchalant about these things. He also wasn't an only child and he had cousins around his age or slightly older than him (Narcissa, Bellatrix and Andromeda). So yeah, he definitely wanted to make friends but James was way more intense about the whole thing

Remus would have been far too preoccupied with putting other people in danger to make actual friends. I think that James and Sirius saw Remus and went 'He seems alright, he's clever and looks like he could use some friends' so they kinda wore him down! Sirius (on his own, without James) would have probably been intrigued by Remus but he wasn't nearly as determined (or rather, stubborn) as James. So they were probably friendly since they were dorm mates, and he definitely knew Remus was hiding something, but didn't mention it to him because he was used to his privacy not being respected so he didn't wanna do that to him

Peter... Well, Peter would have found someone else to hide behind, maybe a bully, or a prefect. I usually agree with other people's headcanons about him, but at the moment I don't have any myself

Now onto the sweeter hcs:

James went from sleeping alone in a big house with two elderly parents (who certainly couldn't keep up with his shenanigans) to having sleepovers every night with kids his age! For his first week at Hogwarts he kept everyone up in the dorm at night by talking non-stop because he was so excited and at one point Sirius yelled at him to shut up and that was further proof that he had chosen the right mates

His parents probably didn't allow him to have too much sugar at home because it would make him impossibly hyperactive but at Hogwarts he was unsupervised and there were all sorts of sweets around... So he was on a sugar high for the entirety of the first week and then Sirius intervened because his older brother instincts kicked in and he was like 'No more sugar for now, you're unbearable. How about we prank someone?' and that was the best idea James had ever heard

I came up with a couple more while reading your Lily headcanons so here they are:

Lily was from an industrial town and after Thatcher became prime minister (1979) a lot of factories closed down and people lost their jobs, including her dad. This happened around the time she got pregnant, and the war was only getting worse and worse so there wasn't much that she could do. Petunia had always resented her for it: according to her, she was pregnant too but she still managed to be there for their parents

Lily refused to tell her family about the war because she didn't want to scare them, and staying away from them wasn't easy but it also meant not putting them in danger

Petunia (I know she isn't a Marauder but I'm going to share it anyway) was jealous and bitter that she didn't get into Hogwarts but if only she had known that it was her blood that had protected Harry for all those years (I doubt Dumbledore explained everything to her in that letter) she would have changed her mind - or she would have been at least a bit less abusive - because it meant that even Petunia had a little bit of magic in her

What do you think? I've already read yours (and they're great) but if you wanna share more I'm more than happy to read them ❤️

[junghelioseok]

clandestine. | 06

↳ forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.

◇ jungkook x reader ◇ smut | fluff | brother’s best friend!au ◇ 7.4k [6/6]

notes: we’ve reached the end at last!!! thanks for sticking around through all the sporadic updates, and i hope you enjoy this final chapter!

warnings: some soft, soft smut.

⇢ 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 

The day before your scheduled return to Seoul, your parents decide to throw a joint party with the Jeons. From your bedroom window, you can see the plastic tables and chairs scattered across your adjoining lawns, the tarps and poles that will soon become makeshift pavilions lying in the grass. Though a row of low bushes divides your property, a small stone footpath weaves between the green leaves. You watch Mr. Jeon make his way into your yard, joining your father to unfurl a sign that’s emblazoned with Bon Voyage, {Name}! in bright blue print.

“Noona!” Jimin bursts into your bedroom with zero preamble, the door slamming into the wall behind it. You jump at the sudden intrusion, and flinch when he bounds across the room in two steps and grabs you by the shoulders.

“Ow, Chim,” you grumble, trying and failing to push him away. “Knock much?”

“Help,” he whines, trying to pull you to your feet. “I put too much salt in the marinade, and I just spilled Coke all over the counter. Please come help me.”

You sigh as he casts you the most pathetic look he’s capable of mustering, complete with a quivering bottom lip. Wiggling out of his iron grip at last, you grab him by the wrist and drag him out of your room. “Fine,” you tell him as you pull him downstairs. “You’re lucky I like you sometimes.”

“Love you too!” Jimin singsongs. He swoops in to plant a too-wet kiss on your cheek, and when you squirm in disgust he just giggles and blows you another.

The kitchen, upon your arrival, is empty. “Where’s Mom?” you ask as you grab a rag, tossing it over to your brother so he can clean up the spilled soda.

“She left a few minutes ago,” he replies, sopping up the mess and flinching when some splashes down from the counter onto the linoleum floor. “I think she went to the store to pick up a few things.”

“Food things?” you ask dubiously, eyeing the sizable pile of vegetables and meat on the counter. “Is this not enough? Is the entire neighborhood invited to this thing?”

“You know Mom,” he replies, shrugging. “Just let her have this. She misses having another girl in the house when you’re away. Says Dad and I gang up on her.”

You chuckle. “That sounds about right. On the bright side, though, she only has to deal with you for a few more months.”

“Jeez, that’s weird to think about.” Jimin sidles up behind you and settles his chin on your shoulder. “We’re going to be at the same university soon.”

“Yeah, because you’re a little copycat,” you tease, reaching back to flick him on the forehead. “What’s next? Are you going to start following me around the sandbox again? Come crying to me when someone’s mean to you?”

“Yeah, right.” Jimin steps back and puffs his chest out dramatically. “I’m going to protect you from all those weird college guys, remember? Who else is gonna do it if not me?”

In an instant, your mind goes to Jungkook. Your throat goes dry, and thankfully the jingle of keys in the front door saves you from needing to respond. Jimin’s attention is diverted when your mother steps through with an armful of shopping bags, and you take a moment to shove away all thoughts of your neighbor before following after your brother to help her unpack.

You haven’t seen much of Jungkook since your impromptu sleepover in his room. As your time at home winds to a close, your parents have been increasingly adamant to spend as much time together as possible. Family game nights became routine, and although Jungkook has joined you on a couple occasions, Jimin has seemingly made it his personal goal to ensure that you don’t spend a single second alone with your dark-haired neighbor. Certainly, you’ve texted a bit, but Jungkook’s been picking up more shifts at the restaurant lately and you often see him through your bedroom window returning home after a long dinner shift.

Jimin’s voice draws you out of your thoughts. “Huh?” you ask, blinking, and your brother shoots you an unimpressed look.

“I said, I’m going out back to help Dad with the grill,” he repeats. “Can you bring the cooler out?”

“Oh!” You glance over at the cooler on the ground, filled to the brim with beer and soda. Jimin has a bag of ice in his arms, and you quickly follow him out into the backyard, wheeling the cooler behind you. Together, the two of you push it into an unobtrusive corner of the back porch, and Jimin curses when he upends the bag of ice into it and spills nearly a third in the process.

“Smooth,” you remark.

“Like you could do any better,” is his reply.

It’s just after one o’clock, the sun beaming bright in the cloudless blue sky, when people begin trickling into the backyard where your father and Mr. Jeon have started grilling. You spot Taemin and Minho from where you’re perched on the porch steps, and grin when they wave and begin heading in your direction.

“Heading back to the big city so soon?” Minho asks as he comes to a stop, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “We’re gonna miss you around here.”

“You know you’re always welcome to visit,” you tell him with a smile. “Besides, I’ll be back. I do like to see my family every now and then, you know.”

“When exactly are you leaving tomorrow? Taemin asks curiously.

“Bright and early in the morning,” you reply. “I want to have plenty of time to get settled before I start interning on Monday.”

Minho gives you a squeeze. “You’ll kill it. I know you will.”

“Thanks,” you tell him. You’re about to say more—ask about the rest of their summer plans, maybe—when you spot a familiar dark head of hair exiting the back door of the Jeons’ house. Jungkook is wearing a collared shirt the color of sunshine, the sleeves rolled to his elbows to expose vascular forearms and the silver watch on his wrist. His faded jeans have a rip in the left knee, and you swallow when your gaze automatically trails down to the defined muscle of his thigh, a peek of skin visible through the denim.

Across the yard, your eyes meet. He raises a hand in greeting, his watch glinting in the sun, and you wave back. Everything else seems to fade into the background—Taemin and Minho, the hubbub of the partygoers, even the sizzle of the grill. Jungkook is walking in your direction now, and your throat goes oddly dry at the thought of talking to him face-to-face after nearly a week of intermittent texts and occasional glimpses. Your fingers itch to run through the soft hair at the nape of his neck, and your body craves the feeling of his skin against your own. You’d even settle for a simple kiss—the press of his mouth and the slick of his tongue, his palms settling on your hips or looping around to the small of your back to pull you in close.

Needless to say, it’s been far too long since you and Jungkook last slept together. You wonder, vaguely, if there’s any way the two of you might be able to sneak away from the party and head somewhere a little quieter. One last handsy makeout session in his backseat, and one last chance for him to breach your walls with his cock. One last fix of the drug called Jungkook, before you return to your life in Seoul and try to forget the boundaries you’ve crossed in the last few weeks.

Because at the end of the day, Jungkook is your brother’s best friend, and therefore is off-limits. And as if Jimin himself is listening in on your thoughts, your little brother comes bounding out of nowhere, intercepting Jungkook on his path to you and dragging him away to help make more meat skewers for the grill.

The party continues. More people arrive, and you do your best to converse with everyone between bites of food. Many family friends have come out to wish you well, most of whom you haven’t seen in several years, so you put on your best smile and weather the innumerable comments about how much you’ve grown up since you last met. Off in the distance, you spot Jungkook chatting with Junghyun, who has driven in from downtown Busan. The elder Jeon brother has already wished you good luck with your internship, pulling you into a friendly hug when he first arrived, and you would’ve had to be blind to miss Jungkook’s penetrating stare as you hugged him back.

You’re returning from a bathroom break, easing the back door shut, when you are assailed by a tangle of limbs and excited cries. You end up with a faceful of strawberry blonde hair, and laughingly groan as you extricate yourself from the hug, offering a beaming Chaeyoung, Jisoo, and Lisa a grin. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

“What’s up?” Lisa grabs you by the shoulders and gives you a little shake. “You’re leaving tomorrow! When will you be back again?”

“Winter, definitely,” you promise. “Maybe the summer too, if I don’t have anything else going on.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you spot Jungkook again. He’s looking in your direction, his gaze flitting between the half-eaten burger in his hand and where you’re standing on the back porch with the girls, as if he doesn’t want to get caught staring. The party has been underway for nearly two hours now, and you haven’t even come close to having a conversation with your dark-haired neighbor. It seems as though anytime Jungkook comes within speaking distance, he’s interrupted by friends, family, and at one point, even his family’s dog. Gureum has been a part of Jungkook’s family for as long as you can remember, and though he’s getting rather old, he’s still happily meandering around the yard today. You’ve already given in to his pleading face twice and offered him a bit of food from your plate, and you’ve watched plenty of others do the same. A quick scan of the yard reveals that the little white dog is now fast asleep in a sunny patch of grass, and you chuckle to yourself before your gaze finds Jungkook again. Your eyes meet, just for a second.

“{Name}, honey, can you come here for a second?”

You turn at the sound of your mother’s voice. “Sure,” you tell her, excusing yourself from the group of girls to follow her inside to the kitchen. “What is it?”

Your mom hands you a pile of small paper plates and plastic cutlery. “I’m bringing out the cake,” she says. “Can you put those out for me?”

You nod, watching as she picks up the cake. It’s an impressive two-tiered confection, frosted pale purple and decorated with pink cherry blossoms and the words Bon Voyage! in flowing white script. You make sure to hold the door open for your mother as she exits the house on your heels, and duck your head in embarrassment when a few of your neighbors start clapping at your arrival.

The cake is cut and distributed, and you take your piece over to a shady spot beneath the awning of one of the pavilions your father has assembled. Jimin joins you, wiping a frosting-covered finger on your nose, and you squeal and wipe at it furiously with a napkin before taking revenge. Slowly, the afternoon progresses into early evening, and the party begins to wind to a close. Friends and neighbors begin to trickle out, wishing you well before taking their leave. At the far end of the yard, you see Jungkook talking to Chaeyoung, and wonder what the two could possibly have to say to each other before Taemin and Minho draw your attention away.

“We gotta head out,” Minho says, coming to a stop before you and pulling you into a hug.

Taemin nods, tugging you into an embrace as well. “We’ll see you again soon though, yeah? We’re definitely going to come up to visit you guys at some point.”

“Sounds like a plan,” you tell him. “You’re crashing at Jimin and Jungkook’s though. I’m not taking you in.”

“Cruel, but fair,” Minho says with a laugh. “See ya then, Noona.”

“See you.”

The two depart, and you begin gathering up your used utensils and plates, seeking about for a trash can. You smile at your dad as he walks by, and scratch a sleepy Gureum behind the ears as you pass him. Just as you’ve finally found a trash can and dropped your garbage inside, however, a voice stops you in your tracks.

“Hey, Noona.”

Your heartbeat quickens. Slowly, you turn around, coming face to face with none other than Jungkook himself. His dark hair is ruffled by the breeze, and his silver hoop earrings glint in the late afternoon sun. Tentatively, you offer him a small smile, and he hesitates for a moment before smiling back.

“Hey.”

“You said that already,” you point out, trying to quell the sudden nervousness in your belly and swallowing down whatever moisture is left in your mouth. “Fun party, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Jungkook nods. “Really fun. And the food was great.”

You chuckle. “Yeah. We have our dads to thank for that.”

“Definitely.”

A beat of silence passes, and then two. Jungkook is scuffing his heel against the grass, one hand darting up to scratch his ear, and you are just beginning to wonder at his uncharacteristic awkwardness when he suddenly pulls a bag from behind his back.

“Here,” he says, practically shoving it into your hands. “I—I mean, we—got you a gift. From my family. And me.”

Blinking, you peer down at the green tissue paper peeking out of the top of the bag. “Oh, wow. You… you guys really shouldn’t have.”

“It was my mom’s idea,” Jungkook mumbles, looking anywhere but at you. “You can open it now if you want, though.”

You do. Peeling back the tissue paper reveals two items inside—one of which is a lovely leather-bound planner, complete with a calendar and to-do lists and pages for notes. The other is a small canvas, and your mouth falls open when you see what’s painted across the surface.

It’s the lake house. Behind it, you can see lush green hills and trees, all bordering the rippling expanse of blue water. Jungkook has captured the scene at high noon when the sun is at its peak in the sky, glinting off the lake like diamonds. Off to one side, you spot the canoe roped to the dock.

“Wow,” you breathe, awestruck. “Jungkook, this is beautiful. I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s no big deal,” he says, shrugging and scratching the back of his neck. “I had to rush it a little, between work and all. It could’ve been better.”

“It’s perfect,” you tell him, running a fingertip across the canvas. You’ve always known that Jungkook has a talent for drawing, but you’ve never seen him use paint as his medium of choice until now. “Really. I love it, Jungkook. I’m going to hang it up in my dorm as soon as I get back.”

“Back,” Jungkook echoes. “Right.”

And before you can reply—before you can even inhale to speak—he’s pulled you into a tight embrace, his arms looping around your waist and settling there.

“Good luck with everything,” he says once he’s pulled back. And then he’s turning on his heel and walking away, and you’re left to wonder whether these past few weeks were simply a passing tryst after all.

///

As it turns out, your internship is more than enough to keep your mind from straying toward a certain dark-haired young man. Two months after Jungkook left you high and dry, you’re working harder than you ever have in your life. Your mornings are early and your afternoons run into evenings more often than not. “At least you’re getting paid, though,” Namjoon points out, glancing up from where he’s sitting on the couch when you stumble into your shared dorm one particularly late night. “You could’ve been one of the unlucky bastards who got stuck doing unpaid labor at their internships.”

“Oh, good. At least they’re working me to the bone ethically,” you snort, accepting the wine he hands over. Trust Namjoon to have an extra glass at the ready. Your suitemate, despite his flaws, always seems to know when you need a pick-me-up, and you suppose you can forgive his clumsiness and messiness for that. If he keeps it up, you may even start looking past the heart attacks he causes you every time he enters the kitchen and so much as looks at a knife.

Namjoon chuckles and tops off his own wineglass. “So now what? You hungry?”

“Starving,” you admit. “What are you thinking tonight? Pizza? Chinese?”

“Thai? I’ve been craving it lately.”

“I can do Thai.” You lean in closer as he pulls up the delivery menu on his laptop, pointing to what you want before sitting back and letting him place the order. “Can you get me an iced tea, too?

“Two iced teas, coming right up,” he replies. “You wanna start thinking about tonight’s feature presentation?”

Flopping onto your side, you reach into the bag you dropped on the floor and fish out your own laptop. You select a film from Netflix as Namjoon fetches his wallet to pay for your food, and the two of you settle in to wait as the opening credits of Disney’s Hercules roll.

“I’m not a good singer,” Namjoon cautions as the Muses begin their introductory monologue. “I just want you to know that beforehand. But out of all the Disney films? This soundtrack is unmatched.”

“Damn right,” you reply, clinking your glass against his. “Best soundtrack ever. We’ll both sound like dying cats, and I for one can’t wait.”

Namjoon laughs and leans over to flick off the lights. The room goes dark and the music begins, and you’re both singing along before you even hit the chorus. Spending time with Namjoon is comfortable, and though you’ve already lived together through the entirety of your first year of school, these past two summer months have strengthened your friendship tenfold. He’s almost like a brother by this point, and you wonder, vaguely, whether Jimin would get along with him anywhere near as well as you do.

As if summoned, your phone goes off. Jimin’s name lights up your screen, and you frown curiously at it before unlocking the device and swiping open the message.

[7:56pm] Chimchim: miss me yet? 😚

[7:56pm] You: no way, weirdo

[7:57pm] You: what do you even want anyway? sure you’re not the one missing me?

Immediately, your phone buzzes with a response.

[7:57pm] Chimchim: seriously? offensive

[7:57pm} Chimchim: orientation’s in less than a week or have u forgotten already?? good thing i’m reminding u

Your heart skips a beat in your chest when you realize that you had, in fact, forgotten. You remember your own college orientation vividly—a jam-packed weekend filled with building tours and ample opportunities to talk to current students. Several of your friends, you’d first met that weekend as you all tried to navigate a new chapter of your lives—Namjoon included. It’s how the two of you ended up living together—jammed into a suite with two others who thankfully meshed perfectly with the both of you. Neither Hoseok nor Jennie are here for the summer, but you’ve kept in touch while apart. Both of them poke relentless fun at Namjoon for opting to take summer classes, and you never hesitate to join in on the lighthearted teasing.

[7:58pm] You: oh yeah lol

Your response is casual and calm, but your heart rate is anything but. Jimin coming to orientation means Jungkook is coming too, and the thought of seeing him sends an anxious flurry of butterflies aflight in your stomach. You remember texting him the day after you came back—just a simple photo of his painting, hung proudly on the wall above your desk. He responded with a string of thumbs-up emojis, and that had been that. You’ve barely heard a word from him since, and Jimin’s occasional texts and social media posts are the only reason you know he’s still alive. Hesitantly, you type out another message, thumb hovering briefly over the send button before hitting it.

[7:58pm] You: you and jungkook are driving up, right?

[7:59pm] Chimchim: yep! road trip

[7:59pm] Chimchim: still not convinced jk’s car will make it all the way tho lmao

You think back to Jungkook’s beat-up sedan with its sputtering engine and scratchy seats, and the ominous way the passenger side window sometimes rattled if you slammed the door too hard. Can’t blame you for having doubts, you write back, earning yourself a hearty LMAOOO in response. And then:

[8:01pm] Chimchim: i’ll probably have to do most of the driving anyway

You frown, brows furrowing. Why’s that?

[8:02pm] Chimchim: just a hunch. jk’s been weird lately

[8:02pm] You: …weird how?

[8:02pm] Chimchim: just weird. a little distracted, maybe? he doesn’t answer me when i ask him whats wrong

[8:03pm] You: how long has he been weird?

[8:03pm} Chimchim: idk 🤷‍♂️

[8:03pm] Chimchim: 2 days, maybe 3? i think he might be worried about orientation or college or something. either way i don’t trust him to operate a motor vehicle rn

Your bottom lip finds its way between your teeth as you consider your brother’s revelation. It’s perfectly natural to be nervous about something new, but you still can’t help but wonder if Jungkook’s strange behavior might have anything to do with seeing you again. But before you can dwell on it more, your phone buzzes again in your palm.

[8:04pm] Chimchim: i mean srsly he didn’t even hit on mina when we ran into her at jin’s the other day. do u remember her? the girl from the bbq place we went to for grad dinner??

[8:04pm] Chimchim: but on the bright side, it looks like he and chae made up. about time, tbh. things were really awkward for a while

[8:05pm] Chimchim: wait u knew about them, right? they dated for a while?

You take a deep breath before responding, the gears of your brain whirring as you fight to process all of the information he’s dumped on you. Yeah, you write back. Chae told me. They’re okay now?

[8:06pm] Chimchim: yeah. i think they talked at your going away thing

The memory of them chatting in your parents’ backyard resurfaces, and a rush of relief follows it. Even though your conversation with Chaeyoung at the mall confirmed that she was no longer angry with Jungkook, the guilt of sneaking around with him continued to linger in the back of your mind. You’re definitely going to buy her a box of cookies from Kim’s Kitchen as an apology the next time you see her. Maybe even two.

After a few more texts, your conversation with Jimin peters out. He signs off, citing a house party he has to start getting ready for, and you settle back in to watch the rest of the movie with Namjoon, smiling reassuringly when he shoots you a curious look and mouths, everything okay?

Everything is okay, you decide. Jungkook’s weird behavior isn’t your problem, and there’s not a whole lot you could do even if you wanted to, considering how little you’ve spoken in the last eight weeks. That doesn’t stop you from opening up your messages and scrolling down to Jungkook’s name, though. It doesn’t stop you from opening up the last conversation you had—something about a particularly annoying customer at Jin’s restaurant—and scrutinizing every word.

Later that night, just as you’re brushing your teeth and getting ready for bed, your phone buzzes again. The name attached to the text immediately sends your heart into your throat, and you shakily towel off your hands before swiping it open.

[12:25am] Jungkook: i mis s yuo.

Drunk, the little voice in your brain whispers. He’s drunk. Belatedly, you remember the party Jimin had mentioned, and realize that Jungkook must be there as well. Alcohol has clearly loosened him up, enough to instigate this unexpected sentiment, but you are painfully sober. At a loss, you stare at his message until your screen goes dark. Irritably, you wake it up again, unlocking the phone so you can stare some more, and after what feels like an eternity, you type out a response.

[12: 28am] You: drink some water, jungkook

He doesn’t respond. You wait for five minutes, and then ten, but your phone screen remains obstinately dark and devoid of new notifications. Climbing into bed, you check one last time, but there’s still no response from him.

A resigned sigh leaves your lips as you turn off your bedside lamp and plug in your phone to charge. Sinking down into the mattress, you push away all thoughts of Jeon Jungkook as you close your eyes and wait for sleep to come.

///

On Friday night, you once again find yourself working late. Thankfully, Jimin and Jungkook aren’t due to arrive until later in the evening, so you still have plenty of time to change into comfier clothes and eat something before you have to play host.

Or at least, that’s what you thought. When you swing open the front door of your home, however, you’re greeted by two extra pairs of shoes—one of which is a certain individual’s signature black Timberlands, scuffed and worn from years of use. “Joonie?” you call cautiously, toeing off your loafers and skirting around the corner to poke your head into the kitchen. “Are you home?”

No reply. You wander a little further, entering the living room, and that’s where you’re greeted by the sight of your suitemate, his sheepish grin flanked on either side by two very familiar faces.

“Noona!” Jimin is grinning from ear to ear, and immediately skips forward to smoosh your cheeks between his palms. “We got here early!”

You slap his hands away and poke your fingertips into his ribs. “I can see that,” you retort. “What I don’t get is why you didn't bother to tell me.”

Jimin shrugs. “Surprise?”

You sigh and turn instead to Namjoon, who’s watching your exchange with an amused smile. “Thanks for getting them settled in,” you tell him gratefully. “You should’ve called me, though. I would’ve tried to get off work early if I’d known.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Namjoon waves you off. “They got here about half an hour ago, so it wouldn’t have made much difference, anyway.”

“Still, let me thank you,” you insist. “Dinner’s on me tonight, since I have to feed these heathens anyway. Do you want to order something in? Go out?”

“I’m okay either way,” Namjoon says, shrugging, and you turn to Jimin and Jungkook questioningly.

“Doesn’t matter to me,” Jimin says. “I think we’re both pretty tired from the drive, so staying in might be nice.”

“Anything’s fine.” Jungkook is staring down at his right hand as if he’s trying to crack a secret code etched in his fingerprints, and when he speaks, his voice is soft. “Whatever you want, Noona.”

You haven’t forgotten about his text from a few days ago, and judging by the way he can’t even look you in the eye, neither has he. It’s strange seeing him here now—wearing ripped jeans and a black t-shirt like he so often does, his feet encapsulated in plain white socks. His hair has grown out since you last saw him, leaving only the barest glimpse of his silver earrings visible beneath the dark, shaggy locks. You can’t help but wonder what it would be like to run your fingers through it, but quickly quash that train of thought before it can progress any further.

The group eventually settles on ordering pizza, which you order and pay for on your phone. Conversation flows easily as Jimin, Jungkook, and Namjoon get to know each other, and when the food arrives, Namjoon pulls out his collection of board games. The remainder of the evening passes in a haze of pizza and game tournaments, and it’s only when midnight has come and gone that you decide to call it a night. Jungkook and Jimin settle into the two empty bedrooms—Jungkook in Hoseok’s and Jimin in Jennie’s—and you bid everyone goodnight before retiring to your own bed.

You don’t miss the way Jungkook’s gaze lingers on your retreating figure, but he doesn’t say anything and neither do you. He’ll be busy with all the orientation events scheduled tomorrow, and you’re planning to spend a good chunk of the day running errands that you don’t have time for on weekdays. The question of why he’d texted you that night remains on your mind, but you don’t want to ask. And you especially don’t want to ask why he’d never responded after that first message. Confrontation has never been your style, and with any luck, you’ll be able to avoid spending extended periods of time with him altogether.

With any luck, this weekend will pass with no further incident, and you’ll be able to spend the remaining few weeks of your summer in peace.

///

It’s just after two o’clock in the afternoon when you return to your dormitory, a grocery bag clutched in each hand and a tote bag draped over one shoulder. You’ve finished up with all your errands for the day, and even managed to get some reading done for one of your upcoming fall classes. Dropping your bags in the kitchen, you stretch your arms overhead lazily before starting to unpack your groceries. Namjoon is holed up in the library working on an essay, and Jimin and Jungkook don’t appear to be around either. A moment of rare quiet is welcome in your normally hectic life, and you take the opportunity to put some music on and change into your comfiest shorts and a tank top.

You’ve just finished popping some popcorn and are settling onto your bed to watch some Netflix when someone clears their throat from your doorway. Startled, you look up, your eyes locking on Jungkook standing there. He’s wearing a loose gray sweatshirt and matching sweatpants, and you swallow when you see the way he’s rolled up the sleeves to expose vascular forearms and the silver watch on his wrist. Jungkook blinks at you silently from behind his dark fringe of hair, and a beat passes before he clears his throat and speaks.

“Hey.”

You straighten up into a seated position, crossing your legs and plopping the bowl of popcorn in your lap. “Hi.”

Jungkook hesitates, then shoves both hands into his pockets. “Can… can we talk?”

“Sure.” You incline your head. “Talk.”

Your curt tone doesn’t go unnoticed by him. Awkwardly, he shuffles his feet for a moment before scratching behind his neck and ruffling his already tousled hair further. “My phone died,” he says, and you blink confusedly at him, twice, before responding.

“What?”

Jungkook winces but presses on nonetheless. “My phone,” he explains. “It died the other night. I was going to charge it before the party, but I forgot to plug it in and then it was too late. I didn’t—” He sighs. “I would’ve texted you back, otherwise.”

Belatedly, you realize he’s talking about his text from a few nights ago and why he never responded. His reasoning is relatively sound, at least, but you still have an unanswered question. “Why?” you ask, your voice soft. “Why did you text me that night? I don’t hear from you for weeks, and then you message me that out of the blue? Why?”

“Fuck, I know.” Jungkook takes two steps into your bedroom, before he seemingly thinks better of it and takes a step back. “I shouldn’t have done it. I should’ve texted you more, or earlier, but—” Another sigh, and this time he rakes his hands through his hair and sends his dangling earrings tinkling. “I’m sorry. I really am. I was being a coward, and…”

Jungkook trails off, and you see that his attention has flitted elsewhere. He’s staring at the painting of the lake house, still displayed prominently above your desk, and you see the gears in his head whirring before he speaks again.

“You… you still have that hanging up there?”

You glance at the painting before looking back at him. “Well, yeah. Of course I do. It reminds me of home.”

It reminds you of him, too, but you don’t voice that particular thought aloud. Instead you turn your attention back to your increasingly fidgety companion, leaning back on your hands and regarding him with your head tilted curiously.

“What were you saying about being a coward? What are you afraid of, Jungkook?”

Jungkook rubs his jaw and sucks in a deep breath. “You,” he finally answers, after several beats that feel like several lifetimes. “I’m afraid of losing you. And I feel like I already might have, especially since we left things so weird at the party. I should’ve…” He shakes his head. ”I should’ve said something sooner. I should’ve told you how I really feel, but I was stupid and scared and I just couldn’t find the right time to do it.”

Your breath catches. Your mouth goes dry and your chest feels tight, and when you try to speak, your tongue feels like sandpaper. “I—” you begin, and it’s all you manage to get out. Jungkook is murmuring your name in a voice so gentle that your heart skips two whole beats, and when you look at him again he is much, much closer than before.

“But I guess late is better than never, right?” Jungkook breathes. Stopping at the edge of your bed, he drops to his knees, and you don’t protest when he takes your hands and cups them protectively between his own. “It’s you, {Name}. It’s always been you. I tried to forget about my feelings when you left for Seoul—tried to convince myself that it was just a stupid crush—but nothing I did worked. I couldn’t forget about you. And then you came back, and I just knew.” Gently, he traces a fingertip across your knuckles before looking up and meeting your gaze in earnest. “I’m in love with you, {Name}. I’ve been in love with you for years, and I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. And… and I really hope that I haven’t fucked everything up by telling you this now.”

“You—” Your voice sticks in your throat, and you swallow thickly before trying again. “You haven’t. I… I like you, Jungkook. I like you so, so much, and I think I owe you an apology for trying to push you away so much. It’s just that these feelings… they’re so new. And I—well, I don’t know if I love you yet, but I think that I definitely could.”

“Then that’s good enough for me,” he replies, his face stretching into a wide, crinkly eyed grin. “As long as you agree to be my girlfriend, and let me have the chance to make you fall for me.” And when you nod, giggling, Jungkook leans in and presses his mouth to yours.

The kiss is soft and sweet, and lasts several moments before a sobering thought enters your head. You break away, frowning, and Jungkook’s brow furrows as he takes in your expression.

“What’s wrong?”

You bite your lip, worrying at the delicate skin. “This… thing. This relationship—what if it doesn’t work? I mean, god, you’re Jimin’s best friend in the entire world. What if we have an argument? What if—what if we break up?”

“We won’t,” Jungkook replies confidently, lacing his fingers with yours before leaning forward to nuzzle his nose against yours affectionately. Instinct has you leaning into him, seeking out proper contact, and you feel his lips curl into a smile as he indulges you with yet another kiss.

“You can’t know that for sure,” you murmur when you break apart, but your voice is readily lost in the huff of laughter that escapes your companion.

“Maybe not for sure,” he says. “But I’ve loved you since I was about eight, and I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.”

This time, when your lips meet, there’s a bit more heat behind it. Jungkook curls a hand around your nape to draw you in close, and licks sweetly into your mouth when you part for him. He’s quick to press you down onto your mattress, and you sigh as he trails down your body and takes the straps of your tank top with him. The material falls off your shoulders, leaving just enough room to tug the rest of the shirt down to your waist, and he groans when your bare breasts are freed.

“No bra? Fuck, you’re killing me.”

You arch beneath him, huffing out a breathless little laugh when he seizes the opportunity to envelop a nipple into his mouth. His fingers find the other—squeezing and rubbing and tweaking until you’re quivering in his grasp. “Jungkook,” you breathe, waiting until he lets out a soft hum of acknowledgment. “Jimin—he could come back any minute. Maybe we shouldn’t do this right now.”

Jungkook glances up from where he’s exploring the underside of your breasts, tracing the soft swell of delicate skin with his lips and tongue. “Jimin,” he says, “is at a special session for his major. He won’t be back for hours, so why don’t you relax and let me make you feel good, hmm?”

And, without even waiting for an answer, he drops down to his knees and digs his thumbs into the waistband of your shorts. Your legs are dangling off the edge of the bed, and Jungkook easily tugs the material off them, taking your panties right along with it. Tossing them aside, he doesn’t hesitate to spread your legs and slot himself into the newly created space. His tongue darts out to moisten his lips, and your breath hitches when you glance down the length of your body and see the ravenous glint in his eyes.

There’s no doubt in your mind that you’re wet enough to take his cock right now. You can feel the slick gathering between your legs, and the smirk on Jungkook’s face tells you that he’s noticed it too. Teasingly, he presses an experimental fingertip to your clit, watching in satisfaction as your hips buck off the mattress at the flare of pleasure. Then he’s sliding down, sinking a lone finger into your entrance and curling upward to find the soft spot that he knows will unravel you in a matter of minutes. A gasp escapes you when he finds it, your hips rising again, and he soothes you with a warm palm on your thigh and a sweet kiss to your hipbone.

It’s almost embarrassing how quickly Jungkook is able to build up your orgasm, but then again, you suppose you shouldn’t be surprised. He’s always been a quick study, and you’ve never been sure whether it’s stubbornness or determination that drives him to excel at his passions. Here and now, with two of his fingers buried inside your cunt and a third teasing its way in, you don’t even care which it is. All that matters is the pressure building in the pit of your belly, and the way Jungkook keeps murmuring your name and encouraging you to cum for me, princess. It’s enough to push you over the edge, your back arching off the bed and your lips parting in a moan as you ride out your high.

“So pretty.” Jungkook circles your clit with his thumb, his fingers still sheathed within your walls. “You always take my fingers so well.”

“Think I’d rather take your cock instead,” you reply breathlessly, sagging back against the mattress and reaching for him. Jungkook takes the hint, gritting out a hoarse curse before crawling up your mostly bare body and crushing his mouth to yours in a searing kiss. You grab the hem of his gray sweatshirt, pulling it up and over his head, and are more than pleased to discover he’s not wearing anything underneath. His sweatpants soon follow, Jungkook impatiently kicking the material off his ankles, and you sigh out his name when he wraps you in his arms, skin against skin.

“I’m not going to last very long,” he warns you, his breath a puff of hot air against the shell of your ear. “Promise I’ll make it up to you later. Just wanna feel you right now.”

“Go on, then,” you murmur, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “How do you want me?”

Jungkook groans, no doubt having a furious internal debate with himself, before reaching down and taking his cock in one hand. “Just like this,” he decides, gazing down at the way you’re spread out on your back for him. Deliberately, he settles between your thighs, giving himself a few pumps before positioning himself at your entrance. “Wanna kiss you while I fuck you. Wanna kiss you for the rest of my life.”

He’s pushing forward then, stealing the breath from your lungs along with any thoughts that may have crossed your mind at his last sentiment. Jungkook sinks into you until you’re gasping at the fullness, his hands grabbing at the meat of your hips and pulling you against him with every thrust. He fucks into you with reckless abandon, hoarse praise and gritted curses falling freely from his lips as he uses your body to seek out his own high. Every now and then, his mouth seeks out yours in a sloppy kiss, which you happily indulge as his rhythm falters and becomes increasingly erratic.

Jungkook floods you with his warmth, his arms gathering you up tightly as his cock slowly softens within you. His lips find yours, and this kiss is a simple, tender one—an affectionate press and a crinkly eyed smile that has you automatically smiling back.

“I don’t know why you’re so happy,” you tease, poking him in his slightly sweaty chest. “Jimin’s going to throttle you for this, you know.”

“Worth it,” he replies cheekily. “Anything’s worth it as long as you kiss me better afterward.”

“Gross,” you tell him, laughing. “You’re so lame.”

“But you still like me,” he says with a shrug. Then he grins. “The real question, though, is whether you like me enough to help me move in the fall.”

You hum, hiding your smile. “Depends. What’s in it for me?”

A positively wicked grin spreads across his face and settles there. “Why don’t I give you a preview?”

///

A few weeks later -

Jimin hums softly under his breath as he strolls into his new dorm, a cardboard box cradled in his arms. There’s a growing pile of boxes in the middle of the living area already, and he’s only just found an empty spot to drop the latest when he hears an odd noise coming from the bathroom. A wet, smacking sound, kind of like—

“Jungkook, you dog,” he snorts, throwing the cracked door open. “Get your ass out here and help me unpa—“ He stops in his tracks.

The scene before him doesn’t make sense. Jungkook is standing in front of him with wide eyes and fear in his expression, but that doesn’t make sense. At least it doesn’t until he sees you in the reflection of the mirror over the sink, your clothes disheveled and your lips swollen.

“Wait, we can explain,” Jungkook begins, following the trajectory of Jimin’s gaze and waving his hands in a fluttery panic. “I swear, Jimin, it’s not what you think—“

“That’s my sister,” Jimin says, his voice dangerously calm.

“Yeah, but—”

“You put your hands on my sister,” Jimin continues matter-of-factly, as if Jungkook hadn’t spoken at all. “I’m going to fillet your dick with a dull knife and serve it over rice.”

And before you can catch your breath and open your mouth to stop him, Jimin leaps forward, his fingers aimed directly for Jungkook’s throat.

[henqtic]

21 and 40 in kisses with rafe please 🥺

authors note: ofc and thanks for requesting <33 // this turned out way longer than i expected lol

prompt/s: we'll face this together kisses + tummy kisses

NO MATTER WHAT;

join my sleepover <3 (closing tomorrow night so flood me with blurb request <33)

pairing: fanon!rafe cameron x reader

summary: no matter what ever amount of lines would show up on the stick, rafe promised you would be in this together— no matter what.

word count: 1.0k (1009). | warnings: teen pregnancy— pretty sure rafe is 19 in the show so they're not too young, some angst but mostly fluff

your teeth sunk down into the worn nail of your thumb once more, cracking every knuckle possible in your fingers, running your hands over your face and through your hair.

it had to be nearly the twentieth time the cycle went around in just one minute, the one you gave yourself to process after peeing on a stick you and rafe had just got from cvs in a cloud of uncomfortable silence and then washed your hands, slowly, making sure to give yourself just a little more time before having to open the door.

you had agreed to do it together, see whether a single line would show up and dismiss all of your worries or if a twin would come along with it and confirm them all.

you should've known this would happen, you and rafe weren't exactly the most careful pair in the world— not caring about what was ahead but simply trying to live in a moment.

careless, that's what you were.

now you were in the bathroom, going through all of the ways you attempted to deny it yourself— all of the morning sickness for nearly a week and a half, pushing away the eggs along with the breakfast he would make every morning. 

scrunching your nose at the recipe of chocolate chip cookies you had made together one night in junior year, it being more chocolate chip than cookie itself.

you knew it was overly sweet but it had never bothered you until then.

and the throwing up at the sole smell of the extreme spicy noodles topper brought over to tanneyhill for you to all try two days ago when you'd usually have a high tolerance for those sorts of things.

rafes holding back of your hair, telling you that whatever seasoning they put in it probably just irritated your nose and that you could put a clamp on it when it was your turn really making it click.

you didn't do that of course, you went up to his room and fell asleep. but still, even with all of those things you could've just brushed off as your taste changing, your period hadn't been there that whole time and more— today marking three and half weeks. 

the possibility of it somehow becoming irregular again being thrown straight out the window and you finally fessing up to rafe about it all, the thing that started all of this.

you don't even think he processed it himself, immediately pulling you into a tight hug at the confession and digging his head deep into the crook of your neck so you wouldn't hear his heavy sigh.

both of you not knowing what the manner of it was, just that neither of you wasn’t anything close to being ready for it, not mature or responsible enough— but maybe you could be.

“is it okay for me to come in now?” you heard him ask from the other side of the door, head resting against the wood seeing as he never left, probably using the time to contemplate all of the things you were.

you moved from your spot with a determined breath, turning the knob and allowing him to come in, your attention automatically diverting away from his soft gaze and to any other part of the room as you waited.

“y/n?” he asked after a few quiet moments, wanting to get you to look at him instead, not trying for much longer before simply grabbing your shoulders and moving your chin so that you were eye to eye.

both of them riddled with hints of red from rubbing at them gnawed at bottom lips, and looks of worry engraved into both of your faces— his just being more out of worry of the right words to say to you to make it all better.

“look, i love you and no matter what the result is, i still am. and— and if you decide that you wanna keep it, we can, we’ll work through it together. i’m not letting you go through this alone,” he promised, soothing you further by rubbing his thumbs on the apples of your cheeks, not getting any further than your mouth moving from side to side before you simply shook him away.

“rafe c’mon, be realistic— we’re still teenagers, both of us live with our parents and neither of us have anything remotely close to a stable job,” you ranted in one breath, more tears welling in your eyes but cooling down once you saw the drop in his hopeful expression with a huffing sigh, “we can’t, even if we wanted to, we’re not ready for this.”

crying, you were sobbing at this point— falling into his body as he held you tight in his arms again and allowed you to do so freely.

after a minute or two, the cries becoming softer, he pulled you away— wiping at your face before kissing all the wetness away. all of your face, little pecks getting left before he landed on your lips.

“we’ll face this together,” he mumbled against them, the smile on your face becoming straightened.

“are you one hundred percent sure though?” you pressured on, biting your lip at the chance that his mind may just change in the seconds given.

the cameron’s alone weren’t the most hospitable people out there and if one of their songs didn’t want to raise a child born out of wedlock, he probably wouldn't.

but your eyes only became pooled in with love as he dipped down from standing over you, down to his knees so that he could place small kisses into your stomach, faint mutters but you could still understand them well enough— “no matter what.”

your smile grew again, nearly ear to eat as you started to feel a little better about it all— only faltering by the slightest bit as he asked the question of what the result was, your eyes closing with a squeeze, knowing that no matter what it said, it would change your relationships entirely.

“positive.”

🔖—!! @velqvet @pogueslandia @jemimah-b99 @darklingbrekksov @lieswithoutfairytales @badbussylol @lieswithoutfairytales @a-bolanos @vinniehcker @drewstarkeysbitchh @supernaturallydc-blog @victoriadeangeliswifey @nehireerdogan @canibeoneofthepogues @clearbolts @urskaa @i-love-scott-mccall @joeybslut @jellyddog 

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[beyourownanchor6]

this storm too, shall pass

rated g | words: 2.4k | read on ao3

how about some post tsunami/well incident angst on this thursday night <3

summary:

Buck was usually good at keeping himself busy, distracted—he had enough opened YouTube and Wikipedia tabs to keep him occupied for hours, plus there was the current pile of books he was trying to work his way through. None of these things were keeping his attention today though. His eyes kept falling back to the tv, the weather report still just as chilling as it had been hours ago. A storm was on the rise, one Buck wasn’t at all ready to face.

-or-

It’s the first storm since the tsunami and the well incident—Buck is fine, really

this is part 3 of my rainy day theater series: you can read the others here

—

Buck was sat on the couch, his fluffy Sherpa blanket wound tightly around him, the one Eddie had given him when they’d first moved in together. 

‘Here, maybe this’ll keep you warm.’ Buck had looked to Eddie with a frown, pouting out his lower lip. ‘But that’s what you’re for.’ Eddie had rolled his eyes fondly, pulling Buck in close to him. ‘You’re my favorite dork, you know?’

Buck did. He only wished his personal heater was here now, the one that always softened the chill, Eddie’s warmth seeping right through to him. 

It was mid-day, Buck not having moved much in the last few hours since it was his day off. Chris would’ve normally been there with him given it was a Saturday, but he’d gone to the Wilson’s for the night, him and Denny having planned their sleepover weeks ago.

Buck was usually good at keeping himself busy, distracted—he had enough opened YouTube and Wikipedia tabs to keep him occupied for hours, plus there was the current pile of books he was trying to work his way through. None of these things were keeping his attention today though. His eyes kept falling back to the tv, the weather report still just as chilling as it had been hours ago. A storm was on the rise, one Buck wasn’t at all ready to face.

It had little to do with Eddie being at work, and everything to do with Buck’s wandering thoughts. 

Every time Buck so much as heard the word storm, or felt drops of rain trickle down onto his skin, his mind instantly went back to two things, two things that had continued to haunt him since the day they’d happened. 

Tsunami. Well incident.

The tsunami had been at the start of his year, the vast waves crashing and overtaking the pier, nearly drowning him and Chris, taking several others with it. Sometimes, late at night, Buck’s dreams would feel much the same, taking him under, only for Buck to wake with a start, gasping for air. 

As for the well—that had been something else entirely. He should’ve been the one to go down there to save the boy, not Eddie, Eddie who cut the line, trapping himself forty feet below the earth. Buck shivered just for the memory, his face instantly feeling wet with rainwater, nostrils filling with the fresh scent of mud; he could still feel it buried deep beneath his fingernails.

Buck pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up to cover his head before tugging the sleeves of it over his hands, tucking them in. The hoodie comforted him, Eddie being the one who bought it for him; he blushed just remembering how Eddie had said the pink color matched his complexion, perfectly accenting his adorable birthmark—Eddie’s words, not his. 

He sighed heavily as the wind whipped along the windows rattling the frames. Speckles of rain trickled down from the sky before falling harshly to the ground. It was only a matter of time before the storm would take full effect, Buck wishing he could be anywhere but here, alone, left with nothing but his fearful thoughts. 

Slipping one hand out, Buck grabbed for his phone, pulling up his most used thread of messages. 

Buck: when’re you gonna be home?

Eddie: miss me already?

Buck: I always miss you

Eddie: I miss you too baby. I’ll be home later, ok?

Buck shivered again, Eddie’s words never ceasing to affect him, not even when they were simply typed out on a screen in front of him. 

Eddie: everything ok?

I just don’t want to be alone because I’m suddenly afraid of anything that remotely resembles the two times I nearly lost our son…nearly lost you.

Buck: yea, just cold is all

Eddie: I see, you just want me for my warmth

Buck: I never stated otherwise

Eddie: I love you dork

Buck: I love you Eds. Be safe

Eddie: Always 💙

Tossing his phone down to the cushion beside him, Buck let another weighted sigh fall off his lips. Eddie wouldn’t be home for several more hours, hours that Buck would have to fill…alone.

He thought about calling Maddie, though he knew her and Chimney were having a date-night, something they didn’t get very often. He knew Maddie would answer, because she always did, but he didn’t want to bother her, not tonight.

If he called Hen, then Christopher would just worry something was wrong, and he didn’t want to put any unnecessary stress on the kid. 

There was always Bobby and Athena, but they always read him like a book; Buck wouldn’t be able to escape their concern and questioning.

The truth of it was, there was only one person he wanted in this moment, and he couldn’t have them. Eddie always had a way of making him feel better. Sometimes, it felt like Eddie knew him better than even Buck knew himself.

After the well incident, Buck hadn’t been great at hiding his feelings, didn’t want to anymore.

He’d stayed with Eddie in the hospital until he’d been released to go home, refusing to leave his side even then. Eddie hadn’t pushed him away either, even going so far as to ask Buck to stay. And so, Buck had, the two of them curling around each other in Eddie’s bed, warming each other late into the night. Buck hadn’t left again after that night. 

The dark room lit up with a flash of lighting, thunder crackling in the sky seconds later. Buck’s entire body trembled with anxiety, his heart beats ticking up. He could go to the bedroom, bury himself in the covers and hide away, but he hated being in their bed alone, without Eddie.

The first time they’d worked opposite shifts, both of them had complained of falling asleep without the other. They were desperately, hopelessly, disgustingly in love, and Buck didn’t care one bit; he loved Eddie with his entire heart. 

He slunk further on the couch as another round of lighting and thunder hit, the weather report only becoming grimmer and gimmer. 

Closing his eyes, Buck tried to shut it all out, burying his face between his blanket and hoodie, pretending it was Eddie wrapped around him instead. 

Water rushed over him in heavy waves, pushing Buck back, drowning him as it went. His voice cracked as he cried out for Christopher, seeking out that mop of curls and red rimmed glasses. His bones ached, and he was covered in blood, though none of it fazed him; he had to find Chris.

As the water flowed back out to sea, Buck was suddenly submerged under a downpour, the dirt around him quickly thickening. Eddie was down there, being buried alive, left cold and alone, with a kid he was supposed to save. Buck dug his hands into the earth, grasping at anything he could, his hoarse voice calling out once more. 

“Ed-ddie! Eddie! Eddie!”

His body thrashed from side to side while the rain threatened to consume him, soaking him through. He couldn’t get a grip on anything or anyone, not Christopher, not Eddie; he was alone, slipping further and further out to sea. 

~

Eddie squinted his eyes as he tried to see the road through his fast-swiping windshield wipers.

The rain was beating down against his truck rapidly, the wind threatening to sway him from side to side. 

Their shift had been a long one, rainstorms always brining out all the idiots; he couldn’t wait to get home to Buck. He wished Chris were there too, but he knew he was safe with Hen and Karen, no doubt having a blast in a fort that he and Denny probably begged to put together. 

He’d texted Buck to let him know he was headed home, though he hadn’t heard back. It wasn’t unheard of for Buck to doze off, especially when Eddie worked late into the night, though he’d seemed a little off earlier when they’d been texting. Eddie couldn’t help to wonder if it had something to do with the storm. 

They hated being apart from each other, especially when there was bad weather; it was unpredictable, and something they couldn’t control—they always felt safer when they were together and could have each other’s backs. 

Pulling into his drive and next to Buck’s jeep, Eddie breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to be home and unscathed. He quickly ducked out of his truck and darted for the front door, slipping inside quietly so as not to disturb Buck. He didn’t get the chance to step out of his rain-soaked boots or jacket before he heard Buck’s voice calling out to him.

“Edd-ie! Eddie! EDDIE!”

It didn’t sound playful or lighthearted, Eddie’s adrenaline quickly picking up.

Buck was sprawled on the couch, blanket obviously thrown to the floor with his thrashing; he was having a nightmare.

Eddie approached the couch and crouched down to Buck’s level, bringing his hands to either side of Buck’s head, willing his boyfriend to stop squirming.

“Buck? Buck, can you hear me? Buck baby, wake up.”

He gently shook Buck a few times, tightening his grasp as Buck woke with a start gasping for air.

“Shhh it’s ok baby, you’re safe, I’m here.”

“Ed-Eddie?”

Buck’s voice sounded small and shattered, Eddie quickly gathering him into his arms, rubbing soothingly over his body.

“Yes, I’m here Ev, you’re safe. I’ve got you.”

Buck’s body shuddered for a few minutes until he finally relaxed into Eddie’s hold. Eddie was about to pull away to look him over when a loud crack of thunder boomed in the sky, Buck only burying himself further into Eddie.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. Talk to me Buck, what’s going on?”

Neither of them was strangers to nightmares, but they hadn’t had any for a while, nor had anything particularly traumatizing happened lately. 

“I just-I-I needed to make sure you were ok.”

Eddie nodded into him, squeezing Buck against him to let him know he was there, and not going anywhere.

“I’m fine Buck. Work went smooth, no losses. Everyone’s safe.”

Buck shook his head in acknowledgement, though he didn’t say anything.

This time, when Eddie pulled back, Buck let him, Eddie getting his first glance at his murky blues, ones that were red-rimmed and tear stained.

Eddie reached a thumb up to brush some of the moisture away, Buck leaning into the touch.

“What was your nightmare about?”

Buck looked away from Eddie then, shrugging his shoulders; it was what he always did when he was trying to deflect. 

“I don’t—don’t remember.”

Eddie held in his sigh, leaning forward to press a kiss over Buck’s birthmark. Buck would talk when he was ready; Eddie learned it never did any good to push him, especially when he was this emotionally exhausted. 

“I need to take a quick shower. You could—join me, or wait in our bed?”

Eddie was surprised when Buck chose the latter; he knew Buck didn’t want to be alone, especially when Eddie had only just gotten home.

Even so, Eddie guided them both to the bedroom, tucking Buck into bed with another kiss to his forehead before making his way to the shower. He made sure to keep it short, having his own fears of being too far from Buck at the moment. 

After dressing in some sweats and a Henley, Eddie made his way back out, eyes instantly landing on Buck. 

Buck was laid on his back, just as Eddie had left him, his eyes wide as he looked to the storm just beyond the windows. Eddie slid into bed next to him, pushing right into Buck’s space as he gathered Buck into his arms. Buck molded right to him, all but climbing into Eddie’s lap as he tangled their limbs together. 

Eddie settled in to the touch, grateful to have Buck in his arms. He figured they’d talk about it in the morning, though Buck’s tired voice came out between them. 

“I uh, there hasn’t been a storm since-since uh…”

Buck trailed off, and Eddie was finally able to connect the dots.

“Since the tsunami or the well incident?”

“Yea.”

Eddie tightened his grip on Buck then, pulling him impossibly closer.

“I’m sorry Buck, I didn’t—I know those were both hard days for you.”

“I thought I lost him Eds, and-and you.”

“But you didn’t. You saved us both, and we’re all safe, promise.”

Buck was silent for a moment, squirming in Eddie’s grip before answering.

“I didn’t save you…”

Well, at least he’d finally gotten past the part that he didn’t save Chris, because he had, and both Eddie and Chris refused to see it any other way.

“You did everything you could that day. You tried to save me with your bare hands Buck.”

Eddie had seen the video; one too many times if you asked him. It always broke his heart to see how desperately Buck had clawed at the ground trying to get to him, save him.

“You still helped pull me back, you know?”

Buck looked to him with wide eyes, not quite believing it.

“I-I did?”

Eddie pressed the pad of his thumb to Buck’s chin, dragging it over the skin there softly.

“Yep. When I was—trapped down there, I thought about my family, about Chris, about you—us. All of my memories gave me the strength to get back, to fight. I’d never stop fighting for my family Buck.”

A tear dropped down from Buck’s eyes then, Eddie gently sweeping it away while Buck reached to do the same with him. 

“I can’t promise that I’ll always make it home, or that nothing bad will ever happen, but I promise to always keep fighting, and to never give up.”

Buck surged forward, their lips connecting in the most tender kiss, Eddie completely giving himself to Buck, the man he loved.

“I promise to never stop fighting either Eds, no matter what. You’re my home, you-you and Christopher.”

Eddie twisted them around so that he could hold Buck from behind, resting his head over Buck’s, their eyes both on the storm outside, the one that didn’t seem like it’d be letting up anytime soon. 

They snuggled in close, Buck pressing back into Eddie’s space, seeking his warmth and comfort, Eddie easily letting him in.

Not all storms passed with ease. Some left damage in their wake, some cleared on their own, and others, well, others were weathered together.

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