#like I'm sorry but if I'm making time in my week for this unnecessary phone call

[daengtokki]

Heyy there :) I literally can't stop thinking about SKZ f!additional member AU and softie Seungmin who seems nonchalant like the unbothered king he is but caring just deeply about reader, for example looking out for her when practice gets tough, getting snacks during recording sessions and so oooon. Yeah, I'm weak for that. Maybe you are, too. Have fun during this fluffy week either way^-^<3

This trope is interesting, but I've never actually read a single fic based on it! I'm not sure if I would do it justice. I do have an idea, though, and it's in the same vein as this, and I can add in the things that you're weak for (because same). The problem is…I can’t do it in a single ~1k word oneshot 🥲

So thank you for the inspiration for a new possible longer story! Unless everyone absolutely hates it.

If you like it, I’ll be happy.

idol!Kim Seungmin/guest artist!reader/idol!Chan x reader △

wc: ~1.1k (part 1?)

rating: angst to fluff

Day 5 of Seungmin's birthday oneshot countdown!

It's a few more weeks at the most, maybe longer, and after that...he'll probably never see you, or talk to you again. The planning stages of this was fun, he admits, and all eight of you sitting around the table talking to you on speakerphone; the excitement in everyone's eyes and voices was contagious. And of course Seungmin is excited...it's you. He's been a fan of yours for as long as he can remember, so having the opportunity to work alongside you, and maybe even sing with you? It’s a dream come true.

That's the problem.

He hasn't slept properly in a few days, and he's feeling very puffy and tired. There's only so much he can do now to prepare himself. He took a cold shower this morning, drank as much water as he could handle, but after that he couldn't stomach more than half of his iced coffee. It's still in his hand, numb from the almost melted ice, and dripping steadily on the floor. You're somewhere in this building right now, and you could walk in with the others at any moment.

Time to turn off. Turn off or make a complete ass of himself.

/ / /

You feel a little awkward as you walk toward the meeting room...recording studio? You actually have no clue where you're going, but you're flanked by two much taller men you don't know, and in front of you is Chan, who was a little red in the face when he was talking to you and asking you to call him Chris. So you do.

"Chris?"

He turns and smiles at you, and it's so...something you can't and refuse to deal with right now, you think. No. It's cute, and it's shy. The photos you've seen of him before today really did nothing for him, even the good ones. But you're a professional, and you are very good at acting professional when needed. Even when sweet, attractive men are involved.

"Yeah, all good?"

"Good, yeah! Where are we headed? Should I be mentally preparing to meet everyone?"

"Yes, definitely start preparing right now"

One more right turn and something about the door up ahead feels like the one. Meeting suite 1411. That's the one. Chris opens the door and moves aside to let you in first, and the room is empty, or appears to be. Security fell back and took up guard at the end of the hallway (unnecessary and embarrassing, you told Chris when they appeared).

"Oh, nobody is here...okay." He checks his phone and scrunches his nose, and you kind of feel like kissing it. "I'm sorry, I guess everyone ignored the group chat this morning."

"That's alright, are they somewhere else?"

"It's possible, but..." he points to the table filled with snacks and drinks. "I don't wanna drag you around looking for them." The phone is to his ear, and you hear it ringing, and ringing...

"I can wait here if you have to go find them. I already see a coffee carafe with my name on it."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I haven't had enough coffee or stare at my phone time this morning, anyway. And my friends are down the hall."

He smiles so big, you have to return is just as enthusiastically. Maybe he'll turn up his flirting, and you won't have to feel as responsible for your own.

"I'll be right back"

Chris turns on his heel and is gone, and the room is so quiet. Maybe you should put some music on. Before anything, you look over the catering and wonder if anyone will actually have time to enjoy this. The coffee and lemon water, sure, but this is actually a full-course meal in front of you. Just as you fill your cup with coffee, you hear music...but you don't think you pushed play yet.

No, definitely not, because it's your voice that you're hearing. You turn toward it, and jump when you see him standing there, almost mid-step, one hand reaching to pull at his earlobe. His eyes are wide, but other than that...he seems less surprised to see you than you are to see him. But he does at least pause the music.

"Hello," you say, hoping to get him to come a little closer. Whoever he is, and you feel like you should remember all of their names by now, he looks a little annoyed that he now has to share this space and this coffee with someone else. "My eyesight isn't great even with the contacts... I don't bite."

"Hi," he takes a few steps toward you, and you watch his long legs move in his shorts and socks and clean black converse. "I'm–"

"No, I can remember...give me a second"

He does, but he doesn't seem happy about it. This one doesn't have the carefree smile that Chris did, or the shy demeanor. It's a bit distracting, the way his lips purse into a heart, and the way his big brown eyes look down at you. His hair falls perfectly in front of his eyes, but you're pretty sure he woke up looking this good.

"Oh..." it comes to you, sort of. "You're the puppy, aren't you?" You think you see the ghost of a smile on his lips, but it's gone so quickly. "Seungmin."

"Yes, I'm the puppy. And also Seungmin."

The puppy persona fits him, at least physically. His face is soft and round, his big brown eyes turn every so slightly downward, and his ears—something about the way his ears sit on his head, is so... "it's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise"

Seungmin holds out his hand for you. You do the same, and he takes it so gently. His touch and his mien don't seem to match, and you wonder if the first impression isn't the one to remember for this one.

/ / /

Seungmin finally takes a deep breath when you turn and head toward the coffee again, and he watches as you very carefully add the smallest amount of milk and sugar to it. He finally finished his, so maybe he should make himself another cup. It gives him a reason to rejoin you instead of standing here looking like an idiot.

"Have you met everyone else, or just me?" What a stupid question, he thinks. "I mean, I'm sure you met someone...you're here."

"I met Chris. He left to go find all of you, but you must be the only one who read the message and listened."

"Yes, I saw the message. I like to be on top of things."

The way his voice lowers as he speaks sends a little shiver up your arms. Seungmin likes to be on top of things, and you love catching an innuendo wherever you can. You smirk, but wipe it from your face when you think he might be looking at you.

Seungmin sees the smile pull at your lips and then disappear immediately. "What?"

"Nothing,” you laugh. “I don’t think you talked much on the calls, did you?”

“I did not speak much, I don’t have too much creative say. I have some, it just depends on what we’re doing.”

“Well, it’s tough getting in there with eight of you, I’m sure. Everyone can’t be everywhere…too many cooks in the kitchen.”

Seungmin allows himself to laugh at that, but he stifles it a little and turns away. You’re as cute and relaxed in person as you seem in interviews, and on stage, and it’s a little overwhelming. He can’t let himself do this—he can’t get himself into something he won’t be able to escape. But he seems to remember reading something about a possible relationship you’ve gotten yourself into. Thinking about that breaks his heart a little, but it’ll at least help keep him away.

None of that matters, though. Why would you have any interest in him in the first place?

“Do you want coffee? How do you take it?”

Dammit, okay… “black is good.”

[violetclarity]

I'm literally beggingggg people to learn how to have a concise meeting/conversation I am begging. begging. I'll get down on my knees if I have to I s2g learn when it can be a meeting and when an email...

[emotionalsupport-ljh]

Breaking and Entering

You don't want Jihoon to worry.

Fluff (a miniscule amount of angst) - woozi x fem!reader

A hell of a lot of words for a sick fic :D Described as "princess treatment" by my friends 😌

AO3 link

Word Count: 3.1k

////////////////////////////////////

Before you even open your eyes, you feel a scratch in your throat that burns like hell. You reach for the water on your nightstand and take large gulps trying to soothe the pain. As your eyes open, they droop heavily and take a moment to adjust to the early morning sunlight that makes its way past your curtains. A chill suddenly attacks the uncovered parts of your body. You duck back under your comforter only to have an oppressive heat come in waves that cause sweat to cling to your forehead. On top of all that, you can’t breathe out of your left nostril. You’re terribly sick.

As you lament in your miserable state, a notification brightens your phone and you have to shut your eyes. You blink them trying to get used to the light, but all it does is give you a headache. You brave through the pain to turn your brightness down and check the notification. It’s a text from your boyfriend, Jihoon.

Jiji: good morning babe~ 😘

You: Good morning!

Jiji: what are ur plans for today? work?

You: No

You pause for a moment before continuing your response. You wonder if it’s a good idea to tell him that you aren’t feeling well today. On one hand, he might want to know that kind of stuff so that he can take care of you. On the other hand, it could cause some unnecessary stress in his already stressful life. Also, with his busy schedule, he probably wouldn’t be able to do much. You decide ultimately that this illness would probably be over quickly, and you don’t want to make Jihoon worry about nothing a little cough medicine and tea would fix.

You: I'm going to take the day off to relax and be lazy lol 😏

Jiji: that sounds nice

i wish i could do the same 😮‍💨

You: Busy schedule today?

Jiji: yup 🙃 but im excited for our date later this week

You: Me too!

Jiji: i have to go to work

text me later

You: Will do! I love you 🩷

Jiji: love u too~🖤

Putting your phone down and taking the chance to move from your bed to at least retrieve some relief in the form of medicine or warm tea, you feel your muscles ache in a way that makes you never want to move again. For now, you stare at the ceiling with the resolve to get over this silly little cold. You fall asleep soon after and stay asleep for many, many hours.

When you finally awaken again, the chill in your bones still hasn't subsided, no matter how many layers of sheet and blanket cover you. You have to force your eyes to open against the deeper sunlight now pouring through the cracks in your curtains. You power through the discomfort to get them to adjust to the brightness. Again, you reach a hand out for your phone and see that it is afternoon and that you have some missed texts from your boyfriend.

Jiji: hey~

wuts up

Jiji: taking an afternoon nap huh

text me when u see this

The messages were all sent about 45 minutes ago. You feel a little bad about lying, but it only strengthens your resolve to get better and put the whole lie behind you. You text back like normal, hoping that he has the time to read and respond even for just a few minutes.

You: Sorry! I fell asleep watching anime

It doesn’t take too long for a reply to pop-up. You had been dating Jihoon for months now, but you still got butterflies every time he texted you. Even now, aching all over and dripping from your face, he makes you feel a warmth you swore would make you even healthier than you were before.

Jiji: oh rub it in my face 🙄 lol

dont get too far without me

You: I would never!! 😫

How’s it been today? You're not too stressed, right?

Jiji: eh

im coping lol

nothing im not used to

You: Don’t push yourself too hard ok? 🥺

You're doing such a great job!!!!!!

Jiji: thx lol

i gotta go. love u~ 🖤

You: I love you too 🩷

You decide to try to come up with the ultimate healing game plan for the rest of the day. You plot out your meals and activities to maximize the time you can spend getting better. Or at least you try to as you come to realize that sleeping an extra 4 and a half hours without getting out of bed means that you’ve yet to relieve yourself. This kickstarts your game plan as you rush to the bathroom.

You power through the aches in your body to finally brush your teeth and put your hair in a manageable bun for the day. You put on your sweats and some socks to keep warm and make your way to the kitchen where you heat up some soup and make a mug of herbal tea. You take medicine and take it easy all day. The change in scenery from your bedroom to the living room not only motivates your mind to change, but also it motivates your body to move. You swear you already feel better.

Unfortunately, the next two days look the same, and you do not, in fact, feel any better. Even with minimal movement throughout the days, you still manage to leave a mess of dirty dishes, clothes, and tissues strewn about the apartment. You are miserable and finally starting to come to terms with it. The delusion of your ability to heal quickly and on your own was finally starting to dissipate. You thought seeing a doctor was a waste of time, but you start to see the necessity of an appointment the more time you spend with a scratch in your throat and a headache hammering your skull.

The worst part, however, is not the pain, nor is it the constant sweating or the need to breathe through your mouth. No, the worst part is that today is Jihoon’s one day off; you are supposed to be ready to go on a date.

It's a little late in the morning when you wake up. You thrash in your bed frustrated that you are still sick and very tired. When you check your phone, there are no new messages. It isn't unusual for Jihoon to sleep in on his days off. You dread having to tell him the truth that you had been sick all week and couldn’t go out tonight. You could anticipate his response: a string of crying emojis and then a laugh where he says he’s just kidding and he’s fine as long as you get better. He wouldn’t really be okay with it, but he would say he is. He would be really disappointed; he isn’t very good at showing his true emotions, but you know he feels them so deeply. You don’t want to cause him any undue stress or heartbreak. At this point, it unfortunately is inevitable.

You grab your phone and hover over Jihoon’s contact, trying to muster the courage to send your good-morning-text and your confession followed by a long apology and promises to make it all up to him one day. You don’t expect your phone to ring, brandishing a very familiar sweet smiling selfie with the name “Jiji” underneath. You are startled then you take a deep breath, clear your throat, and answer.

“Good morning, my baby,” a sleep-rasped voice calls out from the other side.

“Good morning,” you try to answer in a normal voice, doing your best to hide your congestion.

“You sound different. What’s up?” Jihoon caught on immediately.

You whine a little over the phone, only prolonging the inevitable. There’s only silence from the other side. “I’m sick,” you say, then blurt out, “I’ve been sick for the past three days. I really, really tried to get better, honestly. I’m so sorry, Jiji. I can’t go out tonight.”

Your heart beats quickly in your chest, maybe from the nerves of finally coming clean, maybe from the extra exertion on your sick body. The five seconds it takes for Jihoon to respond feel like five hours. All he says is, “Oh. Okay.” After that, he hangs up the phone, leaving you stunned and with a horrible pit in your stomach.

You’re in shock. The kind of shock people feel after breaking a limb or recovering from a disaster. It pushes every other feeling out of your body. You do your morning routine in a fugue state. When you sit back in your bed, it all hits you at once. Tears stream down your face almost unconsciously, and you lay down with your face in your pillow. Eventually, you fall asleep again, too tired from the illness to continue to cry or feel anything.

Jihoon makes up his mind quickly. After abruptly hanging up the phone, he immediately gets up and goes through his own routine faster than ever, even taking 30 minutes off of his normal workout just to have more time for his own plan. After coming home, he does something a little out of character. He goes to the kitchen to cook something that isn’t chicken breast and white rice.

This surprises his roommates. Soonyoung tries to help him with the big pot of what was so far just stock and vegetables. He gets distracted easily, and it takes him a long time to cut up an onion. Jeonghan takes a picture of Jihoon and sends it in the group chat asking if this is normal behavior for Woozis. Seungkwan tries to taste it before the dish is ready and whines when his hand is met with a smack from a wooden spoon.

“This isn’t for any of you. Leave it alone,” Jihoon says in a stern voice.

“Wait, what? Then who is it for?” Soonyoung raises an eyebrow at him.

“Y/N, my girlfriend. She’s sick.”

The mood in the apartment changes. Now, Jeonghan is texting more furiously in the group chat about how Jihoon cares so much about his poor, sick girlfriend. Seungkwan now insists on tasting the dish the whole way through the cooking process to make sure it’s suitable for such refined tastes as his and yours. Soonyoung calls his mom and asks what the best thing is to cure illnesses. It becomes a whole big thing that has Jihoon a little bit annoyed but also grateful his friends care about you almost as much as he cares about you.

Jihoon’s morning and the better part of his afternoon off of work are then filled with surprise visits from Mingyu, Jun, and Seokmin who bring an array of dishes that could feed you for a month and Minghao who brings a special tea blend that he uses when he's feeling sick. Vernon sends a playlist of chill music for you to listen to while you recover, and Wonwoo writes a list of movies he recommends you watch to rest. Chan makes a special delivery of his grandma's famous kimchi, which has the rest of the boys groaning that they don't get any this time. Joshua sends the best essential oil wax melts so you can indulge in some aromatherapy. Finally, Seungcheol makes sure that Jihoon tells you that he can send anything in the world to your house using his card whether it be medicine or a treat from your favorite bakery or even a new designer pajama set to make sure you are at maximum comfort levels.

As he makes his way over to your apartment, Jihoon feels silly carrying a bunch of bags filled with various gifts from everyone on top of the soup he made that seems to pale in comparison. He curses Jeonghan under his breath for telling everyone his plan to bring you supplies, effectively making him the delivery boy because he is the only person who has the passcode to your apartment. He tries to call you on his way over, now adding his phone to the pile he was juggling. It rings a few times and then goes to voicemail. He tries again and meets the same outcome. He assumes that you’re resting; being sick for multiple days sounds exhausting which is why he is so willing to bring over everything he (and the others) could possibly think of to make you feel better.

Jihoon reaches your front door and knocks loud enough that you would be able to hear it from your room, but soft enough that you wouldn’t wake up if you were resting. He waits a beat before just typing the code and letting himself inside. He makes his way to the kitchen and sets down the various bags on the countertops. Only once his arms are empty does he realize the state of the apartment. He slowly takes in the dirty dishes and various random stuff left on the floor. The trashcan is full, and tea bags litter the countertops. There are tissue boxes everywhere, each one full of used tissues.

He walks slowly to your room and, opening the door, he almost couldn’t make out your sleeping shape on the bed. You’re curled up into a ball under many layers of blankets on one side, and on the other was a pile of clothing. There’s more clothing on the floor. Jihoon goes back to the kitchen and takes a deep breath. He meticulously puts all the food everyone prepared into the fridge, rolls up his sleeves, and decides to start there. He makes a list in his head of all the things he could realistically do in the few hours you would be asleep.

The next moment, Jihoon is elbow deep in soapy water scrubbing dishes and wiping countertops. He finds all the cleaning instruments and proceeds to sweep and vacuum. He fills a trash bag with tissues, tissue boxes, and food containers. He gently tiptoes around your room, gathering up the clothes from the floor, which he assumes are dirty, and putting them in the wash. The clothes on the bed, which he checks are clean, are now folded and put in a hamper for later sorting. He even has time to reheat his soup and make a pretty plating of it paired with some rice and a cup of some of Minghao’s herbal tea.

You awaken when you hear dishes clanking in the kitchen. Someone is in your home. You freeze until the noise stops and begin to get up from your bed. With your legs swung over the side of the bed, ready to stand and possibly defend yourself, the door opens slowly and in walks Jihoon with a tray of dishes.

He looks surprised, then flashes a big smile, then says, “Good, you’re awake. It’s time to eat.”

All you can do is stare at him in disbelief as he sets a tray of soup and rice and tea on your lap. He sits cross-legged in the empty space beside you and scrolls through his phone as if it's the most normal thing in the world.

“W…what’s all this?” you stutter out, utterly confused.

“Lunch,” Jihoon answers nonchalantly.

Looking at him beside you, you realize that there is indeed empty space on your bed for him to sit where there was once a pile of clothes. Tears appear behind your eyes when you look around at the spotless floor of your bedroom. You look at your boyfriend as one tear falls.

“Did you…”

“Yeah, it was a real mess in here.” He turns to look at you and uses his thumb to wipe the one tear from your cheek. “Start eating. I bet you haven’t eaten all day. How are you supposed to get better if you don’t eat?”

He was right. You take a spoonful of broth and bring it to your lips. It tastes wonderful. Alternating between tea and soup and rice, you feel fuller, and the heat from the meal eases your throat just a little more. Jihoon looks at you and sees how happy you look to be having a meal that wasn’t microwaved from a package. You are already almost done with the meal after only a few minutes.

“See, you were hungry, huh?” He teasingly shakes his head.

You lightly push your boyfriend's arm. You make a face, suddenly feeling awkward to be around him. “I thought you were mad at me.”

“What? Why? Because you lied to me for days and didn’t let me take care of you? Or because you canceled our date on the day of because you assumed I cared that we went out somewhere?” he starts sarcastically, “I actually hadn’t thought about it all day.”

“I’m serious, Jiji!” you try to whine but end in a cough. He’s laughing at you as you get a little frustrated.

“I’m seriously not mad. I wish you would’ve told me, but being mad won’t fix anything.” His smile is soft, and he’s looking at you with love in his eyes.

“I’m really sorry. I just didn’t want to worry you. I didn’t know it would last this long. Honestly, I don’t know what I have, and you probably shouldn't be sitting so close to me right now.” You weakly try to push Jihoon away, but he sits like a rock, not budging at all.

“I’m fine,” he chuckles, “The plague couldn’t even keep me away from you.” He leans to kiss your forehead.

All your muscles relax as the last few bites on your plate disappear. Jihoon takes the empty tray in one hand and uses the other to guide you to your feet with him. He wordlessly walks you both out of the room. You see that not only is the entire apartment clean, but there are small gifts left out on the coffee table.

“What is all this?” you ask your boyfriend as take a seat on the couch, waiting for him to put the empty plates and bowls from the tray in the sink.

He takes a seat next to you and rubs the back of his neck with one hand and avoids eye contact when he answers, “The guys heard you weren’t feeling great, so, of course, they had to help out, too.” He goes through and shows you the wax melts, medicine, and self-care products. He also tells you about your new stock of homemade meals from the best cooks in the group. You get really excited about the kimchi from Chan’s grandma. He sends you Vernon’s playlist and Wonwoo’s recommendations. He even shows you the text Seungcheol sent him about using his card for whatever you might need.

Everything is perfect for the rest of the evening that was supposed to be a fancy, romantic date night. It turns out that watching movies and listening to music while snuggling and talking is the best medicine for illness and the most romantic date you have ever been on.

[kenananamin]

All I ask, All I want

SHIBUYA SPOILERS... KINDA.

*This story will slightly alter the events during and after Shibuya.

Summary: Nanami makes his way to you after Shibuya in a delirious state and crashes into your apartment with severe injuries. He cannot process his current state and shows you what he was always worried you would see. You question everything you thought you knew about him and you're anxious to ask him for the truth but worried if he'll even survive. post-shibuya angst, worried nanami and reader, angst, pain... i'm sorry. happy ending ~2.7k words

I'm almost there, she's right past this alleyway.

Nanami slowly walks to your apartment and leans on a parked car for support. He can't hold his head up for longer than a few seconds at a time, but he's memorized your neighborhood after patrolling it so often for any curses that might hurt you as a non-sorcerer. I'm almost there, she's waiting for me...

———

You hear your door handle clanking and slowly get up from your bed without making any extra unnecessary noise. You grab your phone and open Nanami's contact just in case you need to call and lower your head to the door's peep hole. You smile as you see the very top of a familiar blonde head and open your door, "Oh gosh, I was about to panic call you until I — "

Nanami crashes into your entryway and you fall back to the floor when you see him. You're in shock and it takes you a moment to realize there was a bleeding man with severe burns in your entryway... and that man was Nanami Kento. Your brain catches up with the scene in front of you and you let out a blood-curling scream as you crawl towards your boyfriend. He's laying flat on the floor by now and the rug underneath him starts to soak up the blood from his shredded and burned skin.

"Nanami! Fuck, what do I do?! Kento!! Oh my god, oh my god," you reach for your phone but pause as you're about to call for an ambulance. Nanami had mentioned weeks ago that you should call his... friend if he ever had an emergency. You didn't understand at the time but Nanami said it was just a precaution he wanted to take early on. You look for the contact and find 'G.S. Emergency'. No answer. You look for the second emergency contact 'K.I. Emergency'. No answer.

You look at Ken who's shallow breathing has filled every corner of your apartment and soul. You place the call on speaker and start to ramble to the operator while hiding the cleaver knife-like object in his hand.

———

You thought something was off when Nanami would look behind the both of you and excuse himself for a second in the middle of your dates. Or when he'd tell you to stand still and close your eyes. Or when he told you to get inside first and you heard light grunting and his fast steps outside your door before he breathlessly entered the apartment.

You thought something was off, but you could have never imagined this. Nanami lay in a hospital bed, wrapped in special bandages, but you guys weren't in a hospital. It was a clean and sterile room, but you could open the large window and see a horizon of lined traditional temples.

You push any other thoughts away and return to your spot next to Nanami and clasp your hands together. You weren't sure who you were praying to this whole time, but you hoped that someone out there, anyone, was listening and taking pity on you.

———

Nanami wakes up and feels like he's floating. He can't feel the bandages he clearly sees on himself and especially — you. You were sitting on a chair near the foot of his bed with your arms crossed on the bed, sleeping peacefully. This must be heaven. There was no other reason why you'd be in this room with him, in Jujutsu Tech. No wonder he felt like he was floating, this was the afterlife that was being blessed upon him to spend another moment with you. Fleeting moment or a permanent heaven, Nanami wanted to touch you again, hear your voice, and look into his favorite pair of eyes.

"y/n," Nanami squeezes out your name from his dry throat. He doesn't have the strength to move his leg and try to shift your arms so he keeps repeating your name and nicknames to wake you up.

You had fallen asleep for the first time in a while but you hear your name very very softly. You open your eyes and see half of Nanami's face moving. You sit up and see him smile, "y/n. Hi baby."

You shove the chair back and stand up to touch what you can of his face while repeatedly pushing the button on the side of the bed, "Hi Ken, don't move too much, ok? You need to rest first."

He lazily smiles, looks at you with a half-closed eye and slowly says, "Thank you for seeing me off. I love you, y/n." Nanami gently closes his eyes right as Shoko comes in and you see him drift off.

"I love you, Kento," you whisper and kiss his knuckles as you feel the tears prickling your eyes again.

———

Nanami was finally awake. He woke up to see you sleeping on a small couch by the window where the sunset lightly reflected off your skin. He thought he was dead and he'd spend the rest of eternity with you in that room and right as he was finding peace and comfort with the idea, his student walked into the room with a tray of food and water.

"Na— Nanamin?" Yuji stared at his teacher and leaned out the door to scream for Shoko to hurry in.

Nanami starts to shush him and his previous thoughts of being in the afterlife shattered. There was relief to know he was alive, but his panic slowly started setting in when he wondered why you were in the room and just how much you knew.

Yuji and Shoko rush in and he can hear questions being asked and hands touching him to check on him, but he interrupts them without looking away from your sleeping figure, "Why is she here?" Nanami looks at them both, "What does she know?"

Yuji sits on the chair that Nanami had seen you in before and quietly starts to explain that he had left Shibuya after fighting Jogo. Nobody knew where Nanami was and some people believed they should look for his body only instead, predicting he'd be dead. Yuji shares that everything was shattered and hectic but they received a call to rush to a local hospital.

Shoko continues as Yuji grabs some new bandages, "Our van got to the hospital at the same time as the ambulance. y/n told them she was your wife to avoid any resistance in going with you and started fighting us when we wanted to take you. That was when I realized that she didn't know anything about us, about this world. She cried and begged to let the hospital take care of you, that only they would know what to do."

Nanami looks over to you and wishes your back was not turned to him so that he could see your face.

"We brought her with us too and let her stay in the room for everything so that she could see we would not hurt you," Shoko pauses in removing Nanami's bandage and whispers, "Nanami, you should tell her. Everything or just something — anything. She has not left the room since we brought you and she won't listen to any explanation from anyone. y/n said she'll wait for you and will only listen to your explanation."

Nanami rubs his eye and begins to wonder how to even start the conversation with you. This, this was exactly what he wanted to prevent. He tried to stay away from you so that you'd never find out about anything he did, he covered his tracks and continued his cover-story of being a salaryman. But even with all his efforts, he was drawn to you like a moth to a flame and was prepared to let himself drown in everything about you.

Nanami glances to his student who's sadly looking at your sleeping figure before turning to nod to Shoko.

"You know Shoko," Nanami takes a deep breath and turns back to you, "she was the only thing on my mind after Jogo. I walked passed some of the most gruesome scenes I have ever seen in my time as a sorcerer, but I could only think about how much longer I had, about how long I could extend my final breaths to see her one last time. I wanted her face to be the last thing I saw."

———

It's nighttime when you stir awake. The couch was too small to comfortably sleep but your exhausted body was willing to pass out anywhere. You shift to look towards the hospital bed to check on Nanami but you find an empty bed with the covers neatly organized. You start to kick your blanket off to hurry out and quietly whisper no, no, no, please, no when you feel a hand on your foot.

You flinch at the touch but squint your eyes to see Nanami sitting on a chair next to the couch and looking out the window. You look over his body to check that he's still wrapped in his bandages. Nanami sees your eyes travel over his body and moves his hand from your foot to pull the robe over his chest to cover what has begun to scar.

Your eyes well up with tears to see him sitting next to you — alive. You move to the edge of the couch closest to Nanami and hold his hand. "Everything," you move one hand to his chest, touching the part he just tried to cover and leaving your hand over his heart to feel the beating. "You tell me everything right now."

Nanami starts from the beginning. He explains what it was like being born to a non-sorcerer family and the fear he would feel as a child when he'd see things no one else could. He describes what it was like to find out there were more like him and being admitted to Jujutsu High. He talks about his classmates, the work that's required, how the curses look and what the process is to exorcise them, a young man named Haibara, a sister school in Kyoto, the levels to the curses and sorcerers, and the weapons sometimes used.

The last part reminds you of the cleaver-like object and you tell Nanami you hid what he was holding. "I wasn't sure what it was, but whatever it was, I felt like nobody else should see it to avoid more questions to the already suspicious scene. The paramedics already thought I was crazy once they got there and saw your body.."

Nanami nods and let's you ask any questions you have about the Jujutsu world. You both lose track of the time and Nanami notices the sky start to turn into different shades of blue with an orange strip on the horizon by the time you ask what you've been holding all night, "Are... will you.... do you have to go back?"

Nanami looks back at you but you're holding his hand with your head down, waiting, perhaps dreading, his answer. "With how things are now, I think I might. I'm not much help right now but with time I ca—"

Your sob interrupts him and you lean your head down further to cry. He tries to scoot closer to you but a sharp pain in his torso stops him. He rubs your hand with his thumb instead and gently shushes you not to cry.

You stand from the couch, right in front of Nanami and start to fall to your knees. He realizes what you are about to do and leans forward to grab your arm to stop you, but you swat his weak grip away and continue into a deep bow.

"y/n, please. Baby, please stand up, please don't."

You cry and let your forehead touch the floor, "Nanami Kento, I am begging you to stop. Please stop being a sorcerer and please leave this world with me. You have taken enough punches and bruises, you don't have to stay in the ring. Tap out and let someone else tap in." Your quiet tears turn into sobs towards the end of your pleading.

You hear Nanami's voice start to shake above you, "Darling, please —"

You interrupt him and sit up to scoot to hold his knees close to your chest, "Tap me in, let me help you, Ken please. Let me protect you, I swear that I will protect you now."

You feel guilty bowing as you are. You are asking this man to leave what he knows, but you don't know what else to do. You have never felt such fear after seeing so much of his body burnt and his breath so shallow. You would bow to anyone for a chance to save his life. You would bow to him and plead him to save himself with this second chance.

"Don't fight anymore. Stay only as a teacher if you want but put that blade away. Don't leave these walls and the protection they offer. This is as much as I will compromise. I do not want you out there regardless of the danger levels. But better yet — please, let me take care of you. Stop fighting and working, follow me out of these halls and I'll do anything for you, I swear it."

Nanami's tears start to fall and he looks down at you gripping at his thighs in desperation.

"Kids..." you continue to ramble, "We can have kids if you want, we can move somewhere far and finally have our kids. You can convert a whole room into your library, you'll have an infinite amount of books and time to yourself to do anything you'd like. I'll make you all your favorite meals and listen to everything you have to say, even open a bakery if you want to try! I'll wear that wedding dress you have a photo saved of on your phone, even do a traditional wedding if you want to. I'll do it all and more, Ken, just please —" You knew your face was drenched and contorting to match your desperate pleas. "I'm begging you, please.."

Nanami reaches out to touch your cheek and a sob escapes his lips. It's the only time you've both cried this way in front of each other.

Yuji is sitting in the hallway by the room door and listens to the desperate rambling. He had been sitting there since he passed by and heard Nanami talking about his adolescence. He knew it wasn't right, but he just wanted to listen to Nanami speak for a while after the overwhelming anxiety of thinking he was dead and possibly not hearing him again.

Yuji stands, steps inside the room and clears his throat, "Nanamin? I — I think she's right. You should go. I can find you if we need help, but we'll be ok," he pauses to walk halfway into the room, "I think you should step out... and maybe have those kids?" the young boy smiles a bit at the thought of young kids running around his usually stoic teacher and calling him dad.

"Nanamin, Jujutsu High will be ok. And you have someone else to worry about now." Yuuji looks down to Nanami's lap where your head is laying on his thighs, weeping and thinking of more ways to beg him. The young boy smiles, "I've got it from here."

Nanami believes his student... and nods. He looks down at the crying woman whose sobs have their whole body shaking. He fights against the sharp pains around his body and leans down as far as he can to hug you. It is not the strong embrace you are used to from Nanami, but a light envelop that warms and calms your deepest fears.

———

Walking out of Jujutsu Tech, Nanami stops and introduces a few of the people he mentioned in his life story to you. He does not introduce you as his girlfriend (which was technically your title at that moment) but as his wife. You widen your eyes the first time he says it but he just smiles down at you and says, "You started using it first, now it's my turn. But I promise to properly ask you soon."

Yuji, Shoko, and Ino follow you both to the bottom of the stairs to say goodbye. You give them your number so that they have another place to reach Nanami and Yuji gladly takes the number with the promise of checking in soon. Nanami lightly pulls you away to finally leave but pauses before taking another step.

You hold Nanami's hand as he looks back to the school one last time. The place that showed him real pain and heartbreak, but also gave him a place to feel like he was making a difference. The place that held so many memories as both a student and teacher. The place that nearly broke him, but gave him the space to heal to return back to you. You rub his hand with both of yours and say, "All I ask is that you are happy, alive, and safe."

Nanami looks back at you with relief covering his features and guilt covering yours while you keep your head down. He gently rubs his thumb on your hand, "All I want is to follow you." You look up and he moves his hand to your face, "I promise, all I want is you."

You nod and lean to kiss him once softly. You wrap your arm around Nanami's torso and he wraps his arm around your shoulders. You motion for him to lean on you as he walks and for the first time in a long long time, he takes the offer to lean on someone else.

Yuji watches from the entrance path of the school as you both turn to leave the premises. He cups his hands around his mouth and yells, "Nanamin, y/n! I'll visit when I can! Read a few mangas for meeee!"

a/n: I saw paramore this summer and their music has been on repeat the whole year. 'all i wanted' is def gonna be in my top wrapped songs and it def reminds me of nanami every. single. time.

[lecsainz]

winning hearts

pairings: charles leclerc x driver!reader

warnings: mentions of rumors, charles driving for alfa romeo and then signing a contract with ferrari , an unforgettable podium celebration and secret relationship.

authors note: i loved writing this so much! my initial idea was to write something inspired one taylor's song, but i ended up doing something completely different. anyway, this is probably my favorite story.

word count: 1.7k

Charles Leclerc had just begun his career in formula 1, driving for Alfa Romeo. He had always dreamed of racing for Ferrari, but he knew he had to work hard and prove himself on the track first. That's when he met Y/N, a new driver who had just joined in the grid.

Y/N was determined to make a name for herself in the world of racing. She had a natural talent behind the wheel, and Charles was immediately drawn to her. As they got to know each other, they realized they had a lot in common - their love for the sport, their drive to succeed, and their dream of racing for a top team in formula 1.

One day, Charles and Y/N were talking in the paddock before a race, when Charles couldn't help but express his desire to drive for Ferrari. "I know I still have a lot to prove, but racing for Ferrari has always been my dream. I want to be the one to bring them back to the top." he said.

Y/N nodded in understanding. "I know how you feel. It's my dream too. But we have to focus on the present and do our best now. The future will come in due time." she said.

Charles smiled, feeling grateful for her support. "You're right. I need to focus on Alfa Romeo and trust that my hard work will pay off in the end."

As the season went on, Charles and Y/N continued to impress on the track. Their rivalry became friendly competition and they pushed each other to be better drivers. They also grew closer off the track, spending time together during their downtime.

One day, after a particularly grueling race, Charles and Y/N found themselves alone in the paddock. The adrenaline was still pumping through their veins as they talked about the race. And then, in a moment of courage, Charles leaned in and kissed Y/N.

They both pulled away, looking at each other with surprise and uncertainty. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Charles said, feeling embarrassed.

But Y/N placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay. I felt it too." she said, smiling.

Charles felt a rush of relief and excitement at her words. He had never felt a connection like this before, and he couldn't deny the attraction he felt towards her. "Really?" he asked, unable to hide the hope in his voice.

Y/N nodded. "Yeah. But we should probably keep it between us for now." she said, looking at him seriously.

Charles knew she was right. They were both young and starting out in the competitive world of music and fashion. They couldn't afford any distractions or controversies that could affect their chances of making it big in their respective industries. "You're right. We need to keep this between us for now." he said, understanding the importance of privacy.

Y/N smiled, relieved that he felt the same way. "Exactly. We don't want any unnecessary drama or attention." she said, nodding in agreement.

They spent the rest of the night talking and getting to know each other better. Charles found that he was drawn to Y/N's intelligence, wit, and determination. She had a passion for racing that matched his own, and he admired her drive to succeed in a male-dominated sport.

Over the next few weeks, they continued to work hard on their careers while also finding time to spend together. They continued to keep their relationship private, they found comfort in the small moments they shared together - stolen kisses in the garage, secret dates in exotic locations, and late-night phone calls just to hear each other's voices. Charles felt like he had found his soulmate in Y/N, and he couldn't imagine his life without her.

But their relationship was not without its challenges. As they gained more attention in the racing world, they faced scrutiny from the media and their teams. Rumors began to circulate about their relationship, and some people even questioned whether they could handle the pressures of racing while also being in a romantic relationship.

Charles and Y/N tried to ignore the rumors and focus on their work, but it wasn't easy. They both felt the pressure of trying to prove themselves as drivers while also trying to maintain a healthy relationship. With the constant traveling and racing schedules, they often struggled to find time for each other. And as their careers continued to skyrocket, the pressure to maintain their privacy only grew stronger. It was a balancing act that required patience, communication, and trust.

Despite these challenges, Charles and Y/N continued to support each other and chase their dreams. And in the end, their hard work paid off. Charles was offered a contract with Ferrari, and Y/N was signed to a top team as well.

As they stood on the podium, holding their trophies and basking in the glory of their success, Charles leaned over and whispered in Y/N's ear, "I couldn't have done this without you."

Y/N smiled, feeling her heart swell with love for the man standing beside her. "And I couldn't have done it without you." she replied, knowing that their love had helped them both achieve their dreams.

As they walked off the podium, arm in arm, the cameras flashed and the media buzzed with rumors about the nature of their relationship. Speculation had been building for months about whether Charles and Y/N were more than just teammates, and their display of affection on the podium only fueled the fire.

The next day, headlines across the sports world read "Are Charles Leclerc and Y/N Y/L/N more than just friends?" and "Romance on the track: Leclerc and Y/L/N's relationship heats up." Fans and commentators alike weighed in, with some speculating that their relationship could hurt their performance on the track, while others cheered them on, hoping to see their love blossom even further.

Charles and Y/N tried to brush off the rumors, focusing instead on their upcoming races and training sessions. But as they spent more and more time together, both on and off the track, it became harder to keep their feelings hidden from the public eye.

The media frenzy that followed was intense, but Charles and Y/N stood strong, supporting each other through every step of the way. And as they continued to win races and make history on the track, their love only grew stronger, proving that nothing could stand in the way of their passion for each other and their shared love of racing.

The anticipation was palpable as the engines came to life, ready to face the winding curves and high-speed straights of the race track. The fans packed the stands, waving flags and cheering for their favorite drivers. Among them were Charles Leclerc and Y/N, two rising stars in the world of motorsport.

As they made their way to their cars, their eyes met and they exchanged a small smile. They both knew the stakes were high, and that this race could make or break their season. But they were determined to give it their all, pushing themselves and their machines to the limit.

With a final wave to the crowd, they donned their helmets and revved their engines, ready to take on the challenge ahead. The starting lights blinked to life, and the race was on.

As the checkered flag waved and the roar of the crowd filled the air, commentators couldn't help but marvel at the incredible performance of Charles Leclerc and Y/N, who had once again shown their skill and dedication on the track.

"Leclerc and Y/N are an unstoppable duo!" one commentator exclaimed. "They work so well together, it's like they can read each other's minds out there on the track."

"And just look at their teamwork in action," another commentator chimed in as they watched a replay of a particularly impressive pass. "It's clear that they have a special connection both on and off the track."

As they stood on the podium, champagne spraying and crowds cheering, Charles couldn't contain his emotions any longer. Grabbing Y/N by the waist, he lifted her up and kissed her passionately, the cameras capturing the moment for all the world to see.

"Wow, what a moment!" a commentator exclaimed. "Charles Leclerc and Y/N Y/L/N, not just a winning team, but a winning couple!"

"And what a way to celebrate a victory," another added. "I don't think anyone will forget this podium celebration anytime soon."

Amidst the excitement and the noise, Charles and Y/N shared a quiet moment, gazing into each other's eyes and knowing that they were meant to be together, both on and off the track.

Y/N spoke to the journalists first, her heart still racing from the surprise kiss on the podium. "I'm thrilled with the result today." she said, trying to keep her composure. "Charles and I make a great team, and I'm so proud of what we've achieved together."

The journalists couldn't help but ask about the kiss, and Y/N couldn't help but blush. "Well, I guess you could say that was a spontaneous celebration of our win." she said, trying to play it cool.

Charles joined them shortly after, still grinning from ear to ear. "I couldn't resist kissing the most beautiful and talented driver on the grid." he said, earning a round of laughter from the journalists.

"You're incorrigible." Y/N teased, playfully pushing him.

"I know, but you love it." Charles said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

As they walked away from the press, Y/N couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement and happiness. She and Charles had decided to take their relationship public, and the response had been overwhelmingly positive. They were both fiercely committed to their careers, but they also knew that they wanted to be together, no matter what the future held.

Charles leaned in for another kiss, and Y/N melted into his arms. And as they continued to win races and make history on the track, their love only grew stronger, proving that nothing could stand in the way of their passion for each other and their shared love of racing.

[sunshinekindof]

You’re tired, baby

It was almost midnight on the clock, and Timothee wasn't home yet. He told me that he would work late today. He's been coming home late all week, but there's a limit to everything, right? My hand was already reaching for the phone to call my husband and remind him of the importance of rest, but then I heard the front door open. A minute later Timothee entered the kitchen and my heart sank at the sight before me. It took a fraction of a second to realize how tired he was. His shoulders were slumped, his hair was disheveled, and there was so much weariness in his eyes that it seemed as if he was about to fall. And yet, at the sight of me, a smile played on his lips, as always.

- Hey baby. Why aren't you in bed yet?

Instead of answering, I quickly walked over to him and hugged him tightly. I felt how tense he was, and I wanted to take all his fatigue for myself.

"You look awful, my love," I muttered, and held him tighter.

He laughed softly in response and hugged me back.

- And I missed you

Timothee buried his face in my neck, and I began to stroke his back, trying to relieve his tension. We stood like that for a while, in each other's arms. Words were unnecessary. Then I suddenly felt as if Timothee began to fall in my arms.

- Whoa, baby, you're falling off your feet. Time to go to bed, let's go.

"I'm sorry," he muttered and smiled guiltily.

I took Timothee by the hand and led him into our bedroom.

- Will you take a shower? Or straight to bed?

- Shower. I need to wash the whole day off before getting into bed with my beautiful wife.

- You're too cute, but it won't save you. In the morning we will have a serious conversation about working late, - I tried to make a stern face, but I understood that I could not be angry with him when he was in such a state.

“As long as you’re with me, you can do whatever you want to me, my sweet wife,” he said and reached for my lips. I let our lips close for a moment, then pushed my obnoxious but insanely charming husband towards the bathroom.

- Shower, now. I will make your bed

"Yes, ma'am," he muttered.

“And don’t fall asleep there,” I shouted to him, to which I heard a quiet chuckle.

While Timothee was in the shower, I made the bed, took off my clothes, lay down on my side of the bed and waited for him. In a moment Timothee was in the bedroom. Also no clothes. We liked to sleep naked, feeling each other's bodies. Usually we made love before bed, but today was clearly an exception to their rules. Like all week, but Timothee needed rest.

- Come to me, my sweet husband, - I smiled and opened my arms, inviting Timothee to bed.

He smiled back, crawled under the covers next to me, snuggled up to me and rested his head on my chest. I pressed closer to him and ran my hand through his hair, massaging his scalp. Timothee sighed happily, and I felt the tension of the day leave his body.

So some time passed, and I already thought that he fell asleep, when I heard Timothee’s voice

- I'm sorry I came late again.

It was clear from his voice that he was struggling with sleep.

- Shh. I am not angry. I'm just really worried about you. Sleep, my love.

- I took a day off tomorrow.

- Really?

- Yes. I want to make it up to you

- You don’t have to do this.

- I know, but I want too. Let's spend the day the way you want

- Yes? Then I won't let you out of this bed tomorrow, husband

- I'm counting on it, wife.

I laughed a little and kissed his head

- Sleep. I love you.

- And I love you

Timothee pressed closer to me, and we both plunged into the realm of Morpheus. Tomorrow I definitely won't let him out of bed

[dfortrafalgar]

I'm Losing You... (But We're Filling the Cracks)

Having a family isn't always as easy as fairy tales make it seem.

Warnings: read chapter 1 for warnings.

Taglist: @phsycochan | @mirillua | @augustanna | @chaixsherlock | @whore-of-many-hot-men

Chapter 22

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[RING RING]

[RING RING]

[RING RING]

[RING RING]

[Hi!  Sorry I can’t come to the phone right now.  Please leave a message after the beep, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!]

[BEEP]

Law took a deep breath before speaking.  “Hi, baby, I just wanted to check in.  I know it’s really early there and you’re probably still sleeping, but good luck on your procedure today.  I… really wish I could be there.  I miss you a lot, I’m excited to come home in a few days.  Call me back when you get the chance, just so that I know you’re okay.  I love you.”

The solemn man tapped on the red disconnect button on his phone’s screen, hanging up on your voicemail box.  Beside him, Dr. Tony took a long sip of his beer, anxiously eyeing the expression of his superior.  Across the table from Law sat another older doctor from an institution a few cities away, one who had been a big fan of Law’s dissertation from medical school and insisted he treat the cardiac surgeon and his colleagues to a drink.  As soon as they began actually drinking, though, it became clear to Law that the large, scruffy looking doctor treating him to booze was a bit harder to deal with than he initially thought.  The more he drank, the more he ran his mouth.  

“Aw, come on, man!  You’ve been so uptight this whole week, I thought someone like you would be more than excited to attend this event and go drinking with some colleagues,” the man chided, his cheeks slightly flushed from his alcohol intake.

Law tossed a frustrated look at the man across from him, but it clearly didn’t land in the way he intended.  “Just a bit tired, I suppose.”

“Tired of calling your wife?” the man sneered.  “A man deserves to get away from the ole’ ball and chain every once in a while.  You might as well enjoy your freedom while you’re out of the country.”

Law’s jaw involuntarily clenched.  A million words of retaliation swirled through his head, but he didn’t have the gall to speak.  The last thing he wanted to do was make a scene, surrounded by esteemed colleagues who were all looking forward to a night out drinking after a successful conference day.  The black-haired man simply crossed his arms and uncomfortably eyed the barely-touched beer in front of him.

“That woman of your’s is probably sick of you calling her all the time, anyway.  Is she making you do that?” he asked.

Chopper reached a hand out, nervously trying to stop the man across from them from talking.  “Dr. Teach, let’s be civil, now.”

Another swig of beer slipped past the larger man’s chapped lips.  He slammed down his glass with another snide remark.  “Can’t be civil when you’ve got a man being held back by some woman at home.  You can’t let her control you like that, you’ve got to be a man.”

Law’s fists clenched the fabric of his shirt as he felt his face heating up with humiliation.  “I’m going to ask you one time to be quiet.”

The man, Dr. Marshall Teach, curled his lips in a sneer.  “Aw, you getting defensive?”

“If you wanted to treat myself and my colleague to a round of drinks, I would appreciate it if you could keep your unnecessary comments to a minimum,” Law affirmed.  He was inwardly impressed with how he managed to keep his voice so steady despite the rapid pounding of his heart.  He felt his hands grow clammy with discomfort.

Teach shrugged.  “Sorry that you’ve found yourself prey to a bitc–”

Law stood up with such ferocity that the sound of his chair scooting across the hard wooden floor alerted the tables around him, surprised and curious eyes darting in his direction.  With a scowl, he grabbed his bag, stepping around the table to make a quick exit.  Before he passed by Teach, however, he stopped dead in his tracks and leered down at the man.  “Don’t expect any more cordial behavior from me this week.  I never want to hear from you again.”

Before the rude older man was able to retort and get the last word, Law finally stepped away from the table and left the restaurant.  His legs were shaking as he rounded the corner of the building and stepped into a dimly lit alleyway, the setting sun casting a large shadow over the structure and making the corridor appear darker than the rest of the world.  A perfect shroud for Law to sink into a crouching position against the brick wall, his bag at his feet as he wrapped his hands around his knees.

Pathetic.

Law felt his stomach twist uncomfortably, his hands growing even more clammy as he fought with his heart rate to get it to settle.  His mind was reeling with thoughts, insecurities.  He felt like he was going to be sick.  How was a man as esteemed as him having a panic attack in a back alley behind a bar?

“Law?” a soft voice called from around the corner.

The black-haired man picked his head up in surprise, facing the voice.  A head of thick, bushy brown hair and gentle, black, doe-like eyes greeted him.

“Chopper… need something?” he asked, keeping his voice low to prevent it from trembling.

The younger doctor stepped closer, copying Law’s posture by crouching down himself so he could be at the same level as his superior.  “Just wanted to make sure you were okay… do you want to head back to the hotel?”

“Is anyone else going?” Law asked, mild skepticism in his eyes.

“Nope, just me,” the brunette man responded.  “I barely had anything to drink, anyway.  Bars aren’t really my scene.”

Law slowly stood up along with his younger colleague, grabbing his bag from the cold ground and following Chopper out of the alley, rounding the corner and proceeding down the street.  The two walked in silence for around 20 minutes before they finally reached their hotel, a very fine establishment that was selected by their employers for their week-long stay in the Flower Capital.  The place was far more lavish than anything Law had stayed in before, but frankly, the expensive decor and fancy lights were nothing if not unsettling for him in his upset state.  He followed Chopper into the elevator, the two ascending in silence to the 10th floor, watching as the numbers on the control panel slowly ticked upward.  Their walk through the hall was so silent you could hear their footsteps slightly echoing off of the plaster walls around them.  Chopper inserted his keycard into their room’s door, pushing the heavy entrance open and stepping inside, Law on his heels.

Once they were safely in their room, Law released the frustrated groan he had been holding in.  He quickly undid the buttons of his dress shirt, ripping it off of him and falling backwards onto the bed that he designated as his.  Chopper watched with concern on his soft features, sitting on his own mattress.

“I’m sorry about what Teach said to you,” the younger man said.

“Don’t be, it wasn’t your fault,” Law mumbled back, staring at the ceiling.  The air of their hotel room was quite chilly and made goosebumps appear on his inked skin, but it was far better than his anxious perspiration that was going on under the stifling fabric of his dress shirt.

“I know it wasn’t, but I’m still sorry,” Chopper responded, awkwardly hugging his knees.  “I think it’s sweet that you’re calling your wife so often.  I’m sure she really appreciates it.”

Law bit the inside of his cheek.  He had kept your infertility struggles a secret from the rest of his colleagues at the hospital, choosing instead to say that he was taking care of you through an acute illness whenever he used his personal time off.  No one had ever questioned it, perhaps being too afraid to provoke the steely, constantly-focused doctor, but whatever the reason, Law was relieved that he never had to explain himself.  His current behavior was far beyond the realm of what Chopper had ever seen of him, drastically out of character from the hard-working doctor the younger man was surely used to.

“Chopper, can I tell you something?” Law asked, feeling immensely awkward for divulging his problems to a colleague who seemed so much younger than him.

“Of course,” Chopper replied.

Law sat up on his elbows, gazing at his feet at the end of the bed.  “My wife has been struggling with infertility.  We’ve been trying for well over a year now to have a baby, with no success yet.  She’s had two miscarriages, the second one at 12 weeks.”  His voice was quiet as he spoke, clearly upset with reliving the memory of seeing you tied to the hospital bed in the emergency room, the way your face was scrunched up with agony, humiliation, and shame.

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” the younger man sympathized.  

Law took a deep breath.  “She’s been undergoing treatment to prepare for IVF, and today, back home anyway, is the day she gets her eggs harvested.  I’ve been so, so fucking nervous for her.  Excuse my language.”

“So that’s why you’ve been calling and texting her a bunch?” Chopper asked, slightly tilting his head as he listened to his older colleague.

“Yeah.  And unlike that prick Teach, I like to think I have a much healthier relationship with her.”  Law scoffed, relaying the words the older man had spoken to him over their drinks.  “Ball and chain, my ass.  The day I refer to my wife like that is the day I die by my own hand.”

Chopper sighed, wanting to apologize yet again for the older doctor’s behavior, but deciding against it.  Law’s words sparked a hint of curiosity in the younger man, however, as he gazed at the ink covering his coworker’s hands, arms, chest, and back.  “Law, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Not at all,” the black-haired surgeon responded.

“It always struck me as interesting that you have the word ‘DEATH’ tattooed on your fingers.  Have you ever been… told off for that?”

Chopper’s words prompted Law to gaze at the ink on his skin.  He huffed through his nose at the memory, his friends as an 18-year-old undergraduate adamantly insisting that he shouldn’t get morbid tattoos if he was going to pursue a career in life-saving medical care, but clearly their words didn’t stick.

“All the time,” he replied.  “I got my tattoos done over the course of a few years while I was an undergrad.  I was going through a lot at that time, and funneled my frustrations into getting ink.”

“Is there a reason you chose ‘DEATH’?”  Chopper had absolutely zero idea if he was crossing the line or not, but based on Law’s somewhat relaxed body language, he safely assumed that he was still in the clear with his questions.

Law pursed his lips.  “I lost my family in a house fire when I was around 10, and the man who took me in and raised me was killed by his older brother when I was 13, so for the duration of my teenage years, death was all I thought about.”

Chopper’s eyebrows creased with melancholy.  “I’m so sorry…”

Law relaxed his arms and fell back onto his mattress once more.  “I kept going for my parents, they were both doctors and I grew up wanting to follow in their footsteps.  And for most of my time in high school and then in college, I was convinced I was too hardened to be loved.”

The younger brunette felt a small smile tug on his lips.  “But then you met your wife.”

The words made the black-haired man grin.  “Yup… then I met my wife.  But I already had the tattoos when I met her, so it was a bit too late for that.”

“I’m sorry you can’t be home with her… but I’m sure she really does appreciate the fact that you’re constantly checking in on her.  If my husband was halfway across the world, I’d want to hear from him as often as I could, too,” Chopper stated, his voice light and airy.

Law stared at the ceiling.  Chopper was the kind of kid whose presence made you relax.  His openness and understanding of complex topics and issues was a quality that made Law gravitate towards taking him under his wing, endlessly impressed with the ease in which the boy sympathized and offered boundless support for patients, colleagues, and family who visited the hospital.  Even the most upset patients were treated with the utmost respect from the young doctor, his very existence making any tension or unease flow from the body in waves.

“Thanks, Chopper, I appreciate it,” Law stated.  “Sorry to spill all that on you.”

“It’s never a problem, Law, I’m always happy to talk about stuff that might be troubling you.  As a friend, rather than strictly a coworker.”  Chopper swung his legs off the side of his bed.  “I’m going to take a shower, try to get some shut-eye, alright?”  The younger colleague tossed a friendly smile to Law, who nodded graciously.

The bathroom door closed with a soft click, leaving Law alone on his bed in the warm light of the bedside lamp.  He reached toward his phone intent on checking his text messages, but as soon as he picked it up in his hand, the screen lit up with an incoming call.

Wifey

A grin tugged on Law’s lips.  “Hello?”

[Hi, baby!  I’m sorry I missed your call…]  Your voice was groggy with sleep, and some shuffling could be heard in the background.  You must have still been in bed.

“It’s alright, you were sleeping,” Law replied, his voice soft.  “I wouldn’t want you to wake up for me, especially not on such an important day.  You need all the rest you can get.”

A soft hum echoed through the speakers.  [You’re right… but I love hearing your voice.]  Your words were silky smooth, making your husband smile even wider as he imagined the sleepy look on your face, your eyes half-lidded with exhaustion as a beautiful, fatigued smile pulled on your lips.  He imagined curling closer to you, pulling your body into his own and inhaling the soft scent of your soap and moisturizer, wishing he could carry around your aroma in a bottle for whenever he wanted to think of you.

“How are you feeling about today?” he asked.

[Really, really nervous.  But we all have a plan.]  Your shaky response made Law’s heart clench, but he waited patiently for you to continue talking.  [I go in at 9 AM for the procedure.  Penguin is driving me, because I don’t trust Shachi’s car, but Shachi and Ikkaku are going to stay at the apartment with Bepo.  The procedure is going to take only, like, ten or so minutes, so I requested to have local anesthesia so I don’t have to be all groggy for the day.  So it’ll probably hurt a bit, but I’m tough.  I can deal.]

Law chuckled.  “You are tough.”  He wanted to say something else, perhaps sing your praises even more, but his insecurities from earlier flooded back into his head.  “Hey… can I ask you something?”

[Of course, baby.  Anything.]

“Are you…” he searched the crevices of his mind for the proper words.  “Are you annoyed with me when I call too often?”

The line was silent for a few moments too many.  [Why would I be annoyed?]

The man rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers.  “I don’t know… I had a weird conversation over drinks tonight and I’m overthinking it.”

He could hear you audibly sigh.  [I absolutely, one hundred percent, do NOT think you’re annoying.  I get so excited whenever you call.  When you called me yesterday when I was at Nami’s, she poked fun at me for lighting up when you called.  She said it looked like I was glowing.]

Law smiled at the thought.  Before he could continue speaking, though, you took a breath.

[I would never be annoyed with you, ever.  If anything, I wish you could call more, but I know you have your big important responsibilities while you’re over there.]  Your voice was uplifting, encouraging.  Law’s chest felt lighter simply by listening to you talk.  Oh, the power you held.  [When you come home, I’m going to smother you in so many kisses to make up for whatever asshole made you feel shitty.]

“I’d love that, baby,” Law sighed into the receiver.  “I miss you… I don’t think I’m cut out for long business trips.”

[You only have three more days, you can do it!]

Law had an image in his head of you excitedly pumping the air with your fist, your eyes bright and shining as you encouraged him to keep his head up and continue pushing forward with the incredible reward of returning home to your arms.

[And hey, when you come home, we’ll have a bunch of microscopic eggs in a petri dish at the fertility clinic hopefully being fertilized.]

Law’s heart swelled at the mere thought of tiny embryos growing to hopefully be successfully implanted into you.  The process of preparing for the procedure had been so long to him and he couldn’t even begin to comprehend how you must have felt in the weeks leading up, but the way you had managed to stay strong through the entire duration was profoundly inspirational to him.  You were truly one special woman.

[I’m going to get up and take Bepo out, but I’ll text you throughout the day to tell you how things went!  Oh, and Law?]

“Yes, baby?”

[Don’t lose sleep over me.  I can somehow see those eyebags through the phone.  I promise I’m going to be okay, so get some rest, alright?]

Law smirked.  You knew him far too well.  “No promises.”

[Law…]

He sighed, a chuckle escaping his lungs.  “Okay, I promise I’ll get some sleep.  My hotel roommate’s in the shower right now, but when he’s done I’m going to clean myself up and get some rest.  I’ll talk to you later, baby.”

He could hear the smile on your voice as you responded.  [I love you, Law.]

“I love you, too, beautiful.”

—

“Shachi and Penguin are pussies,” Ikkaku groaned, crossing her arms over her chest in the chair that sat across from your small pre-op bed.  “Afraid of some women’s health matters…”

You giggled at her frustration.  “Well, I’m really happy that you were able to take today off and help me out, I really appreciate it.”

“Of course!”  Ikkaku flashed you a charming, toothy grin.  “Anything for my bestie.  Besides, from what I read online, you’re gonna need some support to help deal with the pain.”

“It shouldn’t hurt that bad… they’re giving me local anesthesia, so I’ll only feel a little bit.  At least, I hope that’s the case,” you replied with a nervous shudder.  “You won’t have to deal with a loopy post-op me.  Last time I had a procedure done, Law told me I didn’t stop gushing over him for almost six hours.”  Your head fell into your hands, embarrassment painting your face.

Ikkaku laughed at your shameful state.  “You can still tell me how much you love me while completely sober, though, right?”

You flashed her a cheeky grin.  “Don’t test your luck.”

You struggled to admit it, but you were wildly anxious.  The last time you talked to Law was when you returned his call a few hours prior, and thinking about him halfway across the world, probably (hopefully) fast asleep in preparation for another day of conferences was reassuring, but you had a residual ache in your heart that yearned for him to be with you.  The weeks of synchronizing your cycle and taking hormone injections to mature your eggs was a long, boring, and tedious process, but it was all leading up to this very moment.  

Now you just had to hope that some of your eggs were mature enough to fertilize… if they would fertilize at all.

“Mrs. Trafalgar?”  A nurse stepped into your room with a clipboard, a few sheets of paper attached to the metal clamp.  “I just need to have you sign a few forms and then we’ll take you in!”

You took the board and the pen from her grasp, wiping your hands on your hospital gown to rid your palms of your nervous sweat.  You signed the release forms with a few quick strokes of your pen before handing the papers back to the nurse who happily took them from you.

“Alright, you’re all set!  The doctor will be in shortly to take you back,” she explained before cordially nodding towards you and exiting the room.

Your foot was bouncing off the mattress.  “Ahh… Ika… I’m so nervous.”

Ikkaku stood from her chair, crossing the room to be at your side.  She rubbed her hand over your shoulder, her expression sympathetic yet encouraging.  “You’re gonna do great, you’ll be in and out!  10 minutes, just like you said!”

“But what if my eggs aren’t mature?  I’ll hear if they are before we leave…”  You could feel your heart rate increase at the prospect of all your hard work in the past few weeks being for nothing.

“Hey, look at me,” Ikkaku demanded, her voice soft.  She took your cheeks in her hands, turning your head to face her.  “No negative thinking.  Your eggs are probably more mature than an elderly person!”

You snorted, making her pull her hands away quickly and wipe them on her shirt.  “That’s the comparison you make?”

“Geriatric eggs,” she confirmed, smirking at you.  “But seriously, you’re going to be fine.  I have a good feeling.  And after you’re back here and the anesthesia is wearing off and we find out that your eggs are nice and mature, we’ll go and celebrate with some ice cream.”

Your mouth began watering at the prospect.  “That does sound pretty good…”

“Exactly!  So keep your chin up!”  Ikkaku excitedly pumped her fists in the air, a sight that made your lips crack into a smile as you absorbed the excited, optimistic energy from your best friend.

“Knock, knock, Mrs. Trafalgar, are you ready?”  The doctor overseeing your egg extraction peeked his head in.

You swung your legs over the side of your bed, holding the back of your gown closed with one of your hands.  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Good luck!”  Ikkaku called as you followed the doctor into the small outpatient operating room.  

You were starting to really dislike the feeling of paper and polyester clinic gowns, they way they were completely shapeless and stiff on your skin made you feel particularly vulnerable.  You would much rather be naked to the open air than don a hospital gown, but you also quite liked not being locked up in jail.  You bit down your discomfort and entered the small outpatient procedure room where you were instructed to lay back on the table and put your feet in the stirrups.  You stared emotionless at the tiled ceiling, the bright white LED lights making your pupils constrict.  You simply nodded through the nurses’ instructions and comments, quietly letting them insert an IV needle into your arm for fluids.

“We’re going to be using a local anesthetic that will be injected near the top of your vagina, and an ultrasound will be running to assist with locating your ovarian follicles,” the doctor explained, displaying the capped needle in his hand.  “This procedure will only be around 10 to 15 minutes, but throughout the duration we will be injecting additional small doses of a low-level narcotic pain reliever so make sure you don’t experience any discomfort.  Does that sound good?”

You gave a curt nod.  “Yes it does.”

“Perfect.  Please inform us if you feel any large amounts of pain, or any discomfort outside of your pelvic region.”  The doctor turned his back on you, and your eyes resumed staring at the ceiling, your hands over your chest resting directly above your heart.

You felt a small pinch near your core that made you wince, but you kept your body still and tried to focus on your breathing.  It didn’t take long for sensation in your hips and pelvis to dull, a strange, numb tingling sensation replacing any contact from the hospital gown pushed up around your waist.  It certainly felt… strange.  An additional small pinch was felt in the junction of your inner thigh, and a technician spread a generous amount of the familiar, cold ultrasound gel over your lower abdomen before placing the wand firmly against your belly and locating your ovaries through your layers of skin and muscle.

“We’re inserting the speculum now,” the doctor explained, making sure to keep you in the know of what exactly they were doing to you.

You kept quiet.  A tugging sensation was felt in your lower body as the cold, metal speculum spread you open, but the anesthesia and pain relievers made it much more tolerable than any pap smear you had ever received.  You kept your hands placed over your chest, linking your fingers together as if to secure yourself to the table.

“You might feel a sharper pain, we’re inserting the suction cannula and needle into your vagina.”

“Alright,” you replied, feeling too awkward to stay silent.

Sure enough, a much sharper yet still manageable cramping pain was felt as the suction tube and needle were inserted.  You cringed as you felt them press sharply against the wall of your vagina, a sudden, stinging sensation radiating through your body as the needle punctured your inner walls and located your ovarian follicles with the help of the ultrasound machine.  You sucked in a sharp breath, alerting one of the nurses.

“Doing alright, hun?” she asked, approaching your side.  She was a much older woman, clearly a seasoned nurse, with a few small decorative enamel pins around the collar of her cotton uniform scrubs.  She had a soft, motherly face as she gazed at you, her eyes assessing your condition.

“Y-Yeah… just a bit painful,” you replied, your voice barely above a whisper.

“We’ll give you another small dose of pain medication,” she confirmed, tossing you a sweet smile that melted any insecurity in your heart.  “You’re doing amazing, sweetheart.”

You couldn’t help but smile back.  Something about her seemed to fill the room with a sense of comfort despite having only known her for a mere few seconds.  You barely felt the second injection of painkillers in your other thigh, your body slowly growing numb to the sensation of the cannula pressing harshly against your vaginal walls.  The nurse came around the table again and rubbed your shoulder reassuringly.

“Still hanging in there, dear?”

“Yes, I am,” you nodded, speaking in a tired tone.  “Thank you.”

Her response to your gratuity was another pat on your shoulder.  You closed your eyes and tried to focus on your breathing to distract from the dull cramping that radiated throughout your lower body.  It felt eerily similar to your miscarriages, with the only comfort in the thought being that you were in a supervised medical environment.  Your thoughts shifted to your husband across the world from you.  It was an understatement to say that you couldn’t wait for him to get home.  You two had barely been without each other since you started dating, and while some have said that your shared lifestyle is only a recipe for relationship burnout, the two of you would adamantly disagree with that sentiment.  Law was a rock, a stable sanctuary for your deepest and darkest fears, whereas you were a shining light in his life, bringing him hope when his days seemed to be at their bleakest.  What some would call extreme codependency, you would simply call a healthy and mutually respectful relationship with your beloved husband.

God, you missed him.

“And we’re all done!” the doctor announced, ripping you from your thoughts.

“Already?” you asked, picking your head up as the nurse helped your partially numb feet down from your stirrups.

“Yup!  We’re sending your samples to the lab to count how many eggs we were able to harvest, so while you wait for a bit in recovery we’ll get to counting,” he explained, taking off his gloves and washing his hands in the sink placed across the room.

The friendly nurse from earlier gave you a gentle pat on your shoulder once more.  “You did so well, dear!”  She assisted with helping you stand from the table.  A pair of disposable panties were handed to you, lined with a thick pad.  “You’re probably going to have some light spotting for a few days, you can take these off and replace them with your normal underwear and pads when you get home.  Don’t use tampons for about two weeks while your vagina recovers, alright?”

You graciously accepted her help with stepping into the uncomfortable clothing.  “Understood.”

You were more than wobbly on your feet, the localized anesthesia making you somewhat dizzy, so you were helped into a foldable wheelchair to push you back to the small outpatient recovery room where Ikkaku was still waiting for you.  She stood enthusiastically from her seat when you and the nurse approached, a look of sheer anticipation in her eyes.

“How did it go?” she asked, helping you stand to lay down on the small, stiff mattress.

“I think it went pretty well,” you replied, finally getting to rest your head on a pillow with a content sigh.

The nurse turned toward your friend.  “I take it, you're her ride?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the curly-haired brunette nodded.  “Is there anything I should be aware of for home?”

“Make sure she’s drinking plenty of water and getting as much rest as she can.  It might take a few hours for the feeling to come back in her legs.”  She turned to you.  “You’ll probably experience a few days of cramping, ibuprofen is more than enough to get you through it!  If you experience any significant complications or issues, though, please call us back right away.”

You gave her a polite smile.  “Thank you for everything.”

“Of course, sweetheart, it's my pleasure.  The doctor will come back when your eggs are counted, and you should be good to leave then, but he’ll give you the discharge paperwork himself when he feels you’re ready.”  With a friendly nod, she exited the room and closed the door slightly behind her, leaving it cracked open enough to give you and Ikkaku privacy until the doctor came back.

“So…” she asked.  “Did it hurt?”

You laughed at her willingness to know the details.  “A little, they stuck this suction tube up inside of me and a needle was pushed through that tube into my vaginal wall.”

Ikkaku held her hand out, a grimace on her face making her eyebrows crease in discomfort.  “Alright, that’s enough talking from you.”

You shared a giggle at her weary expression.  Once your conversation had simmered, you asked her for your phone so you could send a text to Law and let him know that you were in the recovery room waiting for your eggs to be counted.  You tapped the send button and put your phone to sleep mode, knowing that he most likely wouldn’t respond to you for another few hours while he was sleeping.  But the thought of him waking up to a positive text from you made your heart flutter.  You knew he probably needed it, his voice sounded so tired when you called him back earlier that morning.  An entire week of medical conferences and meetings with high-ranking colleagues from across the world would be enough to send anyone into an exhaustion coma, and the first thing you wanted to do when he arrived home was run him a nice bath, maybe light a nice candle, and cuddle him until he suffocated.  With love, of course.

Almost 30 minutes of you and Ikkaku sitting in silence on your phones passed by before the doctor came back into your room with your discharge papers and a smile on his face.  “Mrs. Trafalgar, we successfully extracted 12 eggs.  7 of them are mature enough for fertilization, which will begin as soon as we get your samples to the lab.”

Ikkaku beamed at you.  “That’s amazing!”

You stood from your bed, your legs still fairly wobbly from the anesthesia, and signed the discharge papers that the doctor held.  You gave him a fond smile.  “Thank you so much.”

“Never a problem, I wish you all the best.  Remember to call your usual clinic or us if you have any issues in recovery.  Have an amazing day, ladies!”  He held the clipboard with your papers firmly under his arm before nodding his head and leaving, keeping the door held open so you could leave whenever.

You took one step forward and almost immediately stumbled to the ground, Ikkaku scrambling for your arms to hold you upright.  She looked panicked.

“Are you alright?” she asked, helping you lean against the end of the table.

You laughed under your breath.  “I think my legs are still weak from the numbing stuff they gave me… might need to bring me to your car in a wheelchair.”

She gave you a mock salute and ran to a nurse’s station, returning with a small foldable wheelchair similar to the one you were put in immediately after your procedure.  She wheeled you out to her car to take you home, cracking ‘grandma’ jokes along the way as if you were a nursing home patient being wheeled to the park.

For the first time in what felt like a millennia, your chest felt light.

A dozen eggs in a basket… or in your case, a petri dish.

[abaddown]

Breakup

OK, OK, I'm going to go home and break up with her. But what do I tell her? "I deserve better." Jesus, no, definitely not that. Even if that's true, only women say that. "You deserve more." Now, that's pretty good. But she's gonna start to get all unintelligent and tell me I'm good just the way I am. That's the way it is. Haha. "I want to live." That'll take the edge off. I might as well say I want to fuck half of Europe. Let's see. "I think we should be apart now so we can be together later." That's not bad, but I don't want to be together later. I'd spare you the hysterics, but I'd be constantly harassed about when that later was. "I'm in love with someone." That seems pretty definitive, but she'd want to know who the bitch was, and it would start a never-ending interrogation about where I met her, when we met, was the sex good, do I regret it, did I think about her, why I didn't tell her, blah blah blah blah... "I cheated on you." Same thing. Oh God, the easiest thing would be to just disappear without a word, never pick up the phone, never answer her texts again. Okay, it's a little bit of a chick thing. "I don't want kids yet." And then she says, "Neither did she. "I want a baby now." She'll end up saying she does too. "I need to focus on my career now." I'm sure her mothering side would come out and assure me that she'll be supportive, patient, that I can build my career, that she's there for me and won't abandon me in the hardest times. Too bad. Wait a minute! I should make her want to break up. Then how much unnecessary crying and screaming would be saved. I'd pretend a little bit, "Oh, no." and then that's it, hat, coat, goodbye. But it would be too long a process to wait. "Something's wrong, this isn't working." I can hear her saying, "But what, tell me what's wrong, I'll change, just tell me what I can do differently! I know you love me, it's just a moment of desperation, believe me, we can work it out!" No, we can't, I don't want to. Okay, I've got a big mouth now, but I actually loved her and I still love her. Just not the way it should be. Like she did me. But I don't want to hurt her. She's a sweet girl. If I said, "I'm sorry, but I don't love you the way I should and the way you deserve. I'm sorry.", you know what? She'd start to tear herself up, eat her insides out, cry for weeks and look for reasons why she'd gone wrong. I don't want to hurt you. That feeling either comes or it doesn't. Or it comes and then it goes. I'm gone, what do I do?

If you break up with a woman, why does she always, at all costs, try to convince you that you're stupid and don't feel what you feel? I can just decide if I want to be with someone or not. Women, I swear, think that we men are so mentally retarded that we don't recognize when we really love someone. God, how many times have I listened to break ups and say "I know you love me. Deep down, you love me so much, you just don't realize it. You're really going to regret this." It's simply impossible to break up cleanly, without scandal. What do you have to say to that? Fuck, is it that late? Look, she's calling again, asking where I am, what I'm doing, when I'll be home. I'm gonna have to talk to her and break up with her. I'm gonna go. I'll call you later.

- Hey, girl, I'm home. What's all this stuff, you going on a trip?

- No. I'm moving.

- You're moving? Where are you going? Why are you going away?

- Out. You know why. I can't do this. Listen, I think we should cut this short. I don't know about you, but I haven't been happy in this relationship for a long time, and I don't think you have either. I think the best thing we can do is just quietly accept that this is the way it is and break up. We have no reason to be angry with each other, so we can separate from each other peacefully. I've got some stuff left here, and I'll pick it up sometime.

- But hey, wait a minute. Just like that? Are you seeing anyone? What's the matter? You want to talk about it or work it out? You're just gonna throw everything away? I don't get it. Is it me? But I love you. Let's talk about it. Let’s fix it!

- Forgive me, but I don't love you the way I should and the way you deserve. I'm sorry..

***

Then she walked out of the apartment. And I've never felt more in love with any woman in my life than I did with her, staring at the closed door.

[clus444]

"That is not me on tape"

Andy Barber x Reader

Readers are mad that Andrew has been ditching their dates. Andrew has always said that reader needs to communicate better. What happens when the reader is petty and Andrew has low patience?

Mature Content, lollipop is violated (Lmao), you may cringe ( is that a warning) jk jk, very descriptive, some plot. (N-word usage once)

" I'm sorry honey, I'm just trying to make sure everything is in order before the holidays," Andrew says over the phone. I roll my eyes at another excuse that comes out of his mouth. I scoff in response, not knowing what to say in the moment.

"Andy..." He is so full of shit. I get that he has a job as D.A. and he has matters that he can't just ditch. But for a full three weeks? It feels more like an excuse to not see me. Especially when I got fed up and bribed his assistant for his schedule and made him clear up a spot for me. Which by the way wasn't hard since he only had two big cases, which he finished three days ago.

Who knows maybe even longer since we don't talk as much. Ugh! Fuck his work-alcoholic ways with his strong arms and his talented tongue that can turn me every which way. Don't even get me started on his fat-

I blink and clear my throat, "Ok, bye Andrew." I hang up the phone as soon as I'm done talking. I huff and lay back on our couch as I think about the situation at hand. I play with the rose gold necklace around my neck as I think about what to do.

*Buzzt*

I snatched it from where I threw it and read the message that was sent.

Grumpy Ogre- I'll let that hang-up slide since you're rightfully mad. We'll talk when I get home.

I roll my eyes and don't respond. I stand from the couch and go to our room. I open the closet and start pulling out clothes. A mixture of pink, purple, and other vibrant-colored clothes is thrown everywhere. As I pick out clothes and think of a makeup look to match, I stew in my thoughts.

I'm not asking for a lot. I just want a day where it's just me and him. No phones, no work, no unnecessary distractions. But he acts like I'm asking for a fucking trip to Mars and an alien to take home as a pet.

But for me, that's not even the worst part. 7 days ago, 168 hours ago, this man- this nigga! The man who constantly finds his face between my thighs, always trying to get his hands on something, I know he steals my panties. He denied me the physical act of proclaiming my love for him in a passionate way sex.

I don't really care that he said no. I'm never someone to make someone else feel bad for saying no. But it's the reason why he said no. It's because he's overworked himself so much that as soon as he comes home he goes straight to bed, I don't even remember the last time he sat on the couch and we watched our shows. Honestly, I just miss him. The only... crime I did was act on a feeling of worry and hurt. But Andy always said closed mouths don't get fed. Or at least in my case, no deserving ass left not dealt with.

Do with that what you want with that. Or judge me for what I'm about to do.

*Ding Ding*

The elevator doors open and I walk out. I make sure to tighten the belt around my coat. My heels click on the floor with purpose as I walk through cubicles to get to the big brown doors at the end of the walkway. My head held high. I fix my hair and make sure nothing is shown to earlier.

*Knock Knock*

I don't wait for a reply and just walk in. He doesn't even look up once to see who it is. The only thing I can be grateful for is that he isn't cheating. But why would he when he has me at home? Why can't he see that? "Whatever it is, just leave it on the desk, I'll get to it when I can," He signs a paper he's focusing on.

I promptly walk to the chair stationed in front of his desk. I sit down and lean back to pull out a lollipop from my pocket. I open the wrapper and dispose of it quickly. " Should I be worried that my boyfriend doesn't seem to be aware of his surroundings," I raise a brow. His head snaps up.

"fuck! Baby-"

I cut him off," Go back to your work Andrew, when you finish take us home and we'll talk." His face shows caution like he can see right through me. Like he can see the mischief in my eyes, swirling, waiting to bubble over. Waiting for the first opportunity to grab my devil horns and pull them out.

But I know him too. I know that the uncertainty of this situation riles him up. I see the slight clench of his hand on the paper as he eyes the trench. I can feel the tension slowly creep into the room and hover over my shoulder, waiting for my next move. The nervous twitch his eyes make, makes me wanna laugh but I hold it together.

He turns to his papers again. I bring the lollipop to my lips and begin licking. I swirl my tongue around the circular tip and sigh loudly. He looks up quick and back down, It's like a switch went off as his head snaps back up. His eyes track the movement of my tongue. As I glide the lolly horizontally on my tongue I untie the belt and open the coat.

My brown skin glimmers brightly under the lights and I know the body glitter is doing its job. I slide the shoulders off and group it at my waist. His eyes rake over my chest. A dark look takes over his features. A storm brewed behind his baby blue eyes. I smirk to myself not wanting to get cocky so fast. I trail the lollipop between the valley of my boobs. I circle one nipple but my eye catches movement from the corner of it.

I point a finger," You owe it to me to stay there. all I want is your attention and cooperation." His eyes narrow at me in complementation and he decides to lean back.

"Whatever you say baby girl," He licks his lips then adjusts himself in his seat. I smile knowing I'm going to make him eat those words as he made me take mean dick when he's mad. I take the lollipop and circle my other nipple as my left-hand grabs my left tit. I lean my head down and use my tongue to taste the flavoring off my nipples. I make a show of liking it and cleaning myself.

"No touching with your hands Andy or I swear I'll stop and lock you out of the bedroom."

I stand up and the coat falls to the floor. I make my way around his desk and push him back so I can sit in front of him on the wooden surface. I start sucking the lollipop like it's dick. I hallow my cheeks out and suck like a vacuum cleaner being used on a Sunday morning. I pop it out and leave streaks of it on my chest, paying extra attention to my nipples again.

I lazily leave the lollipop in my mouth. A pout comes on my face," Clean me up?" It seems like a question but sounds like a demand. A tick in his jaw makes me grin. He leans forward and licks up the valley of my breast then places kisses on my collarbone. A deep groan comes from within his throat. When he's done licking around my nipples. He starts sucking on one at a time. Although supposed to be a punishment for him, it turns into a reward for me.

He slowly starts kissing down my torso but I quickly wrap a hand in his hair and pull his head back hard. I tighten my grip and the audible groan he lets out makes my clit tingle. "Watch it," I say firmly. The glare on his face makes him scary but somehow hot at the same time. "Do you know why I'm doing this Andy," I ask as I take one foot and put it over his bulge. I add pressure before quickly taking it off. It looks like he physically deflates.

"Because of a couple of missed dates. But sweetness-" My eye roll cuts him off. He narrows his eyes at me as he speaks again," You're mad which I understand but I won't ta-" I cover his mouth with my hand.

I laugh," No no no," I gather myself together.

"Here's what's gonna happen. You're going to eat me out and depending on how well you do it, depends on how long I stay mad. The ball isn't in your court Andy. Maybe later when I'm done having my fun we can conversate... but right now. I want to feel your retribution through your tongue." I lean back and spread my legs wide open.

He leans forward and spits on my cunt. I feel his spit land and he quickly licks me up. I suck in a breath at his actions, I'm not handing out moans, he needs to earn every reaction out of me. Big hands push me back and hold my legs up.

He heads straight for my clit, not playing any games. His tongue swirls and it feels like he's making out with my pussy. I feel myself grow wet, I suck in deeper breaths, and every now and again I feel my hips trying to follow his tongue. I don't know what it is about hearing how wet I am for him. "mm," comes out my mouth.

*nac nac nac nac*

It feels like it adds to the sensation of being horny. It's like my pussy is trying to prove how much she can drown him. Oh god, his tongue has me talking in third person about it (pussy). " I'm going to kiss it better," He pauses and sticks his tongue in my hole.

"A-ah." I feel my pussy clench on itself and push out my essence. He moans and thrusts into my cunt. I force my torso against the desk surface and push my hips up. My hands wrap in his hair and I pull him in further. A loud whine sounds from my mouth," My c-clit." I remind him before he dives back in. He always gets so caught up in feasting on me, any other time is appreciated but not now.

As much as I would love to keep doing this. I wanna go home as soon as possible and finish there. I start rolling my hips into his face," Work for this...," I gasp out, "cum." I feel my body vibrate and my eyes roll back. He shakes his head from side to side. "oo ah ahh f-fuck," My mouth hangs open. I feel my body tense up.

"Give to me," he demands and sucks on my clit. My chest surges forward as my stomach sucks in, I close my eyes and cry out as I cum. My holes clenched around nothing and Andy slurps me up. I pat his head as my body jerks. He kisses up my chest, "I'm so sorry baby. I swear I'll make it up to you. Tomorrow we'll talk everything out swear." His last kiss lands on my lips and I kiss back.

"You have a lot of making up to do."

-Timeskip to next morning-

*Buzzt* video attachment

Andy groans before tightening his arms around Y/n. After last night, they need as much sleep as possible. Andy's about to lull himselfself back to sleep before...

*Buzzt*

He sighs and turns his body slightly so he can grab his phone. He clicks on the video paying no mind.

"Aw f-fuck, you...f..feel so good andy," Y/n whine comes through his speakers and he jolts up. "Gonna fuck this pussy right," Andy hears himself growl out. He exits off it and feels his face pale. The attachment reads.

P.A Eric- This you man?

*Buzzt*

P.A Eric- Considered deleted everywhere, sir.

Andrew- Thank you Eric I owe you one. My lady would freak if she seen that their was a camera in the elevators. I completely forgot.

A loud shriek sounds from beside Andy. He turns to the culprit and gulps, "Is that my ass!?... ON CAMERA!"

I'm trying to work on improving my smut writing which is what took so long. Anyway enjoy and don't forget to check out the other fics lmao. bye babes

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[r4zberrygirl]

Checkmate, I couldn’t lose

akaashi keiji x gn reader, collegeAU, fluff, 1k

cw: suggestive but like barely

an: my first actual post for this blog! sorry if this is bad lol no pronouns and no physical description of reader :) -raz

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Mastermind

ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯

Midterm exams were right on top of you at this point and the only cafe within comfortable walking distance, that also happened to have the best mocha lattes you’ve ever tasted, just closed for remodeling. You sank further into your chair inside the cramped library on the corner and holding your bitter homemade coffee, decided your week could not get any worse. Sighing and leaning over your laptop you glance upwards and your heart stops. You try to avoid your staring being too obvious but the stranger standing in front of a shelf labeled ‘classics', seemed to be the most breathtaking person on earth. He looked tired and held a coffee, but his black curly hair and jade eyes made you stare for probably longer than you should’ve. Breaking out of your stupor, you determine that if there's one thing you can do to make your week of midterms less shitty, it's getting this hot guy’s number. You stand from your chair and pretend to look through the shelves at his back, even tilting your head and running your finger along the spines to really sell the act. You take a silent breath, a measured step back, and bump into him. He turns to steady you in surprise. “Are you alright?” he asks, pushing his glasses up and looking into your eyes with concern.

“Yes I'm so sorry! I was just looking for Shakespeare’s work!” The lie rolls off your tongue like you had been planning it, which of course, you had.

“I think his works are right here actually. What are you looking for?” 

“Hamlet.” Luckily your lie from earlier was mostly based in truth as you really were struggling in your literature course right now. “I wasn’t paying good enough attention in class and now I’m stuck trying to study for this midterm,” you said, sounding slightly guilty. 

His eyes glow a little as he speaks, “Oh! I'm actually an English major. I took that class last semester. Professor Kimura, right?” 

You release a sigh of relief because your plan of getting this hot guy's number might actually benefit you in more ways than one. “Yes!” 

“I can try to help if you want. I don't have any of my stuff from that class right now, but maybe we can meet up tomorrow?” He says with a soft smile. 

You smile and put your hands together, “Yes please! That would be incredible! I’m ____ ____ by the way!”

“I’m Akaashi Keiji.” He holds out his hand and motions towards your phone. You hand it to him excitedly and he makes a contact for himself. “Text me later so we can pick a time and we’ll meet here if that works for you.” 

“That works perfectly for me,” you respond. This felt like a dream, maybe this week isn’t so cursed after all. He grabs a book off the shelf behind you and puts it in your hands, “And I think this is what you were looking for.” He turns and walks away but not before flashing you a smirk. Your gaze falls to the book in your hands and you chuckle. Hamlet.

You agree to meet tomorrow at 9 in order to start the day off strong and be productive. That night you go to sleep with a smile and wake to your alarm blaring in your ears. You sit up and rub your eyes. It's brighter than usual at this time and you reach for your phone off the nightstand. You overslept. You must’ve hit snooze on your first alarm not realizing it and now you’re gonna be late. You get dressed and brush your teeth as quickly as you can before grabbing your bag and an apple and getting out the door. You deem coffee as unnecessary, you can live without it for one day. 

Akaashi meets your gaze through the window, somehow just as gorgeous at 9am as he was at noon yesterday, and you make your way towards the table he’s picked out. “I'm so sorry I'm late! I slept through my first alarm,” you tell him frantically while getting out your laptop and sliding into the chair across from him. 

“No worries. I actually brought you a coffee anyways, so I guess it all worked out,” he tells you looking at your slightly frazzled state. 

“You didn’t need to do that, you're already helping me so much by being here, but thank you.” You mentally mark him down as a charmer. He grins at you and you begin to review his old notes together. 

“Your exam isn’t until Wednesday, right?” Akaashi questions during a break you agreed on after an hour of studying.

“Yes, thank god,” you reply to him.

“Make sure to call me after so we can see how helpful I was,” he says jokingly.

Three days, and two and a half hours of testing later, Akaashi’s phone rings and you echo through the line, “I GOT AN 88!” He congratulates you through the phone and states how this calls for a celebratory coffee, his treat. You of course are not going to turn that down and meet up with him at a shop a few blocks from campus. Upon seeing him you trample him with a hug and thank him until he has to stop you from doing so anymore. Akaashi laughs at you softly, “You’re welcome, but I'm sure you could’ve done it on your own.”

From there, your friendship with Akaashi blossomed into a relationship as the first date turned into third, which turned into fifth, which turned into inviting you to a New Years Eve party his friend was hosting, which obviously turned into your first kiss and so much more. Recently, it seems like you spend more time in his apartment than your own but there's nothing you would change about that. Waking up next to him felt sacred, you could talk about whatever you wanted and he would always keep the conversation flowing with little questions and quips about whatever you’re going on about. 

Keiji reaches across the sheets to pull you closer to him when he notices your quiet snores have stopped and you begin to stretch out your legs. Your arms naturally go up to his neck to play with his hair when he wraps his own around your waist. He smiles sweetly at you, “Good morning.”

You giggle for a second before responding, “Good morning to you too.” Your eyes travel up to meet his as you ask, “Keiji do you believe in fate?” 

“I don’t know. I never really thought about it. Do you?” He replies, slightly confused on why you were asking such a deep question so early in the morning. 

“Well I think it was fate that you walked into that little bookshop at the same time I was there.” 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I was having a horrible week and I think you were sent to fix it all.” He hums and kisses the top of your head as you fall into a short silence. “You know it wasn't an accident. Back at the library I mean. I bumped into you on purpose,” you admit and your cheeks heat up a little. 

“I know,” he says and smirks down at you. You look up at him, shocked eyes and open mouthed, and he puts a deep kiss onto your lips. He knew the entire time. And he just went along with your scheme because apparently you weren't the only one whose heart stopped at the first glance of a stranger whose beauty was truly breathtaking.  

[compassionatereminders]

Your inbox tag is so inviting, if it's okay I *will* talk to you, cause I'm in a bit of a painful pickle :(

I don't know if my partner is cheating, and it's driving me insane

Starting about a week ago, they (gender kept ambiguous to avoid any sort of instinctive judge mm sent - not that you're prone to it, but others tend to be) started behaving a little oddly. I noticed they were on Snapchat, but I couldn't see who they were snapping or what was being said. It only bothered me because normally they tell me 'I've been taking to my friend so-and-so', and they didn't mention at all that they were talking to anyone.

I stewed on it for a while, because I didn't want to make it a big deal if it wasn't. Except then they started hiding their phone screen. Like, tilting away from me in the car, screen brightness turned low, always keeping their phone in their pocket around me when it used to be out almost all the time.

We went out a few days ago and their behavior was odd again - I ended up snapping, "damn if you'd rather be elsewhere, sorry" . twenty minutes later, we talked about it - it was addressed immediately. Because here's the thing about my partner: they don't like unnecessary bullshit. I know that for a fact. They've been cheated on before in their prior relationship, they know it sucks. I'm not very attractive (I'm just kinda average), and I have very low self esteem - that is to say, I'm not easy to be around, but they make an effort to be around me anyway. Which is why my head is in such a tizzy. Since before and even after their weird behavior they've talked more frequently about us getting married one day, always being the one to bring it up first.

I think I know who they're messaging specifically, because I *know* they've been getting snaps from someone specific - I managed to see the name notification *once* - and after our little spat, they told me a number of friends they've been talking to, and pointedly didn't say the persons name.

I get friend recommendations based on their friends - we were looking over my phone, and that persons name was in the list ; my partner told me how they knew everyone else, but didn't even remark on that person.

I'm rambling, I'm sorry. I'm a little intoxicated. I'm just broken up about things, because I was so certain just two weeks ago that I was going to one day marry my partner, but now I can feel myself emotionally retracting "just in case," and I don't want to bring the topic up again because we had a long talk just yesterday about trust and I was placated until today, and I probably *do* have to bring it up, but I don't want to cause a rift for 'not trusting them' especially if it IS nothing;;; but I don't want to (potentially) be mollified by gentle words, because I *DO* trust that they mean what they say---aHHH I don't want conversations I want FACTS

:'(((( they're a good person, they are. I'm hard to be around, and hard to be with. They wouldn't put up with me if they didn't genuinely care. I'm just scared because I *also* genuinely care.

Their Snapchat score went up by 14 in 45 minutes, I'm taking another shot of alcohol ;;;;;

I think you have to confront it. Because whether this is actually happening or not, walking around with these suspicions and insecurities without communicating about it will negatively affect the relationship even if your partner isn't actually cheating on you. So the worst thing you can do is sit with this in silence and let the bitterness and paranoia snowball into a chain reaction you won't be able to stop

[indigoideas]

After it's over and Talon's escaped with the Claw, Penny wants nothing more than to take a hot shower and collapse in her bed for the next twelve hours before spending all day training, and then all the next day, and the next, and the next. Everything goes according to plan until she wakes up the next morning (at six am sharp) to a note on her bedside table. A phone number, the words Call me, Pretty Penny! and a doodle of Talon winking. 

That note fuels her furious training for the next three days as she refuses to so much as consider calling the number. She would need to get a burner phone, which wouldn't take long, but she's not spending any unnecessary time or money on him! 

Although, HQ does have some spare burner phones. It always does. No one would even notice if she borrowed one, let alone care, and it would only take a few minutes. She wouldn't even need to do any tinkering to make it untraceable. 

But she's not going to! Calling the number would be stupid, and pointless, and ridiculous, and– and– she needs to know how he got into her room. That's the only reason she slips a burner phone into her pocket the next time she gets a chance and goes for a late-night walk outside of HQ with it. It's the only reason she takes out the note that hasn't left her person since she found it almost a week before and inputs the number neatly printed on it. It's the only reason she hits call. 

"Hello?" 

For a moment after she hears his voice, she's giddy with happiness. She's heard Doctor Claw can be cruel to those closest to him, but it sounds like Talon is fine. Relief bubbles up inside her, causing her to smile. "Talon!" 

"Penny!" He sounds almost as happy as she feels. "Hang on a second, let me go somewhere a bit quieter." There are footsteps, the clang of a door, and there's suddenly far less background noise. "Sorry about that. There's some construction going on right now, so I wanted to find somewhere where we'd be able to hear each other." 

"How did you get into my room?" 

"Oh. I climbed down from the roof and came in the window. Uh, is that all you wanted to talk about?" 

"Does Claw know where we live?" 

"No!" He sounds almost indignant. "He wanted me to find out where Gadget lives so we could blow it up, but I pretended it was off the grid and untraceable. I fight you professionally, but bringing your personal life into it is foul play." 

"Oh. Yeah, I, uh… thank you." She hadn't expected… any of that. 

Alright then. Time for the next big question. Penny's grip on the burner phone tightens. "Talon, are you okay?" 

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" He sounds confused, and it puts her at ease. 

"I've just… heard things, about Claw, so I… I wanted to check. I'm glad you're okay." 

"Aww, were you worried about me, Pretty Penny?" He's smug now. "That's sweet. You don't need to worry, though. I can take care of myself." 

[rubyreduji]

i have nobody to tell my thoughts to… but ceo!woozi has been on my mind non-stop lately 🤭🤭 like do you know how hot sounds??? ugh.. it’s been plaguing my mind… or like being rival coworkers with him at a successful company 😩😩>>> i feel like you’d understand me tbh

[minors dni]

no because you are SO right like imagine young but strict jihoon who became a ceo early on in his career after the old one spontaneously retired to go live on an island and you've been with the company for a while now (at least long enough that you were there when the old ceo was in power) and despite being one of the best employees the company had jihoon hates you

you don't know why either, it's been like this since he got the job, shooting down your ideas, scoffing at your reports, always making you redo your projects, nothing you do can make him happy, in fact it does the opposite, everytime you interact with him a look of discontent settles deep onto his face

your breaking point is during your latest office meeting when jihoon not only makes an unnecessary comments about the state of your outfit, embarassing you in front of the whole room, but also he shoots down another one of your ideas only to accept an idea from your co-worker, an idea that you pitched last week that he turned down

at this point you can just tell that he's targetting you, that he has something against you when you've done nothing but being kind and hardworking

after the meeting you're fuming and you decide to storm right up to jihoon's office, not heeding the protests from his secretary

you walk right up to his office and fling the doors open to find jihoon sitting on a phone call

he flicks his eyes up at you before saying into the phone, "ah, something has come up, i'm sorry to cut this call short, yes sir, i'll call you later, yes, thank you," before placing the phone down and standing

he walks past you and looks out the door to his secreatary, "clear my schedule" and then he closes the doors

finally he turns to you, "mx. l/n do you know how incredibly rude and unprofessional it is just barge into my office and intterupt a very important business call" he's looking at you down his nose and you suddenly feel very small

you regain your composure and stare right back him "we need to have a talk, mr. lee"

"is that so?" jihoon tuts as he walks back over to his desk "so tell me y/n, what's wrong?"

you hate him so much, his cocky attitude and asshole demeanor

"you have been nothing but unkind to me since you've taken position and i demand that it stop. it's unfair and there is no real good reason for your mistreatment against me"

jihoon looks at you bored, "i have no clue what you are talking about. if you are just here to waste my time, then i suggest you get back to work"

you want to stamp your foot like a child but you know better than to throw a tantrum "sir, every meeting you shoot down my ideas only to accept them a week later by a different person. i do twice the work, if not more, than everyone else just because you make me redo every project i work on. i'm sick and tired of it and if it doesn't stop then i'll quit"

you didn't mean to say the last part, it just slipped out, but it seems that this statement takes jihoon's interest, the look on his face changing to something unreadable

slowly jihoon stands and walks over to you, despite his height he has a dominating presence as he stares at you with firey eyes in his crisp suit, he's the perfect image of power

"do you know why i do those thing to you?"

"because you have something against me, i'm not sure what, but you do, and you can't deny it"

"i do it you because you need it. you are one of the best employees here, which means we cannot risk your work quality decreasing. every comment, every redo, every shut down has a purpose my dear y/n. i push you do your best because i know you can be better. everytime you're put down you come back stronger. that's what's so fascinating about you" jihoon grabs your chin and forces you to look at him "do you understand now?"

his grip is tight, a bit painful, but you can't ignore the way it turns you on

you've always thought jihoon is incredibly handsome, too handsome for his own good, and you've shamefully has some thoughts about him before shooing them away, reminding yourself not only is he your boss but he's also a raging asshole

"you're such a good employee, so diligent and obedient, makes me wonder what you're like outside of work. i've always had my eye on you y/n, whether you realized or not. you allure me. so pretty" jihoon mutters as he strokes your cheek with his thumb

"j-jihoon"

"that's sir to you"

"t-this is very il-illegal" you stutter out, but you already know that he knows that

"i don't see you trying to make a break for it though, now do i?" he's right, you're too turned on now, desperate for him to continue "that's what i thought. on your knees, now."

you don't waste time kneeling down in front of him, the bulge in his pants apparent now that it's at eye level

"now be good and suck" jihoon unbuttons his pants and pulls his cock out and you quickly take him into your mouth

his hands grip tight into your hair as you bob up and down on his massive cock

you move your tongue to press against the bottom of his cock as you do your best to deep throat him, his tip hitting the back of your throat as you try not to choke

"that's it, so pretty like this, go good for me," jihoon coos as you continue to work at him, tears filling up in your eyes

it doesn't take long for jihoon to cum down your throat, groaning as he does, and you do your best to swallow down his cum

you're aching between your legs now as jihoon tucks himself back into his pants, you're a bit worried he's going to leave you as you are, but then he orders you to strip and lay down on his desk

his hands find your most sensitive area and he starts to play with you, you whimper as he touches you, feeling good but wanting so much more

you're just about to get off from jihoon's touch when he pulls away and you audibly whine, you're not left without his hand for long though because soon a finger is tracing your entrance before he slowly inserts one finger into you

his fingers are thick and strong and you can feel yourself stretch out as he pushes a second one in, thrusting into you a bit

"s-sir, please" you beg

"please what? use your words properly"

"please, n-need you to move more sir, harder, faster" you pant out

you hear jihoon chuckle a bit before he does just as you asked, digging his fingers into you even more, it doesn't take long for you to open up and he shoves a third finger into your stretched out hole

he picks up the pace of his fingers and quickly pistons in and out of you, his fingers curling right into your sweet spot, the wet sound of your hole filling the room

you're a mess now, whining and squirming around on his desk as he fingers you to completion, you climax with a loud moan of jihoon's name, your cum going everywhere

despite the mess jihoon smirks down at you, happy with a job well done

"you know y/n, you really have always been my favorite"

[sorry it took me so long to answer this and i know technically you didn't ask for a fic and technically im not taking request but yall know i cannot resist jihoon]

[variety-fangirl]

OH MY HII CAN I REQUEST A TARON OR JIMMY (u choose) IMAGINE INSPIRED BY THE SONG "BOYFRIEND" BY DOVE CAMERON?? IM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS AND HAPPY NEW YEARRRRR!!!!<3333

Better / Jimmy Keene x fem!reader

Summary: Inspired by Dove Cameron's Boyfriend. A series of occasions where Jimmy knew he could be a better boyfriend than your current one. And the one final occasion where you realised it. (Lyrics are not in order, just where they fit).

Warnings: swearing, jealous Jimmy, shitty boyfriend who cheats and treats you like shit, lmk if I miss something.

Authors note: Oooh I love this idea! Song inspo is always peak 😎 Thank you for requesting my love, I hope your new year was good 😘 I am genuinely sorry for how long this took 🥴 student life is quite hectic and busy right now, has been for weeks but I hope you liked it, enjoy! I am hoping I will have a lot more free time over the next few weeks to write more. Thank you for reading, please enjoy my loves. Liking, reblogging, and commenting really helps me out.

Word count: 2.7k

Jimmy was a friend of your friend's boyfriends and often hung out with your group, he had become a regular and close to everyone. He was a perfect gentleman in every sense and had always treated you with respect and care. You had grown a rather soft spot for him and had naturally become closer as time went on, he was your best friend. He became someone you trusted wholeheartedly and could rely on no matter what.

On more than one occasion, more like several, Jimmy had made it obvious his distaste for your boyfriend, Mike. You and Mike had been dating for two years now, a year before you met Jimmy. Jimmy had seen, like everyone else, how badly your boyfriend treats you. Over and over again, but you were blinded by the love you have for him. Mike often treated you as second to everything but would make up for it all with extravagant gifts and apologies that clouded your judgment further.

One afternoon not long after Jimmy had joined the group (after a few meet-ups), you were all having a chill party with the group in your best friend's backyard. Everyone was already there and waiting for you and Mike, not long, about twenty minutes or so. Your friends were a little worried and that quickly grew when you both walked into the yard, food and booze in hand, with a solemn expression on your face. Mike quickly found a friend he enjoyed spending time with and walked off like nothing was wrong despite having thrown a completely unnecessary fit forty minutes before.

He saw an innocent message on your phone from an old male school friend who asked if you wanted to catch up over coffee after having run into him a few days before. The guy is happily married and has a baby on the way but Mike saw it as an attack, despite neither of you clearly not being interested sexually, and took it out on you just before the party. You had to manage to touch up your makeup and make yourself presentable enough, because Mike insisted on you both still going, and made your way here.

Your closest friends, best friend and Jimmy were all sitting at the large picnic table, a drink in hand or food in front of them on a paper plate. You sat down between your best friend and Jimmy with a tired smile, instantly deflating into the seat. Your friends all looked at you worriedly but didn't say anything more after you assured them you were just tired from work. But of course, Jimmy saw through your facade like paper. He leant into your side as your friends emersed themselves into a pleasant conversation, "What's up?" He questioned as he passed you your favourite alcoholic beverage. Always so observant.

You took it with a smile, "Thank you. I'm okay." You tried to sound as convincing as possible and to most it would have been but Jimmy just had some sort of special power that seemed to always accurately detect when people were being false, lying or hiding something. Jimmy rolled his eyes as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you close, "Don't lie to me, sweetheart."

You groaned quietly, more to yourself but turned your head to look at him. "Me and Mike had a fight before coming here is all." You shrugged like it was nothing but inside it was eating at you. And Mike didn't even seem the slightest bit bothered by it, he was over the other side of the garden laughing and drinking with his friends like nothing was wrong. He hadn't even turned to look at you once but that wasn't surprising if you were honest with yourself.

Jimmy scowled at your boyfriend's back, mentally cursing him, he knew exactly what he could be like. "What did he do this time?" Jimmy grumbled unimpressed. He listened to you complain for the next thirty minutes about what had happened, only commenting or offering words of wisdom when necessary. All while he was thinking to himself about how better of a boyfriend he would be.

I could be a better boyfriend than him,

I could do the shit that he never did.

-

On another occasion, Mike was late to one of the only dates that he offered to take you on, after months of nothing. Jimmy had randomly been driving past on his way home when he saw you sitting alone in a restaurant window looking so sad and disappointed. He was exhausted and had a long day but no matter what, he could not bring himself to drive past and act like he hadn't seen you. He parked his car in a space out front and made his way in, making his way to you instantly after explaining to the waitress.

His heart instantly broke when you looked up at him in surprise with teary eyes that threatened to ruin the beautiful makeup that you had clearly spent so much effort on. He had simply reached his hand across silently to intertwine your fingers together and he ordered food for you both, your favourite, and didn't say anything more.

He didn't ask, he didn't need to, already knew the bastard had let you down once again as he always seemed to. You bravely wiped at your eyes and made mindless small talk to stop yourself from bursting into tears, all while not noticing Jimmy staring at you like you were the best thing he'd ever laid his eyes on. His thoughts getting the better of him as he imagined all the ways he'd treat you better.

I don't need to tell you twice, All the ways he can't suffice, If I could give you some advice, I would leave with me tonight.

-

It was also the same when one afternoon on his way home from work, something told Jimmy to turn onto the route of your place of work. Normally he would have ignored it, not wanting to seem weird because it wasn't on his route home but he decided to listen to the little nagging feeling for once. The rain was pouring down harshly, anyone walking around would be drenched and soaked to the bone within a mere moment with how bad it was. He was driving slowly, looking over at the pavement for any sight of you.

Your car was broken but your boyfriend had promised to be your lift for a few days until it was fixed. He assumed he would have picked you up two hours ago when he said he would but he wanted to check to be sure. And he was glad he had because ten minutes later he caught sight of your pretty blue bag and signature shoes, your arms wrapped around your waist as you shook. Jimmy drove slightly up ahead and pulled over safely before calling out your name once you were close enough to hear him.

You turned to look at the open window in shock, one eye closed from the aggressive downpour. "Get in!" Jimmy yelled, ushering you to get in but you shook your head. "I'll get the seat drenched, no!" You were so cold and wet but you didn't want to be a burden. Jimmy stared at you annoyed, "You think I give a shit about my seats? Get in the fucking car!" He leaned over effortlessly and opened the door for you, leaving no room for argument.

You decided to not be difficult and just get in his car, grateful to be out of the rain. You closed the car door and watched as the window rolled up, lingering droplets of rain on the door. You pulled the seatbelt over you as you shivered. Jimmy didn't miss a beat as he leaned over into his backseat and returned with a soft cotton sweater and a hand towel, it was large enough to cover down to your mid-thigh.

"Here, put this on before you catch a cold." He gently placed both on your lap where your hands were resting. You were freezing and rather drenched so you took them both graciously, wiping as much water out of your hair and clothes as possible as you turned to look at him with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, for the ride and these," you sighed, "I appreciate it." He nodded as he began driving off, turning the heater on to warm you up. He's so caring.

Once you were dry enough you put on the sweater, pulling it as close to you as possible. You pulled the sleeves over your hands as much as possible as you placed your hands over the heaters, a contented sigh falling past your lips as you snuggled back into the chair, warming up slowly.

"You always seem to come to my aid when I need you most. It's like you can read my mind somehow." You spoke quietly, looking down at your lap, which pushed your nose into the fabric of the sweater. You ended up breathing in and smelled Jimmy's smell on there powerfully, he must have been wearing it recently. It made you feel oddly calm and safe. Jimmy's presence seemed to have that vibe about him, you always felt relaxed when around him.

"I'm glad I chose to come this way instead of my regular, you would have been out there for god knows how long." Jimmy sighed, seemingly annoyed at something. He flicked his eyes in your direction before focusing on the road once more, "where's that useless excuse of a boyfriend anyways? Wasn't he supposed to pick you up because your car is broken?" He questioned, a tense tone present as he spoke.

You couldn't even find it in you at this point to defend him, because he just kept letting you down and it seems it wasn't only you that saw it. You sigh exhaustedly, "I honestly couldn't tell you. He said he would be there but I haven't heard from him in hours. Probably out drinking with his friends, knowing him." You hear the sound of leather pulling and look to see Jimmy gripping the steering wheel tightly in his hands.

"I don't know why you are with him, he treats you so badly. He doesn't deserve someone like you." Jimmy grumbled, his jaw tense. You turned to look out the window, watching the buildings and people pass by quickly like little blips of light. "I wonder the same thing sometimes, but you can't help who you love. Maybe one day I will come to my senses." You were half joking, half serious. Jimmy said something under his breath that you didn't quite catch.

For the next twenty minutes, you both chatted idly about nothing in particular as he drove you home. You felt bad because he would have to drive back the opposite way in order to go home, so you vowed to get him a thank-you gift. He finally arrived outside of your home, your cat patiently waiting perched on your windowsill for you to arrive home after a long day. "Thank you again, I truly appreciate it." You leaned over and gave him a side hug, which he returned, before pulling away and grabbing your bag, hand on the door handle.

You had the door open and were about to get out when a hand grabbed yours gently, stopping you dead. You turned to face Jimmy, "I'll be here in the morning to pick you up early." He stated simply as if it were just a normal occurrence between you both. You were about to protest but he interrupted you, "No argument. Go, I'll see you in the morning." And with that, you left and went inside.

The next morning as you made your way outside ready for work with two coffees in hand for you and Jimmy, not holding the expectation of him showing up so you weren't too disappointed, but you were pleasantly surprised to see him already parked and waiting out front. You walked towards his car with a happy smile, your day already ten times better than it was yesterday.

I can't believe we're finally alone, I can't believe I almost went home.

The universe must have divined this, What am I gonna do? Not grab your wrist?

-

It was no different now. You were all at a local nightclub, partners included, for a night out of drinks and dancing. The night had been great except for the huge elephant in the room of your boyfriend sitting at the other end of the club catching and being far too close to a beautiful petite blonde for the past two hours. You had tried your best to ignore the situation and just dance with your friends. You weren't one for confrontation and if he was that easy to lose, he wasn't worth keeping. That was what you kept telling yourself anyway.

Jimmy must have noticed the absence of your shitty boyfriend because he came up behind you a second later and tapped you on the shoulder. You turned and found yourself smiling, happy by his presence. "Hey! Wanna dance?" Jimmy questions as he leans into your ear, the music quite loud. You find yourself nodding, wrapping your arms around his shoulders, happy to dance with someone. Unlike Mike, who had two left feet, Jimmy danced great. Jimmy wrapped his hands around your waist as respectfully as possible but he had a plethora of sinful thoughts that would make you blush if he were to say them out loud.

What are the chances? Everyone's dancing, And he's not with you.

Jimmy decided that tonight was the night he would tell you how he feels, in hopes you'd finally leave your shitty boyfriend. Jimmy brought you near and leaned closely to your ear, the feeling of his breath tickling. "I need to tell you something important that I've been wanting to tell you for a while," Jimmy said as loudly as possible, waiting to see if you heard him. You nod, placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him close so you can hear him properly.

"I like you. I have for a while now. And I know fully damn well that I could treat you so much better than him and you know it, sweetheart." His hand travelled up gently to your face, thumb stroking against your slightly sweaty skin. You were shocked, to say the least, but you knew he was right, you could do so much better than Mike. And Jimmy would be perfect, he treated you amazingly without even being in a relationship with you. How much longer were you going to put your life on hold and waste time with a man who didn't even care about you?

You decided enough was enough, that it was time to end things once and for all with Mike. You knew he wouldn't pay attention to you so you decided to text him, knowing he had it on vibrate. You turned in Jimmy's arms, letting him see over your shoulder what you were doing. You quickly sent Mike a text that things were over between you, that you had finally had enough of being treated like shit. It was as respectful and decent as he deserved with how he'd always treated you. Mike reaches into his pocket and unlocks his phone, seeming to read the text you'd sent.

Mike looks up at you with a scowl, rolls his eyes and then returns to look at his phone. He sends a simple 'whatever,' and that's when you know you've made the right decision. You turn back to face Jimmy, place your phone in your pocket and smile up at him. "I like you too," you yell back, wrapping your arms around his neck. Jimmy grins like an idiot at your reply and pulls you in for a kiss.

You end the night by going home with Jimmy, you don't sleep together but you do spend the night at his snuggled up in his side wearing one of his shirts. The next morning, Jimmy proves why he would be the better boyfriend by making you breakfast in bed while he has his breakfast in bed ;).

I could be a better boyfriend than him, I could do the shit that he never did, Up all night, I won't quit, Thinking I'm gonna steal you from him, I could be such a gentleman, Plus all my clothes would fit.

[romanarose]

Steven helping when you're stressed over a bad friend

Steven Grant x gn!reader

Summary: You are having issues with some friends during finals week and need Steven's assurance.

A/N I literally am having issues with some internet friends right now. Unlike many of my scenarios in my life I turn into fics, I didn't have to deal with this alone. After our last final (yay!!!) me and my friend met up and she talked me to. A lot of Steven's lines are what she said to me, in a more Steven way. I won't go into details, just a few things I think a lot of people can relate too. Anyway, here you go. Not event agging anyone bc this is literally just for me to vent out my feelings.

Warnings: toxic friendships, manipulation (not sure if that's clear here but just incase), brief mentions of anger issues and I wouldn't call it relationship problems, but normal couple stuff the system had to work through together. References to a friend who says concerning stuff, you can take this to mean threats of harming one self, comments about excessive drinking or drug use, or any other harmful behavior. Point is, said person is known to say and do things, and uses it to manipulate reader.

*********

"Love, are you alright?" Steven watched you watching Community from the other side of the couch, instead of your usual spot next to him.

You scoff, a little meaner than you mean. "No, Steven, I'm not" You said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Steven simply waits, trusting you'll realize you were being rude. And you did. You sigh, turning to him. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. That was unnecessary. There was no need for me to be sarcastic." Steven and Jake had been working with you and Marc about regulating your high emotions. They allowed you grace when you went too far, as long as you recognize when you were being mean. As you requested, they didn’t let you or Marc get away with being rude, and the two of you tried to ask for space when you needed time to calm down and the others were coming on too strong.What had started as mediation between you and Marc, who both were prone to anger outbursts, had turned into general work that you and Marc, Jake and Steven had to put into for the sake of everyone's relationships. It was working out well, and the four of you were finding the way to manage things together, as a team.

"Can you tell me what you are feeling right now?" Steven asked, ever patient.

Of course, you knew the next part, naming your emotions. "I'm feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and maybe a little unseen."

His brow furrowed at that. "Unseen by who? Us? I mean, me?"Steven’s work involved not trying to speak for the others, unless asked to.

You shake your head, smiling a bit. There had been a time where maybe you had felt like Steven didn't see you, didn't get you, that only Marc in his anger and Jake in his chaos were the only ones who ever got how you felt, but as you worked through the bumps with Steven, you came to realize that he didn't have to know exactly what you were feeling or had been through to see you. "No baby, with my friends. Between finals and the recent... I don't know if I can even call it drama, I just feel like a lot is going on right now." You last final was tomorrow, and Jake had convinced you to put the books down and take a mental break. The best cook in the house, he made you diner, you ate with Marc, and now were winding down with Steven, hoping a good night's sleep would benefit you more than staying up all night studying.

Steven nodded. "You hadn't mentioned anything was going on with your friends, love, can you tell me what's going on"

"Yeah" You pause a bit. "Can I lay on your lap, Steven? I'm tired"

Steven's warm smile reached his brown eyes "Of course, sweetheart" He reached out for you and you lay down on his perfectly thick thigh as he plays with your head.

"It's Jenna. She's saying that stuff again. A lot of us have reached out to her, but she won't really reply. She'll make these concerning posts for days and not talk to us." You had your phone to Steven to read the things she's said. You've known Jenna for years, but recently as a friend she hasn't been the best, but whenever you try to distance yourself from her, she'll start making these threats, concerning you, drawing you back in.

Steven handed you your phone bad, looking upset. "That's a lot, I see why you're worried. And no one can get a hold of her?"

You shake your head. "But she'll post other stuff on snap chat where she's fine. I don't know what to do anymore. She does this so much and I'm exhausted. She won't accept my help, and I know, I knooooow it's not that easy but I don't know what else to"

Steven leaned over and kissed your head "I know you want to help, you always do, but she's an adult, she has to make her own choices."

"I know, I just feel responsible. She keeps calling me her best fiend so everyone keeps looking to me for answers with her but I just don't know. I don't want to be friends anymore but everyone sees her as this precious, perfect person and can do no wrong, but she's mean, Steven. And I know I can be mean but-"

Steven gently shushed you. "You don't try to be mean, you always apologize, and you always try to do better. I remember her making fun of your phone background, even after you tried to change the subject"

You had interests that some people considered niche, like a damn near obsession with James Dean, who you changed to your phone background to. When Jenna had seen it, she relentlessly teased you for days every time your screen lit up, until you changed it back to you and Jake.

"Yeah... and she said I have a giant forhead. Which is technically true, but she didn't have to say it." you agreed, exhausted from this week.

Steven continued playing with your hair. "I know it's hard, because I know you want so badly for everyone to like you, but it's just not realistic. She might just need to get mad and stop talking to you"

"What if she turns my other friends against me?"

"Well, then maybe they weren't that good of friends in the first place"

"Steven-"

He raised his hands in mock defeat. "I know! I know, I know it's easier said than done, but just do what you can to separate yourself, and me and the boys will be here to help you in whatever way we can, alright love?"

You nod against the skin of his leg, feeling the hair tickle your face. "Okay, I'll try, thank you Steven" You kissed his kneecap.

Steven pulled a blanket over you, and you feel sleep pulling you in as the Community paintball episode opened "And for what it's worth, love, we think it's very hard not to like you."

"even when I'm being a bitch?" You mumble, already half alseep from exhaustion.

"Even when you're having a bad day" Steven clarifies, never wanting to feed into your negetive self-talk.

"I love you Steven"

"I love you too, darling. Go to sleep, I already set an alarm, I'll take you to bed in a bit"

Whatever you said next was incomprehensible as you fell into the first goodnights sleep you'd had since thanksgiving break.

***********

anyway, there we go. As you can see, I've had a bit of a time with a friend, needed to get this out.

on the brightside I finished my last final today, so now I can go stress about this friend who refuses to answer my texts or messages.

[hellolulu]

[Spoilers for Mob Psycho 100 s3e9]

After last week's disappointment (the aliens), I'm glad to say episode 9 brought me unending pleasure! So, here's a list of things this episode did that brought me joy:

We actually got much more of tsubomi's pov in the anime, than we got in the manga. I understand that Manga Tsubomi is strictly through Shigeo's (and now and then Ritsu's) eyes and that is cool in its own way, but whew, it's really nice to see her being a character instead of just the idea of one. (I'm going to write a full post about her - I'll let you know when that's up!).

Serizawa is pretty much the only person who seems to genuinely see Reigen's true self, but rather than going along with his ruses/lies for the sake of "the flow", he just seems to accept that people don't actually have their shit together - that he didn't waste as much time as he'd thought, and by going to school and working with s&s, he's actually able to live a pretty normal life. He's happy with the way things are, not just complacent like he was with Claw. (I will also make a longer post about this - I'll let ya know when!)

Okay, serious points are said, from here on they're a bit dumb ahaha!

Takenaka revealing Tome isn't a girl 😱😱😱 this is a joke but I like thinking Tome is agender like me, so even though his comment was more along the lines of "ugh as if she knows what girls want, she's a weirdo 🙄" it just gave me fuel for my headcanon, sorry! Agender person who uses she/her because tbh we like these ones well enough, and have much more important things to think about (like the occult) 😩😩

RITSU SITTING SO FORMALLY IN FRONT OF SHIGEO I CRIED oh ritsu if you want to be closer with him,,,, you,, you have to act normal around him,,,, lmao. And oh Shigeo feeling more confident because Ritsu is nervous for his sake (aw I love my favourite brothers ever) and the little 🙏🙏 Ritsu does while Shigeo's on the phone, this guy is so funny for no reason

The... The shot of Shigeo playing football with ease :((( parallel to our first meeting :((( the very first episode :((((( he's all grown up :(((( gorgeous :(((((

Ending at the car-crash: AS IT SHOULD BE!!!!! I thought it might end the episode there for shock value and oh it did NOT disappoint!! The way everything just stayed static there for like.. a full minute with the crosswalk tune playing? Masterpiece! Also RIGHT after he used his powers in FULL public???? Of his own choice??? Shigeo really did grow so much!!! Like I said!! S3 is about his finale of self acceptance and it's coming in like a steamtrain!!!! (And also maybe it's unnecessary to mention and I'm sorry, but him saving the cat vs being unable to save the cat during the Mogami arc is a parallel I'm unable to remove from my mind)

Side note, anime-onlies I'm SO sorry for the whiplash you received/will receive at the end of the episode!! I'm sending you the strength to survive until next Wednesday!! I remember the crash happening in the manga and me going feral about it haha! This arc is So Good.

Also I love the body improvement club so much they're so silly I'm so glad Shigeo knows them and has them in his life 😭