#like these are just random things that came to mind

[llonkrebboj]

Adding my 5 cents of context.

I started reading cnovels on the web in 2014 - not on the official sites because my Chinese wasn’t quite that functional for developing internet savviness yet, and I hadn’t figured out there were official platforms… later when I did manage to create my accounts and get them working, certain things had already become common practice.

Starting in female lead 言情 romance mainline novels before moving into danmei a year later, there were still ripples caused by net cleanup campaigns that I heard of distantly in my corners.

First, news and rumors about a fairly popular author 长着翅膀的大灰狼 | Big Grey Wolf With Wings being investigated for allegedly ‘profiting from sales of pornography’ (friends, like the haitang authors of 2024/5, she wrote books!). Three of her works - all het with female leads - were deemed as obscene by an enforcement agency, and she ended up with a suspended 3-year prison sentence in June 2015.

Link to the article about Big Grey Wolf With Wings: https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1366172

Much later (years later actually, while looking up things for the Chengdu Hugo awards scandal), I found out about the 扫黄打非·净网 2014 | Sweeping Pornography and Striking Illegality – Clean Web 2014 campaign to clean up ‘pornography and illegal content’ online. You can read about it on this blog. (The work of 扫黄打非 def continued through the years.) Pretty much every major platform like jjwxc, qidian, weibo, and even cloud storage sites got swept up in this. And jj which was a hub for romance and danmei stories got labeled a hotbed for adult content.

I have a distinct memory of bewilderment when the tag for 耽美 - I hadn’t quite figured out what that was or what it meant - suddenly turned into 纯爱 overnight on the site where I downloaded my txts. Piecing backwards from jjwxc forum questions and replies, it seems like this happened in July 2014. Not only jj, but if you check most sites now, the tag you will see for BL is 纯爱.

Danmei name-change to chunai: https://bbs.jjwxc.net/showmsg.php?board=22&boardpagemsg=12341&id=116331

As the forum moderator explained, the adjustment (rebranding) was due to much stricter checks during that period - likely related to the Clean Web 2014 campaign. Just looking at the words alone, 耽美 - carrying associations with sensuality and influence from Japanese Boys’ Love, and 纯爱 - emphasizing innocence, emotional purity, and the absence of sexual content. I guess you just have to do what you gotta do to keep the website operating.

(On lofter right now, neither chun’ai nor danmei are searchable tags. You do get a handful with 原耽 though, as a truncation of original danmei.)

Between 2015 and 2018 (I only found out the exact rough timeline looking it up for this reply, but it mostly aligns with the time I started noticing complaints, begging and funny ribbing @ reviewers appearing in authors’ notes), jjwxc formalized a “three-stage” review process for all content: First, automated machine screening; second, review by a randomly selected trio of users; and third, high-level editor approval. If a piece failed at any stage, the author would be notified to revise or the content would be removed. Around this time was when the standard of 脖子以下不能描写 | no depictions under the neck, as well as when ☐☐ came into fashion.

Moving into 2019! I think this is the year more people will start to remember because more of anglosphere fandom had been getting into cnoveland and fantranslations by this time, whether it be through the earlier novel adaptation cdrama, BL adaptations or Untamed.

Around May 2019, even qidian had whole sections of their site frozen for up to a week; books were taken down and people were losing their accounts over completely random things from puns that edged too close to forbidden words, to slightly steamy kissing scenes (although I think this mind boggling period turned out to be due to reviews via bots which flagged things indiscriminately)?

Something similar was also happening to jj, fanqie and midu in July 2019. And all of them were forced to stop updates and suspend commercial operations over a certain period during which time, they were supposed to ‘clean up problematic content, strictly enforce content review and management systems’. Of and course, fines. Fines were definitely paid. And for all the other times too.

Article for the above: https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20190716-972936

[Some forbidden topics: https://www.jjwxc.net/backend/forbiddensubject.php]

More than before, writers started using clever metaphors, ancient-style language and other euphemisms to get around the filters. You might even have heard of some of the jokes made in hell like 古代文言文式开车 ~ writing smut in classical, literary language.

And it wasn’t just sexual content. Military romance, historical fantasy, real life politics, anything that touched on religion or violence—those were all fair game for censorship too*.

*People with the jjwxc app, you can go to check under public messages from 2021-06-10 ‘多部门署启动“净网“集中行动，请网站各位作者注意严控作品尺度和导向’ | Multiple departments have launched a coordinated 'Clean Internet' campaign. Website authors are urged to carefully monitor the content and messaging of their work, and look at the guidelines laid out there. A portion of it is translated (via mtl) in this tumblr reply.

Also, the elephant in the room was illegal publishing. Some authors who couldn’t get ISBNs would self-print 同人志 | fanbooks and sell them at cons or online. That was fine… until someone reported you. Like in the case of the author by the pen name of 深海先生 | Mr Shenhai, where they accused another danmei author of plagiarism, and the author clapped back by reporting them for illegal publishing. Mr. Shenhai got arrested and sentenced to 4 years in prison. And of course the MXTX arrest rumors of 2020/21 that probably were true.

All in all, I guess the shift from danmei to chun’ai wasn’t just about semantics, it really marked these 10 years as era of transition for Chinese BL, from the freedom of before to whatever state it’s in now.

After the arrests last year of danmei authors who published their works on the Taiwanese website Haitang, the authorities have allegedly arrested another 200-300 authors, many of whom took to weibo to share their experiences recently.

What struck me is how the authors always blamed themselves for not being cautious enough or being led astray by their financial needs, but nobody put the blame on the unjust rules and the greed of the authorities that led to their arrests - not that they would dare to. It's an utterly bizarre situation that, as a new danmei English license seems to be announced once every few days here on the other side of China's Great Firewall, within China the persecution keeps getting more rampant and the danmei community feels more and more cornered and frightened. Reality is always more surreal than fiction.

I translated some of the author's weibo posts, please see below:

“I knew I was being naïve and over-optimistic (about the repercussions of writing danmei), so I can’t blame anyone. Sometimes I want to resent society but then I’ll give up the thought. As for the criminal punishment, my view on it is still the same - I even feel that I’m different from those who engage in prostitution; after all, I made all this money by typing my stories word by word. Yet when I got into trouble, people talked about it as if I didn’t have to work for my income.” - This is from an author who wrote danmei because her family’s poor and she wanted to save money to travel. She got into a master’s programme before this and the programme kicked her out because of her arrest.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve always been the well-behaved golden child in my parents’ eyes. I had the best grades among my peers and won scholarships in both high school and university. When we visited family during New Year and other festivals, my parents were always proud of me in front of our relatives. But that day I shamed them thoroughly and the shame will always stick around...I love the characters I wrote very much, planning and creating their stores always brought me so much happiness and fulfillment. But a mistake is a mistake. I want to use my personal experience to admonish others - don’t try to go against the regulations in any way ever, don’t put yourself in the slightest bit of risk.”

“I’ve never felt this horrible in my entire life. I’ve always firmly believed that nobody in this world could be that bad. My rose-tinted glasses were broken along with my romantic expectations for the world. My values and outlook on life were shattered. When something like this happens, perhaps only the family of the author involved and the author herself would be hurt deeply! It’s just business for everyone else!”

This one’s written by the author’s sibling: “Another sleepless night. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, and it’s been three festivals since we could be together...I’ve felt remorseful for countless times that I didn’t contact more people and I felt that I haven’t done enough. I prayed to the gods and the Buddha for more times in the past two months than in the past 30 years. Besides asking for the Heaven’s protection and blessing, what else can we do?...You supported yourself financially during university solely by doing part-time jobs. We’ve always put too much importance on money, and that’s how we allowed you to make a mistake.”

(link to the original weibo posts: https://x.com/whyyoutouzhele/status/1928763362541818266)

[hannahsturniolo]

ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡɪsᴅᴏᴍ ᴛᴇᴇᴛʜ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ

Summary: you get your wisdom teeth out, and Matt takes care of you.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Today was the day, you were finally getting your wisdom teeth removed. The nerves had been building for days, but last night, they hit their peak. Sleep didn’t come easy. You tossed and turned, your mind racing with worry. Every time you woke up, your first instinct was to reach for Matt, pulling him closer, needing the comfort of his arms to quiet the rising panic. Just feeling him there helped steady your breath, even if only for a little while.

You sat up in bed, a few tears slipping down your cheeks. Without hesitation, Matt pulled you into a tight embrace, his hands gently rubbing up and down your back, grounding you.

“I’m here to take care of you, baby,” he whispered softly. “It’s okay. I’ll make sure you’re always okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’ve got this.”

You got up and slipped on one of Matt’s hoodies, the one that smelled just like him, hoping it would bring you a little comfort in the operating room. You threw on a pair of soft shorts and tied your hair up in a messy bun, still feeling the nerves creeping in.

Hand in hand, you and Matt walked out to the car in the quiet morning air. Once inside, he held your hand tightly, pressing gentle kisses to your knuckles every so often, little reminders that he was right there with you, every step of the way.

You reached the dentist’s office and they called your name almost immediately. Matt trailed right behind you, his hand resting on the small of your back, never letting go as you walked down the hallway. Settling into the chair, you felt the mask go on and the flow of laughing gas begin. Panic fluttered in your chest, but Matt laced his fingers with yours, thumb tracing slow circles over your knuckles.

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he murmured softly. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

The laughing gas took over quickly, and within moments, you were fast asleep. Matt gently let go of your hand and stood up, watching you for just a second longer. A nurse came in and quietly guided him out to the waiting room, where he’d wait while they carefully removed your wisdom teeth.

When you finally started to wake up from the surgery, still groggy and drifting in and out of sleep, they called Matt back into the room. The moment he walked in and saw your puffy cheeks and mouth full of gauze, a big smile spread across his face, both amused and full of love.

He came straight to your side and took your hand without hesitation. You don’t remember much through the haze, but you remember that feeling , the comfort of his presence, the warmth of his hand in yours, and knowing he was right there with you.

“Hey baby, I’m right here. Don’t worry,” Matt whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss to your forehead, his hand still wrapped around yours. You kept trying to speak, mumbling through the thick gauze in your mouth, but the words were impossible to understand. Matt gave a small laugh, squeezing your hand reassuringly.

A few moments later, the dentist returned to check on you. They carefully removed most of the gauze and replaced it with a smaller amount. Finally, your mouth wasn’t so stuffed, and your words started to make sense, Matt smiled, relieved to hear your voice clearly again.

The laughing gas kicked in full force, and that’s when things got hilarious. You started saying the most random things, completely unfiltered. Matt couldn’t stop laughing, and even the nurse had to hold back a smile. You had no idea what was coming out of your mouth, but it was pure gold.

You kept blurting out the most random things, completely out of it. At one point, you looked at Matt with wide, confused eyes and asked, “Did my tongue fall out?” before reaching into your mouth to check. Matt quickly and gently grabbed your hand to stop you from poking at your bloody tongue, trying not to laugh.

A few minutes later, you mumbled, “Where do turtles even come from?” and then, with sudden suspicion, narrowed your eyes at the dentist. “Did you steal my teeth?” you asked accusingly. Matt was practically in tears from laughing, and the nurse couldn’t help but chuckle too. It was pure comedy gold.

It was finally time to leave the dentist’s office. The dentist and Matt helped you into a wheelchair, both steadying you as you giggled through the grogginess. Matt carefully pushed you out to the car, your laughter echoing down the hallway. You were still mumbling nonsense, words slurring together in a way that made absolutely no sense , and you couldn’t stop laughing. It was completely uncontrollable.

Once at the car, they both helped you into the front seat, making sure you were comfortable. As Matt got in and started driving, you pointed out every random thing you passed, a tree, a stop sign, a squirrel, asking the most bizarre questions like, “Do streetlights have birthdays?” or “Why do cars blink?”

Matt glanced over at you, grinning, his heart so full. “Baby, you want a smoothie?” he asked sweetly. “The dentist said you can have one as long as there’s no straw. I know you’re probably hungry.”

You nodded enthusiastically, still giggling, eyes lit up like he just offered you a trip to Disneyland.

You pulled into a drive-thru and grabbed a smoothie, just like Matt promised , but you never even touched it. Your head was still in the clouds, lost somewhere between laughter and sleep.

When you finally got home, Matt didn’t hesitate. He scooped you up bridal style, carrying you into your shared room with so much care, like you were made of glass. He propped up a few pillows and gently laid you down on the bed, placing the untouched smoothie on the nightstand just in case you woke up hungry.

But you didn’t. You were out cold within seconds. Matt chuckled softly to himself, unable to resist snapping a photo, you looked so peaceful and adorable, cheeks still puffy, hair a little messy, completely zonked out.

He climbed into bed beside you, gently running his fingers through your hair as you slept. The room was quiet, lit only by the soft glow of the TV playing some random movie in the background. He didn’t even care what it was, he just laid there, watching you breathe, waiting patiently for you to wake up.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Taglist❤︎:

@courta13 @riggysworld @heartsonlyforchris @mattssidepiece @matthewsangel @whore4chris @mattsturniolofuckingsexy @sturkneeohloww @leila-marie4 @sturniolo-szn2 @tezzzzzzzz @fictionalboysstuff @sturnixblogger @vall67 @chrissbxby @sturniolobananas1 @sophand4n4 @stvvrn1olo @xxxxxxlovesstuff @mattspillowprincess @moond0llie @emely9274 @briizysturn @sturniolooluvv @kenziesturniolo54

[darqx]

😈

❗️For commonly asked qs please see my BTD FAQ

I drew Demon Strade from memory and have absolutely 0 recollection how big he actually is lmao. Side note the subtitle for this in my head was "it's dangerous to go alone take this" except its not Strade saying it XDD)

Rire will put someone into any position he feels like (because honestly manoeuvrability is not a problem for him) so lets just say...a lot of them.

Would you even be able to reach his head lol

I would say that he mostly travels (as sometimes it also depends on who/what he's collecting and whether anyone is technically looking for him - ie did someone murder these people wth?). Keep in mind that one of Rire's powers is that he can, essentially, step sideways into a Gate in one country, navigate a void space for a few minutes/seconds, and then exit from another Gate somewhere in another country lol.

There's a bunch of different AUs/verses (because i like sticking my characs in them for fun) where he's technically an "ordinary guy" and to answer your question in ever single one of them he is in some position of power :d Eg: Headmaster, mafia boss, compound leader in a zombie apoc, high ranking military official, rich and popular college kid (this one somewhat debatable as BTD!College AU doesnt specify whether Rire is actually human or not XD) etc.

What has Saturn ever done for me? 🤌🏻

Check the bottom of this one :d

Every single Royal in the Nether is considered a dictator and Rire is no exception. His subjects consider him one of the more preferable ones because a) kind of leaves them alone for the most part, b) if he is inflicting terror on them/someone it's usually for a reason (as far as they know) and c) the economy has been doing great since he came into power.

You can consider Rire more of an...acquirer. Meaning that if he can't do something, he has an extensive network of people who owe him a favour or several that might be able to. Also loopholes exist hahahahah

If he's not exchanging for your soul, he's folding you into this network, that's how he works.

Rire's ego is not so big that he wouldn't be calculatively thinking about how best to exploit this |D

Oh yeh he def has servants to do a bunch of stuff for him! However, he has only been a Royal for a relatively short amount of time so he does actually know how to cook etc by himself if required.

Not a game but he will be plot B in a comic. As for being inserted into YKMET lore that's up to Gato XD

Warm tone gold type colours

Nah he heals pretty well. Also I feel like if he did get a serious enough wound that looked like it was going to scar then he'd use some sort of medical cream or whatever to make sure it didnt.

He'd be a little shit and vague about it ("oh somewhere quite far from here"), and if people keep trying to guess would literally give his Sector name from the Nether and later agree that it's in one of the random countries that were being guessed. Ah but so well hidden you won't be able to find it on a map, sure, try if you want.

Anon even i don't know in what context you are using this word lol.

The sense factor for this essentially 🫲🏻"is a demon (and a feeling of how powerful they might be)" and 🫱🏻 "is not a demon" which usually means a human lol. For your qs case, maybe only if said human was exceptionally powerful (so that the oddness registered as something "off" human) OR if they were using said power at the time (as happens with Battle Priests).

I haven't thought about a lot of things and i can clinically say that's one of them lol.

[23xfgg]

BATFAM x EXTREME PARTY GIRL READER

No invite. No entry. Sorry not sorry. 🩷

She threw the best parties in Gotham. Secluded, wild and a night to remember. Never once has a party been lacking that fun that kept the youth talking. Teens form high class backgrounds to even regular people will join just to have a night to remember.

With Bruce’s money she has no limits for what the party could be the press didn’t call her Brucie Wayne’s child for nothing. She took his persona ran it to the moon and back, reshaping it into her glittering hyper self.

There have been a couple of times where you almost gotten caught either by the police or Gotham’s vigilante party. But you always cover any tracks showing illegal substances or any underage drinking that did happen.

The Batfam honestly just thinks that you are just someone who wants to be left alone to your own devices when Gothams cameras aren’t on you and never knew of your true personality or the times you often plan elaborate underground parties or raves and sneak out to host said events. Not like they will ever know.

The day they did find out was completely random. You were in the kitchen doing some random school easy when your phone rang with one or the dealers numbers flashing across the screen. You grabbed your phone and left to the garden hoping no one was there to listen in on the call - forgetting to close your laptop. A little bit after you left duke enters needing to complete an essay for school. Seeing your laptop he thought that you wouldn’t mind if he saves your work and opens a new one since you were nowhere to be found. But in doing so he accidentally closed the document and came face to face with your instagram page. Colour lights, crowds, music drinks and drugs. All posted about on your page with your latest post hold ing information to the newest party you are hosting that same evening. He was just in shock staring at the page when Dick and Bruce walks up behind him. Dick gasping when he saw the page. Thinking is was just a fake page or a fan account he decided to look the account up himself only to find out that he is blocked.

At this moment you walk back in seeing both Bruce, Dick and Duke around your laptop like it’s some strange thing and before you can get a word in Dick asked you “Little Bird what is this?”

Walking around the counter to see what go him worked up jut to see your instagram page. “It’s my instagram page….” you responded nonchalantly realising that there is no point hiding it no more now that they found it. Your response causing Bruce’s seeming permanent frown to deepen more as he asked “Then why can’t we find it” gesturing to Dicks phone where it says ‘account not found’.

“Because…I blocked everyone…duh…” you said as its the most simplistic response grabbing your laptop as you pack up to return back into your room when Bruce stops you with one sentence “You’re grounded.”

“What…?” Your eyes widened as you registered the words spoken to you.

“You’re grounded.” Bruce repeated . “One other your brothers will be with you through out the day and when its time to patrol you will be with Alfred in the bat cave helping out with provinding information.”

“But you can’t do that!” You argued. “I have friends, plans, A SOCIAL LIFE! I can’t be cooped up in a cave 24/7!”

“You can do all the stuff you want in reason but your brothers will be with you making sure you don’t do anything reckless or stupid.” Bruce argued back asserting dominance (wannabe alpha)

“And you unblock us.” Dick inserts earning a look from every one in the room where he just sheepishly smiles in response.

“Ugh whatever.” You mumble as you walk out the room past the rest of the batfamily mumbling how they just can’t ignore you like they have done to you these past years.

ALPHA // lil siumthing before I go back to writing drug addict/sober reader (I’m only 2 paragraphs in)

THIS WILL BE REWRITTEN SOME DAY I JUST WANTED TO PUT SOMETHING OUT BWE BWE NOEWW 🩷🤌🤌🤌

ALPHA OUT🐺🐺🐺

(ddg as the ao oni)

[azzishands]

Fan of a fan - Chapter five

Paige x Azzi

Word count: 11.8k

Warnings: sexual content

Author’s note: I just really want to stress that the characters in this story are NOT a reflection of the real people they are based off of. There’s gonna be mentions of family members from now on and I just wanna point out that I do not know these people, so just keep that in mind, that these are fictional characters that just share the same name as the real life people. With that being said, hope you like it!<3

—

Azzi was walking out of the airport with her bags in her hands, looking for a sign of the blonde woman who was gonna pick her up. 

Two weeks had gone by fast. Azzi had been busy with shooting and Paige with ending the North America tour. They had started to exchange a few messages during the two weeks, which then led to a couple of phone calls, which in turn led to multiple facetimes. It just came naturally to them. 

It started with Paige sending Azzi a photo of the band watching Ricochet, telling her that she had convinced them to watch it. And then Azzi called her, wanting to see what exact dates she should set aside in her schedule for Minnesota. And eventually, Paige facetimed Azzi a random night after a concert, just talking about everything and nothing. And after that, it had become some sort of routine to talk or facetime every day.

Paige had quickly learned during the last two weeks that Azzi Fudd was a very calm person in general, but way more goofy than she would first imagine. She would catch Azzi do random TikTok dances in the middle of their facetime sessions, or sing with a weird voice in another language. Her favorite moment was when Azzi was baking cookies one time on facetime, and she started to sing one of Paige’s songs out of nowhere, just belting it out, while she was taking the cookies out of the oven. Azzi had not even realized what she was doing until she saw Paige smiling like a fool on her phone. 

“Oh shit,” Azzi had slipped out, covering her mouth instinctively. 

“That sounded really good,” Paige had teased her. “You should follow us to Europe and be our background singer.”

“Shut up,” the actress blushed. 

Azzi on the other hand, had learned how extremely loving Paige is towards everyone around her. The way she treats her bandmates as not just her band and friends, but as her family. The way she treats her fans so respectfully. And the way she’s always trying to be the best version of herself, and always gets disappointed in herself when she feels like she could’ve done better. That’s another thing she had caught on to - the way Paige was afraid of doing anything wrong.

“It’s impossible to see every single one in a crowd,” Azzi tried to reassure Paige one time on a phone call after Paige had accidentally not high-fived a fan when the band had exited a restaurant. A fan had taken a video of it, pointing out how Paige had ignored the fan.

“But it really looks like I actively ignored her,” Paige sighed. “I should try and find her, see if I can fix some free tickets to a concert or something.”

“Paige,” Azzi had said so softly. “It was a high-five. I promise you the fan was just excited to see you all. If she’s really a fan of yours she knows that you would never purposefully ignore her high-five.”

“I guess so,” the singer had said. “Thank you.”

And now here they were, finally getting to see each other again. 

According to the text message Paige had sent earlier, Azzi should be looking for a white pickup truck. And it didn’t take long until she spotted one, along with the blonde waving at her. 

“Hey you,” Paige hugged the actress tightly. “How was the flight?”

Azzi greeted the blonde by melting into the familiar arms before Paige took Azzi’s bags and put them in the car. 

“It’s cold here,” the actress stated and turned up the heat in the car as Paige drove the car out of the airport’s parking lot. 

“I told you to bring a winter coat,” Paige chuckled while driving. 

“I know,” Azzi groaned. 

“It’s alright, I got an extra at home.”

At last, they arrived at Paige’s apartment in downtown Minneapolis. It was a very lowkey apartment building who you would never guess a rich famous singer would live in. The inside of the building on the other hand, was definitely something a rich famous singer would live in.

“Welcome to me,” Paige said and opened the door for her guest. “Want a tour?” 

The apartment consisted of three big bedrooms, a spacious kitchen, a living room, a small home movie theatre, an office and a cozy home studio. Azzi peeked in every corner of the apartment, trying to spot all the small things that made the place Paige’s. Like the photographs of her family in the bedroom, and the Grammy standing so proudly in the studio, and the little stuffed husky in the movie theatre. But her favorite thing she saw was the bookshelf in the office, which was filled with all kinds of books. There was something very intimate about walking through Paige’s place. Maybe because she’s a very private person to the public, which makes it a contrast to how Azzi was getting to know her, getting to see every little corner of her home. 

“Damn, this place is huge,” Azzi said as they finished the tour of the place.

“Yeah it’s spacious,” Paige nodded. “But I just felt like I wanted a place where my family could stay when they’re here. And it’s convenient when the band is here as well, to be able to be in one place, you know?”

“I thought your family lived here in Minnesota?”

“My dad and my stepmom and my little brother live here, but my mom and two younger siblings live in Montana,” the singer explained. 

“Oh I see,” the actress said. “Are you close with your siblings?”

“Yeah, I try to see them as much as I can, but me and my mom have a little more… strained relationship than me and my dad, so I see my little brother Drew, who lives here, a lot more than Ryan and Lauren. But I try to fly them out here often, and have a lot of sleepovers and stuff,” Paige explained further. 

“That’s cute,” the actress smiled warmly. “Are they much younger?”

“Yeah, they’re all almost teenagers,” Paige said. “But I still see them as my babies.”

“I get what you mean. I have two younger brothers who are in college now, but I still see them as the small kids who used to run around in the house playing tag all day,” Azzi said.

“You’re the oldest too?” Paige asked.

“I mean, yeah, but also no,” Azzi said and scratched the back of her head. “My dad is not my biological dad, but he’s the one who raised me and everything. I don’t have any contact with my biological dad, but I do have an older brother from him. We don’t talk that much but we’re cool. So yeah, I’m the oldest sibling in my house, but not, biologically or whatever.”

“Yeah, family is kinda complicated sometimes,” the singer said with a sigh. 

Azzi nodded and hummed in agreement. 

“Anyway, I was thinking that we were gonna cook something for lunch,” Paige said. 

“Cook? Do you know how to cook?” Azzi asked.

“Um, yes? I’m an excellent chef, thank you very much,” the singer stated with sass. “Do you not?”

“I consider myself much more of an eater than a cooker,” Azzi replied. “But I’ll watch you.”

“Nah, you’re gonna cook with me, you don’t have a choice miss Fudd,” Paige protested and grabbed her hand to drag her to the kitchen. 

Even though Azzi’s really not into cooking at all, she secretly loved the fact that Paige wanted them to cook something together, and she couldn’t wait to see Paige doing her thing in the kitchen.

“So, I was thinking we’re gonna do lasagna,” Paige brought her hands together as if she’s some kind of motivational speaker while Azzi sat by the kitchen island, looking at her amused. “Do you like that?”

“I love lasagna,” Azzi nodded. 

“Okay good, so you can start by chopping up some onion and garlic,” the singer instructed and took out a cutting board and a knife for the actress. 

“And what are you gonna do?” 

“I’m gonna watch and make sure you don’t hurt yourself,” Paige teased. 

In the end, Paige actually had to watch over Azzi when she was cutting the onions, because she did not have the right technique at all.

“Oh my God, have you never done this before?” Paige almost shouted at the actress as she walked over to her and put the knife down. “You’re a danger to yourself.”

“Shut up, I’m not that bad,” Azzi argued. 

“You literally are. Here,” the blonde took a step towards the actress and stood behind her, wrapping her arms around her body to put her hands gently on top of Azzi’s.

“Now let me guide you,” she said softly. Her head was resting on Azzi’s right shoulder, and it was really distracting for the actress to focus on cutting the onions when Paige’s face was that close to her own. 

“See?” the singer said as she guided Azzi’s hands with the right motions. “How much easier it is when you do it like this.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Azzi said, not having paid attention at all, just leaning into the feeling of the singer behind her, almost holding her. 

Paige could tell Azzi didn’t pay attention. So she put the knife down, still having her hands on top of Azzi’s, and just stood there for a few seconds. She let go of Azzi’s hands and instead wrapped her arms around the actress’ stomach softly and nuzzled her head into the actress’ neck. Being hugged from behind by Paige Bueckers was instantly one of Azzi’s favorite feelings.

Azzi relaxed into the singer’s body, leaning back with her head, turning it towards the blonde hair and inhaled the scent of Paige’s shampoo. 

“Fuck it, maybe we should just order something and then take a nap,” Paige murmured into Azzi’s skin, giving her goosebumps from feeling the singer’s breath on her neck.

“Hmm, that sounds great, but I don’t want to ruin your plans,” Azzi said. “Besides, now I really want to eat lasagna.”

“Are you sure?” Paige leaned back from the hug to look at Azzi, still with her arms wrapped around her.

“Yes,” Azzi smiled brightly. Their faces were so close that their noses were almost touching. Those piercing blue eyes always did something to Azzi. They’re completely irresistible. She’s certain that if Paige would ask her for anything and look at her like that with those eyes, Azzi would not be able to say no, ever.

Paige licked her lips out of habit, and Azzi’s eyes darted down. This time it’s Paige who leans in. She stopped just before their lips met and looked at the actress, then lightly pressed her lips onto Azzi’s. 

Azzi sighed contentedly into the gentle kiss. She carefully turned around and wrapped her own arms around Paige’s neck, as they kissed once again, this time more firm. Paige’s hands were on Azzi’s lower back, pulling her closer. The singer lightly swiped her tongue on the actress’ bottom lip, asking for entrance, and Azzi opened up her mouth to meet Paige’s tongue with her own. The butterflies were going wild in Azzi’s stomach at the sensation. She could easily make out with Paige for hours if she could. 

That’s why Azzi broke the kiss abruptly and way too quickly for Paige’s liking. “If we don’t stop now I don’t think we’ll ever finish the lasagna,” she breathed, resting her forehead against Paige’s. 

“We don’t have to,” Paige smirked.

“Paige,” Azzi rolled her eyes with a big grin and gently pushed the singer away. 

Paige just smiled and gave Azzi a quick peck on her cheek before she took the knife in her hand and started cutting the onions and garlic.

One hour later, the lasagna was in the oven. Paige had done most of the work, but Azzi had been right beside her, helping as much as she could without being a hazard to her environment. That included stirring the meat, placing the lasagna sheets when they layered it, and sprinkle mozzarella on top. Oh, and putting it in the oven of course. 

Now they were laying side by side in Paige’s bed, having to wait another forty minutes for it to be done. The plan was to take a nap while they were waiting, since Azzi was a little tired from the flight, but none of them closed their eyes. How could they, when they were right next to each other.

“You can sleep with your eyes open?” Paige joked, as she turned to lay on her side, facing the actress. 

Azzi turned to face Paige as well. 

“Guess I’m not that tired anymore,” Azzi said.

It’s only their knees that are touching, but Paige could feel it through her whole body. It seemed that the actress could never be close enough. 

“Tell me about your dreams,” Paige said. 

“My dreams?” 

“Yeah, in life.”

“I wanna win an academy award for best actress. I want to star in a series. And I know it’s a bit cringe maybe, but I want to be a part of a film remake of a classic,” Azzi mused out loud. 

“All of it sounds like valid dreams, and really doable ones too,” Paige smiled. “It’s just a matter of time, really.”

“I don’t know,” Azzi blushed shyly. “I’m trying not to stress about it, but I feel like I’m not that young anymore and the pressure is getting to me for every day that goes by in this industry.”

“You mean you’re not a teenager anymore,” Paige stated. 

“Yeah, exactly. The age of people who are breaking through in the industry is becoming younger and younger, and even if I’m only twenty-two, it feels like I’m a middle aged woman compared to these new sixteen-year-olds, judging by the media. And don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful for being where I’m at and how I got here, and I know that my career doesn’t have to end just because I’m getting older, but it’s just that… feeling.”

“I get that,” Paige said. “I think it’s a bit different in the music industry, since we don’t have to be a certain age for a role, or have a certain look. But there’s definitely some kind of pressure to attain accomplishments as young as you can.”

“Right? Even though it really doesn’t matter, it's an underlying incitement in the whole industry that seeps through in how everyone treats you and looks at you. Everything feels so rushed,” the actress agreed. “But what about your dreams?”

Paige’s eyes wandered for a bit, thinking to herself what she’s gonna say.

“Hmm, I think my dream is to live a peaceful life, continuing to write songs, playing with the band, but not always being the center of attention I guess. And maybe start a family one day,” Paige said at last. 

“Oh wow, my dreams were really shallow compared to yours,” Azzi laughed. “Was it ever a dream to win a grammy?”

“Not really, I’m not that award oriented,” Paige told her. “But I’m super grateful for it, now that I have one, it’s something I’m really proud of. It’s like a statue for how strong our bond is in the band. At least that’s what it stands for for me.”

Azzi smiled brightly. “You’re so humble.”

Paige shrugged and tucked away a strand of hair that got in Azzi’s face behind her ear, her fingertips brushing against the actress’ cheek. Azzi shivered by the faint touch. 

“Do you judge me for wanting to win an Oscar?” Azzi asked honestly. 

“No, of course not,” Paige immediately answered. “Music is too subjective for me, one might like it, one might not, it depends on who sits in the jury after all. I guess it goes the same with movies, in a way, but not with acting. At least not in my opinion. It can be a really bad movie, but the acting can still be good. Acting is a skill, and there is good and bad acting.”

“I guess so,” Azzi mumbled. 

“I like that you’re ambitious,” the singer told her. “You’re a hard working woman with big dreams you’re not afraid to chase. There’s like nothing more attractive than that.” 

Azzi let out a puff of air, feeling her cheeks starting to heat up. 

“I can think of a few things more attractive than that,” she said as she looked into those blue eyes intently.

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Paige whispered back.

“Like, being a humble superstar,” she said. “And, I don’t know, having… blue eyes. And blonde hair. And a really cute smile, with the biggest heart, and even bigger hands.” 

“Hands?” Paige laughed and looked at her hand in front of her, flipping it back and forth, inspecting it. “You’re into hands?”

“No, just yours,” Azzi said and put her hand on Paige’s. 

“Your hand is almost as big as mine,” Paige stated as they’re having palm against palm. 

In the blink of an eye, Azzi intertwined their fingers, rolled them over and straddled Paige while pressing her hand down onto the mattress, using her other hand to press down Paige’s other wrist.

“Oh,” Paige chuckled in the new position she’s suddenly found herself in. 

Azzi leaned down and kissed Paige on the lips. It's strange, how their bodies just seem to flow together as if they were one. As if they weren’t meant to be anywhere else but on each other. 

Paige got her hands free from Azzi’s and let them stroke her sides, earning a soft grunt from the woman on top of her. She let them go further down Azzi’s body, down to her hips and then on her butt. 

The actress just tried to keep holding herself up with her arms on either side of Paige’s head, but the feeling of her hands on her butt makes Azzi just wanna melt down and collapse.

Azzi moved her hands to Paige’s chest, gently palming her breasts. The singer groaned while her hips jerked up a little, which in return made Azzi let out a soft moan. She started to grind down on Paige, which resulted in Paige raising her hips a little bit, helping her movements with her hands.

They’re both panting into each other’s mouth while still dancing with their tongues. Paige moved her hands to Azzi’s back, running them up and down, then caressing her sides, making Azzi feel tingles all over her body. God, Azzi loved feeling Paige’s hands on her. 

The actress started to kiss down Paige’s neck, licking and biting everywhere on the space she’s given when Paige leaned back with her head. Azzi felt tempted to leave a mark, but decided against it and moved onto the collarbone, licking along it. Paige was writhing under her touch, and Azzi could hear low whimpers coming out of her mouth. 

Paige was going insane. The kisses on her neck, the licks along her collarbone, suddenly hearing Azzi moan in her ear? It’s all just too much for her to handle. She felt as if she could come undone right there and then. Her body was moving on its own by now, just reacting to whatever Azzi Fudd was doing to her.

And then Azzi moved her leg to settle it in between Paige’s, and suddenly there’s pressure on the one place that’s been aching. Paige arched her back from the surprise and slightly gasped. Azzi’s gasping too because when Paige arched her back, she bent her knees and suddenly Azzi was practically riding her thigh. 

The actress brought her mouth to Paige’s once again, and kissed her passionately. Their clothes were still fully on, but their hands were beneath the fabric of their shirts. Paige’s fingertips dragged along Azzi’s abs while Azzi’s fingertips were caressing Paige’s sides. 

Paige can feel something start to build in the pit of her stomach. Her boxers are absolutely soaking and the stimulation she’s feeling from Azzi’s thigh is unbelievable. But it’s Azzi’s kissing that’s getting her closer and closer. The way she’s kissing her with so much passion and need. 

The singer moved her hands down Azzi’s stomach to the hem of her pants and was just about to undo them, when the alarm for the lasagna set off. 

Azzi broke the kiss and collapsed on top of Paige, letting out a frustrated groan. 

“Oh my God,” she murmured.

Paige wrapped her arms around the relaxed Azzi, and she could feel her heartbeat beat as fast as her own against her ribcage. 

“I know,” Paige whispered, equally as frustrated. “Talk about bad timing.”

“I was close,” Azzi confessed in a whisper as she removed herself from the singer. 

Paige smiled like a fool hearing that, sitting up on the bed as well.

“I’ll take care of it later,” she said and rubbed the actress’ back as comfort. “I promise.”

“You better,” Azzi looked at Paige with a serious look, and Paige could only laugh. 

Something about them already felt so familiar and domestic, and she has a feeling the rest of the remaining time together will only develop their connection.

—

It was the second to last day together in Minnesota for the two women. Azzi had been there now for two days, having two more days to enjoy together. She would’ve wanted to stay longer with Paige, but it had required a lot of planning and detailed scheduling for her agent Caroline to arrange four whole days off. Azzi couldn’t possibly ask for more when Caroline had done everything and a little bit more to make it possible. 

Yet here she was, wanting to ask Caroline if she could just stay one more day in Minnesota. Of course she knew it would never work, but in a desperate attempt to prolong her visit, she sent a text. 

Azzi Fudd: There’s no way I can get one more day off, is there?

Caroline Ducharme: No honey, I don’t think there is. You have a movie to film.

Azzi Fudd: Figured. Just wanted to double check. Thank you Caroline<3

She put away her phone and looked over to the sleeping blonde right beside her. Azzi didn’t hesitate to scoot closer and put her arms around her. She loved being the big spoon just as much as being the little. 

The last two days had been simply amazing. Azzi hadn’t really known what to expect before she got there, but she hadn’t expected them to be so… coupley with each other so fast. It came naturally of course, but when she thought about it, it was almost strange how natural and easy everything had flown between them, considering the limited time they spent together prior. 

It was the way their fingers would brush against each other every time they were beside one another. Or the way they would look at each other like they didn’t need words to communicate. Or the way Paige would just kiss her out of nowhere, so innocently, so full of affection. Or the way Azzi would curl up next to Paige when they watched a movie, and play with her hair. It was the way everything was said and done with so apparent yearning for each other. As if they had waited long enough already to not care about being obvious with what they want.

She thoroughly enjoyed it. And the fact that it all was happening with the Paige Bueckers? Sometimes Azzi had the urge to pinch herself to see if it’s all just a dream, because it was really too good to be true. 

She was in awe of the way Paige carried herself, but also just the way she looked at the world. She was always humble, never took anything for granted and did everything with love and respect. Azzi looked up to the singer in so many different ways already. 

Paige started to stir in Azzi’s arms, and she turned around and lazily swung her arm around the actress’ waist.

“Good morning,” Azzi whispered, having the blonde’s head under her own.

“Morning,” the newly awake Paige mumbled back into Azzi’s chest. She nuzzled her head closer to the actress’ neck, wanting to be even closer. Azzi just held her tighter and gave her head a peck.

“What time is it?” the singer asked.

“It’s 9 am.”

“I could set camp right here for the rest of my life,” Paige mumbled sleepily. 

“I think you’re sleep talking now” Azzi stated amused. 

“I’ve never been more awake,” Paige replied back and sighed contentedly in Azzi’s arms. 

She loved the way Azzi held her. She loved that it felt so safe to be big, small, strong, weak, confident and insecure with the actress. In the past, she would often meet girls who only wanted her confident and dominant side, and even though she was all that, she’s not only that. With Azzi, it feels like all of her fits in. Nothing is too feminine or too masculine, Azzi just sees her as Paige, and that’s enough. Being herself felt so easy with Azzi.

“I’m not used to being held like this,” Paige confessed. “But I love it.”

“I can’t imagine that, you’re very holdable,” Azzi stroked the blonde hair and started to massage her scalp softly. “You’re just a baby.”

“I’m older than you, you’re the baby,” Paige protested. 

“Shh my baby,” Azzi cooed and just kept on stroking her hair as if she was comforting her. “Don’t start crying now.”

Paige would normally keep the bicker going, but not this time. Hearing Azzi call her her baby did something to her, even if it was play pretend. Feeling this way shouldn’t be possible when they’ve barely known each other for a month, but here she was, feeling big feelings for the actress already. Hearing that possessive pronoun made her heart flutter. 

The singer leaned away a little from Azzi’s embrace to look her in the eyes.

“I really appreciate you being here Azzi,” Paige said dead serious.

“I really appreciate being here,” Azzi answered. “With you.” 

“Kinda don’t want you to leave tomorrow,” the singer mumbled before nestling her head under Azzi’s head once more. 

“Me neither,” Azzi breathed, her heart beating fast at the way Paige had just looked at her, so full of affection, so full of admiration and… care. 

Yesterday had been a day full of adventures. Paige had been driving them around, showing Minneapolis. They had been shopping, going to a museum, eaten at a fancy restaurant at night, then gone to a movie theatre to catch some random movie. Every single second spent together the last 48 hours had been simply amazing. There was never a dull moment with the two together. Azzi felt like she could do laundry with Paige, and it would somehow be fun. Paige felt like she’s never experienced Minneapolis the way she had the last two days with Azzi. She had never realized how romantic the city really is. 

Paige’s favorite moment was when they were at the Minneapolis institute of art, and Azzi always dragged her to another painting or photography and said: “Look, look, this one’s really cool. I like the colors here. And this one! Oh my God, how do you even capture this? Kinda gives me the creeps but in a good way.” It was so cute how Azzi was so excited to show Paige all things she found beautiful. It made Paige feel special, like Azzi wanted to share all the beauty in this world with her, eagerly. 

Her reminiscing came to an abrupt end when her phone started to ring, and Azzi opened her arms to let her go so she could answer the phone.

“Morning kid,” her dad answered the phone.

“Hey Dad."

“I know you said you’re gonna be busy having company these four days, but Drew is really impatient and he wants to play some basketball with you like right now. How about you and your company come over tomorrow night and eat dinner with us?” he asked. 

“I don’t know…” Paige looked over at Azzi who was looking at her curiously. “Let me think about it and I’ll call you back.”

“Yes, think about it,” Bob, her dad, said. 

They hung up and Azzi rose from the bed and started to get dressed. 

“Your dad?” she asked while putting on some pants.

“Yeah, he um… he kinda invited us to eat dinner with them tomorrow night,” Paige scratched the back of her head. 

“Oh,” Azzi stopped what she was doing. “I mean, I don’t mind. Do you want to?”

“The question is, do you want to?” Paige chuckled. “It’s our last moment together before you gotta fly home, you wanna spend it with my family?”

“As long as you’re there, I don’t see why not,” Azzi smiled. 

Paige’s lips curved into a smile. “Really?”

“Really,” Azzi nodded. “It’ll be fun to meet Drew too.”

“He wanted to play basketball with me, that’s why we even got invited,” Paige scoffed. “Dummy.”

“You know, I played basketball in High school, and could’ve gone to college if I wanted to” Azzi said. “If he wants to play with a real hooper instead of… you.”

Paige let her jaw drop in disbelief. “Excuse me, I also played in High school and was close to being recruited, but then our band started to take off so I didn’t pursue that career.”

“Oh really?” Azzi challenged. “Did you also get to meet Steph Curry for being such a great three-point shooter?”

“Um, no?” Paige said with an attitude. “I was more of an unselfish player, letting my teammates shine.”

“You mean they carried you.”

“Nah what the hell is this,” Paige protested. “Tomorrow imma show you videos of me playing and then I dare you to say that again.”

“Or, we can just play against each other and settle it that way,” Azzi suggested. “That is, unless you know you can’t win against me and would rather have me watch a video.”

“Bruh, you’re on,” Paige said. “Get ready to be humbled tomorrow.”

“Likewise,” Azzi said with a smirk. 

The two women got dressed and hopped into the car to drive to a “place with a view”, as Paige had called it. They had packed two sandwiches for lunch and had put on warm clothes for some light hiking. Apparently Paige loved to be outside in nature. 

“This is like my favorite spot ever,” Paige said as they had parked the car somewhere near a forest and had started walking. 

It was still winter and a bit chilly in the air. Their boots left prints in the snow and Azzi could see steam from her breathing through her mouth as they walked. The sun was shining, and the snow on the ground was glittering all around them. It was truly beautiful.

“Wow, it’s so still out here,” Azzi said as they had walked up the hill to a more sparse part of the forest. They had walked so much upwards that they now could see the city from a distance, from above. It could’ve might as well have been a ski slope, the view, the snow, the altitude and the lack of trees around them. 

Paige sat down by a bench that was thoughtfully placed where you could see the view the best. Azzi joined right beside her.

“I love to hear the nature around me, like the birds or the wind. Or just the silence. God, I love hearing the silence,” Paige told Azzi while looking out over the view. “I used to come here a lot when I had fought with my mom growing up.”

Azzi looked at Paige with a sad smile. “What about now?”

Paige’s blue eyes met her brown ones with that, and gave her a small smile. “Not that often anymore. Now I go here to just wind down in nature, not necessarily to escape anything.”

“It really is a breathtaking view from here,” Azzi said, still looking right at Paige. The singer nodded slowly, holding the eye contact carefully, not wanting to break it. 

“You like being in nature?” Paige asked. 

“I do, although I’m not hiking or anything, but I love to be outside in general. My grandparents have a cabin near a lake, so we used to be out on the water, fishing or swimming, and it’d be the best time of summer really,” Azzi reminisced. 

“That sounds like the best kind of summer,” Paige said. 

“It was,” Azzi nodded with a smile. “But I don’t make that much time now to be out in nature, unfortunately.”

“It’s a bit hard to do that in LA perhaps,” Paige mused. “You like LA?”

“I do,” Azzi answered. “It’s convenient and Hollywood is where the industry’s at. But I wouldn’t mind spending a year or two somewhere else, like going to a foreign country and film a foreign movie.”

“What kind of country are you interested in? I can be on the lookout on the Europe tour for you,” Paige asked. 

“Somewhere with a totally different culture than here. And aesthetically pleasing views, or beautiful nature. With lots of history to it,” Azzi mused out loud. 

“That’s… a lot,” Paige laughed. “Not very specific. I think you would like most countries.” 

“I haven’t traveled a lot, because I’ve been working mostly, so I wouldn’t really know,” Azzi admitted. 

“You should come to one of our concerts on the tour,” Paige said. 

“You’re inviting me everywhere,” Azzi laughed. “I’m gonna get fired for neglecting my job.”

“Is that a yes?” Paige smirked. 

“No,” Azzi snorted. 

“Is it a no?”

“...No.”

“I’ll see you in Europe then,” Paige said with a grin, knowing that Azzi most definitely wanted to come see her on tour. 

Azzi just rolled her eyes with a smile, gently shoving Paige’s arm. 

They just sat like that, next to each other, looking out at the view for the next few hours. The conversation flowed effortlessly like always. 

The rest of the day was spent in Paige’s apartment. Azzi had to read through her script and have a meeting online, and while Azzi worked, Paige cooked dinner for them. 

“I could get used to this,” Azzi said as she entered the kitchen after having ended her meeting, and saw the homemade meal of pasta alfredo. It smelled incredible.

Paige raised her eyebrows with a smirk. “Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah, getting spoiled like this,” she nodded and sat down at the table. “Having a private chef.”

Paige lit some candles and put on some chill jazz music in the background. 

“Romantic,” Azzi commented. 

“It’s our last dinner together, just us,” Paige shrugged and sat down across Azzi. “I wanted it to be special.”

And it was special. It was special in the sense that it felt like a date between a couple who had been together for years. The way they would share funny stories from their childhood with each other and laugh so loudly. But mostly it was the fact that there was no nervousness surrounding them. It felt safe. It felt familiar already.

Paige could see it. She could see them in the future, just like this, spending their days together like this one - Azzi rehearsing her script, having online meetings in one room, Paige being in the other doing her thing, cooking for them, to at last join together for dinner. It was a vision she was steadily desiring more and more. Just more of Azzi in general in everyday life. In the big and small things.

Azzi was secure in their newfound connection. She didn’t doubt for a moment that they were on the same page with each other. She found Paige very consistent with her words and actions towards her, she felt no need to talk about where they were headed or clarify what they were doing. She felt safe in the unknown with Paige. And it meant everything.

—

“You ready?” Paige asked as she buttoned the last of her white button up shirt. 

Their final day together had arrived, and the two women were getting ready for the Buecker’s family dinner. 

“Yeah,” Azzi replied, giving herself one last look in the mirror. 

“Wow,” Paige said as she turned around to see the actress. Azzi was wearing a long black bodycon dress that was hugging her figure tightly with an open back. She had her curly hair down with silver earrings, necklace and rings. 

“You look absolutely stunning,” Paige blinked, not believing what she was seeing. 

“You think?” Azzi smiled innocently and gave a little twirl for Paige to see the whole thing. “Is it too much for a family dinner?”

“No,” Paige answered immediately, not being able to tear her eyes away from the other woman. “You should definitely wear that.”

“You know, you don’t look so bad yourself,” Azzi said and walked up to the blonde, wrapping her arms around her neck. Paige’s hands instinctively landed on Azzi’s lower back, pulling her in.

“Is that so?”

“Mhm. Kinda starting to regret us going somewhere where I can’t touch you like I want to,” Azzi whispered, her eyes hooded with mischief. 

Paige could feel her knees go weak with that. Azzi’s eyes were driving Paige mad, the way she was looking at her like she couldn’t wait to devour her. 

“Believe me, I’m gonna try and make it a short dinner,” Paige swallowed hard. 

Azzi just laughed and embraced the singer. “You know I packed my bag because I have to go straight to the airport afterwards.”

“Nothing’s impossible,” Paige just said and hugged her tightly. 

The car ride to Paige’s dad’s house was unbearable for Azzi. The way Paige was gripping the steering wheel in a white button up shirt and a jacket stirred something inside of her. She was practically squirming in the passenger seat. All she could think about was unbuttoning it, and feeling Paige’s chain against her skin, amongst other things. 

“You okay?” Paige asked, concerned with how shifty Azzi was being next to her. 

“Uh-huh,” Azzi just said, trying to play it cool. 

“Why are you… squirming like that?” Paige raised her eyebrow, still with her eyes on the road, and to Azzi’s misfortune, her hands still on the steering wheel with her veins popping. “Are you cold?”

“No no, I’m just… nervous, I guess,” Azzi lied. 

“Don’t be,” Paige smiled and put her hand on Azzi’s thigh as a supporting gesture. But that was really the cherry on top for Azzi.

“Oh God,” she blurted out at the contact. 

This time Paige turned her head for a second at Azzi with both her eyebrows raised suggestively. She saw the look on the actress’ face and finally understood what was going on. She snorted quietly to herself, not letting her hand go off Azzi's thigh. 

“What’s the matter?” Paige asked, pretending to not notice how worked up the actress was. She started to rub her hand up and down Azzi’s thigh as a sign of comfort. 

Azzi was trying to calm herself and steady her breathing. If she was gonna survive the night she was gonna have to become composed. But how could she, when Paige was rubbing her thigh like that, driving like that, being dressed like that?

“You can’t- I mean, I-” Azzi stammered and put her hand on top of Paige’s to make her stop moving it. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Paige said and withdrew her hand completely.

“No I-” Azzi stopped herself from saying anything.

Paige turned her head towards the younger one with a smug smile, revealing that she knew what was up. She placed her hand between them with her palm open, inviting Azzi to intertwine their fingers. 

“Is this better?” she asked. 

Azzi let out a breath and held her hand. “A little.”

Azzi was convinced Paige was one of the most precious human beings on this earth. Her gestures were always the cutest and pure. Azzi was sure that this woman right next to her could never hurt a fly. She was gentle, caring and loving in everything she did, she learned more and more everyday. The confident lead singer was still there, but it was really not the main characteristic like Azzi thought it would be in the beginning. 

Paige’s dad’s house really looked like any other house in the suburbs of Minneapolis, and Azzi was looking forward to meeting the people that raised the kind soul she had gotten to know. Paige parked the car in the driveway and the two women exited the car and entered the house.

“Paigey!” a young boy ran up to them and jumped up in Paige’s arms as soon as they walked in. 

“Hi Drew,” Paige held the boy who looked about eleven years old or something, Azzi couldn’t really tell. “Drew, get down, you gotta say hi to our company.”

Drew reluctantly let go of his big sister and looked at Azzi. 

“Oh wow,” he blurted out. “Hi.”

Azzi gently chuckled. “Hi Drew, I’m Azzi. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“I know who you are,” the boy deadpanned. “You’re that actress that Paigey loves.”

“Bro,” Paige facepalmed herself while Azzi gave her a smug smile. 

“Thought I heard someone at the door,” a man walked into the hall with a big smile. 

“I’m Bob, and this here is my wife Cathy,” he introduced the woman next to him. 

“Hi, I’m Azzi, it’s so nice to meet you.” 

“It’s so nice to meet you too,” Cathy said. “Wow, you’re very beautiful, Azzi.”

Azzi gave a kind smile with a “thank you” and follows the family into the kitchen where everything is set up. Paige gently put her arm on her back, leading her to one of the chairs to sit down by the table.

“Dig in,” Bob said as they all sat down around the table. 

“So Azzi,” Cathy spoke. “Congratulations on your Golden Globe.”

“Thank you,” Azzi slightly blushed, not having expected them to know about the recent award. 

“I remember last year when you were nominated, and we were watching it here because Paige made us, as the movie fanatic she is, and she got so upset when you didn’t win,” Bob told her with a smile. “Said something about being robbed.”

“Oh?” Azzi looked over at the blonde with an amused grin. “That’s sweet. Although I do think Lily Gladstone truly was the worthy winner, so I didn’t feel robbed at all. But thank you.”

“Perhaps,” Paige said, a bit embarrassed about her dad revealing her enthusiasm about the actress a year prior. “But I’m happy they got it right this time.”

Azzi smiled at the singer, and Cathy and Bob exchanged a knowing look. 

“Azzi, who’s the most famous person you know?” Drew suddenly asked. 

“Dude,” Paige just chuckled. 

“I bet it’s someone more famous than all of Paige’s friends,” he continued. 

“Hmm… Maybe Zendaya or Emma Stone,” Azzi answered. “And Paige Bueckers of course.”

“Paigey isn’t even that famous,” Drew commented. 

Paige snorted with a frown. “I’m not trying to be.”

“You’re doing pretty well for someone who’s not trying,” Azzi said.

“I know,” Paige shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m a natural.” Azzi just playfully rolled her eyes at that, finding Paige’s confidence to be stupidly charming. 

“Well Paige has been talking about you for years Azzi, so I’m glad we finally get to meet her friend,” Cathy spoke. 

“I’m glad to meet you too,” Azzi said, smirking on the inside with the knowledge that Paige’s parents probably thought that they had been friends for years just judging by how much the singer has talked about her. Paige on the other hand felt exposed everytime a family member opened their mouth. 

The dinner moved on steadily after that. Bob and Cathy were inviting people who made an effort to get to know Azzi with natural ease. The actress felt like she could be herself around the family and even joke with them. Azzi could see how this environment had shaped Paige into being the kind soul she is. 

“Thank you so much for this dinner, it was delicious,” Azzi said as they had finished the meal. 

“No problem honey,” Cathy answered. “If you’re ever in town again, you’re always welcome here.” 

Paige looked at the younger woman and nodded happily. 

“Are we gonna play basketball now?” Drew asked impatiently. 

“Yeah, let me and Azzi change clothes first,” Paige said and grabbed Azzi’s hand to lead her somewhere else. 

“Oh wow, is this Paige Bueckers room?” Azzi said as she looked around the small room with posters of artists and basketball players on the walls. 

“Here,” Paige tossed a hoodie and some sweatpants to Azzi. “You can wear that.”

Azzi started to take off her dress, but not without seeing how Paige was just unashamedly staring at her as she did. 

“Seeing something you like?” she teased.

“Let me help you with that,” Paige just said and approached the actress. She pulled the dress up, lightly caressing Azzi’s thighs in the process. They stood face to face, looking deeply in each other’s eyes.

Azzi lifted her arms up as Paige removed the dress completely from her. 

“Oh my God,” the singer exhaled at the sight of Azzi wearing a black lace lingerie set. “You did this on purpose.” Paige tossed the dress somewhere in the room and put her hands on Azzi’s waist and pulled her in closer, and Azzi snaked her arms around Paige’s neck.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Azzi answered, before planting a soft kiss on Paige’s lips, barely touching. “You like it?”

“I love it,” Paige nodded and leant in again to give her a proper kiss. Azzi sighed into it, feeling Paige’s hands roam freely over her body. The way she caressed her sides, her butt, her stomach, her back - it drove Azzi crazy. She let out a soft groan into Paige’s mouth. 

“Paigey! Azzi! Are you done changing soon or what?” a very impatient little brother shouted from the other side of the door, and Paige broke the kiss with a sigh. 

“Relax, we’ll be out soon!” Paige just shouted back, her hands still on Azzi, not letting her go. “Now where were we?”

Azzi gently pushed her away with a chuckle. “Let’s not make him walk in on us.” 

Paige threw her head back with a groan, clearly not happy with the interruption, but knew that they had no choice but to stop there. Azzi put on the sweats Paige had given her and Paige put on some as well. 

It didn’t take long for Azzi to see that Paige was indeed a very good basketball player. She was just observing the two siblings going at it one-on-one for a while, not wanting to interrupt their sibling quality time, even though both Paige and Drew insisted on her playing with them. 

“No, you guys play first, I’ll just watch for a while,” she had said. 

“Hm, I know what you’re doing,” Paige had smirked in response. “You’re checking out the competition.” 

“What competition?” Azzi had challenged. 

And now Azzi realized, that was exactly what she was doing. 

Paige clearly didn’t play all out against her little brother, but Azzi could tell that she was fast enough and shifty with the ball to make it hard to guard her. Drew really had no chance against his big sister, but the few times he caught the ball, he was pretty good as well.

“Why don’t you let Drew start this time,” Azzi suggested after about twenty minutes of just Drew not being able to get the ball from Paige. 

“Nah, he’s gotta learn defense,” Paige just said. 

“Paigey!” Drew let out a frustrated shout after another failed attempt to steal the ball. 

“Come on little dude,” she just replied. “Take it.”

“I’m done,” he answered, all tired from having spent the majority of the time just running around chasing the ball. He walked straight into the house and didn’t look back.

“You’re a menace,” Azzi said. 

“Well that’s usually how our hoop sessions end,” Paige shrugged. “Besides, I wanted to have time to play with you too.” 

Azzi shook her head as if she couldn’t believe Paige’s ways of getting what she wanted. She stood up and approached the woman.

“Give me your best shot,” Paige said and threw the ball to her. 

And Azzi did. But it didn’t take long for Paige to read her plays, being able to steal the ball a couple times. Since Azzi had observed the older girl’s game for a while, she had an idea of how she would defend against her, but now actually playing against her, she realized how wrong she was. Paige was unpredictable. 

“10-10,” Paige said after they had played for a while. “You’re not that bad, I’ll give you that.”

“It’s a tie,” Azzi deadpanned. “You can’t say that I’m good or bad without calling yourself that.”

“Okay, first one to reach fifteen wins,” Paige decided. 

None of the women held back. They were playing as if their life depended on it. Paige had learnt early on in their game that Azzi was a killer at shooting, and did everything in her power to not give her any open space to shoot comfortably. That didn’t really help though, as Azzi was just as good at dribbling the ball past her, finishing with layup after layup. 

But Paige was not far behind, and in the end, her speed and ability to score pretty much from anywhere paid off. 

“15-13. What can I say, still undefeated,” Paige smirked at Azzi who was breathing heavily. “Do I get a prize?”

“Hell no,” Azzi snorted. 

“I didn’t peg you as a sore loser, Azzi,” Paige said and teasingly pushed her. “I pegged you as a loser, sure, but as a sore one? Well, you should just get used to it from now on.”

“This is literally one of the worst losses in my life,” the actress said. “You’re so annoying.”

“That’s not what you said last night,” Paige continued the teasing. 

Azzi rolled her eyes and started to walk in again without waiting for the singer, but Paige quickly ran up to her and put her arm around her shoulders. At that moment, it really hit Azzi that this was their last moment together, and she sunk into Paige’s touch, snaking her arm around her waist holding her closer. 

It didn’t feel right to leave. She could already feel how much she was missing the older girl. She should be worried how attached she had become just in a matter of three weeks. 

“We’re gonna go to the airport now,” Paige announced to her family as they entered the house. 

“No!” Drew exclaimed. “Are you leaving now, Azzi?”

“Yeah, unfortunately,” she answered with a sad smile, feeling touched with Drew’s reaction. She gave him a tight hug and promised to play more basketball with him next time, without Paige. Then she hugged Cathy, who wished her a safe flight and told her that it was a great meeting her. 

And then there was Bob. He hugged her tightly and whispered: “Thank you for making my daughter so happy.” Azzi’s eyes widened. The way he had said it was as if it was a secret he was letting her into. It was clear that he didn’t want anyone else to hear it, just Azzi.

Azzi let go of the hug and nodded slowly but surely. She didn’t really know what to respond to it, considering she felt like she should be the one to thank him for raising someone so amazing like Paige. 

“Thank you guys for everything, I’ll hopefully see you again soon,” Azzi said a final goodbye and exited the scene with Paige. 

The moment Azzi sat down in the passenger seat, she felt that something had changed inside of her. What Bob had said to her had stirred something. She had never doubted their connection, never doubted Paige’s intentions, but now she somehow felt more sure than ever. Almost as if she had a new realization, a new conviction. 

“Take me home,” she blurted out to Paige as Paige started the car. 

“What?” Paige asked, confused. “You are going home,” she stated.

“No, I mean take me home to your apartment,” Azzi said with a serious tone. 

“Did you forget something?” Paige asked, still confused. “You’re gonna miss your flight if we go home, I could just send whatever you’ve for-”

“I can’t go home just yet,” Azzi said quietly. “I’ll take a flight home in the morning.”

“Azzi… I mean, are you sure?” 

Azzi just nodded, not really meeting Paige’s eyes, because she had a feeling that if she did, she would fall apart. 

“Then I’ll take us home princess,” Paige smiled widely and took Azzi’s hands in her own, giving the back of it a sweet peck before driving out the driveway. 

The ride home was quiet. They barely spoke to each other. Azzi was too occupied feeling everything all at once. It was quite overwhelming, how much she felt, and she couldn’t even name what exactly it was. It was as if her body hadn’t been able to feel the difference between leaving Paige or being chased by a lion. Her heart was beating fast and all she could focus on was trying to breathe steadily and the safe feeling of Paige’s hand holding her. 

Paige’s head was occupied too, replaying what Azzi just had said and what it meant. Azzi wanted to stay as long as she possibly could, and it meant everything to Paige. Seeing the younger girl being so reluctant about leaving made Paige realize how real this was, how raw it was. It was starting to become something more.

Once they entered the apartment, Azzi wasted no time. She knew what she wanted, and it was Paige. All of Paige, as long and as much as she could. She pushed the singer against the door and crashed their lips together. Her hands were already at the hem of Paige’s hoodie.

Slowly and deliberately, Paige moved her tongue against Azzi’s. She could feel the urgency from the actress but had no intentions of rushing through the night. She grabbed Azzi’s hands from underneath her hoodie and spun them around, pinning the younger one against the door. 

After having spent the last three nights with the actress, Paige had learnt that Azzi was not afraid to take control and take initiative. It was something Paige valued a lot, considering her history with passive and submissive girls, so having Azzi being so assertive was quite refreshing and liberating for her. Of course she had seen a submissive side to Azzi, and it was clear as day that girl was a switch, but this night, she wanted to evoke that side of her to a new level she hasn’t seen yet. 

This time, Paige was done with letting Azzi take control however she wanted. She wanted to treat Azzi the way she deserved to be treated - spoiled with pleasure.

Moving her hands to the actress butt, she slightly bent down and lifted her off the ground. Surprised by it, Azzi’s eyes shot wide open and she flung her arms around Paige’s neck, holding onto her. Paige had one arm under her butt and the other on her back as she carried her to the bedroom while sucking on Azzi’s neck. 

Azzi threw her head back with a soft moan from the sensation. Paige removed her lips from her neck and let her down on the bed, hovering over her.

The actress swallowed from seeing the way Paige was looking down on her. Those blue eyes piercing through her very soul. She could see the hunger and the unadulterated lust in them. It sent shivers right through her. Paige made her feel so desired. 

“Have I told you just how beautiful you are?” Paige whispered.

“A couple times,” Azzi smirked. 

“Hmm, not enough then,” she stated. “And have I told you how fucking sexy you are? The thoughts that ran through my mind tonight during dinner were unspeakable. God Azzi, the things I wanna do to you…”

Azzi let out a desperate breath, almost a whimper, from hearing Paige speak like that. 

“And the way that dress clung onto you,” Paige groaned and lowered herself so she was right by Azzi’s ear. “Just wanted to tear it off of you right then and there.”

“You have no idea what you’re doing to me,” Azzi breathed into Paige’s ear. 

“I think it’s the other way around, pretty girl,” Paige took off her old hoodie that Azzi was wearing and flung it on the floor, to then immediately take off her pants as well, leaving her in her matching set of lingerie.

“Fuck,” Paige groaned and felt her breathing starting to become heavier just by the sight in front of her. 

Azzi was just about to reach out her hands to touch Paige, but Paige just pinned them down onto the mattress and said: “You’re not in charge tonight, princess.” Azzi just swallowed hard at that, feeling her center ache by the words, getting indescribably turned on. 

Before Azzi knew it, Paige flipped her over so she was lying on her stomach, head buried in the pillows.

“Paige!” she flinched surprised when she felt the singer’s hand give her butt a firm slap. 

The blonde placed her legs on either side of Azzi’s butt and leaned down so she could whisper in her ear. 

“Kinda want to take you like this,” she said and massaged the younger one with her hands on her back. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Azzi didn’t say anything, just trying to catch her breath from everything.

“I said, wouldn’t you?” Paige tugged on her hair so she could look at her face. 

“Yes,” Azzi let out with a soft moan. Her eyes clouded with lust. Paige smirked at seeing Azzi like that. She knew that they hadn’t been drinking at all, yet she looked like she was on another planet. 

“Good girl,” Paige praised and started to kiss down Azzi’s shoulder blades, gliding her fingers delicately down Azzi’s sides to her hips and thighs. Azzi’s body was reacting on its own, hips jerking at every touch, legs squirming trying to get some sort of friction. 

Paige then lifted her hips so her ass was up while her upper body still was down in the sheets. 

“Look at you,” Paige murmured, caressing Azzi’s butt. “You’re soaked.”

Azzi moaned at the remark. 

“Please,” she whispered desperately. She just wanted Paige to touch her where she needed it the most.

“Aw, babygirl needs it badly huh?” Paige asked almost mockingly. 

“Paige,” Azzi pushed herself back against Paige’s soft touch, wanting more, but Paige removed her hands from her completely. But before she could protest, she felt Paige pull her panties down and took them off. 

“You’re dripping,” Paige groaned and couldn’t wait to touch her anymore. She leaned in and flattened her tongue against Azzi’s wet pussy, softly dragging it from the clit to the soaked center. 

“Oh God,” Azzi moaned loudly at the first contact. 

Paige gave another long lick to then detach herself from the actress. 

“Paige please,” Azzi whined, already too impatient. 

“Sit up,” Paige said, and suddenly Azzi felt two hands on her stomach, pushing her upwards. She did as she was told and saw Paige’s face between her legs, waiting for her to sit on it. 

Azzi didn’t waste any time and grabbed Paige’s hair while lowering herself down on her tongue. 

“Fuck,” Azzi moaned and started to grind herself on Paige’s tongue, but really, she was riding on her face. Paige’s hands were roaming Azzi’s front, pulling her bra up and playing with her nipples. 

“You’re so desperate, princess,” Paige mumbled. 

“Shut up,” Azzi breathed out as she felt herself getting closer and held onto Paige’s head harder and grinded even faster.

But Paige was not pleased with that, and flipped them over once again. Azzi’s back hit the mattress. Paige detached her tongue from the actress’ clit and stood up from the bed. 

“Paige, what the fuck!” Azzi exclaimed, extremely frustrated. Paige didn’t listen and just walked over to her closet. Azzi didn’t have to wait long to realize what Paige was doing. 

Before she knew it, Paige was standing before her with her clothes off and strap on. 

“You gonna be good for me now, or are you gonna talk back again?” Paige pushed Azzi’s legs apart, positioning herself. She grabbed a pillow and put it under Azzi’s butt to give her better access. 

“I’ll be good,” Azzi swallowed, her heart hammering in her chest at the sight. 

Paige nodded, satisfied with her answer. She leaned down and kissed the actress on the lips, still being wet from having her face ridden on just a moment ago. Azzi could taste herself on Paige’s tongue. 

Even though she loved making out with Paige, this time it felt unbearable. She could feel the strap against her clit with Paige hovering over her. 

She moaned into Paige’s mouth at the sensation between her legs. 

“Please,” she groaned. 

“Please what?” Paige looked down at her. 

“I need it,” she breathed out and put her hands on Paige’s hips. 

“You need it?” Paige just repeated. 

“Need you so, so, bad,” Azzi practically moaned. 

“That’s it, baby,” Paige smiled and grabbed the dildo with one of her hands and slowly entered Azzi. 

“Oh my God,” she arched her back as Paige was slowly but steadily entering her. She wrapped her arms around her neck, holding onto her for dear life. 

“Such a good girl,” Paige whispered into her ear as she had fully eased the dildo into her. 

Azzi wanted to tell her to start moving, to do something instead of just staying still like this, but she knew better now than to start being bratty. Instead, she just started to lightly buck her hips up, feeling the dildo hit the right spot. She moaned into Paige’s ear, and Paige just kissed her neck.

At last, Paige started to move her hips. Azzi’s eyes rolled back in pleasure, her hands holding onto Paige’s back, wanting to be close to her. It felt so intimate, having Paige on top of her like this, fucking her like this. 

“Feels so good,” she whimpered. “You feel so good, baby.”

“Nothing feels better than you, princess,” Paige whispered back and gave her a kiss on the lips. There was something so pure with the simple kiss that was more than just lust. There was trust, there was care and there was admiration in it too. 

“Wish I had a mirror in the ceiling so you could see just how pretty you are, getting fucked like this,” Paige said. “You’re doing so good for me.” 

Azzi could feel herself getting close with those words. 

“I’m gonna cum,” she moaned. “Please.”

“Cum for me baby,” Paige groaned and fucked her even deeper.

And Azzi did. It was as if her body was waiting for Paige’s command, because as the words came out of the singer’s mouth, her body was taken over by pleasure. She arched her body into Paige’s, holding on for dear life while throwing her head back with a loudest moan yet.

Paige slowed down and gently pulled out when Azzi had completely unraveled underneath her. She carefully laid down onto the actress and rested her head on her shoulder, her lips right by her ear. 

“You’re incredible,” she whispered and gave Azzi a sweet kiss on the cheek. 

“You’re, you’re the one to talk,” Azzi panted, trying to catch her breath. She caressed Paige’s back and peppered kisses on her shoulder. 

“I’m glad you wanted to stay a little longer,” Paige leaned back to look into Azzi’s eyes.

“You sure made it worth it,” Azzi smiled. 

“And there’s still so much left of this night,” Paige winked.

“You gotta give me a minute,” Azzi laughed. 

“Want some water?” Paige got up from the bed and headed to the kitchen.

“Yes please.”

Azzi could hear Paige in the kitchen with the tap. Even if they had just finished having sex, the fresh memory of it made Azzi shiver and get goosebumps all over her body. The anticipation of what the rest of the night had in store for them made her tingle all over again. 

So when Paige returned with two glasses in her hands, Azzi threw herself at her, almost making her spill water all over the floor.

“That didn’t take long,” Paige mumbled against Azzi’s lips, smiling like a fool, quickly shutting up to reciprocate the kiss. 

—

“You look like hell,” Zendaya said as she gave Azzi a hug as she entered her trailer. “How was Minnesota?”

They were just about to go to hair and makeup to start the day, but Zendaya wanted to interrogate her friend first. 

“I have barely slept,” Azzi deadpanned. “I flew in this morning, literally just came from the airport. But, it was worth it. Minnesota was amazing.”

“Uh-huh, Minnesota, or Paige?” Zendaya teased.

“Both. Mostly Paige, but Minnesota was actually very beautiful as well.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“I think I’m… starting to really like her,” Azzi carefully said to her friend. “Like, for real.”

“Girl, I could’ve told you that two weeks ago,” Zendaya smirked. 

“But isn’t it way too early for that? For feelings and stuff?” Azzi asked. “I feel like I don’t want to mess it up by expecting us to be too serious too fast.”

“Don’t think about that, just let things happen and you’ll see that it’ll get there naturally,” her friend said. “You’re allowed to have feelings. Hell, you have some great feelings. Enjoy it.”

“You’re right,” Azzi smiled. “You know, we were up all night, and I just felt like everything made sense. Being with her makes sense.”

“Up all night huh?” Zendaya winked. “Doing what exactly?”

“Having sex,” Azzi shrugged. “And talking. And then more sex. And then talking. And then cuddling. It just felt like we couldn’t get enough of each other in any way. It was literally heartbreaking to leave. I love being around her.” 

“Aw, that’s adorable,” her friend wrapped her arm around her. “I’m so happy for you Azzi.”

“Yeah. But she’s going to Europe soon and we have the press tour coming up, so we won’t be able to see each other that much now,” Azzi sighed. “And I already miss her.”

“You have your whole life ahead of you to be with her, don’t stress,” Zendaya stated casually, while Azzi just flinched at the mention of “whole life”. It kind of overwhelmed her how this could potentially end up being the best or the most hurting thing in her life. But she quickly tried to comfort herself by thinking that everything in life was a risk, and this was no exception. Except the fact that Paige felt like a piece in her life she wasn’t willing to risk losing. Not even a little bit. 

“Let’s go to hair and makeup now. I can’t believe we’re almost done shooting,” Zendaya stood up to exit the trailer. 

They had approximately two weeks left of shooting the movie before a short break to then go out on a press tour. It wouldn’t be a big press tour, since the real one would start closer to the premiere which would be some time next year. 

Azzi had always loved acting. Ever since she was a kid she was in every school play, every local theatre play and her mom always helped her get small background roles. It was her way of expressing herself, her outlet of emotions. She was grateful her parents were so supportive of that dream, since she understands that most parents would want their children to reach for more stable jobs than acting, but they never stopped believing in her. 

It was only five years ago she felt like she entered the real movie industry and the big Hollywood scene when she was starring in a Christopher Nolan movie amongst other big names. It really happened over night, the difference between being just an actress, to suddenly becoming a celebrity. 

Of course she had been known before, especially internally in the business, and there were some fans here and there. But the mainstream media never covered her like they started to after that movie. The paparazzi were always waiting outside of her home for the whole duration of that movie premiere and then some more months afterwards. Mostly because she was rumoured to be having something with her at the time co-star Maya Hawke, and they were seen leaving together more than once.

And truth be told, Azzi and Maya hadn’t been platonic at all. But they were never officially together either. Maya never wanted to be. She wanted to focus on her career. And it’s not like Azzi didn’t want to focus on her career, but she didn’t feel like she had to make a choice between her job and her love life the same way Maya wanted to. And so after one big fight, they just cut everything off. 

The moment Maya stopped being seen with Azzi, the paparazzi started to simmer down. They didn’t go away completely, but she wouldn’t get blinded every time she would go out at least. 

Azzi had never confirmed her sexuality to the media. She never felt the need to. She was well aware that the majority of her fanbase were queer, who were also hoping that she was queer too, and that they still shipped her with Maya and tagged her in edits every single day. She loved them deeply and appreciated every single one of them. If she would ever officially come out, it would be to them, to share the experiences they all had in common - to proudly be a part of the community. But for now, it was enough to be a part of the community without having to declare it, but without hiding it too. 

Hopefully, Azzi thought, it would happen naturally hand in hand with Paige Bueckers. 

—

[kikis-writing-service]

— complimenting his freckles; izuku midoriya x reader

reader is a foreigner in Japan.

The late afternoon sun slanted through the conference room windows, catching dust motes floating between you and Midoriya as you hunched over case files spread across the table. The Hero Commission building had grown quiet—most people had gone home, leaving just the dedicated few still working through complex cases. The air conditioning hummed softly overhead, occasionally rustling the papers you'd organized into neat piles around your workspace.

You'd been watching him for the better part of ten minutes—ostensibly listening to his analysis of assault patterns, but really cataloging the way his hands moved when he spoke, how he occasionally ran his fingers through his dark curls when they fell into his eyes, how his voice carried that familiar thread of excitement when he connected disparate clues. There was something deeply satisfying about witnessing his mind at work, the way he could weave chaos into coherence with nothing but genuine curiosity and relentless attention to detail. This attraction wasn't new. You'd been drawn to his intelligence from the beginning, to the passion that lit up his features when he rambled.

"The location choices suggest someone with local knowledge," he was saying, finger tracing routes on the map spread between you, "but the victim selection seems random, which means—"

The sunlight caught his face as he leaned forward, amber light streaming across the constellation of freckles that scattered over his cheeks and nose. You'd noticed them countless times before, filed them away as part of the catalog of things that made him beautiful. But right then, bathed in golden light, they looked almost celestial.

"Your freckles are really pretty."

The words slipped out without any particular thought behind them, cutting him off mid-sentence. It was just a fact, like pointing out that the sky was blue or that his methodology was sound.

Midoriya blinked, his hand frozen where he'd been gesturing toward the map. "What?" The word came out soft, almost breathless.

"Your freckles," you repeated, refusing to look away even as heat began climbing his neck. "They're really pretty."

What happened next was not what you'd expected. The blush that crept up his neck was immediate and dramatic, spreading across his cheeks until the freckles stood out even more against the pink flush. He touched his face self-consciously, like he was suddenly remembering something about himself he'd never really thought about before.

"Oh," he managed, voice pitched higher than usual, almost squeaky. "I—thank you?"

You'd complimented people before, of course. your directness often caught others off guard, sometimes made them uncomfortable with its unvarnished honesty. But this was different. This was Japan's top hero, someone who dealt with admirers and attention regularly, and he looked like he might combust from a simple observation about his appearance.

"I wonder where else you have them," you said, genuinely curious now and oddly fascinated by his reaction. "Like, do you have them on your shoulders? Your back?"

That made him go completely still. Every muscle in his body locked up as if you'd touched a live wire to his skin—his shoulders went rigid, his hand froze, even his breathing stopped for a moment. His eyes widened and the blush flared even brighter. When he finally drew breath again, it came out shaky, unsteady, and you realized you'd just discovered something interesting. Very interesting.

"I..." His voice cracked on the single syllable. He swallowed hard, and you found yourself mesmerized by the movement of his throat, by the way his pulse jumped beneath his skin. "Yeah, I do."

The admission seemed to surprise him as much as it surprised you. Here was someone who could face down villains without flinching, who commanded respect from heroes across the country, and a simple question about his freckles had reduced him to this—stammering and flushed and completely undone.

"Oh," you said, maintaining that same casual tone while internally filing away his response. "Which? Both?"

You watched him realize he'd walked into a trap of his own making, watched his mouth open and close as he searched for the right words. There was something intoxicating about seeing him like this—stripped of his professional composure, caught between honesty and propriety.

"I...I don't think..." he stammered. He was squirming now, clearly trying to find a way out without being rude, and something warm and satisfied settled in your chest

You let the moment stretch just a beat longer than necessary, watching how his leg had started bouncing under the table, how his hands clenched and unclenched against his thighs, how his lips kept parting like he wanted to say something then pressing together when no words came. You found yourself enjoying it far more than you probably should have.

"Should we keep going with the location analysis?" you asked finally, turning back to the case files with deliberate nonchalance.

"Yes," he said quickly, relief and disappointment warring in his voice. "Right. Yes. The location patterns."

He cleared his throat and tried to pick up where he'd left off, but his composure was shattered.  but it took several false starts to find his rhythm again. It took several false starts before he found his rhythm again, his voice wavering as he fought to reclaim his focus. You found yourself wondering if anyone had ever spoken to him like this before—so directly, without the careful politeness that seemed to govern every interaction in Japan.

"So, um, where was I?" he mumbled, running a hand through his hair—more nervous than unconscious this time. "Right, the escape routes..."

Gradually, he managed to steady himself, his voice growing stronger as he walked through the rest of his explanation. But you could see the effort it took—the way he kept his gaze fixed on the papers, how he spoke just a little too fast, like he was trying to outrun what had just passed between you. When he did glance up, it was quick and careful, never quite meeting your eyes.

You took notes methodically, pen moving across your notepad in steady strokes. But your attention was split between his words and the memory of how he'd looked when you'd called him pretty—surprised and pleased and desperately flustered, like no one had ever told him something so simple and true.

You'd been attracted to his mind, to his passion, to the way he could lose himself in complex problems. But this was something new.

It made you want to try it again.

[trulyumai]

summer happenings

Synopsis: He couldn't feel much. The sun on his skin, the wind flowing back and forth on stormy nights. Or how rain would seep through and stick to his skin like a kept promise. But he felt you. Loved how you smelled. How you looked up at him with those little doe eyes. Yeah, he was keeping you. Pairing: Remmick / Female! Reader Warnings: Talk of blood, possession, obsession, grabbing, worship, roughness, killing.

It was almost too hot to do anything really. In mid July, the house was uncomfortably warm. Your dress— as light as it was, was damp and dragging across your back uncomfortably.

A tray, moist and hot sat in your gloved hands. Cooking mitts clamped around the edges and with a disgruntled collection of sounds it was soon dumped on the counter top. Shuffling around the mittens were forgotten, replaced with a silver fork to lightly pry at the edges of the cookies that gave way with each little pry of your incessent poking.

It was late in the evening, with the kitchen window cracked open anyone within a miles radius could smell the delicious aroma the baked goods let out. Chocolate seeped out of the top of each one, showing off the gooey goodness of such a treat. Only one thing was left to do now.

Light sea salt on the top

Your spices were always jut below the windowsill for easy access. You didn't like putting them away—after all almost everything you baked or cooked took a couple bottles here and there.

With a hand reaching for the salt, it was then when you noticed the figure just beside your garden.

Staring right into your little kitchen.

Noticing this newfound attention, the man let out a slow smile. It wasn't kind—nor mean, really. Some kind of smile you'd show to a bystander on the train, or a random stranger in the market who passed by.

"Evenin' darlin'!" And although the man didn't stray from your fence-line, it felt as if he had gotten closer, like with each blink a step was being taken.

"Evening, sir," you spoke, fingers dancing along the hem of your dress. "Can I help you with anythin'?"

Raising his brows just an inch his hands splayed out on the white pickets keeping in the property. His fingers were long, relaxing against the wood with ease. His sleeves were pulled up to his forearms and the shirt he was wearing constricted against the movement.

"Awh, not really. I was just in the area. Smelled something mighty delicious s'all," One of his hands came up to itch at his scruff, you could hear the nails meet his skin in a slow, methodical stroke.

You nodded, picking up a cooled down cookie and lifted it to his line of sight. "Yeah! I uh, made cookies. Chocolate chip and oatmeal," and although you showed off the treat, held it up for him to see, his eyes never strayed from yours. Unblinking.

Nervousness began to creep in, the silence between talking was unnerving and the urge to slam the window shut was apparent.

The male did nothing but let out a huff, then a chuckle, seemingly taking in your sweaty and nervous form.

"No need to be so scared, honey. I don' bite," Laughing at his own joke, your brows furrowed.

"Im not scared... but who in their right mind walks up to a strangers place like this?" You blurted out. With the cookie now back on the tray, you looked down to finish what you began. Lightly tossing salt on each top of the cookies. Index finger meeting the thumb, sprinkles were seeped onto the goods, and finally, they were done.

You had almost forgotten the man was there.

Almost.

"Names Remmick," With hands now pinching his suspenders, he sat up more. "And I dont hav'ta be a stranger for you, darlin."

'My, this one and his names,' you thought.

And you really hadn't thought much about his visit. Soon after he had said his goodbyes, leaving you to just wave at his dismissing figure.

Until he came back again.

Again.

And again.

By the seventh or eighth visit, all seemed normal. His startling introduction forgotten. He was now just Remmick; your kind of weird neighbor who came over to blabber and stare.

This visit in particular, you had been in the garden. It was late in the evening. A perfect time to check on the plants and water anything that needed it.

Your knees and the bottom of your dress had been utterly caked in soil. Dirt littered the crevices of your hands as you plucked any dead leaves or flowers off their buds.

He hadn't even announced himself, it was you that found him first with a startling gasp.

Remmick hadn't flinched, his posture remained hunched over your fence, laughing at your rigid posture.

"Remmick!" You sighed, "How many times have I told you—"

"Annouce yourself, yeah, yeah, I know sweetheart. I just love seeing you in yer' element is all."

"Still," You pouted, nails now feeling heavy and full, your fingers scraped against one another to release the trapped grime and dirt.

"Awh don't get mad at me honey, you know I don' like seeing you all bunched up," The taller man was only met with silence. The only sounds around were the slow breeze, tickling the beech trees surrounding the yard.

More sweet names were called in your direction, prying to get your attention.

After a couple minutes of silence, Remmick sucked on his teeth.

"I'll play you a song if you look at me," he practically begged, head downturned with soft eyes stuck on your turned person.

And that got your attention.

Your head swiveled back, chin now resting against your bare shoulder. The expression held was relaxed and curious.

"There ya' are," he smiled, full and content.

"What would you like to hear, Darlin'?" Utterly entranced by your attention the man waited. Waited for even a breath to escape your silky upturned lips.

"The usual, please,"

My god if the man almost collapsed right then and there. To hear such a sweet command from you, who was he to deny?

"Anythin' for you, baby," Big hands grabbed at the banjo around his back. Slowly on the ground you inched your way up to the musician, ignoring how more and more dirt stuck to your (once clean), dress.

The way you sat there, staring up at his frame waiting, Remmick could lose control any second.

He wanted to take you in his hold, rough and nice at the same time and utterly destroy you.

Make you his.

He would make sure to keep your warmth, keep that light in your eyes that you looked at him with.

Remmick only bit out a little smile, starting his methodical chorus with a hum and a drum of his fingers.

You, ever unaware of Remmick's intentions, sat their obliviously. Head moving side to side softly with each sway of the beat, your hair was cascading down your front, hanging over your cheeks and adorning the sides of your face.

The usual, as you had put it, was an Irish lullaby. How he knew it, you didn't know. You asked once, had finally built up the courage one night after sitting on the porch for hours jsut talking and mumbling about anything; everything. But after seeing his eyes go past you, how they got that far off look like he went somewhere else entirely. You didn't bother a second time.

The chorus soon finished with a last string of the banjo, the sound died off and with a smile you clapped at the mans performance.

Ever the enjoyer of attention (More specifially yours), Remmick bowed, his hand downturned and tucked to display his appreciation.

Now resuming his normal position, the well dressed man took in your tired expression and coo'd at how your eyelids fought against exhaustion.

"It always makes you so tired," he chortled, already taking away this image and sealing it in the back of his mind. How you looked so warm—so relaxed and it was all by his doing.

Stretching, your hands came together above your head, a satisfied little moan left your lips and Remmicks tongue quickly darted out, catching and drool that was beginning to seep out from his mouth.

He was so hungry.

Yet he couldn't— wouldn't leave your side until you deemed it so. Until he knew you were back in that compacted house and snuggled into the many blankets he knew sat messily on your bed spread.

"Im gonna go now Rem," rubbing at your left eye, your body leaned forward to stand. Only you ignored how bad the static was in your feet, which quickly spread to your calves and bottom half of the knees. With a quick stumble you sprouted forward, grabbing the chipped wood in front of you out of reflex.

Leaving mere inches between you and the talkative man that is your neighbor. You were so close in fact, that his smell permeated almost every inch around. He smelled of... wood? Wood and dirt, with a hint of something else. It was heavy, stuck in your nose and made it crinkle with its arrival.

His breath hit you and goodness— this man must have eaten a pound of meat before coming over. The smell of iron; warm and wet hit you like a ton of bricks.

Remmick took you in too. How your hand almost touched his, how you smelled of flowers and honey with a hint of sweat from the garden and just a hint of vanilla from that oil you had gotten recently at the market.

Your hair was messy— collapsed against your frame with ease and without even thinking, his hand came up to brush it back.

Wide, glossy eyes stared back at him. With a gap in between your lips the man had to bite the side of his fucking cheek to regain his composure. Blood gushed out quickly, but the man paid it no mind, lapping it up while you sat up in front of him, ushering out apologies and awkward giggles.

"S'all right," Remmick managed to bite out. "I gotta go now, but Ill see you soon— real soon, Darlin." He promised and pushed against the fence with a huff.

He looked displeased, with furrowed brows and distracted eyes. Had your fall really bugged him so much?

"Okay, see you—" The man had already turned to leave, not even waiting to spare a glance or wave. . "...Soon"

He was odd, that much was true.

But no one had ever called you such sweet names before, let alone take time out of their night to come and visit you, just to hear you talk and ramble on about silly things.

You suppsed you would have to ask about his departure next time. That is if you even remembered. This man could change a subject on a dime, always distracting you with stories and jokes youve never heard of before.

Finally tucking into bed you let each blanket envelope you in warmth. How it got to be so cold on a day so hot, you wouldn't know.

Slowly, sleep began to etch away at your body. And with thoughts about the rambling musician you let it engulf you.

[hoe-days]

I side with Xeno on being an instigator! How would the other 5 wise generals (plus Hyoga and Tsukasa) react to Pick Me vs S/Os?

Senku thinks it’s hilarious. He’s not dense in the slightest, but he doesn’t notice at first simply because he’s not paying her any mind. He’s focused on his work, S/O, and his friends. He does take notice eventually though. This random girl is hanging off him and complimenting his brains and looks. Okay???? Get to work then. He mostly ignores her until it interferes with either his S/O or the Kingdom of Science’s work, heaven forbid both. He and S/O would be sitting in the lab tent talking and working on something. Senku is probably the happiest he’s been since this stone world fiasco. In comes Pick Me to tell him she finished her task and wants to help with his.

“Me and S/O have it. This is a delicate process.”

Oh but she insists. She wants to learn about science after all.

Senku is kinda skeptical and weighs his options.

“Well I suppose three people can speed this process. S/O can you show her how to do it?”

“Mhm!”

S/O is happy to teach her much to Pick Me’s dismay. Senku keeps an eye on the interaction and takes note of how irritated Pick Me looks at S/O’s excitement to teach her science. It kinda pisses him off. Pick Me tolerates S/O’s lesson and starts to work.

Senku and S/O fall back into their rhythm and start discussing whatever they were talking about before. Pick Me lowkey has no clue what they’re saying, something about atoms. She listens for a while before she realizes they’re discussing a more efficient way to do what they’re doing. So she decides to join the conversation after S/O says theirs and gives her idea in the cockiest tone possible, implying S/O is the stupid one.

S/O and Senku look at each other then to her. S/O looks sympathetic and Senku laughs in her face.

“Actually, S/O is right. You can do your idea if you wanna blow off your fingers though. Maybe you aren’t the person to help with this task. I’m sure the gorilla team could use some help.”

——

Gen catches on immediately he finds it kinda amusing, but is more concerned about how his S/O feels and if they notice in the first place. He’s used to people like that from when he was famous, nothing new. But he doesn’t take kindly to people bothering or undermining his S/O. He’d be cordial towards Pick Me, though he’d embarrass her a lot. He’d do things like move at the last second when she tries to hug him so she falls or pretend to not know what she’s talking about when she says something to him. But none of it would look like he’s being mean, that’s how good he is. But the thing is , it doesn’t start this way. He only started being mean because he caught her trying to make his S/O feel bad. An unforgivable offense!

He was looking for his S/O actually, and stumbled upon the interaction. She was asking S/O if they thought Gen was tricking them or using them. He could not believe it! He stepped in and cleared the air, turning it around on Pick Me instead. Then when she got uncomfortable he turned to his S/O.

“I didn’t fall for anything she was saying , Gen.”

“I know, you’re far too smart for that. But still.”

“It was kinda cute how you came in to “save” me though.”

——

Ryusui may say he wants everyone but once he’s in a monogamous relationship, he only wants all of his S/O. But that doesn’t stop pick me. Ryusui knows what’s going on, he’s been around women like this all his life! So when Pick Me fawns over him and compliments his work as the ship’s Captain he just keeps his same smirk and thanks her. Ryusui does commend her though, she kept that animosity towards his S/O under wraps until she secured her spot on the Perseus. She knew that if he knew how she felt about S/O she wouldn’t have been chosen. The last thing they needed was crewmates disliking each other.

But once he took notices of her true feelings towards S/O and that the silly little crush she had on him wasn’t gonna pass because he’s taken, he was a little worried. Being out at sea for a long time can drive people to do some crazy things after all, and he doesn’t want anyone, especially his significant other, getting hurt.

Outwardly, nothing about Ryusui would change, but he does keep a closer eye on his S/O. He also confides in Senku and Gen about the situation. In any other circumstance, his boisterous and friendly personality wouldn’t change, but something about this whole scenario puts him on edge. He can’t even bring himself to grin and accept Pick Me’s praise anymore. He has that serious expression on his face, the one he has when handling business when she comes up to him singing praise.

“Thanks. I need to talk to you though.”

Pick Me thinks she’s finally won, but nope!

“Look, I’ve seen the way you look at and talk to S/O. I can’t have any animosity between crewmates, it’s dangerous. When we return to Japan from Treasure Island I’m gonna have to ask you to stay.”

——

Ukyo is at a loss for words. How does this even happen? I like to think he and his S/O were married before the petrification. Senku and Chrome even made them new rings out of left over materials. This is news to no-one. So why is this woman all over him?? He continues to be courteous though. He’s pretty non confrontational so he just kinda awkwardly smiles. He just gets really awkward interacting with the Pick Me. He and his S/O talk about it one night and they’re just like.

“Yeah she wants you bad. It’d be kinda funny if she wasn’t so annoying about it.”

Ukyo nods and sighs. He doesn’t act until he hears her bothering his S/O. He’s patrolling one night and he hears his S/O talking.

“We’ve been married for thousands of years at this point, so yeah I think I know him well.”

“Well I think he needs someone new and better. Like me.”

His S/O just snorts. Ukyo rushes in.

“Hey!”

“Ukyo! We were just talking-“

“Stay away from me and my S/O from now on. You’ve crossed a line.”

“But-“

“You heard the man.”

“Ugh!”

Ukyo watches her leave and sighs.

“I didn’t need you to save me, sweetness.”

“I rushed in to keep you from hurting her. Last thing we need now is a huge fight.”

He chuckles and hugs his S/O.

——

(I made so where S/O can be read as Ruri or someone else)

Chrome is both excited and confused. Excited because two people are fighting over him, confused because two people are fighting over him??? Not gonna lie, he eats up the attention at first, but then he thinks about it. Nobody from the village was all that interested in him until he got a partner and became a big shot in the Kingdom of Science. This kinda blows. He’d confide in his S/O and tell them how it kinda blows that some people only go after people when they have a partner. Not that he would have pursued them, he’s happy with his S/O. He just liked being praised😭

The next time Pick Me approaches he will deadass just look at her like

“Why are you all over me, S/O is right here. They’re the only person I need praise from. And why are you trying to pursue me anyway, you know we’re together.”

——

Tsukasa is another person used to women like this. The only difference is that in the stone world, he doesn’t have to pretend to tolerate it. Under all that muscle he’s a nice and genuine guy, especially to women and children, but there is only so much he will take. ESPECIALLY when it regards the love of his life.

He’s kind about talking to her at first. When she hangs off of him he politely tells her to get off and that he has a partner. He expects it to end right there. Pick Me has other plans. She continues to pursue him. And what makes him madder is that she uses his sister to get away with it. Mirai is too young to realize what’s going on with them, at least to a certain extent. But Mirai is also what leads to Pick Me’s downfall.

Tsukasa and S/O are sitting with Mirai and having a tea party. Everything is slow that day so not much for them to do other than train and hang out. Tsukasa is at peace when he hears this agitating voice asking to join. He looks at S/O who looks equally as annoyed, but for some reason they don’t say anything, which confuses him. He follows their gaze to Mirai, who was finishing making S/O a flower crown.

“Here you go, S/O! You look so pretty.”

They smile with that soft smile Tsukasa adores.

“Thank you, Mirai.”

Pick Me is about to say something when Mirai speaks again.

“Now we can play wedding.”

Tsukasa freezes and S/O just chuckles.

“Did all the flowers not give away what she had planned for us?”

Pick Me looks annoyed but sees an opportunity.

“Oh! Mirai that sounds like such a fun game. Why don’t I be the bride? I think the flowers you picked are pretty.”

“Sorry, S/O has to be the bride. My big brother likes them a lot and he said they look pretty with these kinds of flowers.”

Pick Me is taken aback by her response.

“O-Oh uh-”

"You can be the old guy who says, 'You may kiss the bride,' though!"

——

I don’t know why Pick Me would do this to herself. Hyoga likes like 5 people and even that is a stretch, why would she think she can come in between him and the person he likes the most.

Hyoga finds it very amusing in a very sadistic way at first. You poor pathetic girl. When she talks to him she can never tell if he’s smiling or not with his mask covering his mouth. He is, but not for why she thinks. He would lowkey set her up to embarrass her.

“Yes while I find this conversation interesting, I have to meet S/O to spar.”

“Oh I’ll come watch!”

Poor thing took the bait.

He pays no mind to her while she follows him. When he reaches his S/O, who is sitting on the ground drinking some water, he looks down at them and opens his eyes as he smiles down at them. They raise an eyebrow, knowing full well he’s up to something. When they look behind him and see Pick Me they just shake their head.

Their sparring match begins and Hyoga is a bit flirty with how he fights his S/O, though they just roll their eyes at his antics.

When they take a break, as predicted, Pick Me fawns over him and his strength.

“Wow Hyoga that was amazing. They could barely keep up.”

“Is that what you saw? Clearly you have no eye for battle then. S/O is a proper opponent and a proper lover who perfectly meets my high standards.”

S/O looks over boredly while drinking their water.

“That lover part wasn’t necessary.”

“Oh but it was. This woman believes in her mind that she is a better match for me than you.”

“I never said-“

“Oh but you did in so many words and actions. This is your perfect opportunity to prove it against S/O.”

He shoves his practice spear towards her.

“If you can’t finish what you started, can you even call yourself a proper human?”

——

Bonus because I wanted to add Moz.

He welcomes it and his S/O kicks his ass.

[agathariosslut]

Little One

Vampire!WandaNat x fem!reader

Warnings: dark fic, noncon, naive!Reader, blood sucking, daddy!Natasha, mommy!Wanda, overestimation, gp!Natasha, blowjobs, pussy eating. Spanking, slightest bit of mind control if you squint. Pls let me know if I missed anything! Btw sorry for the random paragraph breaks, tumblr wouldn’t let me upload!

This all started with you going out with some friends to the bar to celebrate your birthday. While they all took shots and drank strong cocktails, you were very caustically sat on the bar stool with your margarita. It was very fitting for them to have their fun & to leave you behind, forgotten. This isn’t even what you wanted to do for your birthday. Sitting in your apartment curled up with your favorite book was the original plan, you curse yourself for letting them talk you into this mess. The loud laughter of your drunk friends seemed to further piss you off. You came to the realization that they wouldn’t even notice if you had left, so you did.

You made the very brave decision of not calling an uber, opting to walk home instead. It was a few streets down, what’s the worse that could happen? Plus you carried your pocket knife every where you went just in case some creep tried anything. You began your walk home, you decided earlier to wear the high heels that always made you uncomfortable,so you cut through a couples alleyways for a shorter arrival, until you made it to the last one. You had a pit in your stomach along with your brain telling you to turn around. You did not listen, you refused to let the anxiety get to you. As you began walking you started to hear faint foot steps behind you. You told yourself that it was simply a rodent running behind you, but you couldn’t even convince yourself. You started to pick of the pace of your walk, almost running. You turn around to check behind you, seeing a red haired woman paired with a blonde woman staring at you like prey. Were their eyes glowing? You couldn’t help but feel like you were in a trance, it’s like you couldn’t move. You were only able to stand and stare. The muscular one of the pair whispers something into the other ear before speaking loud enough for you to hear, “Such a sweet looking girl Wands, can’t wait to taste her.” You gasp in shock as you realize they’re anything but pure intentions. You try to run away, but you can’t run. All of the sudden arousal washes over you like a wave. The woman that the blonde one called “Wands” is stalking towards you, wearing a smug expression. “Don’t fight it malysh, we’re here to make you feel good. Don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours, just come with us.” Wanda takes your hand and gently guides you to their car. Your brain is so fuzzy you don’t bother questioning or fighting it. Once you get in the car Wanda starts whispering and laughing wickedly to the blonde one. You could only hear the name, Natasha. The name rolls off her tongue beautifully, in what you believe is a sokovian accent. Natasha keeps looking at you in the rear view mirror of the purring car. God they’re beautiful. Natasha breaks her silence. “You look a little sleepy back there kotonok, lay down sweet girl, we’ll be there shortly.” Be where? You wonder off in your own hazy thoughts as you begin to drift asleep.

You wake up in a bed that’s not yours. No longer feeling foggy as you did when they approached you. Panic finally sets in when you realize that your wrists are tied to the long bed posts. You start screaming instinctively. Down stairs laughing can be heard. “Sounds like our girl is finally awake, Wands.”

As you stop screaming in order to catch your breath, you hear footsteps approaching. Wanda is once again grinning with a predatory glow is her eyes. “Crying already my love? Don’t worry Natty and I are gonna make it all better.” That’s the last thing you hear before she climbs in bed beside and starts kissing you roughly, you fight the kiss. Refusing to let her in. She slaps you hard, the rings on her finger only adding insult to injury. “Shh, mommy only wants to take care of you.” Natasha takes a seat beside you on the bed, mirroring Wanda. She begins roughly groping you and pinching your nipples. You yelp into the kiss while attempting to kick her away. Wanda stops and joins Natasha. “Stop fighting me slut, I can feel the wet spot on your pretty little panties.” Embarrassment flows through you, she’s right. You are enjoying this,.. does that make you fucked up in the head? What is wrong with you, you wonder.

Wanda breaks you out of your train of thoughts. “Aww it’s okay baby, you can’t help being a filthy little whore.” Natasha stands up, rubbing her prominent bulge through her pants. “You’re gonna make daddy feel good now pretty girl.” She undos her belt and strips of her clothing. Fuck. Her cock stands at attention, large with precum leaking. She climbs over top of you, and straddles your neck. She forces her cock into your mouth and roughly makes you take her entire length down your throat. You start gagging and tears roll down your face. “Fuck baby, you’re so pretty like this. Crying and taking daddy’s cock like a good little girl.” You’re beyond turned on right now. You make a desperate attempt to squeeze your thighs together for any bit of relief at all. Wanda very quickly puts a stops to that. Pushing your legs open and giving your needy pussy a hard series of slaps . “No no detka, not yet.” Natasha pulls her dick out of your throat, slapping your face with her cock. You whine at the loss. Your mourning doesn’t last very long as Wanda begins biting at your inner thighs and diving into your pussy. You yell out loudly in pleasure. The way she’s sucking your clit has you close to your orgasm already. She shoves two fingers inside you, curling them against your g spot perfectly. Natasha notices that blissed out look on your face. “Look mommy, our little toy wants to cum already.” Wanda looks up at you with hazy eyes, “Beg me for it.” You swallow what little bit of pride you have left in you, and beg. “Please mommy I need to cum! Please I can’t hold it!” Wanda gives Natasha a knowing look. “Cum for us baby, give it to mommy and daddy.” You obey. Your orgasm hits you like a bus. Wanda gives you a second to recover, before grabbing a wand. She throws it to Natasha, as Nat positions her self at your entrance. “Daddy’s gonna ruin this pretty little pussy kitten, can’t fucking wait.” She slides her dick through your slit, sending a jolt of pleasure to your sensitive clit. She pushes her big cock in your tight hole, murmuring in Russian about how amazing you feel around her cock. “Fuck…god sweet girl you so tight around me, squeezing me like a good little whore. Take it all detka.” She says as she completely bottoms out, you think you’re in heaven… or maybe this is hell. Either way you wanted more. Natasha grants your silent wish and she turns the vibrator on high speed, pressing it hard against your throbbing clit. She only pounds you rougher, I which you didn’t even know that was possible. Wanda suckles and tugs on your sensitive nipples.

The pleasure is to much, you need to cum already.

Natasha already knows based on how you’re squeezing down around her cock even harder, and shaking like a leaf. “Please daddy let me cum!” Natasha tuts. “Just what would make you think you deserve that slut? Tell daddy.” You moan out realizing you can’t hold it much longer, “Daddy please let me cum! I’ll be a good little fuck toy… just do whatever you want to me but please let me cum!!”

You very quickly regret your words, knowing you have to eat them later. She smirks, “cum for me kotenok.” You cum so hard that you don’t even realize you squirted on Natasha. “Look at our little whore daddy, little fucking thing came all over you.” As you take in your words embarrassed leaves your face flush. Nothing goes unnoticed by Natasha. “Don’t get all shy on us now princess, you were just yelling out about how you were a good little fuck toy.” What are you doing here. Going from crying to begging for more. What the actual fuck is wrong with you.

Those thoughts are very quickly shut down and replaced with arousal as Natasha continues pounding into you. Vibrator never slowing. You’re so sensitive you think you may cum again. Wanda climbs on top of you and straddles your face, she lays her pussy down on your mouth. “Make mommy feel good slut.” You do as she says instantly, making her moan out in pleasure beautifully. “If you want to cum all you have to do is ask pretty girl.” Natasha says knowing that you can barely breathe. You make a desperate attempt at trying to speak, but Wanda doesn’t even dare pull herself away. “What was that doll, mommy and daddy’s can’t hear you.” Natasha slaps your tits, “Answer her slut” you muffle out the words, “please wanna cum for you both!!” They act is if they can’t hear you, but you can’t hold it much longer.

You reach your peak, and you feel impending doom as you cum. Wanda pulls off of you with a stoic expression, meanwhile nat is laughing. “You’re in trouble now little one.” Natasha pulls out of you and stops the vibrator completely. You miss the feeling of being filled up with her cock. Wanda turns to nat, “how should we punish her daddy?” Natasha has her signature smirk on her face once again, “I think a good spanking would benefit our bad girl.” Fast forward to you being bent of Natasha lap face down add up. She starts without warning. Her slaps are harsh, and the occasional slaps to your sensitive pussy makes it even worse. “Tell mommy and daddy you’re sorry for being a brat.” You sigh out, not unnoticed. “I’m sorry for being a greedy whore!! Please stop now daddy… can’t take anymore!” She finally stops. Wanda speaks up, “Enough of this. Daddy, I think the real fun should begin.” You look in confusion, they only laugh at you.

Their eyes start glowing a shade of deep red. Are those fangs? Fear hits you, but before it can take its course you start to feel hazy again. Fear is suddenly replaced with arousal. Wanda speaks up, “It’s okay sweet girl… just stay calm for us. This is gonna hurt, but then it’ll feel good.” Natasha wastes no time with sinking her fangs into your neck. You scream, the pain is awful. Maybe it’s the masochist in you, but pleasure is also very prominent in this absolutely insane situation. Wanda goes next, to drained to scream you close your eyes and let them continue. Not that you really have a choice. They finish drinking from you, and you feel a thick rope of cum shoot right over your pussy. Nat came untouched. Fuck that’s hot. “Look at what you did to daddy baby… taste too fucking sweet for your own good.” Mommy follows behind her rubbing her clit rapidly, she soon cums and the expression on the face reads of pure ecstasy. You feel so sleepy and loopy from the loss of blood. They lay down on opposite sides of you. Wanda pulls you to her side, “You did so well for us, dove.” Natasha chimes in, “Too good for your own benefit… seems we’ll just have to keep you around, little one.”

[vividraft]

DAYS OF KNOWING SATORU GOJO !! highschool au. ..!

a/n: still need to figure out a proper layout... but yay! first fic in months! want more?

Day 1

the first time you talked to gojo, he was sat next to you

the teacher had moved him to the front of the glass due to him talking in the back…

he leaned whispered, leaning over to you, asking if you had a pen

without a word you had handed him one, and kept looking at the board

gojo had kind of a reputation as a... rule breaker. or fuckboy if you will. best not to get too involved

Day 11

you had to work on a presentation together…

whenever you tried to find a time you two could meet up, he always had detention… what was this guy doing ?!

“don’t you worry, cutie, I’ll make sure to do my part, you can trust me! do I not look trustworthy?”, there he goes with the random nicknames again…

Day 13

after a bit of chatting gojo managed to get his number into your phone! now you guys can text about the project!!

his first text was something along the lines of ‘hey qt could u send me the notes again?’

you rolled your eyes but sent them to him anyways

Day 15

you managed to find some time to meet up in the library

… and my god was this guy LOUD

"ssh! gojo, we are in a library!", you whisper shouted after earning a side eye from the librarian

he laughed LOUDLY

"come onnn no one actually cares"

you started looking for a spot in the furthest corner of the library. let's not disturb anyone

Day 16

working with him was HORRIBLE

you barely got anything done, spent most of the time trying to avoid his bad pick up lines, and trying to explain simple stuff from class to him

you made him promise that on presentation day, he would have his stuff done

let's hope for the best

Day 19

presentation day came and went and it was...

...horrible to say the least

gojo barely had anything done, and left you standing there stupid. your grade ended up at a mere 63%...

you were reasonably upset with him, so you stopped talking to him during class

but it didn't matter, it's not like you guys were even friends in the first place

then why does he seem to be doing weird things to get your attention..?

Day 26

a horrible day... your necklace seems to be missing, and you have no idea where you could have left it

but then you remember! you took it off for gym class earlier today!!

but there's no way you'll get into the gym now, but what if someone will steal it?? and it's way too late now...

until...

"hey my favorite teachers pet! what's that sour look on your face for?", gojo leaned down mockingly. "I'm not a-- whatever", you sighed, and turned back to nervously fidget with your pencil. But Gojo's eyes seemed to be prying,, until you finally told him.

"I think I left my necklace in the gym, and someone will probably steal it if I can't get it back first..." "Then why not get it back now?", Gojo looked at you like a curious cat, as if he was genuinely confused. "It's way too late, no one is in the gym anymore. I probably won't be able to check until after the weekend", your mind seemed to be trailing off as you stopped talking. "Well? Then let's go get it, no?", Gojo got up from his chair.

A moment of silent passed where you just stared him down with your mouth slightly open in deep set confusion.

"Are you insane? We'll get into huge trouble if we sneak into the gym", you turned towards him. "Ah whateverrr, no one will catch us! I'm like a professional ninja", Gojo stood there proud with his chest out.

"...Yeah no.", you turned back to your desk.

"... Well if you're seriously not coming, I'll go look on my own", Gojo decided as he walked off. Your head shot toward where he was previously standing, as you realized he was seriously sneaking into the gym.

"Wha- Gojo! Wait! You don't even know what it looks like-! Gojo!!", you jumped from your chair darting after him.

When standing in front of your schools gym, Gojo pointed toward an open window. He placed himself below it, to give you a boost. You looked at him dumbfounded. Was this man serious?

You took the offer, and climbed through the window. He followed without needing any help whatsoever.

When inside, you headed straight for the girls locker room, and Gojo followed. Even with no one here, it felt strange seeing a guy looking around the girls locker room. "It feels way cleaner in here than in the guys locker room", he stated. You left it uncommented, though for a moment you wondered what the guy's locker room looked like.

You looked around, checked the lockers, any shelves, and below the benches. And sure enough -- there it was. Your beloved piece of jewelry.

Now that you finally had what you were here for, you noticed how nervous you were about being somewhere you clearly did not belong.

"I got it. Let's get out of here, quickly", you said, and Gojo nodded.

You were quickly walking back to the window you originally came through, when you halted, and Gojo did too.

"You hear that?", you asked, but Gojo just nodded and held a finger to his lips to let you know that being quiet, is a really good idea right now. You tried to control your breathing, and listen for anything that might point toward someone being here, but your heartbeat was way too loud in your ears.

Gojo's eyes widened, and before you could react he shoved you behind the next corner.

"What are you doing here?", your heart dropped into your stomach when you recognized the janitors deep and steady voice.

"Ah, Mr. Anderson! I was looking for something I had lost earlier. Didn't find anything though", Gojo replied without missing a beat. "You know you're not allowed in here alone? Way past schools over? I hate to be filled with so much prejudice, but your reputation makes it hard to believe you were in here for only that", you listened to the conversation. Why was Gojo trying to take the blame at all?

Your mind was racing with any way you could help, but you couldn't think fast enough.

"You wound me! Do I really look like so much of a troublemaker?", Gojo's voice followed, laced with fake hurt. "You don't, but your record surely does. You know, maybe I should take you to the principal for this", your eyes widened when you heard this. "Whaaaat? That's not fair! You don't even-", Gojo was cut off "Yeah, no. You're coming with me young man. Who knows what you were doing in here"

And after a little more whining, and some feet shuffling, the voices distanced themselves from you, and you were left alone in the gym again.

Your legs gave out, and you slid down onto the floor leaning against the wall, clutching the necklace you came here for. Your hand was still clasped over your mouth, and eyes still wide.

'Quick, get up.', you told yourself. Let's get out of this gym.

So you did. After a couple attempts, you managed to climb out of the window again. Your feet landed in the grass, and you finally felt like you could breathe again.

Did Gojo really just take the blame for something? Something like this?

part 2? <3

[ghostedgwen]

Hey Mikoooo, congrats on the 1k (we’re moots on my sideblog: the-amazing-simp, this is just my main 😊). Sobra ko namiss yun mga works mo.

For ur u celebration, may I request a folklore with a invisible string/red string soulmate au for remus

Congrats againnnnn 🎉🎉

Welcome to the Era’s Tour, lovely! Thank you so much for sending an album request and you even dropped a song req for it!! Much appreciated, and thank you as well for the kind words, salamat bestiecakes~!

꒰🩶꒱ ; My mind turns your life into Folklore ⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ A random soulmate AU with a member of the band consisting of about 500-1k words.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the tour! Here’s Remus Lupin of the Marauders for a solo opening performance :

Remus always tried to keep his head from wandering about the string on his hand. Red and it was drawn out in loopy circles, stretching to Merlin knows where, and almost glowing.

He tried not to mind it and think of where it leads. It would have been easier if he didn’t have the monthly problem, he could embrace it then.

But the thing is, he can’t. He is scared of who the other person on the line would be, and he knew what he will ask of them will be too much. He’ll demand something he can’t payback.

He has his fears about it. How his soulmate would react to someone like him, he knew he can’t hide it. He knew he won’t be able to just disappear monthly and show up without running out of excuses.

If even the Marauders who were as young as second-years figured it out all on their own, surely his very adult soulmate would too. So he is just scared, and a selfish part of him wishes to never see the end of the string, to meet the person on the other end.

“How’s the ministry work?” James asked, making Remus remember just where he was - that is, a pub where the four boys would meet every weekend. 

They’re all out of school and living their lives out in the real world with very real jobs, and he can’t help but feel weirdly about it. 8 years of his life was spent in those castle walls, and now he’s just outside.

Remus shot James a look. “Do you even remember what Department I work in?”

James grinned, unashamed. “Nope!”

“I work in the Department of Magical Education, Prongs.” He deadpanned.

“Ah, whatever it is you do there,” James shrugged. “How’s it been?”

“Fine,” was all he managed to say when Sirius and Peter finally joined them. Peter dropped to his spot next to Remus with a huff and Sirius slid next to James.

“There they are,” James beamed. “You two got here together?”

“Nah, I met Wormy at the door.” Sirius shrugged.

The night was spent catching up then, talking about work and plans for the rest of the weekend, it felt like home whenever they all came together. They all miss their days at Hogwarts, those were the best days of their lives, and they can never go back but being together - it brought a familiar feeling of the vast black lake, dark castle halls and moving stairs.

They didn’t feel like 20 something year-olds when they get together like this, they’re just a bunch of kids again scheming their next mischief. 

It’s well into the night now and the music has mellowed down, people piled out in drunken strides while the four remained laughing, talking in their own bubble. Peter suddenly perked up as if remembering something.

“Heard through the grapevine - a Potions shop selling Wolfsbane.” Peter whispered to Remus as his eyes were kept on Sirius and James arm wrestling, pissed off their minds.

“What?” Remus asked, incredulously. “Isn’t that, well… illegal?”

Peter shakes his head. “It’s not, but not entirely legal either with the restrictions placed on werewolves. But it’s legit, you might have some luck if you manage to stock up for the next full moon?”

Remus didn’t answer, just quietly nodded as he allowed the information to sink in. Someone was selling Wolfsbane Potions, on the market - which is unheard of. No one would buy one, knowing they’d out themselves for being werewolves and also, no one in their sane mind would market to… to monsters.

He tried to ignore it. But he’s 24 now, and soon he’ll be older, and the transformation will just be harder and harder, and Wolfsbane is impossible to brew - almost impossible, he could never manage it and yet someone is selling it.

It’s way too convenient, he worried it may be a trap, but Peter would never tell him that if he wasn’t certain. He knew better than to endanger his friends.

So that’s how Remus found himself standing outside the Potions shop. It wasn’t too big, not small either, and it looked homely. Plants littered the space outside and even vines grew out of the attic window, and right in front of him was a wooden door.

He was already here despite his doubts, he should really just go in but - the string attached to his finger was leading right to the door. His mind is buzzing, he can’t tell if he’s about to trigger a panic attack or not.

He stood there for what felt like forever, eyes tracing the string to make sure he wasn’t mistaken. And he was not, it was really leading him to the shop. He exhaled exasperatedly and took slow and hesitant steps inside.

The bell chimed overhead when he swung the door open, despite it being done slowly - he startled himself at the sound. It was then he saw you, mid-stocking your shelf, turning your head to greet the sound of the bell.

You grinned widely, welcoming the customer and Remus felt all the air get knocked off him. The door closed behind him and the shop darkened from the lack of light outside, only - he watched as the red string glow a bright golden colour.

He couldn’t explain how magical it felt, how he felt it pulling at him so he drew closer and closer until the string was only about a yard long, and it glowed golden and brightly. Remus stammered, unsure of what to say - he had been here for a Potion and yet - he found his soulmate.

“H- hi,” he managed to breath out.

You look down at the glowing string with an impossibly wide grin, then back up at him. “Hello.”

This request was made in participation of my 1k followers celebration! If you're interested in joining The Tour, kindly send your request my way <3

[yup-thats-me]

— Cry • S. Mingi

𐙚pairing; ❝idol!fwb!mingi x fem!reader❞ 𐙚summary; ❝He's destined to make you cry and maybe you're to be blamed❞ 𐙚warning; ❝ANGST, fwb, no aftercare (don't do this irl), cheating, asshole mingi, ❞𐙚a/n; ❝madly recommend you listen to Cry the other person's pov by Sally Kim.❞

₊‧ 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅

Mingi is punctual. Punctual about his mannerisms and of his schedule. It does not matter if just minutes prior you two had made love, the one where both of you see the pearly gates of heaven, he has to leave. He will leave.

❝Its making you cry❞

After spending endless hours of tangled beneath the sheets, Mingi will always be the one to get up first. He'd hand you a glass of water, lazily putting on his shirt.

"You have to leave?"

Mingi looks at you as if you're possessed. "Of course I have to," he answers with a scoff.

"No strings attached, remember?"

No strings attached, three words that perfectly round up your relationship with the singer.

Catching Song Mingi's eye is something many people fantasize about, and you were no different. Falling for him was the best thing that could've happened to you, you swear.

Years of fanning over the man, giggling like a teenager when he posts those insane pics on social media, his deep voice stirring up something primal inside you. It was all fate.

It has to be.

So when one fateful morning the singer drops by the cafe you worked at for a temporary solution for his headache, you swear it has to be fate. Trying your utmost to be composed, you had taken his order, shaky hand writing his name on the paper cup.

And when you had handed him the drink. his hand had lingered for a second longer. Just a second longer for your mind to wander places. Had he noticed you? Does he think you're pretty?

All those wishful thinking stops when Mingi replies with short "thanks" before he's out the glass door again.

You tell yourself that of course, he didn't notice you. How, moreover why would he. He can have anyone he wants, he's just that great. Although your heart ached at the dream of something more, you console yourself that at least you got to see him.

And yet, your heart skipped a beat when he enters the cafe again in the afternoon. This time he gives you a small nod with a smile; and you would've died a happy woman.

If not for the fact that when he left this time, he slipped a small piece of paper to you across the counter. He had winked, smirking as he left.

And that was days ago. 152 days to exact.

"Friends with benefits, you know," Mingi had shrugged when you two first slept together in that god-forsaken hotel room.

You could almost hear your heart breaking into a million pieces. Fuck buddies. That was what you two were, essentially.

Throat drying up, it was nearly impossible to nod when Mingi looked at you for a reply. "Y-yeah," you croaked out.

Mingi got up, handing you a random drink that came with the room amenities. Whatever it was, it felt bitter on your tongue. The taste of heartbreak and tears.

"So," Mingi started again, "I'll call you. Be in touch."

He kissed you before he left the room coming back again. And like an idiot, you thought he'd come back to say he was kidding. Say that he indeed saw you as something precious, not disposable.

"The room's paid for. Don't worry."

Of course.

At present, you lean against the headboard, the duvet wrapped tightly around your body, eyes following the man as he got dressed.

"Who was she?"

Mingi stops for a minute. "Oh," he remembers now who you're referring to.

"My girlfriend."

❝You're taking all my light.❞

He says with such nonchalance that it almost hurts. Almost.

"Oh," You nod as if your heart is not breaking, as if the tears are not begging to be let out. As if what he said did not completely and utterly break you. "How long have you been together?"

Mingi counts up the months in his palm. "Three."

And you've been sleeping around for five months now. You were about to voice your thought but the man beats you to it.

"Funny story actually," he chuckles. "I met her in your cafe. She was sitting alone and looked so pretty. Had to shoot my shot."

❝Can you just stay?❞

Gathering up whatever pieces you could, you try. "Can you stay?" You swallow to pit forming in the back of your throat. "Just for this night?"

Mingi looks worried as he strides over to your side of the bed. "You sick?" He asks taking your temperature with the back of his palm.

You shake your head, sitting up straight. "No, not sick. Just...a bit down."

"Then I can't," the singer shakes his head with a sigh.

"You can't stay? Just for the night?"

"I can't!" His voice getting a bit louder. "I have a girlfriend, Y/n."

"...Right."

Mingi sighs. "Look, you stay in the hotel for the night. If anything happens, text me. Don't call."

You nod, struggling to keep the tears at bay. "All right." And he leaves the room.

❝I'll wait.❞

It had been a week after his last visit. Although he kept in touch with short texts, it felt more suffocating. Watching all the couples walk past the cafe, holding hands and giggling, your heart ached more.

Was it really fate? Has it always been so cruel? Or was it just you, nobody could tell.

And as if on cue, Mingi walks past, his hand slung over his girlfriend. You didn't know how long you would've kept staring if not your phone going off with a buzz. Mingi.

"Tonight. xxx-hotel"

It was not even about the sex anymore. He chose the hotel, chose the day and you complied. Always did.

Mingi used you like a toy, coming day after day just to empty himself out. And you hated yourself for letting him. But when his hands treads your hair gently for a fraction of a minute when he finished, you crave it more and more; letting it kill you.

❝You'll only make me cry.❞

do not copy, translate or steal my work on any other sites. All rights belongs to yup-thats-me™ on tumblr

⋆.˚reqs are open⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

[callme-naomi]

The Science of Soft Spots

A Megumi Fushiguro x Reader fanfic

Summary: High school was boring for nearly every student - be it delinquent or genius. When the time came to choose the elective subjects, you blindly decided to go after science, and so did another boy, blissfully unaware of how this single decision would bring the both of you in one path. In this life of facts and uncertainties, one thing is certain: you were meant to be together.

Not canon compliant.

Naomi's notes: Hello everyone, I present to you my another long-fic! I just happened to like the idea of Megumi being a science student, and here you go!

Thanks for reading! I'm always open to requests. Do let me know what you think about it. Your likes and comments mean the world to me <3

Word count: 7.9k

Choosing additional sciences as an optional subject in high school was the most beneficial decision Megumi Fushiguro ever made. Apart from choosing to go with Gojo Satoru (only for Tsumiki’s sake), but now he seriously doubted if it will end with him going insane.

He had always liked sciences, and here there wasn’t anyone to disturb him and be an obstacle in his studies. Or rather, nobody had the guts to.

Firstly, everyone was in awe of the kid who never spoke but always scored the highest grades, who also happened to be the adopted son (though he denied any such rumours) of Tokyo’s richest man, Gojo Satoru. Secondly, any those with the guts to do so found themselves at the end of his fist, or his feet.

He happened to be in another section than the other kids, but on the teacher’s insistence, all the classes’ sections would take a merged science class to keep them all on the same progress.

So for the first few days, his classes went smoothly: go in, listen to the teacher ramble, scribble some notes or mark in his book, and leave. The silence of the classroom, with nobody directly disturbing him actually made this the only lesson he looked forward to. And it was this indifference that initially led him to notice nobody – not even you, who also liked to be left to your devices.

It was just another sunny day in science class, when he was doodling something in his copy and you were piling all your books and registers and pens onto your desk. Your way of arranging everything tidily caught his attention, and out of the corner of his eye he watched you decorate.

In the midst of it, one book crashed to the floor. Before you could pick it up, he extended his hand and lifted it up for you. But while he picked it from the cover, a few pages flipped open to show them adorned with sticky notes.

Silently returning your book, he kept thinking about it, and finally when the class rang off, he rapped your desk with his knuckles.

“May I have a look in your book?”

You nodded, passing him the book, and he skimmed a few pages, where you had posted random facts for each chapter.

Our eye can capture 60 images, compared to a fly’s 260.

Every man shares 99% DNA.

Each time we breathe, 1.5 litres of air is still not exchanged.

“I just like to collect these little facts,” you told him, snapping his attention from the book. “It makes learning fun for me.”

He had never thought of learning as fun. Honestly, he only studied for a grade, and that’s what toppers do, right? They don’t have time for fun. But now that you said it…

And then you two were filing out for your next classes.

The next day, while he scribbled in the corners of his book, he was interrupted by your low knuckle rapping.

“Can I have a look in yours?” you whispered. “If you don’t mind. Yours is so neat!”

He passed his book forward, and you gave him your book in exchange.

“I’ve also made these flashcards!” You showed him a stack, diverting his attention from your book. “Want me to test you?”

Seeing the teacher still not here and the class in a tornado of noise, he agreed. You were not surprised to see he knew all of them, but you fairly enjoyed yourself, and when the teacher came in, you went back to your quiet girl mode.

Needless to say, he – kind of – enjoyed it too.

The next day when you again proposed to play it with him, he didn’t need telling twice, however it was a surprising moment for the both of you when he didn’t know the answer to ‘how many chromosomes in a fruit fly?’

While you brushed it off, saying it was just one fact, he took this seriously.

In the next few classes, nothing new happened, however he did begin taking an interest in new facts and learning them. Soon, his library held many books of scientific facts and points, and he drew margins in his pages just to write them in various colours of markers. Anywhere he’d go, he’d copy down new facts to learn them and soon his camera was full of facts and pointers.

He told his sister and father that he just happened to like facts and he needed to know these, but deep inside, something he didn’t even know, was that he felt the need to be prepared for whenever you next quizzed him. He didn’t want to sit blank in front of you again. And he was also blissfully unaware of the fact deep down that he took these pictures to show you so you can collect more.

On a test day, Megumi was walking calmly, his fists clenched to lessen the speed at which his heart raced, while you were on a sprint from the opposite corridor. Both of you entering the class, you two took your positions and sat, ready to fill the blank page with your answers.

Too easy, he thought, blacking the options out, way too easy.

Once the test was over, you approached him. “Hey, just wanted to say, thanks!”

He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“That day, I quizzed you, right? One of the questions came from that fact, and I remembered you telling the right answer, so I marked that one. Thank you!”

“Don’t mention,” he mumbled, hand tightening the grip on his bag’s straps.

“Can we be friends?” you shyly asked, not meeting his eyes. “I don’t have any.”

In the silence, you expected maybe you ruined whatever frankness you’d developed, until his hand came forward. Smiling brightly, you shook it back.

“See you then, Fushiguro.” You broke the shake and began moving away.

“Megumi.”

“Hm?” you turned to see him.

“You can call me that.”

Nodding, you walked away, not before saying over your shoulder, “you can call me Y/N!”, a light skip in your step, unaware that his sights followed you until you were out of the building.

******

In the last week before the holidays, you had taken a long leave, leaving Megumi to sit alone again, something he was accustomed to, wondering why you hadn’t come.

And you two had not yet exchanged contacts, so he had no way to ask you where you were.

When the holidays began, he began scouting for good libraries nearby, and finally he found one, nearby a coffee shop. He’d pick up a book, go to the coffee shop, get a cup of steaming black coffee and drink it while savouring the joy of reading.

One day, he was in the library, putting a book back in place, among many others who were finding a book from the same shelf as he was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a person in a hoodie trying on their tiptoes to reach to the book that was too high even for him to reach without a stool, and he chose to move onwards. For some reason, he turned back, indecisive for the first time about whether he should help them out or not.

Finally giving in to the impulse, he strode across. “May I-”

Right on cue, the stranger’s fingertips finally made it to the book, but instead of pulling it out, they lost balance and trying to get a grip, managed to topple a few books.

He lunged just in time to catch those books from crashing onto their head, who had lifted up their arms to protect their head.

“Are you all right?” he quietly asked, to save them the embarrassment of being asked by everyone.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thank y- Megumi?”

Placing the last book, he slowly looked over his shoulder to see you, grinning brightly at him, pulling off your hoodie. “What are you doing here? I mean, of course, you can come here, I was-”

“I come here every day,” he interrupted your rambling. “Where had you gone?”

“I went to my nan’s. Just came home today, remembered I had a book to return.” you wiped your forehead. “Who are you here with?”

“By myself. You?”

“My brother dropped me off. I told him I’d call him when I’m done,” you put your hand in your pocket and drew out your phone, dialling your brother’s number. Smiling absently, you put it to your ear, only to be informed that your balance had run out.

Always at the wrong moments.

“He won’t pick up?” nothing gets past this boy.

You shook your head, and rummaged in your pocket. “I guess I’ll get going then. I know my way back.”

“Where do you live?” he asked, hands in his pockets. His eyes drifted towards the window, from which he could see the busy traffic. “It’s not safe to walk alone at this time.”

You hesitated. “I’ll just wait in here. You don’t need to wait.”

He pulled up a chair anyway. “I’m not in a hurry, so if you’re fine with this, I’ll stay till you find a cab.”

As if waiting for your permission, he met your gaze and you nodded quickly. He sat down and then pulled out his own phone, tilting it towards you with the phonebook open.

“Oh, wait.”

He waited while you typed something furiously and then his phone beeped.

An unknown number. Hey, this is my contact! Sorry I forgot to text you, was busy at Grandma’s.

He furrowed his eyebrows. “You have my contact?”

You avoided his gaze. “My cousin’s friends with Tsumiki-chan, so I took it from her. If that’s okay?”

He didn’t respond, but typed back, of course it is. You’ve met her?

No, I haven’t. I heard she graduated before I came, so I’ve never met her.

You can come around to meet her. I’ll give you the address.

Really? Your parents won’t mind?

Honestly, I think my dad would love having you around.

He sounds nice.

You found it funny that despite being close enough to hold each other’s hand – you were tempted to do that – you still were texting each other.

He does, until you meet him.

You were silent, unsure what he meant, when his next text came.

He’d treat you as a daughter – he loves daughters – but also as a way of bullying me.

Wait, someone can bully you?

First time for everything. Can’t punch him either.

While you waited for an empty cab, you typed, let’s share a fact! I got one. Did you know texts are opened 5x times quicker?

No, I didn’t. Though I pick up calls quicker.

You sent a few laughing emojis, and when the librarian came to tell you two, the last two visitors, to leave because it was closing hours, he sighed and walked to the door, you in tow. He held out the door for you.

“I’ll walk you back home.”

“No, you don’t need to-”

“For a fact,” he dryly said, “I’m very stubborn. Or so Tsumiki says. And another fact, rush-hour traffic increases the risk of accidents which is common in Tokyo.” He looked up to the sky.

“An opinion,” you counter, following his sight, “it might rain.”

“That might soon become a fact, so let’s get you home.”

“If you so insist. Are you aware that 75% of all road-accident fatalities are men and boys?”

“Then there shouldn’t be any need for you to worry,” he continued, while beckoning for you to follow him on the sidewalk. “And did you know that 100% of all accidents can be avoided if we have road sense?”

You rolled your eyes and followed him, walking down the busy roads of Tokyo.

“Thank you,” you mumbled. “You didn’t have to go through this trouble for me.”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Your house happened to be in the way back home.”

After that, through then ow quieter roads, you two were silent, except for you sometimes telling shortcuts or directions.

While walking, you felt a drop of water hit your head. Thinking it was just water from nearby hanging washed clothes, you continued walking until another bead hit the nape of your neck. The moment you looked to the sky, now flocked with black clouds, Megumi’s voice came to you.

“You felt that?”

“Yeah,” you did not move your gaze from the quickly falling tears from the sky. “Look, it’s raining!”

“Wow, a new fact?” his bored voice snapped your attention back to him.

“Let’s play for a while, please?” you made your custom doll eyes and he gave in, leaning against a wall as he saw you dance in the rain.

“Come on!” you laughed. “Join me!”

“My boots are slippery.”

“I’ll hold you!”

“That’s debatable. You can’t even hold your book.”

Remembering your first ever encounter with him, you grinned. “Look where that got us! Maybe we might discover something new today.”

“I’m fine with one discovery a lifetime. And it better not be someone.”

“I wanna dance with someone though, so it looks like it might be,” you pouted, searching for someone in the vicinity of the empty streets, save for some kids who came out to play.

“Not under my watch.”

He held your wrists and swaying to your rhythm, he joined, content seeing a smile on your face.

“I wanna do this again!” You whooped. “Every day!”

“It doesn’t rain every day.”

“Then every time it rains. I loved this! You’ll do it with me again, too, right?”

“Got a fact for dancing in the rain? Maybe that might convince me.”

“Oh yes, did you know, running faster in the rain keeps you drier? But not applicable on taller people?”

“So it’s not a fact, but an opinion. It can be challenged.”

“But it can be applied on you. You’re tall enough to adjust the moon if it’s an angle too right.” You snapped your fingers. “I got another one! The reason we love the smell of rain is because of the soil-dwelling bacteria. They release a chemical from the air…”

You watched as he quietly listened to you. When you paused, he slowly said, “go on.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, I just remembered another fact. You finish, then I’ll tell.”

“Mine’s boring.”

“Not for me. Go on.”

You never realised when you slipped your hand in his – or rather, when his grip slid from your wrists to your fingers – and began walking back home, drenched in the rainwater. You were too busy telling him the entire fact, and eyeing his reaction.

“That was mine. Now your turn.”

“Did you know a part of your brain, the amygdala, is responsible for processing your emotions? So we can say that only the heart is not involved in emotions.”

“So you mean, if we want to be friends, then my mind is telling me to do so?”

“Perhaps. The brain releases dopamine, which also acts like a sticky note for the brain to remember a particular piece of data. For instance, it might tell your brain to remember your dance in the rain today.”

“Then I think it’s safe to go with something your brain tells you to do?”

“Yes. My brain told me to agree to you to dance, and it was nice.” He ended his sentence in a shy mumble, but you caught it all the same.

Just in the distance, you saw the lights from your house, and the way your face glowed, he recognized the house too. Just before leaving you on the doorstep, his hand lingered for a second too long, and then he released you. Just as you rung the bell, you turned one more time to see him waiting for you to go inside.

“Did you know, emotion-driven responses have a 90% chance of being correct? Especially non-verbal reactions like gut feelings.”

“Should I consider my gut feelings facts then?” he crossed his arms.

“Technically yes. I had a feeling it would rain, right, and it did!”

“Then for a fact, I’ll be coming around your house again.”

“Oh please do!” You clapped your hands. “I’d like to see you again!”

“For a fact, I want to see you again soon too.” He said, averting his gaze from you, and you smiled.

“Two people agreeing don’t make a fact, Megumi.”

“Then let’s make it our fact. Something nobody can prove wrong.”

Just as the door opened, he left, and you entered the cozy house where you got an earful from your mother over not having your balance loaded.

And while she screeched that you could’ve gotten sick, or fallen in the rain (you didn’t dare tell them a boy walked you back home), you smiled to yourself.

They didn’t know you had fallen head over heels for a boy with dazzling green eyes. “2% of the world population has this eye colour,” you whisper to yourself. And one of that small figure was yours.

******

After that, the two of you occasionally met over the summer holidays, and while he had told you that his entire family knew about you and would love to meet you, you still kept him as your secret from your family.

Hidden encounters in the library, ‘accidental’ meetups in supermarkets, ‘oh-how-are-you-here’ looks in the parks, all the while the two of you treated your friendship – if you can still call it that – like a sacred thread, that either of you were afraid to pull too tight.

What if someone dared to challenge your friendship? Or worse, what if one of you two proved it wrong?

During the summer holidays, the school underwent a renovation and the school furniture was replaced. For the sake of having spacious classrooms, the single desks were removed.

So when the two of you entered the science class, filed in lines of boys and girls, the teacher rapped the table with her scale to get the class’ attention.

“Pick a partner and sit with them. Choose wisely, because they will be your partners and you won’t be able to change your seats for the rest of the year.”

The students, some overjoyed at the prospect and some angry that no such rule was made for the other classes, you and Megumi shared a look and there was no other option.

Sitting on either side, you two piled your bags in between, and placed your books out.

Leaning his elbow against the desk, Megumi was reading his book when he heard a strange buzzing noise. Side eyeing you, he found you holding your nose while making weird noises.

“We’re studying humans, not elephants this term.” He sighed, closing his book, and at that moment, you let your nose free and gasped for air, not caring of the weird glances you got from the entire class.

“Elephants cannot hold their noses, genius,” you snorted. “I was testing out a fact. Did you know that you can’t hum while holding your nose?”

“I didn’t five minutes ago.”

“I decided,” you declared with the air of Queen Elizabeth, “that I’m no longer going to believe facts blindly. For instance, the fact that you use 10% of your brain. It’s false, can you believe that?”

“No longer believing things blindly.”

You rolled your eyes. “Anyways, so I began testing them out. I’ll keep on testing them.”

“How will you confirm the diameter of the Earth is accurate?” He pointed towards your school badge.

“I’ll become a scientist then. And then I can try them out.”

“You can’t test them all in one lifetime.”

“Then my ghost will.”

“Which do not exist.”

“A fact yet to be tested!”

He gave up, and just before he could reopen his book, you snapped it shut with your hand. “Hey, wanna try it?”

“Will you be questioning our existence soon enough?”

“An excellent idea, but not yet. Okay, don’t be the test subject, but at least be my witness that I did this if I die trying.”

“Don’t ever say things like that, idiot.”

“Why? Will they come true?”

He nodded.

“It’s a superstition!”

“There’s always some truth to them. Okay, what’s your next one?”

“My tongue can’t reach my elbow.”

He wrinkled his nose. “I’d prefer if the mirrors are witnesses for that.”

“How will you suffer the even grosser realities of science, Mr. Soon-to-be-Scientist Fushiguro?” you patted his shoulder.

“I won’t be one.”

“Oh sure. Who else will help me clean my laboratory and record my observations?”

“That’s an assistant.”

“Can’t let anyone else be the best scientist ever.” You shrugged.

“For the record,” he quietly said, as you two began testing out you new theory, “don’t call me Fushiguro again.”

“You don’t like it, huh?” you suddenly perked up. “Guess I just tested a fact about you!”

“About…me?”

“Yes, we should make facts about each other!” you got all worked up again.

“Two people agreeing don’t make a fact.”

“Then let’s make it ours,” you threw back at him, and as if he remembered, he smiled softly while he held the timer for your next experiment, oblivious to the world.

*********

Soon, you made a journal. With all your verified facts, and each one signed by you and your ‘voluntary assistant’.

“So we can show them,” you coloured in a diagram, “that we were the first to do this.”

Soon, your journal had all types of sections, people facts – If someone’s feet point toward the door or away from you, they might want to leave - food facts – Apple slices float, but grapes sink – body facts - You’re slightly taller in the morning than at night.

And in those testing, you slipped some sort of fun things to try out with him – ‘exclusive for only you’.

For example, when people laugh in a group, they instinctively look at the person they feel closest to. While you were adamant this was a test, he had a feeling it was just your excuse of getting to look at him with a reason.

Did he complain? Of course not.

On the other hand, he also played along.

Saying someone’s name in conversation makes them feel more seen and valued, he used this as a way to repeatedly say your name, and did you have a problem? Every test could say no you did not.

Then a week later after school reopening, the teacher announced your first ever group project.

“We’ll be beginning this term with human systems,” Miss Daniels droned – and you sighed, finally free from plants – “and to make things fun, we’ll work in pairs. You’ll have to study one system of your choice and form a fact file for it.”

You barely suppressed the urge to give him a high five. Facts was how you dealt life.

After class, you two, ever the over-worker, asked Miss Daniels if you could make one for all systems, and initially she said no, but in the end you bargained for two systems. Though she said ‘it won’t help raise your grade any extra’.

Not that it mattered. You were doing this for fun.

You two chose the nervous system and the circulatory system, and the two of you divided such that you got the circulatory system and Megumi got the nervous system to research for over the weekend.

On Monday, plopping into your seat in the classroom, both your files were slammed onto your desks.

“Alright,” you looked at him determinedly. “I’ve got lots of facts, and we’re three days before the deadline, so let’s try them out.”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “I had a feeling you’d say this.”

You patted his shoulder solemnly. “Congratulations, you just coined a fact that I verified.”

Before you could open a page, he knocked the desk lightly, gaining your attention, and he pointed towards the teacher now scowling at the noisy classroom, which soon turned into a loud yelling spree.

During your break time, you decided to pull him away to the library.

“We’re done with our assignment,” you told him, “so how about we study some on our own?”

He shrugged, seeing no problem in this. He didn’t have anything else to be doing anyway, so why not sneak off with you.

You pulled up your screenshots of points you collected, and then while he walked, his hands in his pocket and both of you holding a juice each, you ranted off about the nervous and endocrine systems and their functioning.

“And a list of hormonal functions are as follows, somatotropin is the growth hormone, adrenaline, also called epinephrine, secreted by parathyroid glands, the pancreas secretes insulin and glucagon for maintaining the blood balance, and cortisol is referred as the stress hormone, increasing body metabolism to battle against physical and emotional metabolism.”

You paused to take a breath.

“It is one of the primary hormones that can be regulated by touch, the other five being oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and prolactin.”

“How exactly does touch regulate that?”

“In the other five cases, touch increases its concentration while it decreases cortisol levels. It can be done so by hugging or cuddling. Cortisol can be decreased even by eye contact, which is why when you look at someone you love or feel trusted with, your pupils relax. And did you ever notice that hugs make you feel less stressed?”

Silence on his part made you turn your head towards him, thinking he was probably eating and had nodded, but he looked forward impassively.

It’s not that he hadn’t been hugged. Gojo was a very clingy person, grabbing him up in his arms every chance he got. It was maybe because he was too busy, or too old, that Megumi never got the feeling. Or maybe because he thought hugs were too old fashioned.

Deep down, he hated hugs. Every time someone hugged him, they disappeared. His mom died with one last hug to him, Toji gave him one half-hug before he exited his life, and now he feels scared whenever someone hugs him.

So you could say he had never been hugged in a way that would decrease his stress levels.

“You’ve never been hugged?”

“No.” better the lie than the long story.

You spread your arms wide. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

Instinctively, Megumi flinched and you noticed this little reaction. Eyes widening, you dropped your arms. “Sorry, I think I overstepped…”

“Do it.”

You looked to see him stiffening his shoulders. “You sure?”

“I can’t take facts untested, now can I?”

As you came closer, opening your arms, he felt his heart quickening. Keeping his panic inside and letting down his guard, he let you embrace him first.

The moment your arms completed a circle around him, his entire form relaxed. And then he understood.

Maybe the reason he never felt peaceful in a hug was because nobody had been peaceful hugging him. His mom knew she was dying, his dad knew he was leaving his son for good, and Satoru is always worried about him and if he’s doing good and, from what Megumi understood from Tsumiki, his stress with the higher-ups.

You had no fear. You were simply pouring your heart into this hug. For some reason, you found his embrace calming, even when he took his time completing your hug. The moment you felt two arms come up behind you, you got a feeling of safety.

Lingering for far too long, he hesitated, and you broke immediately, trying not to meet his gaze. “Well, is this fact busted?”

“You better write this one down. For future purposes.”

You looked up to see his cheeks very, very slightly tinged with red, and you got an idea.

“Maybe I can put it in another column. Facts to be tested again and again. For facts whose effects we aren’t sure about.”

While he rolled his eyes, you countered, “I don’t hear any objections?”

“You wouldn’t let me have one,” he grumbled, and you laughed.

“OK, enough of mine-”

And just then, the bell rang off. Signalling language classes, which you had for French and he had for Mandarin.

“Alright, see you later!”

Waving silently back at you, he got mingled in the crowd of students, and even then, the two of you looked back for glimpses of each other.

******

With the exception of science and computer classes, you two had differing schedules, so you always chose to sit alone.

However, with the recombination of the double-seated desks, you decided to finally learn to share, and keeping your distance, you allowed other girls to sit, but would never speak a word to them unless required.

One day, the boys in your class created a ruckus, and the teacher decided to break apart their formation.

It just happened to be your luck that their head, Evan, got a seat next to you. All the while, he kept yapping your ear off, but seeing your cold stare only pushed him to infuriate you even more.

And when he took the place next to you the next day, you objected to the teacher, but she explained that this is necessary for the ‘peace and decorum’.

And soon you grew to hate these lessons.

Occasionally, Evan would trail after you, but seeing you beeline for Megumi would make him retrace his steps back to his cronies. Once, he made the decision of following you two, and when you looked over to see him, you raised both your middle fingers at him.

Surprised by your not-usually-vulgar attitude, Megumi turned back to see who it was, while whispering at you the question.

You replied, “he’s some jerk I’m supposed to be seated next to. Creeps me all the time.”

And you smiled triumphantly when he also gave Evan the middle finger.

Ever since he walked you back home in the rain, you had harboured feelings for Megumi Fushiguro, and you always tried to confess, but either you were scared of his rejection, or didn’t have the courage, because always your pencil would fall back in the middle of a note.

A broken pencil is better than a broken heart.

But never, ever, had you hoped that either he’d confess, if he had any feelings for you, or you’d just let it all spill.

For an English project, you hit your favourite place in the world – the library, and while you quietly reminisced the moment Megumi saved your head in the city library, you smiled to yourself. While you turned the page-

“Who’s got you smiling like that, pretty girl?”

Dread welling inside you, you decided to ignore him, when he drew a chair next to you. “You got the guts to ignore me, pretty girl?”

“You got the guts to sit next to me without my permission?” you fired, without meeting Evan’s sight.

“Tsk tsk. Girls would be dying to sit next to me.”

“Then why sitting next to me?”

“Cause I want to talk to you.”

“And I want you to get lost from here.” You finally glared at him, but only found a shameless curiosity in there.

“Who are you to boss me around?”

“Not your pretty girl,” you pushed back your chair and strode out, but he caught up to you and raised his hands in surrender. “I swear, I just need to talk.”

You crossed your arms, arching an eyebrow for him to go on.

“I really like you. And I want to, you know, be your boyfriend and all.” You were surprised to see him stuttering. “So, will you be my girlfriend?”

“No.”

It didn’t even take you five seconds to spew your answer out. “Was that all you had to ask?”

“Why’d you reject me? What’s wrong with me?”

“I have the right to remain silent.”

“OK, you’re not into relationships right now. Can I wait for you?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Is it that black haired boy?”

You halted. “And if I said it was?”

“Then what’s in that brat that isn’t in me? Just tell me. I’ll be nicer for you if you say.”

“There’s nothing you can do. I love him.” You pressed every word, looking him in the eye.

Sighing, Evan pressed his temples. “He’s in sciences with you, isn’t he?”

You nodded, and then he walked forward, making you step back.

“What are you doing?” You snarled.

“Attempting to have you reconsider. Can he give you what I can?”

His frame and the desks surrounding you gave you no chance to escape, however you made a dive for the gap between the chairs. By the fraction of a second, he caught you in his arms, and as you flailed, shrieking, he began invading you with his fingers over your neck and back.

“You like it, don’t you, you dirty girl?” His voice dropped to a filthy whisper in your ear.

“No,” you bit his hand, “you bastard.”

“Oh, my pretty girl is a liar too?”

“NOT YOUR PRETTY GIRL!”

“See, I knew you’re a liar.” Bringing his mouth to your arm, he pinned you, and whispered, “let’s see if he leaves you when he sees my mark on you.”

Your entire mind quieted at the terrifying thought – no man of honour would want to take a taken girl – and that filled you with a deranged need to get away from him.

“LET ME GO YOU-”

He clamped your mouth shut. “Careful, or do you want witnesses to my marking?”

While you struggled, he continued, “You like it, don’t you? I read your fact file, pretty girl. And didn’t your fact file say that gentle touch boosts oxytocin? I know a little science, darling.”

“JUST F*** OFF WILL YOU?” you screamed, hoping someone would come now.

“Oh that I will, on you. Now enjoy my gentle touch.”

“My touch can break your face apart if you don’t remove your hand.”

Leaving you almost instantly, you collapsed on the ground, sputtering for breath and looking up to your saviour. There, in rage, stood Megumi Fushiguro. One look at you, and his voice quieted. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you answered, leaning against the wall to catch your breath.

As Evan bolted for it, he was blocked by Megumi’s arm to the door. “It’s time I verify the fact.”

And that day you understood why even the greatest bullies quaked in his name.

No longer recognizable, Megumi jerked Evan out the library with his collar. “Let’s see if anybody takes you after they see my mark on you.”

Bolting down the corridor, you heard Evan vanish, and then Megumi bent down to your level. “You sure you all right?”

For some reason, the fear that he’ll leave you resurfaced, and tears swam in your eyes. Green eyes widening, he guided you up.

“It’s all right, I’m here,” whispering the same words over and over, he passed you his water bottle.

“Wanna talk about it?” he quietly asked, after gulps of water. You shook your head.

“Just know I’m right here if you want to tell me anything, okay?”

Smiling weakly up at him, you nodded, but when the image nearly flashed again, you changed your mind. You were not ready to lose him yet.

“Megumi?”

His footsteps halted.

“Can I talk to you right now?”

“Of course.”

Walking down the halls to your next class, you told him everything, and his jaw clenched tighter at every mention of Evan’s name.

“Should’ve told me earlier.”

“You beat him up enough to prove my point.”

“I was just warming up.”

And when you got to the point of him saying ‘let’s see if he leaves you when he sees my mark on you’, his form went rigid.

“So, will you…” you gingerly asked him. “I swear, I fought him-”

“You thought I’d be mad at you for something he did?”

“Well, yes.”

“Never. Trust me when I say this.”

“That I always will.”

“Good, you can test it all you can but it will never change.” He left you at the class’ doorstep. “Remember that.”

In the class, you quietly sat, thinking over and over if you should tell him how you felt.

And that day, that hour, you made your decision. Texting him in class, you said, hey, I wanna meet Tsumiki-chan today. Can I come over?

You can come with me.

No, gotta tell mom first and look presentable lol.

OK.

Five minutes later, you had his address in hand.

Fast forward to evening, you stood at his house’s pristine door in your flowery white frock and high ponytail, and you rang the bell.

From the intercom, a voice emerged, who is it?

You replied with your full name, and the door swung open to a tall girl.

“Hello!” she warmly greeted you. “I’m Tsumiki. You’re Megumi’s classmate, aren’t you?”

You eagerly nodded your head, and she led you inside. “He’s in the shower right now, go make yourself comfortable.”

While she went to get the water, you settled on a sofa, fingers interlocked in anxious excitement. Just then, you heard Tsumiki talk with someone very loud, and soon the source of the sound followed in the form of a tall man with white hair and blinds on?

“Hi there,” he waved joyously at you, Tsumiki following in, and you stood to bow down in respect. “No need, no need, kid. I’m Satoru. I’m sure you’ve been told all about me?” and he looked to the door that faced your back.

“No need to bore her with you.”

You pressed a grin at that familiar voice, your breath catching at the sight of Megumi in a black T-shirt, walking to take a seat opposite to you.

“Any difficulties in the directions?”

“Nope.”

Satoru was really good at engaging all of you in a cheery, lively conversation, when half an hour later, Tsumiki called you all for dinner.

“Tsumiki-chan, you didn’t have to do all this alone,” you ashamedly said, “I should have helped you out.”

Slightly smacking your head, she pushed you towards the table. “No, you’re like family. I won’t have you work around the house.”

“So am I not family?” Satoru’s eyes went wide.

“This is your house,” she waved her hand. “You’re the man. It’s your job.”

Puffing up like a penguin, he continued with his dinner, until both siblings took their places.

“So,” Satoru side-eyed Megumi while asking you, “you’re the kid he won’t stop talking about.”

“In an appreciative manner or apprehensive manner?” you joked, laughing seeing the boy in question redden.

“I don’t remember telling you about her,” he shot at Satoru, and he shrugged.

“It was just a guess.” He shrugged.

And the table burst into laughs.

Done with dinner, Satoru excused himself to attend to something from his school, you stood with Tsumiki to help her out despite her insistence, and Megumi came to tell you he’d be in his room waiting for you.

While you nodded back okay, a glass slipped from your hands and it shattered near your feet, splattering the floor and your frock in juice. While you yelped back in fright, the two siblings’ attention was diverted towards the mess.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry-” you began profusely, but the siblings were busy otherwise.

“I’ll clear it,” Tsumiki told her brother, who was focused on you.

“Get away from the glass,” he took the plates from you, while levelling a quick assessing gaze down your frame. “Did you get hurt? You all right?” his face went apologetic seeing your ruined dress. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault, I’m fine, I’m fine.” You reassured him, even giving a thumbs up to his sceptical gaze and ten minutes later, you were still helping Tsumiki out, who was still wary of any more damage, though you were careful not to break anything else. Megumi was long gone in his room.

“A word from one girl to another,” Tsumiki began, snapping your attention. “You like him, don’t you?”

You nodded shyly, and she sniggered. “How’d you know though?”

“So many signs. Firstly, Gojo-san was not lying – he keeps talking about you one way or the other. Secondly, you were looking for his reaction at anything that happened, and thirdly, well, he came for you when the glass broke.”

“He’s nice. I’d do that if someone else was wounded too.”

“Well, except he doesn’t. You’re the first person I’ve seen him be nice to.”

“Well, yes, you’re right.” You raised your hands in surrender. “You got me.”

“Then why don’t you tell him?”

You hesitated.

“I won’t tell him, or anyone else. I promise.” The older sister came to put a hand on your shoulder.

“What if he said no?”

“And what if he said yes?” Tsumiki cocked her head at you.

“Then, why didn’t he…”

“Maybe he’s thinking the same about you. Maybe he’s waiting for you to take the first step.”

You looked at her with hopeful eyes. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

“Are you and Gojo-san okay with me?”

Tsumiki huffed a small laugh. “We’re not as hard to impress as my brother. You make him happy, and that’s what matters to us. So yes, we both are happy.”

“Thanks.” You beamed up at her, while she gave a gentle shove.

“Now go on. Tell him. I’m rooting for you!”

You tossed her a grin. “That’s what I’m here for.”

As you began climbing up the stairs, you raised your head to see Megumi standing at the top, crossed arms. “I thought you forgot the way up here.”

“How touching, dear guide.” You followed him into his neatly arranged bedroom. Light blue coloured walls were marked with windows, draped with dark blue curtains and in the room on one side was a single bed while on the other, a rack full of books adorned it.

How very him.

“You okay?” his voice snapped you out of your observation and you saw him with his back to you.

“Yeah, I skipped the glass-”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

Your mouth snapped shut as he turned to face you. “Yeah, I’m fine too.”

“Told anyone else about that?”

“Would’ve, if I hadn’t been in safer hands.” You looked to the window as if a new subject will fly into your hands. “Let’s talk about something else. I’m not here to be moody now. You got some fact books?”

He gestured towards the library, and you beelined for it, using a books’ pages to shush how hard your heart was thumping. What were you thinking? How was this going to work?

“There’s somethi-”

You began simultaneously, “I need to tal-”

Both of you shut up at the same time.

“You go first.” You pointed towards him.

Taking the chance, he walked over to your position. “I found something that I think you’d like to check. Open page 45, line 30.”

Surprised at his specificity, you opened it up to find a highlighted fact.

Men take 88 days to say I love you.

“That can’t be for all men,” you shook your head in disbelief. “the author apparently went on a whim.”

He pointed towards the study reference.

“Still, I could test this out, but I’ll need to be a bit older for that.” You tapped your chin.

“Why not now?”

“I can’t ask everybody right now, can I?”

“You used to say to start simple, didn’t you? Let’s start right here.”

“And how do you suggest we do-”

“I’ll break it: I love you, Y/N.”

Your entire world froze. “Come again?”

“I just proved this was wrong.”

“Did you mean it? Or was it just for fun?”

“I’m not the joker type,” he wrinkled his nose. “I meant it. And you can test me all you want, but this will never change.”

“When?” you hoarsely managed.

“I don’t exactly remember. Was it the rain? The library? That idiot? Not sure. I just knew I felt so.”

You stayed there, stunned, torn between shock and joy. Finally, he lifted his eyes to face you. “Say something.”

“You read my mind, didn’t you?”

“Did you leave it open?”

You didn’t hear him. “Because you know I was about to say something too? I came here today to tell you that I love you. I love you since the day you returned me my book, and I’d drop that book all over again if it meant I’d get to meet you in every lifetime.”

“So,” a relaxed look appeared on his face, and you suspected you might have caught a smile too. “Will you be mine?”

“If you’ll let me be yours.”

**********

Another thing you discovered later on about him: Megumi Fushiguro was one of the most possessive people you ever knew. While he wouldn't show it with words, his actions were enough to ward people off his girl. One of them being hand-holding.

Any time you two are out, he'll always hold your hand.

And even in sleep, he doesn't let go of your hand. Once, while sleeping, you drew your hand away to turn over, and immediately his hand was roaming over the bed, searching for yours.

One morning, when you woke with your hand still entwined in his, you found him sleeping with his hair tousled and mouth slightly open. You kissed his forehead.

"Wake up, my sleepy otter."

Prying open one green eye, he looked up at you. "I'm awake."

"I can see that."

"What was that you called me earlier?"

"Otter."

With half-open eyes, he still managed to give you an eyebrow raise. "I don't have an otter shikigami."

"I know you don't. You act like one." Seeing him still unconvinced, you grin. "I read somewhere that otters sleep, holding each others' hands. It's to prevent being separated by the water currents."

Then you playfully flicked his nose. "And that's why you're my own otter."

"I do that because I feel cold." he reasoned, and you snorted.

"That's not very convincing, my little otter. But I do think you do it to make sure I don't run away, now do you?"

"At the rate you slip off while awake, I have to ensure you're safe while sleeping."

"See, I knew that!" You smiled brilliantly, earning an eye-roll from him. "But you don't have to worry: no water current can take this otter from you."

"Where'd you read that?" Battling a smile, he asked you.

You told him the name, and his eyes went from sleepy to fully awake. Flipping you such that he was now on top of you, he playfully scolded, his hands creeping up to tickle you, "That's from my library, wasn't it? I've been searching for it and now I find out you sneaked it?"

"The cover was pretty," you protested weakly, under his tickle attacks, "and I found it interesting, so I took it!"

"That's not very convincing, my little magpie."

"Your what?" you managed breathlessly as he stopped his relentless fight.

"If you have read it, then you must have also read about them. Magpies like to take shiny and pretty things. So I guess you're acting like one."

"We both belong in the zoo," you laughed. "Or maybe the wild."

"I don't know about that, but I'm certain of one thing." He said as he lifted himself on one elbow to face you.

"And that is?"

"That we belong together."

DO NOT COPY MY WORK!

[the-drift-journal]

I still love you

Summary: JJ can't get you out of his head after the breakup and he's done letting you avoid talking about it.

Warnings: Mentions of drugs, swearing, kissing, panic attack, bad coping skills, mentions of drinking and hookups

You and JJ used to be really close… you used to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Hell, you had pictured the two of you finding some random chapel one day, tying the knot, and going back and celebrate by surfing and drinking a few beers… but you knew better now.

You knew JJ had just been a temporary thing in your life. That you guys dated for a time, and that’s all it was meant to be… at least those were the things you had been telling yourself for the past four months to make it seem like it was all okay. To make the breakup hurt a little less.

It wasn’t like it ended with a fight, it was more of a mutual agreement that neither of you were in the right headspace to be what the other needed, and you thought this was what would be best. For both of you. JJ had been having a rough time with it. No, scratch that, JJ had been hurting. His heart was tired, and his soul was empty. The friendship with you after the breakup was never the same, and even if it had been, it wouldn’t have ever been enough. There was a hole that he could not fill… and he tried. He tried everything.

You had your fair share of pain; you just internalized it more than JJ did. Nights spent staring at the wall, either with a blank expression on your face as your thoughts spiraled for hours, or with tears pouring down your face. While JJ drank his problems away and started sleeping around again, you would isolate. You kept yourself away from your friends, away from your family, and away from most things you used to enjoy.

JJ tried to find happiness in anything other than you, and you felt the need to punish yourself for the pain that you didn’t know how to deal with... and it was that way, until the night you had a panic attack… then it all came crashing down.

You had been outside by the fire, the pogues all having fun and messing around, but you were stuck in your head. The constant stream of ‘what if’ thoughts and good memories was tearing you apart, and it got to be too much.

You stumbled inside the house, everything looking a tiny bit blurry. Your breathing was heavy, and your hands had been trembling enough to make it difficult to open the front door.

JJ saw you stumble in the house, and in the back of his mind, he knew. He knew what was happening. He knew the signs and he knew your tells. Panic attack. He sat there and he tried really really damn hard to hold himself back and not invade your space, but the concern for you became too strong and he set down his beer and followed you into the house.

He found you in the kitchen, leaning forward on the counter with your weight pressed into the heels of your hands. He watched for a moment, trying to figure out how bad it was or if there was even anything he could do without fucking things up more. Your breathing was shallow and your whole body was visibly shaking, and if it weren’t for his usual lack of forethought, he would have talked himself out of it and gone back outside, but he didn’t.

You felt JJ’s hand on your lower back, and you tensed for a second before you were back to being in your head about everything. The thoughts running through your mind took away your ability to focus on the fact that he was there and that he was trying to help.

JJ watched you relax after a second, and that little moment of vulnerability was all he needed. It was like the past four months never happened. It was just you and him. “Y/n… you gotta breathe. Slow it down.”

His voice was soft, and it made you squeeze your eyes tighter, trying desperately to hold onto that. “C-can’t-“

“You can, baby, in and out. C’mon.”

You heard the nickname. The term of endearment that had been so common when the two of you dated. It was like an automatic thing for him to call you that, and you weren’t sure if he even noticed. You got a small deep breath in, still shallow, but it was better than it had been.

“There we go. Atta girl, just keep doin’ that. That’s all you gotta do.” His hand kept rubbing your back before he pulled on your shoulders a bit to turn you around. He looked at your face, seeing the panicked look in your red rimes eyes as his hands rested on your upper arms, softly tracing your skin with his thumbs.

“I- I just-”

“Shhh… hey, just look at me.” He smiled softly at you once he caught your eyes. “There you are… deep breaths. Y/n.”

You managed to keep your eyes focused on him, taking deep breaths and calming your body down. The world stopped spinning and it was like the color returned to your vision a little bit. That’s when you realized. JJ was there. He was standing right in front of you, holding you. He was keeping his distance and trying to hold back, you knew that, but he was there.

“Hey… you with me?”

You nodded; eyes locked on his baby blues. “Yeah…”

JJ nodded just the same, one of his hands dropping to your side for a second before he pulled back, not letting himself get too close to you. “What… what got you in your head?”

“N-nothing. Nothing important.”

“No, if you had a panic attack because of it, we’re well past it being nothing important.”

You looked up at him with a tight jaw before it sort of all just came tumbling out. “Was thinking ‘bout you… a-about us…”

JJ took a shaky breath, having feared this conversation for a long time. One of his hands came up to run through his hair, tugging at the roots a little bit as if it would ease some of the tension in his body. “Yeah…”

“It’s like it doesn’t go away… I try to think about other things, to force it out… and it just comes right back.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t know. It’s like I can’t-”

“No, Y/n. Trust me, I know.” His eyes meet yours, his tone serious. He knew full well what you meant. Just because he had a different way of coping didn’t mean he wasn’t going through exactly the same thing. It almost felt like withdrawals, except rather than a drug, it was from a person.

“God, Y/n… I miss you.”

You had heard his words but just barely. He had mumbled them so quietly, almost to himself as he messed with one the rings on his left hand. “JJ-” You tried to cut him off to keep him from starting this conversation and going down this road, even though you knew it was inevitable.

“No, I’m allowed to say that. I’m allowed to miss you…”

“I know but… we shouldn’t…” He sighed and shook his head as he walked back over to stand in front of you again. “Shouldn’t what? Talk… touch…”

“We’re both in our head right now, and we should just… talk about this later.”

JJ shook his head as he stayed standing exactly where he had been. “No, Y/n… I’m so fuckin’ tired of this cat and mouse game we’ve been playing, trying to pretend that nothing ever happened.”

You took a deep breath as you tried to reign in all of the emotions that wanted to make themselves known as you heard his words. “I’m not pretending it never happened… I’m just moving on.”

“Yeah? How’s that going for ya?”

You tensed for a second, not sure that you wanted to give him all of the details on just how hard it had been for you.

Both of JJ’s hands went to the edge of the counter on either side of your body, basically caging you in. “I know you. I know you sit in your room and spiral while you stare at the wall, and I know this panic attack was a reaction from letting it all build up for so long, so don’t stand here and lie to me about it.

Your hands clasped together to fidget as you took a deep breath. “I don’t need you to tell me how to deal with my shit...”

He took a step back, running his hands through his hair once more, this time with a frustrated sigh. “I’m not, Y/n… but I know that’s what you’re doing. It’s not like I have this all figured out. Hell, I don’t think my life has ever been this much of a fuckin’ shitshow.”

“JJ. We don’t need to talk about this.” You shook your head, trying so hard to avoid this. Avoid the feelings that you knew were still there. The feelings that you knew would come back out if he didn’t stop and walk away.

“Will you stop trying to push me away?!”

“I just-” You almost flinched at the sound of desperation in his voice, and if you looked close enough, you could see the faint tears that had gathered in his waterline.

“Jesus Christ. I can’t get you out of my head, Y/n. It doesn’t matter what I do, you’re fuckin’ there. The alcohol is only temporary, no other girl takes the pain away, and I have tried every damn thing to try to get the memory of you out…”

You started shaking your head, opening your mouth to interrupt him, but the feeling of his hands on your hips stopped all of that.

“No, no. Just shut up and listen. I miss you, okay? And I’m not going to pretend I don’t. I miss the feel of your fingers in my hair, I miss the weight of your body on top of mine… the feeling of your skin on mine. I miss your lips, your eyes, every little freckle on your body. I miss talking to you, I miss knowing you, I miss touching you and… and I miss loving you.”

You had tears in your eyes, and his next words didn’t do anything but make them fall down your cheeks.

“And I still do love you.”

He lifted a hand to gently wipe away a few stray tears, his thumb gently caressing your skin as he did so. You watched his eyes for a moment as they ran over your face. No matter how hard you tried to stop it all, to keep this from happening, the words came out anyway. “I still love you too…”

Both of JJ’s hands held either side of your face, his body now less than a few inches from your own. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

The small smile on his face was still present as his lips met your own in a tender, but needy kiss. They moved against yours, seeking your touch, needing to feel you. One of his hands went to the back of your head and tangled in your hair, the other moving to your waist, finding the small strip of skin between your shirt and shorts.

You moved your own hands up to his hair, running your fingers through it; a feeling he had mentioned missing only a few moments ago, and you could tell he meant that by the small, almost in audible whine that left his lips from the feeling of it. 

His hands tightened on your body as he pulled away for a short moment, only long enough to mumble the words ‘I love you’ before pressing another kiss to your lips.

[lovvecherrymotion]

help

omfg this is such a funny ask to get😭 idk what it says about me that i'm being asked for jan info

okay so. this is actually a very difficult thing to answer. i have no idea where to start. i have no idea what exactly you'd like to know about jan because there's just so much random stuff to talk about.

he's a mathematician, has a cat (igor), plays multiple instruments, enjoys cooking (AND HE'S GOOD AT IT IDC WHAT ANYONE SAYS), was a stock model for a while, has very strong opinions on insects and the praying mantis is his favorite. likes metal and britney like any fun person should. is a night owl. likes ananas lonkero and nace's mashed potatoes. enjoys making silly photoshop edits and is very funny and witty. used to be late for things but not so much anymore

he might be a bit reserved but he's a very sweet, kind person too. he's insanely talented and charismatic and i love how much he enjoys music and being on stage. he just gets completely lost in his own little world sometimes (but there's always a nace to bring him back).

i feel like every single time i talk about jan it turns into a love letter so if there's anything specific and actually more useful you'd like to know just... ask away. and I KNOW the art will turn out amazing

[mewkwota]

His Most Beloved

Another little thing with Volnutt in this cosplay.

Sorry I'm still not over this, that dress really does look so cute on him. Many layers are going on with this that I feel I've already explained.