#libraries so i had to actually literally buy it and then scan it. like a fool. and that one is about witch trials. focuses mostly on

[featherymainffins]

I don't.

[runningfrom2am]

cold nights // twenty-one

summary: you showed him colours he knows he can't see with anyone else.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 4.2k

masterlists / nav / requests

tags/warnings: tribute!reader and mentor!coriolanus, r is very sweet (too kind for this world. literally.), sunshine x grumpy trope kinda, he falls first, violence typical for the source material, depictions of mental illness, also she's is very smart (as she should), district twelve!reader.

a/n: oh- you guys wanted them to be happy and in love in peace?? my bad. anyway, good a time as any to wish you guys a happy valentines day! lol

my asks are also open to talk about this series! (i do have emoji anons open now too!)

send me any and all of your thoughts! here!

series masterlist // playlist

"Where are ya takin' those?" Lennox asks you as you're quickly scanning through your piles of books, pulling out one or two at a time and holding onto them.

"I will bring them to Coryo and Sejanus." You smile to yourself, standing up straight as you finish picking out most of your favourites.

"Coryo." Lennox scrunches his nose up. "Why bother? They can't read that many books in a week. Especially when he'll hardly get his hands off you long enough to do literally anything else."

"Oh, Lennox hush. That is not true." You shake your head pointedly, cheeks burning red.

"It is true."

You had kind of explained to Lennox what happened, that Coryo explained, apologized, and that you were wrong about him. Your mother was right, of course, but Lennox still wasn't buying any of it. Although, he wouldn't deny that you seemed happier.

"Ma!" You call out, coming out of your bedroom with the stack of books in your arms. Trying to talk to Lennox about this would never end in him actually listening to you.

"Just out back, honey!"

You follow her voice out onto the back porch. "Ma, do you know if there's a limit of things you can take on the train?"

She looks up at the question, laughing at the stack of books you have steadied under your chin.

"It's not a passenger train, honey. I don't know." She chuckles. "You want to give him all of those? Won't you miss them?"

"Well..." You think about it, placing them down on the ground to rest your arms for a moment. "I don't know when I'll see him again, and books are expensive to post. Besides, I know they'll be in safe hands, and if I want to read them again I can take them from the library."

Your mom smiles sadly at you. "I suppose that's true."

"Yes." You grin, crouching down to pick the books up again carefully. "I shall go drop these off."

"When will you be back?" She asks, just as you're about to walk back inside.

"Uh, I'm uncertain, but I shouldn't be long! We don't have any plans."

"Maybe you should take your brother with you, he can carry those." She suggests and you sigh.

"No, Ma. He's mean." You pout.

"He only wants to keep you safe. Take him with you, please. He'll be driven mad here waiting for you to get back." She insists and you groan, dropping your head back. "I won't ask again, I promise."

"Okay, Ma." You relent, stepping back into the house and letting the door swing shut behind you. "Len! Ma says you're coming with me!"

"So... how do you know where they are staying?" Lennox asks you, half the books in his arms as you practically skip ahead of him.

"Coryo showed me the other day."

"Oh, he did. Of course he did." You can practically see him rolling his eyes behind your back. "Have you ever considered that he could just be using you? I mean-"

"Lennox, that's not a rational thought process. I have nothing that he would want, he already won his prize." You interrupt. "He just came here to spend time with me, we talked about that when I was in the Capitol."

"I can think of something he wants..."

"Lennox!" You turn on your heel, pointing a finger in his face so fast he almost stumbles as he stops. "That is enough. You have so little trust in me!"

"It's not like we haven't been down this road before!" He argues, and you quickly look around as he raises his voice. The path is deserted this time of day.

"And you don't think me capable of learning?"

"Clearly not! Him and Cole are practically the same person!"

"Don't you say that- I didn't like Cole and you know it." You narrow your eyes at him. "Coryo is different. He wouldn't hurt me."

"You do realize that those are like, the famous last words that every teenage girl ever has said and regretted it, right?"

"Do you just not want me to be happy?" You ask bitterly. That wasn't true and you knew it, but you were upset and you knew it would get your point across. He was being cruel.

"The opposite, actually! I just want you to think realistically about fallin' into the open arms of your 'knight in shining armour' who you've literally had nightmares about for weeks on end."

"I am not a child! I am an adult, and I am capable of making my own decisions." You spit. "He's not using me. He loves me, and I love him."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll say that until-"

"Lennox you are such a.. boy!" You groan. "If you must know, if you must insist that I am so stupid, no, I have not slept with him. Is that what you needed so desperately to hear?"

"Gross." He mumbles, shaking his head with disgust. "I don't care what you do with your alone time, actually I'd really rather not know! All I'm saying is you need to be more careful."

"I'm not going to fight with you. You can trust my decisions or not." You grumble, turning back around to keep walking. He follows behind you silently, neither of you saying another word the whole walk there.

You knock on the door, taking a step back while you wait for it to open. You can hear your brother breathing behind you and it's driving you up the wall. You would drop off the books and send him home- maybe you would stay for a while, go for a walk, something.

The door creaks open and you smile when you see Sejanus. "Y/N!" He grins, opening the door wider for you to come in. "Coryo! Your girlfriend is here!" You blush at the term as you walk in past him.

You hadn't discussed any kind of title to what you had, the looming ache of him leaving again so soon holding you back from wanting to mention it. You assumed he didn't want to discuss it either, both of you silently agreeing just to enjoy the time you still had together.

"Y/N/N." Coryo grins, eyes lighting up as he enters the room.

"Hi." You smile, ignoring your brother pretending to gag behind you.

"What brings you?" Coryo asks. "I didn't expect to see you today, I was thinking of coming to see you myself."

"Yes, well, I went through my books and brought some over that I would like you to take." You look back over your shoulder as Lennox is placing the large pile of books on the dining table.

Coryo hums as he wraps his arms around you, resting his chin on your head. "That's a lot of books." He chuckles.

"You don't have to rush through them, keep them as long as you'd like." You assure him. "I just thought they were some you may enjoy."

"I'm sure I'll love them." He kisses the top of your head. "Thank you."

You turn in his arms to look up at him, ticking your head slightly when you hear Sejanus speak quietly. Clearly, not to either of you. "Hey, I just want to show you something. Come outside with me?" And then the door is shut, and you and Coryo are left alone.

"What's he showing him?" You ask, and Coryo watches through the window as his friend and your brother circle around to the side of the house.

"I am not sure." He answers. Immediately, he's thinking of the note Sejanus had scribbled out for himself. It included your brother's name alongside the dates and times, and those dates were creeping up quickly, the seventeenth being in three days- if he had today's date correct.

"Coryo?"

"Hm?" He looks down at you again. "You were thinkin' for a minute there. What's wrong?"

You were always so concerned. All he had done was take a moment to think, and you seemed genuinely worried. Maybe there was something in his face that showcased his confusion. "Nothing, love." He assures you, but you don't seem inclined to believe it. "Okay, uh, just... Come with me." He grabs your hand, watching out the window to make sure they aren't coming back yet as he leads you to his room.

You step into the small space and smile. He wasn't here for long, but the room already had little touches of him. The bed was made, and there was nothing on the walls but the bedside table had the copy of Romeo and Juliet he had got for you, a folded-up note, and a comb for his hair he had yet to put back in his bag despite him not needing it anymore.

You turn to face him after he shuts the door, smiling. He almost looked normal here, now. Like he was getting used to being here with you, living your life. It certainly wasn't like what he left behind in the Capitol, but to you it was special.

"Y/N, I have something to tell you." Coryo says, serious with a lowered voice. He didn't want anyone to hear it, even though you were still likely alone in the home.

"Okay." You reply, feeling your brow crease as you nod at him. His tone makes you nervous- your heart skips a beat in your chest. For a moment, you feel trapped. Tell him what you need. He won't mind.

"Can you... can you move away from the door, please?" You ask quietly before he has the chance to speak again.

He nods, not wasting a second before passing you and you turn with him, now with the door to your own back. "Is that better? You okay?" He asks and you nod.

"Fine just fine." You smile, trying to be reassuring. "What were you going to tell me?"

"Right, so..." You watch as he runs a hand over his head, still in the habit of pushing back his hair. "I was in Sejanus's room the other day, and I found this note. It had two dates and places on it, and then your brother's name and that was it."

"Oh." That's the only thing you can think of to say. "Well... do you remember the places? Maybe he was just trying to remember Len's name?"

"I don't know, I was hoping you'd know more." Coryo sighs, reaching for the bedside drawer. He had written down what he remembered from the dates and times, because he did want to ask you about it. "But he's been leaving and coming back at odd hours, he won't tell me what he's doing. Is he with Lucy Gray?"

"I don't think so." You frown, shaking your head. "But they have been getting close."

"But that doesn't really feel relevant to the note, or your brother."

"No... It certainly doesn't seem that way."

"Here, so... I wrote it down. Uh... The Hob, August seventeenth at ten pm, and broken fence August eighteenth at four am." He reads off what he remembered enough from the note to write down.

You tilt your head.

"Does that mean anything to you?"

"Well, on the seventeenth The Covey is performing at the Hob, so maybe he planned on going to that." You explain. "But broken fence... there's so many of those around here I couldn't tell you. Although, four am is an incredibly odd time to be meeting anyone."

"That's three hours before our train leaves."

"Oh." You shake your head slightly. "That's very weird."

"I know." Coryo sighs. "He won't tell me either, I've asked if he has any plans that night and he said no."

"Well... We should go." You offer. "Tell him that we're going to the meadow that night, and we'll just go after him. See who he's with."

Coryo raises his eyebrows at you. "I didn't take you for the nosy type."

"Well, I'm a big sister at heart and if it possibly involves Lennox I have to know." You argue. "It could be dangerous. He's always had a few friends I didn't love."

"Are you okay to go back there? I can go without you." He offers.

"I'll be fine." You insist. It's more so out of necessity, you have no choice but to be fine. You have to know- you have to make sure your brother and friend are safe.

"Are you sure about this?" Coryo asks, stopping you outside the entrance to the Hob. "If you want to go home I can take you, I just want you to feel safe."

"I know." You give him a small, reassuring smile as you squeeze his hand. "If I need to leave I'll tell you. I promise."

He nods, taking one last look at you to make sure you still seem okay before he pushes the door open and you both head in.

The building is buzzing- as it usually is when The Covey performs. You smile at the music, letting Coryo pull you close to the side wall as he scans the crowded room for his friend.

"Do you see him?" You ask, and he somehow hears you over the music and shakes his head.

You frown, looking around as well. No sign of Sejanus, no sign of Lennox. Lennox isn't even old enough to be here, but he wasn't at home when you left- and it's not exactly hard to sneak in.

"There," Coryo says, nodding in the direction of the opposite side of the room. You follow his eyes, and spot Sejanus talking to someone you recognize. "Who's he with?"

"Spruce." You explain. "His sister is scheduled to be executed tomorrow afternoon." You add, leaning closer so no one else will hear.

You watch as they head toward the back hall, the same one you ran down just a couple of weeks ago. "Should we go after them?" You ask when Coryo doesn't reply and he nods, watching them as he pulls you down the outside wall toward them.

You make it back to the hall without Lucy Gray spotting you, as far as you can tell. Standing outside the door, you hear shouting. You watch Coryo as he clenches his jaw, shaking his head.

"Wait out here." He tells you, dropping your hand.

"No- I, I should come." You shake your head and he grabs your cheeks, lifting your head to look into your eyes.

"I don't know what they're fighting about but it doesn't sound good. Wait out here." He's stern as he gently brushes his thumbs over your cheeks. "Listen to Lucy Gray, just watch the door. Okay, love?"

"Okay." You agree quietly, slightly nodding.

He kisses your forehead before letting you go, taking a deep breath before pushing the door open and disappearing behind it.

You chew your nails as you wait with your ear to the door, trying to decipher who is inside with them. It's hard to tell with all the shouting going on, but you hadn't heard Lennox.

"Y/N." You hear your name, quickly jumping back from the door and turning to face the voice. "What are you doin' here?"

You chew your cheek, trying to avoid Cole's gaze. "Just waitin' for Lucy Gray." You lie, looking down.

"Ah." He hums, nodding slightly as he steps closer to you. "Where's your purebred Capitol attack dog?"

"What are you doing here, Cole?" You ask, ignoring his question.

"We got leave passes for the weekend." He answers. "Hoff said something about 'boosting morale'."

"That's nice." You smile nervously. "Well, I don't want to keep you, so..."

"You aren't." He smirks, tilting his head as he looks down at you. "I'm not gonna hurt ya, you know that, right?"

"I know." You say softly.

"We're friends, aren't we?"

"Cole..." You sigh, looking down again. "We talked about this I just... We're too different. I'm sorry."

"Oh, because you have so much more in common with that prick- right?" He laughs sarcastically. "He's Capitol! He'll never know you like I do. Honestly, I'm offended that you'd choose him over me."

"I'm not choosing him over you." You frown. "I already knew we wouldn't work before I ever met him. This is very, very different. I'm sorry."

"You are? Oh, I'm glad to hear that." He nods and you eye him suspiciously. "Maybe then after he leaves, you'll give me another chance. He's taking the next train, tomorrow morning, right?"

"I can't do that, Cole." You shake your head.

"That's an awful shame." The evil smile on his face doesn't fade. "I'll have no choice but to report your father."

Your heart drops. "My Pa hasn't done anything."

He sucks in through his teeth. "Well, suspicion is enough to charge, and I don't know... I get a bit of an off feeling from him. It's actually my duty to report any suspicions we have, so honestly I've been protecting you, and I'd like to keep doing that, you know?"

You finally picked up on what he was saying, and immediately could taste the bitterness of fear on your tongue, a metallic tang that seemed to linger in the air.

"So? Do we have a date?"

"Sure." You mutter through gritted teeth.

"Sweet, thanks for finally coming to your senses, bug." Cole smiles, patting your shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon!" He calls back as he walks away.

You don't even care what's going on inside, you can't be alone in this dark hallway anymore.

You pull the door open and rush in, but you're quickly stopped by Coryo's arm as he takes a few steps back, pushing you behind him. "What- what's-"

"She can't be in here!" Spruce spits at Coryo as you look past him, gasping at the sight of several guns on the table and the one in his arms.

"Listen, she's not involved." Sejanus promises.

"Her brother is gonna help us, it's cool. She won't tell." You look at Billy Taupe when he speaks, eyes wide.

"No- this is crazy." Mayfair shakes her head. "She's not coming with us. We're not bringing her or Lucy Gray. I'm leaving."

"No, they aren't coming. I just said I'd ask. Now she knows, so she probably should." Billy Taupe replies and your eyes flick between the couple. You had no idea what was going on, where he wanted you to go, and what this had to do with Sejanus or your brother.

"No! My daddy will have you all strung up for this." She throws her hands up and starts to walk toward the back door. Your heart is pounding in your chest as Coryo reaches for one of the guns.

"Don't!" You cry out, forcing yourself in front of him just as he aims the gun at her. At you.

"Y/N, you gotta move right now." He says quickly, and you hear her footsteps stop behind you.

You can only look at his eyes as they flit between anger, instinct, and fear.

"Coryo." You say, voice cracking and it's only then that you feel the tears dampening your cheeks.

The barrel of the gun is under an inch from your chest, and you can see his hands shaking as he holds the heavy weapon in his hands. He won't shoot you- he won't.

The world around you seems to blur as your focus narrows on the overwhelming sense of fear gripping you tightly. Right now, if someone asked where you were, you wouldn't know. You just as easily could have been standing in the arena. 

He doesn't dare move as he stares at you, eyes wide. He doesn't want to hurt you, but that's why he has to do this. He can't let whoever that girl was have you killed. Still, you stand in front of him. Shaking, but not moving. This was the girl he knew from the games who offered a rose to Coral who in the moments before was threatening her. The girl who so thoroughly hated the idea of bringing harm to others that her own mind blocked it out completely and replaced the story with something else. This was the girl who was willing to give up her life just to be able to give the other tributes an honourable burial that she knew they wouldn't otherwise receive. 

The girl who saw him kill another boy and despite all of that, still had it in her heart to forgive him.

You don't even hear Mayfair laugh and begin to walk away again, you only hear the gunshot that follows. You jump, immediately looking down to assess the damage. Coryo wasn't pointing the gun at you anymore, he had dropped his arms in defeat- and you had mistaken the loud noise for an impact you were expecting.

He didn't shoot you.

"What did you do?" You turn as Billy Taupe screams, eyes widening as you see Mayfair bleeding out on the floor.

"Oh god- oh god..." You mumble, stepping back until you bump into Coryo. He drops the gun back onto the table, pulling you into his arms.

"Don't look, don't look..." He tells you, turning you and pressing your head to his chest so you can't see anymore even if you wanted to.

You can't even make out what Spruce and Billy Taupe are yelling at each other over the sound of your blood pumping through your veins. Until the second gunshot.

You must be sobbing now, clinging onto the front of Coryo's shirt so tight your knuckles are burning. "You're okay, it's okay." He tells you. You don't know what's going on- you don't want to.

Coryo stares between Spruce and the body of Billy Taupe now slumped down next to Mayfair. He needs to get you out of here, now, but he doesn't know how. This has to be handled first.

He's letting you go only to grab your cheeks and get you to look at him. "Go back outside, you have to go back outside, I will handle this."

You can't even speak- can't even move. You try and shake your head. You couldn't leave him, not right now. You feel like you'd die the moment he ceased touching you.

The door slides open again, followed by an angry voice you know too well. "What the fuck?" Cole must have been watching you. He must have heard.

"No..." You cry, shaking your head. If Cole saw this you were absolutely all screwed.

"What the fuck did you do?" Cole shouts again. "Nobody fucking move! You're all-"

Another gunshot. Silence.

"Oh no, no, no..." You try and look behind Coryo but he doesn't let you, holding your head firmly into his chest again.

"It's okay. Don't look." He says again, staring at Sejanus who looks like he's panicking just as much as you are now.

"Why'd you tell them where we were? Now you've gone and screwed us all over! I just shot a peacekeeper!"

"He didn't tell anyone." Coryo defends him. "We followed him, Cole followed us."

"Fuck." Spruce sighs, throwing the gun onto the pile of others still laid across the table. "We gotta bump this up. We have to get Lil now, go tell Lennox to get the stuff and hide it for us like we said."

"Get rid of the guns and pretend this never happened."Coryo hisses. "And leave the kid out of this. It's too late for whatever plan you had now- we don't know where he is."

You can't even hear a single thing going on anymore. You're actually sure you might faint.

When you go from shaking to completely still in Coryo's arms, he knows you have. "Shit..." He mumbles, trying to steady you as your knees give out. He quickly readjusts so he can lift you with an arm under your knees and the other under your back.

"I gotta get her out of here and you have to move quick. Get rid of the guns. Now." He instructs, and surprisingly, Spruce listens. He throws the weapons into a bag and steps over the two bodies by the door before leaving.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this." Sejanus cries, gripping onto his hair and breathing heavily. "No one was supposed to get hurt!"

"Sejanus, for once just shut up!" He grabs his attention from where his friend is staring at the dead couple, clearly losing his mind. Coryo doesn't have time for this- an unconscious girl in his arms and his friend looking like he's about to be in the same state in a matter of moments.

"It's all my fault..."

"All of this is your fault!" Coryo agrees, looking around at the mess of the room. "It's only gonna get worse if you don't pull yourself together."

"Oh, god..."

"If you breathe a word now, all three of us are finished. Just like in the arena. We came here to see her. If we go down, she goes with us." He holds you tighter to his chest as your hair falls over the curve of his arm, your head limp against his skin. "So now we have to go back to the house, gather all our shit, and act like nothing is wrong. We have to board the train tomorrow like nothing is wrong. Do you understand?"

"I- I don't know." Sejanus sniffs.

"Hey." Coryo says, taking a few steps closer. "Look at me. You have to pull it together. I know you wanted to go with them but now they aren't going. We've got to stick together. You won't get in trouble. I won't let anything happen to you, but you have to listen to me." It was obvious that it didn't matter that none of you pulled the trigger- being in the room was enough; especially when a peacekeeper had been murdered. If you were caught, you'd all be executed. "We're brothers, yeah? Brothers. Whatever you've done, I swear I will keep you safe."

"Brothers. Yeah." Sejanus mutters, still obviously in shock.

"Those guns were the only loose ends besides the four of us, so we're gonna be okay as long as we leave tomorrow." He breathes. "Okay? Not a word."

"O-Okay." Sejanus nods slightly, trying to keep his focus on the boy in front of him rather than their unconscious friend in his arms.

Coryo tried to give him a reassuring smile, but inside he was panicking too. They could escape it all on the train tomorrow, but now came the problem of what to do with you.

taglist: @soulessjourney , @that-veela-girl ,  @dreamyysouls, @rockstarbfs , @maysileeewrites , @baybieruth , @kitscutie ,  @fratboyharrysgf0201 , @totallynotkaibiased , @stelleduarte , @secretsicanthideanymore , @bejeweledreverie , @drewsandsebastianswife , @niicole-87 , @queenofshinigamis , @innercreationflower , @nallasstuff , @iovemoonyy , @thatmarvelchick19 , @wearemadeofstardust0 , @regulusblackcore , @puredreamagination , @fantasticchaosthing , @becauseseaotters , @secretsicanthideanymore

okay suddenly tumblr isn't letting me tag more people than this so i just made some cuts unfortunately :') i just left the max amount of people i could whose users i recognized and see in my notifs all the time :) if you're not on here and you should be i'm so sorry!

also this taglist is closed now!! if you’d like to get a notification when i update, turn on my post notifications!! i promise i won’t spam y'all :,)

[archoniluthradanar]

I woke up this morning to find you gone

I woke up this morning to find you gone : a Volturi one-shot

The Twilight "Zone" series-these stories have a bit of strangeness about them.

Caius' human mate - First person POV

Caius' mate goes to bed with him, then falls asleep with him at her side as he is most nights. She awakens the next morning to find him gone. Not away, but really gone. And no one in the Volturi castle has ever heard of him. Or her. How will a human convince the Volturi she belongs there, and that her mate is real and is now missing.

oooooooooooooooooooo

My name is Allie Carson. I was an American who had lived in Washington state all my life. It was a fairly normal life, that is, until I met Caius. He was handsome, almost regal in his carriage, rude when it suited him, and an old-fashioned gentleman when he chose to be. I could tell right off he was...different.

I had bumped into him on the street, literally. He had been sent, he later told me, to keep an eye on a local family here in Forks.

"Are you a cop or FBI agent? I asked him, curious.

"Nothing so mundane," he replied curtly. "Why do you care?"

I ignored the snark. "Mundane? Now you have me really interested. I would never say the work of a detective or an agent of the government was mundane."

He only smirked, which intrigued me more. I told him I was on my way to have lunch at a local diner and asked him to join me. He agreed after looking around the main street. I briefly wondered what he was looking for, but by the time we reached the diner, my mind was on the hamburger lunch deal my stomach was demanding.

We sat at a table, and the waitress came by with two glasses of water. She set them down and took out her pad. "Hello, Allie, I see you found a friend. Stranger around these parts?" she asked Caius, her eyes obviously admiring him. "What can I get you both?"

"Marsha, I'll have the hamburger lunch deal, with a Coke." I looked at my impromptu companion. "Can I get you anything...uh?"

"Caius," he said, finally smiling.

"Caius? Ok then, Caius...did you want anything?"

"No, thank you. I've eaten already," he replied, leaning back against his chair.

There was that smirk again. "I guess I'm the only one eating, Marsha." After she went to put in my order, I looked the blonde man over. "Caius is a strange name."

"It's an old family name. I rather like it," he said.

"Oh, I do too. Unusual names run in my family. Even though I ended up with 'Allison', dad once told me he wanted to name me Athena, but mom objected."

"The Greek goddess," he said knowingly.

"Are your parents historians or something? Your name, the fact you instantly recognized one of the Greek gods."

"Actually, I am a historian so to speak. I...read a lot about history. Do you like history as well?"

I was so impressed to meet someone like Caius. Here in Forks, the library had minimal books on ancient history, so I had to buy a lot of used books online. "Yes, I love history, I don't even care what era. It all interests me."

His brilliant blue eyes lit up at my words, so I must have said something right. Just then, Marsha came by with my lunch plate and a glass of Coke.

"Here you go, Allie." She turned to Caius, asking him, "Sure you don't want anything?" When he shook his head, she nodded and left us alone.

We talked about anything that came into our minds until I had finished everything on my plate. "How long will you be in town?" I asked my lunch companion.

"Two days, maybe three. Then I'll return home."

"Where is home, if I may ask." I wasn't sure if he had to keep that secret, his job and all.

"I'm from Volterra." He must have seen my frown, since he immediately clarified. "Tuscany region, Italy.

"Wait. So you're not an American officer? Interesting." His accent didn't sound Italian, but perhaps he was a transplant.

We left the cafe together, but I had to get home, and Caius seemed distracted, his eyes again scanning the streets. We bid each other goodbye and went our separate ways.

I walked across the street, still watching Caius. A young man, whose face I didn't recognize, walked up to him. They seemed to speak to each other as if they knew one another. The stranger was dressed in what appeared to be clothing from another era. He was handsome as well, and I wondered who he was. I sneezed, which forced my eyes closed. By the time I opened them, Caius and the stranger were gone.

The next morning, I left my house to find the blonde stranger standing on the sidewalk out front. He smiled when I walked over to him. "I just wanted to see you before I left," he said.

We spent the rest of the morning together. I asked him if he could reveal the name of the family he was watching. Were they criminanls, I asked him. He laughed.

"Not exactly criminals. The Cullens tend to do their own thing with no concept of the law."

Did he mean Carlisle Cullen? "Caius, Dr Cullen is highly respected here in town. We feel fortunate to have such a...a skilled physician in our small hospital, when he could find a better paying position anywhere in the country. And his family's great. I don't know them very well, but we have spoken at times. Alice is so sweet, and Emmett is a hoot."

"They've done nothing wrong...yet. I was only sent to watch them," Caius replied, trying to reassure me.

I admitted to myself I was intrigued by this man, a foreigner to my country. But I was stunned when the last day of his stay, before he was supposed to leave for good, Caius demanded to see me. Demanded.

We had gone for a walk into town and ended up at the park. We sat on a bench beneath a tree. I didn't say much, unsure how I felt about his leaving. His next words stunned me.

"I want you to join me in Volterra. Come with me and be my mate. I know it sounds strange, but it won't when I explain everything."

"It's been three days! I hardly know you, Caius! What is this all about?" I looked up at him while he stood and paced in front of me.

"I cannot tell you everything, Allie. You have to trust me when I say we belong together. I confirmed this with Marcus."

"Who the hell is Marcus? Caius, are you crazy?" I shut up when he took my hands in his and sat beside me.

"I...work with Marcus. He has a gift of recognizing relationships between people, a hundred, fifty...two. He told me you and I are destined to be mates."

"Mates. As in spouses?"

"If you wish to call it that. All I know is what I feel when I am with you. My previous mate died long ago."

Long ago, he said, when he barely looked thirty years old. My head was spinning, yet when he suddenly kissed me, my brain took the time to stop thinking while I let this man gather me in his arms and continue to kiss me. When he pulled back, I gazed at him in shock. Yet could it have felt more natural.

So I left Forks forever, binding my life with Caius', before I even knew much about him, or what he was.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was like any other night, Caius and me lying in our bed while we talked about the day's events. We were laughing about something that happened, when he moved to hover over me, pressing his lower body against mine. I smiled up at him while wrapping him in my arms. then kissing him. I was still human, so he had to be careful he didn't accidently bite the tip of my tongue off. Soon he would change me, and he would not have to hold back any longer.

We made love until I was tired out. He let me lie against him, our fingers entwined. "I love you, my heart," I said.

"I love you, amore mio," he replied, pulling me closer.

I closed my eyes and Caius held me until I fell asleep.

Sunlight poured through the window, waking me. I turned to my left to see an empty spot in our bed. I sat up, calling for Caius. Maybe he was in the shower, but he usually asked me if I wanted to join him. I got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. No Caius. I touched the shower wall. It was dry.

Had he been summoned by Aro for a last minute meeting or trial, and didn't want to wake me?

I quickly dressed and went in search of my mate. I entered the door of the throne room, and found no one. Perhaps they had gathered in the larger audience hall. I was on my way there when strong arms grabbed mine, pulling me back against a tall, marble-hard body.

"Felix, you startled me." When I turned to look up at him, his expression frightened me. It was as if he didn't know me. When he grabbed my arm, I struggled against the pain. "Felix, you're hurting me." Even the fearsome Felix had never harmed me since I arrived here. This was very much out of character for him.

I was unceremoniously dragged to the smaller throne room, where Aro now sat with Marcus on the dais that lacked one chair. This was crazy. Where was Caius' throne?

I was about to ask what was going on and where was Caius, when Aro rose from his throne and walked down the three steps to stand before me, Felix still holding my arms but less tightly.

"Who are you and how did you get inside this place?" His red eyes bore into mine.

"Aro, I've been here ever since Caius brought me here. And where is he, by the way. What have you done to his throne?"

I saw Aro glance back at Marcus, who was sitting still, as he usually did. The quiet one merely shook his head.

"Aro, can you please ask Felix to let me go."

Aro gave the tall guard a blink and Felix stepped back, but not far from me.

I rubbed my arms and glanced around the room to see most of the top guards standing against the wall. They all looked at me as if they didn't know me.

"What is your name, my dear," Aro asked.

I had to laugh. "You know me, brother. I'm Allie, Caius' mate?"

Aro looked aback when I called him brother. He stepped back, turned and walked slowly back to his throne, sitting once there. 'You say you are Allie, mate to Caius. Yet we know no Caius...nor you."

This was insane. I was in a nightmare it seemed.

I pointed down the line of guards. "That's Demetri, Chelsea, Afton, Santiago, Jane, Alec. Heidi is most likely out fetching tourists for your next meal. You're Aro and he's Marcus. If I hadn't been here awhile, how would I know your names or theirs? I also know you're vampires." I looked over at the empty far corner. "Where is Caius' throne? It usually sits there, at your left."

"There has never been another throne, my dear. Marcus and I are the sole leaders of the Volturi. There are no others." He spoke gently, as if to a child.

"Yes, there is! Caius helped you form the coven ages ago." I had lost my composure by now.

Aro asked me a question, I think to test my story. "And who are you to this Caius?"

"I'm his mate, from America. He brought me here 10 months ago. You promised me one year before you insisted I be changed. I have two months left. And now I don't even belong here, so it seems."

I gave a pleading look at Marcus. who was always kind to me. He stared back at me as he would a stranger.

Aro appeared to be thinking, when he suddenly stood, walked down the steps, and grabbed my wrist, saying tersely, "Come with me."

I was suddenly afraid. "Where are you taking me, Aro?" Very afraid. "Aro, please don't kill me. Give me a chance to explain!"

"Foolish human, I'm not going to kill you, or you would have been dead already." We stopped in front of our chambers, mine and Caius'. "You say these are the rooms you shared with this Caius?"

I opened the right door and walked in. "These have been Caius' rooms for longer than I know. I have lived here with him for the last ten..." My heart dropped. I looked around to find an empty set of rooms. The furniture was gone. Our belongings were gone.

I ran to the bedroom, then searched the massive closet. It was empty of our clothing and the large jewelry case Caius had bought me to hold all the beautiful necklaces, earrings and rings he had chosen for me over the months. There was nothing left behind to bear witness to his extreme generosity.

I turned to Aro. "I don't understand. It's all gone. But it was here when I woke up this morning. I dressed and left to look for Caius." I thought for a moment. If Caius had disappeared from this place, perhaps time itself, all the things he had bought for me would be gone too. It was a logical assumption that if he never existed, anything tied to him would never have been here. And I would not be here. But I was. I am.

I started to walk back to the outer door. While I stood in the corridor, I felt Aro move behind me. I awaited execution, but instead, he took my elbow and led me back the way we came.

"You're not going to kill me, Aro?"

"I said I would not. You know too much, but what you know proves some of your story. For now, Marcus wishes to speak with you."

"No problem. I know the way." He let go my arm and we walked side by side to Marcus' chambers. When we came to his doors, Aro left me there with a pleasant expression, reassuring me.

I reached up and knocked on the heavy wooden door. It opened to reveal the tall melancholy vampire.

"Welcome, my child. Come in." He stepped aside to allow me in and led me to the settee. I sat down and tried to get comfortable.

"It's good to see you again. Marcus. I'm glad you asked me here since I want to ask you, do you see me with your gift? Am I with anyone?" Caius maybe.

Marcus looked a bit surprised that I mentioned his gift. "Yes, I know about your gift. When I arrived here from America, you confirmed with Caius and me, that we were mates and belonged together. Why don't you remember that?"

Since I had arrived here in Volterra, Marcus had always favoured me, and his lack of emotion basically made him more relaxing to be around. When Caius was off on some mission with the guards, Marcus would invite me to his rooms and read to me while I lay my head on his lap. Sometimes he would comb my hair with his fingers in a soothing manner. Anything to calm me during my mate's absences.

"Sit here, child. Aro asked me to talk with you about your delusion..."

"Marcus, it's not a delusion! I'm telling you all the truth. Caius met me in America, and we spent some time while he was in Forks. He asked me to go home with him because we belonged together." How many times did I have to say it. "He checked with you, telling me you have the gift to see relationships." I shut up, too tired to speak anymore.

"I have something to ask you, child. If you want to stay here, Aro has given his permission, as long as you stay with me. Eventually if you wish, you can become my mate and I will change you myself. For now, I will ask nothing of you."

I knew what he meant. I looked over at Marcus. Dear Marcus. I had no where else to go. I nodded silently.

I stayed with Marcus for the next 4 days. He was true to his word, asking nothing of me. Instead, he did what he could to make me feel better.

He had chosen a favourite book, reading to me while my head rested on his thigh. His fingers caressed my head while he played with my hair. His soothing voice became an even drone of words.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

I must have fallen asleep. I rose up on one elbow and looked around me. I was back in my bedroom, Caius' bedroom. Everything seemed as it should be. I turned to see Caius walking from the bathroom as he was drying his hair with a towel while completely naked. I stared up at him with what must have been a look of utter shock, before I jumped out of bed and ran to him, grabbing him and kissing his face and mouth.

"Oh my god, where have you been? I have been looking all over for you and no one knew who you were and everything here was gone..."

Caius dropped the towel when I had grabbed him. "Whoa, my love, what is all this? What do you mean I was missing and everything was gone."

"Am I dreaming now?" I grabbed his hands and looked at him, my expression serious. "I woke up five mornings ago. You were not in our rooms, so I went in search of you, thinking perhaps Aro had called for you. Felix found me and dragged me to the throne room. I asked Aro about you, and he acted like he had never heard of you. No one had. I was sure he was going to kill me since I had no reason to be here and was still human. I think the fact I knew so much convinced him I had been here for the last ten months." I would have rattled on hysterically had Caius not stopped me.

"Allie, shhhh...slow down, love." Caius cupped my cheek gently, then pulled me to him. He was here, back with me, and yet it was like five days ago all over again, only Caius was the one who didn't believe me.

"I spoke with Marcus and he offered to take me in so Aro would not have to kill me. He promised me if you never came back, he'd take me as his mate and change me himself."

"Wait, Allie, what are you talking about?" He gripped my upper arms with his hands. "Who the devil is this Marcus?"

Frowning, I looked at Caius in disbelief. "God, not again."

[theviewfromthebooth]

The Mighty Mojo tracks of 2023: The Bubble List

Being ahead of schedule is a rare treat in any aspect of my life, and for that reason I am embracing my decision to release the Bubble List so soon into December, and so far ahead of the Top 50 that will still be released on New Year’s Eve. Some traditions die hard.

In past years I’ve taken my obsession with capturing the year in its entirety to unnecessary lengths. The speed of other actual publications to crown the year’s best everything was always looked on with disdain, as I scoured my regular channels for new music like a desperate man scanning his phone for dealers at 4am. The thought of missing a banger by going too early disturbed me, in large part to ‘The El Camino incident’, in which my favourite album of 2011 dropped in the first week of December. When RTJ3 appeared on Christmas Eve 5 years later with no warning, it seemed to confirm that I was right and everyone else was wrong. Well, this year, the darndest thing happened. 

I realised that NO ONE ELSE CARES. I have yet to have someone call me up for a song appearing on my list in the wrong year, in the 13 years I’ve been putting this thing together. I need to chill the fuck out. And so I have.

The other handy element to releasing the Bubble list now, is that it comes hot on the heels of Spotify Wrapped, and the annual debate around streaming royalties. I say annual because that’s when everyone gets involved, but there’s been a steady undercurrent throughout the year of artists rebelling against the system to speak out. I have always been supportive of their stance - it’s disgusting to see the disparity in profits between the people who own the platform (and due to many undiscussed deals, this includes most of the major labels) and those who literally power it with their artistic endeavours.

And yet, I’ve always remained within this crooked system, simply because I believed it to be the only place to find the depth of music I was looking for. Last I heard, Tidal was still quite specific, and a lot of the others were only marginally better. And then there was the library of playlists that I’ve built up over the years, an encyclopaedia that I lean on heavily on a day-to-day basis. There’s a playlist for nearly every scenario my mind could possibly imagine, and that has a worth beyond currency.

I can’t ignore the fact that Spotify’s algorithms have also been responsible for exposing me to many of the people on this list. The sheer amount of Aussies that feature is testament to that, and again that’s only possible due to the buy-in of the music community. There are ways that Spotify is helping young artists. But it’s just not enough.

It’s still a bit of an eye-roller to announce your departure from something, but in this instance I’m going to indulge myself. I’m looking at other options, and I suggest you all do too. If you want more detailed info on the reasons why and the best action to take, follow United Musicians and Allied Workers on socials https://linktr.ee/umaw 

*Steps down from soapbox* So, the music then. I really went deep into it this year, racking up over 120 songs in the long list by September. The best part of that is that it meant that I had a long time to live with these songs, sort them in my heart and allow the cream to rise naturally to the top.  Aside from the Aussie invasion there’s no real trends - except more of a push to the extremes of comfort in sound. There’s some mad bits in here, and some initially jarring sounds that eventually connect, and when they do it’s all the more thrilling having taken you to the edge. With so much to choose from it was easy to stay within the hardest boundary of the bubble list - outside the odd superstar feature, these are underground/new artists that aren’t widely known or available. In the wake of the streaming debate it feels more important than ever to shine this little light in their direction.

The full Twitter (Some traditions die hard) thread with links to socials and places to buy music/merch will come next week, and you’ll have the benefit of the whole of December to absorb it all before the next hit. 

See you in a few weeks.

[ibaimendi]

Academic librarian here! (This is what college and university librarians are called in the US.) This depends a lot on what kind of institution you are at, but…

Some American college and university libraries DO have robust textbook programs where they buy every textbook that’s assigned in the curriculum. However, lots of others don’t. There are a few reasons. The obvious one is budget, of course — the budget isn’t getting bigger, journal and database subscriptions cost more every year (seriously, some databases literally have contracts that call for an annual 5% price increase) and we still like to buy some books and support other stuff that’s happening in the library. So textbooks might be something that falls by the wayside for some. But there’s more to it than that. There are logistics issues, for one thing (where can you get a list of all the books being taught in classes? From the bookstore? LOLOLOLOL. If you’re lucky you can work with departments to get this information, but that is a real project that requires staffing). So for a lot of US academic libraries (I’d venture to say most), the textbook program relies on faculty requests — so if a faculty member doesn’t request a book be included, it won’t be. Obviously, this makes the program much smaller.

And then there are the format issues. Most people want electronic textbooks! Reasonable. And some publishers are willing to sell electronic textbooks to libraries, but a lot of them are NOT. They’re simply not available for libraries to buy, period. It’s infuriating, but still legal. Publishers can just refuse to offer site licenses. If you ARE able to get the electronic textbook, you’ll need to pay more for a license that allows simultaneous access. Even in print, lots of textbooks these days involve the use of a course site, which of course is only accessible to those who have purchased a textbook with a code in it. (Also, this isn’t universal, but at my institution, most students are commuters, so using a print textbook on reserve means finding time to get to the library, paying for transit, hoping all the copies of the book aren’t out to someone else when you get there, and setting aside a chunk of time to read it on site. And, like.. our students are dedicated, but they also have jobs and families.)

Libraries (or instructors!) can also scan short portions of texts under fair use for course reserves, and there are cases where that’s really helpful, but if a class is using a traditional textbook in a traditional way, that doesn’t really work because students need access to the whole text. (Also there was a famous publisher lawsuit over electronic course reserves a few years ago (Georgia State) and while the outcome of that case was encouraging, a lot of libraries are very shy about copyright, much more than they should be, in my opinion.)

I’m inclined to think the answer is open educational resources, and I know there’s a long way to go on that. In my state, there’s a grant that colleges can get to develop open resources to be used in classes, and it’s actually helped quite a bit. At my institution, we have a program to help instructors convert their classes to Zero Textbook Cost, meaning they’re only using resources that are either freely available or available from the library, and I think it’s done a lot of good. But it’s a really big project to get everyone there. (There’s also a whole discourse to be had about companies that are jumping on the OER bandwagon and trying to monetize it and standardize it. I have some not-necessarily-friendly feelings toward those companies. But they exist because they make a hard process easier.)

Okay I have a question about American universities, which I do not understand on general principles, and university libraries, which I do not understand in this context.

Here's how it works for my students:

As part of the £9000 a year they're paying, they get access to full library resources. I, at the start of each academic year, make sure the reading list for each module - both essential and supplementary - is up to date, meaning the library has copies (preferably online forms, with hard copies only if a PDF is unavailable)

The library also has subscriptions to pretty much every major journal going, so they are able to access most journals with their uni login. If they happen across, and need, something they can't access, they put in a request with the library for it. A ninja librarian will perform the sacrament, and a PDF is in your inbox two days later (I am hazy on the mechanism of this part, but not the result). You have up to ten requests per person per year.

How in the world do I see posts from Americans so very often talking about paying for textbooks? Like... I get that it's "Shitty lecturers want to force students to buy their personal textbook for cash monies", but what do those university libraries actually Do?

(Also as a side note I am filled with helpless laughter at the very IDEA that I would (a) be allowed to set my own book as not just essential but fundamental course reading in a field that is well researched HELLO BIAS AND FRAUD and (b) allowed to set any text as required reading that would disadvantage impoverished students HELLO INEQUALITY AND ALSO PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS VIOLATION without the university's academic office arranging for a bed of hot coals to haul me over.)

[sometimes-men-need-help-too]

College Tips Part 2

- Your college's bookstore is likely gonna crank that price up ridiculously high. Unless you absolutely have to (like if you can't find the book anywhere else or it's something like a lab manual) buy (or rent) your books elsewhere.

- Thrift books is what I look at. It doesn't have everything but I've found some cheap ones on there (I had a biology book that would have basically cost $140 at my college's bookstore and found it for a little under $10 on Thrift books. A word of caution: if you find a deal you like buy it at that moment!!! Cannot stress that enough. I waited a day to buy a textbook and the one I wanted (the cheapest one) was already all sold out so I had to go the next option up

- Be careful when you're renting your books. Don't be like me in my freshman year when I was super nervous I wouldn't get my book in time for the semester and I ordered it too early and had to return it 2 weeks before the semester was finished. Luckily, we didn't even use the book much but that's not the case for everyone.

-Don’t take a summer class if you don’t think you can handle it. For me (and I think this is most places) I have from June until the end of July. You have a lot to learn in a short timespan and then you have exams for those sections that are crammed in there. You really have to put in the time to study. It’s gonna go fast. For some classes, that might not be so bad but more difficult ones will be. 

- Be wary about what you see on rate my professor. If you don't know, it's a site where you literally rate your professor from your school and people can see if they're good or not. You can also leave reviews. The thing is, some people will rate the professor wrongly simply because they think they're unfair or something. It might even be something they did and not their teacher. It's supposed to be helpful but you can't always take their word for it

- Attend class as much as possible. Obviously stay home if you're sick but don't just skip out because you're tired or something. It wasn't a big deal in high school if you missed out a lot (well, it probably was but not to the same extent). But in college, it can be harder to catch up and for my school, we have this policy where you can't skip more than the days the class meets per week. So if you meet two days a week, you can't skip out on 3 (2 in one week and 1 the next week) or else you're dropped from the class.

-Find at least 1 person in your class (especially if you're having trouble) to talk to. It's helpful if you don't understand something (or they don't). You may even become friends with them

- check your school email regularly. Teachers will often send stuff out. Your school will as well (such as if you receive financial aid).

- If your school has you use IDs and you don't wear it, at least carry it with you. At my school, there are certain things you have to have it scanned/checked. They'll take a license but they prefer your ID

- There is NO shame in changing your major or having to drop a class because it's too difficult. If it's not working for you, talk to the advisor about it. 

- You will fail a test or at least do poorly on at least one. It sucks but you have to learn from it. Make sure you're going over your exams. Did you not understand something? Did you make an easy mistake? Look at your teachers corrections. They'll help you. Plus, if you used a scantron, you should see if there were any questions that were marked incorrect but they're actually right. If you didn't erase all the way, it'll be marked wrong

- Do extra credit when it’s offered. Even if your grade is good

- If your library has a book sale going on (like mine has books for 50 cents), looking and see what’s offered.  You never know what’s there 

- I don’t know if I’d said this on part 1, but your workload is going to be significantly different. I had psychology class where I had this very thick textbook with long chapters and we had to study a couple chapters for an exam each time. You’ll likely have a lot of reading and you have to be willing to put in the effort to work harder

- Understand, don’t simply memorize. Can you explain the process? Can you answer it correctly if it’s asked in a different way? 

- Be prepared and keep track of your stuff. It doesn’t look good when you’re asking numerous times for copies of papers you’ve lost

- Find out what you need to know prior to class. It will make your life much easier. Do you need to know what a derivative is? How to balance chemical equations? For me, if I look up a class on the college’s website, I can see the description and depending on what it is, might say that students should have a basic knowledge of ____  or: students should be able to ___ 

If you know what you need to come in with, you can practice ahead of time so you’re not struggling as bad

[jungshookz]

that cashier game brought me on an idea... what about a grumpy yoongi as cashier and very clumsy y/n who likes him

i know this month is already a yoongi drabble month but i.,,.,. truly cannot resist writing about grumby yoobi :DDD

➺ pairing; cashier!yoongi x y/n 

➺ genre; yoongi is cocky and y/n is nervous what’s new 

➺ wordcount; 1045

(unfortunately i wasn’t able to track down the original maker of this gif but this is where i sourced it from! all credits go to the original creator of course :-))

                                       »»————-　🛒　————-««

“well, well, well…” yoongi sighs, getting up from his creaky stool before slipping his phone into his back pocket, “look who it is.”

“yoongi!” you greet enthusiastically as if you’re surprised to see that it’s him standing behind the counter when you were the one who purposely lined up at his checkout station, “fancy seeing you here!”

“…fancy seeing me at my workplace?” he raises a brow, reaching over to tap his finger against the computer screen to wake it up, “if anything, i should be surprised to see you here.”

“what, like it’s weird for me to be buying food at a grocery store?” you snort as you begin to pile your things up onto the counter, “sorry i need to eat to survive-”

“no, that’s not the weird part — the weird part is that you bought, like, three bags worth of things yesterday and you’re already back for more.” yoongi points out with a shrug, leaning over to take a peek at the contents of your cart, “that’s all.”

“well, i just-” you pause at the realisation that, yes, your fridge is currently packed to the brim and you probably don’t have to go food-shopping for at least a month so it doesn’t make sense as to why you’re rolling up today with a cart full of food, “i… like to eat. is that such a crime?”

“touché.” yoongi hums, pausing to stick his hand out towards you 

you frown lightly as you stare down at his open palm, your eyes flickering to the side for a second before you raise your own arm and gently place your hand in his

oh

his hand is so soft… and so warm…

a second of silence ticks by before yoongi clears his throat and speaks up again: “this is nice, but i actually just need your rewards card.”

“oh!” you immediately pull your hand away, your cheeks flushing as you hurry to pull your backpack off your shoulder, “i knew that! i knew that, i was just- i was just playing with you, that’s all-” you chuckle nervously, fumbling through your wallet with buttery fingers before pulling the blue card out and plopping it onto yoongi’s palm, “here you go.”

“mhm.” yoongi slides it over the scanner with a beep! before handing it back to you, “hey, check out all those points! someone’s a shopaholic.”

“yeah, well-” you smile sheepishly, reaching up to scratch the back of your neck, “food is good, so-”

“you bought one of these yesterday, didn’t you?” yoongi interrupts, dragging a family-sized box of cheerios over the scanner, “boy, you and your family must really like breakfast-”

“i live alone.” you blurt out, pressing your lips together immediately upon realising that it probably would’ve made you look better if you’d just played along with what yoongi was saying instead of now being reduced to a cereal-gobbling monster, “i… live alone.”

“ah.” yoongi nods in understanding, “so it’s just you who’s a big fan of breakfast-”

“it’s the most important meal of the day, after all-”

“mhm, give me a second-” yoongi turns to pull the microphone towards him before pushing the red button and leaning in, “yeah, could i get a price check on the magnum XL extra ribbed-for-her-pleasure condoms? just to be clear, that’s the magnum XL extra ribbed-for-her-pleasure condoms, item number 3-2-6-9-0-”

“no!” you gasp, reaching over to snatch the condoms out of yoongi’s hand before quickly tossing it back into the cart, “that- ha, i must’ve thrown those in there by accident, i don’t need those- i mean, not that i don’t need those, because safety is always a priority, but i just don’t need them because i’m not currently in a- in a position where i need them- like, i totally could be, don’t get me wrong, but i’m just choosing not to be-”

“never mind on the condoms.” yoongi clicks the button again before turning the microphone away from him and continuing to scan through your items with a smirk

look

it’s obvious that you like him — every time you come in here there are basically little pink hearts floating around your head

and it’s not that yoongi isn’t flattered (because he totally is) and that’s why he hasn’t called you out on it yet, he just likes the fact that it’s almost like he’s got you under a sick little spell

…what?? it’s not like he’s a bad person or anything, right? he’s just teasing!!

at first he thought you just really liked collecting points and that’s why you came so often, but then he started to notice that every time you were here, you’d only ever line up at his station even when the other ones had shorter lines

as a matter of fact there was one time that one of his coworkers was literally gesturing for you to come over to them and you stepped aside and let the person behind you go before happily skipping over to his station

even after that he thought that maybe he was being a little too cocky and assumed that you just preferred to have him check you out (ha) because he is a fantastic bagger, after all

but there was that one afternoon where you came in and he saw you grab ten packs of gummy worms before hurrying over to his station to check out and that was just... odd? 

it just seemed like you were willing to buy anything just to talk to him — so, yeah, it’s fairly obvious now that you like him

(and he must admit… you are definitely his type.)

“and… there’s your receipt.” yoongi hands you the flimsy sheet of paper with your card tucked underneath it, “you sure you don’t need those condoms? last chance.” he teases, smiling lightly when he notices your ears turning bright red

“yeah, i’m sure-” you cough, tucking your wallet back into your backpack before zipping it up, “i don’t know why you had to announce it to the entire store-”

“hey, i needed a price check! the box you grabbed had a scratchy bar code on it.” yoongi shrugs, pulling his phone out before plopping back down on his stool, “oh, y/n?”

“yeah?”

“see you tomorrow, you cereal killer.”

🎙️help me help you make your wishes come true (send me a request!)

✨why don’t you explore the rest of the library while you’re here? (full fics!)

💫or perhaps you want something shorter to read? (drabbles!)

🌟or something even shorter? (teeny tidbits like this one!)

[hazzasgayvodka]

Panty Thief - Harry Styles

So this is kind of a trial run for this fic, I’m inclined to make this a series but I’m not sure how the response to it will be. I have lots of ideas for more parts to this but only if it’s what the people want haha. Here is my belated Valentine’s Day gift to all you lovelies I hope you enjoy this heavy daddy kink/dom harry fic I’ve been working on for ages!

p.s. everyone say thank you Nathan for giving me lots of smut inspiration this is literally based on him sorta 

pairing: daddy!harry x oc

warning: sexual content, smut, daddy kink/dom vibes so if you’re not here for that this is not for you

word count: 5k

In which Harry is a new student at Harley’s university and he seems to just keep popping up everywhere. The tension between them is palpable and she can’t get away from him, especially when he happens to knock on her door with a pair of her favorite red lace panties she left in the laundromat dangling from his finger. 

I roll my eyes as the lady in front of me in line takes out yet another handful of coupons from her purse at the checkout counter. The cashier looks almost as annoyed as I am, but still sporting a smile despite the absolute exasperation rampant in her eyes. She takes the handful of coupons and starts scanning them begrudgingly as the woman digs around in her purse for anymore and I hardly even notice my foot tapping as my eyes instinctively roll once again. I just came to get toilet roll, ice cream, and a bottle of prosecco and the universe decides today is the day coupon Karen ends up at the checkout line five minutes before I do.

“I like your hair.” A voice speaks up behind me.

I know they must be talking to me, I don’t believe any other boring college blonde in this line warrants a compliment like that but the bright purple curls I sport tend to elicit quite the reaction from bystanders, especially the uninteresting conservatives of Publix.

“How do you uh, get it that color?”

I finally turn my head over my shoulder to face the voice, a tall guy with tousled brown hair and quite the shit eating grin on his face. He’s obviously very pleased with himself finally getting me to turn around but I can’t be bothered to entertain this excited puppy of a man with more than a word.

“Dye.”

I’ve barely even gotten the word out of my mouth before I turn back to face the cashier with an uninterested eyeroll. He scoffs behind me, clearly not giving up that easily.

“Wow,” He chuckles, “At least you’re straightforward.”

I turn back around without thinking to face him once again, “Hair dye, idiot.”

“Oh, well I could have guessed that much.”

I turn away from him again just as coupon lady finally pushes her rattling cart towards the exit doors and the cashier gestures for me to come up to the checkout. I drop my basket on the conveyor belt with a thud and she rings it up quickly, sensing my impatience and clearly wanting to get me the hell out of here as quickly as she can. I pay and grab my bags to head for the door and just before I’m home free the voice is suddenly behind me yet again.

“So, are you really not going to tell me?” He asks, catching up to me outside, “It’s going to keep me up tonight, I’m waiting with bated breath over here.”

“Tell you what exactly?” I huff, finally turning to face him.

“How you get your hair that color, of course.”

I roll my eyes, surely, he’s not keeping this bit up for the sake of hitting on me in the fucking supermarket, “Do you want something from me?”

He chuckles a bit, and I’m glad to see my utter frustration is amusing to him, “I mean,” He starts, rubbing the back of his neck, “Maybe your name would be cool.”

“No thanks.”

“Well, I’m Harry-“

I turn and walk away before he’s barely got the sentence out of his mouth. What was he even in line to buy? He wasn’t carrying any bags.

Mental note: always wear headphones to the grocery store.

 ***

“You’re late.”

I collapse in the seat next to my friend Danielle with a huff. She gives me a certain look that says something like you’ve been late the past three times too, but honestly at this point she should know to expect it.

“I’m always late,” I groan, attempting to lean back in the incredibly uncomfortable library chair, “So, why are we at the library?”

“We have a math test tomorrow, or did you forget about that?” She asks, scolding me over the top of her math book.

“Of course I remembered,” I say sarcastically, “Math is my absolute favorite subject how could I ever forget we had a test?”

She rolls her eyes, turning her book to the right page to start taking notes and I try my best to follow along, “So do you have a legitimate reason for the lateness or just regular Harley excuses?”

“Actually, I do,” I say matter-of-factly, sitting back up straight in my chair, “There was a freak at the grocery store, dude would not leave me alone.”

“What was he doing?” She asks, suddenly interested.

“Just talking? I guess? He like wanted to have a whole conversation waiting to check out.”

“So, a nice guy just struck up some conversation with you at the store and that’s a bad thing?”

“Yes,” I huff, closing the book once again, “I was just there to get groceries I didn’t need the extra human interaction.”

She opens her mouth to reply but she’s cut off as a group of guys walk in the front door of the library talking at full volume. I can feel almost every person in the room turn in the direction of the loud noise at the front and suddenly my eyes land on him. There’s no fucking way.

“Dani,” I whisper, sliding down in my seat so I can go unseen, “Dani that’s the guy, the guy from earlier.”

“What?” She whispers harshly, trying not to stare as the boys get scolded by the librarian at the front, “You mean grocery store guy?”

“Yes!” I huff, electing to sit in my chair backwards so my back is to him.

“No way Harley, it just looks like him-”

“No Dani, it’s him,” I whisper, “Tall one with the curly hair in the black hoodie.”

“That’s him?” She asks, “You had a problem with that talking to you?”

“Shh!” I huff, “God he’s going to hear you, are they still at the front?”

“They um, yeah,” She stutters, her eyes diverting to her book again, “They’re still up there, at a table now.”

“What’s wrong?” I ask, sensing the discomfort in her voice and turning around myself.

My eyes immediately lock onto his and I look away quickly, shielding my face from him with my hand and turning back towards Danielle.

“He’s staring right at you.” She says, trying not to be too obvious.

“Yep.”

“Are you gonna go over there?”

“Why would I do that exactly?” I ask, my eyebrow raised in disbelief.

“Because a hot boy is staring you down across the fucking library!” She whispers harshly, reaching over to smack me in the arm.

“More like a fucking psychopa-”

“Hey there,” I hear his voice cut in and my whole body cringes in on itself without my volition, “Fancy meeting you here.”

I turn around in my chair, forcing myself to face him while my whole face heats and I’m sure I’m the color of a rather ripe tomato. Something about the way he says hey there in that fucking accent makes my entire body tense up.

“Hey there,” I mimic, “Long time no see.”

I feel Danielle’s eyes on me as the words come out of my mouth, her gaze flickering between the two of us and watching the horrifically awkward exchange play out in front of her.

He laughs, electing to lean on the table, “What are you doing after this?”

“She’s doing absolutely nothing.” Danielle answers for me and I kick her under the table, making her wince.

“Glad to hear it,” He grins, his eyes zeroing in on me once again.

“I’m very busy actually,” I cut in, closing my textbook and throwing it in my bag, “We both are, but um, I’ll see you around.”

Danielle is looking at me with eyes the size of dinner plates as she frantically packs up her stuff, shoving it in her bag to follow suit. I stand up from my chair, slinging my bag over my shoulder and he rounds the table to stand right in front of me, the only thing between me and the front door.

“Can I at least get your name?” He asks, his voice incredibly deep clearly for only me to hear.

“Harley,” I quip, side stepping around him, “See you later uh, Harold is it?”

He gives me a very particular look as I walk away from him, taking steps backward and relishing in the smirk on his face. He knows what I’m doing. I feel Dani’s hand grab my arm and I finally turn around to face the door, walking through it, but even as I’m outside and carrying my feet down the steps I feel his eyes on me, drilling into the back of my head.

“The hell was that?” Danielle asks, “He was so cute and you just, you just blow it like that?”

“Harmless flirting.”

“You call that flirting?”

“Oh Dani,” I sigh, taking out a cigarette and lighting it between my lips, “I call that winning.”

 ***

I’m woken up with a start when I hear the loud roar of music start from Dani’s room. She always blasts music in the morning while getting ready for class. I look over my shoulder to check the time, at least she waited until 10 to start with the noise. My head is pounding ever so slightly, and I realize why when my eyes land on the empty bottle of pink Moscato on my bedside table.

I drag myself out of bed and into the tiny common space between our two rooms, “Good morning sleeping beauty,” Danielle teases, “I noticed the bottle of wine went missing from the fridge.”

“That’s bizarre,” I joke, “Must be a wine thief in the dorms. I’ll get on that mystery right away.”

She shakes her head at me, rolling her eyes as I grab my basket of laundry from my room. I slide on a pair of slippers electing to go put it in the wash, so I hopefully have a single clean pair of jeans for class tonight. I call to Dani letting her know I’ll be right back and as soon as I open the door to the hall I’m staring at him.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” I groan.

He stops dead in his tracks, taking a glance over his shoulder to see me standing in my doorway. He’s dressed in only a towel, holding it closed while it hangs low on his hips. His hair is wet, clearly making his way back to his room from the showers and his chest and arms are rippling with muscles under his damp skin.

God those arms could crush me like a grape.

“Morning neighbor,” He grins, clearly getting a kick out of this, “Someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?”

“You’re in this building?”

“You bet, room 7C down the hall.”

“Well, neighbor, for future reference, most people in this building take their clothes to the shower with them.”

“You Americans,” He chuckles, starting to walk away from my doorway, “So prude, have a nice day Harley.”

He disappears down the hall and then behind his door and my mind gets to work on picturing what he looks like without the towel. You can nearly feel the tension between us in the air, it was palpable. I could even feel his eyes on me, looking me up and down and lingering on my lips. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to clear my head as I take a deep breath and start on my way to the laundry room downstairs.

I put a load in the wash, briefly tuning into the dramatic soap playing on the tiny TV hung on the wall. I decide to head back to my now empty room since Danielle left for class and end up wasting most of my day away on a bad Netflix original movie, only pausing half way through to go move my clothes to the dryer.

I order a pizza for dinner before my night class and go back downstairs to grab my laundry out of the dryer. Just as I’m opening the dryer and emptying my clothes back into my basket I get a text that the pizza guy is downstairs waiting for me.

“Shit, shit, shit.” I huff under my breath, quickly shoving all my clothes in my basket and slamming the dryer shut behind me.

I rush back to my dorm, chucking the basket of clean clothes inside before heading to the stairwell and nearly sprinting down them to get to the ground floor. I meet the rather impatient pizza guy downstairs before bringing the food back up to my room. I’ve just barely finished the first slice half way through a Criminal Minds episode when there’s a knock at the door. I groan, dragging myself from the couch and tossing the blanket off.

I open the door, rolling my eyes, “Dani, you have got to start remembering your key when you-” I’m cut off as I come face to face with him rather than Dani, “Oh, um, hi?”

“Hi,” He repeats, now dressed in a pair of grey joggers and a plain black t-shirt, “I believe you dropped something in the laundry room earlier.”

He reveals his arm from behind his back, holding out his hand with my bright red lacy thong dangling from his pointer finger. I can feel my entire face heat to match the shade of my panties, but I won’t let him get the satisfaction. I go to snatch them from his hand, but he stops me, gripping them in his fist instead and using them as leverage to pull me a bit closer to him.

“Probably want to be a bit more careful where you leave your panties lying around, darling,” He smirks, “Unless you want to leave them on my bedroom floor of course.”

It’s the final straw, those few words spoken in his deliciously deep voice absolutely dripping with that amazing accented tone, on top of the way he’s dressed, every muscle visible beneath the fabric of his t-shirt. I don’t know what I’m doing until I’m pulling him to me by my own grip on the lacy underwear between us, my mouth meeting his and his teeth instantly biting my bottom lip between them.

“Yours or mine?” He breathes out, pulling away from me just long enough to get the words out.

“Where’s your roommate?” I ask breathlessly.

“Vacation,” He says, “Till Wednesday.”

“Yours,” I laugh, pressing my lips back to his, “Definitely yours.”

He walks me backwards down the hall to his dorm room, shoving me up against the wall as he unlocks the door, his lips working down my neck. As soon as the door is open he walks me through it, bending down to grab the backs of my thighs and hoisting me into the air. He kicks the door closed with his foot and I laugh against his mouth as he carries me past his bedroom doorway, slamming that behind us as well.

He lays me out on the bed, nearly tossing me right on top of the mattress, my lacy red underwear still gripped in his hand.

“Any chance you got something this cute under there?” He chuckles, holding them up in both hands to really show them off.

“Why don’t you come find out?” I tease.

He rolls his eyes, finally kneeling onto the edge of the bed and crawling over to me. He starts to lean over me, but I shove his shoulder, forcing him to lay against the mattress before swinging my leg over him. I can feel him underneath me immediately and it makes my legs clench together on either side of him.

“Hi,” I breathe, planting my hands on his chest and meeting his eyes.

“Hi,” He repeats back to me, that bright smile of his making my stomach flip, “You gonna come down here or...?”

“Oh, shut up,” I laugh finally leaning down and connecting our lips once again.

His lips are ridiculously soft against mine while the feeling of his muscles under his t-shirt are quite the opposite. He reaches up to cup my face with both hands, trying to somehow pull me closer as if we aren’t close enough as it is. I can’t figure out exactly where I want to put my hands; his shoulders, his biceps, god, in that amazing curly hair.

My hips start to move against him without my volition and he groans into my mouth, a deliciously deep reverberation that makes me grind my hips into him even more. He grunts against my lips, finally pulling away and resting his forehead against mine instead, breathing heavily.

“You alright there tiger?” I tease him, threading my fingers through his hair, “Need a breather already?”

“Shut your mouth,” He chuckles, grabbing me around the waist and trying to flip us over so he’s on top.

He greatly underestimates the size of his twin dorm bed when he does so, both of us rolling off the edge and tumbling to the shag carpeted floor beneath us. I expect the mood to be ruined, for him to get up and usher me right out the door because how awkward is this, right? I’m beyond surprised when he starts laughing, both of us splayed flat on our backs and heaves out a sigh as he rolls over to face me again.

“That was pretty smooth of me, eh?” He jokes, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I shake my head, chuckling too, “No I’m okay, just gonna have a massive bruise on my ass most likely.”

He laughs again, finally pulling himself to his feet and offering me a hand to help me up. I’m not sure what I expect past that, maybe a hug to send me on my way now that the atmosphere has completely changed but that tension is still between us, the same tension that’s been building since the moment he said a single word in the supermarket.

The second I’m back on my feet he shoves me onto the bed and I can’t even begin to hide the shock in my features. He’s back on top of me in seconds, his lips pressed to mine and I’m sure the surprised whimper that leaves my mouth fuels his ego to the gods.

“You alright there tiger?” He mocks, and I resist the urge to reach up and slap him.

“Careful.” I quip, pulling away from him to meet his eyes.

“Careful?” He asks, quirking up his eyebrow at me, “I’m sorry are you telling me what to do sweetheart?”

I gulp, the smooth but stern voice he’s using making my thighs quiver. He seems to notice, his eyes darting down between us and a small chuckle escaping his lips. He looks back up at me, his eyes dark and brooding, before they flicker to my hands at my sides. He grabs my left wrist roughly, holding it above my head against the mattress before doing the same to my right arm as well. I’m nearly squirming underneath him, my entire body steaming to the touch as his eyes bore into mine.

“Something wrong, love?” He asks, the condescending tone to his voice making my whole body shake.

“Course not,” I pant, my breath coming out heavier than I anticipated, “Just fuckin peachy over here.”

He chuckles a bit, his grip on my wrists growing tighter, “You’re not very patient, you know that?”

I’m not sure what it is that’s making me writhe the way I am; perhaps it’s the countless months I’ve gone without sex since my last messy breakup, or maybe it’s the way in which this all panned out with a stranger over some fucking underwear, or fuck, maybe it’s just him and the way that cocky smirk on his face makes my insides twist.

“Patience is a virtue,” I say carefully, making sure to keep my tone even, “I’m more about vices.”

His left hand releases my wrist and I prepare myself for his hand reaching where I need him most, sucking in a breath between my teeth and letting my eyes flutter closed but it never comes. My eyes peel back open to see his hand hovering over my neck instead. He meets my eyes before his fingers finally grace the skin of my throat, applying just the slightest bit of pressure almost as if to test the waters.

I’m nearly dizzy as he does so, the temperature in this room suddenly a million degrees. He removes his hand again, the pressure around my throat leaving me and I whimper in distaste, making him chuckle again.

“Poor thing,” He chastises, my legs clenching together on either side of him, “I can’t do it all though, if only there was a way I could hold down both your wrists and choke that pretty neck.”

I watch his hand dig into the pocket of his joggers and once again pull out the thin red lacy fabric of my panties, holding them between us.

“Mind if I use these?” He asks, clearly knowing the answer but wanting to get a reaction out of me anyways.

“Yes, god,” I gulp, “Please.”

He grabs my hands, moving them completely above my head before wrapping the panties around them a few times, tying them together. He tugs on them a bit to make sure they’re pretty secure before looking back down at me, his eyes completely blown out in lust, his pupil swallowing his surrounding iris.

His lips are back on mine in seconds, his now free hands roaming my body before one hand rests on my neck, gripping the sides and applying a bit more pressure than the last time. I whimper into this mouth and curse myself for doing so as soon as my eyes flutter open to see that cocky smirk on his face once again.

“Eager, sweetheart?” He teases, and my hand reaches up to smack him before I remember I’m bound in a pair of my own underwear, “Ah, ah, be a good girl and stay still.”

Hearing the words good girl come out of his mouth makes my entire body squirm and he grins again, that lopsided condescending grin and I know he’s getting off on this, making me writhe underneath him. He leans down to kiss my stomach, hiking my shirt up as he goes before working his way down and tugging my pants down my legs. I hold my breath in anticipation but when I look down the bed to meet his eyes he simply kisses the inside of my thighs, ghosting his mouth over the thin fabric of my panties.

“Fucking please,” I beg, my breath coming out in heaves, “Is this some kind of joke to you?”

“Please what, princess?” He asks, my legs threatening to squeeze his head between them, “Tell me what you want, hm?”

“You cocky bastard,” I huff, my mind getting fuzzier by the second the closer he gets to my center, “You know what I want.”

He stops abruptly, sitting back up from his small assault on my inner thighs, “What did you say, love? Care to repeat that? Couldn’t quite here you down here.”

There’s an edge to his voice, like glass, it cuts right through me and makes my thighs quiver, “N-no,” I stutter, “Didn’t say anything.”

“That’s what I thought,” He grins, leaning back down between my legs, “Now be a good girl and tell me what you want me to do to you.”

I suck in a breath sharply, but I won’t let him know how his words affect me, “Oh daddy,” I mock, rolling my eyes, “Need you so bad.”

He grabs me by the ankles, flipping me onto my stomach and sends an echoing smack to my ass, the stinging sensation that radiates afterwards making my toes curl. He flips me back onto my back, his dangerously dark eyes meeting mine as he spreads my legs apart once again, holding my thighs down against the mattress.

“Want to try that again, princess?”

“Fuck,” I gasp, the edge to his voice making the whispered swear fall from my mouth involuntarily, “Um, yes.”

“Yes what?” He growls, leaning down to hold my jaw in his hand, his eyes drilling into mine waiting for a response.

“Yes daddy.”

“Now you’re getting it, good girl,” He grins, his hand that was gripping my jaw moving to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, “Now open up,” I oblige, slowly opening my mouth and he pushes his middle and ring finger past my lips. It catches me a bit off guard, but he only nods his head, “Get them nice and wet for me love, don’t want to hurt you.”

He pulls them from my mouth, a small string of saliva connecting them to my lips. He chuckles a bit, clearly getting a kick out of how worked up I am for him before finally pushing my panties to the side and pressing his fingers into me. I instantly turn my head to the side, muffling the moan that escapes my mouth into my pillow. As soon as he realizes what I’m doing he grabs me by the hair, holding my head straight.

“None of that,” He says sternly, “Wanna hear your pretty sounds, babygirl.”

I’m dangerously close to the edge just from the words pouring from his mouth in that accented tone that makes my entire body shiver. That condescending smirk finds its way back to his lips and I know that he can tell I’m close, just teetering on the edge already.

“Needy little thing, are we?” He teases, “Already gonna cum and daddy’s barely touched you yet.”

His words are almost just enough to push me over the edge, but I hold off as much as I can, straining away from his touch as much as I can with my hands bound above my head and his weight on top of me. I feel the particular twist in my stomach, that burning sensation in the very pit of my abdomen just as my eyes squeeze shut and my vision goes white. His fingers work me through it, his mouth finally hovering over where I need him most, sucking my sensitive bud into his mouth and making me shake.

I feel his fingers withdraw from me and suddenly he’s pushing them past my lips once again, but this time I taste myself on them, swirling my tongue around each one to suck them clean. I meet his eyes as he pulls them from my mouth and my hips involuntarily buck up to meet the bulge prominent in his pants.

“Still needy, are we?” He chuckles.

“Please shut up and take your pants off already.” I beg, my hips bucking up to meet him again.

“You see I would but,” He starts, sitting back on his heels, “It seems I don’t have a condom, would you happen to have one?”

“Would I, no, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” I stutter breathlessly, my blood starting to boil in disbelief, “What kind of guy doesn’t keep a pack of rubbers around you idiot?”

“Careful,” He warns, his voice dropping into that deep calculated tone that makes me shiver, “And perhaps a guy that just moved in this week and hasn’t necessarily had buying rubbers on the mind,” He says, “That is until he met a spunky purple haired girl in the supermarket.”

His words make my stomach do a few somersaults, but I don’t let it extinguish the pissed off fire burning in my stomach knowing that I won’t be getting the relief I desperately need right now.

“You’re serious?” I ask, “You don’t have any?”

“Serious, darling,” He chuckles, “But instead of moping about it, you’re going to take what I give you and say thank you daddy when I’m done, understand?”

I nod my head vigorously, despite wanting to do the exact opposite. What kind of hold does that goddamn accent have on me?

“Good,” He smiles, clearly pleased with my response, “And maybe if you’re a good girl next time daddy will remember to hit the store.”

“Next time?” I ask, not filtering the shock from my voice.

He laughs a bit, reaching up to finally untie my hands, “Yes, next time, did you want this to just be a one-time thing, princess?”

I can’t form the words I want to say as I sit up a bit, rubbing my wrists only slightly from the rough fabric of the lace wrapped around them, “I um, I don’t-”

“That’s what I thought,” He smirks, standing from the bed and holding out a hand to me, “Now come on, didn’t you get pizza?”

I smile, taking his hand and starting to stand to my feet, my legs a bit wobbly and I’m thankful for the stability of his arm to lean on.

“Do you have anything to uh,” I start, cringing when I feel the wetness in between my thighs, “Clean up with?”

“Nope,” He says cheerfully, “You keep that pretty mess I made between those thighs, babygirl.”

My knees nearly buckle, and I’m cursing him for his lack of condoms and the ache between my legs as I pull my pants back on, following him to the door to the hall. He stops abruptly just inside the doorway, turning back to meet my eyes.

“What’s my name?” He asks cheekily.

“Harry,” I say confidently, “Why? Are you worried I forgot already?”

He grabs my ass in his hand tightly, squeezing the skin, his voice calculated, “I said, what’s my name?”

I gulp, leaning into his grip on me a bit more as my knees wobble, “Daddy.”

He releases his grip on my ass, giving it a quick smack, “’Atta girl, let’s get some pizza in you so you’re ready for round two,” He grins, throwing his arm around my shoulder and tucking me into his side as we walk down the hall to my room instead, “Maybe after we can hit the store, I seemed to have forgotten to pick something up last time I went.”

[get-shiggy-with-it]

Ch. 2

Shigaraki Birthday Celebration! 18+ MINORS DNI

Pairing: Tomura Shigaraki x fem!reader 

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: reader is marked fem cause Tomura is a little sexist and hates you cause you’re a woman, no pronouns, incel!shiggy, collage au/no quirks, tomura is an asshole, gratuitous swearing, like so much, shiggy has a dirty mouth, mentions of shigs being anxious, brief male masturbation, tags will be added for smut in the next two parts

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6

Summary: In which studying is done, unwilling connections are made, and Tomura thinks about the way you smell a totally normal amount. 

AO3 mirror

Taglist: @dillybuggg​ (just shoot me an ask if you want to be tagged!

Tomura hadn’t stopped staring at his phone since he left the apartment. It was second nature by now—head down at a nearly ninety degree angle, hoodie pulled up to hide hair he hadn’t bothered to comb in weeks, and phone out, held just far enough away that he could see the pavement behind the screen. 

He’d found that people tended to naturally avoid him this way and he didn’t have to risk accidentally making eye contact. It was still a bit nerve wracking to venture into buildings he didn’t expressly have to for classes, so he was still hesitant to make the voyage from his apartment to the library.  But he’d made the mistake of mentioning plans to his roommate and the bastard wouldn’t leave him alone about it afterwards until he was practically shoved out with the door locked behind him. 

He was half tempted to make up some excuse last minute and go hide out at the only cafe on campus he could tolerate, but Tomura knew he was just delaying the inevitable. Biting the bullet now would help to not prolong his suffering. 

Your text thread glared up at him in stark white on blue as he pushed past a crowd of students by the library entrance and flashed his ID to the attendant. 

Group Project Bitch:

— hey I got us a room on the third floor, all the way in the back

—text me when you’re here I’ll wave you in, it’s kinda hard to find T-T

                                                                                                     sounds good— 

He shot off a quick text to you that he was hoping on the elevator. The other two guys in the lift may have given him a dirty look for only going up to the third floor, but Tomura sure as hell wasn’t going to risk the physical exertion of stares when just the thought being stuck in a small room alone with you for god knows how long already had him sweating. 

When he stepped out, you were leaned against one of the 90s-green shelves, scrolling aimlessly through your phone. He panicked momentarily, thinking he’d have to get your attention cause just walking up without saying anything would be weird right? 

He wasn’t sure. 

He didn’t do shit like this. 

Thankfully, you looked up at the chime of the lift and waved him over. His red sneakers squeaked as they scuffed the linoleum floors and he already regretted choosing his tighter fitting pair of sweats. The tapered legs that hugged his ankles and thin calves rubbed against his skin and stung the raw patches. 

“Hey, thanks for coming,” you said softly and he nodded, following as you began to weave through the stacks. “Sorry it was short notice, graduation’s coming up so I'm swamped with meetings.”

“It’s fine, I didn’t have anything going on.” 

He cringed internally at the way his voice cracked, trying to keep the usual rasp to a minimum. His roommate said it was from the innumerable hours he spent shouting at his monitor or on discord, which was probably true but to you he was sure he just sounded like a fucking teenager. 

“Cool, I’ve been set up for awhile so feel free to move some stuff,” you talked a bit louder now that you’d both stepped into the study room and shut the door. 

Tomura looked around. You’d snagged one of the nicer ones at least, with the big monitors he could cast his screen onto and those comfy chairs he liked but could never beat anyone too on the lower floors. 

You were right, there was shit all over the big table at the center of the room. Notes and printed out readings with highlights galore and sticky notes littering the pages were scattered all over. What a show off. You probably tossed all this stuff out so he’d think you were actually intelligent or some shit. 

Kicking a pile off of the nearest plush armchair, Tomura took a seat and pulled his laptop out. There was a jack in the middle of the table and you plugged yours in to cast onto the big monitor. 

You made a fucking power point for him. 

This couldn’t be real. 

“So I know I ran some stuff by you in class but essentially I was thinking we make like a simple Twine type thing using the rhetorical argument Swift is making…” 

You started rambling again and Tomura almost immediately tuned you out. His eyes drifted between the rough outline you were flicking through on the board and the laptop you had your nose buried in. 

It was covered in stickers, pretty obviously stereotypical for someone as obsessed with being ‘cool’ as you clearly were. But as he scanned through the various old meme phrases and aesthetic shit, he caught a couple of game references he recognized and a panel cutout from one of his favorite manga. 

He almost fell into your trap for a moment, feeling a rush at the prospect of someone—much less a chick—being into his main hyperfixations. 

But it was quickly crushed under everything his years trolling subreddits had taught him. People like you didn’t actually have interests beyond the attention and dick it got them. Plus that manga was pretty popular anyway, you probably didn’t even read it, just thought the line was funny or made you sound quirky. That had to be why you felt the need to drop it in your first texts. 

“What do you think?” you asked, making good on your new habit of startling the hell out of him. 

Tomura blinked, gaze instinctively turning to you but the blatant way you stared made his mouth turn to sand paper, so he looked resolutely back at the color-coded bullet points on the screen. 

“Look’s fine,” he mumbled. 

The more he glanced over it, the more it actually did look fine. A bit more than fine, really, which pissed him off even more. The little choose-your-own debate style story was not a terrible way to make fucking Whatever Swift interesting and it kinda looked like you’d bothered to google some simple coding which gave him a better idea of what you were looking for. 

It was...good. 

And that so fucking annoying. 

Well, he wasn’t sure if annoying was the right word for it, but the proposal coupled with your apparent lack of disgust at working with him made his face hot and that only ever happened otherwise when his roommate left the dishes out for weeks or when some newb on his server fucked up their raids. 

Then, you had the audacity to plop down in the chair next to him and— 

“You can tell me to fuck off if you want,” you began, shuffling in the chair to cross your legs on the cushion, “but I was hoping you’d be willing to show me how you do some of the coding stuff? I tried on my own, but I have literally no clue what I’m doing.” 

He could smell you again, like the whole fucking health and beauty aisle at the grocery store. When he turned his head a bit to look at you around the curtain of his hair, you were crooked—back against the armrest and facing him. 

“Why do you want to know?” he asked, sounding a bit less rude than he would have liked to. 

You just fucking stared right at him though, didn’t wrinkle your nose at how greasy his roots were or how he was wearing the same hoodies as yesterday. 

“I’ve always been interested in it, but my program is kinda stressful and I don’t have much free time so I never learned,” you offered and for once Tomura found he didn’t feel his skin crawl under your unwavering gaze. 

The dry, cracked area around his eyes burned though as sweat beaded on his forehead and he quickly wiped at his face with a loose sweatshirt sleeve. The garment hung off his shoulders, bought a size too big that he never ended up growing into. 

“What’s your major?” 

He found the words slipped easily from him. It was the quintessential question you asked of anyone in college when you met, but he’d never been interested in the answer before. 

You babbled a bit about your specific area of study and your voice was surprisingly not as infuriating as he remembered it being before. It was softer, he thought, than when you were soapboxing in class about the sexist implications of old as fuck poetry—it had a less grating quality and was almost pleasing to the ear. 

Or Tomura would have said that if he thought you deserved the compliment. 

But, obviously you didn’t. 

So he didn’t. 

He just pretended to care about what you were saying and didn’t hang onto every word at all. Actually he was more enraptured in the way your lips moved when you talked. You used your hands a lot too, but his eyes were ensnared on the way your mouth quirked and dipped, at the occasional flash of your tongue between strong teeth. When he leaned in a bit, he could smell your breath too: fruity gum and the remnants of whatever you were always drinking in that loud as fuck cup. He wondered now what exactly it was, so he could buy it and get a better idea of what you mouth might taste—

Nope. 

No, see this was exactly what he wasn’t supposed to be thinking about. How were you doing this to him? What a fucking slut. 

Tomura steeled his nerves as you started explaining the extracurriculars you did on the side. 

“My roommate freshman year actually started a gaming club and so I’ve gotten more into that over the years,” you explained, pointing at the stickers on your laptop case. 

“Are you talking about The League?” 

“Yeah, I didn’t know if you’d heard of it,” you shrugged.  

He knew of the gaming club on campus. He’d thought about joining when he enrolled but the allure of anonymity online gaming provided was too strong. Plus his discord server didn’t have annoying weekly meetings. 

The thought of you, up late and illuminated by the blue light of a tv screen, tucked away in one of the basement rooms in the media building was...strange. It also prompted an array of new images—you in those fucking cat ear headsets, seated in his lap as he trashed you in Mario Kart which was even stranger. 

Tomura had to physically shake his head to dislodge the thought. 

“Uh, we should probably work on this right?” he cringed at the way his voice cracked compared to your own, smooth tone. 

You should narrate those fucking sleepy time mediation things. His roommate used to hide wireless speakers in his room and blast those when Tomura stayed up too late. It was annoying as shit then, but if it was you talking, he probably wouldn’t have minded so much. 

Or no, no he would definitely mind. 

Yes. It would have been worse if anything. 

“Oh shit, you right. It’s been like two hours.” 

He glanced down at his laptop and saw that it had, indeed, been two hours since he got there. He’d willingly spoken to you for two goddamn hours. It felt like no time had passed at all, but the sun was definitely setting, the overhead fluorescent bulbs taking over as the main light source in the room. 

Weird. 

So you settled back in your chair, typing away like you always did, but the sound wasn’t nearly as frustrating as before. Occasionally, you’d glance over his shoulder and ask questions about what he was working on, but mostly the two of you settled into a comfortable silence. 

This pattern continued for the next few weeks. As the weather warmed, you began to show a bit more skin. He never worked up the nerve to comment on the thick expanse of bare thigh that tapered off nicely into your calf, or the curve of your arms not hidden behind knit sweaters—hell even your fucking shoulders were hard not to look at. 

Maybe all those high school dress codes weren’t actually so full of shit after all. Cause he was definitely distracted by the way your neck swooped into the exposed skin of your shoulder and down your back on more than one occasion.

Did all girls know that? Was it some kind of massive conspiracy to crumble the patriarchy or some crap to go flashing bare shoulders everywhere? 

Regardless if you really were trying to hypnotize him into liking you, Tomura stayed resolutely in his monochrome, long sleeved attire, and if you noticed the behavior you never said a word. 

Never said a word about his allergy ridden skin, peeling lips or scarred throat. Never commented on his terrible posture or said his eyes were creepy. Even when he’d occasionally toss a negative remark your way, you never retaliated maliciously. Just brushed him off with a jovial ‘don’t be a dick’ and a playful, but hard slap to his chest or the back of his head. 

The two of you always met in the same, secluded room on the third floor. You’d talk with him in class sometimes or shoot him texts about random bits of inspiration or a late night game memes, but for the most part, your conversations were confined to that room. He found he preferred the study room ‘you’ best. You weren’t as stiff. There was more of a solidity to you, like he’d seen when you told off that Kai bastard. 

It...grew on him. 

He was irrationally anxious that there would be a time when you couldn’t secure this particular room—with it’s big monitor and comfy chairs and less annoying ‘you’—but he’d been reassured after your third work session. 

Someone had knocked softly at the thick, wooden door and a head of wild, bright pink hair peaked around the crack. 

“Sup bro,” the intruder quipped, as they stepped fully into the room. 

“Hey, Spinner,” you mumbled back, looking up momentarily from the essay portion of your presentation before going back to typing. 

Spinner had seemed to notice him at that point and offered a small wave in his direction. “Oh hey, sorry, thought you were alone,” he said quickly. 

“Nah, this is Tomura,” you said, glancing up again and jerking your thumb in his direction. 

Tomura nodded and tugged at his hoodie strings to stop from scratching under the newcomer’s gaze. He’d gotten used to you, but other people still made him a bit nervous. 

“Nice to meet you,” Spinner had a nice smile, bright and flashy when he spoke. He leaned against the door and crossed his arms, looking around the room. “You got the nice one, huh. How’d you manage that?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” you half closed your laptop and stretched a bit. “Jin was working the front desk, so I’ve just been bribing him with vending machine snacks.” 

“He hasn’t gotten himself fired yet?” Spinner laughed incredulously, but not unkindly. 

“Surprisingly not, but he’s completely corrupt now,” you were picking at the cuticle of your thumb and Tomura fixated on the way the skin split off at the nail. Just like his. “A couple packs of chips and a Monster and I get the most bitchin study room whenever I want.” 

“Damn,” Spinner chuckled again and Tomura really wished that he’d leave already. He was beginning to feel himself fading into the upholstery as the conversation left him in the dust. The divergence of your attention away from him or the project was even more annoying that you were. “Well, are you coming to The League meeting tonight? We’re busting out a Smash tournament.” 

“That’s tonight?” you asked, eyes perking up but sliding subtly in Tomura’s direction. “Sorry, I think Tomura and I are gonna be working on this project for a while longer and I’m kinda burnt out. But next time, yeah?”

Spinner rolled his eyes but nodded and kicked off the wall. “That’s not very sexy of you,” he chided and waved a hand in parting. “Gonna work yourself directly into the fucking grave.” 

“Jokes on you, I welcome death.” 

You buried yourself in the screen again and Tomura actually felt a bit grateful for you ending the conversation before he got too painfully awkward. 

But Spinner stopped before he left, looking Tomura up and down from the frayed strings of his black hoodie to the tips of his worn red sneakers. 

“Nice to meet you, man,” he said with a wide grin. “Feel free to tag along next time if you want, we always need more players.” 

The door clicked softly shut behind him and Tomura relaxed back into the silence.

He did end up tagging along—though he spent most of the time hanging off your heels like a lost puppy—to the next meeting of your gaming club and the one after that. Frustratingly enough, he learned that your interests did also extend into skills as you almost bested him in a few rounds Smash. Your profile, lit only by the flashing screen lights, was even more striking outside of his imagined imitations. 

So much so that it found its way into his head late at night when he was too tired to log onto his server. So much so that it had his cock growing firm and tenting his grey sweats without even the visual aid of his go to porn clips. So much so that sometimes, he felt inclined to do something about the throbbing between his legs. So much so that he thought about the way you picked the skin by your fingers. How it looked like his. How your hand might feel like his but softer. Smoother around the edges. With your sweet voice whispering in his ear, making him whine and pant and spill white ropes of release onto his stomach. 

But it was only because you were hot. 

And you were practically begging for him to jack off to the thought of you with those outfits and liking all the shit he liked and noticing when he shrunk away from conversations or including him in them when he started to feel that awful sense of fading into the background. 

Yeah. 

Everybody jerks it sometimes to their group project partners if their ass is nice enough. 

Right?

[galactic-magick]

Bah Humbug: Todoroki x Reader

Summary: Todoroki takes a Christmas gift idea for you a little too literally.

Words: 800+                                          

Warnings: none, maybe a swear word

Author’s Notes: This fic is inspired by the song “Bah Humbug” by Owl City, highly recommend listening if you want :) Also disclaimer I have no idea how Christmas/holidays work in Japan, so I apologize for any cultural inconsistencies.  

-                                

-

-

As the last of your classes for the day finishes, you meet up with your boyfriend Shoto, grabbing his hand and heading down the hallway. He’s not very talkative, which isn’t strange in the slightest, but there’s something uneasy about his expression that worries you.

“You okay?” you ask, squeezing his hand.

It takes a moment for him to respond, “Oh. Uh, yeah. Just thinking,”

“Well just let me know if you need to talk about anything, okay?” you smile.

When you enter the dorm common room, he abruptly stops and turns to you.

“I’m going Christmas shopping this afternoon. I would invite you but I don’t want you to see what I’m getting you,”

You can’t help but laugh, “Shoto, that’s fine. Is that why you were acting weird? You thought I’d be mad you’re going shopping without me?”

“Something like that,”

You lean in and kiss his cheek, “I promise its fine. I should probably do my shopping soon too, actually,”

He nods, and soon he’s back out the door and headed to the mall.

 -

 Damn, he’s screwed.

Contrary to what you thought, Todoroki wasn’t tense because he thought you’d be upset at him for going somewhere without you. That never even crossed his mind. You have an incredibly loyal and trusting relationship, and you know he’d never do anything behind your back, just as he knows you wouldn’t do anything behind his.

He’s tense because he has no idea what to get you for a gift.

He knows you, he loves you, but how on Earth is he supposed to express that properly? Do you want something simple? Something expensive? Something personal?

Todoroki goes in and out of every single store, scanning every single shelf and rack. He could buy anything here, he has the money after all. But nothing stands out. Nothing screams you.

It’s certainly no help that people recognize him at least every 15 minutes, asking him stupid questions about his family and his UA career.

After looking at everything, he grabs something to eat and slumps down on the nearest bench in the food court.

“I’m such a bad boyfriend,” he mutters.

He never imagined he’d end up in a relationship at all, let alone a really good one. He couldn’t mess it up now.

But at this point it seems inevitable.

“Oh, hey, Todoroki!” a familiar voice calls.

Shoto turns around to see Midoriya’s smiling face, followed closely by Iida and Uraraka.

“Why are you guys here?”

“Christmas shopping!” the three of them sit down next to him. “Is that what you’re here for too?”

Todoroki nods, his gaze falling back to his food.

“I bet he’s getting something for Y/N,” Uraraka giggles.

He tenses up, once again feeling the sense of failure set in.

“Have you chosen something for them yet?” Iida asks.

“No,” he huffs, probably more aggressively than he meant to.

“Aw, I’m sure they’ll love whatever you get them! Besides, it’s the thought that counts, right?” Uraraka reassures. “You could literally just wrap yourself up and put a bow on your head and they’d be happy,”

Todoroki straightens, eyes wide at her, “Really?”

“Yeah of course! They love you, don’t they?”

“You’re right,” he stands up. “Thank you,”

 -

 Todoroki still had to pick up some more wrapping paper, but otherwise he was all set. He finally feels a sense of relief, assuming Ochako is right.

It’s a few days before Christmas now, and he decides to surprise you.

You’re at the library studying with some friends at the moment, but you should be back soon. He slips into your dorm and gets to work, wrapping himself up from head to toe. It’s frustrating and messy, but it’ll do.

He barely has time to wrap his head and face and add a bow before you open the door.

Your first reaction is to scream, but the strange man wrapped up in your room is a lot less frightening when you realize it’s Shoto. He’s standing there completely still, as if he’s not even allowing himself to breathe.

“Shoto?” you chuckle, walking up to him.

He doesn’t respond.

“Come on, Shoto, I know it’s you,” you lift up his hand from his side and rip off a piece of the paper, intertwining your fingers with his. “Did someone put you up to this? Lose a bet or something?” you laugh.

“What do you mean?” he asks, his voice muffled. “I’m…I’m your Christmas gift,”

Your mouth drops a bit, but soon turns back to a smile. You reach up to his face and rip apart the layer of paper there, revealing the features you’ve come to know and love.

You place your palms against his cheeks, “Well, you’re definitely the cutest Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten,”

“I’m so sorry, Y/N,” he shakes his head. “I couldn’t find anything good enough to give you, but then Ochako said even if I just gave you myself you’d like it, but maybe I was wrong-“

You kiss him.

“You’re perfect, Shoto. I couldn’t ask for anything more than just being with you,”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. This is hilarious, though,” you smirk, getting another look at him before helping him rip the rest of the paper off. “I love you, ya know that?”

“I love you too,” he grins, pulling you close.

[gashinabts]

It’s Not You, It’s Me (m)

Word: 6k

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader, Friends to lovers

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut

Summary: “ We should break up,” Jungkook takes the cup of coffee from you and takes a small sip. In this situation, anyone would assume that you and Jungkook were lovers. You and Jungkook are not lovers.  

Warning: Implied smut, small smut scenes, impregnation kink, PDA, ANGST, implied affair

a/n: This took me forever to write and on multiple occasions I wanted to delete the whole thing, I still don’t like it so I may delete it idk..but please show me support, remember that comments and telling me what you think motivates me to write!! Hope you guys enjoy! :))

“ We should break up,” Jungkook takes the cup of coffee from you and takes a small sip. In this situation, anyone would assume that you and Jungkook were lovers.

You and Jungkook are not lovers.  

“ What?” You are honestly confused, why was he was saying this in a busy cafe. The couple next to you guys are doing side glances, and your getting flustered. Is this one of his pranks to embarrass you in front of people, you are so going to kill him.

“ Honestly, It’s not you, it’s me...actually it is kind of you,” he bites his lip and brushes his hair with his hand.

“ What the hell are you talking about, Jungkook?” The couple looks shocked with your response, you turn to them and give them a deadly glare. “ Did Jimin dare you to do this? I’m gonna kill him after I kill you.” You take a sip from your own drink and grimace at the hot temperature.

“ Well he didn’t dare me, he just convinced me to like...take a break from you?” He looks a little timid when you arch your eyebrow, he cowers in his seat.

“ Can you tell me what’s actually going on, we are not even dating.” Is Jungkook into role playing now?  

Jungkook grabs the salt shaker, pours a little bit of salt on the table, and plays with it on the tip of his index finger. “ I know we aren’t dating... it's just that I realized I haven’t been having sex since I’m best friends with you,” he lets out a small sigh.

Earlier that day

“ Where’s Y/N at ?” Namjoon looks around Jungkook to see any sign of you.

Jungkook sets his backpack down the floor and sits down on the chair, “ Ahh… she’s at campus. She went to get a book at the library or something,” Jungkook grabs the chopsticks and starts eating the meat.

“You don’t even greet your hyungs before you start eating, you pig,” Jimin playfully  punches his shoulder hard.

“ Why would I need to greet you? I saw you earlier today,” Jungkook rolls his eyes and continues eating.

“ Whoa Jimin! Did you get mauled by a vampire?” Hoseok laughs as he points out Jimin’s hickies, while Jimin looks smug. Jungkook stops eating and looks at Jimin, he can’t remember the last time he had received hickies.

“ Ohh... these are from Sana, I hooked up with her last night, she wouldn’t stop giving them when she was riding the hell out of me,” he shrugs, while showing of his hickies.

“Jimin, please do not share any information about your sex life, including your lover’s name. It is not respectful towards her.” Namjoon tsk and shakes his head at Jimin. 

“Well she’s probably going to share details of us having sex anyways and Hoseok was literally talking about his hook up two days ago,” Jimin defends himself quickly.

‘When was the last time I had sex?,’ Jungkook thinks to himself. Then all of sudden Jimin and Hoseok start laughing, and other customers start staring at them, shit he said that out loud.

“Do you want to know why you haven’t had sex, kookie?” Jimin asks, Jungkook gets angry when he calls him that but he wants to know why.

“Why?”

“Y/N.”

“What about her?” Jungkook doesn’t understand why he said your name.

“Wow you can’t even see it...okay let me tell you, Y/N and you are inseparable to the point where girls don’t want to hook up with you because they think your dating her.”  He grabs the meat and puts in his mouth.

Jungkook doesn’t buy his theory, no way that can be true. He shakes his in disbelief and puts more meat on the grill.

“Fine don’t believe me, ask Namjoon and Hoseok,” he shrugs and he flips the meat on the grill.

Jungkook looks to Namjoon and Hoseok, giving them a questioning look.

“ The first time you introduced me to Y/N, I thought you guys were dating. You act like an old married couple. So naturally girls don’t approach you because of that.” Namjoon gives his explanation, and gives him a comforting pat on his shoulder.

“ It’s true Jungkook, one time we were at the club and I heard a group of girls talking about how hot you looked. One of the girls was going to ask you to dance but then her friend stopped her saying that you and Y/N have been dating for years. Sorry buddy, I ended up asking her to dance and then we fucked in my car.” Jungkook stays silent when the guys switch onto a different conversation, I mean you and him do hangout everyday but how does affect his love life?

Jungkook goes to the convenience store to buy some ramen since you’re always eating it when you come to his apartment. He’s deciding whether to get the really spicy or not, he gets the really spicy one since you like it so much. He then grabs a chocolate bar for you since you’re on your period and complained how you were craving it. He is about to check out his items until he hears someone call him.

“Jungkook! Is that you!” He turns his head and sees his high school crush. There stands an angel name Jieun. “ It is you! Wow, look at you, you got more handsome and taller. How are you and Y/N ?,” she smiles beautifully at him. 

“ Uhh we’ve been good noona, we’re in our third year of college,” he rubs the back of his neck. 

“ That’s wonderful...Wow I can't believe I’m seeing you after all these years...,” she starts to giggle and blush, “ You know I had a crush on you in high school. You were so adorable and athletic. I was going to ask you out but I’m not that type of person.” Her phone starts to ring and she holds up a one minute sign with her finger. No way she had a crush on him, that’s impossible. And what did she mean that type of person. “Sorry that was my fiancé, I’m supposed to buy beer for our date. But it was nice seeing you, I’m so happy to hear that you guys are still together!” She parts from him and goes to the alcohol aisle. 

Of course you guys are still together, you’ve been friends since elementary. Then it hits him, she means together as in boyfriend and girlfriend.

After leaving the store he calls Jimin,” What do I do?,” he immediately asks.

Present

“ So your telling me that you want space from because you want to have sex?,” that’s all you retrieved from him retelling what happened earlier today, you’re honestly disappointed in him for listening to Jimin. You grabbed your napkin and wipe the mess he made with the salt.

 “ Your missing the point I could’ve been engaged to Jieun,” he looks at you wiping the table. 

“Wow, So your going to blame me for her marrying someone else. You do realize how crazy you sound?,” you laughed and get up from your seat. 

You walk to exit the cafe and Jungkook opens the door for you, “ Call me crazy all you want but it does make sense Y/N.” He walks with you on the sidewalk but stops you, he takes his scarf off and places on you. 

The leaves are falling and the weather is getting colder. “Okay, fine. How long is this ‘ break’ we are having ?”

Jungkook smiles wide and it makes his eyes crinkle, “ Umm probably a month.” 

That’s a little too long for you, you remember how sad you would get when he would go to Busan for summer break. “So like we don’t talk or see each other during our breakup?” 

Your hands are cold and you try to warm it up by rubbing them together. He grabs your hands and rubs them with his, “Yeah, we don’t see or talk to each other. Like we are completely strangers.” 

You start to wonder if this is going to really work, “ Fine, but your still going to come to my house on my birthday?” 

You pull your hands from his and zip up his sweater, “ Yeah I’m still going to come. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

--

You and Jungkook have been best friends since elementary school. The teachers would always get mad since you and Jungkook would never switch partners when told to or switch desk when new seats were assigned. It was always like that Jungkook and Y/N.

Your parents thought that your friendship wouldn’t last since things change during middle school. “Jungkook do I look different?” 

You try to grab his attention from him playing on his video console, he gives you a quick scan and proceeds to play on, “ Yeah, you have a pimple on your forehead.” 

You throw a pillow against his head, “ I hate you, no on my body. Do my boobs look bigger?”

 He laughs a little, “ No they look the same since first grade.” You grab the other controller from the bed, “ Let me play, and your voice still sounds like it did in first grade.”

“Hey!, ” Jungkook whines.

Jungkook comes back from Busan over summer break, to you and Taehyung throwing a party in his room. There’s balloons everywhere and confetti on his carpet. “ Congratulations for not being a virgin!, “ you and Taehyung scream. 

“What the hell Taehyung, why’d you tell her I’m not a virgin.” Jungkook finally looks at the cake your holding written in frosting saying ‘ virgin no more.’ 

“Relax, Kookie. I was going to find out regardless,” you roll your eyes and really look at Jungkook. He looks different he’s face is a little bit sharper and he’s a little tan. You can’t help but look at him differently.

Taehyung leaves to go back to his house. Your sitting next to Jungkook on his bed watching a movie but not really paying attention. “ Jungkook, how does it feel not being a virgin before college?,” you curiously ask and put some popcorn in your mouth. 

He laughs and throws some popcorn at you, “ Why do you want to know?” You shrug and pick up the popcorn he threw at you. You wanted to know if it felt good for him and if he liked the girl. Is that now his girlfriend? 

“It was really good, well it felt really good. It was kinda awkward at first but then it just happened.” 

Did they kiss the whole time ? “ Jungkook, I want to lose my virginity to you,” you don’t know why you said that but you knew that you trust him with all your heart and you wouldn’t mind sharing a piece of you to him.

 He looks shock and reluctance is all over his body, he scratches his neck, “ Uhh...Y/N I don’t think-“ you interrupt him quickly, “ I was kidding!” You start laughing uncontrollably, “ you should’ve saw your face.” You feel hurt that he was going to reject you gently. If he could easily have sex with a girl in Busan then why not you.

--

God, why were you thinking of him right now, it’s been a week of no talking or seeing each other, and you were getting tired of it. You decide to go hangout at his and Taehyung’s apartment. Jungkook is probably missing you too, he can take a break of his sexual awakening. You buy two cups of smoothies, Jungkook’s favorite and your favorite. You knock on the apartment door and right away Taehyung opens it, “ Hey Y/N, what are you doing here? I was about to leave.” 

You look behind him to see if Jungkook is there, “Uhh... I was going to hangout with Jungkook.”

Taehyung quickly closes the door and locks it. “ He’s busy doing stuff,” he’s guarding the door a little. 

You laugh ,” What’s he busy doing? Playing video games?,” you ask.

 “No he’s actually have sex with someone right now.” He bites his lip nervously and looks at you. Huh, he’s actually having sex because you guys ‘broke up’. 

You hand Taehyung the other drink and he walks out the apartment complex with you. “I’m bored, come to my apartment.”

You and Taehyung are both out of breath naked in bed. “ God, I came so hard,” he admits loudly and throws the condom in the trash. 

“You’re welcome”, you put on his shirt and new panties on. “How often has he been having sex?,” you look over to Taehyung. 

“ He had sex several times this week, had to hangout and sleep at Yoongi’s place for a couple days,” you scoff and he places kisses on your lips. “Why don’t you just tell him you love him? Your hurting yourself everyday.” 

You flick his forehead but then you kiss it better, “ I know it sounds silly but I want him to suddenly wake up in the morning and realize he’s in love with me. Then we get married and argue on how he doesn’t put his shoes nicely away, but it wouldn’t even matter since we love each other too much,” you brush Taehyung’s hair with your fingers as he hovers you.

 He pulls your panties down and kneels between your legs, “ You are truly a romanticist.”

--

You should really respect Jungkook wishes but you remember him reminding you to come to his dance competition two months ago since it would be his last. The ticket is in your hand and your nervously waving it, you should go to this event, it is really important to him. You grab a bouquet of blue hydrangeas and enter the theater and sit next Seokjin. The show hasn’t started yet so you talk to him. “ Namjoon told me that you and Jungkook took a break from your friendship,” you hug the bouquet tighter.

 “ Yeah we did but it’s only going to be a month. I’m just here to support him.” The show starts and you focus on the dancers.

Watching Jungkook perform has always been fascinating to you, it’s just breathtaking. He ends the show with his solo and you make way  towards backstage. Jungkook sees you and smiles but then quickly replaced with a confused look, “ Uhh...why are you here?” He always begged you to come to his performances but now it feels so different.

 “ You know I wouldn’t missed one of these things, they are special to you. Here I got these for you.” You show him a bouquet of flowers and smile at him. 

“Jungkook! You were so good!,” a girl runs up to him and hugs him, she turns to look at you, “ Who’s this Kookie?” Why is she using that nickname, your the one that came up with it and tease him with it. 

“She’s no one, just a fan,” your heart hurts when he says ‘no one’ because Jungkook couldn’t possibly be a ‘no one’ to you. 

“Yeah, I just wanted to congratulate you, I’m a really big fan,” you say to save him, he mouths a thank you and you leave.

You feel like an idiot still carrying the flowers, looking down towards your feet, and you bump into a hard chest and fall to the ground. “Oh shit, sorry...Y/N?,” Jimin helps you up by grabbing your hand. 

You playfully scold him, “ Watch where you going, here I got you these... you danced really good,” you quickly give him the bouquet and walk away from him, you hear him say a confused thank you but you don’t turn back.

Towards the end of the second week you send him a message asking if he can shorten the break up. But there was no reply back.

Jungkook is with his Hyungs at restaurant when you text him, he looks at it but doesn’t reply. “ I think I did the best in the dance competition, just saying,” Jimin states loudly after drinking his beer. 

“Oh yeah what makes you say that?,”  Taehyung intriguingly but mockingly asks. 

“Well Y/N gave me flowers and said I was the best,” he smiles smugly. 

Jungkook remembers you carrying flowers in your hands trying to give it to him but he rejected it, he feels bad. Seokjin looks at Jungkook curiously but doesn’t say anything. “Yeah after you knocked her down and gave her big bruises on her knees,” Hoseok states loudly.  

Jungkook should check if you’re okay, well after you guys are done with the break up...he’ll make sure to ice it, he knows how easily you bruise. “What are you talking about she had bruises on her knees before I bumped into her,” he suggestively smirks and does a wink.

 Before Jungkook could defend you, “Don’t talk about her like that,” Taehyung says sternly, the whole group looks surprised and Jimin says a quick sorry. Wait, are you having sex during the break up, you didn’t tell him you weren’t a virgin anymore. Jungkook wants to send you a text but then he stops himself.

---

You are so bored out of your mind, to the point where you actually do your homework. You look at memes and save them so you can show Jungkook tomorrow. You can’t wait to hangout with him since it’s your birthday. You should restock on food, he always has a habit of raiding all of your food. You go to the store and pick up a basket, and start throwing Jungkook’s favorite snacks. You blush when you see a couple making out in an aisle, you quickly do a double take and see that it’s Jungkook and a girl. It’s a different girl from the competition, you never seen him made out with anyone. He’s holding her face gently and kissing her like a lost lover, you can’t help but imagine if that was you. You feel so pathetic that your just watching over them.

You wake up excitedly today, and the whole day goes by and your phone pings with a million messages wishing you, ‘happy birthday ‘ from different people. You look to see if Jungkook send you anything but he didn’t, it’s okay he’ll come tonight and watch movies with you. It gets dark outside but you patiently wait and text people, you see that Jimin sent you a video. You click on it and Jimin is at the club raising a shot glass ‘Happy Birthday! Next shot is on me, Y/N’. And the video ends and you laugh actually wanting a shot right now. You go to the video to replay it one more time to take a screenshot when Jimin’s eyes are closed but then you see Jungkook in the back grinding on a girl from the grocery market. You start to feel furious, did Jimin send you this video to get you mad? You calm yourself down Jungkook can do whatever he wants, he’ll just come a little late with a cake or something. You wait till 1 am, feeling fatigued, you rest your eyes and when you wake up it’s 8 am. You look around to see if Jungkook is here but he isn’t, your eyes start to water. He has never missed a birthday, he promised you he would come, but he didn’t. You felt really emotional from anger to heartbreak. You send Jimin a text.

“ God my head is fucking killing, why did you keep letting me drink, Hyung?” Jungkook rubs the side of his to ease the pain. Namjoon gives him more rice for his hangover soup and Jimin steals it away from him and starts eating it himself. 

“Take those damn sunglasses off, you deserve to be punished with pain, for throwing up in my car,” Yoongi snaps at Jimin. 

“Ahh...Hyung I said I was sorry. I was doing those shots for Y/N’s birthday,” he whines and Jungkook head shoots up. Fuck, your birthday he needs to get out of this restaurant, to see you and beg for forgiveness.

“Jungkook!” You call out his name and he looks at you with startled eyes, you’re lucky the restaurant isn’t busy. You pull out a chair and sit next to Yoongi, “ So was getting your dick wet more important than your best friend’s birthday?,” you should be mature in handling this but your crude question comes out. Yoongi’s eyes widen, Jimin stops eating the rice, Namjoon chokes on his water, and Jungkook tries to reach his hand on yours. You pull your hand and put it on you lap, “ Are you going to answer me?”

He looks surprised that you recoiled from his touch, “Wait... Y/N I’m sorry for not showing up, it totally went over my head. Nothing is more important than you.” You think about accepting his apology, it’s just a small bump in your friendship. But the more you think about it, the more you think about the future with him. What’s going to happen when he finally gets a girlfriend and doesn’t spend that much time with you. Or gets married and has a family. Can you stay beside the man you love whilst he loves another woman. You want to stay beside him and be best friends with him forever, so you decide to put an end to your feelings.

“ Jungkook, let's extend our break up. You’re having a great time and I don’t want to take that away from you,” tears welled up in your eyes and you gave him a smile. You quickly leave the restaurant and walk 10 steps away from the restaurant, and start crying. There are people looking at you, “ Ahh there’s something stuck in my contact,” you say loudly as a couple walks past you.

--

Jungkook is stuck in his chair, surprise at everything you said to him, he was expecting you to call of the break up but you didn’t. When he saw yours eyes he knew you were on the verge of crying, “Yoongi give Y/N a ride, please. I don’t want her walking home like that,” Jungkook asks him. 

Yoongi nods and grabs his keys, exiting and sees you. He walks and stands by you, placing a hand on your arm. “ Let me take you home.”

You enter his car and smell something peculiar, “ Why does it smell weird in your car?” 

He sighs loudly, “ Jimin threw up in my car. I tried to clean it but the smell wouldn’t come out.” You snort and just look out the window, watching cars pass by. “ Y/N, when did you start liking Jungkook?,” you were surprised that he asked you this, did your actions show that much. 

“ We are just friends, I don’t like him like that.” He hums an okay and taps as he moves the steering wheel. A few minutes of silence past and you think of your childhood with Jungkook. “ I liked him more than a friend during middle school and then started loving him when were in high school...I couldn’t tell him, it would ruin our friendship,” you finally say.

 He doesn’t say anything and parks in front of your apartment. You turn to look at him and he looks like he looks conflicted on what’s he going to say next. “ Y/N, Jungkook knows you love him,” he blurts out and your heart drops. 

“ He knows… how?,” you ask yourself.

 He places his hand on yours, “ It was last year, we both went to a bar. He confessed to me that he knows you love him, and that hurts him that you can’t return his feelings.” 

You feel like a fool, thinking that he’ll just wake up someday realizing that he is in love with you. “ Oh okay, that’s fine...I’m going to... just go. I’ll see you later,” you immediately exit the car, walking towards the apartment. You try to open the apartment with your keys but you drop them since your hands are shaking, 

You stand up and have your keys in your hands, and you feel arms behind you. “ Y/N, I’m sorry I suddenly said that out loud, I should've  been more considerate.” 

Yoongi hugs you tighter and you turn to face him, “ It’s okay, Yoongi.” You stay in his warm embrace for couple of minutes, you pull away and look at him. More specifically his lips, you lean forward and kiss him. You don’t know you did this, and you feel embarrassed when his lips aren’t moving, so you decide to pull back. “ I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-,” he interrupts you by pushing you against the door and kissing you. You put your arms around his shoulder bringing him close to you, it feels dirty doing this but you decide to messily make out with him.

 But then you start thinking of Jungkook, you pull back and stare into Yoongi’s eyes which are filled with understandment. “ You’re right, we shouldn’t do this, you deserve so much better,” he says while putting a strand of hair behind your ear. You nod your head and hugged him closer to you.

You enter your apartment and fall back on the bed, you swaddle yourself in the blankets trying to ease into comfort. The clock is ticking and it sounds very loud, you start to cry thinking about Jungkook. Just knowing that he knows that you love him, you laugh humorously remembering how your heart would flutter when he would cuddle with you when watching movies. Even though you want to blame or hate him you can’t, since it’s not his fault that he is so kind and warm to you, and you managed to fall in love. You feel so embarrassed that he just knows. Maybe it’s a good thing that Yoongi told you that, it would make you face the fact that you and Jungkook could only be best friends.

--

You don’t mean to lose in contact with Jungkook or his whole group of friends, it just happens. At first it hurts you when he didn’t try to text you or visit you after five months of you needing a break. It shouldn’t have, you were the one who brought up the extended break up but still he couldn't wish you a Merry Christmas or Happy New Year.

 On a dark rainy day you were walking down stairs from a class you have and feel light raindrops falling on your face. You scold yourself for not bringing an umbrella, you were about to start walking and feel the raindrops stop falling. You look up and see a red umbrella, then you turn around and see Jimin holding it. He gives you a careful smile and shrugs his shoulders. “ Hey stranger, how have you been?,” he asked while still holding the umbrella over you. 

You continue walking down stairs and he follows you, “ I’ve been okay, recently found out that I was pregnant.” 

You smile at him and he gives you a shocked expression, “ Y/N...I don’t know what to say...congrats?,” you start laughing at him and he gives you a confused look. 

“I’m kidding, I’m not pregnant. How are you?,” you haven’t seen him in like five months so you genuinely do want to know how is doing.

 He laughs and punches you lightly on the shoulder, “ You almost gave me a heart attack telling me that, and I’m doing okay. Just recently got hired as an intern as a dance choreographer at this amazing dance company, they say if I do well I can get hired full time after I graduate,” he gleams with delight after telling you this. 

“ That’s fucking amazing Jimin! I knew you would do big things, you really are an amazing dancer. I’m proud of you.” You stop walking and hug him, and it takes him by surprise but he pats your back with his unoccupied hand. You pull out of the hug and you guys continue walking, you twiddle your finger and look around nervously. 

You want to ask about Jungkook but your nervous, he looks at you curiously and knows what you want to ask. “ Jungkook is happy, Y/N. If that’s what you want to ask, he is also working as an intern too and he...umm,” he looks around and tugs the bottom of his sweater a bit, “...he’s dating, well he has a girlfriend. She’s nice and pretty, I think you’ll like her Y/N.”

You feel like your world is crashing, that a meteor just crashed and everything is going down in chaos, “ Really! That’s wonderful, I’m happy for him...he deserves it,” you fake a bright smile and he doesn’t notice. He smiles brightly back at you. You are right in front of your other class and you say goodbye to Jimin. The whole time you think of Jungkook and how his girlfriend may possibly look like, it’s time to let go, maybe after a couple months you’ll fully get over him. You smile to yourself, looking outside and seeing the sun start to shine peeking over the clouds.

---

You were in deep sleep, dreaming about going to the beach and watching the sunrise, you feel at peace. Then your peace was disrupted when you hear your phone ringing, you pick it up and answer. “ What?,” you say grumply and stretching your legs out. 

“ Y/N, I need you to do me a favor-” “No,” you cut off Nayeon.

 “ Aww, don’t be like that, I’ll buy you food,” she pleads. 

“Deal,” you were going to let her buy you the most expensive steak ever. 

“ Okay so I need you to take my ring to the jewelry store, It needs to be polished. It looks a little dull, I would do it but I have to drop the kids to summer camp and who knows when I’ll do it since I’m always busy. Plus, you’re never busy,” you hum and hear her rant.

 “ Yeah, I’m never busy since I'm single and don’t have kids…” you say jokingly. 

“ Ugh, I don’t mean like that… you’re amazing, beautiful, smart, and you have a great job. You should be fucking guys left and right. I can’t remember the last time I got fucked real hard by my husband,” you roll your eyes and laugh.

 “ Mmm, I love it when you compliment me and talk about your sex life. I’ll pick up the ring in fifteen minutes.”

You go to her house and pick up the ring, you inspect it as you sit in the car, raising it to the sunlight and watching it sparkle. You place it on your ring finger and smile to yourself, testing it on how it feels on you. It’s been six years since you’ve seen him, Jungkook, but now you're thinking of him. Is he married and has a couple of kids, you remember him telling you that he wanted you to be his best man. Maybe if you see him again, you’ll ask if you could still be best friends, you're pretty sure you have no more romantic feelings for him. You stop daydreaming when you realize how big the world is and how you can’t possibly ever see him again.

The jewelry store is in the mall and you hand the employee the ring along with the documents. You wait for forty five minutes as they polish it and you look around at all the shiny elegant jewelry. The employee gives you the ring and you notice the significance sparkle it displays. “ I can tell your husband really loves you, that’s the most expensive ring we have,” the employee tells you.

 You smile at him and nod, “ Yes, he really does love me. Thank you for your work,” you put the ring on and leave the store. 

You walk around since you have nothing else to do, “ Y/N!,” you hear someone call your name. You turn around and see Namjoon with his deep dimples, smiling and waving his hand. “ Wow, I haven’t seen you in forever,” he walks towards you and gives you a hug.

 You are engulfed in his embrace and you laugh, “ Yeah, it’s good to see you, did your legs get longer?”

 He pulls apart from you and chuckles, “ No, they didn’t, it’s the same length. But how are you?” 

You twiddle with the ring on your finger and was about to reply until he gave you a surprised expression. Oh, he thinks your married, you should mess around with him. “ I’ve been great, I have a wonderful husband and two boys, and I just found out I’m pregnant. Hopefully, it's a girl,” you reply seriously but inside you were dying to laugh. 

“ Holy shit, that’s crazy wait until-” You were about to say just kidding until you hear someone call Namjoon, you turn to see him. Jungkook. He doesn’t seem to notice you since he’s whining to Namjoon on how he left him alone in the store, but stops when he finally sees you. His eyes widen and he stutters on his words. You haven’t seen him in forever and you see how different he looks, his hair is longer and his face looks more mature. Your heart flutters a little bit but quickly ignore it.  “ Jungkook, look who I found. Isn’t it crazy she’s married and has kids! And she’s pregnant, which by the way you should invite me to the baby shower,” you were shocked that Namjoon was saying all this.

You can’t tell him you were kidding, that would make you look like a fool. This could also be the chance to hangout and be friends with Jungkook, if he sees your married and your completely over him he won’t have to worry about me being in love with him. It’s a perfect plan.

“ Hi, Jungkook, it’s been awhile. Namjoon I could’ve told him all those things,” you laugh a little. Jungkook looks at your left hand and then to your stomach.

 “ You’re married? Why didn’t you tell me or invite me to the wedding? We promised that we would be at each other's weddings,” he furrowed his eyebrows. 

You can’t understand his tone, it’s a mixture of hurt and anger. “ You also promised me that you would never missed my birthday…,” you jokingly reply but he doesn’t laugh, he just looks more hurt. “ Uhh, I was joking…,” you nervously fiddle with the ring finger. Namjoon looks uncomfortable, and switches conversation, talking about owning his own bakery with Seokjin. You’re immersed with the conversation and look to the side as Jungkook just stares you down. Namjoon phone rings and tells you he has to take the call. Which leaves you and Jungkook alone.

“ We should get back together,” Jungkook says to you. In this situation, anyone would assume that you and Jungkook were ex-lovers.

You and Jungkook are not ex-lovers.  

“ What?” you say immediately. 

He gently grabs your left hand and looks at the ring sparkle. “ Leave him, let’s go back to the way things were, you could take the kids with you. I’ll help you raise them. I want to be able to see your face everyday and go to the coffee shop, then you can complain on how much sugar I put. I was fucking stupid back then, I lost my best friend since I was desperate for sex. I overlooked your feelings...I ignored it, god you fucking loved me and treated you so bad,” he pleads to you and his eyes look glossy. 

“ What are trying to say Jungkook, your confusing me,” you put your hand against his cheek, caressing it. 

“ I want you in my life as my best friend, girlfriend, wife, a soulmate. Take me anyway you want. These years without you have been colorless. Maybe it’s too late to say this but I love you.” You always dreamed to hear him say those words, and now he’s saying them to you and you start crying. 

“ Okay, let’s get back together,” you lean forward and kiss him. He immediately responds to the kiss and pulls you closer by the waist. You’re finally kissing his soft lips and your hands are in his long hair, pulling it softly. His hands move down to your ass and squeeze them. 

You let out a quiet moan but then pull away from him when you realize you guys were in public. “ Ahh, Jungkook...we shouldn’t do this here,” he continues peppering kisses and nuzzles into your neck. 

“Mmpfh, okay,” he pulls out of your neck and gives you his signature bunny smile. “ Do you think your kids will like me? I hope they do, I can teach them how to play basketball and video games,” he ponders and rubs your stomach. 

You blush when he does this gesture, you need to tell him the truth. “ Jungkook, I’m not married...and I don’t have kids. This-it’s not even my ring, it’s Nayeon’s, I went to get it polished for her…” you say quietly and feel him stop rubbing your stomach. “ I was messing with Namjoon but wasn’t able to say just kidding since you came along. And I thought maybe it wouldn’t be bad for you to be my best friend since I’m ‘married’...god I sound stupid,” you see him blankly staring at you.

 “ Do you love me?,” he asked seriously. 

“ I don’t think I ever stopped loving you,” you say confidently.

 He gives you quick peck and grabs your hand leading you back to the jewelry store. “ Why are we here, Jungkook?,” you ask him while he goes behind you as you look at the wedding rings. “ Pick any ring you want my love, I want to marry you as soon as possible,” he whispered in your ear. Then he grinds behind you, “ And then fill you up with my babies,” he bites your ear teasingly. The same employee who had helped you before gives you a confused look and you turn red, but it doesn’t matter since Jungkook is right beside you.

--

You both are laying naked in bed, panting loudly in each other's arms. He brings your hand up looking at the wedding ring and kisses each finger. You put your other hand on your stomach feeling a little swollen because of the excessive amount of sperm he came into. You smile happily, imagining carrying his children.

“ Y/N, uhh...you know just asking...who did you lose your virginity to-you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he shrugs and looks away nervously.

“Umm, Taehyung,” you tell him slowly.

“Ohh okay...wait what?” he says ludicrously. “ You know what it doesn’t matter, I love you Y/N”

“ I love you too, and it was only a couple times,” you say tiredly and cuddle into his chest.

“ A couple times!... wait Y/N don’t sleep just yet, how many times did you guys do it. Was he better than me...never mind don’t answer that question...,” he whines and shakes you lightly. But your too content with his warmth and continue to fall into a deep slumber.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do not repost, translate, or alternate my work in any way, onto any platform. I do not take plagiarism lightly.

[topsytervy]

Book Lovers ~ Pope Heyward

Blurb: You have a crush on Pope and Pope has a crush on you. Your love for books brings you together.

Word Count: 3,376

Warnings: swearing, poorly written towards the end cause I'm bad at ending writings, probably spelling/grammar errors, I think thats it.

I started writing this as a whole bond over books thing and then it kind of got away from that a bit but not really I don't think.

Also, the way i was going back and forth between writing this and something Calum Hood related cause its his birthday and I love him was insane.

~~~~~~

You sat on the beach on a towel, a book in hand as the sounds of screams and waves filled the air.

Not too far away sat Pope, staring at you as JJ, John B and Kie surfed. He watched as you brushed some hair behind your ear before turning the page, completely engrossed by whatever it was you were reading. 

"Are you serious?" Pope jumped as his head swiveled to look at the voice that spoke.

Kie stood there, surfboard under her arm with an eyebrow raised, the two other boys behind her.

"What?" Pope shrugged, acting as casual as he could.

"Really? Playing dumb Pope? Thats JJ's job." She answered, setting down her board and sitting next to him.

"I take some offense to that, Kie." JJ told her which only caused the curly-haired girl to roll her eyes.

"Just go talk to her, Pope."

Pope widened his eyes. "Are you crazy, Kie?"

"If talking to someone you like is crazy then have me committed but last time I checked it was normal." 

"What would I even talk to her about?" 

"Oh, I don't know. She's only reading a book. Gosh if only you read." Kie told him, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Pope sighed before getting up. 

"Go get 'em, tiger." John B grinned as him and JJ took a seat next to Kie, watching as Pope made his way over.

He was about halfway to you before he turned around and walked back, shaking his head. "I can't do it. It's rude to interrupt someone's reading ya know. That and Toppers walking towards her." 

JJ scoffed. "Really, man. Toppers got nothing on you. Besides, I'm pretty sure they're just friends."

"Oh quite the opposite, JJ. He's got money and a way nicer boat." 

John B shot Pope a look. "How dare you insult the HMS Pogue like that."

"You know what I mean. He can buy her literally anything she asks for." 

"Okay. So he's got money and a nice boat. That means he's trying to compensate for something. Any guesses as to what that is?" Kie stared at Pope.

JJ grinned, deciding to answer for his best friend. "His di-"

"Personality, JJ" Kie cut off the blonde. "What he lacks in personality, he makes up for with money. Topper is boring as hell. He doesn't know the meaning of excitement and adventure. You do. I'm sure you have way more in common with her than Topper does." 

Pope took one last look at you, book open but ignored as Topper chatted with you. You just smiled and nodded before standing up and gathering your things, waving a small goodbye to Topper as you did. 

You glanced over and saw the Pogues watching you so you brought up your hand and sent them a small wave, blushing when Pope smiled and waved back at you.

The next time Pope saw you was at the library. He was getting a couple of books for a paper he had to write and you were there, scanning the shelves, trying to figure out what book you wanted to read next.

Pope had looked over and froze when he saw you just a few feet away from him, fingers ghosting over the spines of books as you read the titles. 

You had agreed to ride with Kelce to the library considering he needed a specific book to read and you needed a new book to read. You chewed on your lip, focusing on each one before pulling one out that caught your eye, reading the blurb before ultimately deciding that you didn’t want to read that one now. 

Pope took a deep breath before scanning the titles himself, attempting to find one that he had already read that he thought you would enjoy. He finally found one and grabbed it, walking over to you.

"Having troubles?" He asked.

You jumped slightly before looking at him. "Little bit. It's hard to find which one to read next, ya know."

Pope nodded before handing you the book. "You might like this one. I read it and could hardly put it down. It's definitely on my list of books to own." 

You took it with a smile. "Thanks."

 "It's no biggie." Pope shrugged. 

You smiled again before walking backwards towards the checkout counter. "I'll see you around, Pope." 

Pope grinned at the fact that you knew his name. "I hope so, Y/N."

You blushed slightly before turning around, meeting up with Kelce who immediately noticed your reddened cheeks.

"What's going on over here, Y/N/N?" He asked, pointing to his own cheeks.

"Nothing." You mumbled, placing your book and library card on the counter. 

Kelce looked around, trying to spot who was making his best friend blush before shrugging.

Later that night, you and Kelce were sitting on his living room floor with Rafe and Topper, a board game set out in front of the boys as you read your book and listened to their conversation. 

"Topper, St.Louis is not the capital of Illinois." Rafe said for what felt like the hundredth time. 

"What are you talking about? Yes it is!" 

Kelce took a deep breath before looking at Topper. "Top, sweetie, if you think St.Louis is the capital of Illinois, then what's the capital of Missouri?"

"Boise?"

You peered over your book with a blank look on your face, Kelce and Rafe having the same look on theirs.

"Come on guys, you know I'm bad at geography." Topper whined.

"I think," Rafe started, looking at Kelce, "We need to bust out that Sequence state capital game from second grade."

"I think I lost a brain cell during this conversation," Kelce rubbed his temples.

"Good thing you're not playing fucking jeopardy or you'd really be screwed, Top." You said.

Topper turned his attention to you. "Not all of us are book smart, Y/L/N." Topper leaned over to look at the page before squinting. "Whatcha reading that's better than playing a game with us, anyway?" 

You held up the book enough so they could read the title and Rafe raised an eyebrow. "Where'd ya find that one?"

"Someone recommended it to me." You blushed a little at the interaction with Pope earlier that day.

"Oh ho ho. That is the same blush you had at the library. You like this person." Kelce pointed.

"Shut up, Kelc."

"Wait. She was blushing? Oh snap."

"Spill the name, Y/N."

You rolled your eyes at your friends before replying. "I don't have to tell you three anything."

"Come on. If you're not gonna tell us then how will we tease you?" Rafe whined.

"That's exactly why I'm not gonna tell you. You'll just tease me and then whenever he's around, you'll act all juvenile."

Topper looked at the two boys before turning towards you. "If we promise that we will keep the teasing to a minimum when he's not around and that we act mature about this, will you tell us?"

You bit your lip before hesitantly nodding. Rafe, Topper and Kelce's eyes widened, eager to hear the name about to come out of your mouth.

You sighed, bookmarking your page. "His name is Marcel. He wears glasses and wears a sweater vest. A bit on the awkward side but very sweet."

Kelce and Topper shot each other confused glances, never having heard that name before. Rafe, on the other hand, cocked his head to the side with an unamused look and a 'really'.

"You know this Marcel, Cameron?" Topper asked.

"Yeah. If you watch the Best Song Ever music video, you'll meet him. I do have two sisters, remember." He answered.

You shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"Come on, Y/L/N. Just give us the name." 

You held up your hands in surrender. "Okay, okay." Your three friends leaned forward, staying quiet with raised eyebrows. "Pope Heyward." 

"Oh my God," Topper breathed.

"Can we not do the usual 'traitor' bullshit please? I feel like my mom is already going to have a fit."

"What makes you think we'd do that?" 

You shot each of them a look before standing up. "I gotta get going. You guys have fun and Topper," you looked at the blonde, "learn your damn capitals."

And then you were out the door.

****

Pope walked into The Wreck a few days later and spotted you in the corner, book in hand while you ate your food. Pope was so focused on you that he didn't even notice Kie appear next to him with a water pitcher in her hand.

"You gonna stand there all day or you gonna sit down with her and start up a conversation."

Pope whipped his head to look at his friend before shrugging. "I guess I could but sh-"

"She's reading and its rude to interrupt someone whos reading. I know." Kie rolled her eyes before walking over to your table.

He saw you smile at Kie and greet her before nodding. You looked past Kie and saw Pope. You grinned and waved him over which Pope happily did, taking a seat across from you.

"Want anything Pope?" Kie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just get me the usual." 

Kie smiled before walking away towards the back.

"I finished that book you recommended to me last night and I was speechless. The ending was...wow." You leaned back in your chair, taking a drink of water. 

"I know right. That book made me want to read all his other works and they're all just so amazing." Pope grinned.

"His writing is so poetic that I was surprised I wasn't reading an actual poem."

"Exactly. He's such a good writer."

You two talked for hours about different authors and books you guys liked, eventually both of you started writing down names of books and authors for the other to check out.

"How long have they been like that?" John B asked, JJ sitting beside him along with the kook boys who joined them unexpectedly with no hassle whatsoever. 

"Lets see. You five have been here for 45 minutes to an hour, Pope showed up a couple of hours before you. So...almost four." Kie smiled before scurrying off to wait on another table.

"Four what? Hours?" JJ asked. 

"Yes, dumbass." Rafe rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to the table where you sat with Pope.

"They both look so happy." Topper commented.

"Because they are. They're in love." Kelce sighed with a dopey smile on his face, resting his head against his hand.

"Aren't they a little young for love?" John B raised an eyebrow.

Kelce shot him a look which caused John B to raise his hand in surrender. 

"What do you think they're talking about?"

"They're both nerds. Take a guess."

JJ opened his mouth to object, offended on behalf of his best friend but John B stopped him. "No, no. He has a point."

You glanced at your watch before standing up, saying something to Pope who nodded, handing each other your phones. 

JJ smirked. "My boy is getting some." Rafe, Kelce, and Topper all turned to look at JJ, unamused with his words. "Or not."

*****

Pope shook his head. "No way. That is one of the dumbest and most cliche tropes ever." 

It was a week later and you and Pope sat at The Wreck again, having a conversation about whatever you recently read and now, apparently, your favorite and least favorite tropes.

"I have to disagree. Enemies to lovers has my heart." You responded, taking a bite out of your burger after you spoke.

"One bed and they have to share reigns supreme." Pope popped a fry into his mouth like that was the end of discussion. 

You held up your finger as you finished chewing before swallowing. "You have to have some love for the enemies to lovers trope then because a lot of enemies to lovers involve sharing a bed." You pointed out.

"What about friends to lovers? Hmm? Hmmm? That right there is practically gold and bed sharing comes into play." 

You rolled your eyes. "At some point, a friend likes another. I can tell you in confidence that I had a crush on Topper, Kelce, and Rafe at some point in our friendship. It was bound to happen because we hang out so much. Enemies to lovers though? Who willingly hangs out with their enemy? No one." 

Pope laughed. "Alright. Sure. Whatever." 

"Don't whatever me Pope. I'm right and you know I am." You laughed. 

Pope held his hands up in surrender.  "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Kiara walked over to your table and you smiled. "Lets ask Kie."

"Ask me what?" Her eyes darted between you and Pope.

Pope turned to Kie. "I want you to be honest with me, Kie. Which trope is better? Best friends to lovers or enemies to lovers."

Kie blinked slowly as she spoke. "I was just coming here to ask if you need refills or anything else."

"This is more important. Best friends to lovers or enemies to lovers?" 

You both looked at the girl expectedly and she shrugged. "I'm more of a fake dating girl myself so neither."

"Or both." You raised your eyebrows.

"True. Enemies could fake date or friends could. Sounds like a both thing for me."

Kie just turned and walked away, shaking her head with a small smile. 

Your phone dinged and you looked down, seeing a text from your mom. "Thats my mother paging me." You sighed as you stood up. "This has been a fun date, Pope." 

"Date?" 

You felt your face heat up from embarrassment."Oh, was this...not- I shouldn't have assumed. I'm sorry."  

"No, it was. I just didn't think you'd think of it as one." Pope quickly said.

You smiled before kissing his cheek. "I'll talk to you later then.'

Pope blushed as he watched you walk away, paying for your half of the meal before exiting the building.

****

It's been a month since you and Pope became official. A lot of your dates were either study dates, beach dates, or dates that consisted of you two eating at The Wreck while discussing anything under the sun.

Pope was kind of scared when you asked him what he wanted to do for a living, considering everyone else thought it was weird but you were supportive.

"That's cool." 

Popes eyes widened in shock at your words. "Really? No 'why would you choose a coroner' or 'why the hell would you wanna work with dead bodies'?"

You shrugged as you stole one of the fries from his plate. "I think it's cool. It's a job not many people want but it's an important one." 

That was probably when Pope knew that he was in deep with you. The fact that you didn't judge the things he was passionate about and what he wanted to do. That just made him fall for you more and let him know that you were the perfect girl for him.

Now here you were, spending the weekend together in the best way.

You sat in Pope's living room, okay laid in Pope's living room, watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Pope had the house all to himself for the weekend and invited you over for a Harry Potter movie marathon since you two just finished rereading the entire series. 

So here you were, curled into your boyfriend's side with his arm draped over your shoulders, holding you closer if that was even possible. 

You sighed as Alan Rickman appeared on the screen. "I miss him."

Pope kissed the top of your head as he rubbed your arm. "I know, sweetheart. You say that everytime he pops up on screen."

"I can't help it. He was just such a good soul." 

Pope smiled, twirling some of your hair around his finger. He loved listening to you talk about things and people you were passionate about. The smile on your face whenever someone, usually him, brought up one of those topics was worth it and he could listen to your voice for hours on end, which usually happened when a topic of interest was brought up. 

"Are you even listening to me?" You'd ask, tapping his wrist.

"Every word."

You'd lean back and cross your arms, a smirk on your face as you raised one of your eyebrows. "Oh really?"

He'd nod before speaking. "You were saying how you think iced coffee is better than regular hot coffee."

You'd make an impressed face. "Are you going to say anything at any point in this conversation."

He'd pretend to think about it before shaking his head. "I'm good." 

You'd roll your eyes before purposely bringing up a topic that would cause him to talk some because just like him, you were obsessed with seeing his smile when he was interested in a topic and hearing his voice.

"Pope, did you hear me?" 

Pope blinked before shaking his head. "No. Sorry. I was spacing this time."

"I asked if you wanted to make stir fry tonight?" You laughed lightly at the space cadet you called a boyfriend.

Pope smiled and nodded. "Sounds great. I'll ask dad if we can raid the store for whatever we don't have." 

You both pulled out your phones, you to get the recipe and Pope to ask his dad if it was okay to take whatever was needed for dinner. 

You walked into the kitchen and started pulling out whatever you could find that was needed for the stir fry before writing down on a notepad what was left.

"We got the go ahead." Pope told you and you held up the notepad.

"Then let's go on an adventure." 

You two paused the movie and made your way down the street towards Heywards hand in hand.

"Have you ever seen the Percy Jackson movies?" You asked, genuinely curious if Pope had or not. Pope shook his head and you let out a laugh. "Oh boy. We might have to take a break from good ol' HP so you can watch them." 

"Why?" Pope swung your arms as looked at you.

"You might find them...interesting. That's all." You shrugged.

"Are they good?" 

You smiled up at him as you leaned your head on his arm. "You'll have to see."

Normally, you wouldn't recommend watching the movies to anyone but when it came to Pope, you wanted him to see it. You wanted to see him rant about all the differences and how bad this adaptation was. You wanted to see him get all flustered at the smallest details that the movies got wrong and complain about how this doesn't do the books any justice. 

"Are you setting me up?" A small smile sat on Pope's lips.

You placed a hand to your heart.  "Ouch Pope. That stings."

He just laughed before kissing your temple as you approached Heywards. Pope unlocked the door and you followed him inside, picking up the rest of your ingredients before walking over to the counter and pulling a 20 out of your pocket, sliding it under one of the boxes for Mr.Heyward to find.

"Really? You know my dad loves you right? Like you don't have to pay him for this stuff. He gave us the okay." Pope said.

You shrugged. "It's fine and it's only right. I mean, I'm taking things from his store. The least I can do is pay him." You turned to the security camera and waved before pointing to the box the cash was under and doing the hand signal for money.

"You do know he cant check the system from his phone right?" 

"Yeah but if he plays it back, he'll know and no one else will see the footage." You smiled before turning back to your boyfriend. "Ready?" You asked as you placed your things in a bag. 

Pope grabbed your hand and the bag as he nodded. "Lets get cooking." 

You laughed as you followed him back outside, waiting for him to lock the door before beginning the short journey back to his, the pair of you thinking about how lucky you were to have someone like the other.

~~~~~~

[spaceskam]

an addendum to this ficlet for @winged-fool ❤️

ao3

"Stop it."

Isobel pried Michael's hand away from his mouth, saving his nails from being chewed to hell. He held his breath instead, eyes on the empty stage in the little psuedo-underground bar. Whenever Alex had given him the tickets that had directions on the back of them, Isobel had insisted they were trying way too hard to be obscure. Michael, on the other hand, had been too nervous to have any actual opinions.

"Now, say 'thank you, Isobel, for making me get a fake ID last year,'" Isobel said, her chin propped in her hand from where she sat on the other side of the small two-person table. He rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, Isobel," he grumbled, his hand gravitating back towards his mouth as he watched one of the girls in Alex's band, Liz, check each of their instruments to make sure everything was in tune. Isobel swatted it away again.

In his truck, he had all of Alex's finished homework. He debates bringing them inside, but he figured he would just ask if Alex wanted them tonight or Monday morning. That is, if he got the chance to talk to him. Alex might be too cool for that. Well, he was definitely too cool for that.

"I shouldn't have come, he probably thinks I'm obsessed with him," Michael said. Isobel scoffed.

"We've had this talk. He's the one who asked you to do his homework, he's the one who keeps asking, he's the one who offered the tickets, and he's the one who knew what section of the library to find you in," Isobel explained. Michael sunk deeper in the chair.

"He probably asked someone or just looked around."

"Maybe, which is all trouble he went through to find you," Isobel pointed out, "The point is, if anyone's obsessed, it's him."

Michael whole body flushed with heat at the mere idea that Alex had ever thought about him ever. Isobel snorted a laugh, reaching over to pinch his cheeks.

"You're so in love," Isobel cooed. He rolled his eyes and leaned away.

Within the next twenty minutes, the bar was at max capacity and Alex's band was being introduced. They had hard copy CDs of their EP being sold at the bar which seemed to fit their entire alt indie pop aesthetic. But none of that mattered as the three of them got on stage to the sound of applause: Alex sang and played guitar, Maria played bass, and Liz played drums. Michael's eyes, though, were stuck on the way Alex's fingers curled around the neck of the guitar.

Michael only seemed to melt more when he opened his mouth, his voice a slightly breathy, smooth tenor as he played the guitar in tandem. He made it seem easy.

This version of a concert was much easier than the ones he'd been to before where the entire performance was drowned out by screams. This audience was calm, allowing the band to fill the dim room with a soothing ambience as they drank and absorbed the music. The sound slowly drew the unnecessary stress out of Michel's shoulders.

"Shit," Isobel commented, "They're actually pretty good."

And they were. Alex's voice was alluring as he seemlessly slipped into the next song of their set. It had a darker feel to it and, as Michael listened to the lyrics, it seemed to be about some ambiguous love interest, a figure who was addictive and yet unpenetrable. Foolishly, Michael listened for pronouns, waiting to see if Alex said he and hoping that meant he had a shot. But, no, Alex always used you.

Which was all fine and dandy until the first chorus hit and his eyes flickered up to meet Michael's across the room, making unbreakable eye contact through the rest of the song as he sung of someone who couldn't give him the time of day.

The song ended and Alex was still staring, but he didn't offer a smile. He just caught his breath as people, including Michael, clapped. He only looked away when he turned to drink some water and share a few words with Liz.

"Oh, he's totally into you," Isobel huffed. Michael blinked out of his Alex-induced haze and looked at her with wide eyes.

"What are you talking about? No, he's not," Michael insisted, but his skin still felt hot from the entire two minutes of eye contact.

"Michael, that was the most intense eye fucking I've ever seen," Isobel scoffed, "Literally felt like I was intruding."

"No," Michael said, shaking his head as another song started up. As perfect proof, Alex didn't look his way through that song. "See? Not interested."

"He's probably embarassed."

Michael scoffed, "Guys like that don't get embarassed."

"Everyone gets embarassed," Isobel assured him. He didn't really buy it.

Still, he watched Alex performed the rest of the set. He was always attractive, but, when he was on stage and sweating in his black tank top and his tying his dark-wash jean jacket around his waist to reveal strong biceps, he was almost irresistible. He sang like he was made to, his eyes closed and showing off thick winged eyeliner and black eyeshadow. He was a goddamn vision.

Michael's mind slowly began to wander, curiosity getting the better of him as he wondering how exactly his sweat tasted. Was that gross? Probably. His thumb nail found his mouth again and Isobel didn't pull it away, letting him bite into the skin as he stared.

Alex caught his eyes a few more times throughout the set, but he never let it sit like he had the first time. It was almost upsetting, but Michael didn't take it to heart. He didn't think he had a shot with Alex anyway.

"So, on a scale from 'as interested as I was before' to 'if I don't have him, I will die', how are you feeling about Alex after that?" Isobel asked as everyone applauded them. Michael glared at her, listening to Alex remind everyone that they had CDs at the bar.

"Stop it," Michael told her, "I'm not... I'm not interested."

"I didn't raise a liar."

"You didn't raise me at all."

"Mhm," Isobel hummed, standing with a purpose, "I'm gonna go buy a CD and you're going to ask him for an autograph."

"What? No, no, no, do not–" But she was already headed that way.

Michael sunk into his seat further and further, trying to avoid anyone's eyes as Isobel bought a goddamn CD and went to find Alex. She was trying to embarass him, honestly. It was a whole mess. He watched her intently, too scared to take his eyes off of her in case she actually succeeded in dragging Alex to the table.

However, he watched her for so long that he didn't realize Alex found the table himself.

"Hey," Alex said. Michael nearly jumped out of his skin as he sat up straight, his knee slamming into the table. Alex held back a laugh, his lips pressed together in a smile.

"Hi," Michael fumbled out weakly, rubbing his knee beneath the table. Alex looked even better up close, still glistening with sweat and looking a little tired, but gorgeous. "I-I have your homework in my truck if that's what you wanted."

"Oh," Alex said, looking over his shoulder for a second before giving Michael his attention again, "I, uh, I actually just wanted to know if I could buy you a drink, but that's nice too."

"You want to buy me a drink?" Michael repeated, more than a little caught off guard. Alex shrugged limply. "But you just got off stage, let me buy you one."

A kind smile found his face and he shook his head. "Well, I actually get free drinks, so no money goes is lost if I go get it."

"Oh," Michael said, clearing his throat, "Okay."

"I'll be right back," Alex said, brushing his hand over Michael's shoulder as he passed him to head to the bar.

Michael's eyes followed him, his brain not really catching up with what happened until Alex leaned over the bar. He was about to have a drink with Alex Manes. What the fuck. His eyes quickly scanned the crowd for Isobel and found her leaning on the opposite end of the bar beside Liz and she simply winked at him. Oh. Okay.

A few seconds later, Alex slipped into the seat across from him with two drinks in his hand. Michael gulped softly. This was it. This was his chance.

"You're really good, by the way," he said. Alex smiled.

"Thank you," he said, taking a sip of his beer, "Did your, uh, friend like the show too?"

"My sister," Michael said and Alex's smile relaxed tenfold, "She liked it."

"Good," Alex said, "I'm glad you came."

Michael allowed himself to take those words to heart and he smiled wide. Maybe he did have a shot.

"Me too."

[bubonickitten]

You know what I’m noticing a lot lately? 

So many people apparently DO. NOT. UNDERSTAND. how much of a privilege it is to have access to a computer, internet, printer, etc. at home. 

I work in a public library. We have so many regulars who come into our branches specifically to use a computer, to access the internet, to print and scan and copy and fax things because they do not have access to these technologies at home. (And, in many cases, aren’t tech savvy and need assistance.) 

And right now? We’re in the middle of a pandemic. All the public libraries are closed, and likely to be for the foreseeable future. We have no planned reopen date. It’s up in the air, and that means that many, many people in my county currently have no access to a computer or internet or other devices that they desperately need -- especially right now, when so many people are trying to file for unemployment, loans, deferred payments, financial assistance, etc. 

(In fact, I wonder how many people had difficulty requesting and receiving absentee ballots in Wisconsin simply due to lack of access to technology.) 

Applying for financial assistance of any kind is a labyrinth -- if you need to email or fax or print anything in order to apply for those things (which you almost certainly do), you need access to technology. A phone call can often only get you so far, especially if the lines are constantly busy because everyone is scrambling to get their shit in order right now and there are only so many overworked employees to answer the phones. And if you don’t have transportation to go to your local clerk’s office or social services location, you’re doubly fucked. (I live in a rural area. With no sidewalks or robust public transportation system. If you don’t have a car, or someone to drive you places, there’s a lot of shit you can’t access.) 

Then you have kids who need access to technology in order to continue receiving education right now. If you’re in a poor school district, they might not have enough tablets or computers to lend to families that don’t have those things. Even if they do, it doesn’t solve the issue of internet access if you don’t have it at home. I know a lot of school districts are doing everything in their power to make sure kids can all get access to the material (as well as accommodations for kids who have IEPs, meals for those on school lunch programs, etc.), but you’re still going to have an unfair situation for so many kids.

And even for families who do have a computer or tablet, what if you have multiple kids of different grade levels who need to use it? What if your high schooler needs several hours of access a day to write a paper, and your 8th grader needs to take a timed test, and your 5th grader needs to print out the worksheets, and everyone is clamoring to use the computer at the same time? What if your job is considered essential and you’re still working and literally do not have childcare options, let alone the time or ability to make sure your kids are understanding the material and doing the work? 

(Even if you do have the time and presence, you might not know how to teach your kids. Teaching is a learned skill. Hell, I remember my parents stopped being able to help me with math when I was in grade school. They didn’t remember algebra or any of that shit, and they never had to teach anyone math before. Or any academic subject, for that matter.) 

I’m preaching to the choir, but it’s just. So fucking frustrating how computers and internet and phones are still considered by some to be luxury utilities and not, like, basic facets of life that are just... taken for granted and practically mandatory at this point in time. Yeah, I know, it’s bad enough we have a government more focused on bailing out Wall Street and coddling corporations than considering, like, the 99% of the population that doesn’t have a rainy day fund big enough to buy a dozen yachts during a pandemic. People can’t pay rent or buy food. Not having computers or internet access probably doesn’t seem like a priority. 

But it’s definitely something to take into consideration and it’s so frustrating to see it taken for granted that everyone is able to like... work from home, do school from home, take care of finances and paperwork from home, stay in communication with their family and friends from home, continue accessing the news at home, etc. when a lot of people just don’t have computers or internet access. I just keep thinking about our patrons who almost certainly need financial assistance and almost equally certainly can’t actually apply for it right now, even if they would qualify for it. 

[disappearinginq]

top 5 true stories about yourself

I feel like I set myself up for this:

1. I dressed up, with my three closest horse-y friends, as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I went as War, given the gingery-ness, but also because I wanted to ride the Red Mare. We were dressed up in full on movie costume - masks and weapons and even the horses were decked out, and rode in tandem at one of the old battlefields where they were doing haunted hayrides/walks in the woods. They weren’t the “sexy” version, either - we looked like color coded ring wraiths. Death had a half scull mask and we painted a skeleton on her horse with glow in the dark paint. Conveniently, the humidity was up, so all of the horses (and us, I would guess) had the cool ‘steamy breath’ look going on as we came out of the shadows to chase people down (we didn’t really, we just loped along and people ran). We caused two accidents, a minor coronary event, and had a lot of people screaming the end is nigh aaaaaaaaaaaand got banned from Halloween in the town in Virginia we were in.

And not. ONE. GODDAMN. PICTURE.

2. I passed the bar exam in Virginia on a whim when I was trying to get out of work at the Navy shipyard and they told me I had to have a good excuse for needing the day off. Apparently, that meant I could legally practice law in the commonwealth if I had spent a year working in a law office. 

3. I willed my not-nephew into existence (they call me auntie, they’re technically my godchildren, but I’m not Catholic, and I have a bio sister who has no kids, so we just...roll with it). My friend told me she was expecting, and everyone told her it was going to be another girl, and I said it was going to be a boy. Even the first scan/test to find out, the doctor thought it was a girl. Nope. Boy, I demanded. I want one of each. Friend told me that’s not how it works, and BAM. SHE HAD A BOY. And the best part? That kid looks just like me. It’s awesome. If I decided to kidnap him in public, people would think he was my kid before they would believe he belonged to his biological parents. He’s huge (just like I was) for his age. His hair color is the same. Shit, he even acts the same as I did when I was his age. People who know I don’t have children look at pictures of us and ask when I had a son.

Though him being a boy did rob me of the opportunity of calling him my little Athena. C’est la vie.

4. I was declared legally dead. Twice. And not because of a medical miracle or anomaly - not medically dead. I was just legally dead. And you can’t just show up un-dead in the military and expect them to buy it. You actually have to go through a physical. More than once. I had to prove I was physically alive and it was some dumbass paperwork error, and after the second time of jumping through some bullshit hoops, I informed the Navy that if it happened a third time, I wasn’t going to correct them and I was just going to take my half-million dollar life insurance policy and go home.

5. To prove a point, I ran away for two weeks on a boat. Aircraft carriers are 4 1/2 acres of living space, and I had been on the boat longer than most people who were in charge. More importantly, I had jobs that required me to go all over, so I knew all the secret hidey holes. When we were being tasked with tagging out and working on highly energized equipment, we legally had to use the blueprints in order to determine what switches to turn off to keep us from getting electrocuted. Except the blueprints were wrong. They never matched up, and we got shocked like 6 times - with 440 volts - and got in trouble for it every time. But we weren’t allowed to not follow the blueprints, because according to our Navy Boss, it was our fault, not the blueprints. So in a fit of self-preservation fueled rage, I decided I wasn’t coming into work. Keep in mind, we were at sea, so literally, there was nowhere for me to go (except that one time I actually got flown off without them knowing about it, but...different story.) My boss knew I was on the boat somewhere. Except they couldn’t find me. I wasn’t even sleeping in my supposed rack because I had been ranked kicked out of it some days prior, and I had found my own living space at the back end of the ship where no one went and I don’t think anyone knew about, which was great because it was quiet and I had the bathroom and a room that was meant for 70 people to myself. Anyway. During the day, I hid out in the chapel. No one questioned what I was doing there. My last name lends itself to credibility in a church setting. Even the Chaplin thought I worked for him, because attached to the chapel was the library and the movie theater (yep. We had those on a Navy vessel), and I would organize the books, help check things out, provide legal counseling (other separate story). I showed up to “work” at the right hours, I sat through every service, I was practically nocturnal at this point - I had to be to avoid running into my chain of command. I used ‘illegal’ stairwells to get around that were meant for officers only, and I was a lowly enlisted - but if you carry a clipboard with you, no one questions you. Anyway - the reason of hiding in the chapel was because according to the fucking blueprints, it was on the other side of the ship, four decks down and fifty frames forward. That’s like...half a mile difference. And the doors weren’t easy to find, either, because they’d put it there by accident. You had to go either across a flight deck (BAD IDEA), come up through an officer’s stairwell, OR - you had to go down two decks, over one, back up a single stairwell and then through an improperly marked Z scuttle. The other part is that the chapel, movie theater, and library weren’t obviously in the same space - they took up three frames, and had a door that no one noticed in the back of each one. Basically - who the fuck designed this place, besides crackheads. 

Here’s where the point I was trying to prove comes in: I called the office from the library because they were threatening a court martial. The conversation went along the lines of: 

Chief: Get your ass back here or I’ll see to it your Navy career is over! Me: Promises, promises. Tell you what. If you can find me, I’ll come back to work.  Chief: Fine - where the fuck are you? Me: The library.  Chief:....we have a library? Me: Mmmmmhmmmmm.....if you check the blueprints, you’ll see exactly where I am. Come and get me, fat man. 

Three weeks later, he had to call a truce and agree to not make us use the blueprints and let us just line trace from equipment back to the power sources so we could stop getting zapped. 

[danyka-fendyr]

Absence of Good - 10

Chapter 10: 126 Kisses

Alright everybody I’m back! Finals are over and I’m officially free to write as much as I want until I can get a job. Hopefully that will be soon, but it’s not looking great. This chapter things sort of slow down and our heroes get the chance to relax for a minute. I figured they deserved it after their last case. Also this is just really fun for me.

Taglist:  @dreamwritesimagines @rhabakoli @alwaysadreamingoptimist

AoG Taglist:  @pancakefancake @prettyboyspenerrr @youreasnack @alioop3818 @newtslatte @rathersuspiciousbumblebee @andiebeaword @stalker83005 @lotties-journey-abroad

Wordcount: 2.5k

Warnings: None! This is all fluff. If you aren’t scared of a little making out, you’re safe here.

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” ― Jane Austen

           Trying to decide what your favorite thing about Spencer was was like trying to decide what flavor to pick at a Baskin-Robbins in hell, the options stretching to infinity. His lips, his brain, his hair, his really terrible but also really cute jokes, his hands, his magic tricks. There were a lot of options. There were so many options.

Right now though, the lips were taking it in a landslide.

“Do you really think,” you gasped, “that now is a good time for this?”

Spencer didn’t look up from where he was diligently making his way down your neck, fingers tracing little circles into the space of skin between your blouse and your slacks. You were in a supply closet, which felt very, extremely, incredibly high school, although admittedly you had never actually done anything that edgy in high school. That being said, if you were going to act like high schoolers you thought making out in a library was a much sexier choice and should probably involve fewer mops.

“Can’t wait,” he mumbled, pulling you just that little bit closer to him.

“Can’t wait 30 minutes till we’re off the clock?”

You laughed at him, but he swallowed it with a kiss, making you far too breathless to laugh anymore.

“This is our first full day of work back since the case where I didn’t see you for a full week. Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but I forget nothing, and I remember every. Agonizing. Moment.” He punctuated the words with kisses.

“I remember,” you breathed out, kissing the corner of his mouth. “I also remember that despite that, we like our jobs. We would like to keep our jobs. Which is why this is a bad idea.”

You stepped away, disentangling yourself with more restraint than you had probably ever exercised before. 30 minutes. 30 more minutes of paperwork. 30 more minutes of explaining to some desk jockey how to put a man in handcuffs. Then you were free.

You gave him one last kiss, just as a reward for the fact that you were miraculously managing to walk away from this.

“Meet me at the library after work.”

You reasoned you deserved to indulge your childish fantasies if you were going to be a responsible adult right now.

Before he could kiss you again and make you rethink your decision, you slipped out of the supply closet, straightening your shirt as you went. You stopped to check your appearance in the bathroom mirror, touched up your lipstick a little, then went back to work hoping nobody would notice your pupils were still dilated. The only person truly likely to notice that, however, was Spencer, and you didn’t have to worry about him. All you had to worry about were these forms.

The next half hour of your life was grueling. You had been literally tortured before and somehow, this seemed worse than that. You would have said it was impossible for anything to be worse than that, but now you knew better. It was simply improbable.

Finally, it ended. You let Spencer leave first, because clearly you were the one showing restraint today. He booked it out of the building, but you, on the other hand, took your time packing up. Stopped to chat with Emily, figuring she would be a safe bet considering she was either oblivious to your relationship or just so good at hiding her emotions she would never give away knowledge of it. You valued that in her as a friend. Her ability to not call you on your blatant lies when she knew the truth was better kept a secret.

You kept the conversation brief and lighthearted, and soon you were out the door too. You were aware Spencer knew your favorite library because he had confessed to you that the moment he knew he was in love with you was when you told him you even had a favorite library and that it was your happy place. You couldn’t help the fact that not only was it superior to all other libraries, but it was also superior to all other locations in general.

You wasted no time getting inside once you were there, scanning the shelves for him, and…there he was, freaking out some librarians with the speed at which he was reading. Was that the book you thought it was?

“Is that my favorite book?”

Spencer looked up, face forming a smile before his eyes even registered that it was you who had approached him.

“Yeah. You mentioned you liked it so I thought I should read it.”

“I think you’re concerning the librarians, my love. You’re going to put them out of a job.”

He blushed, and you assumed he was feigning modesty, but he quickly made the real reason for his sudden intense interest in the same page clear.

“My love?” His voice cracked softly. “We use nicknames now?”

Your face turned shades to match his. “Only if you want to.”

Wow, the books were fascinating. In fact, you could stare at them all day. Just look at bindings and never move or speak again ever for the rest of your life.

“Yeah, I do. I think it’s cute. Sweetheart.”

You stared down at your shoes, toes curling inside of them. Something about the way he said it made you go all melty inside. You definitely liked that.

“Okay, well,” you said, clearing your throat. “Considering you’re about 75% of the way through the greatest novel of all time, I have to ask. What do you think?”

“Well, I’ll admit it’s not my usual taste, but the author is certainly talented. I mean, the parallelism between certain characters, the perfect use of narrative tension, it’s all very well done. You have excellent taste.”

“And you’re not just lying because you like making out with me?” You teased.

“Well I do like making out with you.” Spencer grinned slyly. “But no. I never lie about books. Literature is sacred.”

“Agreed.” You nodded.

“That being said, I hardly think this counts as a holy place,” Spencer said, his voice dipping lower so that only you could hear, “so I think we can defile it guilt free.”

You were about to agree when you caught sight of the new arrivals shelf over his shoulder.

“Oh my gosh I’ve been trying to get my hands on that forever but I was too cheap to buy it!”

You shove past him, disregarding any apologies that might have been necessary. Not that he would require them. He had been ignoring you for books for the past week. He totally owed you.

“Can I read it first?” He asked, just as fascinated.

“Absolutely not.”

“But I’ll read it faster!”

“You’re not even done with the book you have now, slowpoke. Catch up with the big kids then you can read.”

You snatched the book of the shelf, holding it close to your chest. Spencer, meanwhile, appeared to have finished the book. You really hated him sometimes.

“Done. Now can I read it first?” He raised an eyebrow at you in challenge.

“Fine. But you owe me 126 kisses.”

“I’ll remember that.”

You snorted, not taking him literally as he took the book out of your hands and you paused to admire the architecture. Part of the reason this library was your favorite was that it was multiple stories. Books upon books not only stacked over shelves but over floors of a building. Multiple stories in multiple stories, if you wanted to be witty about it. The large glass windows in the front allowed plenty of light in, and you liked to bathe in sun pools while curled up with your books. You never liked to just be in and out of a library. One had to take time to bask in a library, to appreciate its unique atmosphere, to perhaps soak up the knowledge of its books through osmosis. Libraries were both underappreciated and important.

“Can you walk and read at the same time?” You asked.

“Of course I can, what kind of question is that?”

“Then follow me. I’m taking you to my favorite reading nook.”

You wound up the stairs, Spencer in tow, hardly glancing up from the book to see where he was going. You wondered if his genius brain came with hyperdeveloped peripheral vision.

The sun dappled blue carpet of the steps lead you to the second floor, coming to a spiraling stop across the room from your favorite spot. You made a bee line for it, sinking down into the plush curve of the couch. It wasn’t particularly busy on this floor of the library at this time of night, since this was where they kept most of the more obscure research literature. This floor was more geared towards the serious scholars, while the first floor was designed for university students and casual readers. You enjoyed all three categories of reading, yet another reason this location was so optimal.

“C’mon.”

You gestured for Spencer to join you, and he easily flopped down next to you, leaning into your side. He looped an arm around you, passing you the book with his free hand.

“Done?” You asked.

“Done,” he confirmed. “It’s kind of dead in here, isn’t it?”

“This is their slow day. We’re almost guaranteed not to be interrupted up here right now. Part of why I like it. I like to read in peace. There’s probably some research papers up here you’d like.”

You idly flipped open the pages of the book, ready to relax and read for an hour or two. Spencer had other ideas though.

“Guaranteed not to be interrupted, huh?” He said, nose slipping into your hair as he whispered the words low in your ear.

“Baby, I’m trying to read,” you whined.

That was the wrong choice of words. His hand slipped from your shoulder to your waist, pivoting you to face him as his fingers dug into the soft flesh that curved over your obliques.

“Have I mentioned that I really love the nicknames?”

He didn’t give you a chance to answer before his mouth was on yours, and you were abruptly incapable of rational thought. No unsubs, no paper filing, and certainly no books. The room could have been on fire and you probably wouldn’t have noticed seeing as it already felt like you were on fire with the warm skim of his hands against your skin.

“Maybe I should have just taken you home,” he said, already a little breathless. “As nice as this couch is, yours is more comfortable, and you look very good in a t-shirt.”

“And jeans?”

A mindless comment, a meaningless clarification as your head spun.

“No. No jeans.”

He went back to your throat, which seemed to be his favorite spot. You inhaled sharply, fingers curling into the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Besides, I still owe you 126 kisses.” You felt him smile into your skin saying it.

Oh, he was enjoying himself entirely too much.

Still, you couldn’t stop yourself from saying, “Yes, please.”

You heard him muttering under his breath as he kissed your neck, and your brows furrowed in confusion. After a moment, you realized. He was counting. You would have laughed if it wasn’t actually a little bit sexy.

Were you actually going to do this? Were you seriously making out with your boyfriend in a library? A public library, no less? The answer was no, and not because you didn’t want to.

A librarian hovered one shelf away, looking like she really didn’t want to have to come interrupt you but would if you continued. You sighed, pulling away from Spencer.

“I was wrong earlier. We are officially being interrupted. Let’s leave before we terrorize the poor librarians any further, shall we?”

You couldn’t hide your slight disappointment. It had been a long day and you deserved 126 kisses from your boyfriend. Alas, it was not to be.

Spencer was undaunted. “Guess this means I get to take you back to your place.”

“Guess it does,” you said, leading the charge back downstairs.

You ran your library card, checking out the book, before breezing out the door. You knew Spencer had walked here just like you knew he typically took the subway to work. Just as well. Meant you wouldn’t have to be separated on the drive back to your house.

“By the way, I’m investing in some t-shirts for you,” you said as you climbed into the driver’s side of your car.

He followed, sitting passenger side.

“Is there something wrong with my shirts?” Spencer frowned slightly.

“No, of course not. I love the way you dress. However, I want some oversized t-shirts.”

“I’m not following,” he said.

“It’s simple. I buy you t-shirts, let you keep them for like, a month, and then gradually steal them all from you.”

He laughed. “Why not just buy yourself t-shirts that are too big?”

“Because then they won’t smell like you.”

“I would say I’m not sure I fully understand you but actually I’ve been realizing since we got back that I’m sort of obsessed with the smell of your perfume. It would kind of linger in the air after you dropped off my coffees on that last case and that alone could keep me going for hours.”

“Really?” You kept your eyes on the road, diligently avoiding eye contact, suddenly shy.

“Really. You smell so good, all the time. I don’t know how you do it.”

“Well I shower on a regular basis, just for a starting point,” you teased.

“Did you know that some experts say you actually shouldn’t shower every day? Apparently occasionally taking a break allows your skin to rebuild the natural oils it needs to be healthy. So while it doesn’t hurt you to shower every day, it can also be beneficial to skip sometimes.”

“I’m making a mental note of that for our next case. ‘Unsub has read same studies Spencer has. Took them too far.’”

You were rewarded with another of his laughs just as you pulled into your driveway. You took a moment to appreciate it, the sound light and happy. It was nice to hear him so relaxed after the case you had just gotten off. You were quickly overcome by the urge to kiss him.

He lead you inside, the two of you practically tripping over each other in your haste. You had never unlocked a door so fast a day before in your life.

You kicked off your shoes in the hallway, and Spencer followed suit, mismatched socks making an endearing appearance.

“I’ll be right back,” you said, heading in the direction of your bedroom.

“Where are you going?”

“To change into a t-shirt. And no pants.”

Spencer smiled to himself, settling down on your couch, fully prepared to wait as long as it took. He had 114 kisses to bestow upon you in a t-shirt. A t-shirt, and no pants.

 “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

― Robert A. Heinlein