#its just this short moment of uncomfortable and embarrassing silence for both you and the podcast as scam farts

[lovers-rck]

modern au where you accidentally send ellie, your bestfriend, a nude PT3

pt1 here , pt2 here pt4 here

n/a finally.

☆

ellie was lying on her bed. her eyes were closed, her mouth was mumbling the words of the song softly, not wanting to take the spotlight away from the voice that sounded through the record player.

outside, the sun was shining at its brightest, burning the people who dared to walk under its reign.

"uhg i love that song" ellie murmurs as the song ends.

"it's good" you agree. a bead of perspiration ran down the valley of your breasts "it's too hot in here. can you open the window?"

ellie nods and once it's done she throws herself back on the bed hard, bouncing you up and down. she giggles dumbly.

"you can put on your bikini if you want, you left it here the last time we went swimming"

"so that's why i couldn't find it" you can see how ellie smiles slightly "where is it?"

"second drawer on the right"

"got it."

you find your bikini folded neatly in the drawer next to her t-shirts. the bathroom feels a thousand times hotter than the whole house, so you hurry to put on your bikini top and go back out to ellie's room. she's still in the same position, singing songs from an album you don't know.

"we should go swimming again" you say as you walk in, your bare feet against the floor "it was fun"

ellie partially stands up with the help of her arms and watches you, walking around her room in your bikini top and shorts. the photo incident had already been forgotten in your mind, but ellie was still thinking about that moment.

even though she assured you that she had deleted the photo, the truth was that she still had it in her gallery, feeling guilty every time she looked at it.

"sure" ellie said, abandoning her gaze on your body "if you want to drown yourself again"

"i didn't drown" you protested "that wave came in unexpectedly"

you lie down next to her, staring at the ceiling just as she does, separated by inches. ellie's almost-kiss comes to mind, but you dismiss that memory as quickly as you can, trying not to fantasize about something that isn't going to happen.

she's your best friend. just that.

it isn't long before the album comes to an end, burying the room in a deep silence. The air is uncomfortable for ellie, who feels the need to speak up and confess her sin.

"i didn't delete the picture" she says after a few minutes.

you furrow your eyebrows and look at her "what? which picture?"

ellie abandons her gaze to the ceiling and looks at your breasts, and then at you "you know..."

the answer hits you "oh"

"i'm sorry" ellie says "i had to tell you, it doesn't feel right"

you look up at the ceiling again "why didn't you delete it?"

you hear ellie laugh lightly "isn't it obvious?"

you feel your heart in your throat, ready to come out the moment you utter a word.

"it's not obvious to me"

an immense heat takes hold of ellie's body, a heat that is not due to the temperature outside. she feels her cheeks redden and her lips feel extremely dry and suddenly the ceiling looks so interesting that she want to watch it forever.

"well..." in your eyes, ellie doesn't look as confident as usual, more vulnerable "i think i like you."

"you think?"

"okay, okay" ellie snorts "i like you"

"it's just weird" she continues "i mean, it feels weird that you like your best friend, you know? i don't know, i haven't stopped thinking about it since you sent me that picture"

you don't say anything, and ellie takes that as a bad sign.

"i'm sorry" she mumbles, looking at the ceiling and wanting to hit her head "i shouldn't have said that. i would leave if i could but it's my home so...."

"can you kiss me?" you speak and ellie looks at you

"what?"

ellie analyzes your gestures, looking for some indication that what you are telling her is a vile joke that you can both laugh at later, or pretend to laugh at.

"a real kiss this time" you say and ellie smile embarrassed as she remembers "kisses on the corner don't count"

"shut up. I didn't know how you were going to react."

"you didn't even see my reaction! you ran into the living room!"

they both laugh uproariously, although ellie laughs mostly out of embarrassment.

a few seconds pass. fifteen seconds if you ask ellie.

"well, are you going to do it?" you mutter.

ellie stands up and moves closer to you, leaning on one arm to support her weight so she doesn't fall on you. you can feel her confidence return as she provokes your lips by gently brushing hers across them but not making full contact.

"ellie" your voice comes out as a strangled moan.

and she finally kisses you.

the warmth of her lips impacting against yours and sending you into a dreamy spiral. her hands hold you as if you are going to disappear, encircling and touching your skin.

everything about her touch counterbalances her personality. her touch is kind, gentle, soft, and it's ellie's

[goponylover]

Jon Sims and Arthur Lester: On Sight

Scene: Jonathan Sims and Arthur Lester are sitting across from one another at a plain wooden table, having tea and pleasant conversation. Jon puts his cup down and leans forward a bit in his chair as he prepares to breach a new topic.

Jon: Arthur...if it's alright, may I ask you a...somewhat personal question?

Arthur: I suppose that depends on what it is.

John: He's looking down at his teacup pensively, as if hesitating.

Jon: ...What is it like? Not being able to see?

Silence. Arthur is taken aback.

Jon: ...Actually, forget I said anything. That was too personal. I don't know why I asked that. I-

Arthur: No, no! It's fine! Jonathan it's fine! I understand that My John and I have a very...unique relationship. It's only natural you'd be curious!

John: Nosy, you mean.

Arthur: (hisses) Be nice.

Jon: Sorry?

Arthur: Nothing. A-as for your question...it was scary at first. It's still scary sometimes, given how frequently we have to run or hide or fight for our very lives while one of us is, quite literally, stumbling around in the dark. John guides me, tells me where obstacles are, alerts me of threats and helps me to combat them. He'll describe my surroundings to me so that I can get a sort of...mental map of the place I'm in. Sometimes I'll ask him to describe the scenery we drive past or the clothes hanging in the shop windows, little things like that. And usually he's happy to oblige...when he's in a good mood at least.

John: Hey!

Arthur: Of course it's not exactly the same and it's often frustrating for both of us when we fail to communicate properly. Especially when we end up in tight spots because of it. But honestly...I don’t know how people like me would manage without a John of their own in their heads.

John: Don't sell yourself short. You've been without me before, and you managed just fine.

Jon: What's he saying?

Arthur: Hmm?

Jon: You tend to...pause at odd moments when he's saying something to you.

Arthur: Heh. You're quite observant, aren't you?

Jon: (uncomfortably) It comes with the territory.

Arthur: (bashfully) H-he was just...complimenting me. Saying I've been without him before and I managed which I suppose is true.

John: You suppose?! You dragged yourself through the freezing cold to a cabin, while blind and bleeding from the neck. Fuck off, you suppose.

Arthur: (Ducks his head and whispers) Shut up!

John: (teasingly): Now who can't take a compliment?

Arthur: (shakes his head) All of this is to say...I'm very lucky to have him.

Jon: I see. Well I'm glad you two have each other. I don't know what would become of me if it weren't for Martin.

Arthur: (Hums in agreement) ...If I may ask...what sparked your curiosity?

John: His eyes are widening and he looks...embarrassed? As if you've somehow seen something you weren't supposed to see...

Jon: (sputters a bit) I- w-well it's interesting isn't it? Like you said! Your...symbiosis.

Arthur: I don't disagree. But we've discussed the subject of My John several times and you've never really focused on the topic of my blindness before.

John: I think I like that. You calling me YOUR John~

Arthur: (Chuckles softly) You're incorrigible.

Jon: (latching on) W-whats he saying now?

Arthur: Wha? Nothing, its- nothing. Jonathan, your deflecting.

Jon: I am not.

Arthur: I'm simply wondering what made you want to know more about my blindness. (Suspicious) What are you so desperate to hide all of a sudden?

John: He's hesitating...he's sighing. His shoulders are sagging as if in reluctant defeat. He's scooting the chair a bit closer to the table and leaning in.

Jon: ...I've told you of my time working at the Magnus Institute.

Arthur: Yes. I remember. Where you and your colleagues sadly fell under the influence of the dark gods that seized you.

Jon: I...I discovered a way to separate myself and the others from the Eye.

Arthur: You did?!

Jon: Yes. But at great cost. To separate yourself from the Ceaseless Watcher...you must completely destroy your own eyes.

Arthur: Jesus...

John: Fuck.

Jon: ...I didn't...I didn't want to do it alone so I ran to tell Martin. Him first before any of the others. I...I said we could get out of there. Together. Long story short, he refused. ...I don’t know if it would've worked on me. I was at the point where I couldn't even cut off a finger without it healing the second I removed the knife but...I could've tried. I should have tried. If it had worked, if I hadn't been so selfish-

John: Selfish? The fuck?!

Jon: -so much pain and death could've been avoided! But a million things held me back. Part of me told myself that it was because I didn't want to just run off and leave Martin and the others alone in that place but...but what if I was just lying to myself? What if I was just being a coward?

John: ...He's slumped in his chair. His eyes are focused on the far wall, clouded with shame. He's tense...as if bracing himself for something?

Arthur takes a moment to gather himself, struggling to piece his racing thoughts together into something coherent.

Arthur: Jonathan...you're not a coward for not wanting to lose your sight!

Jon: But-!

Arthur: Listen to me. I love my John and I love what we have and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world but...but I still miss my sight. I miss it everyday. I miss being able to walk down the street unassisted, I miss the simple joy of being able to look at painting o-or watch a sunset instead of having it described to me and picturing it in my head! I miss... I miss being able to see my own face in a mirror. Heh...you know, sometimes I wonder how distorted my memory of my own face will grow with time. I wonder...will it fade altogether, one day?

John: (determined) I won't let it.

John raises his hand to cup Arthur's face gently. Arthur leans into the touch briefly.

Arthur: (fondly) I know you won't, dear.

Arthur: What I'm trying to say is...our eyes are a gift, Jonathan. A gift that we so often take for granted. Not wanting to lose them does not make you selfish nor cowardly. It makes you...

Arthur & John simultaneously: Human.

John: He looks...surprised. And maybe a little grateful.

Jon: ...I...T-thank you, Arthur I...I don’t know what to say.

Arthur: You don’t have to say anything. I've been in your shoes, Mr. Sims. We are both men that have committed a great number of sins. But those sins are not who we are.  Try to remember that.

John: He's smiling.

Jon: I will.

[amive2567]

hi hi! hope you’re doing well!

could i request a gekko x fem reader where the reader is new to the protocol and gekko trains them? like how harbor trains gekko

i don’t really have anything else to add lol, have fun with it! we need more posts on the gekko x reader tag fr

hope you have a great day/night, and stay hydrated!

A/N: First of all, sorry that it took so long. I was hit with terrible writers block and live was bit stressful so the piece may or may not be the best, but i hope you still like it. Translations: Ojo Bonita = watch out beauty Entrenador = coach Hermosa = gorgeous Cariño = love, but can be interpreted as “dear” or “honey” Words: 643 Type of order: Bubble tea (request), Hot chocolate (fluff ), small Green Tea (platonic with specks of mutual interest romantically), Cupcake (one shot)

As a new recruit in the Val HQ, you still felt lost. Even though you already made some friends and developed a crush on a certain green-haired agent, you still couldn't pinpoint where the training ground was. Harbor even gave you a map, but you failed to orientate yourself in this huge building. A glance at your watch told you that you were slowly but surely running late. "Shit, shit, shit…" you mumbled while trying to find this damn training ground. You rush around corners and long hallways until you stumbled against a body. "¡Ojo Bonita! Why are you running so fast? Jeez you could have tripped, but I am glad you are finally there." Gekko spoke calmly. He picked you up from the ground and got you back on your feet. "I am so sorry. I still have no orientation in this huge building. Where is Harbor?" You glance behind you to look around you. There is no trace of him. "He is busy today. So I am your personal entrenador, hermosa." You smile at him, cursing yourself at the same time that you paid so little attention in your Spanish classes in high school. "We should get going then? I already took some of your time, because of my delay."

At first, he began to explain the different weapons to you. "So the Vandal is a bit more complicated. This weapon's short bursts of fire make short work of enemies. However, the stability suffers with continuous fire. The Vandal maintains its damage at long range and rewards those who specialize in single headshots." he explains expertly. You pick up the weapon and aim at a dummy. "Hermosa, let me show you how to aim properly," he says and stands behind you. He takes your hands in his and guides you. His warmth, lets a shiver run down your spine. "Make sure to aim at the head. The weapon is quite heavy, so you should get some arm training done." He grabs your waist and forces you to take some steps back. Your breath is stuck in your throat. The warmth of his body makes your heart flutter. "Now shoot," he says,and you press the trigger. A loud bang echoes through the hall and the dummy collapses. "I did it." you cheer, and out of euphoria, you hug him.

For a moment no one realized what just happened until you let go, your cheeks were flushed red. "Oh, err, sorry, I didn't mean to…" you stuttered. "No problem, hermosa, it was cute." his cheeks are also faintly red band he rubbed the back of his neck. Both of you kept quiet for a while, and an uncomfortable silence followed. "So, er, what is on the schedule now?" you ask shyly. "I will teach you how to move properly and how to aim during hectic situations" Gekko explained, he seemed to hide his embarrassment for now and tried to be professional.

The hours passed, and you got exhausted. He was kind, but his training was hard. Sweat was running down your forehead, but you kept going, and pushed through. "You did well, hermosa." Gekko patted your back. You smiled up at him and nodded. "Thanks" Gekko handed you a water bottle. "Your first practice went well, but you still need to improve much. We need to teach you hand-to-hand combat as well and all. We continue this tomorrow" He said and smiled. "See ya" he waved goodbye and walked his way, leaving you alone at the HQ training room.

More training sessions had been done, and you improved gravely. Gekko was pleased and also proud. "Hermosa, I think you're ready for your first mission and after it, I have a little surprise. Keep up the good work Cariño" He winked which left you speechless, but a happy feeling arose in your chest.

[og-danny-dorito]

Can I have a short fic or headcanons of Hellboy and his elvish girlfriend?

A/N: heyo!! of course! i'm sorry for responding so late, and i wanted to warn you that this turned out to be more of me describing how the reader and hellboy got together more than as his girlfriend. i used the elves from the movie as a reference, but if you meant in the traditional fantasy sense please let me know and i can change the wording around to fix it. i also went a little haywire with this one since the creative caveman brain was just off the rails today so i apologize for that. i hope you enjoy regardless though!! sorry again for the length and also the weird second divisions, tumblr on laptop has a weird character limit rule now ^^;

[ CATEGORY ]: SFW

Hellboy With An Elvish! Girlfriend

CW: long post, feminine reader (warning for those who are uncomfortable or dysphoric with feminine descriptions or connotations)

TW: parental death, discrimination

honestly?? no hate to liz i love her dearly but i genuinely think someone who looks physically different would be the best for him

not for attractiveness' sake but because they would understand more of what its like to feel the way he does

i mean if you've grown up almost entirely with other elves in Bethmora, then you probably won't have a lot of experience with trying to blend in but for the sake of the post we'll go with the timeline where you were cast out from a young age and had to live alongside humans

your parents had told you of a distant past where humans and mythos lived alongside one another in harmony, undisturbed by things like environmental disease and pollution

but greed overtook humans, leaving the remains of the mythos' culture scattered and torn, just like your family

once your parents passed away you were cast out for wanting to live outside of Bethmora since your parents made it clear that while human beings were capable of great evil, they were equally as capable of great good. you didn't want to give up on them just yet.

but time hardened you, and so did hiding yourself from the outside world. living in underground the city amongst those who understood the struggle of not feeling like you fit in was comforting enough for you to get by without the embarrassment of going back “home”, but your specific set of expiriences made it hard for you to really connect with others once you became an adult

that was, until you met him.

when you first see him, hellboy is scary. he's tall, big, and this deep shade of red that reminds you of the feeling of rage and power. its something that makes you cower in spot when he walks up, gun firm at his hip as he... asks for directions

right. okay. directions.

you grew up here, so you know your way around pretty well, but he makes it kind of hard to think straight with all his staring. he probably thinks you look funny if you're being honest, but you try to ignore it as you bring him over to a lone vendor at the end of the street

he's kind of... brash. from what you can tell. the entire walk there was silent but he seems to have plenty of words for the vendor who honestly can't understand a word he's saying

you can tell they're both getting more aggravated by the second so, in a moment of clarity you offer to translate

the language, though complex and mostly lost to time and lack of native speakers, rolls easily off your tongue as you explain what he's looking for

living around these parts meant you picked up a lot of languages in your time, so acting as this weird strangers translator isn’t that much of a problem for you. it lessens the chance of blood being spilt, anyways

it doesn't take you long to get him the information he needs (more directions it seems, but not for any place or thing you know about)

he's quiet for a second after you translate, staring down at you with a steely but... bemused look? curious? you can't really tell in the dim lighting, but before you can open your mouth to break the uncomfortable silence, he speaks

"You ever consider working for the government?"

and the rest is history. it didn't take you long to move into your own room at the BPRD, where you met a few of Hellboy's (tall red guy, he was astronomically less scary than you thought he was once you got to know him) coworkers including Abe, a friendly blue fish guy that was more than fascinated with your life stories. you almost felt bad for him for being stuck in a tank most of his life, he would’ve been an excellent traveling buddy

but anyway Hellboy was, as previously stated, a lot less scary than you originally thought him to be. sure he was tall and imposing and could most definitley rip someones limbs off if he wanted to, but he also liked old human music bands like Motley Crue and Queen. he also, to your surprise, had a VERY strong affinity for cats

needless to say the two of you become close over a very short period of time. having your rooms be next to each other certainly made running into each other a lot easier, but if you were being honest knowing him is the first time you ever really felt like someone... got it

certain feelings, certain struggles and pains you thought you faced alone were shared by him, more deeply than a way you ever thought possible. being hated for your appearance and heritage was something he knew all too well, and never feeling like you ever truly knew where you came from was one of the many things both of you had long, drawn out talks over

it was only a matter of time before you began to feel more than just... friendly feelings for him. it was just approaching them that was the issue

but thankfully you wouldn't have to considering he accidentally told on himself while he was drunk LMAO

like obviously he tried to play it off like he totally didn't remember what he said the next morning even though he was nuzzled into your shoulder while hugging you and telling you how much of a coward he felt like for just not being able to say that he wanted you ("I feel like shit, Y/n." "Why...?" "I'm such- I'm such a fucking wimp. I can't even say I like you. Do you know how that feels, too?" "A little too well, Red.")

but after hearing from abe how upset you were about him pretending to not know about it he called you to his room once he knew you were settled down for the day to talk

you obviously assumed the worst considering you were pretty sure he was going to turn you down, expecting something along the lines of "it wasn't meant for you" or "i can only ever see you as a friend"

preparing yourself for the dissapointment makes it a lot easier, but as soon as you walked in and saw him dejectedly sitting on the dge of his bed like a child in trouble, you knew something wasn't like you predicted

his face is a little more red than it usually is (hard to tell, but you can tell he's embarrassed by the fact that he won't hold eye contact. that or he's ashamed of himself.), and he pats space next to him

you sit down gently so as not to freak him out, and he takes the lead with the conversation by apologizing

"I'm uh- really sorry for last night. I didn't mean to-"

but you stop him, a small smile on your face as you place a hand on his admittedly too-large bicep. its hard not to feel small next to him sometimes, but it doesnt help the hurt in your heart as you look up at him

"Red- honey. It's okay. I know it wasn't meant for me."

there's a pause.

"Huh?"

"I know it wasn't meant for me. It's okay, I'm not angry with you."

"Wh- No. It WAS meant for you."

you shake your head a little bit. it's getting hard to hold back tears. you always hated that about yourself- being so emotional made it difficult to keep it together in sensitive times like these

"You don't need to lie to me, I'm not going to take it pers-"

"No Y/n, you don't understand. I am in love with you."

oh.

OH.

oh god, you feel kind of stupid. i mean it takes a second to actually sink in but god he was actually in love with you? so you weren't like, hung up over someone who would never want you back??

admittedly you almost don't believe him, thinking it to be some kind of cruel joke at your expense, but the desperate, confused look in his eyes is enough to give it away; he's not lying, and he never would. not about this. not to you.

your stunned silence goes unnoticed to you and, before you can process it, it looks like his face is dropping in realization. he's under the impression you don't like him back or something insane like that.

"Oh. I uh- forget it."

"WH- No no wait! Sorry I just needed a second to process. I like you too!! I just- I couldn't really believe it? I mean I just- I didn't think you'd ever like me back. Ever. It's just a lot to take in."

"Oh. Got it."

you two fucking dorks just kinda like?? sit there for a second before you finally look back at him. once the information has finally sunk in you smile at him, all wide and toothy as you place your hands on his own in his lap. he's still blushing, but it flares up again once he realizes how close you are

"Does this mean we're a thing now?"

you swear you feel the room get warmer just from the blood rushing to his face alone. but he's smiling a little bit!! that's more than you've seen him smile at like.. anything. it makes you smile in turn and, as the night goes on, things return mostly to normal

its rocky at first considering neither of you really know what to do, but if there's one thing you two are good at its communication

having a long standing friendship means that you already trust each other fairly deeply, so talking through things isn't nearly as hard as it normally would be. he feels comfortable enough to share his insecurities with you, so talking to you about other things is so much easier for him

in turn, you do the same. your relationship is built on trust and understanding, and the two of you are almost made for each other. you've gone through the most same struggles and pain trying to blend in in a world that doesn't feel like it was meant for you, and although your issues are unique to you as individuals it means a lot to both him and you to have someone that knows what being so different feels like

but aside from all the super deep stuff that builds the fundamentals of your relationships you also focus on the simple things too!! like for instance he LOVES the fact that you're smaller than him because he can quite literally just pick you up and carry you around if he wants to

he already did that shit normally but if you think you aren't getting picked up and taken away in the middle of a conversation with someone you are GREATLY mistaken. not paying attention to him? took. he wants you to see this cool thing he thought you'd like but you're too invested in paperwork? took. you will get Took and he will ignore your complaints about it (unless you really hate it then he'll apologize and put you down ofc)

if you like to do your makeup you bet your ass he'll watch you the whole time. he won't admit that he wants to try on some lipgloss but when you finally get him to say it he'll say something stupid and suave like "Well kiss me then." and wait for you to share 🙄

if you try to take his clothes to wear them anywhere except to sleep he will try on your clothes

he ripped your shirt one time trying to fit it over his chest and when you said his boobs were too big he covered his chest like an embarrassed maiden LMAO

it goes without saying but he likes to act like he's tough and shit with his beers and big hammer hand but as soon as you're around he can't keep up his hardass front anymore. it gets SO difficult to not laugh when you make jokes that you know he'll find funny but a good portion of your relationship is him acting all tough and manly and you just showing up and him relaxing instantly

Thank You For Reading!! :]

© ogdannydorito 2023; reblogs are greatly appreciated! do not repost, republish, or generally plagiarize any of my works without permission. translations welcome with proper credit.

[somethingclevermahogony]

ROY G. BIV Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @illarian-rambling! These are all coming from books 1 and 2 of my WIP, The Testaments of the Green Sea.

Um I suppose content warning for violence and blood for the first one, if that is something that you are uncomfortable with, skip red and go to orange.

As he bent to continue his impromptu drink, the deck erupted. It was as if the wood itself had chosen to spring at the man, or the sea had punched through the ship's hull. The massive hand closed around the front of his skull, the rough and leathery palm engulfed the entirety of his face and muffled his shrieks.  Blood spattered the deck, mixing with the wine. The crunch and the snap of bone and of wood were nearly indistinguishable. His form was pulled through the jagged hole, ribs and shoulders cracked and folded in on themselves, the sheer force ripped the left arm from the body. A spray of red painted the deck where a moment before he had stood. And then he was gone.

.

Of course, it's been great having more than just me down here. After Zanuk died, I was getting worried that Wadikir was never going to get another slave for the Hall, not that I’m happy that you and Suru are slaves, it's just if you had to be slaves anywhere I’m glad it was here, and -” Now it was Shela’s turn to blush; she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. Her last few words had been barely more than a squeak. She quickly pivoted away from Otilia, careful not to send the scrolls rolling across the floor again. She wasn’t entirely sure why she felt so embarrassed, but she was. The two walked in silence through the labyrinthian pathways, past the flickering clay lamps that threw their dancing orange light over the ancient walls. Both were deeply mired in their own imaginations. So I was right, Otilia thought, It’s not just me. Otilia couldn’t help but smile.

.

“How long is this tunnel?” Narul groaned. “You’re almost at the end sir, just beyond this bend.” The tunnel abruptly opened into a large octagonal room, its walls carved from yellow stone, punctuated by three doors as well as the tunnel from which Narul had emerged. At its center lay a large round pool, shallow on one side and deeper on the other. Placed around this pool were various benches, cushions, and vases. He looked at the strange clay bottles which hung from the ceiling like exotic fruits and at the bronze tools laid out on a nearby table; pincers, hooks, and ladles among other things. For the slaves of Labisaj, baths had consisted of water pulled from the well poured over the body once or twice with a bucket, just enough to get the majority of the grime off of the skin. He had no idea what he was expected to do here, there was no bucket to be seen. On a whim, he walked towards the water. “Do I just get in?” He turned to the attendants. They looked at him, perplexed. “No sir, it's not heated yet, and you have not been cleaned.” “Cleaned? Isn’t that what the water’s for?” 

.

The production was extravagant, even for Ninma. Dish after dish were presented to the tables. Fish and crusteacans played a central roll; stewed, boiled, baked, fried, even raw. Narul lost count of the varieties. After a short while, each silver tray would be whisked off by the servants to some unknown location, often with the majority of the food still left on them. Along with fish there came slabs of meat; beef and goat, nearly every dish drizzled with sauces of vinegar or mustard or else coated in herbs and oils. Occasionally vegetables; peeled asparagus, cabbage, and other greens would make an appearance and would be almost entirely ignored. Bowls of beer and wine were constantly replenished, with the banqueters drinking from golden ladels dipped directly in the bowls. Fluffy wheat bread too was in constant supply, this was only the second time Narul had tried wheat bread, barley being far more common. Otilia looked up from a dish of tiny octopi swimming in vinegar and sesame oil, to see Shela across the room, a sloshing bowl of beer balanced on her head. She smiled and waved. Shela frowned, eyes darting from side to side and mouthed. “We need to talk….tonight…” Otilia frowned, but nodded. Shela smiled weakly, setting the bowl at one of the tables and returned to the kitchen to receive yet more food for the banquet. The sensation of fullness was not one with which Narul had ever been particularly familiar.  He leaned back with a groan, one hand on his belly, he felt somewhat sick. Ninma looked similarly green-faced.

.

It was dark now. He was alone. Did he dare call out for help? Only the reflection of the moon lit the world around him. There were no birds, no animals, just the soft whistle of the wind. He looked for something to cover himself, to warm his aching body, he found nothing but more snow. He could swear his fingers were turning blue. As he felt his breathing slow and his eyelids grow heavy, he saw two figures coming towards him through the snow, people he thought, what kind, he couldn’t be sure. Were they Apunian’s coming to kill him? It didn’t matter, they were something. " Help me." He pleaded as the figure drew near.

.

“I hope you have saved some wine and women for me!” A voice crowed as the tent flaps were pushed aside. Four men entered, still dressed in their armor, they were all southern nobility from the cities of Kotsa, Felu, and Kitsu. Tizanush, son of Atab the lord of Kotsa, was at their head. He was tall and handsome, with flowing brown hair and broad shoulders. He could have leapt from the mouth of a poet or from the chisel of an artist. He was new to war, having only joined Akard’s cabinet the year before when his father and by extension the city of Kotsa had sworn allegiance to the throne of Labisaj.  The other nobles greeted him cordially, offering him wine and food, one of the prettier girls was even shoved his way. As he stood he began to undress, taking of his armor, and this clothing underneath, leaving his body bare. He grinned and flexed. “A true man doesn’t mind the cold. Even if parts of him might.” The others laughed. Zatar did not. He eyed the brat and his sword, coldly. Tizanush bent to retrieve his silken belt. The lordling inspected the indigo fabric for a moment and then tied it over his naked waist, and hung his sword from it. It was a beautiful blade, mountain bronze perhaps from Bur or Kurk, long and thin like a rapier in the the style of the southerners best-suited for slipping between armor, rather than hacking or slashing.

.

I should head back, I’ll already be later than Suru said I should be. Narul gazed at the shadows stretching away from the descending sun. It was only as he stood that he saw the figure bending to drink at the water’s edge. He had seen wolf pelts in the markets or draped over the shoulders of street performers in costume, but he had never seen a pelt still attached to the creature which had grown it. But even he knew that this beast was nothing like the creatures that had supplied those pelts. It was massive, the size of a horse, each paw as big as a man’s head. Its silvery fur seemed to glimmer a soft blue in the sun’s waning light.   A stone came loose beneath the giant’s foot and clattered loudly against its peers. Narul swore under his breath as the beast straightened, its shaggy head turning owl like to see what had disturbed its drink. Narul felt a pang of fear as he looked into violet eyes, there were no irises nor whites, just dark pools like lost forest springs. It had the face of a human, smooth and hairless, its skin as pale as moonlight, its delicate lips the same golden hue as the sunset.

Tagging @hallowedfury, @treesandwords, and @peresephones

[sparkstelly]

forgotten memoirs

part 3/4 of mourning your reciprocation

a quiet night, you and i, a spontaneous kiss to your cheek, and a cloudy sky. that was how it started.

the grey clouds were threatening to burst into showers of salty raindrops, but you didn’t seem to care, turning your back to me in favour of kicking something that sounded clinking like rocks and bits of concrete. i was a little worried that you felt uncomfortable at the sudden show of affection and debated loitering around a bit longer, but right now, i could feel a humid air in our surroundings, indicating looming rain.

“let’s take cover, quickly.”

i ushered, as my hand navigated to grab your other wrist that wasn’t buried in your pocket. i tried to drag you forward to what i assumed was the dimmed, blue light in a hazy fog that belonged to a convenience store, but when you spun around and faced me, you grounded your feet still, staying stubbornly in place. with frustration that probably adorned a frown on my features, i looked straight in your eyes. your eyes had never been short of hypnotic every time they looked at me because they provided answers that i seek, comforted my soul and communicated volumes even as your pretty lips stilled. they did none of those this time, except reflecting my frustrated face that i could clearly see, strangely so, even in the fog. i ignored the growing ire in my stomach in realisation that maybe i didn’t know you as well as i thought. i lowered my head, suddenly finding interest in your shoelaces. an unsure silence stretched between us until i was no longer able to stand your burning gaze on the back of my head. i muttered weakly:

“we’ll catch a cold.”

your cold hand cupped over the side of my cheek, slightly tilting my face upwards. it was my turn at being stubborn, keeping my head low enough so as to not meet your gaze. i guess i just wanted to sulk a little over the confusion in my heart - i still couldn't wrap my head around your actions. were they green signals for our relationship to bloom into an intimacy as romantic as a red rose, or was it merely my fantasies messing with my consciousness that could no longer differentiate what was real and what wasn't?

“i'm not that fragile, and besides, i'd have you by my side even if i fell sick enough that i couldn't think, right?"

your words rolled off your tongue onto mine a honeyed texture i couldn't get enough of, almost like a drug with stirred questions as its side effects. it wasn't just your words, no, because right after that, you snaked your hand around my head and pressed on its back so i could rest my forehead on your damp shoulder. oh. i was too focused on you that it had started to rain without my notice. the rain be damned if it could stop us from being so close to each other like this. plus, the reassuring way your hand patted my head gently emboldened me, telling me you wouldn't pull me away. so i blurted without thinking:

"please be mine."

too tired for regrets, my eardrums practically blurred out at that moment like a subconscious defense mechanism to block out any rejection that i'd rather die from embarrassment than to hear from you. it seemed like time had stopped, had really frozen each raindrop that rolled down the tips of my twitching fingers and solidified the air between us to frosted ice.

a beat of my heart. a shaky exhale from me, from you or from both of us, i didn't know. but that didn't matter, like how insignificantly heavy the rain was, weightless, in contrast to those words you uttered, thick and dripping with sugary honey, an endearing promise i longed for:

"i'm yours."

i could breathe again.

[hitnran]

KISSES (gender neutral! reader)

kisses headcanons with them

includes: ran, rindou, hanma, sanzu

notes: i enjoyed writing hanma’s, i might just make a boyfriend headcanons for him

— RAN HAITANI

With first kisses, it’s most likely him to be the first one to initiate it. It may happen earlier on the relationship and most likely out of the blue to get a reaction out of you. He would do it in the most nonchalant way.

Ran just needs to show you his love and affection in any and every way possible. He wants you to feel comfortable though, so he wouldn’t want to rush anything, but how badly he thinks about wanting to shower you in kisses.

Ran would watch over you as you’re paying more attention to whatever is occupying you. His eyes will gaze over your lips and without even thinking, he gives a small smirk.

“Y/N~” He coos as he calls out your name.

You raise your head, giving him attention but before you could ask him what it is he needed, he closed the space in between the both of you. You feel his lips press against yours - they’re on the colder side but immediately warms up against your touch.

Ran will pull back after a couple of seconds, wanting to see your reaction. He’ll take any reaction (just as long as he can tease you about it), especially if you’re all flustered and stumbling over your words.

“What..was that for?” You lowered your voice out of embarrassment, lightly grazing over your lips with your index finger.

Ran shrugs, grinning at your expression that he found so cute to him, “If you want another one, you’ll have to be the one to do it〜”

His kisses are quite soft, but last a long time. Ran treats you like an angel and he’ll have his hands on your waist with the other cupping your cheek.

In general, Ran is always the one to kiss first. His favorite places to kiss you is everywhere - if there’s a free and open space, he’ll use it to his advantage to kiss you. Though, he frequently will place his kisses against your eyelids or your lips.

When it comes to where he likes to be kissed, Ran melts when you kiss his jawline. He doesn’t know why and there isn’t a particular reason, but he enjoys it.

— RINDOU HAITANI

You’re going to have to most likely be the one to give the first kiss, or it would feel that way for a while before it actually happens. Rindou has thought about it numerous times, but overthinks it too much.

He’ll try to convince himself that it isn’t a big deal, but after seeing that you haven’t said anything about it or not even feeling bothered, it makes him a lot more worried. Though, Rindou wouldn’t show it.

Unlike his older brother, Rindou would be someone who would most likely try to plan it out because he doesn’t want to make a mistake. Little did he know, you were trying to do the same thing.

You two would be out on a date, nothing too fancy nor something that would take too much energy - something as simple as sitting along the water bank after going on a ride on his bike.

“Rindou,” You called out his name. His ears perked up and his eyes look your way, he hums to confirm that he’s listening. You swallow the lump of spit stuck in your throat, taking deep breathes, “I..have something for you. So could you close your eyes?”

Rindou was a little hesitant, but he trusted you enough. He closed his eyes and you prepared yourself. You knew that Rindou was stubborn and nothing was going to change between you two unless you did something about it.

One more deep breath from you and you slowly leaned in, trying to get to his face. But you hadn’t realized how much time you spent stalling, that he opened his eyes out of worry from your silence.

Rindou’s pupils grow a bit enlarged, seeing your closed eyes and lips out foreword coming his way. He couldn’t help but chuckle out of relief that you felt the same way. With your eyes still closed, he held both sides of your face and placed his lips onto yours. It was rather aggressive, but he was just a little excited than he thought he’d be.

He pulls back away first, realizing what had just happened, and his face would heat up. Rindou would clear his throat, avoiding eye contact, and trying to act all cool.

“You really thought I’d let you be the one to have the first kiss?” Rindou bluntly said, scoffing. “Who do you think I am?”

Rindou’s kisses are a little bit aggressive and short, but not with the intention of hurting you. He just honestly doesn’t think about it, but if it’s in private and an intimate moment, he’ll get a lot softer, especially if you two are laying down.

He always has his hands cupping your cheeks, acting like he’s afraid to lose you if he lets go.

His favorite place to kiss you his your shoulder and collarbones especially if he’s embracing you from the back or if he is laying on top of you. Rindou just likes to kiss you wherever and whenever you can’t see him because he’ll get flustered otherwise.

For Rindou, he surprisingly likes being kissed on the cheek a lot. He thinks it’s a childish place to be kissed, but he really likes it. If you do it out of no where, he’ll act like he’s irritated by it and that it’ll taint his image, but he doesn’t really care about it that much. In fact, he’d rather let everyone see who it is that he’s allowing to get so close to him.

— SHUJI HANMA

Hanma is a little unexpected. He would also be a little anxious over it like Rindou, but try to suppress it and not overthink it. He would rather the first kiss come naturally on its own time, and it’s not like he doesn’t want to kiss you, but it’s nothing he wants to spend time worrying about.

It would most likely come naturally and the build up would happen slowly. Hanma enjoys his life to be at a quick pace, but with you, he likes to take his time. He gets bored insanely easily but if doing nothing was what you wanted to do, he’d do it with you.

“Y/N〜” He calls out to you, his eyes fixed onto your ceiling. He sighs, rolling his body over and staring at you. You thought he was going to complain about how bored he was and ask how it is that you could just sit around and do nothing, but he wasn’t thinking that at all.

Hanma, just looking at you, thought about how lucky he was. He’ll move closer to you, just wanting to talk to distract himself of the boredom. He’ll joke around with you a bit, mentioning a funny memory he remembered or teasing you for something you hate about yourself but something he loves so much about you.

Just as it got quiet between the two of you again, eye contact was exchanged. You had never seen Hanma so still and hear him so quiet. He had been staring down at your lips and gave into his desire. His fingers lightly hook against yours and he tilts his head a bit, placing what felt so gentle against your lips.

Hanma’s kisses usually just happen. Again, he doesn’t want to put too much thought into it other than that he just wants to kiss you and show that he loves you. They’re often more on the firmer side though and he likes to take his time with you.

If it’s out in public, Hanma will kiss you anyway, leaving them to be quick and short. Sometimes he does it just to tease you in front of others, but in private, he thinks if it more as an intimate act.

His favorite place to kiss you is on the cheek. There are times where he just bites your cheek or licks it before placing a kiss. Hanma usually has his hands on the sides of your body or hooked around your fingers.

His favorite place to be kissed is both his hands or the side of his nose. His hands because Hanma thinks he finds it so ironic that someone would be willingly to even hold a hand that has been covered in dirt and blood. Hanma gets into fights when he is bored, but having you kiss them just makes him feel a little bit more grounded in life. The side of his nose because he can tell that you’re spending so much time analyzing his face, and kissing the center of it just makes him feel more appreciated.

— HARUCHIYO SANZU

Sanzu honestly doesn’t think about it. If you really want it, then communicate it with him. He isn’t naive to know that kissing is an intimate act often used to show appreciation and love.

He is a highly loyal individual, and he knows that he can show his loyalty to you in many ways. But he just doesn’t know how to go about approaching this. You’re going to have to be the first one to kiss him.

Getting into a relationship with Sanzu was one thing, but physical touch was another. He wasn’t doted as a child and having physical affection wasn’t something he was exposed to all the time. You knew this, and it made you incredibly nervous on how to properly kiss him without making him uncomfortable.

“Y/N,” Sanzu snaps you out of your trance, leaning forward and making eye contact with you through his lashes. “You’re spacing out. What are you thinking about?”

Even if you lie to Sanzu, he’s going to know. Again, it’s just better to communicate to him what it is that you want. You look at him straight in the eye, trying to find courage to ask him.

“Haruchiyo,” You clearly said. Sanzu hums, staring at you and waiting for you to finish your sentence. When he looks at you like that, it’s difficult to not get nervous and flustered. You gulped down, trying to shift your gaze around to distract yourself, “Well..”

He picks up on your body language; he can tell you’re in distraught. He moves in a little closer and it makes you even more nervous.

“Hey,” Sanzu spoke, squishing your cheeks together using one hand and making you make eye contact with him. “Why are you so nervous for? Did I do something?”

“N-No!” You muffled out. “I just..I just wanted to ask if..”

Your words were so quiet, barely audible out of shyness. But it was enough for Sanzu to hear. His gaze was kept fixed onto you, and without losing his composure, he repeats it, “You want to kiss me?”

You nod, gulping down at how embarrassing you thought it was for this to be dragged out. But your mind goes blank when you feel his lips come in contact with yours.

Sanzu doesn’t like too much PDA unless it’s him having his arm or hand on you; he would rather keep kisses private. His kisses are rather soft and short, he honestly doesn’t give them very often. But he’s willing to give you a lot of you want it. He’ll kiss you out of the blue if he wants to and keeps them short, nothing to make a big deal out of.

His favorite place to kiss you is your knuckles. Sanzu treats you like loyalty, so he’ll kiss you like one too. He often does it before placing a kiss directly on your lips.

His favorite place to receive kisses is the corner of his lips where his scars are placed. His scars come from bad memories that Sanzu would prefer to not be reminded of, but having you kiss them makes him forget that anything even happened. For someone as strong-willed and charismatic as Sanzu, he kinda turns into mush when you kiss him there. His eyelids get a little heavy, and his hands shake his way to the sides of your face, wanting to smother you in affection just as you’re doing with him.

[reidsnose]

Black Eye

overview: reader and spencer go to reader's highschool reunion as a fake couple

genre: fluff i think

warnings: mild violence and swearing, a guy being kind of a total creep, and mentions of bullying

a/n: idk if its any good again just love the idea but it was inspired by a dream i had last night (thank you temporal lobe) so yeah let me know what yall think !! :) also im posting this at like ass oclock in the morning so whoops

masterlist

-

-

you and spencer had gotten yourselves in quite the situation.

your dreaded highschool reunion was just around the corner and you made the mistake of complaining about it to penelope. she was always trying to make everyones life easier (and more interesting) so when she heard you had no date she took it upon herself to find you one.

it didn't take a lot of looking, none at all actually; because Penelope had already been trying to figure out ways to get you and Reid together.

you two were undeniably perfect for each other. you were an amazing team at work, you hung out alone all the time (though both of you denied these hang out as being dates, Garcia had her own ideas on this), and you were both very obliviously head over heels for each other.

and somehow, through the magical ways of Penelope Garcia, you and Spencer were now sitting in the parking lot, fake married for your high school reunion.

"do we need to go over our back story again?" you worried, looking up at him.

"our backstory is basically all true anyway we just fall in love after a little bit. and i have an eidetic memory so i remember; you're my wife you should know this!" he joked, trying to relax you. "we got this! we're gonna be so married!"

Spencer had actually never been this nervous in his life but he was trying to be brave for you. it would be more embarrassing for you both to show up like nervous wrecks than if you had just come alone. he was just happy to get to be fake married to you.

"the marriedest!" smiled, fist bumping him.

"now lets go make some people jealous!" he chuckled getting out of the car and jogging over to your side, opening your door before you got the chance to; like a true gentleman.

you stuck out your hand which he happily took into his, neither of you commenting on the redness you both had sprinkled across your cheeks. as you walked in, you saw all the people you dreaded seeing.

the boys who tormented you were balding and the girls who made sure you felt awful everyday had wrinkles riddling there skin. you were surrounded by botched botox and bleached blonde to cover graying hair. you felt terrible to admit it, but you were a little happy to see that their beauty had faded like this; they made their looks their whole personality in high school, you couldn't help but wonder what was left for them to be. not that it mattered, but you and Spencer were undeniably the most attractive couple there.

you actually had an ok time, you had spotted a few of your friends that you hadn't seen in quite a few years and it was nice to catch up.

Spencer had wondered a bit, but not too far, he was talking to some guys who used to be in science club when you were younger. you smiled at the thought of what they might be talking about.

"y/n! hey youve really filled out!" you heard a gruff voice from behind you.

you turned around and were met with the very unappealing face of the ex quarterback. Spencers attention had been caught at the sound of your name.

"um..hello," you muttered, trying to covertly back away from him.

"i see youve got a ring, interesting i dont remember us getting married!" he said in an incredibly creepy tone.

"do you know im a federal agent now?" you said through a gritted smile.

spencer had already begun walking towards you, he could tell something was off.

"ill tell you what sweetheart," he put his hand on your shoulder, pulling you slightly closer to him, "you can put me in handcuffs any day."

you threw his hand off of you and drew back your fist, but were cut off before you could deliver the punch but his hand engulfing your own, and squeezing.

"THATS MY WIFE!" spencer yelled in a voice you had never heard from him before.in the blink of an eye he was standing between in front of him. "do not ever talk to her like that, let alone lay a finger on her or so help me God i will-"

"what beanpole? what are you gonna do? what if i did this?" the man asked.

and then he sent a swift punch to Spencer's face.

thats gonna leave a mark.

in a matter of seconds, Spencer had him overpowered, laying face first on the floor with his hands uncomfortably angled behind him, completely helpless.

"now i'm going to let you go and you're going to walk out of here unharmed. if you try anything like that again, ill let my wife handle you. and i promise if she gets a hold of you, you'll be a dead son of a bitch." Spencer muttered in the mans ear, gruffly pulling him up by his collar and shoving him towards the door.

"were leaving." you said, grabbing Spencer's hand, trying to ignore how incredibly attractive he looked right now.

"babe if you want to stay we can stay," he offered as if he didn't just have his shit kicked in by a coward with misogynistic tendencies.

"honey, i want to take you home," you smiled, liking the way it felt to call him a pet name. you walked into the parking lot, "what were you thinking?"

"i was thinking this guy is trying to hurt you and i was not going to ever let that happen." he answered confidently as you two reached the car. "plus this totally made the marriage thing more believable. i wouldn't get a black eye for just anyone."

"thank you. i'm sorry you got punched trying to protect me." you sighed, feeling incredibly awful about the whole thing.

he chuckled, "id do it again."

you fought hard against the blush creeping up your face.

"i gotta say, the black eye really suits you. you look pretty badass." you chuckled, trying to change the subject before it got too sappy and you said something you shouldn't.

"maybe it should just be my new look," he joked, looking down at a ping from his phone. "uh oh."

"we have a case?" you asked.

"yep. and hotch wants us in the office asap which means we cont stop by either of our houses." he sighed before starting the car.

the drive was mostly silent. but a comfortable silence. Spencer thought about how in the moment, he didn't care how many punches the guy threw at him, as long as it meant you were ok, he was willing to take it. he knew he loved you far before that moment but that truly solidified it.

at the same time you were thinking of how quickly your time as a 'married couple' was over. it felt so right to call Spencer yours. so unexplainably perfect for the two of you to be together. if only your time wasn't cut short by a sucker punch.

you neared the building's parking lot. you looked over at Spencer who you could very easily tell was lost in his own world.

"whats going on in that beautiful head of yours?" you asked, causing him to stifle a smile.

"just thinking." he answered.

"what about?"

"us." he stated, pulling into his parking spot.

oh. oh.

"do tell."

he hesitated, "if i tell you, and you disagree, do you promise it wont change anything about us?"

"i promise."

"did it feel right to you? us being together?" he asked, his eyes innocent and filled to the brim with a mixture of anxiety and adoration as he looked at you.

"yes. it absolutely did. and i was so mad at the assclown for cutting our time short," you admitted, "and punching you in the eye, obviously."

"i- i'm not sure how to ask this but- do you...would you..sorry i-" he stammered.

"yes."

you cut him off, pressing your lips to his. his hand gently cupped your face, deepening the kiss and you both felt like you were on cloud nine.

"thats exactly what i was trying to say," he cracked a dopey smile, causing you to chuckle.

"i've been trying to say it for so long." you confessed, causing him to smile impossibly wider, "we gotta go hotch is waiting."

"just one more kiss?" he asked, which you gave in to, obviously. and then another. and another.

maybe it was good thing that he got a black eye that day, because when you got to the office the whole team was so focused on it they didn't even notice the hint of your lipstick left on spencers lips.

-

-

ultra mega super cool taglist:

@mac99martin @imhreid @spencersmagic @hollydaisy23 @raelady1184 @a-broken-pact @padfootswife @hey-there-angels @star-stuff-in-the-cosmos

[hyogonokitsune]

blush -- suna rintarou x reader

here’s some soft suna smut, go fetch!

edit: here’s pt 2 and pt 3

virginity loss, slight praise kink, oral (f receiving), whoops! rintarou has feelings

4700 words

--

You were not quite sure how you all ended up on this topic, but it didn’t surprise you one bit that Atsumu was the one to bring it up.

“So how old were ya when ya lost it?” he asked with a grin on his face.

Suna glanced up at the sky as he thought about his answer. “Fourteen, I guess.”  

“Ugh, man! You beat me!” Atsumu groaned in annoyance. “I was fifteen.” It was slight, but you caught Suna giving him a self-satisfied smirk. Atsumu turned to his brother next. “What about you, ‘Samu? I don’t think I ever asked.”

“Pfft, like hell I’d ever tell you,” was the only response he gave.

The four of you were walking through Inarizaki’s dark campus together after the team’s evening practice. It was early autumn, and although the days were still warm, the temperature at night was beginning to dip lower and lower. You shivered as a crisp breeze blew past, digging your hands further into your jacket pockets.

“What about you, y/n?” Atsumu asked, peering down at you. “How old were ya?”

You had hoped he’d forgotten about you, but now that he had directly asked you could feel your cheeks reddening slightly. “I, uh, I haven’t done it yet,” you answered sheepishly.

“What, seriously?! You’re a virgin?” Atsumu’s eyes widened in surprise, but they quickly squinched shut when Osamu smacked him on the back of the head.

“Yell it a bit louder, why don’t ya? I don’t think everyone on campus heard you, dumbass.”

“Ouch, sorry,” Atsumu muttered in apology, but your blush had already deepened. “I’m just a little shocked to learn that our precious manager is a virgin.”

“It’s not really that big of a deal, honestly,” Suna said, his voice low. It was a little unusual to hear him defend anyone, but you were grateful for it all the same.

“Ya know, y/n, if ya ever wanna lose your virginity, I’d be happy to help out,” Atsumu said, giving you a salacious smirk. You rolled your eyes at his offer, a small laugh escaping from your lips as you flicked him on the side of his head.

The path split then, and Suna turned left to continue on by himself to the campus dorms. He waved goodnight to the three of you, and you noticed that his eyes lingered on you for half a second too long before he turned away.

 --

 Click, click, click

Your thumb pressed repeatedly on the end of your pen as you stared hard at the words in front of you.

“Hey, knock it off.” You looked up at the sound of Suna’s voice, his irritation plain on his face. “It’s annoying.”

The two of you were sitting on the floor of his room, Suna propped up against his bed and you leaning against the opposite wall. Loose sheets of paper and an open textbook were on the floor between you as you both studied for an exam the next day.

“Sorry, I didn’t even realize I was doing it,” you muttered, turning your attention back to Suna’s notebook on your lap. You were reading through it, checking that there wasn’t anything he had written down that you had missed in class. In truth, you were finding it hard to concentrate on the notes, as something else was nagging at your thoughts. You hadn’t been able to shake the conversation you’d had the other night, and despite Atsumu’s suggestion, he wasn’t the one you had been thinking about since then.

You had heard rumors around campus, and stories from some of the girls in your classes. At first it had made you a little uncomfortable to know such personal details about someone you had to see every day, especially since he wasn’t aware that you knew, but over time you gradually got used to it, and you were beginning to wonder about what it might be like to experience that firsthand. You were sure that it wouldn’t get out. After all, those rumors that you had heard had come from the girls themselves, never him; if you didn’t tell anyone, no one would ever have to know about it. Besides, after two and a half years spent on the same team, you two had grown rather close. There were few people that you could trust more than him, and, in your opinion at least, that was the most important factor influencing your decision.

You just had to think of a way to tell him.

Suna’s low voice cut through the silence in the room. “Maaan, I’m beat. What time is it?” he asked, stretching his arms over his head.

You glanced at your watch, sighing a bit when you saw how late it was. “Half past ten.”

“Fuck.” He rubbed at his eyes. “I think we’ve crammed as much as we possibly can for tonight.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” you replied as you stood up. The two of you started tidying up his room, and you gathered your books and pens into your bag.

“You want me to walk you to the bus stop?”

“No, I’ll be alright.”

“’Kay.”

You had your hand on the doorknob, ready to leave, but you found yourself unable to turn it.

“Suna?”

“Hmm?” he hummed, and when he turned to look at you, you felt an unexpected surge of confidence well up inside. If you didn’t tell him now, you didn’t think you’d ever be able to.

Dropping your hand from the doorknob, you angled your shoulders to face him head on, willing yourself to look him in the eye. “I want you to take my virginity.”

There was a slight widening of his eyes, almost imperceptible, but you caught it before his face fell back into its usual indifferent mask. There was a moment or two of silence, and you tried to keep yourself from panicking; maybe he was just trying to gauge how serious you were.

Eventually he spoke, the corner of his lip quirking up into a cheeky grin. “You sure you don’t want Atsumu to be the one?”

You couldn’t stop your eyes from rolling. “I think I’d rather die, if I’m being honest.”

Suna laughed then, short but genuine, and you felt the tension ease from your shoulders. “I’ll do it, if that’s really what you want.”

You gave him a quick nod, hand reaching towards the door again.

“Come back here tomorrow.”

 --

 You knocked twice on Suna’s door and it opened almost immediately. He must have just recently gotten out of the shower because his hair was still damp, a droplet of water clinging to a lock of hair next to his cheek as he stared down at you.

“I was half-expecting you not to show up,” he said, a slight smile on his lips.

“Why wouldn’t I?” you asked as you squeezed past him to step into the room; he offered no response.

You dropped your bag and blazer onto his desk chair, and when you turned around Suna had moved into the center of the room, within arm’s reach.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” There was an uncharacteristic note of concern in his voice that made your heart melt.

You gave a slight nod, a small smile on your face. “I’m sure.”

Those two words were all he needed.

Suna closed the gap between you in one step. His left hand came to rest on your waist, his right moving up to cup your cheek as he leaned down to place his lips on yours. His kiss was unexpectedly soft, and you couldn’t stop a tiny gasp from escaping you in surprise. This wasn’t a Suna that you were familiar with; this was a Suna that was unbelievably tender with his touch, but you could feel a more passionate side simmering just beneath the surface by the way that his fingers ever so slowly applied pressure to your waist.

Unconsciously, your hands moved first to his shoulders, then to the back of his head, where your fingers buried themselves in his damp hair. Your touch encouraged him to draw you in closer, his arm snaking around your waist to press you against his body. His kisses were becoming firmer now, deeper, more urgent, his tongue slipping past your lips to brush against yours.

A feeling of warmth was in your chest now, spreading down throughout your body, and with it came a sudden feeling of uncertainty. Suna broke away from you and stepped back to sit on the edge of his bed, and the sight of him there suddenly stole away all the confidence you had felt earlier.

“Come here,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. The sound of it made your legs feel weak, but you forced yourself to step towards him. His hands moved to your hips, intending to pull you closer, but you put your palms on his shoulders to brace yourself.

“Wait a minute,” you said, a little breathless.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I just…” Your voice trailed off and you swallowed hard. “I’m just a little nervous.”

You were embarrassed to admit it, but to your surprise Suna smiled, and the gentleness on his face was reassuring. “Yeah, I think it’s normal to be a little nervous.” One of his hands left your hip to move to your elbow. His fingers dragged lightly down your forearm and wrapped around your wrist, so that he could lift your hand and press it against his chest. “I’m a little nervous, too.” You could feel his heart against your palm, beating a little faster and harder than normal. The proof of his own anxiety made all of your apprehensions disappear, and you leaned down to kiss him. Before he could deepen it, you broke away again.

“Suna?”

“Hmm?”

“Could we turn the light off?”

“Of course,” he grinned, leaning over to switch off the lamp on his bedside table.

The room became dark, but the sun had only recently dipped below the horizon and your eyes quickly adjusted to the cold blue light coming in through the window. Suna’s body was outlined against the bed, his features hazy in the dim lighting, but his eyes were clear as he gazed up at you, imploring you to come closer.

He guided you down onto his lap, one of his hands on each of your thighs to place them at his sides. His kisses were needier now, almost hungry in the way that his mouth moved against yours. His hands slid up to rest on your hips once more, and when he slowly tugged them closer, dragging you over his hardening cock, you couldn’t stop the moan that bubbled up from your chest. You could feel him grinning against your lips, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to be embarrassed, not when the feeling of his body under your hands was causing that heat to grow in your core.

“Does that feel good, baby?” Suna asked, his voice breathy and low. A blush crept up your face at his words, the tone of them so much more intimate than anything you’d heard before. You grinded against him again, causing him to moan lightly into your mouth.

Your hands slid down to press against his chest, fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt. He paused kissing you just long enough to take his shirt off, tossing it onto the floor before grabbing your waist and drawing you in even closer. Tentatively, you brought your hands back to his chest. The heat of his skin, the pounding of his heart, his heavy breaths emboldened you, prompting you to explore more of his body. Your fingers traveled lightly over his chest, across his collarbones, onto his shoulders, across the back of his neck, down to his shoulder blades; every place you touched gave way to growing desire.

Suna’s hands wandered up your stomach and over your breasts to undo the buttons of your blouse, but he couldn’t undo them fast enough for you; you suddenly couldn’t stand another moment with the fabric between you, you needed to feel your skin pressed up against his now. Your fingers moved to the bottom of your blouse and quickly worked their way upwards, meeting his in the middle before tearing the shirt from your body.

His eyes roamed over you and he whispered something that you couldn’t quite hear. Before you could say anything, his head moved to your neck, pressing hot kisses into your skin, down the column of your throat and over your collarbones. The top of his head tickled under your chin, making you giggle; his lips left your shoulder with a wet sound as he turned his face up to look at you, but you dug your nails into his arms and whimpered at the loss of his touch.

“Please don’t stop,” you breathed.

Suna gripped you tightly around your waist to lift you off of him and shift you so you were lying down on the bed, his body leaning over you. Pulling one of your legs up so that he could position himself between them, he resumed kissing your neck, his warm breath tickling your ear. His hands worked their way down your sides, a trail of goosebumps left in their wake, to come to rest at the waistband of your skirt. He lifted his head to kiss you on the lips briefly before carefully tugging your skirt down over your hips and off your legs. His eyes lingered on your purple lace panties, moved up to your matching bra, and finally to meet your own gaze.

“These are cute,” he said with a smirk, one finger lifting up the band of your panties and letting it snap against your skin.

“Shut up,” you groaned, covering your blushing face with your arm.

“Did you match these just for me?” he teased.

“I said shut up, Rintarou!”

You heard a sharp intake of breath, and lowered your arm to see that the look on his face had shifted into completely unconstrained desire. He kissed you then, tongue forcing its way into your mouth, greedily swallowing your moans. You could feel yourself getting wetter as he pressed his cock in-between your legs; the sensation was becoming almost too much to bear.

Suna pulled away suddenly, and a thin strand of saliva briefly connected your mouths, glinting in the low light. “Hey, do you want me to wear a condom?” he asked, rubbing his thumb slowly over your bottom lip.

“Oh!” You were lying in his bed half naked, and his tongue had just been in your mouth, but for some reason that question made you feel shy all of a sudden. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I’m, uh… I’m on the pill,” you told him, feeling your cheeks heat up again. He only nodded once before leaning in to kiss you again.

One of his hands slowly slid up your side to your breast, his thumb rubbing over your nipple through the fabric of your bra. When he broke the kiss to move his lips to your neck, you leaned forward slightly to unhook your bra, tossing it on the floor with the rest of your clothes. Suna sucked in a breath at the sight of you, gazing at you almost reverently before placing his lips back on your throat, letting his hand blindly fondle your breast. Moving slowly, he made his way down your throat and over your collarbones, planting sloppy kisses every few inches, until his tongue was swirling small circles around your nipple, feeling it grow harder at his touch. At the same time, his other hand was pressing into your hip, fingers digging insistently into the soft flesh. That hand now started moving down over the outside of your thigh, pausing almost at the knee before running back up along the inside.

You gasped when he touched your clothed pussy for the first time, his fingers brushing against your clit through the fabric. You would have felt embarrassed at the wetness you felt seeping through your panties, but the feeling of having him touch you in so many places was too good for you to care. He was rubbing circles around your clit, causing a knot to form deep in your stomach. You reached with both hands into his hair, gripping the back of his head tightly as a pitiful whimper escaped you.

“Oh, Rintarou…”

“What is it, baby?” He leaned forward to plant a kiss on your cheek, his hand still working slowly between your legs. “What do you need?”

Another pitiful sound left your mouth and your nails dug into his shoulders. He sat up straight, his free hand coming to rest on your leg as his other continued to draw soft moans out of you.

A new feeling had settled in your chest, a need that you had never experienced before. It wasn’t enough to have him simply touch you; you needed to feel him inside of you.

“Rin, please,” you practically begged him, reaching towards the waistband of his sweatpants.

He gently pushed your hands away, a low chuckle rising in his throat. “You’re not ready yet, baby,” he told you in a soft voice. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Groaning, you fell back into the pillow, your breath coming out harder as he started kissing the inside of your thigh, slowly, painfully slowly, moving closer to where the heat was pooling between your legs. Both of his hands now hooked under your thighs to rest on top of your hip bones, pinning you in place. He kept his eyes on your face as his tongue ran almost lazily over your panties.

“Oh my god,” you gasped, head tilting back and eyes squeezing shut.

“You’re already so wet,” he murmured, and you could hear the smile in his voice. He was still licking you agonizingly slowly, relishing the way you squirmed around him. “Do you want me to taste you, baby?”

“Mm hmm,” you answered, a little too quickly in your eagerness to have him touch more of you. He moved one of his hands to hook a finger under your panties, pulling them to the side to reveal your glistening pussy.

His mouth was on your bare clit now, and the sensation was overwhelming. It was different from all the times you had pleasured yourself; this was warm and wet and achingly soft, and it was causing the coil in your stomach to rapidly tighten. He hummed lightly, the vibrations running over your clit and causing you to practically scream. When he lifted his face away from you, you nearly cried. He slid your panties down your legs and tossed them on the floor, leaving you completely bare before him.

Suna leaned back down, tongue running up and down your folds, swirling around your clit, kissing all over your pussy. Every single contact made your back arch, made your hands grip the sheets a little more tightly. He traced a finger along the edge of your pussy, gathering up the wetness before slowly pressing it into you. You clenched around him as his finger curled up to press into the soft spot within you, the spot that made your breath catch in your throat. You opened your eyes to look down at him; his mouth and finger were still at work on your pussy, but his gaze was trained on your face, sage-colored eyes glinting in the dark.

The coil in your stomach finally snapped, your orgasm falling over you in waves of intense pleasure. Your toes curled, legs tensed up around his head, hands reached down to wind into his soft hair.

“Rin-Rintarou!”

Suna kept his face pressed into your pussy, sucking gently on your clit as you came around his finger. The overstimulation was becoming too much, and your breath was coming out in labored sobs.

“Rin, p-please, stop!”

Immediately, he pulled away, crawling over your body to kiss you hard on the mouth. “I like the way you taste, cutie,” he sighed into your ear, nuzzling at your neck. “And I love the way you moan for me.”

You were panting, still coming down from your high. Suna’s hand came up to caress your face, thumb rubbing gently over your cheekbones. He waited for your breathing to even out before sitting up to remove his pants. You couldn’t help but stare at the way his cock looked; you had no reference point, but you were pretty sure he was above average.

He lazily stroked his cock with one hand as he shifted your legs with the other, positioning himself close to your entrance. He dragged the head over your pussy, coating it with the wetness there.

Suna was looking straight at you again. “Are you ready?” he asked, his voice breathless.

“Yes,” you told him. He leaned down to plant one more kiss on your lips, before slowly pressing his cock into you.

All the time he spent pleasuring you already ensured that you were relaxed enough to take him, but even so, he went slow. He sank in a few inches before pausing, allowing you to adjust to his size as he peppered your face with kisses, before giving you some more. It took a full minute before he completely joined his hips to yours, a soft groan escaping his lips.

“Are you okay, baby?” he asked, his voice impossibly soft.

“Yeah.” You gave him a small smile, hands running up the backs of his arms to rest on his shoulder blades. It felt so incredibly good to finally have him inside you, to fill you up completely. There had been a slight pressure when he first entered you, but that was subsiding now, and you could fully enjoy the way his cock stretched you out.

Suna pulled his hips away from you, his cock dragging slowly along your sensitive walls. The loss of him drew a soft whimper out of you, turning into a moan when he pushed back in. His pace was unhurried at first, but with each breathy sigh you made he increased his speed, pulling out a little further each time.

“Rin, oh, oh…”

“God, you’re so fucking tight,” he moaned, lips capturing yours in a wet kiss. “You feel so good, baby.”

He bent down to take one of your nipples into his mouth, rolling it between his teeth with just enough pressure to make your spine arch, fingers gripping his shoulders tightly to let him know that you wanted more.

“Rin, I-I… oh god-”

He straightened back up so he could look into your face, his thumb and forefinger continuing to play with your nipple. “Does that feel good?” he asked in a low voice. You nodded, eyes squeezed tight against the pleasure, and another soft whimper left your throat. “You’re taking my cock so well, baby,” he murmured; you could feel the knot in your stomach tighten at his praise. “Do you want more?”

“Yes, please, please…”

He quickened his pace even more, hips snapping into yours hard enough now to apply deliciously pleasant friction to your clit. You couldn’t have stopped the sounds leaving your mouth even if you wanted to; every thrust of his cock made you come undone a little more. The pleasure radiated throughout your entire body, making you feel slightly lightheaded.

Suna placed both hands on the backs of your knees and lifted them, pressing your legs towards your chest. The new angle of your hips allowed his cock to press into that spot inside you that made your breath burn in your lungs. The feeling was unbelievable; you had never felt pleasure like this before.

Your eyes snapped open. Suna was staring down, watching his cock sink repeatedly into your dripping wet pussy. When your hand gave his shoulder a small squeeze he looked up, eyes locking with yours. His face was etched with determination, all of his efforts going towards making you feel good. His cheeks were flushed pink, and his eyes contained something that you couldn’t quite place.

“Are you gonna cum for me, princess?” His voice was husky, gaze burning with desire.

“Yes, Rin, please don’t stop,” you breathed out between gasps.

He kept his pace consistent, hitting that sweet spot over and over and over again. Your nails were digging into his back, leaving tiny crescent-shaped indentations in his skin. The knot in your stomach was tightening, tightening, tightening—

“Rintarou!” you cried out as the second orgasm overtook you, breath catching in your chest. Your legs trembled under Suna’s hands as he kept fucking you through it, groaning as your pussy clenched around him.

He could feel himself getting closer. He slowed his pace, leaning over to press hard kisses into your neck as you came down from your high. When your breathing started to even out, his lips moved up over your jaw and to your mouth. You kissed him greedily, hands moving to entwine themselves in his hair.

“Where do you want me to cum?” he asked, voice slightly hoarse. He was still moving against you, cock pumping slowly in and out of your pussy.

“Ah… oh,” was all you could manage to squeak out.

“Hmm?” He nuzzled his nose against your neck, warm breath tickling your skin. “Where, baby?”

“Inside… I want you to cum inside me,” you whispered.

With a groan, Suna started thrusting into you harder again. The wetness between your legs was audible with each stroke of his cock, and the sound of it only made him come closer to the edge. The sensation against your clit was pushing you into overstimulation, tears springing up in the corners of your eyes from the sheer pleasure. You reached down with one hand to grasp at his thigh, nails digging into the muscles working to join him to you, desperately trying to pull him closer, closer.

“God, I’m so close…” he murmured, face held so near to yours that your noses bumped each time he pounded into you.

“Oh, you feel so good,” you moaned.

“Can you say my name, baby?” His voice was hardly above a whisper.

“Rin,” you sighed, and his hips snapped into you almost urgently. “Please cum, Rin, I want you to cum for me…”

He buried his face in your neck, groaning deeply as he came. “Fuck.” You could feel his cock throbbing inside you, hot cum spurting deep into your pussy.

He was still for a moment, breathing hard against your skin, before slowly pulling out and rolling over to lie beside you. You felt some of his cum drip out of you, blushing at the sensation. The two of you were silent for a while, your panting breaths the only sounds in the room.

“How was that?” Suna asked eventually, turning onto his side to face you. You suddenly found yourself unable to look at him, pressing your face instead into the crook of his neck and humming contentedly. He chuckled softly and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you closer to him. “I wasn’t too rough with you, was I?” he asked, an uncharacteristic note of concern in his voice.

“Not at all,” you told him. “I liked it.”

You fell silent again. With your body pressed up against his, you could feel the beat of his heart, slowly steadying from its rapid pace. His skin was so warm, and you didn’t even mind the slight sheen of sweat covering both your bodies. You took a breath, inhaling his scent; you couldn’t describe what he smelled like, you just knew that he smelled good.

You weren’t sure how much time had passed, but you must have been lying there for at least a quarter hour. You lifted your head to look at him and saw that his eyes were closed. Did he fall asleep?

“Rin?” you asked tentatively.

“Hmm?” His response was a low rumble in his chest; you could feel the vibrations against your palm. His eyes were still closed.

“Why were you nervous before?” You wriggled in his arms a bit, trying to get a better view of his face. “I mean, it wasn’t your first time.”

He opened his eyes, only to glance at you briefly before turning his head to look up at the ceiling. “It was my first time with you,” he mumbled, so soft you almost didn’t catch it.

With your hand still on his chest you could feel when his heart started beating faster. Peering at his face in the dark, you could have sworn you saw Suna Rintarou blush.

--

➣ masterlist

[infamous-light]

Chase The Night Away

Alcina Dimitrescu x Reader, Alcina's Daughters & Reader

Summary: Alcina had to be away for a single night but you didn't think it would affect you so negatively.

Suffering from a terrible nightmare, the daughters help comfort you throughout the night.

Word Count: 3.7K

AO3: Chase The Night Away

You curl up into a ball, bringing your knees closer to your chest as you nuzzle your face against the soft silken sheets held in your grip. It felt weird to sleep alone on such a large bed when Alcina wasn't here to rest beside you, holding you flush against her body. You always slept soundly in her strong arms. You felt safe and secure.

You realized that this is the first time you will be sleeping alone without her and quite frankly, you don't like it. You couldn't help but feel anxious. It reared its ugly head as small knots formed low in your stomach, twisting and churning about. You didn't think being alone in your shared bedchambers for a single night would cause you this much distress.

Yeah, this will be not be happening again. If Alcina has to ever leave for the night, you're going with her.

Earlier in the day, Alcina informed you that she would be away, just for the night, managing her wine business. You were surprised at first but you didn't think twice about it. You don't know the inner workings of it all but you have heard that a few of her business associates operate at odd hours of the day.

You stare out the window between the gap where the dark red colored drapes haven't entirely blocked the outside world from your view. Light rain patters against the cool glass, sliding down in rivulets, collecting on the window ledge. You're transfixed at the sight. You always liked watching the rain since it helped soothe your nerves.

Looking beyond the glass pane of the window, you could barely make out the few sparkling stars that attempt to shine their brightness through the dark clouds in the night sky. You wish you could see them more clearly. It would make for a beautiful night. Taking a deep breath, you slowly close your eyes as you listen to the continuous light tapping of the rain against the windowpane and the surrounding structure of the castle.

You pull the bed sheets further over yourself before you start to feel your mind slowly drifting away as you finally succumb to sleep, falling into a deep slumber.

***

You run as fast as your legs can take you. Long spindly branches from overreaching trees and large mangy bushes whip past you as you traverse the unknown territory. Your heart beats rapidly inside of your chest as you have no idea where you are going. You just needed to get somewhere safe.

And fast.

A cold chill suddenly shoots down your spine as you hear the loud growling surround you from all sides in the dense forest. Your breath comes out in short gasps, the muscles in your legs start to burn from how hard you have been pushing yourself. The hair on the back of your neck prickles, knowing that the monstrous creatures are quickly moving in on you.

A sharp snap from directly behind you causes you to cry out in terror. You don't look back, you just keep running forward. The vicious snarling moves ever closer, becoming more desperate and raring. Shadowy figures begin to emerge from their hiding spots, appearing from both sides of the forest and even up in the trees.

Their glowing yellow eyes shine brightly from within the darkness of the forest, drinking in your terrified state. You could see the hunger deep in their eyes as they continue to snap their jaws threateningly at you.

Tears start to well up in the corner of your eyes. You weren't sure if you were going to get out of this horrifying situation alive. It was just too dark. Everything was too damn dark!

You yelp as you trip over something. You slam roughly into the dirt, your breath quickly leaves your lungs. Without hesitating, you quickly scramble forward, trying to find something your hands can purchase on for protection.

The rustling of bushes and small twigs snapping sound deafening to your ears as thunderous stomps draw nearer to you. You swiftly glance up and your blood runs cold. You could see the silhouette of the monsters standing a few feet away from you now.

You flip yourself over onto your back and your eyes widen in fear as you realized that you were surrounded by lycans. They all howl in unison as they finally caught their prey. You lay there still as a statue, absolutely petrified.

One of them slowly creeps towards you, growling low in their throat, a blood-thirsty look in its eyes as it hovers over your prone form.

"N-no..." You whimpered, your body now trembling in fear.

It bares its long jagged teeth at you while raising its sharp claws, preparing to strike you. They all stand above you now and you begin to hyperventilate. It can't end like this.

They all lunge at you and you let out a blood-curdling scream.

***

You scream out in pure terror as you quickly shot up in bed, frantically scrambling to remove the bedcovers off of you, wanting to escape. You jump out of bed, running to the corner of the room, pressing your back against the wall while bracing your hand over your rapidly beating heart. You bunch the front of your shirt up in a tight grip as you try to get your breathing under control again. You blink a few times, slowly taking in your surroundings. You start to realize that you're not in a forest but back in the castle. You never left your shared bedchambers.

You could cry tears of happiness.

You almost jumped out of your skin from fear when the doors to your room suddenly slammed open, bouncing off of the wall quite loudly. Cassandra immediately entered while in her dark nightgown with her sickle in her right hand, ready to face any attacker.

She swiftly glanced over the room until her golden eyes landed on you. Her features morphed from fierce protectiveness to confusion.

"(Y/N)... are you ok?" Cassandra asked cautiously. She set her sickle aside gently, placing it on the drawer dresser, her gaze never once straying from you. You noticed how tense you still were. You must still look like a frightened little rabbit, cornered by a bunch of big hungry wolves.

You were about to answer until you heard the sound of loud buzzing quickly making its way over to you and Cassandra. You watch as Bela and Daniela appear out of the swarm, merging back into their whole form once more.

"What's going on?" Bela demanded as she entered the bedroom as well, looking over to Cassandra for answers.

"I'm not sure. I arrived shortly before you did." Cassandra shrugged, still staring at you intently.

Daniela peeked her head over Bela's shoulder, wanting to see what was going on. Once her eyes connected with yours, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Bela finally turned to look at you, her calculating golden eyes observing you from across the room.

She slowly made her way over to you, now standing a few feet away from you, her expression softening a little. "(Y/N), do you want to tell us what happened?" She asked gently, attempting to calm your nerves with her voice.

You didn't realize that your heart was still racing inside of your chest and that they all could probably hear it from a mile away. You finally release a long deep breath you weren't aware you've been holding in for this entire time.

You push yourself off of the wall, giving a slight nod as you answer Bela's question. "I-I just... I had a terrible nightmare. I never experienced anything so vivid before. I didn't even recognize where I was for a moment..." You trail off quietly, looking everywhere but at Bela.

Bela stared at you in silence for a moment before taking a step closer to you, resting her hand on your left shoulder, gently squeezing it. "Will you be ok?"

You nod feebly again. "I think so..."

"Let's get you back into bed." She placed her hand on your lower back, gently guiding you back over to your bed. You climbed back into bed as she slid the bedcovers over your body, tucking you in. "Are you sure you will be fine, little one?"

"Y-yeah..."

Bela doesn't look convinced but you know she won't push you for answers. "If you need anything, just call for any one of us, understood?" They were all prepared to leave but you felt an uncomfortable feeling wash over you.

"Wait!" You blurted out. They suddenly stopped in their tracks and they all turned to look at you, staring at you inquisitively. "I actually don't want to be alone right now..." You could feel yourself already blushing at what you were about to ask of them. "C-could you all stay with me for the night? Like, could we... um, all cuddle together in bed?"

Oh, this was embarrassing. Maybe you shouldn't have asked.

You couldn't help but cringe internally when all three sisters shared a silent look between each other.

"Oh... of course we can!" Bela sounded surprised, almost baffled. You could tell she was trying to act composed but she was failing to mask her shock. She turned back to face Cassandra and Daniela. Cassandra's eyebrows receded into her hairline, clearly surprised as well while Daniela tilted her head to the side in curiosity, but seemed excited at the prospect. "Right, sisters?"

Cassandra appeared to snap out of her stupor and smirked in response, her eyes shining in amusement as they landed on you once more. You awkwardly smile back at her and she snorted quietly to herself, finding you endearing in her own way. "We can absolutely cuddle with you."

Daniela squealed in delight. "Yes! We definitely can!" She immediately bounded over to your bedside, excitement rolling off of her in waves while her two sisters began to make their way over to you. You pulled back the bedcovers as they all climbed into your bed together.

You all attempt to huddle together, trying to find the most comfortable position to be in. Bela ends up in the center with you laying your head on her abdomen while your legs are entangled along with hers. Cassandra is on your right side, resting on the other side of Bela as her head is settled on the eldest sister's stomach as well, her face near yours. She grabbed one of your hands, intertwining your fingers with hers.

Daniela is pressed against your back, wrapping her arms around your waist, hugging you tightly in her embrace. They were cool to the touch but not unbearably so. You sigh contentedly as they all cuddle you, surrounding you from all sides. You let your mind drift off to a peaceful place with not a single worry in the world.

Your eyes slowly drift closed as Bela lightly combs her fingers through your hair.

Daniela hums, nuzzling her face in your neck. "So warm."

The redhead somehow managed to meld herself even closer to your body, subconsciously squeezing you around the waist even tighter until you let out a small squeak in protest.

"Daniela, you're holding them too tightly!" Bela lightly chastised.

"Sorry..." Daniela sheepishly said as she released her hold on you just enough where you could breathe in a little air again. You could hear Daniela mumbling to herself again, something about 'humans' and 'so warm'.

Cassandra rolled her eyes at her youngest sister before a mischievous smile spread across her face. She tightened her grip on your hand, purposefully tugging you closer to her. Daniela whined loudly in response.

"Stop pulling them away from me, Cassandra!"

Daniela swiftly pulled you away from Cassandra, huffing in exasperation while doing so. The brunette narrowed her eyes at Daniela, yanking you back closer to her. All you could do was let yourself be pulled back and forth between the two sisters, reminding you of your early childhood where you use to play tug-of-war with your friends. Except, you're the rope in this situation. You felt like a rag doll that was about to be torn to pieces between two children who didn't know how to share.

You could hear Bela mutter something under her breath before raising her voice. "Alright, you two! That's enough!"

"Cassandra started it." Daniela scoffed, pulling you back into her. You could feel her glowering stare pierce through you, landing onto Cassandra.

Cassandra cackled, amusement dancing vividly across her gold irises, clearly enjoying antagonizing her youngest sister. You stare off into the distance, left dumbfounded by the whole ordeal. You wondered if you should say something or not but decided not to, letting the girls maneuver you around until they found their comfortable position with you once more.

Bela returned back to running her fingers through your hair, chuckling lightly to herself. "Forgive my sisters' behavior, they can be a handful at times."

You tried not to laugh at that, thinking back on past experiences involving both Cassandra and Daniela. They definitely can be a handful.

Yeah, I'm all too aware of that...

"We're right here, Bela..." Cassandra glanced towards her eldest sister, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Uh... it's fine, really." You laughed awkwardly, unsure of what to say in response. It wasn't a big deal to you. You're just happy that you're not alone while Alcina had to be away for the night.

"Do you mind telling us what happened in your nightmare?" Daniela asked softly, changing the topic. You were pulled out of your thoughts at Daniela's question and you hesitated to answer, biting your lower lip in anxiety. You're worried that they may find your reaction to your nightmare stupid to begin with but you decided to answer.

"I-I was being chased by a bunch of lycans throughout a forest. I didn't make it in the end..." You swallowed thickly, quickly glancing downwards, prepared to hear them laugh at the brief retelling of your nightmare.

Cassandra scoffs. "Those foul disgusting creatures wouldn't stand a chance against us. They won't come close to you with us nearby." She gave your hand an extra squeeze, reassuring you that you are safe here.

You could feel Daniela's eager nod against the back of your head. "We'll keep you safe! We won't let any harm come to you!"

"I'm in agreement with my sisters. Those stench rotting beasts won't dare come near Mother's territory. You have nothing to fear, little one. We'll protect you." Bela stated as she continued to play with your hair.

A huge smile broke out across your face at each of the girls' responses. "Thank you so much for doing this for me." You said. They all spoke out at once, assuring you that they were happy to be of help and that they enjoyed cuddling you. You let yourself soak in their affections for you before silence filled the room again.

Bela stopped running her fingers through your hair to instead press your head firmly against her abdomen, letting her hand rest atop your head. Cassandra pulled your hand closer to her chest, enveloping it in both of her hands, relishing in the body heat that you give off.

Daniela managed to quiet down, her soft breathing brushing against the back of your neck.

To your surprise, Bela began to lightly hum a tune. You didn't recognize it but you liked it all the same. You let out a deep sigh. It felt soothing to be in each of their presence, being held securely in their grasp. Your anxiety and fears from earlier faded away into peacefulness.

You felt your hand being raised and you opened your eyes slightly to see that Cassandra has your hand nestled underneath her chin, a serene look on her face.

It was nice to see Cassandra's usually self-satisfied expression now replaced by a soft sleepy look and you secretly found it adorable. You wouldn't dare tell her though, knowing that she may decide to terrorize you- not in a harmful way- until the rest of your days.

Daniela was mumbling under her breath as she lightly dug her nails into your shirt. It seems that she already drifted off to sleep. You smiled to yourself, happy that Daniela already fell asleep by your side.

Bela continued humming her tune and you close your eyes once more, letting her slowly lull you to sleep.

***

Alcina returned early in the morning, shortly before the sun was to rise over the horizon. She released a long ragged sigh as she was finally happy to be back home after a long grueling night traveling to and fro between different business associates.

She slowly stretched the muscles in her neck, tilting her head side to side, attempting to ease the knots that formed across her shoulders from sitting in the carriage for too long.

After a minute of loosening all her muscles, she began to make her way to you, taking the staircase in the foyer, and walking down the many different hallways in the castle. She was looking forward to snuggling you now that she's back.

She stopped in front of the bedroom door, grabbed the handle, and slowly pushed the door open as to not wake you. She didn't have to bend and duck through the doorway as she usually does since she had the opening rebuilt for her height.

Her back thanked her for it. Eventually, she'll get the other doorways repurposed for the same exact reason.

She stepped into the room and paused at the sight before her. Her pleasant expression turned to shock.

She was in slight awe at seeing you cuddling her daughters in the bed you two shared with you laying partially on top of Bela as Cassandra and Daniela sandwiched you in on both sides. She never thought she would witness such a thing but her heart quickly warmed at the sight, a small smile appearing on her face as she quietly walked over to the bedside.

Though, that begs the question. Why were you and her daughters cuddling in the first place? What did she miss while she was away?

Daniela roused slightly in place, slowly blinking her eyes while sleepily mumbling. "Mother...?"

"Shh... go back to sleep, darling." She leaned over to brush her hand down Daniela's head, soothing her back to sleep. She lightly ran her hand down yours and each of her daughter's heads before soundlessly leaving the room to allow you all to get some further rest.

***

You awoke with a beaming smile on your face as the girls still surrounded you in bed. They haven't left your side for a single moment and you were grateful for that. Thankfully, the nightmare you had never returned during the night. They all started to slowly wake up at the same time you did.

"How did you sleep?" Bela asked you groggily, rubbing lazy circles on your shoulder.

"I slept great actually. Thank you all again for doing this for me." You slowly sat up, smiling shyly at each of them.

"I'd be happy to do it again!" Daniela hugged you tightly one last time before climbing out of bed, tidying up her nightgown. She was full of energy it seems.

Cassandra gave you a small smile as she brushed some hair strands out of your face. "You're very welcome, little one."

Bela hummed in agreement. "We're happy that we could be here for you."

After lazing about for a few more minutes, you all got yourselves ready to start the day.

***

You found yourself humming the same tune Bela did last night as you make your way to Alcina's study. You rapped your knuckles on the door a few times before hearing Alcina loudly say 'enter'. You pushed the door open and peeked your head inside, smiling once your eyes landed on Alcina sitting at her desk, sorting through a variety of documents.

She turned to look at you and she smiled brightly once you entered fully, closing the door behind you. You quickly ran over to her and hopped in her lap to wrap your arms around her neck, giving her a tight hug.

She chuckled at your overly excited state. "I take it you missed me?"

You pull back to look her in the face, rolling your eyes playfully. "No, I'm not. Why are you even here?" You laughed as she lightly smacked your arm.

"Watch that mouth of yours, dear." She playfully glared at you before smiling again and pulling you in for a much tighter hug.

"So, how was your night?" You ask.

"Oh, it was dull and uninteresting. Believe me, dear, the details would put you right back to sleep. Though, not much has changed logistics-wise." She trailed off as she stared out the window before looking at you once more, raising a single eyebrow in curiosity. "It appears you've had an eventful night. I wasn't expecting the girls to be asleep in our bed when I walked in this morning."

You quickly darted your eyes away from Alcina's face, furrowing your eyebrows when images of your nightmare flashed in your mind. You tried to formulate a response before Alcina responded again, her voice laced with concern.

"What wrong, darling?"

You shake your head slightly at yourself, realizing how silly this may sound to Alcina. You know the girls responded without judgment but you still felt nervous telling Alcina some things. "Ah... it was nothing serious. I just had a nightmare. That's all." You shyly glance down towards the floor, afraid to see how Alcina may respond to that.

You feel a cool gloved hand cup the side of your face, slowly dragging your gaze away from the floor, forcing you to look into her worried golden eyes. "It was not nothing if you required the presence of the girls to comfort you. You know that I would never dismiss anything you tell me. I do care about you, darling. Very much so."

"I care about you a lot too..."

Alcina found herself smiling softly at the thought of her daughters comforting you when you clearly needed it while, unfortunately, she wasn't there to provide that comfort directly herself. "I must say, it was an adorable sight to behold. They truly have come a long way when it comes to you. They warmed up to you greatly."

You tuck your head under her chin, closing your eyes as you nuzzle your face against her neck. "And I couldn't be any happier with that."

[fundy-simp]

Fundy/GN!Reader - When You’re Ready [1797 words]

Spicy with some fluff! You and Fundy get a little heated and he suggests a game of chicken to help you feel more comfortable. Which if I’m honest this was just me accidentally writing a healthy use of safe words where the safe word is chicken, which is way too funny to me. 

this is spicy, not full nsfw but definitely suggestive and T rated! if you find that uncomfortable in anyway please, I strongly suggest you just scroll past :) if you press read more its no longer my fault that you saw it these wont be common but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless

Fundy held you close while you both slowly danced around his room, it was silly but exactly what you expected from him. His neck was craned down so his face rested in the crook of your neck. It was getting late, the night calling for the end of your date but the grip he had on your hips told you he didn't want you to leave and you definitely weren't going to argue. It was odd, the dance started innocent, mostly an excuse to hold each other close but then something changed.

You couldn't tell if you were just looking too much into it, or if you were the one making it more heated than it was. But you couldn't stop your mind from realizing how warm his breath felt on your neck, or how one of his hands rested on your lower back now instead of your hip. It made your ears burn, you breath caught in your throat when you swore you could feel Fundy's lips lightly graze your neck. The slight touch brought a shiver to your spine that you know he felt.

Letting out a low chuckle, Fundy kissed your neck that time, his lips were soft against your skin but the contact felt like an electric shock. Instinctively you pushed him away, face bright red and breathing slightly heavy. He just went with the push, pulling his hands away from you and clearly in your line of sight, "Too far?" he asked quietly, you could see the slightest tremble in his hands.

You shook your head, much harder than you meant to, making yourself slightly dizzy, "I- No! No no no! It's not that! I just- I. Give me a moment, please." you struggled to find words while he looked at you with soft eyes, his face was flushed with a soft smile on his lips. After a few deep breaths you started to speak again, "It's not that I don't want to, its just. I... I'm scared?" you stuttered out, you frankly weren't good with kind of stuff at all.

Nodding, he carefully reached for your hands, holding one in each hand as he gave you a concerned look "Scared of what?" he asked, rubbing on the back of one of your hands with his thumb.

You shrug, "I-I don't know how to explain it...?" you started, you felt so dumb for having such a weird relationship with these kind of situations, "I'm. I'm just scared I'm gonna freeze up and not say something when it gets too far..." you say quietly before laughing meekly, "God that sounds so stupid when I say it out loud." you say basically shrinking into yourself with every word.

Fundy didn't allow that though, softly and carefully he pulled you into a hug, "We don't have to do anything if you don't want to, love." he said, placing a soft kiss on your forehead.

"I want to though! Fundy I. I trust you so much, I just don't want to... Get your hopes up, I guess?" you say, being muffled by his shirt as you shoved your face into it.

He let out a soft giggle, "Trust me, anything we do will be enough till you're ready." his voice was soft and so full of love it made your heart melt. "Here, actually! I have an idea, how about a game of chicken?" he asked, pulling away from you enough to look at your face.

You couldn't help but laugh a little at the idea, but it honestly felt like the perfect idea. "Sounds perfect actually." you reply softly.

He smiled, his sparkling with a hint of pride before he spoke, "Okay it'll be simple, at the start of every new action I'll look to you. If you nod I'll continue, if you shake your head I'll stop that action, and if you say chicken we stop everything entirely. Sound good?" he asked.

You nodded while he led you to his bed and had you sit down. Softly he cupped your face, connecting your lips into a sweet kiss, waiting before moving to deepening it. His tongue slid across your bottom lip, a silent question that you immediately complied too. The kiss started slow at first, both from inexperience and hesitation before Fundy softly pushed you down to lay on the bed.

Quickly you two had to part, both breathing heavily while he moved pulling your legs up and around his hips. Both of your faces were flushed a deep red as he leaned down and connected your lips in a feverish and desperate kiss. His teeth bonking lightly on yours making you both giggle a little before continuing. While that happened he carefully brought his hands down to the hem of your shirt, pulling away from you, he looked at you with lidded eyes as his cold fingers grazed the bare skin of your hips.

Suppressing a shiver you nodded and slowly he pulled your shirt off, sitting back and appreciating your body for a moment. You brought one of your arms up to your face, trying and mostly failing to hide your embarrassment. Softly he started to graze his hands over your torso, "God. Y/n you're so beautiful," he said quietly, almost to himself, "everything about you is perfect." he bent down, placing a soft kiss on your neck waiting a few seconds for your response. You nodded, you felt like you'd melt under every touch he made.

Quickly he started to place more kisses, slowly they got more aggressive. When he started to place hickeys on your neck you moved your arms to his shoulders and pushed him up. Like before he went with the push, you looked at him for a second before shaking your head. Even though they felt like heaven you did not want to have to explain hickeys to anyone.

Fundy's eyes soften as he nods, "Of course, kit." he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on your lips before moving to your jaw. He placed several kisses, lightly nibbling at the skin even, making you gasp before moving to your neck again, this time kissing the other side from last time. Slowly he started to grind his hips on yours, sitting up for your reaction, eagerly you nodded as you motioned for him to lean back down.

Happily he complied and as he leaned down to place kisses on your chest, one hand rested on your hip while the other rested by your head, carefully supporting his body weight. You ran your hand through his hair lightly tugging on it, making his hips jerk as he let out a stifled moan. "Fu-fuck, y/n-" he grunted, focusing more on his hip movements now than kissing you, resting his face in the crook of your neck. One hand still in his hair, you took this chance to return the neck kisses. They were mostly innocent, but when you nibbled on the crook of his neck you felt his hips jerk again a gasp escaping his lips, "Y/n, bite me." he said, his voice was low and breathy as he struggled to keep his moans in.

Immediately you do so, pulling him a little closer before biting down on his neck, the moan that left his throat was like music to your ears. The hand on your hip tightened, which made a knot grow in your stomach as you softly licked the mark you just made. Feverishly he moved his hand to the hem of your pants, looking up at you with big eyes. Your breath caught in your throat, eyes wide as the words basically jumped out of you, "Chick-Chicken! I mean- I-" you stuttered out.

Fundy sat up away from you faster than you've ever seen him move, his chest heaving heavily as he spoke, “Shit- Fuck, I-” he stopped for a few seconds, "Are you okay? I didn't do something wrong did I?" he said quickly, you could see the gears turn in head as he tried to figure out where he could have messed up.

"No! No, you didn't! I'm just-" you pulled your hands away from him, hiding your face in them, "I- I'm not ready for, for uh... You know what I'm getting at." you were sure you were going to melt now, both from the heat of Fundy's touches and your own embarrassment.

Smiling, he learned down, slow enough that if you wanted you could stop him but you didn't. He grabbed your wrists and lightly tugged your hands away from your face before softly kissing you, it was sweet and short before he pulled away "Don't worry, I get it. We can stop now if that's what you want."

You took a deep breath, hesitantly nodding, "I'm sorry, I just- I'm not. I'm so sor-" he leaned in and kissed you again, effectively silencing you.

"Babe. It's okay, I promise. My own body is my own problem, as long as you're comfortable I don't care." he insisted as he sat up from you, you gave him a confused look and he just waved a hand at you.

Sitting up you moved and flopped down on the pillows at the head of the bed. You're heart pounded in your ears as you thought about what just happened in the last... actually you're not sure how long that was but you know for sure it'll be in your dreams forever. The feeling of cloth hitting your face knocked you out of your thoughts, when you moved to look at it, you realized Fundy tossed you one of his hoodies.

He flopped into bed next to you as you put it on, his most recent blue merch hoodie, still as soft as the day it came in. "Come here, we're gonna cuddle and sleep." he lightheartedly demanded, his arms open an open invitation.

You crawled into his arms with a light yawn and snuggled into his chest. A light laugh left you when you realized you can feel his hard on, "Seems like you weren't ready to stop." you say, mostly just to tease him.

"Sh-Shut up! Like I said earlier! My body, my problem. Just, go to bed." He huffed, you could basically feel the blush on his face.

A giggle bubbled out of your chest, a smile resting on your lips as you leaned back and placed a kiss on his jawline, “Thank you, love, for everything. It really means a lot.” You said softly, “I love you so much.”

Fundy snuggled into you, placing a kiss on your forehead, “Of course, I love you too.” he said as he started to run his hands through your hair, massaging your scalp as you slowly started to drift to sleep.

[babykatsu]

PAIRING: katsuki bakugou x gn!reader

RATING: nsfw

WARNINGS: jealous bakugou, sexual implications (no full on smut), kinda fluff?, strong language, aged-up of course

REQUEST: @anniebromberg tysmm for requesting<3 here’s a lil jealous bakugou fic!! it was really fun to finally write again. i really hope u like it <3 🤲🏻

WORDCOUNT: 1.6k

SYNPOSIS:

Katsuki, your boyfriend, made sure EVERYONE knew that you were his. Well, for the most part at least. He was not one for PDA since he still liked his privacy. You know, some things are better left just for the two of you to enjoy behind the scenes. But this habit of his led to something else... So when you were both out for a short coffee date that you had somehow managed to arrange amidst your busy schedules, Katsuki was beyond fuming to see an extra trying to flirt with you.

The smell of roasted coffee beans filled your nose as your boyfriend gently opened the door to the cafe you frequented. The rich bitter fragrance, with a hint of its inviting warmth, filled the atmosphere. It made your mouth water and yearn for that creamy, smooth drink. The subtle chatter of the customers, the clinking of cups, and other cutlery gently grazed your hearing. Nostalgic. That was the best way to put how you felt right now. It took you back to your first date with Katsuki, and though he will never admit it, this exact coffee shop is his favorite date spot. The subtle way his hand slipped out from yours as you two approached the counter interrupted your train of thought.

"Katsuki?" You questioned.

"I'll be back. I need to go to the toilet real quick. Don't order without me, okay?"

"Of course!"

With that, he shuffled his way through a couple of people before disappearing out of your vision. Awkwardly, you made your way off to the side elsewhere. In your little corner of the shop, you eyed people regularly coming in and out of the cafe. Admittedly, aimlessly standing there observing people was a tad bit uncomfortable and honestly creepy, but you knew Katsuki wouldn't take long. Well, you hoped so, at least.

Your solitude, however, did not last long. It took barely a couple of minutes before one of the people who had entered the establishment locked their eyes with yours. Not only did they maintain their gaze on you, but they even began making their way to you. In embarrassment, you glanced off to the side, eyes glued to where you last saw Katsuki go, awaiting to see his familiar face in the masses. To your disappointment, he wasn't there. And now this stranger was right next to you.

"waiting for your order, sweetheart?" A scratchy husk voice questioned, nudging their shoulder to yours almost in a joking manner. You didn't take lightly to the friendly gesture, feeling somewhat violated by the invasion of personal space.

"I haven't ordered yet" You smiled briskly, finally facing the person beside you. Your response only acted as an open invitation for this complete randomer to get even closer, their hand slithering around your waist.

"How about I buy you a drink, darling? How does that sound?" Though you tried to budge, it felt as though it only made the stranger cling to you tighter. 

As your heart drummed against your chest, you pleaded for Katsuki to get back soon. And to your delight, you heard his familiar voice as he obnoxiously cleared his throat.

The man's seemingly tight grasp on you loosened, taking a few steps back from you as he glanced back at your boyfriend.

"You with them?" The stranger asked, seemingly anxious. It didn't take long until Katsuki interlocked his fingers with yours, palms sweaty and his grip firm.

"The fuck do you think, dumbass?"

You knew Bakugou wanted to raise his voice, but you saw his restraint.  He was clenching his jaw as he spoke through gritted teeth. And worst of all, you could see the hazy distress in his eyes as he stared down at the man in front of him. Perhaps he was holding back to save you the humiliation of causing a stir in your favorite cafe, or maybe this was his breaking point. You never really knew what went through Katsuki's head, but the defeat you sensed come from him had you worried.

"Stop just looking at me and fuck off already." Katsuki spat out before dragging you out of the coffee shop.

Oddly enough, you'd think him aggressively yelling would depict his frustration more. Only, in this case, his silence was deafening. He marched around Tokyo's streets as you delayed behind him, his hand refusing to let go of yours

"Katsuki! Hold on!" You just barely let out. "We are going home." He spoke bluntly. "Do you not have to be back to work in 20 minutes?" With a frustrated sigh escaping his parted lips, he came to a halt.

"Then can we hurry up and get home, y/n?" Facing you, he spoke in a beaten tone.

He squeezed your hand tighter in reassurance before resuming his stride, only this time walking at a more manageable pace for you to keep up.

"You know I hate it when those extras try and talk to you. It's my fault for leaving you alone." He avoided eye contact as he stared up ahead, his car coming into view.

"And I know it's not your fault that dumbasses like that approach you but it still frustrates me, you know. Like, at least if you're with me, the bare minimum I could do is make sure those jerks know their place."

You always knew he was protective over you, usually never hesitating to bark out at those who tried to approach you, yet this time was different. This time felt like he was fed up beyond recognition. A random stranger flirting with you interrupted the date you two had managed to arrange after weeks of not having any alone time.

"Please don't stress yourself over that, baby! I promise you don't have to worry. I don't want anyone but you." You reassured, encircling yourself around his arm. Pulling out his car keys, you heard the familiar chime of his car unlocking.

"I know. It's still gonna annoy me nonetheless, though. How fucking hard is it for them to understand that you're mine and not theirs?"

Swiftly, he lowered you into the car seat as you unhooked yourself from his arm. You waited as he rounded the car, taking his seat next to you. Dropping his head back, he let out another frustrated sigh.

You didn’t know how exactly to break this tension that was between you two. You clasped his hand before saying the only thing that you knew that Katsuki could never turn down.

"Then make sure they know I'm yours." you challenged with a slight grin on your face.

He raised a brow at you, doubtingly but regardless, you could see him try and contain the smile that was growing in his face.

"Do you really want to challenge me to that?" His face lit up as he tilted it towards you.

"You have 15 minutes before you have to be back at work. Do your best-" But before you could fully complete your sentence, his lips had already fallen on yours. This wasn’t exactly the way you expected him to accept your challenge. But how could you deny him?

"I'll make sure everyone knows who you fucking belong to, darling." His breath trickled down your neck as he nibbled at your ear, causing goosebumps to dance down your skin. Butterflies swarmed your stomach as you began to feel excited for what he would do next.

His silky lips glided against every inch of  exposed skin and his hands didn't hesitate to caress everything his lips couldn't reach.  Lightly, he raised his head once more, his darkened crimson eyes peering at you with his signature stare. Gaze dipping lower down your face, he studied your lips, glazed in his previous embrace.

His plump mouth reconnected with yours, gently melting against you. The taste of caramel dripping from his tongue as it swiped your bottom lip. You savored every taste of him, granting him access. Delicate yet rough, he readily explored your mouth. Whirling his tongue around yours, before pulling away to tug at your lip. From gently pecks, to deep french kisses, he kept you guessing every time he leaned back in. And he continued to devour you, breathlessly pressing further into you as he only ventured you further. His hands crawling up your shirt, kneading your waist as he drove his chest towards yours. There was no space left between you two. The thrashing of his heart more noticeable than ever, you felt the adrenaline that ran around his body similarly to your own. Breathless, he parted from you. His cheeks scattered in a pink shimmer as his chest rose up and down as he panted for air.

"Hope on" He motioned to his lap.

And you did just that, throwing one leg over and repositioning yourself to rest above him.

His hands resumed their adventure, leisurely inching up your thighs as his thumbs rubbed in circles. Higher and higher Katsuki's hands reached, and you grew more feverish by the moment. Eyes fluttering to his lips and next down his body, you felt the pit of your stomach lust in anticipation and nervousness.

"Don't tease me now! You know we don't have time" You whined, rocking yourself against him before leaning in to meet his lips. But, he yanked away.

"Say please" He tipped his head, a taunting grin plastered across his face. You couldn't help but feel yourself get warm at his words, a drop of embarrassment streaming through you.

"P-please" You somewhat stammered, but Bakugou adhered to his word, cupping your face and drawing you back towards himself.

His hands slipped up your back, chilly fingers hovering just above your skin as they traced up and down the ridges of your spine. But these more satiny touches soon turned desperate once more. You were met by the clawing of his nails against your back. Down, his lips crept to your neck where he resumed his caresses. Gentle squirms and cries hung from your lips as you felt every lick his cushiony tongue made, every moment his teeth immersed into your skin, and every kiss he settled thereafter. There was no doubt he had left marks and it excited your body all over as you heaved for air. Tugging yourself to him, he bucked his hips up causing a groan to leave him, his breath lingering softly as it cascaded across the back of your neck. The feeling of his hardened cock leaving you craving for more.

But before you continue your endeavor, the sound of an alarm broke you from one another. Bakugou reached for his phone before being greeted with the message he wanted to see the least right now.

'work starts in 3 minutes'

This only meant you'd have to continue what you two had started after work, which only riled you two on more.

“I’ll finish you off at home. Got it?”

[cafedanslanuit]

[ k i n k t o b e r ]  d a y   7    -   masterlist

↪ character: kageyama tobio [haikyuu]

↪ tags/warnings: +18, female!reader, thigh riding, dry humping, virgin!kageyama

↪ a/n: this turned out so sweet <3 i love kags.

You knew it was going to end up soon as the kisses got more and more heated. And it wasn’t like you had a problem with it-- everyone had their time and you understood it wasn’t Kageyama’s time right now. Last time as soon as you had taken his hands and put them on your ass while wearing a short skirt, he had pushed you away, deeply flustered and asked for some time to breathe. You had assured him it was okay, but as soon as you had returned to your house, you had locked yourself in your bedroom with your vibrator and a new set of batteries.

The love you felt for that boy was stronger than anything you had ever felt before. That was why it was so hard not to lose composure when his warm tongue was inside your mouth and his hands were holding your waist. You had invited him to your place to watch some movies and a few minutes after the credits you had started making out, the heat getting more and more intense with every minute that went by. You wanted nothing more than to have your way with him, but you also understood that even though both of you were nineteen, your experience in that area was heavily different and you had set your mind to respect that.

This time, you had shifted half your body on top of him while you were both sitting on the couch. It wasn’t really comfortable, at least not for you, but it was nice to feel his body closer than you had before.

Out of the blue, he bit your bottom lip and you gasped. He quickly apologized but you interrupted him, assuring him it was more than okay. The bite had sent a bolt of pleasure right between your thighs and you hadn’t been able to stop yourself from rubbing one of your legs against him.

“Can we…?” he asked and you closed your eyes, knowing what his question meant.

You nodded and moved your body back to your previous position. You tried to regain your breath and think about anything else but the hardness you thought you felt on your boyfriend’s crotch. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, turning his head to you.

“No, no, it’s okay,” you said, leaning over and leaving a kiss on his cheek. “I’m okay with going slow, don’t worry about that.”

“Are you sure? Because the muscles on your legs keep tensing up,” he mentioned and you looked down at your exposed thighs due to your summer dress. They were in fact trembling the slightest bit.

“Well, that kind of happens when you’re really turned on,” you joked, rubbing your thighs with your hands, trying to soothe them. “But it’s seriously fine.”

“I guess I still don’t want to take my clothes off,” he muttered, shifting on his seat uncomfortably. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not.”

“It is,” he said, rolling his eyes. “It’s so frustrating I can’t-- I want to make you feel good-- But it’s not like there’s anything you can do with clothes on.”

A wild thought crossed your head, making you smile.

“Actually…”

Kageyama looked at you, eyebrows still furrowed in frustration.

“Okay, let me know if this is too much,” you said, and kneeled on both sides of his right thigh. Your panties were directly against your boyfriend’s bare thigh and you thanked he decided to wear gym shorts that day.

In any other case, you would have been embarrassed by the sigh that left your mouth as soon as your crotch made contact with his skin. You started rubbing on him softly, your body immediately reacting to the long-awaited friction. Licking your lips, you looked up at Kageyama trying to gauge his reactions, but he only looked at you wide-eyed, a deep blush on his cheeks.

“Does this make you feel good?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you breathed out.

Your lips were parted and you wished you were a bit less evident of how much pleasure you were under just by feeling his thigh between your legs. Feeling how toned it was and your boyfriend’s innocent face looking at you only made it better. You kept rocking your hips on him, and ran your fingers through your hair, your breathing heavy as you pleasured yourself.

A certain move of your hips made you moan under your breath, your hand immediately coming to cover your mouth. The last thing you wanted was to scare him out, but you had never felt so close to an orgasm just by riding a man’s thigh before.

Suddenly, Kageyama’s hands set on top of your bare thighs. The action had your head spinning. His expression was the most adorable thing you had ever seen, determination and nervousness both combined in his handsome face.

“Do you wanna try?” you said without thinking. He looked from your thighs to you, confused.

“Sit on your thigh?”

“No, no,” you chuckled, your hips moving a bit slower. “Me moving like this closer to you. I want you to feel good too. But, it’s just an idea. It’s just-- I think you’ll like it? Sorry, I can’t make much sense right now,” you chuckled, you hips still looking for friction against his leg.

Kageyama sat in silence for a few moments, his hands still on your thighs. He looked up to you again, the determination and seriousness in his eyes dangerously similar to the ones you had seen on the court.

“How do we do that?” he asked. You smiled and carefully removed yourself from your thigh, moving to straddle him on the couch. You thanked you had the place for yourselves and you had all the time to spare.

As soon as your crotch made contacts with his, even between a couple of layers of clothing, made you let out another moan. He was indeed a bit hard, and the twitching motion that his cock made when you sat on him almost made you lose it. You started rocking your hips against his again, and you saw his serious face quickly turning into a mess. He grabbed fistfuls of your dress and pressed his forehead against your shoulder. You immediately stopped.

“Baby, are you okay? Should we stop?” you asked. Kageyama quickly shook his head.

“Keep going,” he muttered, his voice a little shaky. You smiled, loving to know how much pleasure he was under as well.

Your hips resumed its pace, while your arms were around his neck. Kageyama’s heavy breaths against your collarbone only riled you further. His hands were still tightly around the fabric of your dress, getting harder with every move your hips made.

“Fuck, Tobio…,” you moaned, your fingernails scratching softly the back of his head. You had really wanted to make this last as long as you could, but your whole head felt cloudy. As if they had their own mind, your hips started moving erratically, seeking for more.

Kageyama looked lavishly innocent burying his face on your shoulder as he held onto you for dear life. You felt a vibration against your skin and moved your head closer to him, trying to understand if he was trying to say something to you. It didn’t take long for you to figure out he was grunting in pleasure.

That alone was enough to send you over your edge, covering your mouth again to muffle the sounds that left your lips. You had done this before, but had never came so hard just by dry humping before. Your hips finally rested and you tried to regain your breath while rubbing your boyfriend’s shoulders tenderly.

It took you out of the blue when you felt him tugging on your dress harshly, his head still against your collarbone. You tried to pull away to look at his face, but he tightened his told on your clothes.

“Keep going, just-- keep doing that,” he muttered, his ears turning red at the desperation he noticed in his own voice.

Biting your lip, you started moving again, loving how desperate he sounded. You assumed he was close to his release as well and kept moving your hips the very best way you could, trying to bring him pleasure. This time, you focused on caressing his toned arms, his shoulders and the back of his neck.

“I love you so much,” you whispered against his ear. “You’re so beautiful, Tobio. You make me feel so, so, so good.”

The way his hips instinctively thrusted upwards harshly and his contained moan let you know he had reached his orgasm as well. His shoulders were trembling, the feeling of his first orgasm accompanied by someone else wreaking havoc on his entire body. Your hips moved softly, just enough to let him ride it out and stopped a few moments afterward.

With care, you pulled him away from you, trying to see his face. As expected, it was entirely red, his dilated pupils a tell-tale of the pleasure he had just been it. You held his face on your hands and pressed a kiss on both of his cheeks, to then kiss his lips as softly as you could.

“Did you like it?” you asked softly. Kageyama nodded, eliciting a smile from you. “I liked it too. We should go clean up, though,” you mentioned, knowing both of you had made a mess. “I have a pair of shorts that should fit you,” you said, grazing his cheek with your thumb.

“Can we stay for a moment?” he asked, his eyes not meeting yours. Your smile grew wider.

“I’d love that,” you nodded, and leaned over his body to rest your head against his shoulder. You took a deep breath, the scent of your boyfriend immediately filling your heart with peace.

Of course you could stay like that for a moment. If he asked to, you would stay forever by his side.

[anika-ann]

In the Strangest Place (We Just Might Find Love) - Pt.1

Type: two-shot, pretty much canon

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader     Word count: 3700

Summary: You’re hiding from your boss in a supply closet, minding your own business, when a stranger joins you unexpectedly. 

This is not a beginning of a steamy story; given the reason you’re hanging out in the dark, even a make-out session is honestly the last thing you want to fantasize about right now.

But that doesn’t mean that the nice stranger cannot make your day much better. 

Warnings: mention of sexual harassment, a bit of angst, attempt at humour, language

You were on the verge of screaming – or crying, you honestly weren't sure anymore. But you knew you were done. You had worked your fingers to a bone just to get here; to become a little bee in the most famous hive in Manhattan. Stark Industries. The Stark/Avengers Tower. The beacon of the New York skyline. The dream coming true.

Yeah, not so much.

You hadn't expected super-important assignments – after all, you were just an assistant to the head of one of too many departments – but God, you had not expected to be handling coffee so often. To be running ridiculous errands. Your degree from MIT should actually mean something here! If nothing else than that you were not just some pretty face and that you fucking didn’t deserve the treatment you were receiving.

And that was the root of trouble, really. You could handle making your way up, it would be tiring but not surprising, it was pretty much what you had assigned for.

But you had not assigned for the sexist comments, disgusting innuendo and for the grabby hands of your sleazy boss. Thomas Gregory was a fucking nightmare of a man and you swore that you were quitting if he called you a ‘Dollface’ or slapped your ass one more time.

And that was how you had got here, into this very moment; hiding in a dark supply closet like a creep with two cups of overpriced coffee in a cup holder and a piece of organic carob-nut muffin.

You weren't about to come out any time soon, because you simply knew your boss still would be a pig and give you yet another reason to hand in your notice and you had fucking wanted this job for so long, worked for it so hard and sacrificed too much that you just couldn't make yourself to quit no matter how much your skin cringed and your stomach rolled over every time Thomas Gregory touched you. It was so frustrating you wanted to scream.

Or cry, you still couldn't solve the dilemma. Maybe both.

You barely registered the hurried footsteps – and then the door was yanked open, you glimpsed a tall blond male figure and suddenly there was dark again. Except there was one more body in the very limited room of the closet, making you press your back onto the shelf.

Something rattled with your movement and the newcomer hissed a barely audible ‘Be quiet’ as two columns of muscles that were probably his arms framed your head leaning onto the very same shelf, so you could both fit in here.

The little order leaving his lips broke the last seal inside you. You were tired, frustrated and were receiving enough humiliation as it was, you did not need some random guy invading your hideout, barking orders.

“Look, mister, if you have any problem with me trying to make a little space for you in this tiny-ass closet, I recommend you to-”  

“Shh!” he hushed you and you thought you had never heard someone whisper so urgently; at least it sounded less bossy than before. It did not mollify you though, because this guy actually had enough impudence to-

“Don't you dare to shush me-!”

A hand went to cover your mouth and you let out an exasperated mumble of curses, while his voice continued.

“Please, just— I'm sorry, please, don't make a sound, my friend is trying to set me up and-”

Your eyes went wide and he suddenly fell silent. Before you could question his methods of shutting you up, his exclaim or the pause, and ask him to be so kind to find another closet, another male voice sounded somewhere behind the door.

“Come on, Steeeve. Man, don't be such a prude. Lillian is a great chic, okay?”

The man – the friend, you assumed – seemed annoyed and you couldn't believe that Steve had not been kidding you. He was actually hiding for the very reason he had offered you. You nodded as you heard the stranger behind the door move and the hand covering your mouth hesitantly disappeared.

“It's just a lip piercing, don't be such a tight-ass. It can actually be quite fun, you wouldn't believe what a girl can do with such thing…”

“Gross,” you commented soundlessly and you could feel your companion’s eyes burning a hole into your head in silent agreement.

“Goddammit, Steve!”

The voice and the footsteps slowly disappeared in the distance and you… you were face to face with a stranger named Steve in a limited space of a dark supply closet, his breath tickling your scalp, his cologne very much assaulting your nose; at least it was a pleasant assault.

“I'm sorry for being so rude. And thank you,” his voice caressed your hairline gently and hearing his suddenly polite tone and evaluating this whole situation, you could barely hold back a giggle all of sudden.

“You're welcome, Steve. How long has this been going on?”

“Two days-” That didn't sound too bad, he could probably take a lot more- “-at this level. With Lillian. It was Emily before that and Angelina before that. In smaller scale, it's been happening for about four months,” he recited dutifully as if he was reporting a status to his boss and this time you couldn’t help it – you giggled.

When you could feel the wounded gaze he gave you, you obediently made a sympathetic noise.

“Aww, poor you, your friend supplying you with no doubt great relationship material…”

“That’s what he said! But I don't want a relationship material. I don't want any material, not even his… one-night stand material. What does that mean anyway? These are women he's talking about, not a material-”

You let out a tiny pleased sound at his exasperation, which shut him up. You wondered if it was your turn to speak – it was hard to tell, supply-closet conversations weren't exactly your area of expertise.

“Kudos for that thinking,” you noted after short silence and the darker shadow of his figure tilted his head. “Did you try to tell him that you weren't interested…? Of course you did, why am I asking, that was a stupid question…”

“It's okay. I'm sorry, I got a little… carried away. It just… it's like talking to a brick wall.”

You hummed in sympathy again and the room fell into silence once more.

It was ridiculous how much your mind started working over hundred percent, trying to come up with something appropriate to say. The best you could do was:

“Hey, you want a cup of overpriced organic coffee? I happen to have two.”

The needy noise that let his lips was downright pornographic. Or maybe it was your mind playing tricks on you, the strange environment finally getting to you.

“I knew I smelled coffee here! I thought I went completely insane.”

You couldn't help but smile at that. Yeah, you knew the feeling all too well.

“Nope, your senses were not playing tricks on you. Help yourself. It should be around your left hand.” A rustling of a paper bag. “Oh. That's a carob-nut muffin – with carob instead of cocoa. You can have that too, I won't need that.”

“Alright, I gotta ask. Why are you hiding in a supply closet, with a muffin and two cups of expensive coffee nonetheless? And may I hand you one?”

“Such a gentleman. Thanks,” you murmured and accepted the cup. You weren't lying about not needing it – you wouldn't. Because you were about to quit; it was inevitable.

You sipped the warm liquid, its taste as bitter as the reason behind your actions.

“So?”

“I'm hiding from my boss.”

Your voice must have sounded terrible, because his own softened at the confession.

“And why is that?”

“Because if I bring him his coffee and muffin, he'll probably call me his good girl and— and slap my butt and-”

“I beg your pardon?” he growled, like honest to God growled, the strange sound warming your scalp.

And it was the righteous outrage in the sound he let out, the reaction that you needed, someone agreeing with you – a stranger, who wouldn’t feel obliged to do so just it was a duty of being a good friend to you – that made the levee break. Suddenly tears were streaming down your face, anger and humiliation, and your breath was hitching in embarrassing hiccups and the dark space felt so anonymous and safe at the same time that you didn't even care anymore.

“And if he does that I’ll have to– to quit, because I-I'm so fucking fed up with his dis-disgusting hands and si-sickening voice voicing his lizard thoughts a-and I ca-can't quit goddammit, I worked so fucking hard to-to get a job h-here and-”

You didn't realise your hands started trembling until the cup disappeared from them, placed back on the shelf, and a pair of much bigger and warmer hands gently enveloped yours, his body shifting just a little closer as he lost the support that had been keeping some distance between you.

“Hey, hey, shh, it's gonna be okay…” his voice washed over you soothingly, sounding almost at your ear.

Still, there was space between your bodies, a respectable distance – as respectable as possible in the limited space. It was as if he acknowledged it could make you uncomfortable – which probably wasn't exactly hard to figure out, given what you just told him.

“I'm sorry,” you sobbed and cleared your throat afterwards in attempt to compose yourself. “I didn't mean to load that on you, my problems are none of your concern-”

“Like hell they aren't. Sexual harassment on a workplace is everyone's concern, or it should be,” he grunted. His hands tightened their grip, not uncomfortably – reassuring. “This okay?”

You smiled through your tears. This Steve guy was really sweet to you. You almost forgot what it was like to be treated with respect.

“Y-yeah. Thank you for-- for asking. That was really nice.”

He huffed. “It should be a normal human decency. And I did grab you before that, sorry.”

“Something tells me you would let go if I said no more vehemently.”

“Of course I would.”

You gave him a watery smile he couldn't see and tried to calm your breathing completely. His thumb caressing your wrist helped. You wondered which department he was from; if his skills in comforting came with a job description or if he was a natural.

“Have you… have you tried to fill in a report?” he asked hesitantly, making your heart stop.

Oh yeah, you had. It had ended up in a shredder machine, because Thomas had spotted it. He had made you do it yourself, standing over you and watching, claiming the complaint had been baseless and it would pointless to hand it anyway, because he would explain the HR how it truly was. That you had made a move and he, the good father and husband he had been, politely turned you down, which turned you vengeful.

You whispered the story to Steve, your voice trembling, more tears escaping and you could immediately tell he believed you – because his grip grew steely strong, his teeth grinding.

“This is wrong. You should have never been forced to work for a man like him– objectifying you, touching you, threatening you, that's just--- you should talk to Tony,” he blurted out in the end and you frowned.

“Who's Tony?”

You had checked the whole HR department via their website when doing your research. You couldn't recall any Tony.

There was a short pause, broken by Steve's confused voice. “Stark.”

You blinked, wondering if Steve was joking. He didn't sound like he was joking, which was strange, because so far, he had seemed to be a smart and reasonable man.

“There's no way I'm scoring a meeting with Mr. Stark. And it's not like he’s dealing with things like that.”

“...Talk to Pepper then. I doubt she has bigger than zero tolerance for harassment,” he exclaimed confidently as if talking to Pepper Potts (this time you assumed whom he was talking about – did he call all of the big bosses their first name…?) was an option for a regular human being like you. Realizing that all over again though, that was tough.

“While I believe that’s her policy, it's not like I can just walk into her office.”

Steve seemed to consider that, while his thumb was still drawing patterns on your skin, almost subconsciously.

“I think you could. But if you're worried it might take a while and you’re scared to go back to your office now, let me walk you. I can explain him that every employee deserves to be treated with respect,” he offered finally, deadly serious, yet still sounding kind.

Your heart swelled. A guy you just met (in a supply closet, a good story to be narrated at parties, you supposed), suggested to help you out, no hesitation. God, wasn't he just too pure for this world?

“I… thank you, Steve. But… while you do have an impressive frame, I think it would only get worse. I think I'll just enjoy this extremely hipster coffee, which I'll later have to pay for no doubt and… and go face my boss to hand him my resignation. There are plenty jobs, right? I can as well serve coffee in a café,” you said with a sad smile, letting your hands slip from his comfortable hold.

“That's not right. Especially if you worked hard to– not to mention it's a matter of principle. You run away once and… running is a very hard habit to break,” he whispered, as if a secret, trying to reason with you.

You bit your lip when the truth of his words washed over you, along with the way he spoke; with such a strong believe in principles that should stand a standard. It… he made you forgot your own trouble for a second as you let yourself get lost in him. In the way he treated you, the protector's persona, yet not forced. He had suggested you to ‘let him come with you’, not even a note of command in his approach. This was not a man seeing an opportunity to be a hero when spotting the damsel in distress; this was a man who believed in what was right and wanted to fix things that were apparently broken. You wished there were more men like him, selfishly wanting one of them to be your boss.

“And men like these – they need to be put in line,” he added darkly, snapping you from your daydreaming of a better world. “Let me come with you. I'll—I’ll help you fill in the forms, walk you to HR. You don't have to deal with this alone.”

For all the comfort the dark had offered you so far, you wished for a little bit more light now, enough to see his face, his eyes. You knew they would be burning with honesty, you were sure of it, maybe a little rage aimed at a man who dared to treat another human being the way he did.

The offer was so tempting. But just imagining the security escorting Steve from the building for wanting to help you was enough to put out the fiery need to accept. It was ridiculous to care so much about his well-being after what could be minutes of knowing him, but no one could call you out on it. And if they did, you could always play it cool with ‘matter of principles’; good people only deserved good things.

You carefully reached out, hoping to find his hand again. Your heart skipped a beat when you brushed his thigh instead, but at least his hand was right next to it. He released a surprised breath when you took it into yours, way smaller one. You bit your lip when leaning in a little, blindly trying to meet his gaze.

“You’re a good man, Steve. I’m sorry your friend is giving you a hard time, you don't deserve that – even though I'm sure he means well. If you ever want to get him off your back...” you wavered at the ridiculous idea, but hey, why the hell not, he had offered to help you out first, “you can say you're seeing someone. Give him my card. I'll confirm we're together – he seems like a kind of a guy who would check.”

Shocked breathless laugh erupted from his chest and you assumed you hit the nail on the head. You fished out one of your business cards, handing it to him and releasing his hand then.

It was time to leave and face your fate, but Steve didn't make any attempt at moving out of the closet.

In fact, he seemed to examine the card for a while and then he quietly read out your name. You gasped in surprise. How the hell could he see anything? You could barely make out his silhouette!

“How-”

“I'm used to working in dark spaces,” he muttered absently. “Would you really do that?”

Slightly taken aback he was considering your offer, you nodded, only to realize he couldn't see it--- actually, he probably could.

“I would. Hell, I think I could handle one uncomfortable dinner with your friend vetting me,” you added, slightly amused at the idea. When you could hear his shocked exhale and wanted to take it back. “I didn't mean to-”

“Let me come with you to your office,” he repeated like a broken record and you frowned at the sudden change of topic.

“What-”

“It could throw your boss off your back for long enough for you to deal with the complaint. If you would be comfortable enough to play my girlfriend for a dinner time, why not now?”

Your eyes went wide and you almost choked on air.

“I-what? I told you it would probably only make it worse-”

“It will work.”

“How can you be so-”

The door yanked open and your eyes were hit by an unpleasantly sharp light, making you squint.

“Holy-” a ridiculously familiar voice you couldn’t place breathed out. “Wilson! I found him! You’ve gotta see this!”

You wanted to see the owner of the voice, but your view was completely blocked by the broad chest of your companion.

So you at least raised your head to meet Steve face to face so to speak. You couldn’t see much, your eyes still adjusting; with the light shining from behind him, playing a mysterious game with his blond locks, framing his impressive figure, he looked like a freaking angel, beautiful and righteous, bringing justice, yet wrapped in an aura of peace and serenity. You barely kept your jaw from falling on the floor.

You kept staring, focusing on his face, and slowly started realizing that his features too, were familiar. Mortification was creeping up your back as the puzzle pieces started falling into place, creating a horrifying picture, making you wish for the Earth to swallow you.

The voice from behind Steve’s back resolved the last doubts you had about your temporary mysterious roommate.

“Wouldn’t peg you as a get-freaky-in-a-closet kind of guy, Capsicle.”

You wanted to immediately protest that you had definitely not been getting freaky in the closet, but your brain was still frozen because of the big revelation – that you had just been comforted, hell, that you had just offered to be a fake date to Captain America.

You simply stared at him, unbeing able to hold your jaw from falling anymore. Because– because-- oh god.

Now it made perfect sense that he thought Thomas Gregory would be intimidated… by the idea of harassing Captain America’s girlfriend. You couldn’t really blame Steve for being sure it would work. Also, it kinda explained why he called Mr. Stark or Ms. Potts their first names – they were on the first name basis.

Which really was the least relevant thing right now.

A bashful smile appeared on Steve’s lips, a little guilty perhaps, and you just… giggled at the absurdity. You couldn’t help it. You had just spent minutes in a supply closet with Steve Rogers without having a single clue about it and while you didn’t do anything heated as someone would assume, it was one of the most amazing minutes of your life.

You must have looked like an idiot or something, because he chuckled too, completely ignoring another male voice growing in volume as the newcomer approached.

“Holy hell, man! I can’t believe what I’m seeing!”

At those words, Steve tentatively took your hand with an encouraging smile and led you out to the hall. You were met with two pairs of curious eyes examining you from head to toe. You lowered your gaze, now fully aware of the fact they belonged to Tony Stark – the Iron Man – and Samuel Wilson – the Falcon.

Well. Now the ‘party story’ finally got the right juice.

“Then don’t, Sam, because it’s not what it looks like,” Steve replied to his match-maker friend and took a deep breath, squeezing your hand tighter. “Tony, this woman would like to report harassment on her workplace.”

Your head snapped to Steve’s face with panicked gaze. What the hell was he doing?!

Tony Stark made a noise of disapproval.

“Couldn’t you try harder so she wouldn’t complain about you?”

“Tony,” Steve addressed him, his voice solemn just like his expression, which clearly surprised the billionaire. “I’m serious. It’s not about me. Her boss is the reason why she was hiding here.”

Without commenting any further, Steve handed him your business card and Mr. Stark hummed. You weren’t brave enough to look up. Was he going to wave it off? Was he going to fire you?

He said your name, making you gulp in fright. You had to look up now and you really didn’t wanna, too afraid of what you’d see. You were shocked to meet with a searching gaze, but not a mean one.

“It is true? Is your boss giving you trouble? Making sexist comments? Worse?”

You felt tears in your eyes, utterly taken aback by his sensitive tone, the inviting light in his eyes. It was too much to bear and you wanted to escape the kind gaze; and he wouldn’t let you. You only managed to nod when you felt Steve’s thumb caressing the back of your hand.

Mr. Stark sighed, adding a dark ‘goddammit’, and returned Steve the business card.

“Alright, kids. Let’s have a trip.”

And you just stared.

…what?

Part 2

I know, I know, Steve is a little bit of Knight-In-Shining-Armour here, but it made sense to me O:-)

Happy weekend!

Thank you for reading!

[kagstea]

iwaizumi h. - overused

iwaizumi hajime x reader

description: iwa was tired of being used, but that changes when he meets you.

warnings: slight insecurities

He was used to it, sadly.

Iwaizumi no longer was surprised by the ambushes of Oikawa’s fangirls, always seeming nice at first only to get him to do their bidding. It would start off with them approaching him, seemingly interested. However, they had always mastered the art of switching the topic to Oikawa, then requesting Iwaizumi to give him whatever gift they had or their phone number, all which was passed down to Oikawa, who never took it seriously.

“It’s just a simple infatuation. Rightfully so,” his friend beamed, popping one of the chocolates into his mouth. Or, “They just really love supporting me.” 

But to Iwaizumi, it felt like he was invisible.

Of course, he didn’t blame his best friend. It was never Oikawa’s fault that he was loved by many. But rather, he hated the fact that he was always blocked away by the setter’s light. It seemed as if everyone only used him to get close to Oikawa, never to talk to him.

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa shouted, rushing to his friend with two boxes in his hand. “I got cupcakes! Do you want some? A star player such as myself can’t possibly eat all of this-”

“I’m fine,” Iwaizumi cut him off, but not rudely. “I have to stop by the convenience store, want to come-”

“H-Hey! Oikawa!” A small, chirpy voice interrupted the two.

In front of them stood a petite girl, noticeably nervous. She held a pink envelope in her shaking hands, and they could tell that it was laced with a strong perfume. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes as he saw how she struggled to make eye contact with Oikawa, yet stood directly in front of him. A blush crept on her face as seconds went by, before she spoke again. “Um… hello.”

A grin appeared on Oikawa’s face, and he nodded. “Yes?”

His encouraging tone made her eyes brighten, and she took a deep breath as she smiled and lifted her head to look at him. “Uh, I-”

Iwaizumi beat her to it. “I’ll leave you two alone. See you later.” He patted Oikawa’s back, not bothering to listen to him talk. It most likely would have been something like, “Just wait, you idiot,” but he didn’t think he could stand to listen to yet another confession.

His walk alone was short, but gave him a sense of peace and quiet. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy Oikawa’s company, although he often found comfort in times where he was not around, where he wasn’t compared to him. 

The bell dinged, and he made his way to get himself a drink. It was the only thing he was looking forward to the whole day, even if it seems pathetic. Iwaizumi felt that the past twenty four hours dragged on, making him tired during practice.

He reached out to grab the drink in the front, however, another hand had beaten him to it. Shocked, he looked up, seeing you, dressed in his school uniform. You were just as shocked as he was, as you blinked quickly and opened your mouth.

“Uh…”

Iwaizumi quickly pulled his hand off of yours, stepping back awkwardly. “Sorry. Go ahead.”

But you shook your head, gesturing to the drink. “No, no! You reached for it first. Take it.” 

He thought your smile was really nice. “Thank you.”

After he grabbed one, you grabbed the one behind it. The two of you had both awkwardly walked to the register, standing silently as you waited to pay. Iwaizumi attempted to pay for his first, but you quickly intervened, putting your own drink next to his. “I can pay for them!”

He was taken back by your gesture, not moving fast enough to decline your offer. Before he could say anything, you were already giving the cash to the worker. Although he hadn’t expected it, he appreciated your kindness.

Both of you slowly walked out of the store alongside each other. It was quiet and a little uncomfortable, until he started a conversation. “So, you go to Aoba Johsai?”

“Yes, I’m a third year student, too.” You nodded, making him confused.

“Too? How did you know?”

“Aren’t you in the same year as Oikawa-”

There it was.

Instantly, the smile was wiped off of his face, and Iwaizumi’s mood did a complete 180. It was stupid of him to let his guard down for even a few minutes. Even when he wasn’t there, Oikawa’s presence was too strong.

You noticed his frown, and furrowed your eyebrows in worry. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t bother to make eye contact with you. Instead, he nodded. “I just remembered I have somewhere to be.” As he spoke, Iwaizumi reached into his pocket to grab some money before putting it in your hands. “Thanks for the drink, but here.”

Confused, you stared at the money in your hands. The atmosphere had changed completely, and you wondered if you said something wrong. “I-”

“Have a nice night.” He told you before walking off, leaving you in the street alone.

~

You were told to carry some files to the library, although you didn’t expect it to be so much. As you struggled walking, you hoped that nothing would make you fall and drop everything in your arms.

However, when you hope for something, the opposite usually happens.

Your body stumbled to the ground as you ran into someone. A small curse was heard from you as the files went flying around you on the ground. It would take a while to pick them up, then you dreaded the scolding for ruining the organization of it all. 

“My bad!” 

“Oikawa!”

“I said my bad!”

Looking up, you saw the school’s famous volleyball player, yet your gaze settled on the same body you ran into a little over a week ago. He remembered you too, as his eyes locked with yours. 

A smile worked its way onto your face before you remembered how your last encounter ended, and then you looked away, hands reaching out to gather the papers around you. 

“Damn, that looks like a lot.” Oikawa had said. “You okay, Y/N?”

“I’m okay.” You said truthfully. “Wouldn’t be the first time you made a mess for me to clean up.”

He laughed, then kneeled down to help you. “I swear they were all accidents.”

“How about now?”

“Do you want me to not help you?”

At his remark, you slapped him with the pile you had in your hands, already becoming annoyed with his threats. “Just hurry and help!”

Iwaizumi watched the interaction with confusion. You didn’t act like one of his fans. In fact, it seemed as if you two had known each other for a while now. Your behavior made his brain hurt as it wondered, didn’t you like Oikawa?

“Hey, are you gonna help or just stand there?”

Speak of the devil.

Iwaizumi forced back a smart remark, then began to help the two of you. His hands reached out to grab some scattered papers, but instead he grabbed hold of a warm hand. He looked up in surprise, seeing you smile at him.

“You know, if you keep grabbing my hand I might think you have a little crush on me.” You playfully teased, making him jerk his hand away in embarrassment.

“Sorry,” he muttered. He could feel the tips of his ears grow hot and hoped you wouldn’t see it, or worse, Oikawa wouldn’t. Iwaizumi handed you what he picked up.

Once everything was cleared up, you turned to glare at Oikawa. “Next time, please watch where you’re going. I already have a hard enough time carrying this without you running into me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. If you were weak just say that.” He directed his attention to Iwaizumi. “Help Y/N carry this stuff.”

“Why me?”

The setter only grinned and held up a small paper folded into a heart between two fingers. “I’m afraid I must attend a meeting… one that I’m already late too- Bye!” Before either could object, he raced away.

You suddenly felt a weight being lifted from your arms, and turned to see his best friend taking most of the files from you. He adjusted them in his grasp and asked, “Where to?”

~

“Just put it down here.” You said, watching Iwaizumi set his pile down next to yours on a table. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He nodded. 

Once again, the two of you were in an awkward situation, alone in the empty library. The silence was killing both of you, yet you could not find anything to say.

It was Iwaizumi who broke the silence again. “How do you know Oikawa?”

You raised your eyebrows. “Oh! Uh, Tooru and I worked together for the school play a few months ago. I had the unfortunate pleasure to be stuck working with him for most of the time.”

He nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Oh, that’s how you know him.”

“Yup.” 

He felt he needed to apologize. But the words were stuck in his throat. It was not often he found himself in such a situation.

However, you already knew his predicament. “When I mentioned Oikawa- the other day- it wasn’t because I liked him or something.”

Iwaizumi’s head snapped to face you. “H-Huh?” You gave a soft smile. “I just always noticed you coming by when we prepared for the play. That’s how I knew you were friends with Oikawa, and what year you were in. Sorry if I upset you.” Your sudden apology warmed his heart, as weird as it sounded. 

“You remember me?” Was all he asked. “Why?”

A blush crept on your cheeks. “That’s all you got out of that?”

He hesitated for a moment, before chuckling. “Are you disappointed with that?”

“No, actually,” You began. “I’m pretty glad.”

Iwaizumi couldn’t fight the smile on his face.

“Oh? Something fell.” You mumbled, seeing a paper on the ground between you two. 

Right away, the two of you reached down to grab it at the same time, once again finding your hands touching. It made both of you stop, until you let out a soft laugh. 

“What’s funny-” Iwaizumi started to ask, but was stopped by you linking your fingers together. “Oh.” He felt his cheeks heat up.

“Okay, now I actually do think you have a crush on me.”

“Shut it.” But he smiled.

[outofsstyles]

a/n: This is by far THE MOST requested fic I’ve ever had and (a year later) it’s finally here!! First of all, sorry that it took me so long but when I first wrote Wildest Dreams I never intended on it having a follow up, but the amount of love I got from it was so overwhelming that I decided to put this together for you all :) I’m not gonna lie, I’m a bit nervous about it, considering the amount of requests I’ve had the past year, I know there’s gonna be a lot of expectations and I wanted to do something a bit different so it’s not too predictable lol. So yeah, as always, feedback is very much welcomed!! If you enjoy please reblog it to support my writing, it would mean the world to me <3

word count: 13.7k

warnings: none!

concept: It’s Evan’s birthday and he decides to do something a bit different.

Wildest Dreams: read part 1 here :)

                                               ~*~ ~*~  ~*~

In the last two steps, you have to use your leg to support the box as it starts to slowly slip down your fingers. This serves as a reminder to start exercising again now that the midterm is over — meaning that you should finally give in to Nia’s pleas to join her in the free week of Pilates classes she got when signing in at the gym, “Exercising is one of the best ways to relieve stress!” She would argue, to which you’d simply reply with something along the lines of: “So does binging another trashy reality tv show!”

Thankfully, no one seems to notice your struggle, sparing you the embarrassment of listening to their teases due to your difficulty in carrying one of the smallest boxes of the bunch. Nate barely glances at you once you finally reach the car to hand him the box, only shooting the longest smile you’ve ever seen coming from him—which somehow still manages to be probably the quickest when compared to any other regular person. His girlfriend, who stands with hands on her hips, entirely held his attention. Nia’s purple strands of hair poke out of her half-bun in every direction and her bottom lip has found its permanent spot between her teeth as her eyes fixate on the vehicle in front of her, barely blinking.

“Everything alright, Ni?” You prompt, trying to even your breathing. “Forgot something? There’s still time to check.”

“It’s not that.” She mumbles, shaking her head to break out of her thoughts. “My keyboard doesn’t fit.” Nia nods at the instrument lying on top of the car’s ceiling.

“Oh,” You say, frowning your lips as you take in her stressed figure. Clearing your throat, you attempt to blurt out a joke, “Maybe it’s a sign you shouldn’t move it and stay right here in our little flat with creaky doors.”

She breathes out a sharp laugh, finally looking at you as she drops her arms. “Don’t start.” She warns, “You promised; no crying today.”

“Don’t worry, I’m good at holding back the tears.” You give her a soft smile, pulling her smaller frame into a hug. The sudden reality of your best friend and roommate leaving you hitting you at once. “Gonna miss you, Ni.”

You feel her sigh into your shoulder, arms circling around your middle. “I’ll be ten minutes away.”

“Not the same.”

“I know.”

The two of you sway in silence for a moment, and you watch from over her shoulder as Nate attempts to awkwardly pick up the keyboard, almost dropping it on the sidewalk in the process. He grunts, the instrument tilting in his arms, and you giggle as you hear Nia sigh once more. Tightening your arms around her, you release each other as she turns to check on her boyfriend who holds the instrument as you would a newborn — except this one is half his size and hard as a wood plank.

He glances between the both of you, helpless. “Uh, where does this go?”

“You can put it with the other big boxes upstairs, babe. We’ll take them Sunday.” Nia says, moving to close the trunk. She looks back at him, calling back in a sing-like voice before he disappears inside, “Thank you!”

You lean back against the car, a playful pout plumping your bottom lip. “Am I only seeing you again on Sunday, then?”

“Nope, I’ll pick you up for Evan’s birthday — did you forget about it already?”

You have. “Of course not. It’s on — tomorrow.”

“Is it tomorrow?” Nia gasps, eyes widening. “Holy shit, tomorrow’s Friday.”

You nod slowly, just as shocked as she is about how quickly the past couple of weeks have flown by. Between piles of book reports and stress-tear-stained essays during midterms week, you also had to find some time to help Nia with packing boxes while searching for a new roommate for yourself. If you managed a five-hour sleep on these past days, that would have been a well-rested night. So you can’t really blame yourself for forgetting about Evan’s birthday when Nia herself had it slipping through her mind.

“This is an emergency,” Nia says, eyes focusing on a point beyond you and, you feel like, if you listen close enough, you can hear the engines inside her head working. “I’ll have come here earlier so you can help me with my outfit.”

You chuckle. “What even is the theme this year?”

“He didn’t tell me,” Nia says in a huff. “But, on the bright side, I don’t think this year he’ll do anything too crazy — he was too busy these last couple months with that short film I told you about, remember?”

“Evan doing something low key? That’s a first.” You raise your eyebrows, skeptical.

“I mean, I don’t know. I’m just guessing.” Nia shrugs, picking at her nails. “I’m only saying because he mentioned once he was only inviting, like, twenty people.”

Now, this is a surprise. “I’m glad I made the cut, then.”

It’s not a secret to anyone who’s ever had any kind of interaction with Evan that he’s fond of the dramatics of life — his bright-colored outfits with mismatching patterns being the first example that comes to mind — and that reflects as well in his events. Especially when it comes to his birthday.

To be fair, you’ve only actually been to two birthday parties of his so far — considering the invitation usually finds you because he’s close to Nia and sees you as some sort of extension of her. Nevertheless, they were both impactful enough that left a clear impression of how much he enjoys celebrating himself. Last year in particular you remember quite well. It was what he called “Evaney” themed; being a mix of himself and his favorite artist: Britney Spears. And, while you and Nia showed up as one of at least fifteen different variations of the Baby One More Time schoolgirl outfit, Evan pulled a perfect match of the Oops! I Did It Again red bodysuit that he got one of his fashion student friends to tailor for him, as well as freshly dyed beach blonde hair to suit it. He even went as far as photoshopping pictures of himself on Britney’s body and had them printed on posters hung on every single room of the house. There were even custom-made cups and napkins with them — two of them that Nia stole at the end of the party still sit somewhere in your kitchen to this day.

Another particular thing you remember quite clearly was that there were enough people crowded in his living room to fill up your entire apartment, as you recall. And that’s about how a typical event at his home is like — even on his friendsmas dinner there were much more than just twenty people eating turkey out of disposable hot pink plates. So, Nia’s information leaves you wondering what he could have in mind for tomorrow with such a limited list of people.

Before you can voice your wonders to her, though, Nate pushes through the entrance door again. You can tell he, much like you minutes ago, is trying to cover his heavy breathing. “I left it on top of those big boxes with a bunch of books in ‘em.”

“Brilliant! Thank you, baby.” Nia grins, wrapping an arm around his middle. “By the way, we just remembered Evan’s birthday’s tomorrow.”

“Is it tomorrow already?” Nate asks, and you hold back a giggle at the way his face scrunches in discontent. He hates going to Evan’s to a point that’s nearly comical. “Fuck’s sake.”

“And I think I’ll come here early so we can get ready together.” Nia nods towards you.

Nate grunts. “Do I have to go this time?” 

“Of course, darling.” She rises to her tiptoes to pinch his cheek, to which he brushes it off.

Nate looks at you, and you only send him a tight smile in solidarity. The two of you share similar experiences with Evan, considering the only reason either of you even gets invited is that because you’re close to Nia, and she’s close to Evan. Although you like Evan, even if you’re not that close with him, you can still put on your social mask for a couple of hours and have fun at his parties. Nate, on the other hand, is likely the least sociable person you’ve ever met, and it’s obvious how uncomfortable he gets every time. 

Nia seems to sense how tense he gets as well, because she steps in front of her boyfriend, finding his eyes with her doe-like ones. “I mean, if you don’t want to, then you don’t have to.”

He sighs, “Of course I’ll go with you.” He looks up at you. “Maybe this time we can actually count how many faces of his we can see from the couch.”

This time you don’t hold back a giggle. “I have a feeling we’ll have an easier time this year.”

“Hope so.” Nate taps on Nia’s back. "Let's go, then? Is everything you need in the trunk?”

“Yup.” She answers, circling the car and opening the door to the passenger’s side. Before entering, she gives you one last look. “Do you want me to bring anything for you tomorrow?”

“I’m good.”

“‘kay!” She enters, closing the door behind her in a click and leaning over Nate to wave at you from his window. “See you tomorrow! Don’t cry too hard tonight!”

“I won’t!” You wave back.

Watching as the car pulls back, before driving away and disappearing around the corner, there’s a light breeze that raises goosebumps on the exposed skin of your arms. You cross them under your chest, leaning back into the wall of your building, not quite ready to go back to your empty home yet. The seconds blend into minutes and you stand there The promise you made to Nia not even a minute ago already pooling in your eye, knowing you wouldn’t be able to keep it anyway, you let it tickle its way down your cheek.

A rougher gust of wind hits you and, this time, you turn to go inside.

                                              ~*~ ~*~  ~*~

The days are still not long enough so that the sun can shine proudly at seven in the afternoon, but as spring just about rounds the corner there’s still a golden glow as the rays provide one last warmth before disappearing on the horizon. And that’s how the sky greets you once you step out of your building to make your way towards Evan’s house for his birthday.

As planned, Nia arrived at yours with plenty of time so the two of you could help each other get ready, a bag filled with clothes she’s just taken to Nate’s yesterday under her arm for you to help her choose. “I’m thinking something monochromatic tonight.” She said as she walked in, making you jump in your spot on the couch as you didn’t hear her using the spare key. “I’m just not sure what color.” 

She ended up choosing red. There was an old box of red hair dye you found lost inside the bathroom cabinet after Nia left — along with two different brands of shaving cream, although those belonging to Nate — and, after presenting it to her, she decided to go all for it, taking it as a sign. Nate showed up just about an hour after his girlfriend, still in his work attire and barely batting an eye at Nia’s new hair color as she blew dried it. The only comment leaving his mouth being, “You look like a tomato,” before kissing her forehead and excusing himself for a nap while the two of you finished getting ready.

What neither of you realized was that Nia’s last-minute decision took more time than you predicted, giving you barely enough time to get dressed. To her, that wasn’t exactly an inconvenience considering she had an outfit ready to match any color she wanted — in this case, was a red-dyed denim two-piece. and a matching jacket that ended up discarded after she noticed it covered her newest shoulder tattoo (though you tried to argue she could just have Nate carry it so she could wear it considering she eventually would get cold at some point). To you, however, was more of a stressful task, seeing you hadn’t taken in mind to think of an outfit beforehand. So you ended up just going with the safest option that didn’t give you a lot of room to overthink, choosing to finish your makeup on the way so Evan wouldn’t have any of your heads on a plate for being late.

You’ve found that applying mascara on a moving vehicle is not the easiest task, as Nia holds your elbow to help you keep steady while talking nonstop with the driver about a topic you stopped paying any mind to about ten minutes ago.

“I’m loving our black and red moment, by the way.” She turns to you, loosening her hold as you finish the last coat. “You look like one of those hot businesswomen with your teenage daughter who likes to dress like an animated character.”

You laugh at her comparison, only now noticing the discrepancy between both your outfits. Without even realizing it, you also ended up going for the monochromatic look. Except unlike Nia’s, yours completely lacks any color. “That’s actually the best comparison you could make.”

“I know — You can take a left right here — Here, I have lip gloss.” Nia fetches a small tube from her jacket (that she ended up taking, after all), presenting it to you.

“Do you not have lipstick?”

“Are you not planning on smudging it later?” Nia wiggles her eyebrows, teasing. The hint behind her words makes you roll your eyes, snatching the lip gloss from her hand without bothering to give her an answer. There was about a month or so, just before winter rolled around, that Nia felt as if she had a mission to get you with someone. You suspect, knowing too well how her mind works, that she must’ve felt some sort of guilt for what happened during her film project last year. It was clear that her attempts came from a place of good heart, but this doesn’t mean that it made them any less annoying. However, after her plans to move in with Nate became more concrete, her cupid persona seemed to have disappeared, or so you’d thought. But now that there’s nothing else filling her mind anymore, it looks like she’s back at it, and you can’t help but snort. “What? I’m just saying-”

“You say a lot of things, most of them are incorrect.” You say, “I’m not smudging anything tonight. Not on a party with twenty people, for fuck’s sake.”

“Don’t say that before — right there! The big house on the corner!” Nia leans over the console, signaling to the driver where to park. It’s so sudden that you notice how he jumps just slightly from his seat, chuckling to yourself at how Nate snaps his eyes at her. 

The front of Evan’s Victorian home is unusually quiet once you step out onto the sidewalk. So much so that, if it weren’t for the lined cars parked along the street and filling his driveway, you would’ve thought you’d typed in the wrong address. 

The discrepancy is clear to you when compared to other gatherings Evan hosts in his house, but especially for his birthday. Last year, you could hear Toxic blasting from his place from the moment you turned on his street, and a small crowd gathered on his front yard — most of which you recall being comprised of people plastered out of their minds, particularly one semi-naked man who was using one lamppost as a strip pole while swinging a stuffed snake

That’s more or less the standard one could expect when invited to a party at Evan’s. So, to find the street as silent as any regular day is, to an understanding, odd. 

“Are you sure it’s the right date?” You ask as the metal creak of the front gate mends with gushes of wind whistling through the air.

“Yup,” Nia says simply, walking in front of you. “You can hear the music inside, shush.”

You come quiet, listening in, and, surely, you can hear the faint keys of a piano coming from the other side of the stone walls, but it only brings up more questions to your head than answers. Evan seems like the last person on Earth who would listen to classical music. Deciding not to voice your question this time, you follow short behind Nia, kicking some loose stones on the gravel path leading to the front door.

There’s no need for more than a single knock for it to open almost immediately, revealing a lace-clad Evan downing the last bits of his wine. Without the barrier you can hear the music more clearly, the keys of the piano meshing in a peculiar way, not like anything you’ve ever heard in a classical song— at least not ten years ago when you tried to learn piano for a year before giving up.

“Look at my favorite people!” Evan says with his purple-stained lips, pulling Nia for a hug with the arm that’s not holding the door open while pointing at a spot behind her. “Did you greet Jonathan when you passed him? It’s his birthday as well.”

He points to a spot where a gnome statue sits in the dry grass, face painted in clown makeup. Nate’s voice comes from behind you, “Christ.” 

“Nate!” Evan chirps, going straight for the man standing with a sharp smile and throwing his arms around him. “You know you’re my favorite grumpy, right?”

Nate only taps on the shorter man’s back, quickly moving to Nia’s side as soon as he’s free from the embrace. With that, Evan turns to you, hands finding your elbows as he takes you in, “And what have you been up to, bug? It's been ages.”

“You know… Books and… Stuff.” You chuckle, brushing it off. “Happy birthday, E.”

“Thank you!” He claps his hands together. “Now, c’mon, let’s get all of you started.”

Following him inside, you’re met with a glittery box standing right next to the entrance; rolls of tape seal it shut, and a hand-sized hole has been cut on top of the lid. You try to peek at what could be inside, but strings of colorful crepe paper are stuck to the hole, making it harder to know its contents.

Evan picks up the box, holding it to his side. “So, I need each of you to grab a piece of paper inside the box. There will be a number in it but for now just hold on, drink, and chat while waiting for further instructions.” His voice lowers at the end to give his words more of a mystery behind them.

Nate tenses in front of you and you have to keep yourself from chuckling at his desperate gaze moving from the box to his girlfriend as he moves uncomfortably on his feet. Nia, however, only gives him a pat on his back, barely looking at her boyfriend as she does a little dance in excitement. “Oh, this feels fun.” She says, quickly reaching her hand inside the box and retrieving a piece of paper. “Mysterious, but fun. What do you have in mind, sir?”

“Nothing too crazy this year, darling, you can relax — We’re all too tired.” He moves the box towards Nate, who reluctantly reaches inside. “Just something to mesh people together that won’t give me too much of a headache to clean tomorrow.”

“Smart.” You say, peeking at the box as it’s presented to you before reaching for a paper inside, quickly reading the number eight written on it before folding the piece between your fingers.

“Nice! As always, drinks in the kitchen. We’re starting in ten minutes!” Evan claps, hushing the three of you further inside.

Surprisingly, this time around there are no posters of his face in sight as you follow Nia and Nate to the kitchen. There’s a mild mash of voices coming from the living room — where the sound of the piano is the loudest, and you wonder if he got an actual piano or if it’s just a Bluetooth speaker —, but it’s not nearly as loud as you’re used to from past times. The lighting has been lowered to a buttery yellow; you realize once you enter the kitchen that feels too bright to your eyes in contrast to the hallway.

“Is there any alcohol?” You wonder out loud, and Nia glances at you with her eyebrows shot towards her hairline. “What? I’m just asking ‘cause everyone is unusually quiet.”

“There’s wine and — what are these guys right here?” She picks up one out of four plastic jars sitting on the kitchen island, reading the label stuck to it out loud, “Strawberry Mary — ooh, this looks fun.”

You reach for the other three to check their contents, but all have names similar to the one Nia now fills her cup with — fruity, yet mysterious: Lana Banana, Jenny Berry Mix, and Pineapple Suzan. “Did he come up with these?” You chuckle, reaching for the berry mix.

“It was probably Adam,” Nia says, and you frown. “That bartender guy? The one with the pet snakes.”

“Oh, yeah. I know him.”

The room comes quiet as you serve yourself, and only after you glance up you realize a tension lingering in the air. Nate stands awkwardly in a corner, eyes fixed on Nia as he moves his head around subtly. Glancing between the two of them, you notice how their expressions change as they keep their eyes locked, not a single word being uttered out loud. To you, it almost feels as if they are reading each other’s minds, and the heat of their silent argument becoming clear once Nate huffs, shaking his head. 

Nia clears her throat, seemingly uncomfortable, shooting you a knowing look. It’s only when she gives you a toothless smile that you realize the silent question behind it. “Uhm, I’m going to check if there are any sweets outside.”

Beelining towards the doorway, you quickly make your way out of the room. The hallway is empty and, from where you stand awkwardly in the middle of it, you can tell Evan’s left his spot by the front door, meaning he’s likely gone to the living room where the rest of the guests are. You can hear them chatting, although like you previously pointed, the voices are much more controlled than what you’re used to, and that makes you oddly flustered by the thought of walking in alone. 

Considering the limited amount of invitations this year, the chances of you knowing anyone are slim and, to add to your sudden nervousness, most of the people from Evan’s closest circle of friends are — like himself — inexplicably intimidating. This is mostly because it feels like this unspoken competition that everyone has settled with each other, to subtly brag about your success whilst simultaneously pretending to be impressed about the other’s accomplishments. And for you specifically, considering you’re not part of this artist clique that they lock themselves into, it feels particularly tiresome to be part of those interactions. 

So, you opt to wait for Nia, pretending to admire one peculiar painting hanging on a wall opposite to where the doorway leading to the living room stands. Every so often, you catch yourself glancing over your shoulder one way or the other, either towards the kitchen to check if your friends are joining you, or to the doorway where the rest of the guests are in. At one point, the voices get louder, joining in a laugh before tangling together in a mess of noise you can’t make sense of. It’s after a minute that you hear footsteps coming from the living room, making you freeze on your spot, carefully turning your back to whoever’s about to catch you avoiding the party, and focusing on the piece you’ve been staring at for the past five minutes.

The painting you first thought was just random strokes of earth tones abstractly put together you now realize it’s a man and it doesn’t take you more than a second or two to recognize Evan’s side profile in a peach shade. Your hand claps on top of your mouth as you fight the urge to laugh. The sound comes out muffled, but it stops as you hear the footsteps falter as they turn into the hallway. Keeping you back to them, you listen as the wooden floor creaks as whoever was approaching makes their way back. You peek to catch sight of who it might be, but all you make out is the shadow of mustard corduroys turning the corner.

As if on cue, Nia and Nate finally appear from the kitchen, thankfully neither appearing to be sour after the talk in the kitchen. 

“Finally.” You say, still feeling giggly from your finding. “Nate, you have to check this-”

“Okay! Let’s start, then. Do we have everyone in the living room?” Evan’s voice interrupts you as he calls out. Nia guides you along with her to the living room. And, as soon as the three of you enter, Evan nods at you, before continuing, “Now that all the bunnies are trapped, we shall begin!” He laughs, clapping his hands together before motioning vaguely to everyone. “Before I explain what I have planned, I want to pair you all. So, I’ll call out the numbers that each of you picked when you arrived, so everyone can find their pair.”

You frown, confuse yet curious about what Evan’s up to as he calls out the numbers. Now that you stop to glance around the room, you note how there are more people than you’d expected. It’s still not nearly as many as previous parties of his, but it still feels like the room is nicely filled, maybe just a dozen people above twenty. And amongst them, there’s quite a few you recognize as they pair up together — like Georgia, the first one to be called, whom you spent a good half of the New Year’s party with, or Taylor, who gets paired with Nia (you remember him particularly from a film festival that Nia had been part of — he produced and directed a short film comparing the second wave of feminism to the wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest, and Nia couldn’t stop complaining about how bad it was for the entire week after). 

It’s when Evan jokes with someone on the other side of the room, however, that you see him.

He’s tucked in a corner, right next to the bookshelves, arms crossed under his chest in a way that makes his tattoos pop out of his biceps, something you notice even standing on the opposite end of the room. His smile is subtle as he watches the scene in front of him, but it’s still enough for a dimple to poke at one side of his face -- it’s barely there, but you’ve seen it up close enough times that you notice those details. His hand holds a drink, but you pay no mind to it because what calls your attention is the mustard corduroy hugging his hips, the same one you watched run from you not only five minutes ago.

He laughs, and you avert your eyes, mouth still hung open. You wonder if anyone will notice if you leave.

But, as though he could read your mind, Evan calls the number written on that sits crumbled inside the pocket of your jacket. “Where are my number eights?”

You step forward and, like a magnet, your eyes glue on Harry as he raises his hand. 

Shaking your head in disbelief, you have to fight against an urge to shut your eyes tightly as the regret of having left your room at all tonight becomes almost overwhelming. All you expected for the night was to forget about book reports and endless essays piled up on your computer, to relax, maybe drink a bit more than you should while watching Evan’s friends dancing with a taxidermy beaver or something of sorts (that was on his friendsmas party two years ago). Instead, here you are on what feels like the first day of class dynamic your teacher has imposed to make everyone interact with each other. And, suddenly, the long pages of (insert boring book) don’t seem that bad right now.

And to make matters worse (because the universe just likes to add a little more spice to your tragedies) of all people standing in this living room you just had to be paired with the one with whom you had a fling-like relationship six months ago.

It’s awkward before he even approaches you, the tension making you fidget in your spot anxiously, barely being able to shoot a tight smile his way. 

The last time you saw Harry was through the rearview mirror of a car, standing on the sidewalk like an abandoned puppy with his tail between his legs. Though you admit you let your dramatics take away when you turned away from him to leave, the feeling behind it was genuine. You were upset. He had led you on, after all, made you think he wanted to have something more just to ignore you for months and, later, appear with a redhead under his arms and call her his girlfriend. So, yes, it wasn’t the best note to leave on.

But despite how you left the last encounter, the spark of nervousness that shoots through your stomachs right now doesn’t come exactly because of his presence, but more so for the awkward nature of this encounter. At the time it happened, you avoided any activity that had the slight possibility of seeing him again like the plague. You were hurt, and you were mad — though the second part was more directed at yourself than at him. But that was six months ago. After all, as much as you felt enchanted by him and as much as those two weeks you spent together were nice, that’s all that it was: two weeks. Yes, you were sad and, yes, maybe you shed a tear or two while watching Love, Rosie with Nia afterward, but that passed as quickly as it came.

That is, until now.

“Your hair is shorter” This Is all you blurt out when he stands in front of you again.

“It is, yeah.” Harry runs his hand through his hair. The strands that last time you saw him, curled around his jawline, now peek just under his earlobe. “Did it myself, actually.”

“Really?” You take a big gulp from your drink, gaze going anywhere but meeting his own. “Found yourself another talent.”

“Another?” You can hear the smirk in his voice.

“I mean, besides acting.” You grin, holding the cup to your lips and sparing him a glance. “Suppose after your debut you’ve gotten yourself busy with casting calls”

“Of course” Harry laughs. Now that you’re closer you have a better look at his dimples as they pop out, as well as the constellation of freckles hugging his nose, and the mole right under his lips. You avert your eyes again. “I’m set to be the next Bond, in fact”

“Oh, wow.” You raise your brows, grinning at the brim of your cup. “I can see it.”

He turns to you, “Can you?” You peek at him. "Why is that?”

This is exactly what you were afraid of all those months ago after last seeing him. The entire reason you ran from any possibility of seeing him again afterward. You can still remember clearly how much of a flirt he is, even when he doesn’t mean to be. It’s not a secret that Harry’s a charming man. His words are like honey, and when he uses them just right, you know is enough to have you melting. And it doesn’t help how well you seem to click together. Even now, you still feel it by your impulse to flirt back, to look him in the eye, and get just close enough to feel the scent of his cologne. Do all that just to turn away in the last second. Tease him the same way he did you. But you don’t do any of that, of course, because you’re as petty as you are bitter. So, instead, you click your tongue. “Don’t get too comfortable, Harry, bet your girlfriend wouldn’t be happy about that.”

He chuckles. “What girlfriend?”

This time you turn fully at him, brows shooting up not in defiance, but surprise. “Yikes.” You say before you’re able to hold back.

“Yikes.” Harry still holds a smile when he repeats it, head falling as he lets out a — nervous? — laugh.

A question pops into your head. One that lingered in your mind for a good while now, but comes back a bit louder now that you have the information that his relationship was short-lasted after all. It’s a short one, but one that requires a long answer, you suppose. What happened? You think. But you don’t dare to voice it, you don’t want to have this conversation with him. Whatever the explanation is, it’s not going to change anything. So you just avert your gaze back to Evan, who now calls for everyone’s attention again.

“I know you’re all dying to know what this is all about. So, I’m going to explain it all.” And with that introduction, Evan dives into a monologue you only pay half mind to. It’s hard for you to focus on the words rapidly leaving his mouth as you can feel Harry glancing at you every so often from the corner of your eye. You listen in to Evan describing himself as a feisty kid and mention his love for drama, and then you feel the ghost of Harry’s arm bumping against yours as he sways on his feet. You try to pay attention to the story being told of the events leading up to this birthday party, and then you have to hold yourself back from meeting Harry’s eyes once you feel them at the side of your face once again. He makes a comment under his breath that you don’t quite catch, and you’re about to question him before Evan’s voice comes in an even higher pitch. “I wanted tonight to be exactly that: chaotic. I didn’t want anything to quite make sense, and I didn’t want to think much, if I’m honest, last year of film school is taking a big chunk of my functioning neurons and m’dad’s whiskey collection is taking the rest of them.”

There’s a collective laugh that takes place and, once again, Harry’s eyes peeking at you. “Everyone can relax, it’s not one of those murder mystery parties, as I’ve heard some people guess — for fuck’s sake as if I have the time and patience to plan something like that.” He says with a sip directly from a wine bottle you just now realize he’s been holding. “It’s a scavenger hunt, you have a partner and an envelope with clues. Each pair will find something related to moi and after it’s all done, we’ll eat burgers and talk about me for the rest of the night.” 

“Sounds easy enough.” Harry mumbles.

Evan claps his free hand on his wrist, hushing everyone. “So off you go, c’mon! I’ll be hungry in an hour.”

“This is gonna be…” You start. “Interesting.”

“Interesting is a great word to describe it.”

“Well, let’s try to do this as quickly as possible, then.” 

 The side of his lips quirks up. “On a rush?”

“This is not exactly a comfortable position to be. I think you get it.” You say, fidgeting on your feet. You wait for a second for him to say something so you can start the activity, but he doesn’t and you realize there’s a piece missing. “Do you have an envelope?”

Harry nods, reaching for his pocket where the envelope sits folded in half. He swiftly opens it, taking out a card.

 “Well?” You prompt, “Read us the first clue, Bond.”

There’s a smile that Harry fights against at the nickname and you’re not sure due to the dim light, but you think there’s a hint of a rosy tone on the apple of his cheeks. “An activity that grows lives and ruins manicures.” He reads out loud, pausing for a moment before laughing to himself. “I know this one.”

“Grows lives?” You frown. “As in, a pregnancy?”

Harry shakes his head, leading the way towards the corridor. “As in, gardening.”

“That’s a very weird way to put it.” You say, following him. “Does he garden?”

He walks into the kitchen, greeting two people you don’t recognize who are searching for something — their clue, you assume — inside the cabinets. “No, but his sister does. There’s a greenhouse in the back.”

You simply hum in response, muttering a quick thank you as he opens the door for you that leads to the back garden. The greenhouse is not unfamiliar to you from the outside, there have been a good amount of summer gatherings in his back garden for you to know of its existence. But you’ve thought nothing more about it. If you’re honest, you never really paid much attention to it. If anything, you assumed he used it as storage at most, never taking Evan as someone who enjoyed gardening. Though now you know you were right, you've also learned that his sister lives with him and you wonder why he’s never mentioned it before.

The curiosity inside of you wants to question Harry about it, to ask him what else he knows you don’t. When you think about it, there’s a lot you want to ask him about. Not just regarding Evan, but also regarding him. You wonder what he’s been up in the past six months if he ended up adopting the kitten he’d told you about back when you were still filming or if he read any of the book recommendations you wrote on his notes app one particular night the two of you chatted for longer than the moon could hold itself up in the sky. The part of you that begs for you to say something on the short walk is so strong you have to physically bite your tongue to be able to hold back.

You don’t have to hold for long, however, as Harry takes it upon himself to say, “So,” He starts, clearing his throat, “How- uh- how are you doing?”

Somehow, his words click something inside of your mind. They remind you of why you shouldn’t let that curious part of you win. The sole purpose of it not falling for his charm. You shake your head, “We’re not doing this.”

“Doing what?” He frowns, his steps faltering for a second.

“Small talk.” You answer, focused on your goal. “We’ll just solve this thing as quickly as possible so I can go back home and finish my Euphoria marathon.”

“Right.” Harry nods once, and you can’t help but notice the way his lips quirk down, the frown not leaving his face. You can’t lie and say it doesn’t make your stomach drop the slightest bit to see you’ve upset him, but you have to remind yourself how much he’s upset you, too. 

It’s protecting yourself, you think. After tonight, you don’t have to see him ever again.

Inside the greenhouse, you’re greeted with a mix of scents you’re not prepared for before stepping in. The space is compact, with a single corridor narrowed with garden beds on each side. Dozens of branches and leaves tickle you as you walk in, most of them belonging to different flowers that, despite the chilly weather that still lingers outside, are already blooming. It’s a blend of colors, bright reds, and ocean blues, soft purple petals kissing pink and yellow ones. 

“We should look for gloves.” Harry’s voice startles you, chuckling as you jump a bit.

“Huh?” 

“Gloves.” He says. “I think whatever we’re looking for has to do with the gloves, ‘cause he mentioned manicure.”

“That makes sense.” You look around. Many gardening tools are piling under the tables that hold the garden beds; watering cans and empty pots. You look between bags of fertilizer and drawers filled with shovels. There’s so much stuff to look through that, at one point, you sit back on your calves, glancing around, lost.

You hear Harry leafing through as you’re doing, feeling his legs brushing against your back as he passes by and you stop, watching him from your spot on the floor. He’s got a concentrated look on his face, bottom lip worried between his teeth as he scans through the walls before he opens another drawer. That’s when his gaze falls, catching yours. You quickly turn away, pretending to go through another pile of empty pots and blocking the sound of a chuckle coming from his spot.

For a moment, the only sound in the room is the clicking of ceramics and the opening and closing of wooden drawers. That is until you hear from Harry, “A-ha!”

You look up again, seeing him move to the back where few pairs of gloves hang on the wall — so obvious yet still hidden between raincoats and summer hats. “Right under our noses.” You say, getting up.

Harry searches inside the gloves, tongue trapped between his teeth. “Bingo!” He says, pulling out two tiny bottles from inside one pair.

“What is it?”

“Liquor.” He grins, peeking at you from under his lashes before ripping a piece of paper attached to it. “It says ‘one for each, now get to clue number two.’” He holds up one bottle, offering it to you, to which you take it. “It’s chocolate flavored.”

“Of course it would be a drinking game.” You open it, feeling the artificial chocolate scent braid with the alcohol. “Christ.”

“Don’t smell it, or it’ll be worse,” Harry says, downing his with one quick tilt of his head. “‘S not that bad, actually.”

You mimic his action, letting the drink swiftly burn its way down your throat. Unlike Harry, you can’t help but scrunch your nose at the taste. “You’re a fucking liar.”

Harry only giggles in response, taking the empty bottle from you and placing it back inside the gloves, along with his own. 

And then again, silence. You turn to the flowers to find some comfort.

A family of tulips glances back at you, their petals in a full red, it’s the kind of beauty you’re scared to ruin if you touch, so you just rest your hand on the wood. “They’re beautiful.” You only notice you say it out loud when Harry hums back in agreement.

“They are.” He says quietly but somehow feels loud by how close he is. “Tulips are my favorites.”

You stop, brows raising incredulously at him. “No, they’re not.”

“What?”

Cursing the universe for playing with you like this, you can’t help but laugh at the situation. “It’s just- they’re my favorites, too.” You look at him. “My nan used to plant them when I was little.”

“That’s sweet.” He says, smiling and you nod. “The red ones represent true love.” He points. “And the purple ones represent royalty.”

You blink at him. “Do you just look up tulip facts in your free time?”

Harry laughs. “Yeah, basically.” He looks down at you, and you can’t help but notice how the greenery around brings out the shade of his eyes. “I worked at a flower shop for a tick.”

“Really?”

He nods. “For eight months. My favorite part was writing on the store board every morning.” His face lights up as he recalls his experience. “I used to write silly stuff like, ‘one day I’d like to meet tulips.’ The old ladies loved it.”

You shake your head, breathing out a laugh. “You’re dangerous.”

“Dangerous? Why’s that?”

Because you’re sweet, you want to answer, because when I think I won’t get charmed by you again, you hit me with tulip puns. Your lip finds its spot between your teeth, you’d be damned to give him the satisfaction of hearing you tell him that, so, instead, you shrug. “Because.” You can tell he wants to dig more by the way his lip twitch up, teasing a smile, but you just nod towards the door before turning away from him and heading out. 

There’s a distinct change of temperature when you step outside, and it’s only when you do that you notice the greenhouse was heated. Thankfully, the night is not too windy as it would get a week or two ago when winter was still insisting on making itself present, but it’s still chilly so that it makes you hug your jacket closer to your body. Harry also notices the difference, as you hear him wince as he steps out from behind you — unlike you, he’s not wearing anything to protect his arms from the cold, which only makes it harder for you to not ogle the tattoos hugging his skin.

“So, what’s next?” You prompt.

Harry reaches for the card again, taking it from its spot on his pocket before reading the second clue. “‘Not feeling too creative to write this one, it’s on the third tree on oak.’”

“I mean, at least we don’t have to think too much on this one.” You say, “Oak Street is the one to the left, right?”

“Yeah.” Harry sighs. “Can’t believe he’s making us go out on the streets.”

You start to make your way back towards the house. “Too tired for a stroll?”

“‘S cold,” Harry says, scrunching his nose. “Here, there’s a side gate.”

He guides you through a gravel path to where the black gate stands, hidden between bushes and branches. Strings of fern hug the bricked fence and the surrounding grass is high enough that it tickles your calves through your tights, making you believe this path has probably been left unused for at least a couple of months now. This information brings out an extra worry for you, as you take a better look at it, noticing how the gate is closed shut to the fence.“Is it open?” You wonder out loud.

“Shit, I don’t think it is.” Harry huffs under his breath. “But, I mean, we could easily jump it.”

You stop, turning to glance at him as the suggestion leaves his lips. He stands there, hands on his hips, examining the gate, tongue poking out as he frowns. After a second, he meets your eyes. “What? It’s not that tall.”

“I suppose.” You say, looking back at the fence that ends just below your shoulder length. It would be easy enough for you to climb it with a boost, however, “I’m wearing a dress.”

“Oh,” Harry scratches the back of his neck. “Let’s just go inside-” He turns back.

“Wait,” You stop him, not sure if it’s the slight amount of alcohol in your system already making you more adventurous, you train your gaze at the gate, analyzing it again, before looking back at him. Squinting your eyes, “You have to close your eyes.”

He laughs, “Are you sure?”

“It’s not that high.” You shrug. “But I need your help.”

“Of course.” He moves next to the brick wall, kneeling before it and nodding towards you. “C’mon, step up.”

Hesitantly, you glance at his thigh stretching his trousers, a sudden wave of insecurity hitting you. “Are you sure you can lift me?”

Harry simply puts his hand out in a silent request for you to hold. “Of course.”

“No peeking.”

He shuts his eyes tightly, chin meeting his chest as he looks down. And then you take his hand, feeling his fingers lock in a firm hold as he helps you use him for support. You hesitate again before using his thigh as a step, “Wait, I’m gonna ruin your trousers.” You worry, but Harry only shakes his head, still keeping it facing the ground, the strands of his hair falling above his eyes in a makeshift blindfold. When he doesn't feel you stepping in still, he encourages you with a squeeze in your hand. 

You attempt to do as quickly as possible with your dress clinging to your legs, tightening your hold to Harry’s hand to step on his thigh. Once you let it go, you can still feel it lingering behind your back as you use your arms to boost yourself up the wall, sitting on it for a moment before jumping to the other side with a huff.

“Can I open them?” You hear Harry’s voice calls from the other side, and you smile, nodding even though he can’t see it.

“Yes!”

And then his face appears as he stands up in a jump, grinning at you. “See? Easy Peasy.”

“I feel like a teen sneaking out.” You say, and you instantly give another meaning to your words as Harry boosts himself up. This time, you certainly don’t hold yourself back from staring at the way his muscles flex at the movement, the tattoos on his arms stretching, and his shirt rolling up. He makes it look so easy, so effortless, barely taking five seconds until he’s jumping in front of you.

“That was fun.” He puffs, patting his trousers lightly.

“So, how are we finding the tree?” You ask, taking a quick glance to where his hands brush on the fabric of his trousers. “Should we read the clue again?”

“I know which one he’s talking about,” Harry says, nodding to the left before beginning his stride in that direction. You follow him, trusting his words as the two of you turn the corner where Evan’s house is located. 

The street in question is much calmer than the one you were just in, with no cars coming or going from the residences — that stand much closer to one another, you notice, giving the whole street more of a narrow feeling to it --, which is not exactly odd, but certainly is a contrast with the main street that Evan’s home faces, that one being more lively with people either coming home or leaving it to enjoy their Friday night. The sudden lack of background noise makes the walk to your destination a tad awkward, as none of you make an effort to strike a conversation. Instead, you resort to silently observing the surrounding area as you walk alongside Harry, noticing how the trees here bend over the sidewalk, their naked branches slowly but surely growing back the leaves they lost months ago — it makes you wonder how beautiful this must look during the peak of springtime, their full branches blending together, making a ceiling of flowers.

“Here.” Harry stops abruptly, making you almost bump into his shoulder, as you were too busy with the scenery you’ve made in your own head. “‘S this one.”

“I thought it said the third one.” You frown, looking back and noticing the way you’ve passed way more than just three.

“This one is the third.” He says, motioning to a small birdhouse stuck to its trunk with a number ‘3’ painted to the front in blue. “It’s a bit of an inside joke,” Harry chuckles to himself. “Now I get why the bastard wanted me to have this card.”

You look closer at the tree, trying to see if there’s something attached to it besides the birdhouse, but there’s nothing. Before you can question it, Harry opens the front of the tiny house, retrieving two tiny bottles from inside of it, similar to the ones you found in the greenhouse.  “Oh, no.” You say, laughing. “Did he just put liquor inside a stranger’s birdhouse?”

Harry shakes his head, “This is not a stranger’s birdhouse.”

“Huh?” You frown, glancing back to the house where you stand in front of, its front completely dark, showing that no one must be at home. You point to it over your shoulder. “Do you know who lives here?”

“Yeah,” He starts, offering you one bottle. “I do.”

Your brows shoot up in surprise, glancing back and forth from the house to the man standing in front of you, an amusing grin growing on his face. “You live here?” You ask, “This is your birdhouse?”

“It is, yeah. In fact, I was the one who built it.” He gives the birdhouse a small pat.

You can’t help but let your mouth hang open for a second. “That’s-” You pause, not sure which word to use. Impressive? Amazing? Hot? “That’s nice.”

Harry smiles, and the two of you stand there for a moment, admiring his work in silence. You suck your bottom lip in, keeping yourself from inquiring further. 

Being presented with how little you know about Harry only peaks at your curiosity at what had happened last year in your brief experience with him. When you were with him it felt as if you’d known him for months rather than weeks, but looking back at it now, you wonder if your infatuation fooled you into thinking the two of you were close. Maybe that’s why you were so upset at the premiere after all because all that did was prove to you how much you didn’t know him at all. No matter how many sleepless nights you spent together sharing bits of your lives, it wasn’t enough for you to get to know him.

It’s only when a car turns into the street that you break away from your thoughts, looking up at him and clearing your throat. “We should take this back to Evan’s.” You say. “I’m not sure how it would look from an outsider’s point of view to see us downing these tiny bottles in the middle of the street.”

“You’re right,” Harry says. “Should we read the last clue while we’re at it?”

“Sure, yeah.”

He reaches for the card inside his pocket, presenting it to you. “You do the honors this time.”

You take the card, brushing your thumb over the words before stopping for a second to read them out loud, “You’ll find your prize behind the words of buried legends.” You snort. “That’s so corny.”

“Words of buried legends,” Harry repeats, letting out a hum. “Bet he was feeling quite poetic when he wrote this one.”

“Maybe because it has to do with poems.” You peek at him, a slight raise to your eyebrow. “‘Words of buried legends’? like dead poets and stuff?” Upon reading it again to make sure, you mumble, “He really made this card especially for you, huh?”

“Makes sense.” Harry agrees before nudging you playfully with his arm. “Look at you with your literary mind!”

“Could’ve used some better wording but I’ll let it pass.” You giggle, shrugging as you hand him back the card. As you do so, you notice there’s something written on the other side. “What’s in the back?”

Harry’s brows meet. “Huh?”

“In the back of the card, something’s written on it.” You nod towards his hand as he’s about to pocket the card again. 

Harry turns it around, reading it with a chuckle. “Ice breakers.”

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” Your mouth drops open in amusement. “Well? Go on, then. Break the ice.”

Harry makes a show of clearing his throat before reading the question as an announcement, “What celebrity do you think you could pull on your best day?”

“Is this the actual question?” You squint your eyes at him and he turns the card to allow you to read it as well. Surely, the same question reads right on top of it and, as you take a glance at the ones below it, they’re not that much better. You shake your head, “God, I have no idea.”

“I know mine.”

“You didn’t give a single thought on that one.” You say. “This should be good.”

“Jennifer Aniston.”

“Jennifer Aniston?” You stop on your tracks, raising your brows at him. “You know she was married to Brad Pitt, right?”

“Ouch.” Harry makes the theatrics of putting a hand on his heart, head falling dramatically to the side. “Right where it hurts.”

“I’m not saying you’re bad-looking, but he’s Brad Pitt.” You emphasize with a laugh, pushing him playfully as you keep walking. “Like he is the male beauty standard. Personified.”

The front of Evan’s feels more vivid than it was when you first walked in hours ago, the lights inside seeming lighter and the curtains having been pulled back, showing people wandering around on the inside. You walk past another pair crouched in front of the bushes that line next to the front gate that creaks as you open it.

Harry rolls his eyes. “Sure, let’s hear yours, then, sweetheart.”

“Ew, don’t ever call me that again.” Your nose scrunches and your face grows hot, but you attempt to shake it off, stopping to think of the question. “Huh, on my best day? I think… I don’t know, maybe Drake?”

“Oh, no!” Harry’s hands cover his face as he shakes his head into them. “I feel like that’s the most basic answer anyone could ever give to this question.”

You gasp. “Did you just call me basic?”

Harry holds the front door open for you and, before he’s able to give you an answer, you bump right into Nia. She instantly blurts out your name, as if she’s been expecting you to appear. “I’ve been looking for you!” She says, sparing Harry a glance over your shoulder before pulling you slightly to the side. “Do you think we could talk for a second?”

“Sure.” You hold out the word, looking at Harry before focusing on your friend again. “Did something happen?”

“No, no, nothing happened. Just—” Nia starts, locking your arms as she guides you back outside, pulling you to a corner a few steps away from the front door. “How are you? How's it going?”

“I’m fine. Why?” Your brows knit together at her interference and you wonder if it has anything to do with her conversation with Nate.

“I’m talking about-” She looks over her shoulder, clearly checking if anyone is listening in. Even after making sure that there’s no one there, she still lowers her voice. “When I saw he was your pair, I wanted to rescue you right away, but fucking Taylor pulled me with him and I didn’t get the chance.”

Oh. “Oh.”

“Is it too awkward?” She keeps her inquiry, holding your hand close to her chest. “We could ask them to switch so we can do the rest together, I’m sure Evan’s too plastered to notice.”

“Nia, I-” You smile as you come to realize that she pulled you aside just to check if you’re uncomfortable, having witnessed first-hand your whines and cries over Harry last year. “It’s okay, really. It’s not that bad, surprisingly.”

“Really?” Nia blinks, taken aback. “I- What happened?”

“Nothing.” You reassure her with a squeeze on her hand. “We’re just chatting, it’s not that awkward.”

“Okay.” She nods and nods, before falling serious again. “But if anything happens you just have to scream for me and I’ll be right there, okay?”

“Okay.” You say, pulling her for a brief hug. “Thanks, Ni.”

The two of you return inside just as Taylor brings up his brother’s hair sculpture collection that’s being exhibited at a local gallery — a subject you already have been the victim of hearing for about an hour during New Year’s and, by Harry’s face, he seems as helpless as you did back then. Nia doesn’t waste a second before pulling her pair away, “Let’s go, pal, those clues won’t solve themselves,” she shoots you a look over her shoulder, pushing Taylor towards the living room and you chuckle.

“He really is one of a kind, that man,” Harry says with a sigh before meeting your gaze. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, just lady talk.” You brush aside. “Let’s find those poets, shall we?”

“We shall.” Harry smiles, looking around for a second before guiding you down the hallway, turning just before entering the kitchen where a staircase. This is a way that — like the greenhouse — you’ve never been to. Still, Harry navigates so casually as if it were his own home and, to some degree, you suppose it is. You follow him up the first flight of steps, stopping just before turning into the next one where a door you never really noticed before stands. Harry rests his hand on the handle, turning to you before saying, “There’s an office hidden right here.”

You watch as he opens it, motioning for you to walk in first. And, indeed, the inside of it is an office, just a bit smaller than the living room on the opposite side of the house. Two bookcases that go from the floor to the ceiling mostly covered the wall, only leaving a single space in the middle for a dark wooden cabinet. In front of it, an L-shaped desk takes up the middle of the room, most of it is filled with files and paper stacks, as well as two computers lying asleep. For a moment, you just stand by the doorway, admiring this room you’ve never known of its existence, your eyes quickly sweeping through the bookshelves completely packed with dark cover books of all sorts. “Do you think this is where it could be?”

“Probably, yeah.” Harry nods, turning on the lights. “I don’t know where else he could have any poetry hidden.”

You move towards one bookshelf, the one closest to the door, reaching to brush your finger through the spines perfectly lined. “But look at the size of these, we’ll take forever to find anything in here.”

“Those big ones are mostly law books, I think,” Harry says, opening cabinets at the other side of the room, right next to where a white couch stands. He turns to look at you, “His sister’s a lawyer, this is her office.” Harry says, “But Evan’s got a corner right here where he keeps some of his stuff— like books of sorts. It’s the only place I could think of.”

You hum, not knowing exactly what to respond to this information.

“You can go through the ones on that side, it could be there as well.” Harry nods towards a cabinet right next to the door where you came from, and you nod.

The first two cabinets are of no luck, both being mostly filled with boxes full of children’s books and old toys — some of them mixed with more stacks of paper, but those, instead of having long texts, have drawings of all kinds from what you could gather in a glance, from child-like scribbles to actual sketches. You can hear Harry going through drawers on the other side of the room and, upon closing another empty cabinet, you peek at him, watching his broad back flexing under his shirt as he moves around. Averting your eyes as swiftly as you looked, it’s still enough to bring warmth to your cheeks.

Finally, you open the cabinet at the very bottom of the shelf. On the top, there are piles of DVDs, most being different variations of Barbie movies, but, right at the bottom, you find books. You don’t stop to check their genre at first, simply moving them away until you stumble upon a small box, the top of it marked with the word ‘prize’. “Found it!” You call back, taking the box away from the pile before setting the books back in place again. “Under Rupi Kaur? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure she’s very alive.”

“Don’t tell Evan that,” Harry says as he crouches next to you, taking the box from your hands. Inside, there are, as expected, two tiny bottles like the ones you found before but, what calls both your attention, is a small bag of sweets lying in the middle. Harry takes it, “Oh, those are nice.”

He hands it to you and you open it, quickly shoving a jelly candy into your mouth before nodding. “Yeah.”

“So…” Harry starts, peeking over his shoulder, “Do you want to go back there?”

You glance at him, his eyes hovering above yours, lips twitching up just barely. “Uh… Maybe not right now.” You answer, “Unless you feel like sharing our Jellies with other people.”

Harry only laughs, shaking his head as he sits back and you do so too, right next to him. He reaches for his pocket, presenting another tiny bottle, the one you found inside his birdhouse, “We still got these.” 

“Right!” You fetch your own out of the pocket of your jacket.

Harry opens his, holding it up towards you. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.” You say, mimicking him.

Both of you down your drinks, the liquid tasting bitter, like medicine on your tongue, the only reminder of alcohol being the burn as it slides down your throat. You rest your head back on the cabinet behind you as the two of you fall into silence once more. A part of your mind is already beginning to swim around the space inside your head, and you decide to not take the last drink just yet, laying it next to your leg. Though you’ve only had the equivalent of two shots, you realize the long break you’ve had from drinking for the past couple of months -- which wasn’t exactly an intentional choice, but more like the result of your lack of free time -- is showing itself to have been enough to make you more of a lightweight. 

And even though the night so far has been strikingly surprising in terms of how comfortable you felt being around Harry again, it doesn’t mean the questions you’ve been carrying since last year have gotten any quieter. They’ve only gotten louder. More persistent, even. The curiosity you feel to know what happened is almost suffocating now. And you’d be damned if you let a drunken mind stop you from having this conversation.

You glance at him from the corner of your eyes, only watching the back of his head bobbing along with the music -- still the piano -- that comes faintly from behind the closed door. Your lips part, feeling the question form right at the tip of your tongue, but not knowing how to voice the words. Will it be awkward? You think so, but what if it ruins the night? Tonight, that’s been so oddly refreshing. A night that only served to remind you how you became so infatuated with him in the first place.

But you know you won’t be able to let go of this ich inside your head unless you bring it up. And you want to, you do, but as you take too long to think of the right way to do so, Harry decides to break the silence, murmuring next to you, “That’s a good one.”

Your brows knit together, trying to make out any trace of familiarity within the song that’s playing, but you don't find any, which only leaves you even more confused.  “Do you like classical?”

“Love,” Harry says simply, his eyes closed as he moves his head with the piano keys. “Especially this one. One of the greatest works from one of the greatest contemporary composers: Billie Eilish.”

Your lips fall open, “Shut up. Is she playing this?”

Harry laughs, a full one, that brings a grin to poke at your lips. “I mean, as far as I’m aware, no. It’s a version of her song — listen in.” He points to his ear, nodding with the melody as he sings along, “So you’re a tough guy, like it really rough guy.”

You shake your head incredulously, “Of course he’s playing classical versions of pop songs!” 

“Did you really think Evan had a taste for Chopin or Debussy?” Harry asks both dimples poking on his cheeks.

“I think at this point I’d believe anything you tell me about him.”

Both of you laugh, the air surrounding you light and warm, before falling quiet again. This time, however, you simply stare at each other for a beat. You watch his eyes, with their almost hypnotizing jade shade, glancing between your own. He rolls his lip between his teeth, nibbling at it. This is the closest you’ve been to him all night, and the details on his face only feel like a reminder of your doubts. Like the nostalgia you feel with a bittersweet memory.

“Should we-“ You stop, the words falling from your lips before you can think about them. “Should we talk about the elephant in the room?”

You half expect Harry to frown, to play dumb, and question you the meaning behind your words. For a second, you even expect him to shake his head, to get up and leave the room. And, for some reason, you kinda want him to do so. To finally break the mask of the nice, sweet guy he’s been putting on all night and allow himself to play the role of cold prick you put him on for the past months. 

But he doesn’t do it. He only gives you a short smile. “I was thinking about how to bring it up.” Harry’s gaze falls to his lap for a beat as he scratches his nose. “We should, yeah.”

You nod, more to yourself than to him. This is it. The moment to ask what you’ve been waiting for for six months now. You decide not to think much anymore, allowing the question to roll freely, “I don’t really know how to word this better but- pardon my French- what the fuck happened?”

Harry chuckles, but not an amused one. It’s more of a dry, nervous laugh. “How cliche is it if I tell you I was really fucking stupid?”

“Pretty cliche.” You say, “But also pretty true, I suppose.”

“I’m sorry for that.” He looks up, eyes meeting yours again, his own softening upon seeing you. “I really am.”

“Thank you for apologizing.” You smile a little, “But I think I deserve an explanation.”

“You do.” He speaks quietly before clearing his throat. For a second, he doesn’t say anything else, just takes a sharp breath, focusing on his fingers that play with the hem of his trousers. “I- Uhm- I know this might come as a surprise, but I’m not very good at letting people down.”

“A bit, I guess.” You try to humor, but your tone doesn’t show it. You sound quiet, hurt.

He peeks up at you, and continues, “Jess- the girl you met at the premiere- she’s lovely and all, but- how do I say this- we were never really supposed to be together.” Harry sighs, “I didn’t like her like that.”

You frown, “Then, why did you?”

“A couple of months before we met- before Evan even mentioned the film project to me, one of my mates kept insisting that I should meet his sister.” He pauses, “That was Jess.”

“I figured.”

Harry nods, “As I said, she’s a lovely girl, really nice, but we just- didn’t click like that, you know?” You hum in agreement, ignoring a small twist in your stomach when he repeats the endearment term. “But I guess she really wanted to try it, and, for months, I just kept pushing and pushing, cause I thought maybe with time I could bring myself to feel the same way.” And then again, another humorless laugh, “But- spoiler alert- I couldn’t and I should’ve just told her that.”

Your mouth hangs open for a beat before you decide against saying anything. It’s clear as you watch him explain that the entire situation for him felt more complicated than you’d ever considered. Not once did you think about the possibility of him being caught in a twist of his own decisions, and not once did you regard his feelings with the whole situation. In your bubble of gloominess, all you could think of was how he played you and used you for a bit before moving on to the next girl that fell for his sweet talk. 

Looking at him now, however, his head low and brows set on a permanent crease, lips frowning down, you can feel the internal conflict pooling out of his pores. You’re not sure if it’s exactly a look of remorse that he gives you, but it sure seems close to it.

Harry huffs in what feels like frustration as he keeps recalling the events, “But all my mates kept taking the piss, pushing me to ask her out and then, in the middle of it, I met you.” He finally smiles a bit, and you have to look down to hide the warmth that spreads on your cheeks, “And we-uh-” He shrugs, “I mean, we clicked, didn’t we?”

“I think so.” You say, just above a whisper.

“I think so, too,” Harry says, holding your gaze with his own. “And when I was with you I let myself forget about that, forget about the pressure to be with someone else, I guess.” His lips fall again, eyes meeting his lap, “But when we came back, there wasn’t much running away from it anymore. The night we got back I met that friend of mine and, I’m not sure if he said anything to Jess, but she asked me out.”

“And you said yes.”

“I said yes.” He repeats, shaking his head, “I shouldn’t have, but I said yes.”

“So you just dated her? Even if you didn’t like her like that?” You say, trying to understand his thought process. Even if his words tug at your heartstrings -- which you try to not think about right now -- you still can’t help but feel a bit for the other girl.

“I thought I could- I don’t know, I thought with time maybe I could-” He stumbles around with his speech, before finally letting out a sigh, “I don’t know what was going through my head, to be honest. I was a prick.”

“At least you can admit to it.”

“I was a prick to both of you.” 

You fall quiet, hoping he takes your silence as an agreement. When he doesn’t offer anything else, you speak up again, “Did it work, though?” He frowns, and you clarify, “Letting time force feelings into you?”

“I found very quickly how hard it is to develop feelings for someone when there’s someone else on your mind.” He says, and you bite back a smile that wants to spread on your lips.

“It’s very easy to say that now.”

“I know.” He agrees, “And I wish I could’ve realized that earlier, before even bringing you into this mess.” Harry reaches for your wrist, which lies on top of your lap, giving it a gentle squeeze. “For that I really am sorry.”

“I know you are.” You reassure, turning your hand to find his, squeezing it back. “And what happened to Jess?”

“She was rightfully upset when I told her.” His thumb brushes against your knuckles, moving the rings on your fingers around just slightly, and it’s almost enough to distract you from his voice. “We broke up a day after the premiere.”

“Ouch.”

“But it’s fine now, she’s got a boyfriend now who actually cares for her the way she deserves,” Harry says.

“That’s nice to hear, at least.”

“It is, yeah.”

You look down at your hands locked in your lap, squeezing his one more time before letting it go with a sigh.  “You really made a big mess, huh?”

He chuckles, a guilty smile poking on his face, “I did.”

You nod, finally reaching for the tiny bottle left forgotten next to you, opening it. This time you only take a sip, but it’s still enough to end half of the liquid inside. You click your tongue, “I’m glad we talked, though.” You look up at Harry again, who’s already watching you, giving a small tap on his thigh. “It’s nice to have closure, you know? To give it a conclusion and wrap with a nice little bow.”

Harry rolls his lip inside his mouth, “Is this a conclusion, then?”

You raise your brows, “Is it not?”

“I guess it could be.” He shrugs one shoulder, leaning closer to you just barely, eyes trained in yours. “But I’m hoping that, after today, maybe we could start over?”

You laugh, scrunching your nose at him as you shake your head. “Not a start over, no.” You poke his side, “You’re not getting away that easy.”

“You’re right.” He says, still not budging as he frowns his lips. “But I wish it didn’t have to be an ending as well.”

“Is that so?”

Harry nods, you can tell his eyes hold a shyness that wasn’t here a minute ago, but at the same time -- as paradoxically as it seems -- there’s a boldness as well, one you’re more familiar with. “Maybe we could chat again. This time with fewer ice breaker cards and more bags of sweets.”

You smile, rubbing your chin as you pretend to ponder about his suggestion. “That does sound very promising.”

“I really do think we clicked.” He drops his playful tone as if wanting to make sure you feel the sincerity behind his words. “Wasn’t just saying it.”

“I know.” You say, “And I think so, too.”

His smirk grows, and he doesn’t offer anything else to say, but you can tell he’s holding something back. With the silence, you suddenly become too aware of the way your arms brush together, and how his knee bumps against yours. You notice how his eyes fall a bit from yours, so quickly you could’ve imagined it, but you choose to not think so. If you lean forward, you know he will too, but you don’t want to give him the satisfaction. You’re not letting yourself make the first move.

Surely, you’re aware these thoughts are a direct result of the alcohol sweeping through your mind, testing how much of your pride you’re willing to ignore. There’s no questioning of the wall that you built all those months ago after walking out of this very house with this very man on your tail blurring out apologies. It still stands, tall and strong, and you're not letting sweet words mixed with a drink or two pull it down. Not that easily. But at this moment, looking at his stupidly beautiful face with his stupidly beautiful eyes so close to you, you feel like maybe you could peek through a window, or open up a door — just a creek, just to have a sample of what it would feel like if you were to pull it down.

“Do you want to go back?” Harry asks again, this time more quietly, this time his question has a different implication than it did before.

You're quick to shake your head, voice quiet, “Not yet.”

The corner of his lips quirk up and you raise your brows, silently daring him to ask what he’s been holding. You see his hand moving from the corner of your eyes, but you don’t break your gaze from his, not even when you feel his fingertips moving so gently against your cheekbone, brushing your hair away from your face. Harry leans closer, again just barely, and again, you stay still, only smiling softly in encouragement. Now, you’re stuck in your own silent conversation; both seeking the same thing but not making the move to achieve it -- either for pride or apprehension. 

“I’d really like to kiss you right now,” Harry whispers finally, eyes moving down again, this time slowly, making sure that his intentions are clear.

“Do it, then.” You tease.

Harry breathes out a laugh, his hand caressing its way down to your jaw. He rubs his thumb against your cheek, a feathery touch, taking another second to look at you before pulling you in. Your eyes fall closed, as you focus on your senses, and allow yourself to peek from that window, or creek that door open just a bit, to have just this moment to remember when you first got lost in his touch. 

First, it’s the warmth of his breath tickling your cupid bow, making your hold your own breath in anticipation. Then, the tip of his nose, gentle against your own, and you can’t help but lean in a bit more when you feel the ghost of his lips on yours. But he pulls back, just so slightly, hoping to have you reach for him again. Except you don’t, knowing what he’s trying to do.

“Uh-uh,” you shake your head, pulling back just a bit to look him in the eye. “You don’t get to tease me.”

Harry huffs out a laugh, “That’s fair.”

This time, there’s no teasing. Still, he goes in just as slowly as he did the first time around, curving his lips around your bottom one so softly it almost makes you lean in again. His kiss is cloud-like in a way that makes you a bit dizzy and when he presses his lips harder, you have to refrain from letting out a dreamy sigh -- still too stubborn to give him the satisfaction. It’s when you feel the tip of his tongue poking out to lick at your bottom lip in a silent request, that you pull away completely.

It’s your turn to smirk now, licking your lips before announcing, “I think we should go back now.”