#like what do you MEAN you immediately rolled FINISHING a whole project i only just drafted

[comfortlesshurt]

why do i hurt myself dammit

[linnamonrolls0]

The Winner Takes It All

LMM!Hermes x Reader

Summary:

“devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes what doesn’t kill me makes me want you more…”

You accidentally find your way into the Lotus Casino, where a certain Greek god takes a keen interest in a game of poker, a sweet deal, and… you.

Rating: Mature

Words: 4,480

A/N:

I wasn’t gonna write this… until I saw some hater saying they’d [redacted] if they saw a LMM!Hermes x Reader fic show up - so naturally, being the disastrous Lin simp that I am, I HAD TO DO IT. After all, learning from the best in proving the naysayers wrong…

A lot of this was written pre-episode, allow it with a few inconsistencies and a lot of research-induced additions!

Mixtape... bloop - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6v2ZfRamJRh8eP6qOqz4ND

Chapter 1: When The Chips Are Down

Contrary to popular belief, apparently it is possible to get lost in Las Vegas.

You were only strolling the Strip with a group of friends on the last day of your whirlwind vacation, but soon enough you found yourself at a dead end, unsure of what turn you’d even taken to get there. 

Hoping to locate a restroom and some means of connectivity to contact your friends, you beelined for the nearest building, flashily labelled the Lotus Hotel and Casino: upon glancing upward, you were met with the sight of a forty-storey tower, with a wide open entrance marked by a blooming neon-bright lotus flower in front of you. It was the sort of place you would expect to be buzzing with life, but oddly enough nary a soul lingered by the shining silver doors; just stillness and silence, save for the muffled music pounding from somewhere inside.

Though you felt overwhelmingly uneasy, that entrance carried a strange magnetism that compelled you to step inside. Something that suggested all your fear would be put to rest the moment you walked through those doors… or into that flower, at least.

You tucked your hands under your sleeves and drew in a deep breath, before you crossed the petalled threshold into an opulent lobby decorated with lotus plants in intricately designed pots and inviting plush couches around the circular hall. The air conditioning was a welcome relief from the Nevada summer heat, and the whole place seemed to glow in a dark shade of pink. 

You immediately felt an invisible weight ease off of your shoulders as you entered… What had you come here to look for, again?

Right, a phone charger and somewhere to pee. Of course, basic human necessities, how could you forget those so quickly?

Interrupting your line of thought, you paused in your tracks when a tall Barbie doll materialised in front of you, dressed in bright pink from head to toe; upon first glance she looked like some sort of projection, as though she wasn’t real at all.

“Welcome to the Lotus Hotel and Casino,” she greeted you in an almost robotic voice, with a plastic smile stretched across her face, holding out a shimmering green card. “Here’s your Cash Card, have a great time!”

“Cash… what? Do I have to pay for this?” you stuttered, confused beyond belief as you took the card. What was this place?

“No, not a penny!” She shook her head; not a single strand of her perfectly coiffed blonde hair shifted out of place. “Would you like a tour? Here, have a drink. Only the best in the world here!” 

She offered you a glass goblet, filled to the brim with a dark maroon liquid and topped with blueberries, bearing the same eerie magnetism as the doors had done minutes before. You eyed the drink dubiously, brows furrowed as you sniffed it in a futile attempt to ascertain what exactly it was.

“I’m alright, thank you,” you politely declined, “What is—”

But before you could finish your question, the Barbie doll had disappeared as suddenly as she’d arrived, and the moment you sipped the strong floral drink, your questions completely evaporated.

Following your curiosity, you craned your neck and looked up to see endless floors lined with rooms and doors and glass balconies, with a pair of glass elevators in the middle. At this point, you wouldn’t be surprised if the great glass elevator could shoot through the ceiling like something out of a children’s book.

At least there were more people in here, though you were certain they too had just appeared as if by magic; not acknowledging you at all, they milled about in the lobby and outside the doors to the casino, beside to what appeared to be an arcade full of excited children playing classic and modern video games alike. Regardless of age, all the guests were clad in fancy-dress costumes; you figured perhaps there was an event taking place that had its attendees reflecting different eras of fashion. Wouldn’t be unusual for this town, everyone was dressed crazy and after three days traversing Sin City’s myriad clubs and casinos, nothing fazed you - or perhaps the effects of whatever you’d taken at that club last night still hadn’t fully worn off, who knew…

Still in a bit of a daze, you floated toward the immense double doors leading to the Casino, already hearing the jingling of slot machines singing proud over the pounding pop beats as their backing track.

The casino was lit by ornate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, deliberately dimmed to give way to the bright, flashing lights of the various gaming machines assembled around the hall, surrounding a set of card tables in its centre. Chatter and laughter filled the room and people crowded around the tables, playing without a care in the world and having the time of their lives; everyone seemed to have a goblet in hand and a cash card in the other, not dissimilar to your current state. It was warmer in here, though still comfortable enough that you could breathe… Just about.

You wandered through and your attention was glued to a game of roulette at a table beside you, where a couple had just won who knows what, when you were interrupted by a greeting that you just somehow knew was directed at you.

“Well, hello, there,” you heard in a smooth, low tenor behind you.

You whirled around on your heel to be met by… a guy. Literally just a guy, casually leaning on his gorgeously tanned forearms on a nearby craps table, aimlessly toying with a pair of dice in his left hand as he gazed over at you. He was certainly easy on the eyes with his vaguely familiar but handsome face, a mischievous little smirk on his lips, and pretty brown eyes that sparkled in the flashing lights… There was something about those eyes that drew you in. And for some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to look away…

He looked like the most normal person in the room, but he seemed entirely out of place, given that everyone else was dressed to the nines - meanwhile he wore a comfy tan hoodie and sweatpants set, as if he perhaps owned it all and subsequently had no rules to follow in this already-lawless land. When he stepped around his table to approach you, he certainly did swagger around like he ruled the place, and his companions nearby looked at him like they worshipped the ground he walked on. Perhaps he was important, but how were you to know?

“You come here often?” he flirted, just about the most awful pickup line imaginable, but you were past the point of questioning why it still sounded attractive.

How had you ended up here, anyway? Hell knew… But this was Sin City, after all; a little harmless flirting could do you no harm, surely… 

“Nope, never been here before. But weirdly, I don’t want to leave…” you shrugged, taking another sip of that strangely addictive drink.

“Sounds about right, Miss…”

“[Y/N],” you offered casually, uncharacteristically not hesitant.

“Pleasure to meet you…” he said with a playful lilt to his tone, holding out a hand, “They call me Hermes.”

When you shook his hand, for a split second you could’ve sworn you weren’t there anymore - when his smooth hand held yours, something akin to a firework went off inside your mind, and you’d put it down to just sparks if not for the phantom breeze you felt just then, a gust that nearly knocked you off your feet.

You couldn’t place what it was, exactly, but there was something strange about this man. He bore an almost otherworldly quality, as though he wasn’t human at all… But how could he be anything else? Come to think of it, there was a similarly supernatural energy about the casino itself; no wonder he fit right in to this weird wonderland.

“What, you got a Birkin in your back pocket or something, Mr Hermes?” you laughed, trying to shake off that odd suspicion, only to be met by his indignant scowl. Even that was cute.

“And what business do you have with my back pockets?” he teased, tucking one hand into the front pocket of his hoodie, to which you raised an intrigued brow.

You shrugged, nonchalant, still reeling from that strange feeling. “Nothing yet, but perhaps I’d like to find out…”

“Obviously I do not, but I could hook you up.” The innuendo wasn’t lost on you, least of all when Hermes smirked, that patented brand of mischief you were quickly growing quite fond of as he swaggered across to the card table; the players welcomed him back gladly. “Care for a game?” he asked, seemingly winning one without even paying attention to it as he rolled the dice carelessly onto the table that stood between you.

As he retrieved the dice, you eyed his hands curiously; they could only be described as pretty, as though he might be a pianist or… an artist of some description. He had his sleeves rolled back and a gold-plated Rolex glimmered on one wrist, a chunky gold chain-link bracelet on the other, and something about that on him was distractingly attractive. It all screamed money, despite his casual tracksuit getup, which would’ve been nothing special if it didn’t look so needlessly expensive in itself. You absently wondered what that obscure tattoo on his ring finger meant, for surely it couldn’t imply he might be taken…

“It’s not like you have anything to lose,” Hermes commented, interrupting your line of thought as he set a few chips down on the table and retrieved his own green Cash Card from his pocket, holding it up to show you. So everyone had them; then, what was the point?

Oh, right. You likely couldn’t do anything with the money outside, so, go figure it was an unlimited free pass.

“I guess I’m in. After all, what you gonna do when the chips are down?” you quoted a challenge, holding your own smug look at the recognition in his eyes.

“I see you speak my language…” he teased, “Even if those aren’t exactly my words.”

“Funny you should mention that. Has anyone ever told you you look a bit like Lin-Manuel Miranda?”

“So I’ve been told! Though, I think the correct expression would be that he looks like me. Same difference, he’s me, I’m him, whatever.” He waved a flippant hand, as if instructing you to ask no further questions on the topic.

“Gotcha…” You laughed, putting this all down to a wacky dream by now as you joined him by the card table. “What is this, anyway?” you asked him, raising your goblet in his general direction. He was the only person here without one, which didn’t entirely make sense to you, even in the logic of twisted fever dreams.

“Raise a glass to freedom… and throw it the fuck away,” he sang with a laugh, “Seriously, though, that’s a little addictive psychedelic beverage called blue lotus wine. If you know what’s good for you, you won’t drink a drop.”

“And what if I already did?”

“Well, then you’re well and truly screwed…” Hermes grinned, mischief dancing in his dark brown eyes. He swiped the half-full glass out of your hand and knocked back the remainder of the wine in one quick gulp, his gaze never leaving yours as he deposited the empty glass on a tray carried away by one of those apparating Barbie waitresses. “And now, so am I.”

He waved over another waitress and grabbed two new glasses of wine off her tray, politely handing one to you. He brought his glass to his lips, slowly sipping at the wine as you eyed his hand wrapped around the glass, absently wondering what that seemingly delicate touch would feel like on you… There was no reason why the simple act of this man drinking hallucinatory wine should’ve been remotely sexy, but you could say the same for him in general; this shouldn’t work, but god damn, it does.

“Was that really the best idea if it’s—” you began, and he quickly cut in.

“Absolutely not, no, but if you come here to forget, you may as well do it right…” Hermes sighed, a momentary flash of resignation in his stance as he briefly let his shoulders droop. “Anyway, whatever, fuck real life. Let’s play?” he offered, running a hand through his dark hair, seemingly shaking himself out of the memory of whatever haunting reality had led him here. As a matter of fact, what had led you here?

“Sure,” you smiled, “What are we playing? I’m pretty sure I saw an arcade on my way in…”

“Come on, there’s no stakes in that! This is where the real fun’s at,” he said with a light laugh, gesturing to the craps table in front of you.

“Speak for yourself. I’ll have you know, I’m amazing at air hockey!”

“Yeah? I’m a killer at the claw machine, so go figure.”

You rolled your eyes at him, “Cute. Shame they don’t have an escape room.”

“Just as well, I’ve always been a little too good with locks… Besides, this place itself is an escape room. Only, there’s no escape…”

“Wait, what?”

“Because… You want to stay, right? What’s waiting for you outside?”

Suddenly, you found yourself struggling to answer his question. Where barely a few moments ago, everything had been so clear, now you could see a hazy cloud inside your mind as you desperately searched for the answer to no avail, almost as though that hallucinogen was beginning to hit hard… 

“Outside? What’s outside? I — I could stay here — You’re… Huh?” you stuttered, “I don’t know where else I’d go.”

Hermes sighed, glancing over at you. “Literally anywhere but here.”

“Sorry?” you questioned, brows furrowed. Had you misread his signals?

“Walk with me,” he offered, and so you obliged as he stepped towards you again. You followed his lead as he strolled on within the confines of the casino, glancing surreptitiously around as though making sure you weren’t being eavesdropped on - though you could only wonder why.

“Alright, I don’t normally do this…” he drawled, “But for some reason I’m taking a liking towards you; and all trickery aside, I don’t take unfair advantage, so here’s the secret. You ever heard of Odysseus and the Lotus Eaters?” he asked seriously; you nodded your assurance. “Well, this place is kinda like their island… Only, now it’s here in the modern world, and what better place for it than Sin City? Hence the lightness in the air and the endless supply of blue lotus wine…”

You eyed him curiously, willing him to go on and trying not to focus on his initial confession. “I guess that explains a lot. So this is… eternal psychedelic bliss?”

“Yep, that good old adrenaline and dopamine rush, forever and ever and everrrrr… Half of Olympus has tried to claim it, but nobody really knows whose work of chaotic genius this was.” He shrugged nonchalantly, not at all like he was explaining such an outlandish concept. “When you’re in a casino, time just seems to work differently - and just like that, time moves at its own distorted pace in here. Lost travellers often find their way into this place, it has that draw when you stray off your path - and that’s why I hang out here, not just to wander astray from my own shit, but to guide you back to yours. I’m not immune to this,” he raised his glass, gesturing to the wine, “But I can handle the air just fine, unlike most mortals…”

“And what if I want to get lost?” you challenged, plucking his glass out of his hand, holding his gaze as you brought the drink to your lips. His gaze remained fixed on you as he bit his own lip, his eyes flickering to your lips for a millisecond as you sipped the wine; thirsty, not dissimilar to the way you’d been eyeing him mere seconds ago.

“Mmkay, lucky for you, I have some semblance of sense about me,” Hermes said, stopping by a poker table nearby, where the players immediately cleared a spot for the pair of you. Entirely nonchalant, he swiped a deck of cards off the table, expertly shuffling it as he spoke, “So win the next deal, and I’ll get you out of here.”

“So if I lose, I’m stuck in here?” you attempted to clarify the stakes, trying not to get distracted as you watched him shuffle those cards. Hell, he had such pretty hands, what else could you do but wonder what else he could do with them?

“Pretty much.”

“And what if I ask for a better deal?”

“Better than having your real life back?”

“Yep.”

“Try me…”

“Okay. If I win, my prize is you.”

“Me? What’s the catch?”

“Nothing. Just, you and me, until not even the gods above can separate the two of us,” you teased, peak dramatic, somewhere between flirting and floating. You could get used to this, the weightless feeling of flight…

Hermes quirked a brow at you, undeniably amused. “Interesting thought, given that I’m… well, not above, per se, but one of them.”

“You’re… what now?” You tilted your head to one side, looking curiously across at him. What in the world was he on about?

He shot you a pointed stare, isn’t it obvious? But it wasn’t, until now… when it all began to make sense, slowly: what this place was, how he knew so much about it, why he had a more heightened sense of awareness despite the inherent hypnotism of the literal and metaphorical lotus flower you’d stepped into… And he could guide lost travellers out. Your jaw dropped as your hand flew to your mouth when it finally dawned upon you who and what he was, and what that entailed —

And out loud, all you could manage was a whisper; “Oh, my god…”

The Greek god in front of you heaved a dramatic sigh, aiming a playful eye-roll in your direction. “Please, like I haven’t heard that one before,” he chuckled lightly, the sarcasm heavy in his tone.

And so you let him deal your hand and you played, stopping every so often to laugh, for Hermes was surprisingly fun to be around and perhaps staying here with him wouldn’t be so bad… Only, this couldn’t be his permanent residence. He was the god of travel, it made sense that he never hung around one place long enough to settle. It was obvious he had a natural charisma about him that clearly worked in his favour more than once; and not that it really mattered, but you absently wondered how many like you had crossed paths with him before, and the past baggage he’d been trying to forget was certainly not lost on you…

He had his right arm slung casually around your shoulder, his left occupied by his cards, not caring if you could see them. You tried your level best to stay focused; for you were feeling a little lightheaded by now, a combination of the wine and the strong scent of his cologne… He was close, enough that you could pick up the gentle sweet notes beneath the woody cedar scent he wore.

“All in?” you suggested, nudging your chips toward the centre of the table, glancing up at the literal god beside you.

“I am if you are,” Hermes smirked, pushing his own ridiculous amount of chips into the pot beside yours.

The game went on; and as if out of nowhere, thanks to a sudden turn in your luck and a surprise royal flush - which if you didn’t know any better, you would’ve attributed to him - you had finally won. Caught up in the daze, you stepped up onto your toes and threw your arms around his neck in an excited hug. He was momentarily taken aback by it, but quickly regained enough composure to gently wrap his arms around you. His soft touch bore a pleasantly startling contrast to his mischievous demeanour, and you found yourself not wanting to let go.

“Well played…” he congratulated you in that same teasing tone as he gently drew you back, briefly glancing at his watch and tapping two fingers against the side of the dial.

Perhaps you would’ve wondered why, but spurred on by your victory and high off the adrenaline, you hooked one finger in the gold chain around his neck and gently tugged at it to urge him closer, until the distance between you was barely a hair’s breadth. You could feel the warmth radiating off him in waves, his intense cologne flooding your senses. And suddenly it didn’t faze you that you were in public, and you paid no mind to the way all his casino companions were frozen around you instead of continuing their games… Suddenly, all you wanted was him. 

Was it blasphemous to lust after a god?

Hell, you could deal with the consequences of that later, for right now, his magnetism was pulling you in and you couldn’t bear to look away from those deep, dark brown eyes… Until Hermes leant closer to you and his soft lips brushed yours as he spoke, barely above a whisper yet you could hear him clearly despite the noise, “Not at all…”

Your breathing hitched, at his comment, at his proximity, at… everything about this. How the fuck did he know what you’d been thinking? 

Perhaps you’d dwell on that longer, but just then he reached up to cup your cheek. Though unexpectedly tender, his touch was white hot where his skin met yours, but pleasurably so as you let yourself get lost in it, in him… He pressed his lips to yours in two delicate little pecks, clearly just teasing, and you just about caught sight of his smirk before you stepped up onto your toes to kiss him again, for real this time. His other hand smoothly dropped to your waist, holding you against him and you pulled at his chain with your finger still caught in it, curling your other fist in the soft cotton of his hoodie.

Apparently, even the gods weren’t immune to carnal need, and Hermes was evidently faring no better than you; he gave in to the kiss quickly, all but melting into you, his tongue swiping insistently at your bottom lip, and you weren’t about to stop him. You parted your lips for him, granting him access instead of prolonging this teasing that had left you both desperate. He tasted of something indescribably sweet, mixed with the rich taste of the blue lotus wine that you’d both downed not so long ago, and you already knew he was a far better intoxicant than any drink you’d find here… As he deepened the kiss, his tongue brazenly tasting yours, borderline hungry; you saw a flash of light behind your eyelids, gripped by the feeling that you were flying, all for a mere moment before you became hyperaware of his heated touch and the fact that your feet were still firmly planted on the soft floral-patterned carpet of the casino.

It felt like time had frozen, the world had stopped around you, and nothing mattered except for him and you and the most perfect kiss you’d ever had…

But somehow, instead of clouding your thoughts like you’d expected, you drew back from his kiss with some clarity. Hermes had told you he could never lose. So why, then, had you just managed to win this? You were no expert when it came to these games, and he was clearly a well-seasoned gambling master… Had the notorious trickster god manipulated the deal in your favour? Had he purposely thrown this away for you?

The glimmer in his eyes only looked brighter as you separated, yet somehow those deep browns looked darker, lust clearly getting the better of him; and he made no effort to hide it, despite his small smile and the lightest hint of a blush on his cheeks. You were fairly sure you mirrored it all, and you were in no hurry to let him go…

Only, as the world began to come back into focus, you realised time really had stopped around you: everything and everyone in the casino was frozen, and you glanced up at the god in front of you with a mix of curiosity and fear in your eyes. “When you said you could stop time…” you began, still in disbelief.

Hermes nodded slowly, meeting your gaze with that characteristic smirk. “Yeah, I meant that literally. I may have had a running out of time crisis once, hence… this stolen life-saver,” he explained, raising his wrist to show you his watch - now upon closer inspection, you realised the hour, minute and second hands all pointed to 12, and he hovered a finger over a button at the side of the dial. “It’s up to you. Want me to bring it back?”

You shook your head. Not only did that beautiful gold timepiece look unfairly gorgeous on his wrist; it also held a piece of magic that could be incredibly useful… “No,” you whispered, “I’m in no hurry. Let’s make this last…”

You tilted your chin up towards him again, and he obliged you with another sweet little kiss. “Well, then… Perhaps I could show you some of the wonders of existing beyond space and time…” he murmured, “What d’you say to that?”

“I say, make time stop for us a little longer. Take me to another world, Hermes…”

The look he shot you just then, could’ve brought you to your knees on the spot - somehow you just knew he was fixated on the sound of his name as you whispered it, and you wondered how he could make you feel that just from a simple touch.

“C’mon, sweetheart; let’s get out of here,” Hermes suggested, offering you an arm; you linked your arm through his as he tapped the side of his watch, resuming the world around you as if it had never paused at all. 

You gazed up at him in awe as he led you out of the casino, back to the lobby and towards the opening of the blooming flower you’d walked in through. The humid summer air hit you both as you stepped outside together, thereby breaking the spell - but you were still captivated by him, regardless. He briefly let go of you to do away with his warm hoodie, leaving him in just a fitted white t-shirt that had no business looking so goddamn gorgeous on him.

You couldn’t help but smile as he hummed softly in your ear, “There’s a place I know in a nearby park…”

Part 2 via AO3 (blasphemous smut ahead)

[sniigura-archive]

where are you? (i don’t want to die alone) 3

all might x child! reader

chapter 1 ; chapter 2

tags/cw: child neglect, slight self harm, unhealthy coping mechanisms, VERY unrealistic everything

read on ao3 for better formatting + tagging

when you turn up on time to your first class, your friends seem relieved. ah, you nearly forgot, since its the 20 year anniversary for your school, the students will hold a cultural festival. there will be a concert, dancing performances and food.

you don’t perform on stage, especially not in-front of huge groups of people. your stage fright was too severe. still, you will spend the day helping to set up everything. being the man behind the scene and everything.

right now you were behind the gymnasium with your best friend, he was rolling a cigarette for himself. you were too paranoid to smoke, what if your voice changed too much and everyone ends up hating it?

leaning against the wall, you finished telling him of your crazy morning. he was the only one who knows who your father is. not because you told him, but because all might barged into your apartment and revealed his own secret identity. you don’t know how that could have happened, because you extra texted him AND left a message on his voice mail. who would have thought, he didn’t answer and screwed himself up.

the gymnasium is painted in a graffiti style, the new first years alway re paint it. a few years ago your group project was presented for everyone to see. now, it is buried under layers and layers of paint. even though the wall has been painted again and again, it still had a rough texture. your finger glided across it, nervously.

“…when’s your birthday anyways?” he asked, while patting his pockets, searching for his lighter.

scowling at him, you pressed your finger harder against the rough surface. your finger was starting to become raw.

“dude, that’s like the least important information in the whole world you could ask for.” reaching into your pant pocket, you pull out a lighter and give it to him. he quickly thanks you.

“it’s important to me! mmm, what’s your zodiac sign?”

sighing, you rub your forehead. you made sure not to tell the birthday story, yet. if someone congratulated you for your birthday you would start crying at this point. you straightened up when you heard voices coming close towards you. your best friend puts his cigarette out against the wall and puts it in his hoodie pocket. he stepped towards you, trying to look who was coming.

of course it had to be class 1a with their two teachers. so they were able to make it. with them was the director, giving them a tour of the campus. ugh you can never catch a break. you have to think fast, do you leave as quickly as possible or stay?

thank god you’re not a hero, so you don’t need to be brave and face uncomfortable situations!

“..i’m running, bro.”

“huh? wait..!”

before you could really think everything through, you started sprinting. not too far, just to put some distance between you and them. after a few seconds you slowed down and looked over your shoulder. the group just rounded the corner. quickly looking ahead again, you decided to walk towards the main building, since your next classes will be there. while you walked, you ignored the feeling of being watched.

________________________

end of the day, somewhat.

while your classes did end, it didn’t mean you could go home yet to rot away in your room. since today was the anniversary of your school, your job is to prepare the stage, so others can perform.

you aren’t late for the preparations! which is a blessing in disguise. right now you’re behind the stage, stashing away your bag.

“…so that’s why the hero class is here.” someone explained, a first year.

immediately perking up at the mention of hero class, you asked,

“why are they here?”

“ugh! dude, i explained it, like, 100 times already! they are here to play through like a boomb threat scenario. you know, since hero work also includes assisting during terrorism threats.” you knew if you were not an upperclassman, they probably would have refused to answer. children.

nodding your head at the explanation, you straightened your back and sighed. maybe you could fake sick…nah. gotta pull through.

massaging your temples you simply tried to focus on breathing.

“they will leave before the perfomances tho! they hid like a secret paper cut out somewhere. they also are not allowed to disturb us. so don’t worry, senpai!”

“well at least it is something. image how annoying it would be if they, like, were around us all the time…annoying like flies, man.” with those words you left backstage area. stepping into the stage was, maybe, not your best move.

the class, with their teachers (because why would they ever need to be independent) stood infront of the stage. at least they were no on here with you and a few others. you diged your thumb nail into your raw finger. the pain should ground you.

“ah! yagi! you know, our school was able to bring out not only small starts, but also a few big ones.” she winked at you.

schooling your face to stay neutral, you could hear a few whispers from the students. of course they remembered your face from the morning. that was some wild shit you pulled there. jesus.

“oi! aren’t you the one from the train station?!” called someone out.

furrowing your brows at the question, and thanking yourself for taking that action class as a joke, you answered in monotone voice, “huh? no, sorry. i have never seen you guys before, in my life. i swear on my fathers life.”

and then you smiled at them, brightly. fuckers.

what the hell are you supposed to say? yes? no way. why did you even do that. are you mentally unwell or something? …maybe it is some time for self reflexion.

turning around and scanning the stage, you make a mental note on what was missing. the piano was already there, thankfully. speakers, microphones, the drum set, amplifiers, the lights have to be tuned. and and and and.

much to do, with not a lot of time to spare. is the piano even tuned properly? ugh.

fucking back off back stage, you decided on starting with the lights and speakers, since you aren’t sure on what kind of perform order there is. not everyone needs microphones, but everyone needs lights.

“ayo! do we have anyone on the lights yet?” you called out. the answer came fast with a solid no.

thank god, you have a job. taking out your phone, you checked you text messages. your friends were not here yet. those traitors, tell you to be punctual but can’t do that themselves.

while you send out text messages, you could hear hushed whisper in the background.

“hello there! kid, which i have never meet before! could you assist me?”

great.

[noyaetnox]

Azul Ashengrotto x gn reader angst:

Ah! What do you want?

TW: angst, mentions of death, insecurities, and more

Azul was in distress. For more reasons than one, at that. If you were to ask Jade or Floyd, they would simply mention, that he is always like that, his mind busy with important matters. Yet even the twins could tell that it was slightly, just slightly, different from the other times. It could be the last test, on which Octavinelle students placed terribly, or it could be the belated order of fresh vegetables to the Mostro Lounge. Or maybe, just maybe, it is the Ramshackle prefect, who has started spending more and more time with the trio.

It started as just a silly exclamation proclaimed by Y/N while they were hanging out one day. It was warm outside and they were all hiding under the shade of a tree, snacking on some fruit Y/N cut and packed that morning. The conversation kept circling about the topic of school, so the prefect asked about their latest troubles. Azul didn't waste a second and immediately jumped to complain about his recent troubles.

“The project from alchemy! I am stuck in a group with Floyd and Ruggie,” Azul started, his stare becoming uncharacteristically dark and bothered, “and both of them refuse to cooperate, rather spending all the time chatting away,” he sent a glare at Floyd, who was too busy taking his apple apart skin from the fruit.

“Oh, it can't be that bad. What are you making?” Y/N smiled at him, handing him the tupperware with cut strawberries, which Azul gladly accepted

“Oh, trust me, it is. And it's a potion the class chose, so we're doing a love potion,” he threw one of the pieces into his mouth, quickly swallowing it whole, “it's horrendous,” he finished.

“Well, a love potion is a neat project, I think,” Floyd has now stopped playing, choosing to jab at Y/N's side to gain their attention.

“Well, for you, maybe. Love is just a waste of time, not to mention if you have to make a potion. Love like that is unreal and will just hurt the person,” Azul rolled his eyes, not really seeing eye-to-eye with his friend.

“Well then, lucky for you, my feelings are genuine and real,” the prefect gave a wide smile. Azul and Jade stopped their movements, surprised at what their friend just said so openly.

“Stop this foolishness, Y/N,” he grew red in the face, comical smoke coming from his head as he tried to calm down his beating heart.

“I mean it, Azul, I've liked you for some time now,” Y/N shrugged their shoulders, trying to appear less nervous than they actually were. Had Azul not been so worried about his own actions, he would've noticed the shake in their voice and their red cheeks.

“Lying isn't going to get you anywhere, prefect,” he spoke after a minute. His voice never sounded so angry towards them. Y/N, surprised at this, stopped in the middle of taking the apple Floyd was offering them.

“Right,” they spoke after clearing their throat. If only Azul wasn't too prideful (actually self-conscious) to notice the tears at the corner of their eyes as they got up, too hurt to trust their voice to say anything more without crying. The rest of the break went in silence.

Now back to the present. Y/N was ignoring the trio for almost a week after the incident, for reasons unknown to them. Then as if nothing, they visited them at Mostro Lounge. They acted just like before, their smile looking as bright as any other day. Jade decided to not bring it up while Floyd basically forgot anything happened in the first place, excited to see his “Shrimpy”.

“Yes, can I get F/D? Thank you,” Jade left their table with a polite smile. Perhaps it was unusual for them to sit at a table just like any other quest and not walk to their special room, to which they have unrestricted access as one of their friends. Jade gave the order to Floys to deliver, deciding to pay a short visit to his boss, Azul, who had been busier with work than ever.

“Jade? You may enter,” the voice on the other side said. Preparing himself, Jade couldn't help but slightly smirk about the whole situation. It was obvious the prefect was just a fool in love, while Azul was but a fool.

“It may be of interest to you, that the Ramshackle prefect-” Jade didn't even finish talking, before Azul practically jumped out of his chair at the words, already rushing into the swarm of people.

“Y/N!” he said once he spotted their figure sadly slouching above their F/D. Once their head lifted, Azul stopped at their table, awkward silence filling the otherwise noisy restaurant.

“Azul,” they answered, nervous.

“I'm glad to see that you've been well,” he tried, slowly.

“Oh, it's fine. I had some time to myself, especially to think, and realized a few things,” Y/N spoke truly, one of the things Azul appreciated about them, “for example, that I must make you realize my feelings for you!” the smile was back. Azul's heart started beating once more, not believing any of this was true.

“What?”

“I should've known you would have a hard time answering my confession. But it is alright, I'll just capture your heart some other way!” Azul was about to scream when the prefect stood up with that bright smile of theirs. He was left confused for a second, before they took his hand in theirs, quickly kissing it before bolting out.

With a horrified expression, Azul ran back to his office to scream at the top of his lungs. Calm down, heart!

Exhibit A (Risotto):

“I had nothing to do this morning so I made you lunch,” said Y/N as soon as they walked to Azul's classroom, handing the lunchbox into his hands, “I couldn't decide what to get you so I made risotto,” yet Azul kept looking at their face. He still wasn't used to the now open attraction Y/N started showing ever since that day at the Lounge. They looked genuine, but there was just no way they could actually like someone like him. He was Azul. Just Azul. He wasn't attractive, strong, or athletic … HELL! He wasn't even likable. All he had going for him was his wit and cunning nature. Nobody likes people like that, maybe Jade, but the two of them are alike.

“Uhm… thank you, Y/N,” he was quieter than intended, but it could not be helped. Azul was nervous.

“Enjoy it while it's warm! Love you!” they left in a hurry. He now only had eyes for the box in his hands, fascinated.

Floyd, noticing his hesitation, grabbed onto it swiftly: “Thank you for the meal!” he loudly clapped his hands and tilted the box to eat everything in one big gulp. And Azul was angry. That was his meal!

“I didn't want it either way,” he said once he noticed the Leech brother snickering at him in triumph. He stood up, dusted his pants, and left them.

Exhibit B (Hatsune Miku):

“Hey, Azul?” he turned in the direction of the voice. The prefect stood at the door to his office, their hands playing with the hem of their shirt.

“What is it?” he spoke after clearing his throat, that was the first time he spoke that day.

“Are you busy?”

“Not too busy, why?”

“Could I ask you to go to Sam's with me?” they now walked into his office, closing the door slowly, “I asked Deuce and Floyd already, but they were busy, I didn't see anyone else,” their hands now came nervously to their neck.

“Oh? Give me a minute,” he put all his papers and contracts aside, reaching for his hat. He was ready quickly, so they were outside in a blink.

“Thank you so much, Azul!” Y/N started once they were nearing the store, their eyes sparkling while they held his hand in appreciation. With a cough, he took his hand out of theirs and looked to the side.

“It's nothing, really. Do you know what you want to buy?”

“Yes, I need food for Grim and me,” Azul didn't know what he was expecting. It came as a little bit of a surprise to hear that they had to get their own food but before he had the chance to ask further, they were walking through the door to the store.

“Azul, look!” Y/N grabbed his arm harshly, forcing him to stand next to them as they pointed to a toy on the shelf. It was-

“She looks just like Hatsune Miku! From my world,” they spoke as their eyes kept looking at it, mesmerized. That quickly changed once they fell down at the price tag, “oh, now that I think about it, she looks totally different, never mind,” they let go of his arm and started walking in the other direction. Now, Azul was a genius, which is why he picked up on their behavior immediately. The toy was simply too expensive. He isn't one to buy a present for someone without something in return, but he guessed he could do it to see that same happy expression. With a sigh, he took the doll (it was a collectible figurine, but he was uncultured) by the head. Not knowing it will be removable, one of the two big pigtails fell down to the floor making noise throughout the whole store. Embarrassed, he crouched down to pick it up and, hopefully, put it back into place. Y/N didn't seem to notice, so he rushed to find Sam and quickly pay for it without them knowing.

Once it was over, he walked back to the aisles to find his friend. Said friend was currently kneeling on the floor trying to reach something.

“Azul, look what I fou- Hatsune Miku?” their sentence was interrupted by no one but themselves as they spotted the figurine in his hands.

“Uh, I noticed you looking at the doll, so I bought it for you,” he got nervous as he handed the blue-haired toy to them. It reminded him a little of Idia Shroud.

“Really?” Y/N threw their arms around his person as they started quietly sniffling, “this is the most amazing gift, thank you so much, Azul,” they kept thanking him while trying to rub their eyes. He wasn't expecting that, so he couldn't help but become flustered at their happy reaction. Did the toy actually mean that much to them?

“By the way, it's a figurine, not a doll,” they said after letting him out of their embrace. It was suddenly cold.

“Excuse me, then,” he tried with a laugh, also easing the situation.

“Let's go pay!”

“Azul, stop,” the prefect said once he was about to leave Ramshackle. He stopped in his tracks looking back at his friend.

“What is it, prefect?” they walked closer to him and took his hand to them. He was somewhat getting nervous.

“Hehe! I want to thank you once again for the figurine,” they got on one knee, still holding onto his hand, “will you marry me?” they took a ring pop out of their pocket, putting it on his ring finger.

“What?” the flustered mess that he was, he couldn't say anything much in return, rather opting to run away like a coward. But now a coward with a candy ring on his finger.

Exhibit C:

It was out of control. Every day, the prefect would find ways to play with the heart of or flirt with the one and only Azul Ashengrotto. He could not keep up anymore. Every day, he got several kisses on his hands (sometimes, the prefect would ask for permission to kiss his cheek), hugs, flirty remarks as well as declarations of love. If it was all just an act, Y/N was doing a great job at making it look real. He almost wanted to say yes to the date invitation the other week, which brings us to the situation at hand.

“Malleus told me today will be an extra beautiful night, as the meteor shower should be happening tonight,” they started while the two of them were walking to school. Y/N started waiting for him at his dorm so they can walk to school together every day.

“Yes, it's possible it is tonight,” he answered, completely missing the tone in which the prefect started this conversation.

“Right! I was hoping we could go watch it together, you know, on a date,” they handed him an envelope, which he took without any second thoughts. On it was his name with a little heart.

“Oh, sure,” came out of him nonchalantly as he kept gawking at the envelope in his hands.

“Great! See you tonight, then!” Y/N happily ran away into their classroom.

“So you're not going?” questioned Jade while they were eating lunch at the canteen. Today, Y/N was eating with their friends from 1st grade.

“No, I figured this might finally be the chance to let them know I will not fall for their tricks, no matter what,” Azul answered, poking at his meal that was not at all close to those Y/N made for him.

“Where is that envelope?”

“Oh, I threw it away,”

“Without reading it?”

“No point in reading it,”

Meanwhile, Y/N was walking back to their dorm when they spotted their letter in the trash can.

Oh, he probably threw it away after reading it, that's fine!

“The weather is looking worse and worse, we should close Mostro Lounge early so nobody gets caught in the rainstorm,” Jade voiced as the two of them were looking out the window at the situation outside.

“You're right, let's close early,” agreed Azul, his mind drifting to his friend who wanted to watch the stars. They weren't stupid enough to go out in this weather. Maybe even the universe was trying to hint at him.

Azul was the last one to leave, making sure everything is in perfect shape before locking up and leaving for his dorm. The weather was indeed growing worse by the minute so he made sure to be quick. They didn't have storms like these in the sea!

“Azul Ashengrotto!” he was awoken from his calm sleep by an angry voice, one that he couldn't recognize immediately after waking. The light in his room turned on and in the door to it stood none other than an angry Riddle, with an equally angry Floyd towering over him.

“Riddle? Floyd?” he asked, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

“Where is the Ramshackle prefect?” asked Riddle, his before folded hand now raising a finger at him in question.

“What?”

“Y/N left their dorm to go on a “date” with you and still hasn't returned. Where are they?” he walked to his bed, Floyd following right after.

“What happened with Shrimpy?” he added.

“How am I supposed to know?” Azul got defensive, throwing his hands around.

“The place of your meeting was in the letter! I don't know the location!” Riddle, now very red, grabbed onto his collar. Azul's whole world shook with how aggressive he was with him.

“I don't know, Riddle!” Riddle stopped shaking him, “I threw the letter away,” he now said, looking at his now messy pajama. Riddle let go of him instantly. His loud footsteps echoed through the room despite the raging storm as he angrily walked away from him and his room.

“You, are an asshole,” he turned around at the last second to curse at Azul, his red hair now gone. Floyd, who still stood in the room now looked at him.

“Shrimpy better be okay,” with a glare, he left to follow Riddle. Nervous, Azul followed after them, but there was no sight of either Riddle or Floyd. Nervous, he just ran outside to get to the school as quickly as possible. Maybe the letter was still in that trash can.

He kept digging, but his eyes couldn't spot the slightly yellowed envelope from just the afternoon that day. He was crying.

“Ah!” his eyes finally saw a glimpse of something just a little familiar as he wasted no second to get to it, the familiar handwriting in sight. Ripping the envelope open, he unraveled the letter, almost ripping it in the process. His eyes skimmed through what was the most heart-felt confession letter he's ever seen while his main focus was on spotting a location.

Where?

WHERE?

He finally saw the thing he was looking for, immediately bolting outside to find the only person he's ever genuinely loved and the only person that ever loved him. His legs hurt, but the only thing on his mind was the prefect. The prefect, who was currently nowhere to be found, all because of him. Breathing became painful as his lungs burned with every step he took. He couldn't hear anything, just the sound of his fast heartbeat.

“Y/N?!” he yelled once he was near the location. He finally allowed himself to stop and listen, hoping to hear their voice. But even after a minute, there was no response, so he ran again, yelling at the top of his weak human lungs. When he could not hear anything in return, the biggest of his fears started rushing into his brain at the speed of light. All reminding him, that it was all his fault for not showing up.

“Y/N, please!” he spoke, voice breaking as he fell to the muddy ground. The rain was the coldest thing he's ever experienced. Heavy drops kept hitting his body, the pressure of them only sinking him further and further below. Maybe this was his fate all along?

“..zul” the faintest of voices. He recognized it, either way. Springing to his feet, he ran once more in the direction he believed the sound came from.

“Y/N! Where are you?” he could not hear them again, but he was sure it was them he heard just a second ago. His senses never felt as heightened as then and there. He ran for a good minute before he spotted something unusual on the ground. A body.

“Y/N?” he asked as he ran. Ran faster than his legs could muster, faster, than Floyd.

Once he was close enough, he turned the body around, fear consuming his whole being as the face of the prefect appeared. He choked on a sob. They were so pale.

He quickly took off his jacket, wrapping it around their cold body.

“Y/N? Can you hear me? Y/N?!” try as he might, the person in his hands didn't flinch. His hands gave up as he tried, desperately, to lift them up and carry them. Somewhere! Anywhere! Oh, please! With another choked sob, he transformed into his octoform. It wasn't much, but it was stronger than his human body. The tentacles that weren't holding onto their body all rushed to the school. Someone who could help will surely be there, right?

“Just a little more, Y/N,” he could feel just the faintest of heartbeats from them, so he kept holding onto that little bit of hope left. His figure barged through the doors, where stood Crowley, nervously pacing around before stopping at the loud noise.

“Ashengrotto? And Y/N?” he instantly ran to him.

“They need help!” Azul yelled at the headmaster, not allowing him to even touch their body.

“Follow me,” and so they ran. Azul had no idea where, it was all a blur. Everything only became clear once they walked into the infirmary and he set their body to one of the beds, medics already tending to the human.

“How are they?” he asked once he changed back into his human form and calmed down at least a little.

“They are slowly becoming stable. We can't see any permanent damage yet, so that's good,” someone spoke. Azul could finally rest. His body became limp as he fell to the ground, adrenaline leaving.

“Mr. Ashengrotto?” someone shook him awake. It was one of the medics.

“Y/N has awoken,”

“Y/N!” he was at their side in an instant. Worriedly looking them up and down. They looked like a mess, but they were there. Breathing.

“Y/N I'm so glad you're okay!” he cried as he snaked his arms around their weak body. He couldn't help but shake his body while sobbing uncontrollably.

“You don't even know how much I've-”

“Excuse me, who are you?”

“What?”

“Just kidding! Good morning, Azul!” Y/N laughed, but Azul could not do the same. One of his hearts almost stopped working!

“Y/N, please, do not joke about this,” he pleaded, his sobs now louder than before. He wouldn't handle it if it were to actually happen. Y/N's hands caressed his back and he wept into their shirt.

“I thought you didn't like me,”

“Are you kidding? I love you too much. I just couldn't believe you would like someone like me, so I tried to push you away,” he finally came clean to the one person he loved.

“Azul,” they grabbed onto his shoulders, now looking at him intensely, “you are everything to me, I was not joking this whole time at all! I want to love you, appreciate you, call you beautiful every single day, tell you I love you every single day!” they spoke, now their own tears spilling.

“I love you, too, Y/N. I'm so, so glad you're fine,”

“Actually,”

“Hm?”

“I can't see through my left eye,”

“WHAT?”

“You don't have to! It's alright, love!” the prefect tried to persuade Azul, who was busy going through all his contacts.

“But I want to, dearest! There is definitely someone, who can cure you!” he spoke as he kept flipping to all of his documents. Let all that networking come to use, finally.

“I'm alright just being with you, really,” Azul didn't have any of that bullshit. He looked to his, now, lover and with a smile gave them a little peck.

“I promise I will not over-do this, how about you go hang out with Floyd in the mean time, hm?”

“Floyd will bite me! And I wanted to spend time with you,”

“Well, guess this can wait,” Azull shook his head, and pushed the documents aside as he took their hand into his with yet another quick peck.

“We're going on the best date you've ever had!”

If you've gotten this far, thank you for reading! This one-shot is going to be a little connected to my next headcanons (Octavinelle) and there was one about Azul that I really liked and wanted to develop into a greater work, so here it is. I wrote this really quickly, so it's not even proof-read, so please read it with a grain of salt. I love you 🫶 respectfully and with your permission

[rwbyremnants]

WARNINGS: not much, just sexy talk and some masturbation

Sorry about the long wait and then this chapter being super short. I'll try to get the next one out sooner I promise.

=Chapter 4: Pyrrha

This was certainly not how Pyrrha Nikos saw this training session going. 

“O-oh,” Yang said in an awkward tone of voice as she turned to look at the judgmental expression of Weiss Schnee. They all felt more than a little uncomfortable being caught in the act, but did it have to be one of the few people they had gotten into an argument with since beginning their journey to slutdom? “H-hey! Fancy meeting you here!”

“Don’t stop on my account.” The white-haired bombshell had a towel wrapped around her curvy frame and a caddy similar to Nora’s in her hand, though at present her attention had completely shifted away from her own bathing ritual. “Unless you already climaxed - which it seems like you might have.”

“Yep!” Thunder Thighs volunteered immediately, sounding as if Winter had merely asked if she finished what book she was reading lately. “They were all wound up and it got me wound up, and, well, ya know.”

“None of my business, I suppose. I’ll come back another time.”

Breaking away from the other three, Pyrrha groaned at the shifting of their organs as she managed to keep from stumbling. “No, no, don’t be silly! Our lewdness shouldn’t prevent you from getting ready to dance. We will, um… we’ll go back to showering, and stop bothering you.”

“I meant it when I said it’s none of my business; you have every right to do what you want to do, even if this may not have been the best place to do it.” Rolling her eyes, she moved toward one of the nearest shower stalls. “I’m guessing you’ll be the next to fall victim to Salem’s extracurricular opportunity.”

“Psh,” Thunder Thighs announced as she paced back over to her own shower. Now that they all climaxed and Pyrrha had pulled away, she had no reason to linger. “Come on, I’m not that desperate for money! Plus, I only do this with people I like.”

“Hmm, a likely story. You’ve scarcely met those three and you ‘like’ them enough to do that?”

“Yeah! I mean, all we did was a little thigh-action!”

“Wait, wait,” Yang interrupted as Blake pulled away. Pyrrha thought she could have imagined it, but the raven-haired girl looked sad to have to part from her best friend. “What the hell are you two talkin’ about?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,��� Nora chuckled as she washed up all over again, now that it had become necessary.

“That didn’t sound like ‘nothing’. It sounded like a way to make some cash - which is why we’re all here.”

Winter sighed as she took off her towel and hung it on a peg nearby. Pyrrha couldn’t help glancing along her body; her curves were flawless, and there was clearly some muscle tone beneath the soft, plump areas. She just barely caught a glimpse of a decently-sized endowment - before she tore her eyes away, deciding this was a good time to start washing up herself.

“I was joking. The three of you are new, and young; you don’t have any business pursuing that kind of ‘business opportunity’.”

For a moment, Yang just scoffed and looked offended. But it was Blake who spoke up: “Are you talking about… whoring? Is there actual illegal whoring going on in this-”

“Shhh!” both Winter and Nora hissed. It was the latter who said, “You wanna get us all fired? I mean, Salem is this whole club; you get her nabbed by the fuzz, none of us will be working here anymore, that’s for sure!”

“That isn’t entirely true,” Winter admitted begrudgingly as she began to soap up. “But not technically false, either. I’d say it behooves you not to mention this to anyone. Glynda and Tiger Queen turn a blind eye to Salem’s side business, and try not to find out any more than they already know; in fact, I’d be unsurprised to find out Glynda actually doesn’t know anything. They might be able to keep this club going even if Salem got herself arrested, but we would still be out of work for weeks while the investigation was conducted. Just… don’t call undue attention and our positions are secure.”

“Our positions as facilitators of a brothel?” Blake asked baldly. “That doesn’t sound very poggers, Miss Schnee. I mean, sex work shouldn’t be as stigmatized as it is, or illegal, but for now it very much is. Besides, how do we know she’s not running some kind of human trafficking ring out of this place?”

“As I said, that’s up to you and how much you want to have a high-paying job. Ordinarily, I would say exposing a potential slave trade would be worth destroying this entire place… but I have seen no evidence of anything like that. No unknown girls come in, no known girls vanish. It’s just good old-fashioned prostitution.”

“Oh, is it?”

Though all of them were surprised and turned to look at the new voice, none of them were nearly as shocked and dismayed as Winter to see it was her younger sister standing in the doorway. Weiss was fully clothed, and clearly ready to leave, but didn’t seem to have abandoned the locker room just yet.

“Weiss!” Winter hissed, glancing around at the others. “What… why are you here?”

“I work here now. Remember?” Glancing over at the others, she shrugged and looked her sister in the eyes. “Go on - you were just telling us about yet another valuable employment opportunity in which we spread our legs for some creepy old pervs? Or are we spreading their legs?”

While curling her lip in very clear annoyance at the way her little sister was handling this, she growled, “Sometimes one, sometimes the other. Sometimes both. But as I said, I don’t think-”

“Oh, why don’t we sign up? That sounds so fun! We’ll braid each other’s hair, pick out each other’s condoms - oh! And drive each other to the clinic when we all get the clap!”

“Weiss, you are being childish, as usual,” Winter sighed with a roll of her eyes.

“How am I the childish one when I’m being more responsible than-”

“Let’s do it!” 

Most of them looked completely shocked to see it was Blake who had spoken up. Blake included. She slapped a hand over her mouth as if that could shield her from backlash, but she seemed to have already accepted that was futile.

“Uhhh… Blake, you feeling okay?” Yang asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“You can’t be serious!” It was Weiss that hissed those words, even though she had also been the one to start this ball rolling in order to taunt her sister. “You want to become a prostitute?! No, no, this is absolutely not what we signed up for!”

“Really isn’t,” Yang scoffed with a shake of her blonde head. “Like, I can’t pretend I don’t like a good fuck as much as the next girl, but not with strangers.”

“And not for money,” Weiss scoffed. When Yang shrugged, her eyes widened even more. “WHAT?!”

“Hey, it ain’t the money I have a problem with. Sue me! I just think I might draw the line at dancing, which I’m already not a hundred percent about doing anyway.”

With a bashful shrug, Blake went on, “Look, I know… it sounds pretty jank. Not denying that. I just think I’d be open to finding out how much it pays. If we wanna get the most out of this job, then this sure as hell is one way to do that.”

The room was silent for a long moment. Pyrrha still couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but Blake was making a certain kind of sense; most of them had initially stated that there wasn’t all that much difference between exotic dancing and prostitution. Furthermore, Blake and Yang had seemed the most open to trying it out - and it was interesting that Yang, the one who had been the most sexually active out of the five of them, was just as uncertain as Weiss. 

“I… support any of you who would want to try that,” Pyrrha began delicately. “I’m not sure I would be able to… to be that casual with my body, with complete strangers.”

“Didn’t look like you were a minute ago,” Thunder Thighs put in with a giggle. When Yang glared at her, she shrugged and said, “What? I’m just saying, there ain’t that much difference; I haven’t gone for the side gig because to be honest, I’ve been working here a while and making good money. Don’t need to. But I wouldn’t be that against upping the stakes if, like, I suddenly needed a big wad of cash. Like if one of my friends needed bail money! Y’know, something like that.”

It was actually Winter who responded, even though she had mostly remained silent during their discussion. “Do you have a lot of friends who often need bail money?”

“Uhhhh, I plead the fifth.”

“Oh, come on, this is ludicrous,” Weiss sighed with a shake of her head. “You guys aren’t going to start having sex for money - even if that’s a real thing that goes on here. It’s illegal! I, for one, am not sure I’m comfortable continuing to dance in an establishment that allows that kind of underground activity to go on.”

“Oh, lighten up, you prude,” Yang snapped at her. “Like, you don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with - that’s fine. But can you not police other people’s actions like somebody put you in charge?”

For a few seconds, Weiss just stood there with her mouth agape. Then she finally squeaked, “Excuse me?! I… how dare you speak to me that way! I’m just trying to look out for everyone’s wellbeing - including those who might be exploited into sexual slavery!”

“Slavery? Would you be interested in that?”

Yet another voice had joined theirs. This time, Pyrrha didn’t recognize the face; this woman was older than most of the dancers by at least a decade, and had skin so pale it was practically translucent. Though she was wearing what looked to be a dark robe from some kind of ancient druidic temple, it was easy to tell she had a voluptuous figure beneath the cloak. She also had pale lavender hair tied up into several loops that stuck out from her head in multiple directions; it was a very youthful cut for such a mature woman.

“What?” was all Weiss could manage, since she was as thrown by this woman’s sudden appearance as anyone.

“Being my new pet,” the intense interloper purred as she reached down to grip Weiss’s chin - and she didn’t seem to be too terribly gentle about it. The younger Schnee sister whimpered in instinctive fear. “You sounded as if you were interested.”

“I-I… um… no?” Finally getting a grip on herself, Weiss cleared her throat - though Pyrrha could definitely see a blush forming on her cheeks. “No, y-you misunderstand; I was merely… we were discussing your, um, other business opportunity, and I was saying…”

Winter attempted to intercede - though her tone was much more deferential than usual. “I’m sorry, Salem. My sister often speaks out of turn.”

Salem. Of course this was her; who else could be in charge of the entire sinful establishment? A chill ran down Pyrrha’s spine as she took in the effect this woman was having on all of them, and just her general appearance. Not only was she an uncommon beauty, but clearly she wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

“Some people find happiness in slavery,” the forbidding entrepreneur offered with a shrug as she finally released Weiss’s chin. Immediately, she shot away from Salem and rubbed at her chin as if to make sure she hadn’t been burned. “Though I would feel… unsure about inviting such fresh meat into that hypothetical venture. You’re too new to have the stomach for anything like that; I typically only welcome my girls who have been with me for a few months, and even then… I don’t go around asking.”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “Hypothetical? Ma’am, are you… saying that you haven’t started the sex trafficking?”

“There will never be any trafficking,” she snapped - and it was shocking how much colder and more stern her tone was. She made Glynda and Cinder sound like… well, like Nora. “Willing participants are all I am interested in. Do I make myself clear?”

As they all nodded, Pyrrha decided to speak up. She felt very nervous, but knew if they didn’t get this conversation moving, it was only going to stretch on for yet longer - and she wanted it to be over with already.

“So… this side-business of yours. I assume there are some kind of protections in place for your… employees?”

“There is no side business,” she said with a coy smile. “However… let’s say that, hypothetically, there is a free seminar, available to the entertainment specialists here at Club Futopia. On the topic of sensuality. Should any of you choose to attend, you will learn how to bring men to their knees - or women, or nonbinaries, if you are so inclined.”

"I see. And if we attend this seminar, would we be required to… continue it?"

"You mean, if in the event you fail to live up to expectations, or decide to stop attending, will you still have jobs dancing at the Club?" When a few of them nodded, Salem shrugged. "Of course. As long as you still know the steps, and don't misbehave, the stage is all yours."

That was pretty open-ended: "misbehave". But Pyrrha didn't intend to do anything of the sort at any point. "Very well. I… well, not to speak for everyone, but we'll think it over."

The older woman's smile was as cryptic as ever. "Excellent. Again, I can’t guarantee I won’t change my mind due to your statuses as neophytes, but I suppose we shall see. On that note, I wish you girls a good evening." Then she whirled and stalked away, her robe somehow fluttering despite the absence of any kind of breeze.

All five of the newbies looked at each other. At some point, Ruby had joined in the conversation as a silent observer; despite being barely an adult, she didn’t look nearly as anxious as Weiss, or as Pyrrha felt down deep in the pit of her stomach. Just what had they all gotten themselves into?

“Well that was awkward,” Thunder Thighs chuckled as she finished rinsing off and gathered her belongings. “Thanks for the good time, guys! We’ll have to do it again sometime!”

Pyrrha let out a squeak when she felt her ass get swatted by the dancer on her way out of the showers. This place was definitely going to drive her insane.

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

    “You really aren’t disgusted by the idea?”

Pyrrha could just barely see Yang shrug in her phone screen. Not just because Yang was holding her own device so close, but because her waves of blonde hair mostly covered the gesture.

“I dunno, we’ve had all weekend to think about it now, and… I kinda don’t think it’s a big deal.”

“Well… I suppose that’s true,” Pyrrha sighed as she curled up a little tighter on the couch. She was glad her mother was out with her new friends; otherwise, she would have been terrified that she might walk in and overhear this conversation. “We are already working at a red light establishment.”

Yang laughed as she flopped back on her bed, finished putting her laundry away at last. It was amazing that she could do all that while holding the phone - almost as if she had a built-in ability to only need one arm to get by. “Do people say that? ‘Red light establishment’? Could just say it’s a whorehouse.”

“W-well… it isn’t technically. It seems that the focus of the work really is the dancing; this is a recent venture.”

“Yeah, I guess. Anyway, we’re gonna get called sluts by ignorant people already; might as well earn a little more money.”

“It really doesn’t bother you?” she repeated meekly. “That you’ll be sleeping with strange men?”

Now, Yang did look a little less self-assured. “Well… it’s not like this is the first time. But the other times, I had a little more input into which guys and girls I wanted to bang. So I guess I’m just trying to remind myself that I get money, and I also get laid; even if I might not get to choose, hey, it’ll still be fun. Probably.”

“Right, that is a compelling argument.”

“Pyrrha?”

“Yes?”

“Um…” The blonde was fidgeting a lot more than she remembered seeing her. “So the showers…”

Here it was. Pyrrha had been dreading this discussion, but she found she was at least grateful they managed to avoid it for a little while. “The showers. We… well, we were closer than we expected, for a minute there.”

“Right? Wasn’t that crazy?!” They both chuckled for a few seconds before Yang continued, “I can’t stop thinking about it. Like, I know nothing that big happened, but…”

“No, it was significant. Our… well, our anatomy touched,” she breathed, feeling her cheeks turning warmer. “And I felt Nora’s- sorry, Thunder Thighs, between my own thighs.”

“Right, right. And, um… all that was hot. Blake being so close to my ass? Also hot. But um… I guess…”

When she never finished, Pyrrha prompted, “You guess what?”

“I guess I really… liked feeling Blake there. Not saying I’m into her!” she added in a rush, violet eyes widening. “She’s my best friend, I’m… I really don’t think it’d be cool if I was. But I was kinda shocked at myself. How much I wanted her there, and how good it felt when she was…”

“So…” She thought her words over, hoping to choose the most delicate ones. “So you’re… concerned that you may have developed an attraction?”

“That’s just it.” Yang sat up again with a slight grunt. “Before that, I would have said I thought she was really cute, but we didn’t think about each other that way. Just bee-eff-effs. The thing is… I’ve been kinda into how sexy she is for a while now.”

“You have?!”

“Shh!” she added, glancing around wildly. “I don’t want Rubes to overhear, or she might blab; not on purpose, she just sometimes shoots her mouth off without thinking!”

“Sorry,” Pyrrha apologized with a duck of her head.

“It’s fine. But yeah, uh, I have. Like it doesn’t mean I’d ask her out; she’s my bestie. Just finding it hard to shake off that my bestie is super fucking fine.”

“Ah. Especially after…” Yang nodded, and she sighed as she rolled over onto her side. “I’m sorry. That sounds very difficult to endure.”

“Naw, I mean, it’s whatever. It’s not like we’re not all still friends, y’know? And you and me are cool even after I did a little jerking.”

Pyrrha felt a little pulse of interest between her legs when Yang brought that up yet again. Mostly, she was able to ignore it, but the more often her mind was taken back to that brief flash of passion between them and two of their fellow employees, the harder it became to suppress a resurgence.

“Aren’t we?”

“What?” Only now did she realized that Yang had been waiting for her to confirm. “O-oh- yes, we’re fine.”

The smirk that spread across the blonde’s features should have been illegal. “You’re not warm for my form all of a sudden, are ya? Just because we had our bananas in a bunch?”

“No, of course not!” Though her blush likely gave her way. “I… well, it was very enjoyable, like you said; I’m just… remembering, that’s all. Nothing deeper.”

“Okay, okay,” Yang giggled. “I mean, I’m in the same boat; I’m never gonna think about you or Blake the same way again. Nora, too, a little.”

“Thunder Thighs. We’re supposed to be learning to use our stage names.”

“Right, right. Anyway… if you ever wanna bump uglies again, I’m game. Not as like…” She shrugged again, clearly trying to come up with the right words. “I’m not trying to come onto you, or ask you out or anything like that. No way. Just saying, it was fun, and if you wanted to… have fun again…”

“I-it’s alright,” Pyrrha reassured her with a smile. Privately, she couldn’t help thinking it was cute to see the normally-confident Yang tripping over her words to make sure she wasn’t offending her. “I may take you up on that, if I decide… well, that I’m interested in that sort of arrangement. Which I may be, I may not be.”

Her friend nodded a few times, smiling back. “That’s cool. I mean, you’re super hot - and you have like, the biggest dick ever. Kinda hard not to wanna play with it again.”

“Stoooop,” she murmured bashfully, thighs twitching anxiously in a vain attempt to abate her growing needs.

"What?? It's true, man!" Yang glanced over her shoulder, then back at her phone with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, gotta go help get dinner started. But yeah, I'm glad we touched base about this whole thing; I didn't mind it at all, but I guess it was pretty unusual."

"Very unusual for me. Have a good dinner, Yang."

"Thanks! See ya!"

Then Pyrrha was alone with her thoughts. She didn't want to be, because they were so chaotic of late, but maybe the situation wasn't nearly as terrible as she kept thinking of it in her mind. So what if they were exotic dancers now? So what if they took that yet further, and briefly dabbled in being prostitutes? Maybe it wasn't what their parents would want for them, or they even wanted for themselves, but they could earn a lot of money in a short amount of time - which not only might cover certain surgeries, but also pay for their tuition, living expenses. She herself knew she could really infuse her stock portfolio with some much-needed seed money. The benefits seemed to outweigh the sacrifices.

And as the would-be Olympian took out her rigid cock and began to jerk it hard, wanting to get her condition taken care of as quickly as possible, she reminded herself that most of the things she was afraid of experiencing might wind up feeling a lot better than she feared.

[siremasterlawrence]

The Alexander Family

Part 1

The main man head of The Xander Group Brock Alexander is The President and CEO and my boss.

What he has no idea is his companies now about to release its newest surprise for all to see.

Project Live Doll is about to unleash to the entirety of the world all I need is a single picture of the person or persons.

My boss unfortunately for him has been in a salty mood for weeks due to four awful lady quarters.

I could essentially almost feel sorry for him

if I did not hate his guts to the pit of my stomach.

Every time I see him my vein pops out god he makes me sick and I hate all people like him.

The offices close for a week as my boss is in house again demanding my full attention yet again.

He is not happy with my promise of this new project of course he starts eating all of food in display.

I shake my head in disappointing laughing a bit under my breath he seals his own faith without a second worry.

“Well” he bellows out loud unknowingly his last breath he freely gives before the lights go out.

He stops cold, mind going blank, eyes roll back and he falls flat onto us back in a fit of panic.

Finally in a state of comatose he mindless

in his action is now a live action doll made to do as I say.

The seeds pop out into his blood stream in a fast effort they consume his blood revitalize it.

He is now an emotionless a total blank white slate wiping his mind clean as expected Mr project is a success.

Returning to the main frame my laptop has a copy of his entire map of his brain scan on me.

“Oh Boss! Soon you will know only snag you are programmed to believe.”

“Don’t worry though everything we do is my life’s work now.”

“Give me your body, mind and soul.”

“You are not worth much otherwise.”

“Billions of dollars and you are still a asshole”

“Mwahahahahaha”

“Payback is a bitch”

“Begin new protocol”

“Remap his mind pussy boss.”

Part 2

Henry Alexander is his eldest son who by all means just as ripe and foul as his father and second in command.

He is my next acquisition placing a call for me snotty to roll up in his basic tee and blue jeans.

He makes me sick I think to myself ready to be into my next phase I can see the elevator descend down.

The doors slides open with the spray bottle in my hand I hold it behind me as he gets a bit closer approaching me.

Before he can say anything I lift up my spray bottle to face him hitting the trigger as hard as I can.

The spray spurts out unloading everything into his face he knocks out completely falling onto me.

“What is the matter bud?”

“Can’t handle your own medicine?”

“After everything you have done”

“I own your ass now”

“HELP!”

“Shut up and sit your ass down”

It’s not too soon to feel victorious over my ex boss and his shitty family with their designer and expensive clothes.

He struggles across the floor sitting on the chair at last I get to work opening a draw to retrieve the rope and tape.

I strip a tape off the ball placing a wad on his mouth multiple times and then reach out for the rope.

Taking my time with maximum effort of tie him down the rope getting tighter and even tighter.

Smirking a bit I finish another hefty not onto the chair tying him to that he is immobile at this point.

He is lost for words but the fear in his eyes is unmistakable and his past acts are unjust and unimaginable.

Part 3

“LAWRENCE in here immediately “

“Drop the weapon! Wait! We can talk”

“As if fucker”

“Nnnnnnoooooo”

“Motherfucker”

“Did you say something?”

“No you can’t speak”

“Welcome to operation three”

“Your mic should come on soon”

“Who am I?”

“There we go”

“Damn fool”

“If only you listen to me”

“If only you respected me”

“A whole lot of ifs”

“We will correct that now”

“Query! Are you my boss”

“I am now”

“Kneel for me”

“Kiss my hand”

“Slowly “

“Learn your place”

“Yyyyeeessss”

“I understand “

Part 4

“Tyler CFO”

“Oh it’s you “

“Fuck you”

“What did you say?”

“I said Fuck You”

“Uuuuugggggghhhhhhhh”

“Dumbass”

“The fall so easily”

“They have no idea”

“We are coming”

Stand up and close the door “

“Call the hotel you frequent with your whores”

“Yeah I know about your activities “

“I hope you enjoyed them”

“With all my heart”

“Don’t be surprised “

“Your stealth is not your strong suit”

“Neither is your brains”

Part 5

“Now call your soon to return home”

“Take me their”

“Erase old mind”

“Input new protocol “

“Yyyyeeeesssa”

“Don’t worry”

“Won’t worry”

“All will be well”

“Good your home son”

“What is going on?”

“Drop the bomb”

“Nooooo”

“Cease the yapping”

“Being protocol “

“Mwahahahahaha”

The end

[gyoobies]

Worst Impressions

Pairing: Kun x Fem Reader

Genre: a little angst, a little fluff, implied smut

Warnings: Explicit content 18+, Minors DNI, suggestive, Kun is annoying but means well.

Summary: You'd been wanting to get to know Kun since your brief encounter at Ten's gallery showing, but you soon regretted ever crushing on him when he starts to work your last nerve during what should have been an easy beginners pottery session.

Y'all know the drill, if you see mistakes... no you don't 🤎

-----

You were 2 seconds away from kicking the entire group out of your studio.

When this evening's party rolled into your studio for their private pottery class you were pleased to find it was a group of men, ridiculously good looking men that you'd come to know in passing thanks to your neighbor Ten, but as the night went on you began to regret opening up your studio for private parties. It wasn't the whole group, really, just one person in particular, Mr. Perfect. You'd come to learn his actual name was Kun, Qian Kun.  

The group had only been there for an hour, and right out the gate it was easy to see who in the group was the know it all.  He was so hell-bent on being your teacher's aid, constantly adding on to the instruction you were giving, and smiling at you as if waiting for confirmation or praise for being knowledgeable on the subject. If it wasn't for the fact that you’d actually gotten pretty close to Ten you'd have asked Kun to leave the session for disruption, but the look of silent begging from Ten kept you quiet. 

Another hour passed with you silently screaming everytime Kun over-explained your previous topic of discussion. Finally able to leave them to work on their projects alone, you took the opportunity to step away from the studio for a quick break.

 When you'd first met Kun weeks ago at one of Ten's gallery showings you didn't get this annoying, know-it-all vibe from him. In fact you'd kind of been interested in getting to know him better, really interested actually. He seemed charming, and his smile could put anyone on their knees, but after today you had no doubt in your mind why someone so handsome was single. Who would want to have someone constantly stepping on their toes? Just as you let a sigh leave your lips you heard a familiar voice greet you.

You turned to see a smirking Ten.

"Hey"

"I know you can do better than that." You spat. Rolling your eyes, causing Ten to laugh.

"Wow! You're really laughing right now."

"I'm sorry, it's just you're so cute when you're annoyed."

"Well I'm about to get even cuter if you don't shut up."

"so fiesty!"

"TEEEEEN!" You whined. "Why didn't you tell me your gorgeous friend was a pain in the ass?! Like you seriously let me ask if he was single, his interests and didn't once mention that being a top tier annoyance was #1 on his eligibility resume!"

By this time Ten couldn't fein seriousness any longer  (not that he was doing a good job of it in the first place) and sent a chorus of laughter through the halls.

"I'm so sorry! Really, I am. I didn't tell you because he's not usually like this. I really can't explain his behavior today, even Hendery said he was acting a little odd and that's a big deal coming from him of all people. Maybe he's stressed and this is a response to it? I really don't know, but while you finish trying to quell your blinding fury I'll talk to him."

Letting out an exasperated sigh you thanked him. 

Upon reaching the doorway of your studio, Ten's eyes immediately fell to Kun who was in the middle of giving advice, again. Calling out his name to get his attention, Ten waved the man in question over to the door and ushered him to a spot a few feet away from the outside of the entrance.

"Is everything ok?" Kun questioned. 

"Well, not really. Why are you acting so strange today?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know how you always say you hate when someone talks over you  or attempts to break down what you've said or ..." Before Ten could continue Kun interrupted. 

"I'm that guy today huh?"

"Yes! And I'd appreciate it if you didn't make my newest friend feel like she wants to throw you off a cliff for the rest of the class."

"Well, I really messed this up."

His extremely defeated face prompted Ten to pry a bit as to why he was being so annoying. 

 "What do you mean? I'm  sure in time she'll forget this day and you can eventually be friends." Ten watched carefully as his friend's shoulders slumped.

"Ah! I see! So, you like her and this is... what? A poorly thought out attempt to impress her? That explains your pottery knowledge that we had no idea you had."

At that moment, a thought crossed Ten's mind, and he giggled, causing his somewhat defeated friend to glare at him.

"I'm sorry, but just thinking about you studying up on pottery is killing me."

Ten reached out to stop his friend that was now storming away, but just missed grabbing his shoulder as he turned from him.

"Where are you going?! The class isn't over!"

"To the restroom!" He shouted back.

 You headed back to your studio assuming they'd be far enough along that you’d be able to offer suggestions for improvement or answer any questions, if Kun hadn't already done that. Just as you rounded the corner to the studio you caught a glimpse of a pretty somber looking Know-it-all walking back into the studio.

The next hour was much better as far as instructing everyone with no interruption, but you couldn't help the slight feeling of guilt when you noticed how withdrawn Kun had become. You only wanted him to respect you and not take over your class but seeing his zoned out expression led you to believe maybe Ten was right and he hadn't meant to steal your thunder.

As you gave a few pointers to YangYang you noticed how good Kun's piece actually was.

"Wow! This is beautiful." You complimented, not realizing you were about to rest your hand on the sharp end of one of the sculpting tools. Just as Kun looked up to you, you let out a yelp at the pain of the tool, puncturing your palm.  It didn't even take a second for Kun to realize what happened and immediately he reached for his satchel and grabbed your hand to lead you to the restroom down the hall. He didn't say anything when you entered the restroom, he simply got to work. Picking you up, and sitting you on the sink, he rinsed the palm of your hand, gently dabbed it dry and pulled out a first aid kit from his bag. You were very grateful that he, for some reason, carried around a first aid kit, but gratitude couldn't stop the giggle that escaped you because of that fact. He was clearly too focused on tending to your wound to notice it or the way you scanned his handsome features. If he was oblivious or just avoiding looking at you because of the talk Ten had with him you didn't know, but he couldn't ignore you any longer when he finished. He slowly looked up at you and gave you a tight lipped smile. You had even realized what you had done when you caressed his cheek until he grabbed your wrist, startling you, and kissed your freshly bandaged palm while apologizing for being such a pretentious jackass. Dropping his head in what you presumed was embarrassment, he further explained that he was only trying to impress you with his knowledge of pottery.

"It's not like I even studied pottery or sculpture, I just researched enough so that I could impress you."

You were flattered, never had anyone ever studied up on your field just to try to woo you. 

"Well you failed miserably, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't flattered that you wanted to impress me, even though you didn't need to." You said as you hooked your leg around the back of his knee causing him to stumble into you a bit.

" What made you think you needed to impress me?" You whispered, not needing to speak much louder as he was only inches away from your face.

"The gallery." He whispered as he moved a little closer.

"What about the gallery?" Now it was your turn to inch a little closer.

"I was impressed listening to you discuss all the paintings in depth with Ten, and  I quickly noticed I wasn't the admirer you had." He tried to inch closer again but you placed a hand on his chest to keep him in place, signaling that you needed him to elaborate further.

"I wanted to talk to you, but I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of your circle."

"I see, so you opted to look like an idiot in front of your circle instead." You moved closer this time. "My circle was definitely not in attendance that night, and based on 

the things I learned about you from Ten, you shouldn't ever worry about needing to impress anyone."

"You asked about me?"

"less talking." You groaned, causing him to flash that gorgeous smile before moving in to kiss you.

His lips were even softer than you'd imagined when you first laid eyes on him, and the way he kept his body pressed against yours was dizzying.  He was gentle, never  taking more than he knew you were willing to give. He let you lead, happy to know you were just as into him as he was you, happy just to be the one you wanted.

You wrapped your legs around his waist and he quickly pulled you closer. Grunting at the feeling of you subtly grinding against him. You pulled away to lean back and enjoy the sight of him, hair disheveled from your fingers raking through it, eyes heavy with lust and adoration and a very noticeable bulge in his pants. Well, that was the plan, but instead you ended up wincing at the pain when you had foolishly forgotten how you ended up in the bathroom in the first place. 

Kun was quick to pull you forward again, holding you flush against his chest, kissing your palm and making sure you were ok. 

"How does it feel?" He asked softly.

"So good" you said as you pulled his hips into you more, still able to feel how turned on he was.

Kun bit his bottom lip as he watched you squirm in an attempt to feel more friction. 

The thought of feeling you wrapped around him was driving him crazy, but he wanted to make sure you wanted it just as much as he did so he took his time. Slowly, he undid the button on your pants, pausing to give you a chance to change your mind if you wanted before removing them. You smiled at how much of a gentleman he was being even though you were about to let him fuck you in a public bathroom, at least that's what you were both hoping for but a sudden jiggling of the door knob accompanied with a "shit!" followed by quickly retreating footsteps startled you both but left the two of you giggling.

"Maybe we should find a more suitable place for this."  You laughed.

 Kun agreed as he fumbled to redo the button of your pants.

"They're probably wondering where we are by now." He stated while helping you down from the sink, sighing as he thought about the looks and suggestive jokes they were 100% going to make when you weren't looking, but when you took his hand to lead him back to the studio he decided he didn't care.

As you stepped confidently back into the studio you paid no mind to the smug look on Ten's face, and began to look over everyone's pieces. Kun on the other hand was doing a horrible job of being unbothered by prying eyes, blushing immediately the second someone pointed out his disheveled hair. 

Ending the class went well, you explained how you'd fire them in the kiln and in a week or so they could come back to paint them. 

Never missing an opportunity to be nosey, Ten made his way over to you as everyone else placed their pieces on the rack in the corner of the room.

"My new neighbor fucking my best friend in a bathroom while we made clay pots was not on my bingo card." He whispered. 

"I didn't. We kissed and it got a little heated." You explained, recounting the poor guy that probably shit himself running to another restroom while the two of you attempted to straighten up.

"Well, you should probably think about picking up where you left off. It's been a while since he's gotten any, he might explode if you don't finish."  

You laughed and turned to face Ten, motioning him to come closer to hear you.

"Oh I have every intention of finishing, on that table, that chair, and the loveseat against the wall." You whispered as you pointed to each location.

"Eww, please disinfect everything before we come back." He laughed as he walked away to put his piece on the rack with the others.

Your eyes traveled to Kun after saying your goodbyes to everyone  as they began to pack up to leave the studio. You were pleased to see he hadn't made any attempt to move from his seat.

"Not coming to eat with us?" Hendery questioned before moving toward the exit.

"Not this time, I'm going to have a meal with her."  He nodded toward you.

"You could both come." 

"They're trying to" Ten laughed as he grabbed him by the wrist, and pulled him out the studio, closing the door behind him.

I love him SM, but I deadass feel like if he likes you he might try too hard, when he really ain't gotta do much except exist.

[gamesbyalbie]

The Cursed Journey

PART 8: MOTIVE

"What does this even mean?" Michael's face scrunches up. "To Kelly with the cool bangs?" 

I snort. "It's exactly what it says."

"But who is Kelly? Is this a reference? Am I missing something? Is there anything—or anyone—you need to tell me about?"

I look away from the hologram and roll my eyes. Hopefully, he still hasn't upgraded his phone and the projection's too blurry for him to tell. "Just print it, Michael. It's non-negotiable."

"Okay." His shoulders appear as he makes an exaggerated shrug. "But you know people are going to talk when we release this. Right?"

"Sure. People will theorize. Let them." I can hear exasperation seeping into my voice. The tremor is back in my hands and I can feel a cluster headache gathering like storm clouds. "My private life is public property. I'm a character as much as I am a writer." I shake a small white pill out of an orange bottle. "You should be happy if people are talking," I grumble before tossing the pill into my mouth, swallowing it dry—a decision I immediately regret. "That's what you want. Isn't it?"

"I suppose. But that's not all they're gonna talk about. Tobi and the Brain Worm isn't exactly what people have been waiting for. I need you to be prepared for that."

I wince internally. "I know." People are gonna be pissed, disappointed, confused. But I'm not a machine, and it's these weird little experiments that keep me going. I'm doing all I can to hold the curse at bay.

"You're gonna have to do press for this."

I sigh. "Do I?"

"Yes! Of course. Ody, people are losing faith. It's been over a year since Neo Olympus dropped." I grimace. He doesn't have to constantly remind me of that. I don't think he'd spontaneously combust if he went a whole day without mentioning it. "You're lucky you write so well. People give you a lot more patience than normal." He means I'm lucky bots still can't replicate my work. "But your fans aren't gonna be satisfied with some quirky little sci-fi novel about Tobi and her brain worm unless they know something bigger is coming. I need you to reassure them of that."

"Well, if I spend time reassuring them, I won't have time to produce it." 

"How much more time do you need?" Michael squeals. "You just wrote a novel in three days. That sequel should be finished by now! Hell, the series should be finished by now."

I look away. "It—it nearly is."

"Ody Specter... tell me you aren't writing Act 3 again."

I'm silent for a moment too long. "I just—"

"Unbelievable! Do you need me to come over and watch you? Like a child doing their homework? Cause I'll do it."

"No! No. I'll get it done."

"Tonight. You will get it done tonight."

"Fine."

"Fine, what?"

"Fine, I'll finish it tonight."

"Okay. You better. And Ody, you know I'm only doing this because I care about you, right?"

"Yes." No, I don't know that. How could I be sure of that? I'm your source of income. I'm a product you sell.

"Good." Michael sighs. "Good."

"But—" Anxiety gnaws at my stomach. "What if it isn't good?"

"Pardon?"

"The sequel. What if it isn't what they've been waiting for? People have already waited ages for this, if I then release something that's disappointing—"

"Stop. Ody, Listen to me." Michael interrupts. I allow it. I don't really want to finish my sentence. "Do not worry about that. Okay? Two things. Number one: I believe in you. You are your own worst critic and you're never gonna be fully satisfied with what you create. That's the burden of being an artist. Trust me, I've worked with enough of you to know that." I brush a tear off my cheek. "Number two: people are going to be assholes. There's no avoiding that. Either they're shitty trolls or people so invested in your story and characters that they treat them like they own them. You'll never give those people what they want, and you don't have to. You can't let your fear of disappointing strangers keep you from creating something you love. And I know how much you love this—how much you care. Just... get it out there. Share it. And remember, there's always more people who silently appreciate you than who vocally critique you. However it turns out, people will love it—and those who don't love it, don't matter."

"Thanks, Michael." Warm calm settles over me. "I needed to hear that."

"Don't mention it. It's my job to be here for you. While I have you here, they also want you to do press for Min-joon's book."

"You're shitting me, right?" The calm is yanked away, exposing my back to harsh cold. "That is not Min-joon's book. There's no way I'm going to show support for that factory produced, plagiarized crap. You should be grateful I'm not publicly denouncing it!"

Recently, that's all I've wanted to do. It aggravates me so much to see people praising it on every platform. It's a lie. A scam. A forgery.

Michael sent me a copy last week. I ripped it apart and set it on fire.

Apparently, it's a solarpunk love story about a robot tea farmer and a human antiquarian. I don't know. I only skimmed through parts of it before the nausea turned unbearable and my urge to destroy it became all-consuming.

What I do know is that everyone else in the world seems to be wet with anticipation. Every major news outlet has been calling it, "the ultimate friends to lovers story." Or, "a revolutionary tale with intoxicating worldbuilding." My old boss at Biblio called it, "the most serenely beautiful work of fiction she's ever read."

I could slap every single one of them. Right in the face. Just slap the shit out of them. Maybe then they'd come to their senses and see that nothing has been created. This book, as good as it may be, is manufactured bullshit hiding under Min-joon's name—wearing his style, tone, themes, etc. as camouflage.

"Listen, Ody, I know you've felt that way, but—"

"But what, Michael? There's no past tense. I do feel this way."

"I know, I get it. Trust me... but Mr. Steel called me today. Literally, he called me. He wants to speak with you, to see if you'll reconsider."

"Well, next time he honors you with a call, tell him to eat fucking glass. That'll be less painful than trying to convince me to support him and his despicable actions."

"But you just send them the unfinished work. Or just the ideas! They'll write it for you. They'll even make it sound like you if you give them enough. There's no risk. No danger! You barely have to lift a finger—"

"Never, Michael. Never."

"Fine. I'll tell them it's a no."

"And don't bring it up again."

"I won't. But remember, this means you have to work. You have to write. You have to finish this story, then do it all over again. You turn Steel down and that's your only option. It doesn't have to be perfect—that's what editing is for—just... do it. You make this harder than it has to be. And if you need to," he stops for a moment. I can see debate in his eyes even through the hologram. "Think about Min-joon. If nothing else, do it for him."

A visceral snarl rips from my throat. "Do you think I'm not doing that? Every second, of every fucking day?"

"No. Ody, that's not—I'm just trying to motivate you."

"I don't need motivation! Surprisingly, the threat of death and need to support my loved one is more than enough. And, for the record, I'm not making this hard. This is hard. Really fucking hard!" A cauldron of rage starts to boil over, searing and charring my insides.

It's unproductive. Everything about this. This has been a massive waste of time and—the more I get worked up—the more time I'll continue to waste. I need to get out. Fast.

"I'll call you in the morning."

"Okay, g—"

I toss my phone on my bed and walk over to the windows. My hands fly to my face and neck, rubbing the overwhelming emotion from my tense muscles. I look out at the urban landscape, doing my best to cool my furious blood—to quiet the string of violent obscenities parading through my head.

The sun hangs low in the sky. Dark brushstrokes of clouds cross the vast expanse. It's almost a perfect rainbow—dark purple overhead gradually turning to fiery crimson along the horizon. The lit windows and labyrinthine streets are equally beautiful, creating a tapestry of electric life.

It's distracting. Hopefully calming. Perhaps even inspiring.

Hmm, maybe... I look back at my office door. No. Being generous, it would take me at least thirty minutes of strained grunting and heaving to get my desk out here. By that time, the sunset would be long gone. There's no time, you worthless piece—

I force myself to turn away and drag my body back to the study. Michael is right, as much as I loathe to admit it.

I have work to do.

End of Part 8 of ? • LAST PART • NEXT PART (coming soon)

More Cursed Journey • More by Albie • Image Source

The amazing music video that inspired this:

[wowowwild]

Insp

Late night crunch time for a particular prosecutor with the help of his favorite defense attorney takes a delirious turn after the check watch billionth hour.

Klapollo crack fic

Rated M for talking about sex.

Klavier read through his case file for the millionth time and groaned. There was still no new information waiting to pop out at him. He glanced over to Apollo who had offered to stay late and help him figure it out. Klavier knew they had the right person, and Apollo had seemed pretty convinced as well, but even after bouncing several ideas off each other, the case hadn't become much clearer. Honestly, Klavier was certain they wouldn't get any further that night considering his brain was already fried and Apollo had just finished a wacky case of his own, getting his 'not guilty' earlier that day. And so his mind began to wander. Sue him. Except don't. He could afford it, but that would be really annoying.

“Would you fuck your clone?” “No,” was the immediate response. Apollo didn't even look up from the evidence he was puzzling together. “... Would you fuck my clone?” “Would I... Hmm... What?”

Based on how that went, Klavier felt like he had gained some insight as to the inner workings of the Wright Anything Agency. Questions like the first were common, questions like the second were not... Which on second thought made sense and it would be concerning if it was.

“Take a break with me so we don't fry our brains.” “I think yours came pre-fried.” “Rude. Now you have to answer my question.”

Apollo rolled his eyes but paused and started thinking. Klavier could tell he was thinking because he was doing the cute thing where he scrunched his face and tapped the middle of his brow bone. He considered himself lucky because most people who asked a question like that would probably be on the receiving end of Forehead's left hook which was something Trucy had warned him about.

“Would your clone be the exact same as you in every way, same personality, same memories, et cetera, or would they only be physically identical?” “Does it matter?” He had thought it was a straight forward question but apparently not. “If they were the exact same in every way you'd essentially be asking me if I would fuck you instead of some guy who looks exactly like you.” “... Would you fuck me-” “I'm going home.” “-y clone! My clone if they just looked like me! My clone and not me!” As far as Klavier was concerned Apollo could fuck him if he wanted but Apollo didn't seem to like that suggestion. “... Why are you so interested anyway?” “Well can you blame me? I hardly know anything about you.” “And the thing you've decided you want to know is whether I'm in to pretty blond boys?” “I- well- You think I'm pretty?” “Gavin... The whole world thinks you're pretty. This can't be news to you.”

Of course people thinking he was pretty was a normal Tuesday, but Apollo thinking he was pretty was... well... different.

“Don't forget that I'm tall. I'm told it's one of my most attractive features.” “Really? I would have figured it would be your eyes or hair.”

Apollo suddenly became very red, which made Klavier very curious as to what his companion was thinking about.

“A-anyway, I mean I guess.” “You... guess...” “Um, yeah?” “That's all I get? You guess? That's not a very enthusiastic response.” “Well can't your clone and I, like, I dunno, get ice cream or something?” “... You want to take my clone on a date?” “This is stupid. You don't have a clone and you will never have a clone, this is stupid.” “But if I did, Forehead.” “I think I've pondered your theoretical more than was necessary already.” “Hmph. Well I would fuck your clone nasty style.”

Apollo froze. Apollo turned bright red. Apollo may have stopped breathing. No he definitely stopped breath-

“HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT? HOW COULD YOU JUST SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!”

Well he was breathing again which was good news, but Klavier could hear any of the rest of what he said due to suddenly becoming deaf which would seem like it was bad news, but he was pretty sure he didn't want to hear the rest of that and even if he could, Apollo tended to switch languages when he was upset. He was vaguely aware that if anyone else was in the building, the police or at the very least security might be called. And then Apollo would throttle him because Klavier wouldn't be able to respond to questions so Apollo would have to do it.

Klavier blacked back in and Apollo was much closer than he had been before, just on the other side of his desk instead of lounging on his newly installed couch. Apollo grabbed Klavier's jacket by the lapels and pulled him forward into a very abrupt and brief kiss. Klavier remained frozen in his somewhat standing and very leaned over position that was actually very uncomfortable once he was able to feel his body again and realized Apollo must have left immediately after that. Yeah, he should go home, too.

[writingjjfics]

More than a hookup

Pairing: JJ Maybank x kook!reader, Platonic!Pogues x reader

Summary: Y/N is having a bad day and needs her best friend JJ. He's away with the pogues, who don't know about the relationship between the two of you.

Warnings: some curse words

Request: jj x kook!reader. They're only hooking up (but obviously there are feelings involved), and one day when jj is hanging out with his friends on the hms pogue she calls him crying (you make up why, I'm not that creative 🤭) so he tells her to wait on boat thing (i don't remember the name 😭) and he immediately tells jb to go to her house (he doesn't say it's her house tho (yk what i mean?) And they're all like confused as to why the fuck y/n is getting into their boat.

Word count: 2.3k

A/N: I loved this request! Hope I did it some justice. (not my gif)

It was a hot day in the outer banks. The sun shone brightly on your body while you walked to the front door of your house. The door always gets stuck when it's hot outside so you had to push very hard on the door several times. You were exhausted.

You just finished a long shift at work that started very early this morning and you have been sleeping badly for days now because of stress and other stuff bugging you. Even though you are a Kook and your parents make enough money so you don't have to work, you just really enjoy it. Now you at least have something to do with your life and you get to meet new people.

Because of work you met the well-known Pogue JJ Maybank.

You have been working with JJ for 2 years now. The two of you got along very well from the start. Your main interest? The shared hatred for Kooks. You know that you are officially a Kook yourself, but you don't feel that way at all. You and JJ can talk and laugh about anything and prank each other or other people a lot. The only downside to the whole Pogues vs Kooks bullshit is that you hardly see JJ outside working hours. You do text each other continuously and now and then JJ chills at your house.

Just like a month ago.

You were home alone that night and had asked JJ to have dinner with you and watch a movie. It was super fun and you both were flirting a lot. Not very unusual as your friendship often consisted of flirting with each other. After a few drinks, the two of you loosened up a bit and before you knew it, you were making out which turned into sex.

You've had sex multiple times since that day. But it was a very casual thing, nothing serious. JJ was known for his many hookups with different girls. But you can't help but start to feel more for him instead of just a casual hookup. He has really become your person lately. You can talk to him about anything and he is always there for you when you need him.

You hang your coat on the coat rack and threw your bag on the floor. Your stomach has been growling for a long time now and you couldn't wait to eat something. You called to your parents to tell them you were home but got no answer. You walked to the fridge and saw a note on it.

Your father and I will be with the Cameron family until tomorrow. The fridge is empty, but buy something nice at the supermarket and you'll get the money back. Mom

You rolled your eyes and muttered something insulting about the Camerons as you opened the fridge. The fridge was indeed empty. There were only some gross leftovers, but you'd rather starve than eat that. With a sigh, you close the fridge.

Your tiredness makes you want to go to sleep, but the amount of homework that you have been procrastinating for a long time attracts your attention. You don't want another lecture from your teacher about how you didn't make your homework. You grab your laptop and open it reluctantly before you start to work on some project for school.

After a while the headache you've had all day gets worse the more you keep staring at your screen and the fact that you're still very hungry isn't helping either. You decide to order some food online from your favorite restaurant.

Phone message:

Sorry, there are no delivery drivers available at the moment! Try again in a while...

You let out a frustrated groan. Why does everything have to be so fucking difficult? You put your laptop away and let yourself fall on the couch. Thousands of thoughts run through your head.

Soon enough you can't help but have tears rolling down your cheeks. All you want right now is to be with JJ and his comforting words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

JJ was currently chilling on the HMS Pogue with the rest of the Pogues enjoying the nice weather.

When he looked at his phone after a few hours of ignoring it he saw some texts from you and a few missed calls.

Kook princess👑:

Hey J, can you call me back.. I kinda need you

He smirked while reading the text thinking that you were horny and wanted to hook up.

I can't call right now but I can come over tonight 😏 💦 🍆

It didn't take long for JJ to get a message back

Please, I'm serious. I really need to talk to you. Are you sure you really can't call me?

His smirk was instantly wiped from his face. Normally you would have sent him something flirty back. He was immediately concerned about you so he excused himself from the Pogues to make a 'work call'.

As soon as he was out of range of the Pogues, he called your number.

"Hey y/n/n, what's going on?" the boy spoke softly.

"Hey J, I just wanted to talk to you for a second. What are you doing?"

He could hear your voice quiver.

"Have you been crying?" he asked worriedly.

"No-" you tried to keep your tears from floating, but you broke down immediately

"Y/n/n, please what's going on?" he said in the sweetest tone

"Just everything. School is just so fucking stressful, my parents give zero attention to me, my friends never have time for me, I just finished the worst work shift where literally everything went wrong and I'm just exhausted J. I can't handle life. " you rambled

"Hey, pretty girl, calm down. Are you at home?"

"Yes"

JJ looked behind him at the Pogues. They were paying no attention to JJ and his phone call. He hesitated to come to you for a few seconds but your quiet sobs made him decide to go.

"Okay listen, I'm with the Pogues now but I can come to you if you want?"

"Please"

"Wait on your dock for me okay, get some fresh air and I'll be there in a few minutes"

JJ ended the call and went back to join the Pogues.

"So.. hey guys, there is some crisis at work, it's chaos, could you maybe drop me off at my coworker's house, it's nearby." JJ spoke promisingly

"Since when do you give a fuck about work?" Kie asked confused

"Since JJ works with that girl he has a crush on" John B teased

The Pogues noticed a while ago that JJ was feeling more and more excited about going to work than usual. He paid more attention to his looks and always came home happy with the biggest grin on his face. Not to forget he was on his phone 24/7. So they all thought it had to be because of some girl. JJ kept denying it, obviously not wanting to let them know he was hanging out with a Kook. But deep inside he knew they were right. He really liked to go to work because he could be with you.

"Uh- no, very funny. But I actually need this job and I can't risk getting fired. So please, drop me off?" JJ begged

The Pogues all mumbled something before they agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After your phone call with JJ, you changed into something more comfortable and walked to your dock outside as promised.

You sat down at the edge with your feet hanging in the water. The refreshment of the water felt nice, finally cooling down a little.

Nervously you were tapping your fingers on the wood of the dock. JJ said he was with the Pogues. What if he brings them with him? How should you act? How would JJ act? Within a second, another million thoughts went through your head.

You let yourself fall backward, laying down on the wood. Your hands in front of your face to block the sunlight. Breathing in and out slowly hoping you could calm down a little.

A few minutes passed before JJ came closer with the HMS Pogue. The Pogues could already see you laying down. For you, that was the reason you didn't see them coming yet.

"Doesn't really look like she has a work crisis" John B snorted.

"Shut up" JJ exclaimed.

JJ felt relieved when he finally had you in his view. He is genuinely worried about you. He knows you haven't been feeling well lately, for the exact reasons you just mentioned on the phone.

You finally noticed the HMS Pogue and were immediately off the ground and back on your feet.

An awkward silence filled the area until the boat came in contact with the dock.

"Hi" you waved.

"Hey" "Hello "What's up" The Pogues greeted you in unison.

JJ smiled at you before turning around to face the Pogues.

"Thanks for dropping me off guys, really appreciate it" he spoke.

John B nodded and glanced at you. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself? Very curious to see who JJ had to go so fast" he grinned.

You had expected the Pogues to leave the two of you alone as soon as JJ was on the dock but they had other plans apparently.

JJ knew John B did this just to tease him.

"Yeah- uh- Hi, I'm y/n. Nice to meet you. Sorry for interrupting your day but JJ accidentally took my car keys at work the other day and I really need them. He told me you were nearby so he could drop them off."

You immediately felt stupid for talking too much. It probably didn't make sense what you just told them and the way JJ looked at you confirmed your thought.

"Oh really? Because JJ said there was a work crisis. Like actual chaos right?" Kie smirked before turning her head in JJ's direction.

Your cheeks became red in an instant and JJ awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, both not knowing how to respond to that.

After a few seconds of very awkward silence with many glances going around the other boy in the boat spoke up.

"Hey, no offense, but you look kind of stressed... Do you maybe want to join us on the boat? It can be very relaxing" Pope said when noticing the tense and uncomfortable situation. He gave you a reassuring smile

JJ had told you a lot about the Pogues. So you knew Pope was always the one who tried to solve situations like this. It was actually very cute.

You chuckled and smiled back at the boy. "Yeah sure, if that's okay with the rest"

John B and Kie moved aside to silently tell you to get in the boat. JJ put his hand on your back to guide you. "Let us talk alone for a second" JJ whispered to the Pogues as he passed them.

He guided you to the end of the boat where you both sat down.

"I'm sorry for talking to-" you started but the blond boy shushed you.

“Hey, it's okay. They would find it out sooner or later anyway" he chuckled. He noticed that you were nervously fidgeting with your hands so he placed his hand on yours and rubbed his thumb slowly.

You were a little taken aback by his actions. Obviously, it wasn't the first time he touched you, but it normally only happened when there was booze involved and if you were flirting a lot.

"But how are you? Pope was kinda right when he said you looked stressed" he asked quietly trying not to hurt your feelings.

You chuckled. "Guess I am stressed. But having you by my side and being on this boat is helping a lot."

"Glad I can help" JJ smiled at you. "You want to talk about it?"

You shook your head. "Maybe later, right now I want to hear about something fun. Sooo tell me about last night"

You referred to Pope's family party that JJ was also invited to, but which he complained about all day during your shift at work the other day since those parties are always so boring if you had to believe JJ.

JJ rolled his eyes "Please if I ever have to listen to his aunt talking about her manicure for another minute I rather die" You and JJ both laughed.

"Besides, I'd rather spend my night with you" he looked deep into your eyes now.

You blushed at his comment. All you could think about was how much you wanted to tell him that you like him and want to be more than 'just' a hookup.

JJ cleared his throat.

"You know, uhm- I've been meaning to tell you something" he started.

Nodding you told him to go on.

"I- uh- I wanted to ask you if you would maybe like to go on a date with me?"

Your heart was beating fast. You couldn't believe it. Could he possibly like you too? But what about all those girls? And JJ not being the relationship type of guy.

"You sure you want to go on a date with a Kook?" you teased.

"They already know so who cares about the others" he was referring to the Pogues who tried their best not to make it obvious that they were eavesdropping. "Oh, and you are totally worth it"

"Hm, Well.. If you put it that way. I would really like to go on a date with you J" you both smiled.

JJ kissed you on the cheeks. "I'll text you the information then" he whispered.

"Can't wait" you whispered back.

JJ stood up and extended his hand. You accepted and stood up as well. Hands intertwined you walked in the direction of the Pogues.

They all looked at you before Kie spoke up.

"So tell some more about yourself y/n!"

-

Sooo I maybe want to make a Part 2 for this but I'm not sure. Let me know if you would like that and if you have any ideas for a part 2!!

Love you all & I appreciate all the likes and reblogs. 🤍🤍

[fereldanwench]

I'm going to be obnoxious and presumptuous and tell everyone how to live their lives because I feel like the Cyberpunk 2077 fandom* has an endemic problem with this self-imposed expectation to post new ~*content*~ on a regular basis that is just not sustainable for like 95% of us. And as someone who has also, unfortunately, grappled with that anxiety even though I know it's silly, I feel compelled to tell everyone (myself included) to stop doing that to themselves and slow the fuck down.

(*Probably other fandoms, too--I have many, many Thoughts™ on how ~*content creator*~ culture has had detrimental effects on fandom on the whole, but that's a broader topic for another time.)

Participating in fandom is a hobby, not a grind. No one is going to be upset with you for letting your queue run out or missing a themed day. Nobody expects anyone to have multiple original posts on a daily basis. Your friends aren't going to forget you if you need to take a break. There is absolutely no reason to feel guilty or stressed because a real-life obligation has to take priority over a hobby.

Recognize the ebb and flow of your creativity so you don't burn yourself out. Give yourself the time and space to work on long projects and learn new skills, even if that can't come with regular updates. Let yourself be in the moment while you create. Savor your art--Stop asking yourself "What do I post next?" immediately after you finish a project. Take pride and joy in the work you've already made without wondering how you can make your next post even better.

Understand your limitations and accept that others might not have the same limitations you have. Someone who is single and unemployed is going to have more time to dedicate to learning virtual photography than someone with a family and a full-time job. Someone with chronic fatigue is going to have a harder time churning out fic than someone without that condition. Don't compare your output to someone else's. We all have different creative processes, different backgrounds and skills, and different demands on our time and energy.

What works for me to break out of this mindset might not work for everyone, but these are the 3 main things I find helpful to keep me from succumbing to the darkness:

Intentionally break a streak Have you been posting every single Thirsty Thursday for the past 6 months but are having a hard time keeping up currently and feeling stressed about breaking the streak? BREAK IT. Skip one. Even if you have a post, schedule it for the following week. It'll feel wrong at first, but on Friday you'll realize it didn't matter, your friends are still here, and you will no longer be beholden to this inconsequential posting requirement that exists only in your head.

Revisit old posts/drafts/WIPs/outtakes Go through your old stuff! Let yourself enjoy what you made in the past. Reblog it so new friends and followers can see it. Remember what it was like to work on it and the sense of accomplishment when you finished it and what you learned from it. You might even get a bonus and find yourself inspired to revisit an idea or create a new take on it.

It's an obnoxious cliche at this point, but yes: touch grass Online fandom spaces have been a cornerstone of my social and creative circles for over two decades, so I am not by any means suggesting that there is no value in spending a lot of time here. But you absolutely need to take breaks from your devices and reconnect with the physical world or you will go nuts. Go for a walk, spend a day outside with friends or your pets, pick up a tangible craft like coloring books or journaling--Just find something to get you away from your computer and phone.

tl;dr - Creating in fandom should be fun and enjoyable and a reprieve from all of this shit, not an extension of it. There's absolutely no reason to put this burden on yourself to be some superfan posting new work 37 times a week. If you're in the zone and you've got that flow, roll with it, of course, but don't feel like it always has to be like that because it won't be. And that is completely fine.

[theanonymousloser]

jailbreak pt 2

you can read pt 1 here

pairing: gally x fem!reader

requested: no

word count: 1.2k

warnings: harassment, douchebags, dumb boys, kinda cringy tbh

description: gally accidentally scares the reader and in turn one of her biggest fears is revealed

The morning after their game of jailbreak, Y/n awoke and got ready for the day. She headed to breakfast.

"Hey Fry," she said as Frypan put some pancakes on her plate.

"Hi, Y/n. Sleep well?" He smiled.

"As well as I could, considering I was surrounded by snoring boys." She said, her smile faltering the tiniest bit.

Frypan gave her a smile of pity and she turned, scanning the room for an empty seat.

She noticed a seat across from Gally which was empty and walked over.

"This seat taken?" She smiled.

"Nope." He said, his mouth full of food.

Y/n rolled her eyes at his manners and sat down. He finished his mouthful of food quickly, before beginning to speak.

"You're stuck with me today," Gally said with a cheeky smile.

It was true because she was so new, she had been going between different jobs to decide which one she would do.

"Ugh, I know, I don't know how I'll get through the day." She said, feigning annoyance.

"What? I thought you would be excited to be with me. Well, maybe not excited, but at least not-"

"Gally! Calm down, I'm only joking."

"What?"

"It was a joke. I am excited to be with you today."

"Oh."

The two began chatting about random things. Their favorite color, favorite joke, etc. They quickly finished their food.

"I can take that over for you," Gally said, pointing to her plate. He stood up and picked up his own.

"No, it's alright, I'll go with you." She said, standing up. The truth was, she was sitting next to someone who had given her weird glances throughout the whole meal. She didn't want to be left alone with him.

"You sure?" Gally asked.

"Mhmm" she said, with one more look at the boy who had been beside her. Gally seemed to understand what was happening because he dropped the subject.

The two handed their plates to the dish washers, and Gally grabbed Y/n's hand, pulling her out the door.

"Where are we going" Y/n laughed, "isn't the workshop over there?" (Idk what the work place is called and I'm too lazy to Google it rn)

"It is, but I have a surprise for you first." He pulled her around to the back of the Homestead and stopped at a door.

"Isn't this just a storage closet?" Y/n asked, confused.

"It was," Gally said.

"Was? What do you mean was?"

"Okay. So you're the only girl here-"

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Just let me finish. You're the only girl here, but you're stuck sleeping with the guys."

"Ew, why'd you phrase it like that?"

"Holy shuck, I'm trying to do something nice for you."

"Sorry, sorry, go ahead."

"So, because you're a girl, I talked with Alby and we decided to make you a room."

"Oh my gosh! Really?" Y/n said, a huge smile on her face.

"Yeah" Gally blushed, scratching the back of his neck, his confidence slowly slipping away.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" She said, hugging him.

"Um, uh, yeah so that'll be our project today. Moving you in and building a bed." Gally said, clearly feeling very awkward.

.....

Y/n was a quick learner and they got a lot of work done fairly quickly.

Gally left the room to get something, leaving Y/n alone with the other builders. She had worked up a sweat after a while and decided to put her hair up.

She flipped her head down to make it easier to grab it all. As she was bent over, one of the boys walked over and slapped her butt, causing the other boys to laugh. She stood up immediately and finished putting her hair up. She was fuming, glaring at all of the boys. The problem was, she had no idea who had done it.

Suddenly, Gally walked in. He froze and looked around the room. The boys were still laughing to themselves and Y/n had sat on a chair, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Y/n, can I talk to you outside?" Gally asked, noticing her discomfort.

Y/n simply shook her head, not wanting to stand up to give the boys another chance to strike.

"Y/n," Gally repeated.

"No." She said in a weak tone.

"You all, out."

Some tried to protest, saying they were in the middle of something but Gally would have none of it.

"Now." He said, raising his voice.

After they had left, Gally walked over to her. She turned away and he stopped.

"What-what happened?"

"Was that just your whole plan? Huh? Get me to trust you so that your little builder friends could have fun harassing me and slapping my butt? Is that what this all is?"

"What the shuck are you talking about?" Gally said, extremely confused.

"Oh so now you're playing dumb, huh? I wasn't born yesterday, Gally."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I went to measure something in your room. I told you that. What happened?"

"I um. I was trying to put my hair up," she began, motioning to her ponytail. "And then one of the others, I didn't see which one, slapped my butt!"

Tears were threatening to fall.

"You're sure you don't know who did it?" Gally asked, his jaw clenched. Y/n nodded her head, afraid that if she said a word, she would start crying.

"Okay, umm." Gally began, trying to figure out what to do, "Let's go talk to Alby."

He held out his hand to her and she took it. Even when they started walking, neither one of the two let go. As they passed by the other builders, Gally glared at them, while Y/n leaned her head on his arm.

.....

Alby decided that he would hold a meeting with all of the leaders plus Y/n and the other builders to figure out what to do.

The builders took turns one by one being asked questions as they stood in the middle of the room.

"Why is she even trying to be a builder?" One boy asked, catching everyone by surprise.

"Excuse me?" Y/n said, standing up.

"I mean, she's a girl for shuck's sake. She should be washing dishes or cooking or something."

All eyes were immediately on Y/n who simply stomped over to the boy and slapped him across the face.

There were a few gasps heard around the room. Gally stood up. The boy simply smirked.

"See that there? That fire? That's why I did it." He said. He seemed proud of himself, like he had just won an award, no like he had just sentenced himself to death in the maze.

Gally raced toward him, full speed. Y/n quickly stopped him, she didn't want Gally to do something he would regret.

A few guys walked over to the builder and dragged him out of the room. They put him into the Slammer until it was dark.

.....

"Thank you, Gally," Y/n said, sitting by him at the bonfire that night.

"For- for what?" He asked, confused.

"For everything." The two looked at each other and smiled.

[from-a-reckless-writer]

dove down my rabbit hole of wips and one of my wips isnt a wip anymore! so here, have some gay shit....

“Kelly wants to get married in the woods, I want to get married in Midvale. So, apparently, our wedding will just happen via Zoom. Her in the woods, me at the beach. Ain’t that just fucking grand?”

Alex comes through the door like a hurricane covered in leather. Her helmet lands on Kara’s counter loudly. Her keys haphazardly thrown somewhere in the general direction of the bowl by the door.

“Then have two weddings.”

Alex follows the voice and her eyes zero in on her sister’s best friend.

Lena is sitting on the floor of Kara’s apartment, wearing an oversized sweater. Her dark hair spilling down her shoulders softly. A hand wrapping around a wine glass, the other typing on her laptop, not even jumping in the slightest at the commotion that is Alex’s entrance.

Alex plops down on the couch sighing loudly, not even batting an eye at this utterly domestic scene that is her sister washing the dishes with Lena Luthor on the floor of her apartment.

Lena doesn’t comment at the Danvers’ Sisters antics and Alex doesn’t call them out on the ridiculousness that Lena and Kara are still keen on keeping up.

The three of them already well desensitized to one another’s preferred brand of bullshitery.

“You know, sometimes I forget you're a rich-ass bitch and then you say shit like that and suddenly, I remember,” Alex says, smoothly snatching the wine from Lena’s hand.

She finishes the entire glass in one gulp and Lena rolls her eyes. Alex had finally proposed to Kelly the other week and well, that meant this week all of them had fallen victim to the Olsen-Danvers wedding debacle. It seems today isn’t the day that that whole dilemma is going to stop.

The wedding, of course, was still a few months away, but both parties were stressing about it as if it was going to happen immediately the next day.

Kara swoops in then, mussing up Alex’s hair, earning her an annoyed Hey stop it! before putting down another wine glass and pouring for Lena. Her arms are still wet from washing the dishes.

Lena murmurs her thanks and continues what she was saying, “Well, since you’ve finally remembered that I’m a billionaire. Let me pay for two weddings.”

Alex chokes on the wine.

“What? You’re kidding me, right?”

Lena continues typing, ignoring Alex’s shock, you’d think she didn’t just offer to pay for a wedding.

“Well, I mean, I’m never gonna get married,” Lena explains, “but if you let me do this, I can brag around that I’ve paid for two weddings. Not to mention I’m gonna make two brides very, very happy.”

“Or,” Kara interjects, lowering herself on the opposite side of the couch, perfect for Lena to lean back between Kara’s legs and lay her head on the side of her thigh. “You can just wait for Kelly to get here,” Kara says, pointedly. “Talk it out like normal adults and reach a compromise.”

Kara’s hands start to snake their way from Lena’s hair to Lena’s shoulders, massaging, all too aware that Lena won’t stop whatever it is she’s working on on her laptop till everybody gets here.

Lena lets herself melt and closes her eyes, sighing as Kara’s fingers dip at the junction of her neck and shoulder with just the right amount of pressure.

“I don’t wanna get married in the woods, Kara.”

Lena opens one eye to take a peek at Alex, who looks exasperated, her eyes pleading, gulping down another glass of wine.

“Don’t tell me,” Kara replies. “Tell Kelly.”

“The bugs, Kara,” Alex moans. “Imagine the bugs, and the moss and the ughhh.”

She dramatically thumps the back of her head on the couch.

“Imagine the soil. Clumpy wet soil. Eurgh. Ew. What if I fall face first in that? What if I trip over a stupid tree root in my heels? In my wedding dress?!”

“Alex, you don’t even have a dress yet,” Kara deadpans.

“I thought you were gonna wear a suit,” Lena adds.

“You two suck.” Alex pouts.

****

The rest of their friends arrive and Kara finally succeeds in prying Lena’s work laptop away from her. Alex was already teasing the line from tipsy to drunk by the time Kelly comes through the door.

“Let’s get married in Vegas!!!!” Is how Alex decides to greet her fiance.

Kelly laughs, gives her a peck then answers, “As much as that sounds like a very convenient wedding, I don’t think Eliza would appreciate that, baby.”

Alex frowns at being rejected, sags against the couch and crosses her arms. Why does Kelly always have to be right?

“How much has she had to drink?” Kelly turns to Kara.

“Uhh ask Lena. She made her switch to whiskey.”

Lena—who Kelly thinks was way too busy nuzzling against Kara’s neck to even answer her question—mumbles something that sounds like “S’was just two glasses.”

Kelly just shakes her head, makes Alex drink a glass of water. Her ring making a clink against the glass.

“Alright, what if,” Nia sing-songs, eyes sparkling with mischief, “we just settle this whole wedding thing with Charades?”

Nia claps her hands together like some gameshow host and Kelly takes a deep breath through the nose.

She’s been to enough Game Nights to know where this is headed.

Everybody else was intoxicated enough to accept the suggestion as a grand idea, not at all even thinking that: Hey, isn’t this something we should all take seriously?? Maybe ask the brides what they want, maybe???

Kara nods enthusiastically, agreeing immediately, “Oh!! That’s a great idea! Fun and fair at the same time!”

“Olsen vs. Danvers. Brides get to pick their teams.”

Nia pulls a white board out of nowhere, uncaps a marker and writes “Team Danvers”, “Team Olsen” separated by a neat line in the middle.

“Are we really letting Nia take charge of our wedding venue?" She hears Alex whisper from where she has her tucked at the crook of her neck.

Kelly sneaks a glance at the chaos happening before their eyes; Brainy already claiming to be on Kelly’s team, J’onn shaking his head opting to be the game scorer instead and refusing to participate, somebody’s shouting about: NIA, DREAM PROJECTIONS AT CHARADES IS CHEATING!!!!

Guess this is their life now.

Kelly smirks, boops Alex on the nose and says, “Scared you’ll lose, Danvers?”

****

Alex loses by three points.

“How was I supposed to know you were gesturing 'Transformers'!?!” She barks at Kara, throwing her hands in exasperation.

“I pointed at Nia!” Kara huffs, incredulous at the fact that her sister is blaming her.

Nia lost them a point too!

“What does Nia even have to do with it???” Alex’s voice grows higher in pitch. Her brows furrow in a mix of confusion and frustration.

“Trans, Alex. Trans.”

“Oh my God,” Alex groans. “How are you this dumb?”

And that was the story of how Kelly got her dream wedding.

****

The frenzy finally dies down, some time between Nia making up another drinking game and J’onn making her sit back down. A movie that none of them were watching provides a background noise to the almost lazy atmosphere. Kelly and Alex were pressed close on the far end of the couch, enjoying the temporary quiet.

“Guess we’re getting married in the woods, huh?” Alex murmurs.

“I guess we are,” Kelly whispers back. Alex beams at her, grinning dopily at the thought of finally getting the ending they deserve. It would be the perfect day, she has no doubt about that. No matter where they are. It would be perfect because they got there together.

Alex can’t wait.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing.”

Alex continues to smile stupidly, nudges her nose to Kelly’s.

“Just— I don’t really care where we get married, I guess.”

“Oh yeah?” Kelly raises an amused brow at her.

“Mm-hm. So long as you’re the one walking down the aisle.”

Alex presses their lips together, breathes Kelly in deep and for the first time that night, she feels that the future isn’t so scary, even though there is still a very large possibility that she might trip over a tree root on her wedding day.

Somebody interrupts their kiss.

“She’s only saying that ‘cos she lost.”

“Shut up, Luthor.”

****

“Text me when you get home!”

Lena hears Kara call loudly after her sister, before closing the door. Game Night has officially ended and as usual she’s still here. She’ll always be here, she thinks for a brief moment. The thought holding more depth than it should.

Kara didn’t even question her when everybody began filing out and Lena just started picking up the discarded dirty plates and walking them to the sink. They’re well past the point of asking each other if the other would stay over.

It was already some unspoken rule.

Already well past the point of Lena wanting to ask Kara what the hell it is they’re doing.

She’s bent over the sink, scrubbing—Kara doesn’t own a dishwasher for the sole reason that she finds doing the dishes therapeutic—when Lena takes a glance over her shoulder.

Kara is sitting on a high stool near the counter, casually flicking through her phone. It was Lena’s turn to do the dishes tonight. Once upon a time her doing the dishes would have resulted in a fight. “I can superspeed the dishes. Why would you even want to do them?” A statement that would be met with an eye roll.

Kara has learned not to fight her on it again, after around the 7th time that Lena had stubbornly insisted and Supergirl got doused with dishwashing liquid.

And now, it’s become some sort of routine, Kara does the dishes after lunch and Lena does the dishes after dinner. Oh, how the paparazzi would kill for this—Lena Luthor Knows What A Sponge Is?

“Is it true when you told Alex you’re never going to get married?”

Kara decides to break their quiet.

“Yeah, pretty certain about that one, why?” Lena turns around, cocks a curious brow. If she’s being honest she’s beyond certain that she’s not going to get married. She always jokes about how she’s married to L-Corp but it isn’t till now that she realizes how true that is, and...how lonely.

“I don’t know,” Kara murmurs, not meeting Lena’s eyes. “I just like the idea of you getting married, I guess.”

“What?” Lena chuckles at that; genuinely confused but still curious.

“Well, I mean—” Kara wobbles through her words.

“I guess, I just— I like the idea of you walking down the aisle...in a white dress,” Kara muses.

Then, “Or a suit!!” she quickly amends. “If you wanna wear a suit, that is. That can totally be arranged, you know?” Kara waves her hand around and it’s like now that she’s started, she can’t stop.

And Lena’s just standing there, water still dripping from her elbow, unsure of how to feel about Kara imagining her getting married. Quite an incredulous scene isn’t it? Her getting married? What a crazy thing to say, an even crazier scenario to imagine!

She snaps out of it, realizing Kara’s still rambling.

“I have no objections whatsoever with that, if you wanna wear a suit. And yeah, you know? I just— I like that idea. I like the idea of you dancing to your wedding song. The idea of you exchanging your vows, the idea of you-”

“Kara,” Lena decides to put a stop to it, since it’s clearly evident Kara won’t be stopping any time soon. And Lena's feeling way too many things that she doesn’t want to feel at the moment. She’s sure that she’s going to feel more, if she doesn’t put a stop to it herself.

“I’m well aware that it’s the best friend’s job to help with the bride’s wedding,” She says, “but, darling don’t you think you’re putting just a bit too much effort into this? Certainly seems like you��ve thought about it a lot.”

At that, Kara’s cheeks turn a light pink, squirming sheepishly under Lena’s questioning gaze.

Shouldn’t Kara be thinking about her own wedding? How beautiful she would look walking down the aisle. How her blonde hair would look so nicely with her dress. How happy she would finally be after finding someone she could share her life with. Not that Lena's been thinking about those kinds of things. No, of course not. That’d be hypocritical of her at this point. Why would she even— Why were they even talking about this again???

Lena tries to rein in it, tries to focus on Kara again; hands finally finding a dry towel, hesitantly walking into Kara’s space to hear the blonde more clearly.

“Well, I mean- Like I said, I do really like the idea of you getting married,” Kara repeats herself slowly.

And before Lena can come any closer, “Like the idea of you getting married…to me. More specifically,” Kara adds more quietly.

“What?”

Lena stands frozen.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard y- Kara, did you just?”

Lena’s heart is pounding away in her chest. Did she hear her right? Did Kara really just—

Lena’s a step away from her and Kara uses this to her advantage. She pulls Lena closer, tugging at her wrist, the towel dropping from Lena’s hands. Kara summons enough willpower to stare into Lena’s eyes.

“I like the idea of you getting married to me, Lena Luthor.”

“Kara, I’m sorry- What?” Lena jerks away from her, the words finally landing.

“Is that a no?”

Kara lets her go. She can’t focus on Lena’s heartbeat to assess the situation more. Kara’s own heart is betraying her, drumming so loudly in her ears.

“Uh- no, that's definitely not a no?” says Lena hesitantly, eyes wide, breathing nervously. She turns away from Kara for a minute to take a breath, hands fidgeting about.

She whirls around again to face, mutters, “You do realize marriages are for people who are—”

She pauses.

How do you exactly phrase that wedding proposals are for people who are actually in some kind of romantic relationship? And not for people who casually stay over every goddamn Thursday without fail?And okay, maybe sometimes, in a much different reality, would willingly commit fratricide to save the other? And in an also much different reality, willingly expose a secret identity to save the other?

Lena can’t find the right words.

“Oh, I don’t know, Kara,” Lena scoffs, shaking her head disbelievingly. “Marriage is for people who are actually dating each other.”

Kara takes her sarcasm as a good sign and pulls her in again.

“Well,” Kara begins. She can hear Lena’s heart thumping erratically, now that Kara’s gotten her bearings.

“We can always have our first date after the wedding, right?”

Aren’t they well past the point of dating anyway?

She’s got Lena standing between her legs now, her hands wrapping around her waist.

“First date and honeymoon all in one. That sounds great, doesn’t it? I can fly you wherever you want, Paris, Maldives, hell I even have a Fortress in the Arctic, if you’re into that.”

Lena stares at her, blinks once, twice; shakes her head and lets out a noise between a laugh and a scoff.

“Kara Zor-El, you are one ridiculous woman,” She breathes, putting a hand on Kara’s cheek. Because what else is there to say? This whole conversation really is ridiculous. But at the same time Lena feels like she’s floating? Like this may be the best moment of her life, and of course, it’s going to be ridiculous. This is Kara she’s dealing with, after all.

She doesn’t know what she’s going to do if Kara reveals this to be just some sort of joke.

But the way her blue eyes are piercing through Lena’s, so earnest and so warm, argues otherwise.

“So, what do you say? Wanna get married?”

“Are you serious right now?” Lena asks, still unbelieving. This is beyond crazy. They’ve fought aliens and monsters and traveled through time but this? This is just beyond crazy.

“Lena, do I look like I’m joking? And besides, you’d already offered to pay for two weddings, why not pay for our two weddings, instead?”

She shakes her head again, let’s herself fall closer to Kara, lets out a laugh against her neck.

“Mm. You want a Kryptonian ceremony too?”

“Yeah.” Kara’s voice turns shy. “If that’s alright by you.”

“Of course, that’s alright by me. I’d be honored.”

Her heart feels more than full at the thought of Kara wanting to share that part of her with Lena. She’s always had some doubts whenever the topic of Kara’s Kryptonian heritage arises, always half-afraid she’s overstepped on something that isn’t hers.

But looks like there was nothing to fear all along.

“So, we’re getting married, huh?” Kara wiggles her brows, her face breaking into a wide grin.

“Yes. Mm-hm,” Lena hums against her. “I do. I’d marry you. Let’s get married.”

“Seal it with a kiss?"

****

“Hi.”

Lena blearily opens her eyes, follows the soft voice, her bare back being caressed by the sun filtering through Kara’s curtains.

“Hi,” She whispers back. All this feels much too like a fever dream. She’s half-tempted to pinch herself just to check. She’s woken up beside Kara a million times before but she’ll never get used to the sight of soft golden hair and sleepy blue eyes.

Kara gives her a soft peck and the feel of her lips sends Lena reeling.

The previous night was a whirlwind in her mind’s eye. The moment Lena murmured her 'Yes, please.', Kara kissed her passionately. Once they broke away, Kara had zipped around the apartment, Lena too dazed to even ask what it was Kara was looking for.

She watched as Kara tore off a keychain from one of her bags, curled the keyring to fit Lena’s finger and whispered, “This’ll do. For now.”

Kara had kissed her knuckles reverently, her lips making Lena’s blood sing in her veins. The feel of mangled metal fitted just for her left hand is an imprint on her soul. A promise of more to come.

They didn’t make it out of the kitchen the first time. Kara had lifted her by the waist and set her down on the kitchen counter. Which was a good thing, because Lena couldn’t feel her legs after.

They didn’t make it to the bedroom the second time either. She had tackled Kara onto the couch, pinning her wrists together, licking at the shell of Kara’s ear. “My turn now,” Lena had whispered. The way Kara shivered underneath her was enough of a reward. How long had they been waiting for this?

Flashes of last night had her hips bucking slightly unto Kara’s leg sandwiched between her own, but before it could escalate further...

“I have exciting news to share,” Kara tells her.

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm,” Kara hums, now nosing at Lena’s hair.

“What is it?” Lena asks.

“I’m getting married.”

“Oh you are?” Lena plays along.

“Yes. I’m getting married to my best friend,” whispers Kara, almost conspiratorially. “How cool is that?”

Kara looks giddy with excitement and Lena knows she’s mirroring that exact same expression right now.

“Mm. Very cool, darling.”

Kara giggles and they trade more lazy kisses before Lena breaks away to breathe.

“Quite a coincidence though,” Lena husks out against Kara’s lips.

“Oh really? Why?” Kara asks, tries to keep a serious neutral face despite her nose scrunching up in that cute smile that Lena can’t resist

“I’m also getting married,” Lena confides, “To my best friend," she adds, eyes flashing. "Isn’t that great?”

“Very great.” Kara nods slowly, blonde hair falling into her face, a hand running through dark tresses.

“I love you,” Lena whispers, her lips brushing Kara’s softly.

“I love you, too.” Kara kisses her harder then, her hands lazily wandering along Lena’s skin.

They lie there quietly for a few moments, basking in the morning glow and then, “Alex will kill us.”

Lena snorts, twists in the sheets and says, “I think your sister is too busy planning her wedding to even think about plotting our murder.”

read follow-up here.

[sunwoo-hoo]

↣ the boyz reaction to s/o feeling stressed

↳ a/n: hello my lovelies! we are back with another tbz reaction! side note, with every reaction i get it’s going to be canon with my ‘as your boyfriend series’ so keep that in mind when requesting. this is for the lovely anon who requested this. i hope you enjoy it. ☻ 18+ due to language

↳ genre: fluff? slight angst? i don’t even know someone tell me

↳ requested? yes

↳ send me your requests here!

↳ word count: 3.4k

↳ the boyz x fem reader

「 Lee Sangyeon  」

you normally weren’t one to get stressed out often but when your job decided to give you a promotion you weren’t expecting the extra workload it would bring

you got assigned to one of the major projects your company was working on and slowly but surely you felt your energy draining with each day passing by

even though sangyeon was extremely busy as well he was worried about you  

after coming home from a long day of practice sangyeon noticed when you weren’t in the front foyer to give him his welcome home kiss like you usually did

as he walked to your bedroom he saw you sitting by the desk typing away at your computer

as he made his way towards you he squatted down slightly to give you a warm cheek kiss

“hey baby, how about you take a break huh? you’ve been working so hard, let me cook something for you” he insisted

“hmm? oh.. okay, i’m sorry sangyeon, work has been driving me up the wall lately i didn’t mean to shut you out” you mumbled

he gave you a small smile as he stroked your cheek before replying “don’t worry about it baby i just don’t want you to overwork yourself” he said

during your break sangyeon is cooking you dinner, listening to all your troubles and even trying his best to help you with your project. by the end of the night expect a lot of cuddles and kisses.

「 Jacob Bae  」

stress was something you’ve always experienced, especially being a university student finishing your final year

jacob was super supportive of your dreams always helping you study in any way he can

sometimes even distracting you to get your mind off it so that you wouldn’t burn out

but as final exams were just around the corner you were so stressed to the point that you cried and threw your book across the table in frustration

jacob turned his head and quickly took notice since he was only a couple of feet away reading a book which he swiftly set down and rushed to your side

“oh babe, don’t cry please, i promise it’s going to be okay” he whispered as he wiped your tears away  

you completely broke down sobbing uncontrollably onto jacob’s sleeve as he held you close giving you hushed praise

“how about we go and rest for a little? a nap would be good for you” he softly asked as you simply nodded

jacob helped you up as you made your way to your bedroom where he made it relaxing as possible turning on the air humidifier and lighting a lavender candle. he also made sure that the curtains were closed so that the room was dark enough to fall asleep to

soon enough your drifting into a calming sleep in jacob’s arms.

「 Kim Younghoon  」

it had been 3 months since you’ve started dating kim younghoon, your relationship was everything you could’ve dreamed of. it was absolutely perfect with no flaws what so ever.  

with all that in mind you started to wonder why you both hadn’t exchange i love you’s. you knew younghoon felt strongly for you, always making sure you were taken care of, constantly hugging and kissing you.

the whole situation started to stress you out and make you second guess everything

you loved younghoon but you had to admit you were a bit apprehensive on saying it first, since you didn’t know what younghoon’s response would be.

he could’ve said it back, or worse, not say anything at all.

one evening when younghoon was sleeping over your place you decided then and there that you were going to muster up your courage and finally say the three words you’ve been stressing over.

as you both were watching t.v his arms draped over your shoulders you looked up over at younghoon who was fixated on the drama that was playing. you cleared your throat

“younghoon.. i have to tell you something… something i’ve been wanting to tell you for awhile now” you announced hesitantly

as he looked over at you he adjusted his body to fully look at you face on

“really? i actually have something to say as well” he replied

your ears perked as you continued “how about we say it at the same?”

he nodded smiling before counting down “3…2…1..”

“i love you” you said “i’m in love with you” he whispered

you breathed the biggest sigh of relief before sliding in his lap giving him the softest kiss as you felt younghoon’s arms around your waist

「 Lee Hyunjae 」

your relationship with hyunjae was many things, exciting, passionate, intense. never in a million years would you think it would be stressful, or let me rephrase: you never thought it would be this stressful  

you received a text message from hyunjae one afternoon saying that he needed to talk to you and that it was important

at that moment your mind was going through so many options on what it could be, your thoughts becoming worse and worse.

oh god is this it? he wants to beak up with me

did he cheat on me? i’ll fucking kill him if he did

oh my god what if he’s not in love with me anymore?

as your mind was going a mile a minute you finally broke out of your daze when your friend who you were out to lunch with told you that it probably wasn’t all that bad and that you should trust hyunjae.

when the evening finally  rolled around you went to visit hyunjae just right when he got home from practice.

“hey baby” he smiled giving you a peck on the lips, giving him a small you replied “hey” back as you two sat on the sofa

“so what’s going on?” you asked as you were rubbing your palms against your knees trying to get rid of the sweat

hyunjae instantly noticed your anxious aura and grabbed your hands holding them tightly giving them a kiss

“well, we’ve been dating for almost a year now and i think it’s time.. for you to meet my parents” he said proudly

you blinked a couple of times as your brain still hadn’t registered the information he just said

“i want them to meet the girl i’m madly in love with” he continued

when you finally heard his words your first instinct was to hit hyunjae’s arm

“ah! hey! what was that for?” he shouted rubbing his arm

“jesus christ hyunjae i thought you were breaking up with me!” you shouted back

he laughed grabbing your waist pulling you close on his lap putting his head in the crook of your neck “i could never” he whispered giving your neck a light kiss

「 Lee Juyeon 」

to say that you were having a bad week was the understatement of the year.

it all started when you caught the flu, you felt horrible. it was constant sneezing, throwing up, runny nose, all of it.

you started to feel stressed when juyeon risked his safety getting sick to take care of you. you especially didn’t want him getting sick when the boyz comeback was nearly a month away.

you told him that you could take care of yourself, but juyeon didn’t take no for an answer.

you had to admit even though you were sick you couldn’t deny that you loved having juyeon with you 24/7 he was being the perfect boyfriend getting you tea, wet cloths for your forehead, and making sure you took your medicine every night.

“open your mouth, good girl” he praised putting the spoonful of medicine in your mouth

“you know if i wasn’t sick you would be saying those exact words another way” you teased coughing slightly

juyeon smirked and kissed your forehead in response

slowly but surely after a week you were starting to feel better but then your sickness hit juyeon as predicted delaying the comeback for nearly two weeks.

「 Kevin Moon 」

it was a hard month for kevin, the boyz comeback had just started and he was stressing over all the performances and interviews wanting to make sure that each one was up to his standards

it was so bad that all his stress levels were slowing creeping up on you making you become stressed yourself

it was starting to effect your relationship and you knew you had to do something quick before you and kevin would get into a fight you were not mentally prepared for

the comeback was closing in on it’s last week and you had decided to make one evening extremely special pampering kevin.

you decided to make his favorite meal, wearing your sexy yet tasteful red dress, with your black lacy bra and matching panties for later activities.

as kevin walked into your apartment he noticed you immediately smiling at your attire

“hey babe, what’s all this?” he asked pointing to all the candles and dim lighting

“what do you mean? can’t i do something special for the man i love?” you replied innocently walking up to him giving him a soft kiss on the lips

as kevin deepened the kiss your back found it’s way to the cold wall behind you as kevin started to trail kisses along the side of your jaw making his way down to your neck

you were excited it wasn’t often that kevin was a dom but you had pressing matters to attend to first

“k-kevin wait… i want to talk first” you whimpered as he finally reached your sweet spot

kevin stopped immediately to your words and gave you a quick peck on lips before nodding

you grabbed his hand and made your way to the dining table where the food was most likely cold by now and sat down on the chair

“kev, i just wanted to talk about how you’ve been so stressed with this comeback and everything it’s.. it’s starting to effect our relationship” you mumbled

he sighed and agreed “i know it has, and i’m so sorry for that babe” he said grabbing your hand as he continued “i’ll promise to be better about it, you know that i don’t want to ruin what we have. i love you”

you smiled feeling 100 times better about the situation giving kevin a kiss on the cheek  

you lightly laughed as you pulled apart “the dinner is totally cold now by the way”

“let’s just order a pizza, it probably wasn’t that good anyway” he teased before you shoved him playfully in response

「 Choi Chanhee 」

what was suppose to be a relaxing day off spending it with your boyfriend choi chanhee it drastically changed into a nightmare

you both decided to spend the day shopping for some new clothes together

at first you thought it was a cute idea, thinking you would get matching couple outfits so that you can coordinate for the upcoming summer season

but it quickly turned into a stressful day when chanhee wanted you to try on every shirt, every dress, and pants, you were starting to regret this little outing until you finally snapped at him

“love, you would look so cute in this why don’t you-”

“no!” you yelled quickly covering your mouth at your sudden outburst in public

chanhee gave you a puzzled look not expecting your sudden change in mood

you quickly apologized not wanting to start a fight in public, pulling him to the side of the store where it was secluded from prying eyes

“chanhee… i’m sorry it’s just i’m tired i thought this would be fun but it’s stressing me out, it’s all too much” you sighed looking down at your shoes

chanhee pushed a strand of your hair behind your ear and lifted your head up with his index finger

“oh love, don’t apologize i should be the one apologizing i’m sorry for being excited, i just wanted to have a fun day with you, let’s go home okay?” he reassured kissing your temple

「 Ji Changmin/Q 」

you had it all planned out, you were going to introduce your friends to your wonderful boyfriend ji changmin

you ultimately thought that they should finally meet him after dating for nearly 4 months

at first you had no idea why you decided to wait this long, considering you already met all the members and were close to each of them

you were extremely nervous and stressed for their first interaction you just wanted everything to be perfect with smooth sailing

changmin was going to meet two of your closest friends who were also a couple themselves

it was a chilly fall day when you all decided to meet up at a nearby cafe changmin’s hand in yours trying to warm it up blowing on it while pressing kisses

“don’t worry babe, it’s all going to work out fine” he smiled easing your nervousness

when you finally made it to the cafe your friends were already waiting and quickly made introductions  

they easily took noticed when changmin ordered your drink he knew you loved and paid for everything with his card as your friends gave you hushed whispers

“wow, he’s such a gentlemen” she gushed “yeah, and he even knew your order by heart” he replied giving you a thumbs up

you smiled when changmin returned with both of your orders giving you a cheek kiss when he sat down

to your surprise the conversation between the four of you went smoothly changmin easily wooing them with his charms and cheerful aura

your friends especially had a million questions when it came to his idol life out of general curiosity

changmin didn’t mind at all answering every single one with ease even laughing at the humorous ones

your heart melted at the interaction when you realized in the end you had nothing to worry about

「 Juhaknyeon 」

you knew juhaknyeon always loved your home cooking as he was always excited whenever he came home from practice knowing he would have a hot meal ready for him

but this time was different, you weren’t just cooking for him but cooking for his parents who so happen to be visiting you two

you met juhaknyeon’s parents before who were very down to earth and humble people always making you feel welcomed

but you had to admit you were a bit stressed trying to live up to the expectations

it was less than a couple of hours away before they would be arriving and you were running around the supermarket with juhaknyeon on your tail

“babe, slow down your gonna run out of energy” he grunted breathing heavily

“juhak you don’t understand your parents opinion mean the world to me, i want them to love my cooking” you said looking down at your hands trying to decide between the beef or pork belly

juhaknyeon gave you a side hug pulling you close “they are going to love whatever you make, because i love it too” he promised kissing the top of your head

when you finally made it back to the dorms and cooked up a storm that would’ve fed all 11 members juhakyeon’s parents finally made an appearance

after the quick greetings and the light scolding from juhak’s mother telling him to keep his room neater she finally took in your food spread

“wow! it all looks amazing [name] i’m sure it taste wonderful too” she smiled warmly pinching your cheek lightly

when you all finally sat down to eat you anxiously waited for juhakyeon’s parents comments

after a couple of bites juhak’s mother proudly exclaimed “it’s delicious [name] really! everything taste amazing, i’m so happy our son found someone who can feed him like this” she praised

you bowed your head thanking her for her positive comments as haknyeon grabbed your hand under the table squeezing it giving you a wink

「 Kim Sunwoo 」

you loved your mother dearly, but she was starting to text and call you nearly everyday about when you and sunwoo were finally going to get married

even though you loved sunwoo and were dating for a year and half you told her that it wasn’t a good time yet. sunwoo had major responsibilities when it came to his idol life

not to mention that you and sunwoo were still very young and just wanted to enjoy being together before you had to tackle even more responsibilities like marriage

you were laying in bed when you got off the phone with your mother after another hour long call

you sighed staring at ceiling fan feeling pressured and stressed when sunwoo walked in the bedroom

“hey babe, have you seen my adidas hoodie?” he wondered as he saw you looking emotionless at the ceiling

he hovered over you waving his hands across your face trying to get your attention

“hm? oh sorry it’s behind the door in the bathroom” you mumbled

sunwoo swiftly climbed on top of you resting his chin on your chest “what’s wrong babe? who was on the phone?” he asked

you hesistantly replied “it’s just my mother, she keeps wondering when.. well.. she keeps asking when we’re getting married” you laughed lightly

sunwoo smirked “oh really? close your eyes” he instructed

confused you did as you were told as you felt sunwoo get off you hearing the sound of the dresser opening

“okay now open” he said as you saw sunwoo with your own two eyes on his knee with a black velvet box in his hands

“sunwoo oh my god, don’t do this to me i-i’m” you stammered as you felt your hands begin to shake

he smiled and open the box where you saw a gorgeous sterling silver infinity ring with a small diamond in the middle

“[name] this isn’t an engagement ring, it’s a promise. a promise to always love you and cherish you, and to always respect you. i am going to marry you one day, when we’re both ready. i’ve never loved anyone as much as i love you” he vowed putting the ring on your finger

you then felt the tears flow grabbing his face with both your hands giving him a longing kiss falling back on the bed with him on top of you

as sunwoo began to take off his shirt that’s when you saw his necklace with the same infinity symbol as your ring

you smiled as you grabbed his necklace pulling him back down for another kiss

「 Eric Sohn 」

it was official you wanted to kill eric, he knew you were afraid of heights. yet he manage to persuade you on getting on an airplane to go to okinawa for a weekend getaway trip

you loved that he put so much thought into your weekend, making sure to pick the nicest hotel with a view by lots of restaurants and attractions

but you were beyond stressed, the only time you’ve been on an airplane is when you were little and moved to seoul from america, you barely remember the experience sleeping the entire trip

your body was shaking as you walked up the ramp finally boarding the airplane going to your seats

eric put away your luggage above the overhead bin and took the window seat hoping you would feel more comfortable being in the middle

as you took your seats your heart started to beat extremely fast and you started to breath heavily

eric took your hands in his “babe i promise it’s going to be okay flying is one of the safest ways to travel” he promised rubbing the side of your arm trying to calm you down

you nodded “no yeah your right i need to face my fears sometime” you bravely said

when the flight finally took off your nerves managed to subdued until you hit mild turbulence which freaked you out all over again

eric quickly grabbed his sleeping mask putting it over your eyes and large headphones with loud music trying to mask your senses which worked wonders as you lay your head on his shoulder

he held your hand tightly when you finally landed getting off the 2 hour flight

as you made your way to the hotel you were in awe of okinawa absorbing all the buildings and the mass of people walking by

you looked at eric “thank you eric this is amazing, i don’t think there’s anyone else i would trust to help me face my fears” you said bashfully

he leaned over and kissed your jaw “anytime babe” he murmured

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* © sunwoo-hoo 2 0 2 1  ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

[watchmegetobsessed]

SAFE AND SOUND

a/n: this one took a little longer to write, but im so happy its finally finished! its not what i originally planned, i started a whole different plot but hated it so started again, but i might go back to the first story, so maybe more bodyguard!harry content is gonna come! anyway, hope you’ll enjoy this one!

pairing: Bodyguard!Harry X Reader

warning: use of weapon (no one dies), mentioning of cancer (no one is sick), sexual content

word count: 9.1k

masterlist

“This is not up for discussion, Y/N. What you are doing and what you are about to achieve soon might upset a lot of people that hold great power. We can’t just assume you’ll be fine, walking around like anyone else in the world.”

Your boss, Julian explains it to you, leaning onto his desk, trying his best to keep his cool about your protest to get you a guard to watch out for you and keep you safe. It’s been an ongoing struggle and fight you two have been having these past weeks and it became a burning situation since you’ve made some major progress in your project.

“I’m not some kind of royalty to have security with me all the time,” you grumble rolling your eyes.

“Not just royalties have guards, Y/N. Just accept it, that you’re valuable, your work is very important not just to our company but to the whole world. Do you not realize how big it is? You are close to having the cure to cancer, Y/N! You can easily get a Nobel-prize for that!”

“I know that it’s important, but no one knows me, no one will see me on the street and know who I am or what I do!”

“It’s not about the people on the street. The world is a dark place, darker than you could imagine. Please, just… I want to know that you’re safe.”

Staring back at him with your arms folded on your chest you contemplate his words. You can see the rationality in his words, it’s just that you don’t want to break your routine, you don’t want people around you all the time, you don’t want to end your privacy like that. But Julian is right, your work is important and there have already been a few attempts to steal your researches, but they miserably failed. However that doesn’t mean they will be stopped the next time as well.

“One guard,” you speak up. “Just one. I’m not gonna have a whole fucking team,” you tell him raising your eyebrows. He lets out a relieved sigh, a tiny smile tugging on his lips.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Reaching out to the phone he presses the buzzer that signals to his assistant, Monica outside and a few moments later she walks in, accompanied with a tall, suited man, his green eyes immediately falling to you upon entering the room.

“Y/N, I took the courage to pick him out for you myself. This is Harry Styles, the best you can find in the city if not in the country,” Julian introduces him as he pushes himself away from his giant mahogany desk, walking closer to the man as they shake hands firmly. You stand up from the armchair you’ve been sinking into these past ten minutes and unsurely hold out your hand to the man.

“Harry Styles, pleasure to meet you,” he introduces himself, a thick British accent lacing through his voice and the way his green irises stare back at you, you can feel your heart fluttering in your chest. Mr. Styles is undeniably the most charming and handsome man you’ve ever met, with his perfectly carved cheekbones and chiseled jawline, pink lips and those enchanting green eyes framed by his thick lashes. There’s something in his appearance, something feminine, but still, he holds so much masculinity at the same time, it’s hard not to be enamored by him.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” you mumble your name, shaking his hand slightly before letting go of it.

“Details about your cooperation have already been discussed with the security agency and us, but of course, your word is what counts, so we’ll walk over the whole plan with you as well,” Julian explains to you and you nod shortly.

The three of you move to the conference room and the next hour goes by with working those so called details out, some of them are ridiculous, some of them you can get used to, at the end you are left with a somewhat bearable plan, but one thing is for sure. Harry Styles will be a big part of your life from now on.

THREE MONTHS LATER

The tiny pack of sugar tears open in your hands, but you put too much effort into it so the countertop is now covered with the content of the pack instead of ending up in your paper cup.

“Fuck,” you growl, dumping the empty pack into the trash before grabbing another one, hoping it won’t end up the same way.

“Let me help you,” a smooth, male voice speaks up next to you and Harry grabs the pack from your hands as he places his own coffee to the counter. You let him tear the pack open easily, pouring the sugar into your drink without problem before he puts the lid back to your cup.

“Thank you,” you mumble, closing your tired eyes for a split second. You’ve been overworking way too much these past weeks, it’s starting to shut your system down, but you don’t want to rest, not when you’re so close to finishing your project.

The past two weeks have been major, you finally made the progress you’ve been working towards for months now, letting you step into the last phase of your work finally. But it’s been a quite stressful time as you’ve been eager to finish as soon as possible, but that meant little to no time spent outside of your lab.

Harry shoots you a reassuring smile before you both grab your drinks and head out of the café in the direction of your workplace.

The past three months were one hell of a ride when it comes to Harry. You didn’t hide your dislike towards his continuous presence in your life, standing by your side wherever you went. It frustrated you, made you feel like you didn’t have your freedom any longer even though he never did anything to make you hate him. He was considerate, respectful and only wanted to do his job, yet you still gave him a hard time at the beginning, right until the need for his work was proved.

Two months ago someone broke into your apartment while you were out, they searched through the whole place, looking for something. Well, not just something, they were clearly interested in anything connected to your research, but luckily, you’re not dumb enough to just let these stuff lay around your home.

Even though you didn’t encounter the person responsible for it, the incident still shook your up. Knowing that someone could get into your personal space so easily, that they could have come at a time when you were home and vulnerable, it scared you. Harry was the person that eased the worry and fear in you, he took care of everything in an instant and upon his best advice, you moved to a new apartment with a higher security level. He even moved to the place next to yours so he could be as close to you as possible at all times. There was a much needed shift in your relationship after that and you didn’t see him as an intruder any longer in your life, but more as a hero.

“So would you like Italian or Mexican tonight for dinner?” Harry asks as the two of you enter the building, using your IDs you go through the massive security gates, the guards in post nodding in your way.

���Isn’t it your night to choose?” you smile at him sideways as you wait for the elevator.

“Okay, then Thai,” he smirks, making you laugh. “Hope you are not planning on eating it here again,” he gives you a warning look and you purse your lips.

“I have a lot to do, and—“

“Y/N, you need to rest sometimes,” he scolds you as if you were just a child.

“I do rest. Sometimes,” you answer with an innocent look as the elevator’s door slides open and you walk in with Harry following you right behind.

“Like once a week? Do you even sleep when you’re at home?”

“I do! Don’t make me look like I’m some kind of crazy workaholic!”

“I’m just worried about you, is all,” he sighs, giving you a hard look.

“Oh, Mr. Styles. If I didn’t know you better I would think you might have a soft spot for me,” you smirk at him teasingly before the elevator arrives to your floor and you walk out without a word. Harry just stares after you with a small smile tugging on his lips as he thinks about your words. It’s funny, especially because you both know something more than just a professional relationship has been going on between the two of you, only dancing around it as the situation is a little too complicated to address now.

It’s not like any rules are tying you down, but you would rather not mix up work with your private life. You might have feelings for Harry, but you refuse to act up on them until he is out of his duty as your personal guard.

Your days are usually the same. While you lock yourself up in your lab, working with no end, Harry stay either with you in there or he hovers around the door, keeping an eye on everyone and everything. Just the thought of his presence never fails to bring you a sense of comfort, knowing that you don’t have to worry about your safety until he is near. It might seem nerdy, but you can easily get lost in your work. It doesn’t feel like a job, growing up with parents who were excellent doctors and pharmacists themselves, you were doomed to be a science enthusiast yourself from the beginning. Learning has never been a task for you but a gift, as you liked to look at it.

Working overtime happens often because you lose touch with time easily once you get down to work. Nothing exists outside of your lab and you hardly realize how late it is until Harry usually warns you.

“I didn’t joke when I said I didn’t want to have dinner in here,” he steps into your sanctuary while you’re in the middle of running tests for the millionth time today. Pushing your glasses up to the top of your head while the machines are buzzing and whirling, you look up at him with a tired smile.

“Let me just… finish this one last test and then I promise we’ll head out.”

“Alright, but I’m watching you. No more tests,” he warns, sitting on one of the stools while you finish what you started.

Harry never really asked you about your work, for a while you weren’t even sure if he knows what you’re doing and why it’s so important. It was never discussed at the beginning and he never brought it up later either. But judging from the time he spends near you at the lab he must have picked up a few things about it surely.

The machines stop working and the tiny beeping sound signals that the results are out. You grab the long printed paper and start scanning the data, chewing on your bottom lip as you hope to find what you’ve been looking for all day. The numbers are coming in great, but it’s been like this for a while, it’s the end that never matches up with your expectations. So when you get there and see the graphs showing the result that you’ve been dreaming of since the start of the whole project years ago, your mouth falls open in disbelief even though it’s what you’ve been working for all this time.

“Oh my God,” you whisper.

“What?” Harry’s head snaps up in alert, jumping off the stool.

“I… I did it,” you breathe out, glancing up from the paper. “It’s my first time succeeding, Harry!” you start laughing, the shock taking over your whole body that you really did it this time.

“And what does that mean?”

“Come on, let me show you,” you tell him in excitement, pulling him over to the computer where you pull up all the data you’ve been working on. A virtual version of a cell comes up on the screen as you start typing, modelling what you want to show him. “This is a completely healthy cell, it’s what you are made of too, mostly,” you ass with a chuckle before another cell comes up on the screen. “And this is what cells that are affected by cancer look like.”

The difference is a lot more complicated than what you can explain to him in such a short time, but he can see it with his own eyes. The color, the shape, everything is different from the first one. Harry examines the screen and nods shortly, letting you know that he is following.

“I’ve been working on a substance that is able to not just detect the cancerous cells but it can also kill it effectively without hurting the healthy ones.”

You bring up the virtualized version of the substance you’ve been working on, a short animation showing how it can tell the two cells apart and only attack the cancerous one.

“I haven’t been able to get the numbers above 60% when it comes to succeeding in the process of selection so my whole project was about finding a solution to that. I’ve been trying to find the right substance to mix with our already existing one to solve the problem, but I haven’t been successful in it.”

“I assume until now,” Harry hum and you nod smirking.

“Yeah. The last test results came back very good, quite promising. It’s still not the end of the process, but it’s a huge step.”

“That’s great,” he smiles at you and though you know he probably understands just a fracture of the whole process, he can still figure out how important it is. “Congrats, Y/N.” “Thanks,” you breathe out, pride filling your chest as you shut the computer off. “I guess this is my cue to end the day,” you smile at him before packing up everything, getting ready to finally leave.

It’s not the first time Harry is spending the evening at your place. You often have dinner together, or watch a movie whenever you get home early enough to do that. Through the time you’ve spent together because of his job you’ve grown to be friends above everything. Good ones, in fact, which is a big deal for you since making friends has never been an easy task for you.

You bought takeout on the way home and as Harry set the table you poured yourself a glass of wine, knowing well Harry would never drink when he is on duty and he is basically working all the time he is with you, so you’re drinking alone. You both sit to the dining table, starting dinner together in a comfortable silence. It’s another thing you appreciate about Harry. He doesn’t try to talk when it’s not necessary, you hate small talk, you’d rather sit in silence than talk about something nonsense and Harry is a partner in that.

“When do you need to leave work tomorrow to get to the party on time?” he asks breaking the silence and you freeze. His eyes fall on you, examining your features for a moment before he smirks. “You forgot about it?”

“I just… thought it’s going to be next week,” you truthfully admit.

“We talked about it last week,” he smirks at you playfully. “And I told you it would be next week which is… this week.”

“I know how the days work, Harry,” you give him a look of ‘give me a break’ before you turn back to your food. “I just…”

“You just forgot it,” Harry finishes for you, and you just roll your eyes at him.

Glancing at him over the table you wonder if he’ll wear something different than is usual attire he always wears. Black suit with a white shirt underneath, the top two buttons left undone, giving you a tiny peek at the tattoos on his chest. You know those are not the only ones, you’ve seen him with the suit jacket off before, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, his whole left arm is covered in ink and you wish you’ve had the chance to take a better look at them.

Harry is such an intriguing person in a lot of different ways. He definitely likes to keep things to himself, not one to ask for attention and it’s not just because of his work, it’s his personality. However he is good with people, interacting with them, being social. A skill you haven’t really mastered yourself yet and you probably never will. He always seems to know what to say, you’ve never seen him even the slightest bit anxious or nervous before, the confidence he holds is unmatched and it makes it hard to not think about him in ways you shouldn’t be.

After dinner he helps you clean up, just like he always does before heading out, but before he could leave he stops and turns back to face you.

“Oh, a friend of mine is visiting from the UK on Sunday. I already mentioned it to you before, but I was hoping I could get the afternoon off,” he wonders and you nod right away.

“Of course! I’ll be just fine at home,” you smile at him.

“Thank you,” he smiles back before walking out of your place at last.

Because of the party in the evening you are forced to stop working early the next day. It’s weird to leave the office in broad daylight, but you know today can’t be one of those days when you end up seeing the new day in the lab.

Harry was right yesterday, you completely forgot the whole party thing, meaning you didn’t plan anything ahead and you had nothing to wear, so through the day you called your sister, Mara to help you out. She was more than happy to lend you anything you needed. She meets you at the office, beaming to spend some time with you finally. It’s not that you don’t like her company, but you are quite different, is all. Your sister didn’t get sucked into the world of science, though she definitely has the bright mind to take up on any field she would want to explore. But she was more into the world of art, having written her first fantasy novel at the ripe age of twenty, she is now a bestseller author at only twenty-nine with a bubbly personality and basically every trait you never owned yourself.

“Harry! So nice to see you again!” Mara beams at the man as the three of you meet up at the lobby.

“Hi, Mara,” Harry smiles with a tiny nod.

“Alright, I have everything you could need so let’s head to yours!” your sister cheers before you make your way out to your cars.

Arriving to your home Harry splits from the two of you, letting you to get ready in peace and also to get ready himself. Mara didn’t joke when she said she has everything you need, the trunk of her car is basically filled with clothes and shoes, there’s no chance you won’t find something to wear tonight.

She orders you to take a quick shower as she unpacks everything she brought and when you emit from a cloud of steam with a towel wrapped around your body and one on your head, Mara gets down to work.

“So do you have a date for today?” she curiously asks while she does your makeup.

“Huh, yeah, sure,” you huff ironically. “It’s just gonna be Harry and me.”

“So Harry is your date?” her ears perk up, but you’re quick to protest.

“Of course not! He comes with me everywhere,” you mumble with your eyes closed as she is doing something on your eyelids.

“But it could be a date,” she offers and you huff in disagreement.

“You know that’s not how it works, Mara.”

“You are making it more complicated than it is! No one would blame you if you just… went for it! Harry is obviously an attractive guy.”

“Then maybe you should date him,” you bite back bitterly. Growing up you weren’t the boys’ favorite, they always paid all the attention to your sister. It’s not that you blame her or them, she always had a more capturing and lively personality that attracted people naturally. But it made you wonder if there was something wrong with you, spending all your time with your nose buried in a book or doing researches for fun while Mara was out with her friends, living her best life. Even her published books were inspired by her personal life experiences.

“Y/N,” she sighs, her hands leaving your face so you open your eyes to look at her disapproving expression. “You obviously like him so I would never do that and besides that, he for sure likes you too.”

“What’s not true,” you deny right away, but then you look at her curiously. “But why would you think that?”

Mara smirks at you tilting her head to the side, seeing right through your act that you’re not interested in Harry. Of course you are, but you choose to keep it at bay for the sake of his job.

“Y/N, I see how that man watches every move you make. It’s written all over his handsome face.”

“Of course he watches my every move, that’s his job!”

“No, it’s different. You’ll see it sooner or later,” she smiles before ordering you to close your eyes again so she can finish your makeup.

Mara does wonders to your looks, the makeup look she does on you already makes a huge difference since you don’t bother to do anything on your every days. But she didn’t stop there, she made your hair look like you just stepped off of the pages of a magazine and the dress the two of you chose was the cherry on the top. The emerald green dress was tight around your curves, showing just enough of your body to be still considered modest, but also have some spice. And though there are a lot of advantages of the dress, your first and most important thought (to you at least) was how well it goes with the color of Harry’s eyes.

“I’m a genius,” Mara sighs satisfied with her work as you slip on the pair of nude heels and put your necessities into the little clutch you’re taking with you. Just when you’re gone with everything, the doorbell rings and your heart jumps in your chest, knowing that Harry is standing on the other side of the door.

“I’ll get it for you,” Mara smiles rushing to the door as you walk into the hallway, standing a few feet behind her so as she opens the front door and Harry comes into view, over Mara’s shoulder his eyes easily find your figure standing there, feeling a little awkward and self-conscious, like you are about to go to prom with your crush. Difference is that you are not a teenager anymore and you aren’t going anywhere together together. Tonight is just work for him.

But as his bright green eyes fall on your frame and you see his lips slightly part, you can’t help but allow yourself to think for a moment that it’s more than just work. That he feels the same way about it as you do. Though you don’t voice your hopes and just smile at him faintly, hoping you don’t look completely ridiculous in your outfit.

“Harry, come on in!” Mara invites him into the apartment and he walks in, wearing his usual black suit with the difference of having a tie on around his neck, his white shirt is appearing neat and crispy and his sometimes unruly curls are now gently combed back a little so his curls are not falling into his forehead.

“Hi,” you smile at him nervously fumbling with your clutch as he takes a few steps closer to you.

“Hi. You look… beautiful,” he smiles back at you a little breathlessly as he takes a respectful look down your body before his green irises meet your gaze again.

“Thank you. You look great too,” you chuckle softly. “Should we… head out?”

“Yeah, sure!” he nods, offering you his arm and you link your arm with his instantly, hoping you won’t trip in your heels. “Lock the door when you leave, Mara, alright?” you call out to your sister who is watching you smiling.

“Sure! Have fun!”

You wave at her one last time before walking out and shutting the door closed behind you.

This party is held every year at Pharma-Z, mostly this is the time when the brain meets the money. Investors and funders like to meet the people behind the million dollars researches from time to time and this is the occasion where both sides show up. Julian always asks you to be social and try to mingle, but the whole thing feels forced and painful for you. You’d rather just be left alone with your researches and projects without having to schmooze to the people who give you the money for your hard work.

It’s held at one of said investors’ luxurious penthouse, that doesn’t even look like someone’s home with the huge outdoors infinity pool, the spacious and modern interiors and the expensive looking decoration that was put up just for the occasion.

“Y/N! I’m so happy you are here!” Julian approaches you with a drink in his hands and you’re happy to see a familiar face in the crowd. You don’t really know others from work, only your little team you directly work with and of course, your boss, Julian.

“It’s not like I had a choice,” you chuckle giving him a short, friendly hug. Julian is far from a nightmare of a boss some people have to face at their job. He is an actually nice and very smart and intellectual person. The pharmaceutical industry can be harsh and dark, the competition between the businesses is way more intent than people think. This is why you need the protection. Some companies profit off of the fact that cancer has no cure yet. They make money from all the treatments that doesn’t even guarantee full recovery. A lot of big fish don’t want the cure, because that would make them lose a good chunk of their income and some of those would even go to the depth of hurting you for being so close to ruining their business with your invention. Pharma-Z is luckily a genuine company that wants to help sick people and that’s why you’re working there.

“You know how important it is for the company,” Julian sighs, but he understands how uncomfortable these events make you feel, though he can do nothing to help you. “Harry, nice to see you again,” he smiles at the man by your side.

“Julian, nice to see you too,” he nods, shaking hands with your boss.

“Mingle a little so people can see and meet you, alright?” Julian requests and you just nod silently before he moves on to the next group of people.

You get yourself a drink to ease your nerves a little as people start approaching you. Some of them you’ve met last year, but there are a lot of new faces. Your project has brought in quite a few new sponsors and investors and now they want to meet you and talk about the research their money is going into.

You try your best to keep a smile plastered across your face as you tell the people the same thing over and over again, receiving praise and compliments on your work before moving onto the next conversation just to start over again.

You can feel your social batteries running out, not sure you can put up with another conversation with a wealthy investor who wants you to know you have a job because they gave money for your project in hopes of you bringing more money to them.

Harry has stayed by your side the whole evening, and you didn’t notice but he kept examining you every few minutes to make sure you were holding up and he noticed how tired you’ve grown from socializing for so long.

“Y/N,” he softly calls out, his palm finding the small of your back. “Why don’t we get some fresh air?” he kindly offers and you immediately understand that he is trying to get you away from the guests and the overwhelming conversations you’ve been dealing with. Nodding you let him usher you outside, finding a spot where the two of you can be a little alone.

“I fucking… hate small talks and being nice to everyone,” you let out a long and heavy sigh, as you lean against the railing, paying just one short glance at the city’s bright lights under your feet. Harry chuckles shortly.

“I figured. You’ve been chewing your lips so hard I was afraid you’d start bleeding.”

Now that he has brought your attention to it, you realize you are doing it again, so you let go of your bottom lip from between your teeth and it brings out another chuckle from Harry.

“I’m just… not good with these… social stuff.”

“I disagree with that,” he hums, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Oh please, if you haven’t realized it, my number of zero friends is a tell, I think.”

“Come on, it’s not zero. You’re friends with Mara.”

“But family doesn’t count, she is kind of forced to be my friend,” you shrug, making him laugh.

“Okay, but I’m your friend too, aren’t I?” You furrow your eyebrows at him.

“You spend time with me because it’s your job.”

His eyes soften on you as he leans against the railing next to you, looking so effortlessly handsome and charming, you almost need to take a deep breath at the sight of him. And the cheeky smile on his pink lips is definitely not helping your case.

“I know you didn’t mean that. You’re a smart woman, Y/N.” Reaching out he tugs a loose strand of hair behind your ear as he inches closer a tiny bit. “I think we stepped over the line of just work.”

“So… you consider me your friend?” you ask shyly.

“If you have to ask maybe I’ve been doing something wrong,” he chuckles softly, making you smile too. Folding your arms a shiver runs down your spine from the cold evening breeze. “Are you cold?” Harry asks, but before you could even say a word, he shrugs his jacket off and drapes it over your shoulders.

“Oh, thank you,” you breathe out shyly.

“Do you want another drink?”

“Yeah, I think I might need another one,” you chuckle and nodding he tells you to just stay there until he gets you a new one.

Turning towards the view, you enjoy the lonely moments for a little, not too keen on going back inside and keep up the façade of interest any longer. You’d rather just head home, maybe have another drink with Harry on your couch while you watch a rerun of whatever show is on TV and then fall asleep after a hot shower. You’ve been working way too much lately and it’s just now crashing down on you. Next week you definitely should cut back on your hours at the lab, the project is already going amazing, it won’t hurt if you actually had some rest before you lose your mind.

You hear footsteps approaching you and you think it’s Harry returning, but as you turn around you are faced with a stranger, a man who is staring down at you with bloodshot eyes and… a gun pointed at you.

Your breath hitches, your blood freezing in your veins at the sight and your legs almost give up underneath you.

“What… who are you?” Your voice comes out as a whisper, tears already flooding your eyes as you melt against the railing as if you had anywhere to go, but you have no chance against him.

One glance at the gun allows you to see that it has a silencer on, with the music coming from inside and no one around, if he shoots you, he’ll be able to get away before anyone realizes what happened.

The man doesn’t answer, just holds up the gun, aiming right at your chest and you close your eyes, thinking that this is it. This is how your life ends, in the middle of a posh party with no one around to help you. Your lips are trembling and hands are shaking as you hold onto the railing, waiting for the inevitable to come, keeping your eyes shut, not wanting to see your killer as the last thing you see before you go.

And then you hear the muffled gunshot, making you scream in fear, your knees turning into jelly, but the pain never comes. Instead, you hear grunting and growling as a body falls to the ground in front of you.

Your eyes snap open and you see Harry straddling the man, the gun lying near your attacker’s hand and he is trying to reach it, but before he could, you kick it away as Harry throws a punch at his face that stops him from trying too hard to free himself.

The next few moments are so busy and blurry at the same time. Your legs give up underneath you, making you fall to the ground, your whole body shaking in waves. In the meantime Harry gets the man into a position where he can be easily controlled and people start flooding out at the scene, helping Harry while security working at the party take the man, the police already on its way.

When Harry can finally step back from the attacker, his eyes fall on your figure and he rushes over to you, kneeling down next to your trembling body, cradling you into his arms upon seeing how shaken up you are.

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s over, you’re alright,” he murmurs, holding you tight as your fists grab onto his shirt, your breathing is uneven, the oxygen barely makes its way into your lungs as you’re panting and gasping from the shock. “Come on, let’s get you inside, Y/N,” he gently tells you, helping you up from the floor even though your body feels like a pile of brick.

You can feel everyone staring at you, whispering behind your back as you try to hide in Harry’s arms while he walks you back inside, away from the man that tried to take your life. He walks you into one of the bathrooms and closing the lid he sits you down to the toilet while he grabs a towel and wetting it he kneels in front of you, tapping the cloth to your cheeks gently. You haven’t even realized that you’ve been sweating from the shock and the coldness feels amazing against your burning skin.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble, but not even you are sure why.

“Nothing to be sorry for, Y/N,” he gently murmurs, giving your hand a squeeze as you shut your eyes closed. He grabs a glass from one of the cabinets and fills it with water handing it over to you.

“Thank you,” you mumble, bringing it to your trembling lips, but before you could drink it, your eyes snap up to meet his gaze. “And thank you for… what you did.” Your voice dies down at the end, the picture of the man pointing the gun at you still living so vividly in your mind.

“No need, it’s my job after all, right?” he chuckles softly, making your lips twitch the slightest bit before you start sipping on the water.

The police show up soon and they arrest the man who refuses to talk. They also request you to give your statement about what happened, but Harry manages to let you just give them the brief story and go in sometime soon to give them your full statement so you don’t have to spend any more time there. They are quite sure the man was hired by someone who doesn’t want you to finish your project, and it’s scary how far some people are willing to go just for the money, just to keep sick people in suffering for their own benefit.

Heading home you stay silent as Harry drives, staring out the window you let the nightlights of the city pass by you while you still see the same face, the face of the man that held a gun at you tonight. The gunshot is still ringing through your ears, it was so close, so real… of course it was real! All of it was real and your life was on the line. If it weren’t for Harry, you wouldn’t be here right now.

Arriving to your home Harry helps you out of the car and you cling onto his hand as you head up to the apartment. He keys the two of you into your home, flicking the lights on and looking around before you go further inside, just to be sure.

“It’s all clear, don’t worry,” he murmurs as you nod and make your way into the bedroom. Kicking your heels off your feet you sit on the edge of the bed, letting out a long breath, feeling your limbs loosening up a bit for the first time in the past hour.

Harry moves around the place doing whatever before he joins you in the room, kneeling in front of you his hands find your bare knees and your eyes meet his worry-filled green irises.

“Do you want to take a shower?” he softly asks and you nod your head. “Come on, I’ll start the water for you.”

He helps you up from the bed and walks you into the bathroom. You stand there awkwardly, not sure what to do as he starts running the water in the walk in shower before he steps back to you.

“Would you…?” you ask, turning around, needing help with the zipper of your dress. Harry clears his throat as his fingers work on it and a moment later the fabric loosens around your frame as you hold it to your chest with your arms. Turning back around you peek up at Harry and you notice the slight blush on his cheeks.

“I’ll be outside at the door, okay?” He whispers, his fingers delicately touching your cheek as you nod before you watch him walk out and close the door behind him.

The hot water feels freshening, like it could burn away the memories even though it’s still so vivid in your mind. You stand under the running water longer than you intended, but it feels nice and needed. Once you’re done, you wrap yourself into a fluffy towel and walk out of the steamy bathroom only to find Harry sitting at the edge of your bed, waiting like a loyal puppy. When he sees you, he stands from his spot and you don’t miss the way his eyes scan over your body that’s barely covered.

“Alright, I’ll go now, but if you—“ “Don’t!” you gasp, panic taking over you at the thought of being left alone. One of your hands grasps his arm to stop him from moving and he freezes in his spot, staring back at your fearful eyes. “Please, stay here,” you plead, voice barely over than just a whisper.

There’s a heartbeat of a pause in him as he is watching you intently and for a moment you think he’ll say no, but then his hand finds yours on his arm and he gives it a gentle squeeze as he nods.

“Okay.”

You let out a long, relieved breath as you ease into comfort. He’s staying, he’ll be with you all night, protecting you from everything and everyone.

“Can I take a shower too?” he asks softly and you nod, stepping to your wardrobe to get him a clean towel. “Thank you. I’ll be back shortly,” he tells you before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door closed behind him.

You hear the water running again and you find yourself standing at the same spot as you listen to the noises coming from the bathroom. Harry is in there, soaking under the water naked and you can’t take your mind off of how badly you want to be there with him.

It’s not just because of what happened tonight, though it made you realize that you don’t have much time to waste. Nothing can assure that you’ll live another day and you don’t want to deny happiness from yourself. You want to be with Harry and as far as you can make it out, he feels the same way.

Upon a sudden decision, you pad your way over to the bathroom door and open it carefully, the warmth immediately hitting your face as you step inside and close it behind you. The glass of the shower is steamed up, you can only make out the blurry frame of Harry in there and you wonder if he heard you come in, but it doesn’t seem like that. His clothes from the night are lying on the floor in a pile, his watch that he always wears is carefully placed next to the sink.

Your hands grab onto the edge of the towel around your body and you unwrap yourself, hanging it up on the wall before stepping to the shower. Hoping you won’t scare him, you open the door, the steam immediately hugging your naked body warmly and you see him standing there with his back facing you as you step into the spacious walk-in shower.

He notices your presence, you see him freeze mid-movement before he peeks over his shoulder, his eyes falling on you as he slowly turns, facing you completely. Standing in front of him completely bare, you feel more vulnerable than ever in your life. You’re scared that he is going to send you away, that he won’t let you get closer to him and if that happens, you’ll feel humiliated, but he just stands there in his naked glory and doesn’t say anything, so you take it as a chance to shoot your shot.

Reaching up your hands slide to his hard chest, up to the base of his neck as you push your front against his, skin to skin with the hot water running down your bodies. His hands find your waist and you could cry from the feeling of his touch on you. Pushing yourself up to your tiptoes your nose nudges against his as your eyes fall closed.

“Y/N,” he breathes out, stopping you right when your lips could meet. Opening your eyes you see the hesitation in his green irises that appear so much darker than they usually do.

“Do you not want it? You don’t want me?” you whisper.

“I do. It’s not that,” he sighs shaking his head slightly. “But you went through a lot today. I don’t want you to make decisions you might regret in the morning.”

You can’t help the small smile that tugs on your lips at how considerate and protective he is over you, thinking that this might be just something that crashed over you in the heat of the moment, but it’s been in the making from the first day you met him. Despite all your protesting against him, you knew you needed him and not just as your guard. He is what’s been missing from your life all along, you just never realized it.

“There’s nothing I could regret when it comes to you, Harry. I needed tonight to open my eyes. Our days are counted, I’m done running from my own happiness.”

He lets out a long, shaky breath as his hands hold tighter onto your waist while your hands run up his neck until your fingers tangle into his wet locks.

“I need you. And not just because of tonight. I’ve always needed you.”

“I’m here, Y/N. I’m all yours,” he breathes out before his lips smash against yours all wet and hard, but it’s the most heavenly feeling you’ve ever experienced.

You become a mess, tangled in each other, lips melting together as your hands explore naked limbs and torsos, bodies pressing tightly against each other shamelessly. Harry walks you backwards until your back hits the cold tile and you let out a whimper as you arch your back at the sudden feeling, just as his head dips down, lips attacking your neck, kissing and nibbling on the soft skin. Your light leg lifts as his hands wander down your thigh, your hips pressing together and you feel how hard he is, his cock pushed against your other thigh, making you moan at the feeling. Reaching down you blindly wrap a hand around the base, giving him a few slow pumps, earning a guttural growl from him before his lips return to yours, kissing you hard and filled with passion. His hands are all over you, on your thighs, ass, back and chest, as if he was mapping your whole body wanting to remember how every inch feels under his touch.

Without tearing his lips away from yours, he blindly reaches behind him, shutting the water off before urging you to jump into his arms, legs wrapping around his waist. He carries you out of the shower, placing you to the counter next to the sink as he stands between your legs, his hands once again finding your breasts as they knead them, making you whimper and shake under his touch. It’s euphoric and addictive, you already know you won’t be able to go a day without feeling him against you like this.

“Bed?” he breathes out against your mouth and you nod eagerly. Reaching to the side he grabs a towel, wrapping it around you, tapping and squeezing you to dry you off, throwing fits of giggles when you grab it and wrap it around his body as well.

The towel falls to the floor abandoned and forgotten as he lifts you off the counter and brings you to the bed, laying you down and holding himself up above you with one arm. His other hand cups your cheek and turning your head you kiss his palm gently, eyes glued to his as he settles between your legs.

“Are you sure about this?” he breathes out, his lips dancing against your cheek and the corner of your mouth.

“Yes! Harry, please!” you beg with a whimper, your whole body aching to feel him inside you.

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you, love,” he kisses you as his hand leaves your heated face, runs down your naked body until his fingers reach your throbbing clit.

He slides two digits through your already wet folds, but just to work you up even more he starts drawing circles on your bud, turning you into a whimpering mess underneath him. Your fingers dig into the lean muscles on his back, feeling them twitch from his movements and one hand sliding down to his ass, grabbing a handful of him while pushing him closer to you, his erection pressing against your core.

“Harry, I need you!” you moan, not able to contain yourself any longer. You need to feel him, you need him as close as possible.

Reaching over to your nightstand you grab a condom from the drawer, ripping the package open with your teeth before you carefully grab his erection and roll the condom down his length, ready to finally feel him inside you.

He flicks his fingers on your clit one last time before his hand wraps around the base of his cock, giving it a few pumps while his soft lips kiss down your jawline and throat, his face hiding in the crook of his neck. Your arms circle around his shoulders, your chest heaving from the sensation as he positions himself just right, the tip teasing your hole. Harry lifts his head up, his bright eyes finding your gaze just as he sinks into you, filling you up perfectly.

“H-Harry! Fuck—“ you gasp at the feeling, your walls stretching around his thick cock as he stays still for a few moments, letting you adjust to his size.

You draw your legs up, giving you more space to go deeper as he starts thrusting, sliding in and out of you oh so perfectly, inching you closer to your relief with each movement. You cup his face in your hands, staring into his eyes as if you could see his soul in them and for a split second, you feel like you actually do. His lips are parted and the cross pendant is grazing your chest while he fucks into you, never falling out of his rhythm.

You want to beg to him not to stop, to keep moving and moving, but no words can leave your mouth as your back arches, your orgasm building up in the pit of your stomach. You start grinding your hips in sync with his, allowing him to reach deeper into you, making your toes curl from pleasure.

“Harry, I’m gonna—I-I’m gonna—Ah!” You can’t make up one coherent sentence as your legs start shaking, feeling your orgasm taking over your body.

“I know, baby. Let it go. Let me make you feel good,” he pants, his lips kissing you everywhere he can reach, your lips smashing against each other in a messy kiss, your tongue meeting his in the middle just when you reach your high.

You moan and cry out his name, fingers digging into his flesh as you chase your release. Seeing you fall apart underneath him is enough to throw him over the edge, spilling himself into the condom as his mouth hangs agape, your name falling off his tongue as if it was the holiest glorification. Combing your fingers through his hair you hold him to your chest as he collapses on top of you, his head lying on your naked chest as you both try to catch your breath in the sudden silence that came over you without the sounds of your passion.

Rolling off of your body he slips out of you, an empty feeling taking over you right away, but he is quick to cradle you into his arms to keep the intimacy. You lay your head to his chest, a thin layer of sweat covering the both of you, but you couldn’t care less. You listen to his steady heartbeat as you draw one of the swallows on his chest with your finger, running it over the lines of the ink. You want to soak in the moment and stay in it for as long as possible, but you can barely keep your eyes open. As Harry’s fingers are gently running up and down your bare back you let your eyes close and the last thing you remember is hearing his soft whisper.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll keep you safe.”

You wake up without an alarm in the morning and it’s the first time for that in a long-long time. You stir and groan before you open your eyes, your hands reaching out next to you, looking for the man that was next to you when you fell asleep, but there’s nothing and no one beside you now.

Panic rises in your chest as your eyes pop open and you frantically look around in the room, hoping to see him somewhere near, but you’re alone.

“Harry?” you call you as you sit up, holding the sheets to your chest since you’re still naked. No answer comes and you can feel your heart rate rising instantly.

Getting out of bed you grab the nearest clothing item you find which is an old hoodie, and you put on a pair of clean panties before you carefully walk out of the bedroom, afraid of what you might find outside, but it’s completely silent and still, no one is around. Harry has left.

“Fuck,” you breathe out, feeling the lump in your throat growing as tears are forming in your eyes.

Where did he go? Why did he leave? Is he coming back? Is he gone forever?

You can’t stop yourself from going into depth you shouldn’t, just because you don’t find him first thing in the morning, but you still haven’t entirely recovered from last night’s events and before you could stop yourself, you are thinking about the worst possibilities there could be.

And then you hear the lock turning in the front door.

Blood rushes out of your head as you freeze, afraid it’s another attacker and this time you won’t be as lucky as you were last night. But as the door opens Harry walks in with a paper bag in his arm and you can’t help, but start sobbing at the sight of him.

“Harry!” you cry out, launching at him and he barely have time to put the bag down before he catches you, locking you in his strong arms.

“Hey! No need to worry, it’s just me!” he soothes softly, his hands running up and down your back and head. “I’m sorry I scared you, just wanted to get you something to eat, baby,” he murmurs, kissing the side of your head as you try your best to hold back your sobs.

“I just woke up alone and I thought…”

“I’m sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have left while you were sleeping. But I’m back and I’m alright.”

You just nod, hugging him a little longer before you loosen your hold around him to lean back and look him in the eyes.

“So… you’re staying? With me?”

“If you want me to, yes,” he nods with a soft smile as he cups your tear-soaked face in his hands. “I’ll keep you safe and sound and I’ll be whatever you need me to be.”

“Just be yourself and… be with me,” you shyly ask him and he nods, his smile growing into a wide grin before he leans down and captures your lips in a sweet, intoxicating kiss.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

[annemagus]

natural love potion; h.p.

Pairing: harry potter x fem!Gryffindor!reader Timeline: HBP / 6th year Warning(s): cussing, mentions of dying and blood, submission, reader pining Word Count: 5k

A/N: Hey there! This is my first ever post. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Harry and Y/N are friends. Just friends. Much like Harry and Hermione, there is nothing out of it that is going on between them. Not until that day in potions.

—

“Are you done with my potion?“

“You mean, will Professor Slughorn call you by your name? Then yes, Wallenby.“

It was the first week of another year at Hogwarts. New faces, new prefects and even new professors are introduced, as usual. Professor Slughorn is the newest addition to the faculty and to have a good first impression with the students, he's given the 6th years Amortentia, the love potion, as their first Potions homework.

They were supposed to put it in their selected food or drink and it had to be unnoticeable. Why would the Potions Teacher assign this kind of homework to the students? No one knows. But this certainly gave him a good first impression to a large number of students.

“Blimey Harry, we've been rotten at Potions ever since. Now look at you, it's as if you've taken private lessons with Snape the whole summer. You’re the bloody Potions Master in our year now!“

The two Gryffindors are making their way out of their dorm room towards the Common Room with Harry holding a small basket of cookies to bring it in the dungeons where the potions classroom is at. Y/N is patiently waiting for them near the Portrait as several students greet her along the way.

"G'morning."

“Where’s ‘Mione?“ Ron exclaimed without even acknowledging the girl’s presence.

“Uhm, shouldn't you know that, Mr Prefect?"

The male prefect then realized the time and his supposed agenda to escort first years to the Great Hall. Harry scolded him of how much he and others would kill to be in his position and yet he’s never given it any importance.

“Godric, have mercy on me. Hermione’s gonna kill me!” the redhead exclaimed after getting a playful slap behind his head from the Chosen One before rushing away from the two.

“Much worse than that, she’s gonna make him expelled,“ she jokes with a mouthful of cookie from the small basket Harry was holding. "Mhm, you have no idea how badly I've been craving cookies since last week! This is good, Har. Where’d ya buy it?“ 

Harry, before realizing what happens, freezes. He was too busy lecturing his best friend that he didn't notice a hand sneaking into his potion, the cookie. His hand slowly snakes its way to the contents of the basket that has supposedly four cookies but now has only three. “Y/N!“

"What?" she chuckles dreamily.

"We need to get you to the Hospital Wing."

“What for? You put poison in it, didn't you?“ Y/N continues to chuckle dreamily.

Harry stares at his friend as if she was some peculiar experiment. “How are you feeling, Y/N?“

“I feel like . . .“ she sighs dramatically as she gazes far away, mesmerized. The effects are plainly obvious. “I feel like falling.“

“Falling?“ Harry's stomach twisted. This is what makes Potions classes bothersome, the uncertainty of knowing whether the potion you brew is right or wrong. You can only know it if you’re a professional or by testing the potion done, which in Harry’s case, Y/N would do for him.

"I'm falling in love, Harry. I'm falling in love with you."

And boy was he really the Potions Master.

The raven-haired boy's cheeks got warm the second those words escaped his friend's lips. The two are only friends and have never acted more than that. Seeing this new side of Y/N for Harry is too foreign for him.

Sure, Harry has seen her date two boys from different houses, but being the recipient of her romantic antics has never crossed his path. His last romantical relationship, if you can call it that, was last year with the senior Ravenclaw Cho Chang. Even that didn't go well. He went on a single date with her just to make her believe he's in love with both Hermione and Y/N. Ever since then, he never thought about committing to any romantic relationship.

"Harry . . ." Y/N's hand reached out for his arm, grazing down slowly towards his hand with too much delicacy. Their hands are now intertwined. The both of them have never reached this close proximity, having learned now that one of his best friend's palms are soft but slightly calloused in the fingertips from playing muggle instruments and Harry fears that when Ron finds out about this act, he will tease them nonstop which isn't fair for Y/N. ". . . I know this may sound all too sudden, but, I have loved you ever since."

He didn't respond. He tries to block all of this sudden affection out of his mind knowing these are all artificial.

"Don't you love me back?"

"Of course I do. You're my best frie-"

If his cheeks were warm, now, his ears as well are on fire. Y/N has thrown herself to the flustered boy, locking his neck and face in her arms, squealing in happiness like a kid. Holding hands is a new thing for The Boy Who Lived but hugging him as if to let the world know he's someone's is another thing.

Very few people have ever hugged him in all the history of his 16 years of existence, knowing the story of his parents and the lack thereof. His godfather, Mrs Weasley and Hermione are the only ones — as far as he knows — written in a tiny piece of parchment of the list of people who have hugged him. Yet none of them could compare to this hug as those mentioned acted parental towards him.

Students are now starting to pass them out of the Common Room towards the Great Hall. One of those shouted, "get a room!" They're still standing just beside the Portrait Hole where Ron has left them both to deal with his own romance.

"Uhm, Y/N, why don't we go get ourselves some breakfast first, yes?"

"Yes! Let's tell 'Mione and Ron that we're finally together!"

—

Breakfast was agonizingly slow, to Harry's opinion. Y/N can't stop giggling beside him and feeding him like an infant earning them attention from the others.

"Oi, Potter! Didn't know that you two are . . ."" Seamus makes a kissing face earning a few cackles and sniggers from their other friends at the table.

The boy just ignored them with an eye roll, amusing the two friends in front of him.

"Leave them be, Harry. Besides, when was the time Y/N acted on you this way, huh?" They all diverted their gaze to the dazed girl. Eyebrows knitted in concentration as she feeds him but at the same time doing her best to get as close to Harry as the universe could possibly give her the opportunity to. They've never seen her this in love and affectionate. And the two thought that Harry just deserves it even just for a while. "Never, right? You better make it worthwhile."

"Thanks, Ron. Really helpful." He answered with his famous eye-roll.

"Always here for you, mate "

"I just don't get why we couldn't tell Professor Slughorn immediately. I mean, I'm sure he has something for Y/N. Or Madam Pomfrey-"

"Yeah? In which I'm sure is also your easiest ticket to detention."

The boy grunts some incoherent words of profanities under his breath. Not only was he getting embarrassed by the fact that one of his close friends is acting like his girlfriend but dragging Y/N along with his catastrophic life is just too unfair on her side. She didn't ask for this. Plus, detention in the second week of a new school year doesn't sound good.

The Brightest Witch reminded them not to take Potions lightly. It may sound like not the most helpful subject in a wizarding war, but can get you expelled once meddled with students. In short, what happened to Y/N is very illegal. You should not use or test your Potions project with another student. Plus, Filch will go nuts if he gets the news that a student gave another student a love potion.

“Well, at least, now we know that your Potion worked well.”

"Come on, we're going to be late for DADA."

On their way towards Snape's classroom — a fact Harry still can't accept — Y/N's fingers are interlaced with Harry's as they walk. She's given him her bag as that's what boyfriend and girlfriends do. In the classroom, Y/N didn't sit in her usual spot but literally kicked Ron out of his chair to sit beside Harry, the boy just mouths a sorry.

Her usual focus from the class was now inclined to Harry himself alone the whole class. Out of all their major subjects, Harry is known to have the Defence Against the Dark Arts class on top of it all. Y/N knows it, having been a member of Dumbledore's Army. Everybody knows it. But with Snape being the teacher and Y/N constantly caressing his left cheek every time Snape's back faces them, the said subject is somehow kicked out of its place on top.

"Y/N, do you mind?" He tried but obviously failed to ask her to stop in the nicest way he can utter. "I mean, it'll be really hard for us to pass DADA, and eventually NEWTs, if we're both distracted." His voice is hoarse and soft, one way or another. Afraid to hurt the girl beside him and cause a scene. Letting his former Potions Professor know his mischief doing is the least of his priorities for the day. Merlin, at least, let this day finish without anyone knowing.

"Harry, my love, it's not my fault your eyes are distracting. They're the most beautiful green not even the most beautiful forest in the world could compare to."

Once again, his cheeks and ears are on fire for the 37th time this morning. Most of the reasons are from the nonstop compliments he's receiving from the girl. It didn't take much energy from him to not believe all of it. He grew up with the Dursleys, they didn't fail to engrave in his mind his place and worth.

"Care to share in class what you're chattering about, Mr Potter?" The elder snarled in the middle of his discussion, letters extending out of his tongue as per usual. He finally notices, as always, Harry making another noise across the room.

"Nothing, Professor."

The said Professor narrowed his eyes to the duo. He knows, of course, he knows, he was a bloody Potions Professor ever since he accepted the job offered to him at Hogwarts.

"I'm saying this once and only once," he positioned himself in front of the two, now leaning to the Gryffindor boy to let just the two hear what he'll say. "Fix this, or you will face more vile punishment than getting expelled."

The class was dismissed with 50 points taken from Gryffindor. Harry is used to it, even his other fellow Gryffindors weren't surprised anymore. As a matter of fact, as long as he is breathing, infinite points will be deducted from their house.

As they were heading out of the classroom, Hermione gently peels the zonked out Y/N away from her grasp on the poor boy. "Harry, you can't let the other teachers know about this."

"Well, what do you suggest then?"

The next words that came out of her lips are like caffeine to the sleepy heads of Harry and Ron. They could not believe she could say such things. Even Y/N would have been gobsmacked if she just wasn't in a daze.

"Don't go to classes?" Her tone was laced with uncertainty. But she couldn't think of any other option, she'd rather let them take a day off classes than have Harry nor Y/N expelled.

"Can I come with them?"

— 

Harry Potter's Monday was bizarrely different from his usual ones. He has spent the whole day with Y/N trailing behind him like a baby duck. His hand used to be sweaty the whole time with her's but now, it felt more comforting than awkward interlocked with his.

The castle was quiet, with all the students in class, it gave him privacy and away from the prying eyes of malicious gossipers. They couldn’t get inside the Common Room as some 7th years are hanging there knowing they have fewer classes and more time for reviewing for their NEWTs, library; some teachers roam around there, Hagrid’s Hut; knowing Hagrid, as much as they love the guy, couldn’t keep his mouth shut from secrets.

As much as he dreads going to class all the time, it was strange to see the castle this quiet without Ron’s company.

He was throwing pebbles by the lake to pass time as Y/N sat on the ground behind him, making them their Charms essay homework.

The boy studies her features. Y/N wasn’t so bad. Her hair’s tidier than Hermione’s. She was actually beautiful. He would’ve taken her to the Yule Ball when Ravenclaw Cho Chang declined his invitation and if it wasn’t for that Slytherin bloke asking her out instantly - her first ex-boyfriend who Y/N dated a few months back. Her hair tucked in her ear as she focuses on what to write next in her essay. Harry feels bad for making her write his homework but the girl insisted. Guess you’d do anything for the people you love.

He looks back on the lake. Thinking of the people who have loved him did everything they could to protect him, even dying. First, his parents, then Sirius even Jesus, what did he do to deserve this fate. What good will it be if the people he loves are gone?

Two arms wrapped around his chest from behind startled him.

“You’re tense.” Y/N’s hand unwrapped his bloodied hand. He didn’t even notice he was gripping the stone tightly, his scarlet blood staining the object.

“It’s nothing.“ He cranes his neck to stare at the girl on his right shoulder. Her eyes are full of concern and love. Love that he created out of a goddamn potion for a goddamn homework. A love that could never be compared to the love of his parents and Sirius. A goddamn false love. His brows knitted before jumping out of Y/N’s embrace with panic.

“I think we can go inside now.“

The rest of the day consists of Harry, trying to ignore all of Y/N’s pining over him. He tries to remember that all of these are not her fault, there’s nothing to get mad at her about. Running away from her is also impossible as she committed herself to cling to Harry’s arm as if her life depends on it.

Finally, classes are over and dinner is approaching. The two are reunited with Hermione and Ron in a secluded area of a random hallway, as Harry was hoping to get less attention from other students as they got earlier at breakfast.

“How are the love birds?“ Ron teases, seeing their hands locked still.

“Oh, it was majestic, Ron! Harry took me to the Black Lake even though today was a school day. I feel a little rebellious, to be honest.“

“Good hiding spot.“ Hermione commented.

“I’m not going to the Great Hall for dinner. So you two can bring Y/N instead.“

“No! I’m coming with you!“

“Y/N aren’t you tired of my company yet?“

“I could never! I love you.“

Ron snickered pretty loudly in front of them, even Hermione couldn’t suppress a smile.

“Aren't you two just adorable?” the redhead continues to tease.

“Don’t worry Harry, Ron and I will bring you supper instead.“

The day has finally ended and the effects of the Amortentia, as what the favourite book of Harry says, wears off after 24 hours. It was past Y/N’s get up time but fortunately for them, she took her time sleeping exactly until the effects wore off. 

She moans with pain as she tries to sit up from her bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"'Mione?"

"It's me."

"I feel like a full construction site is inside my head . . . and I feel awful. Like, waking up on the wrong side of the wrong bed."

"Do you feel anything . . . unusual? Like, something or particularly someone you want to obsess about?"

The girl looks at her strangely and then at the time. "Bloody heck Hermione, aren't we late for breakfast?"

Clearly, Y/N remembers none from the incident.

Meanwhile, at the Great Hall, Harry is tapping his leg out of anxiousness. If his Amortentia was too strong and didn’t ease away, he might as well pack his belongings and leave Hogwarts voluntarily. His precious book from the Half-Blood Prince has mentioned the cure for a love potion but the ingredients are only held by the Potions Teacher. The horrors there will be once he mentions this to a teacher is unimaginable, he’d rather spend the day with a dazed Y/N than get lectures from a teacher.

“Don’t worry about your girlfriend, mate,“ Ron’s words are muffled from a chicken leg in between his teeth from across him. “They’re here.“

Across the Hall, the two girls are striding towards their place.

“Why are you at my seat?”

“Uhhh . . .” stammering, Ron glances at Harry for help. They were normally sitting beside each other but after the incident yesterday, they thought Y/N would love to sit next to the Golden Boy. “I-I don’t know either,“ just sliding to his side to make room for the two.

“How are you feeling, Y/N?“ Harry asks the dishevelled looking girl in front of him. Both Hermione and Ron - who are sitting side by side - are listening to the exchange intently.

“Honestly, I feel bad. Like, subconsciously, I know this day would be so bad,” Y/N sighs depressingly. “Why, are you alright?“

“Yeah,” deep inside the boy, a strong wave of relief passed him. His body was cold from the nerves, but knowing his Amortentia had finally worn off, those nerves were showered off of him with a warm relieving feeling. “Actually, I’ve never been better.”

“Well, at least one of us has woken up on the right side of the bed.“ she chuckles half-heartedly. Harry felt guilty hastily after hearing those words. It’s all your fault dipshit.

As Y/N is back to sitting beside Hermione, she is also back to her normal self. Talking to her alone about their Charms homework that she never remembers making and some other random stuff that the boys could not give a care about. She was back to not paying any attention to the Golden Boy at the front who she absentmindedly know is staring at her.

Morning supper was finished and the quartet is now in Snape’s classroom. Y/N was back to sitting beside the cute Hufflepuff guy she's been crushing on and Harry is back stuck with his blabbering best friend.

As Snape discusses some more non-verbal spells and the techniques, he takes time to stop rounding the class in front of Y/N who was again, back to her normal self, her focus never leaving the Teacher. He stares at her, looking past her eyes and seeing that his student’s consciousness is back before trudging towards Harry and Ron.

“10 points from Gryffindor,” he grunted under his breath, which actually is the first compliment Harry has ever received from the elder man.

Classes ended and dinner came, Harry finds himself staring at the girl in front of him. She was talking to Seamus, one of their good friends, chatting and laughing with him as if he'd said the funniest joke ever told. The food on his plate has long been forgotten.

"Quit staring, you creep."

Harry looks back at his best friend beside him with a mixture of confusion. "Don't tell me you think I wouldn't notice."

What the boy was talking about, he has no idea.

"When will you tell Y/N?" Again, he replied with a look. "About the incident, of course."

Harry wasn't planning on ending his friendship with Y/N because of his carelessness. He could've just sealed the cookies in a jar or box so no one could see it, but no. He had to display it for the world to see. Hermione disagrees with his plan, of course.

The three of them found the perfect time to be alone in the common room, students are still chatting and scampering about their day anywhere but their dorms. So they decided then, to tell Y/N what happened.

"So that's why I felt bad. Isn't that the after-effects of Amortentia?"

Three heads nodded in front of her, studying her features.

"Well, I'm glad it was you, Harry. Could you imagine if it was Ron?" Y/N visibly grimacing at the thought. "But to be honest, it was all my fault. I should've asked you first before eating it. Thank you for being honest with me, Harry."

It wasn’t really what the boy was expecting as a response. He was anticipating more anger or embarrassment from the girl.

Their usual cycle is back. Y/N was completely Y/N Y/L/N again it's as if nothing happened. The four of them never mentioned the incident again and Harry catches himself being disturbed with that. It made him feel some things like shouldn’t Y/N be shy around me? Or shouldn’t Ron tease us still about what happened? Or shouldn’t Hermione lecture us and watch over us more to not repeat the incident again? These thoughts run through his head as every day passes.

He also catches himself getting extra angrier at the Hufflepuff boy, Y/N’s crushing about, every time they have a Quidditch tournament. Especially that time when she barges in the Common Room pretty loudly yelling at everyone that she got a date with the cute Hufflepuff.

“Y/N can you help me find a good present for Mrs Weasley’s birthday on our next Hogsmeade trip?” He tried, one Friday morning, to get in between them.

“Of course, Harry! But, can we do it after my date?“

“Right . . . you have a date.” Sounding a tad bit more disappointed than he really is.

“But,” Y/N responded with the syllable dragging along “I could tell him to go on the next visit instead and spend the day with my best friend?”

“Oh no, I don’t want you to cancel your date because of me.”

“Harry, I could even cancel my Charms class, Godric knows how much I love that class but, that’s beside the point. What I’m saying is that I’m here for you. Also, we’ve barely hung out anymore ever since you’ve been the, what does Ron call it, ah, the Potions master!”

“Not you too!” he playfully grunted all too loudly earning a laugh from the girl.

"Seriously, I would love to come with you.”

He never thought he'd say this but he misses Y/N. His Y/N, who cannot keep her hands to herself but Harry’s.

And before he could stop himself from getting deeper into his thoughts, he was left astounded. To his knowledge, all feelings he has for his best friend are only platonic but here he is, couldn't stop himself from the thoughts of Y/N. The way she used to have her focus engraved to the boy alone and him alone. It gives him so much angst every time Y/N hasn't given him enough attention for the day.

If this stupid Amortentia incident leads him into any feelings he'd be in deep shit.

Because Harry should not be bothered to get distracted. Quidditch season is starting, he's got new people relying upon his captainship. Besides Y/N has her eyes on someone else and he cannot risk losing their friendship knowing his feelings aren't being reciprocated.

Well there it is, he's already in deep shit.

So when their first game arrived playing against Slytherin, he is rather surprised to see Ron winning them a high rank.

He knows he deserved the glory that's why as the captain of the team, he let them have the post quidditch game party in their common room. The parties were usually lead by the twins, but knowing they're already gone, he didn't know that his fellow housemates apprehended their festivities.

"Weasley! Weasley!"

They watch as Ron finally gets recognition for his own efforts alone. Y/N was nowhere to be found, probably with her new boyfriend, and Hermione was shattered when Lavender Brown smothered Ron with kisses.

The two are in a random staircase trying to comfort one another. He doesn't know who needs more comforting, Hermione or him. Knowing he already lost someone who's never his also shattered his heart.

"How does it feel, Harry? When you see Y/N with another guy?"

To say that he's dumbfounded was an understatement. He couldn't be that careless with his so-called feelings now, is he?

"I know. I see the way you look at her. You two are my best friend."

He dreaded this conversation happening. The Golden Boy has never intended on developing feelings toward his friend. Unlike Hermione and Ron, the two have been having this romantical tension ever since their first year. His feelings toward Y/N is purely conjured by an incident they never dared to speak about. The boy believes that these stupid feelings of him will only break their friendship and Harry's not risking that.

"Why don't you try something?" Hermione is always the one they go to whenever they need help and whenever they're clueless about the next step. But this, this advice of hers is definitely one Harry's scared to listen to. "Hufflepuff boy is still not making any moves yet. You know, you're valid to think about yourself too. You've always thought about the others, you always prioritize us before yourself. You deserve to live too, Harry."

So Harry did listen.

In the Great Hall, he confided himself to sit beside Y/N all the time. Hermione doesn't mind the changes in their seating arrangement as she gets to sit with Ron anyway, so candidly speaking, it is a win-win situation for everybody.

He starts small, playfully feeding her (the way she used to), talking and listening to her talk about life in general. When they were walking towards their class, he would always offer to carry her bag, in which he never really waits for her response. Intermittently inviting her to do homework by the lake alone together. And every time they have Hogsmeade visits, he would buy her sweets at Honeydukes.

And Y/N notices. It didn't really take her long before she sees. She has convinced Hermione one night to tell her of her doings that day she was under Amortentia. Harry's new behaviour towards her has perfectly mirrored the story Hermione has told her.

Little did Harry know, the feelings eventually have been mutuals.

So when the Golden Boy was informed of this Christmas Party Professor Slughorn has assembled, he didn't hesitate to ask Y/N in an instant, too afraid that Yule Ball night might happen again. He was, for once, too grateful to be part of the Slug Club as Hufflepuff Boy was not part of it. Now that just minimizes his crush problem.

He has seen her in a ball gown back in their fourth year for their Yule Ball. But he never got the chance to be the one standing beside her throughout the night but now, tonight, he feels like the luckiest man.

Standing on the top of the stairway from the girls' dorm room was his best friend he never had feelings before until this year. She wasn't wearing the grandest of gown there is but this simple dress enhanced her features. She was walking down the stairs with a smile that gave a huge impact on how she looks. She was literally glowing.

"Hi."

"Y/N," he breathed, completely in awe of what feelings do to people.

He always sees Y/N every day, talks to her and laughs with her. She sees her perfectly like what normal best friends do. But after developing feelings for her, his mind is persuaded that she was the most beautiful person that walked on the planet.

Harry is infatuated. He felt as if he was under some spell. Is this how Y/N sees him, all those times she was under the love potion?

But Harry was sure, a hundred per cent, that this is not artificial feelings. He really likes her.

So after a very successful Christmas date, with Hermione being their third wheel, the two were back from being hip to hip. Harry was glad his Y/N is back. He's been wearing the pride of not having to use a love potion to get her back beside him. Because this time, Harry did not create an artificial love to make the girl he likes, like him back. This time, he did it right. He just needed to wait for the right time and place to ask her.

Christmas has passed and Harry's time is also running fast. Of course, his special assignment with Dumbledore has never left his mind. He would do the subtle talks with Professor Slughorn here and there. He felt as if he's running out of ideas to get what he needed and to make things worse, the Potions Master is already growing annoyed with him.

"Still no luck with Slughorn, then, I take it?"

"Luck . . . That's it. All I need's a bit of luck."

That evening, Harry was away the whole time. He missed dinner but Y/N waited on him in the common room. She knows that the Felix Felicis potion has no limits. Whatever the user's deepest desires, it will help give it to them. Y/N knows that at this very moment, Harry succeeded. She makes sure that there will be someone waiting on him to celebrate it with him.

Harry came back from the Headmaster's office bearing a report about Slughorn's memory with Tom Riddle. There, in the Gryffindor Common Room, he sees her sleeping in one of the tables far back. It was not hard to see her, with the time obviously past bedtime, she was all alone.

With the liquid luck still pumping in his veins, he rushed to her. Kneeling in front of her, the Golden Boy then gently wakes the girl up.

"Harry?"

"Y/N . . . I think I'm falling"

"Falling? What falling? Are you experiencing vertigo right now? Anxiety?"

"Worse than those."

And Y/N, moving on from her sleeping state, was now fully aware of where the conversation was going. She holds his inviting hand. "What is it, Harry?"

"Love . . . I'm falling in love."

Y/N smiles at how adorable the boy is looking right now. His hair is ever so dishevelled and his lips as red as cherry. He was the most oblivious boy she knows. Has only dated one yet here he is, kneeling in front of her. Confessing.

She knows that Felix is helping him with some luck because knowing the sober Harry, he would never be bold enough to say such things. Little did Harry know, he need not some luck as she was all too blessed to have him in her life. Because to Y/N's honest opinion, in this room, she was the luckiest.

"I'm falling in love with you, Y/N."

—

(Shamefully) tagging these amazing ppl: @harryjamespotterxreader​ @harrypotterxx​ @catching-the-train-to-hogwarts