#my brother was ALWAYS speaker box

[suckdickforcoin]

ii 16 spoilers!!

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Based on something me and my brother did when we first watched bfdi together

[rinhaler]

Rin Itoshi and female s/o taking each other first time

omgggggg i tried to make it romantic and sweet but i do love a slutty ass dude who's in control so apologies if this isnt exactly what u wanted hehe

warnings: 18+ MDNI, fem!reader, virgin!rin, virgin!reader, fingering, best friends to lovers, mutual pining, tit sucking, "just the tip" pfft, slight manipulation, brief condom use, premature ejaculation, creampie.

words: 2.9k

Your heart races as you watch Rin scroll through his phone and find some music to play. He looks so serious, though that’s nothing new. You don’t dare speak, worried you’ll say the wrong thing if you do. He looks up at you, briefly, offering a weak smile before looking through his phone again.

“We don’t have to do this, you know.” he tells you without even looking at you. You watch him as he starts hooking up his phone to the Bluetooth speaker in your room, and you shuffle uncomfortably on top of your bed.

“I want to… ‘m just scared.” you confess, breath shaking slightly as you exhale. “Do you still want to?” you wonder, feeling shy as you ask. You’re sure he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want to, though.

Rin doesn’t do anything he has no interest in.

“Yeah.” he tells you, setting his phone down before looking back at you, finally. He’s so far away, it feels too formal. Though you assume he wants to set the pace and make sure everything is comfortable for you both before you proceed. “We agreed,”

“I know.” you nod, recalling the moment you decided as teenagers to give each other your virginities if you hadn’t lost them after you turned twenty. “Just checking.”

The concept of Rin being single, let alone a virgin, is something you can’t even begin to comprehend. You’ve been best friends with him since you could talk. You remember him having no interest in you until you forced your way into playing soccer games with him and his brother. You soon gave it up once you got what you wanted, but you’ve been inseparable ever since.

Girls have always thrown themselves at Rin, but he never cared. Not really. You remember him having one girlfriend and it never went anywhere. It only lasted three weeks. He told you the gory details of their sex lives, though. Only because you asked.

It didn’t go past hand stuff.

“I brought condoms.” he tells you, pulling a box from his bag and setting them down on the desk he’s sitting by.

“I- I’m on the pill.” you respond. “I heard it feels better without… those. But we should use them.”

“Okay, yeah.” he agrees.

“… but we don’t have to.”

“I’ll use one.” he assures you, not wanting to make you feel pressured to go raw for his benefit. Though you’re sure it would be for yours, too. “If you want me to take it off, I can do that.”

You nod, agreeing.

“This is so…” you think, searching around the room for any inspiration of a descriptor to use. He stares at you, intently, wondering what you might say. He’d never tell you, but he’s just as nervous as you are. Of course he has an edge of experience ahead of you, but he’s still clueless. He wants to make sure this is going to be nice for you.

Perfect, if possible.

“What?”

“Formal.” you shrug.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” he responds, scratching his neck as he thinks about what you told him. He looks around, feeling a little too awkward to make eye contact. “I just want to make sure everything’s going to be okay…”

“It’s fine, you’re right.” you smile, “I just thought my first time would be… romantic. It’s stupid, I’m sorry.” you shake your head, dismissing the idea.

You knew you’d end up here with him eventually. You had no intention of losing your virginity to anyone else, after all. You’ve been in love with him for years, and finding out he got a girlfriend almost killed you. It was hard hearing about how they became intimate, but you were so fucking relieved when they broke up.

He only decided to get a girlfriend because he thought you weren’t interested in him, though. You’ve always been a forbidden fruit he wouldn’t dare try to cross a line with. You’re his best friend, after all. He wouldn’t want the romantic feelings he has towards you to ruin that.

“It’s not stupid.” he assures you. “Here, pick some music.” he hands you his phone.

You start to scroll and realise you’re looking on a playlist he created aptly named sex playlist. It makes you giggle, but you don’t comment. And you don’t pay him any mind as he leaves the room while you continue searching for a song.

The boy has good taste, you soon realise.

He comes back a few minutes later with some candles from a nearby cupboard. He knows you too well. You hoard them, you always have. You get an abundance each year for Christmas and rarely use them. He starts lighting them and placing them around the room.

You finally look up as he turns the light on, the room dimly lit by the burning flames scattered around.

“Is this better? I should have gotten some rose petals or something…”

“N-No, this is fine.” you smile, “Thank you, Rinnie, this is nice.”

He clears his throat and sits beside you on your bed. You quickly hand him his phone, prompting him to lean over to place it back down on your desk.

Your heartbeat begins to increase rapidly as he faces you. You haven’t even so much as kissed before, let alone what else will follow. He reaches out to caress your face, and it takes all of your willpower to not flinch.

“R-Rin… do you, um, d-do you watch…”

“Porn? Yeah. Do you?”

His reply makes your face flush with heat and the thought of confessing your own truth makes you even hotter. You look away from him, twiddling your fingers in your lap and looking at those instead.

“I know it won’t be like that… it’s your first time. And mine.” he reminds you.

He’s always been so mature. And you’re glad he’s doing all he can to put you at ease. He puts a finger under your chin, forcing you to look up at him again. You gulp, nervously, before nodding. He smirks at that.

“Good, I’m glad,” he tells you, beautiful jade eyes flickering with flames as he stares at you. “Means you know what you like.” he leans into you, an attempt to kiss which you immediately back away from. And you apologise, profusely, assuring him that you’re still a little nervous.

“I— I know guys can, you know, it can be quick… s-so don’t feel bad.”

“Don’t worry about that.” he shakes his head. “If I cum quickly, I’ll make sure you finish.”

He closes the distance between the two of you, his lips planting softly on your own. His eyes close as he loses himself to it, though you keep yours open for a little while as you process what is happening.

You’re making out with your best friend!

Though when his large, dominating hands begin to fondle your chest, you pull away entirely.

“Sorry, did I hurt you?” he wonders.

“N-No, I didn’t expect you to be so confident.” you whisper, and he kisses you again, smiling into it.

Your eyes close as you allow him to continue locking lips with you. His hand entirely gropes one of your tits and his thumb casually strokes over it. Even through the layers of your crop top and bra, you find yourself mewling softly.

He smooths his hand over the curve of your waist until he reaches the bottom of your crop top. His fingers breach upwards towards your bra, roughly groping at it and the fat of your tits.

“O-Ow.” you speak, softly.

“Sorry,” he whispers back, “Can I take your top off?” he asks between continuous kisses.

“Uh-huh.” you nod, dumbly.

He breaks the kiss to quickly pull your crop top over your head. His lips attach to yours again almost instantly as he starts to fiddle with your bra. He stops kissing you, again, to look over your shoulder so that he can undo the clasp. You gasp when he finally unhooks it, keeping the pink material against your chest to preserve your modesty.

“Can I see?” he asks, his eyes moving between yours and your hands. You hum, nervously, but nod. He helps you pull down your straps as you keep the material held firmly against your chest. Sighing, slightly panic in your voice as you strip the material away. “Fuuuuck…” he mutters to himself, adjusting his hardening cock in his pants as he looks at you.

“You should take something off.” you suggest before he can kiss you again. He immediately pulls his t-shirt over his head, tousling his hair back into place right after.

You continue to moan against his lips when he kisses you again. And they only get louder as he kisses down your neck whilst flicking his thumb over your pebbled nipple. He grunts against your skin, battling on whether he should say something to you or stay silent.

He’d hate to ruin the mood.

“Are you hard yet?” you ask him, your shy demeanour leaving you as you lose yourself to the sensation of his hands caressing your body. “S-Should we do it?”

“Wanna feel?” he asks, not waiting for an answer as he pulls your hand towards the bulge in his jeans, moaning immediately from the contact. “Look what you’ve done to me.” he laughs, pulling you closer and hooking one of your legs over his own.

He scratches the back of his nails up your thigh, stopping just short of dipping under your skirt as you shiver from the touch. His eyes find yours, kissing you reassuringly.

“Can I feel you?” he wonders, and, of course, you nod. His fingers disappear under your pleated skirt, quickly cupping your panty-clad mound. He barely gasps when he comes into contact with your panties. “You’re so wet…”

“S-Stop…” you reply, shyly, “s’embarrassing…” you tell him.

“You need to be wet for me,” he responds, that big, logical, brain of his immediately putting you in your place. Reminding you that he is the one with a little more experience and you need to listen to him. “You’ll be so tight… even for a finger.”

He forces your body down, flat against the bed and flips up your skirt. The cute triangular shape of your panties makes his cock throb, and he moves them into the crease of your thigh.

“Tell me if it hurts…” he requests, staring into your eyes as deft fingers come into contact with sopping flesh. He runs them through your folds, and you jolt when a finger tip grazes your clit. He moves it towards your hole, slowly teasing around it before pushing in. He stops, quickly, when you yelp. “Sorry, I’ll go slower. Hold onto me.” he instructs, a hand wraps around his bicep and squeezes as he continues to plunge his longer finger deep inside.

“Kiss me,” you whimper, pathetically. He drops his head so that your lips can meet again. He devours the moans and cries you emit as he curls his finger in and out of you. It feels odd, but not unpleasant. It’s still painful but it begins to subside.

“Gonna add another, okay?” he asks, and you nod. You hiss, instantly, hands flying down to pull his away. “Sh, sh sh, I’ll go slow again, okay? Gotta be able to take them or we can’t fuck.”

You fight back tears as the stretch begins to sting. He sinks his head lower, taking one of your hardened nipples into his mouth. Your back arches off the bed slightly, coaxing him to look up at you. And then he remembers all of articles he’s read. All of the research he’s done.

He even thinks about his teammates talking about sex.

“You have to worship the clit.” he recalls one of them saying.

He pulls away from your tit, briefly, to line his thumb up with your clit and apply pressure. He circles it carefully, monitoring your expressions as he does. You yelp, trying to close your legs, but he opens them back up with his free hand.

“Are you gonna cum?” he wonders.

“It’s too much, Rinnie!” you gasp, skin tightening over your knuckles until they turn white as you grip the sheets. “S-Slow down, please! S’too much!” you cry, unable to hold back your tears any longer.

He doesn’t relent, however. Hoping the way your body trembles means you’re about to cream all over his fingers. It was an achievement he never reached with his ex without her assistance. She showed him how and where to touch to make her cum. But you’re not her. You’re perfect.

You gasp, breathlessly, as your pussy begins to tighten around his fingers. Your clit throbs as he teases it just right and you begin to cum hard and fast for him. He kisses between the valley of your breaths, whispering sweet nothings as you reach your peak and plummet back down to earth. He slows down his ministrations as you begin to shudder and twitch from the after shocks, looking up at you adoringly when you start to calm down.

“Good?” he asks.

“Very,” you pant, laughing lightly as you find your sense again. “Rinnie…” you speak, your confident bravado disappearing again as you feel naked and exposed.

“Yeah?”

“Promise me… promise you’re a virgin, too…” you say, looking up at the ceiling. You feel too needy and desperate as you speak. But that was too good for him to not know what’s he’s doing. He’s seriously only done that once on another girl? It’s a little hard to believe.

“I promise. Was it really that good?” he smirks. He kisses both of your nipples softly before sucking his fingers clean of your juices. “I’ve been preparing… reading about stuff. Asking advice. I’ve told you everything I’ve done, I swear.”

He stands up, unbuttoning his jeans and kicking off his shoes at the same time. He pulls of his jeans and underwear in the same movement, revealing his large, blushing cock.

“We don’t have to do this.” he assures you, picking up a condom from your desk and tearing the foil with his teeth. He rolls it down his length, the rubbery sheen covers the pretty pink colour of his dick. “Do you want to stop?”

“Um,” you think about it. He’s asking as if he isn’t already raring to go. You look between his erection and his intimidating stare as you think about what to say.

“What about just the tip?” he asks. And at that, you nod. He reaches under your skirt and pulls down your panties to ogle your drippy cunt one more time. He feels himself throb at the thought of splitting your virgin hole open on his fat cock. He’s always known he was big, and he really doesn’t want to hurt you. He can only hope his fingering was enough prep before you rob each other of your innocence for good.

He lines up his cockhead with your virgin slot as he cages you in beneath his wide frame. You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him down to kiss you, your moan semi silenced as he pushes his tip in.

Oh God this isn’t enough.

He knew he’d need more.

Just a little more.

He pushes in a bit further, and you pull your lips away from his to voice your concern.

“H-Hurts,” you tell him. “You’re really big.” you inflate his ego further, earning another inch of his cock.

He can’t help it, you’re spurring him on!

And he can only imagine how much better you’d feel wrapped around him without this stupid fucking rubber on. He stops pushing when you place your palms on his shoulders, forcing him to pull back a little. “Is it the condom, Rin? Is it t-too dry?” you wonder, batting your eyelashes up at him so innocently.

“Yes.” he replies, without hesitation. “I’ll take it off.”

He pulls out of you instantly. He hisses a little as he pulls at the condom too hard and it snaps back. He decides to push it up from the base of his cock, lining up with your cunt again right after.

And it’s like you’re made for him as he pushes in. He smothers any whimper you can make with a searing kiss. You feel his tongue slip into your mouth as he pushes in further and further until there’s nothing left to give.

You’re crying, again, not expecting to feel so much so soon.

“God, you’re beautiful.” he praises you. He moves his hips, slowly. His cockhead unintentionally nudges against your soft spot with every rut. The blinding pleasure prevents you from telling him, once again, that it hurts and it’s too much. “I know I said just the tip, jus’ feel so good, princess.” he whispers delicately against your skin.

And, as expected, he doesn’t last long.

A few pathetic strokes of his cock inside of you have him spilling thick spurts of white cream into your unprotected walls. He collapses on top of you, panting violently as he stuffs you full.

He was so backed up before this. He masturbates, of course, but not as much as the average guy. You’ve had this planned for a few weeks, now, so he decided to abstain so he could really enjoy feeling you for the first time.

“Fuck, ‘m sorry. Should have jerked off before I came over.”

“It’s okay.” you tell him, fingers mussing through his hair as you come to terms with the fact that you’ve finally lost your virginity, to your best friend of all people.

“I need to fuck you again,” he confesses, your fingers stop as you look down at him.

“W- now?”

“Soon,” he corrects you. “I want to taste you first.”

© 2023 rinhaler

[gothicprep]

i've been meaning to write something for a while now about how misinformation is not a partisan issue, it's just an issue in general. i was mulling over writing something about how infowars waterboards statistics into saying whatever alex jones wants – i'll still probably do that in the future – but it's not something that exactly supports my thesis here.

but, lucky me, i had a perfect example fall into my lap this week.

so, was andrew tate taken into custody over twitter beef with greta thunberg? the short answer is "no" but i'll elaborate.

here's the primary romanian news report about the cops taking the tate brothers into custody. the way that this has been reported in US news media has basically been that a pizza box in andrew tate's video response to thunberg helped romanian authorities confirm his location. here's a daily beast article that insinuates this:

In a video rant he uploaded to Twitter, in which he smoked a cigar and tried to brush off the online spat, he unwittingly displayed a pizza box from a local pizza chain—alerting authorities looking for him to his presence in the country.

here's the problem with that, though – none of the romanian journalists who reported on this story said anything about the pizza box thing. there's also a huge problem with these stories just... citing each other.

if you dig through the citation loop long enough, you end on this daily star article that cites tweets (jurnelism!) from, of course, alejandra caraballo

According to Alejandra Caraballo, a writer and clinical instructor posting on Twitter: “Romanian authorities needed proof that Andrew Tate was in the country so they reportedly used his social media posts.

(as an aside, if you follow her on twt, i'd heavily recommend against doing that. she spews bullshit like her life depends on it and i think this is inexcusable.)

these are caraballo's tweets in question:

the source for this is the romanian article i linked to earlier in this post. it doesn't say any of this. at least, the english translated version of it doesn't. for what it's worth, i'm not a romanian speaker, and i don't have any benchmark for judging if google's translation service is missing linguistic nuances. here's what it actually says:

Sources close to the investigation stated, for Gândul , that shortly after the completion of the computer expertise, the authorities waited for the right moment to catch the Tate brothers, who were always out of the country.

After seeing, including on social networks, that they were together in Romania, the DIICOT prosecutors mobilized the special troops of the Gendarmerie and descended, by force, on their villa in Pipera, but also on other addresses.

it's also probably worth pointing out that tate's villa was previously searched in april. while the article does say that social media was used to help confirm their location, it doesn't say anything about pizza boxes. and, like, given that tate is a prolific social media poster and was tweeting out videos of romania on sunday, i think it's safe to assume they had a wealth of other information to go off.

and if you don't want to take my word for it, nyt and wapo both reported that the spokesperson for the romanian prosecutor presiding over the case denied the pizza box thing:

Speculation online centered on whether a distinctive pizza box featured in one of Mr. Tate’s tweets to Ms. Thunberg had helped lead the authorities to him, but Ramona Bolla, a spokeswoman for the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism, told The New York Times on Friday that that was not the case.

anyway, ain't it funny how caraballo's made the fuck up pizza tweet got 76 million views, 97k retweets, and 525k likes, while her appended correction got 78k views, 100 retweets, and 820 likes. her initial "source: my mind" tweet is still up. ain't. it. funny.

[xomakara]

Next Door To Forever

SUMMARY |  You thought you would never see the guy you'd have a one night stand with but when you meet Haechan again at a club and when you find out he's your neighbor, you can't help but be intrigued by him.

PAIRINGS | Haechan x Reader

GENRE |  college!student!Haechan, college!student!Reader, Nerd!Haechan, college au, one night stand, smut,

CONTENT/WARNINGS | profanity/strong language, drinking, unprotected sex (wrap it up ya’ll!), fingering, dirty talk, oral sex (both male/female receiving/giving), public blowjobs, creampies, praise kink, pet names

RATING | Mature, NSFW, EXPLICIT, MDNI, 18+

LENGTH |  12,532 words

TAGLIST | @hisunflower

NETWORKS | @k-vanity @ksmutsociety

AUTHOR’S NOTE | Oh god, I hope this turned out okay. Maybe it's because I'm always the worst critic of my own work so I always never feel satisfied about it lol. Been awhile since I wrote a Haechan fic and lately, he (and Jaehyun) have been flooding my feed. I hope you all like it!

After moving the last of your boxes into your spanking new place that would be yours for the next few years of school, you flop down on the bare mattress in the middle of the living room that the movers left there. You were just thankful that they set up the frame. You really weren't up to doing any more heavy lifting and the mattress was the only thing left to do before the moving van left.

Your new place was located in an apartment complex that was a good distance away from the main campus. It was perfect for you because you weren't fond of all the ruckus going on in the dorms. You were a junior so the thought of having to live in a crowded building full of underclassmen was less than ideal. Plus you really weren't interested in going through all the trouble of trying to get roommates. So you decided to take this opportunity to live alone and get an apartment of your own.

Apartment hunting was no joke and you had been at it for almost two weeks until you finally found this place. It wasn't too far from campus but the price was right and the size was just perfect for you. The rent was pretty reasonable and it wasn't in a bad neighborhood.

You sigh as you stretch yourself out and lay your head on the pillow. You didn't have a TV yet or any furniture besides a mattress, a couch and a coffee table. That would be something you'd have to take care of later. Your phone rings and you pull it out of your back pocket and check the caller ID. It's your parents and you know what they're calling about. They're still trying to convince you to let them help with the apartment.

"Hi, mom."

"Hi honey. How did the move go?" Your mom's voice sounds through the speaker.

"Good. It's finally over." You speak into the speaker and run a hand through your hair, sweeping your bangs back off your face.

"We wish we could have been there to help." Your mom sighs through the receiver.

"It's fine mom. I managed." You sit up on the bed.

"Are you sure?" Your mom insists.

"Yeah, it's not like I had a lot to bring with me." You say as a look around the large empty space, save for the boxes lining the wall and the mattress that you are sitting on.

"Do you need anything? Any furniture? Food?" Your mom offers.

"Food would be great, mom. Thanks." You respond, suddenly getting the realization that you were hungry and hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.

"Your father and I are sending you a care package with some food, toiletries and other things you might need." Your mom says.

"Thanks." You smile, looking forward to the package. "You don't have to, y'know." You add.

"Don't worry. We'll also send the money that we would have used for furniture. Just go and get what you want and don't worry about the cost." Your mother says.

"Really, mom?" You ask, almost in disbelief.

"Yes, it's not a big deal." Your mother adds.

"But mom, you and dad are retired. I don't want to use your retirement money." You argue.

"Your dad won't take no for an answer. Besides, your brother and sister-in-law are sending you some money too." She explains.

You sigh in defeat. Your mom and dad had always been stubborn and they were hard-headed when it came to taking care of their kids. You didn't want to fight it, especially since it would be pointless. "Alright, mom. But make sure you take money from Minhwan-oppa and Nari-unnie too. I don't want you and dad spending too much money on us. I want you guys to spoil yourself once in a while."

"That's very thoughtful of you, sweetheart. We will do that. I'll text you when we send the package." Your mother replies.

"Ok, thanks mom." You say gratefully.

"No problem. Love you, honey." She answers.

"Love you too." You finish the call with a smile and lean back on the bed to rest.

You hang up and lay there in silence. It had been a long day and you were exhausted. You had been packing and moving for the last few weeks and the stress was starting to get to you. You were ready for a break.

Your phone rings again. It's your brother, Minhwan.

"Hey, oppa."

"How are you holding up, Y/N?" Minhwan says into the receiver.

"Tired but otherwise ok." You muttered. "Did mom talk to you? She's been on my ass about sending money to me."

"She mentioned it but I told her I wanted to talk to you first." He answered.

"Thanks, oppa. I appreciate it." You sigh gratefully.

"So, do you need anything? Money, clothes, food, whatever? I'm sending you an additional package with mom's." Minhwan tells you.

"Well, yeah. I need food and toiletries and stuff. But, I don't want to ask too much of you and unnie." You admit.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Nari and we'll make sure you get everything you need. And I mean everything." Minhwan emphasizes the last word.

"Oppa..." You murmur, catching his tone.

"It's ok. You're our baby sister. Let us do this. Don't worry, we're not hurting for money. I'm a doctor and Nari is a lawyer, remember?" He laughs.

"Ok, I guess. But don't spoil me too much. I'm not going to be independent if you keep spoiling me." You frowned. "At least spend it on mom and dad. Buy them a trip somewhere or something."

"We'll take care of that too." Minhwan said. "But the money will be going to you first."

"What? But-" You stuttered, stunned.

"I gotta go, Y/N. Nari's calling me." You heard the unmistakable sound of her voice on the other side.

"Oppa-"

"I'll talk to you later."

He hangs up before you can say anything else. You sigh and close your eyes. You could use a nap right now.

Your stomach growls loudly and you sit up and stretch. "Well, I can't go to sleep now. Not until I eat something."

You stand up and grab your wallet, then head downstairs to the nearest convenience store. The streets were pretty quiet and there was a slight breeze. You could smell the scent of spring in the air and hear the rustling of leaves in the trees. It was a beautiful night. You reach the corner and turn onto the street where the convenience store is located. There are a couple of other college kids hanging out around the front door. One of them calls out to you as you walk past.

"Hey, Y/N!"

You stop and turn to look at him. It's Mark, a friend of yours that's in the same program as you, that also lives in the same apartment building. "Hi, Mark."

"What's up? Where are you off to?" He smiles at you.

"I was just gonna get something to eat. I just moved into the building, you know." You laughed.

Mark's eyes widened. "Oh shit. Was today moving day? Man, I would have helped you."

You shake your head and smile at him. "It's cool, I had a moving service come in and do most of the work."

"Nice. Well, if you need anything, let me know." Mark said sincerely.

"Will do. Thanks." You let out a laugh.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Another one of your friends, Jaemin, approaches.

"Hey, Jaemin." You greeted. "We're just chatting. What are you doing here?"

"Getting some snacks for tonight. Jeno and I are watching horror movies at his place. Oh, wasn't today moving day for you? You wanna hang out with us later?" He asks excitedly.

"I'll pass. I'm tired and I still have stuff to unpack." You said, remembering the boxes stacked on top of each other.

Jaemin frowned. "Bummer. Maybe the gang will stop by and help you unpack."

You shake your head. "No thank you. I don't need Hendery and Yangyang causing a ruckus. Remember when we helped move into their place?"

Jaemin snorts. "How can I forget? The two were like monkeys, bouncing off the walls. Renjun almost got a black eye when Yangyang threw a shoe at him."

You laughed. "Yeah, that was pretty funny."

"Well, if you change your mind, give me a call. Or, if you're too tired, text me and we'll bring the movies over." Jaemin offered.

"Sounds like a plan." You smile.

Jaemin and Mark bid you farewell and you walk inside the convenience store. The fluorescent lights are bright and the music is too loud. You walk over to the frozen food section and pick out a few microwave dinners, a few bottles of water, and lots of instant ramen. You head to the cash register and pay for your food, then leave the store.

You make your way back to your apartment building and enter the elevator. The doors close and the elevator begins its ascent. The floor numbers blink as the elevator ascends and soon enough, the doors open again. You exit the elevator and head to your apartment. You keyed in your passcode and entered the small apartment. The lights were on and the air conditioner was working. You closed the door behind you and kicked off your shoes.

You put the microwavable meals and the bottle of water into the fridge, placed the bag of ramens on the counter and flopped onto the mattress that was still on your living room floor. You were exhausted. Moving was tiring but you needed to at least move your mattress unto your bed frame.

You laid there for a few minutes before getting up and dragging the mattress into the bedroom. You set it on top of the bed frame and began pushing the bed into the corner. It took a while but you eventually got it where you wanted it. You sat down and leaned against the wall, looking at the room. There were still a few boxes that needed to be unpacked but it was coming together. You felt satisfied and proud.

You stood up and headed to the kitchen. You grabbed a bottle of water and a packet of instant ramen. You poured the water into a pot and put the noodles in. You set the heat on high and watched as the water began to boil.

You looked around and sighed. You'd have to unpack more tomorrow.

You were too tired to think about it. You were ready to eat, take a shower, and crash for the night.

You took the pot off the heat and dumped the contents into a bowl. You rummaged around in one of the boxes that held your utensils and pulled out a pair of chopsticks. You sat down on the couch and began eating. After finishing the noodles, you went to take a shower. You stripped down and stepped into the bathroom. When you were done, you wrapped a towel around your body and headed to the bedroom. You rummaged through the boxes and found some clean underwear, a tank top, and a pair of shorts.

You put the clothes on and got into bed. It was only 8 pm but you were exhausted. You pulled the covers up and closed your eyes. You were asleep within minutes.

You wake up the next morning and check your phone. It was 9 am. You had a few messages and missed calls from your parents and siblings. You reply to their texts, telling them you were fine, and let them know that you were going to unpack.

You put your phone away and get out of bed. You go to the kitchen and start unpacking the rest of your dishes.

It takes you a couple of hours but you finally get everything in the apartment unpacked.

A knock is heard on your door, startling you. "Coming!"

You open the door and find Mark, Jaemin, and the rest of your friends standing in the hallway.

"Hey, guys." You say as you let them into your apartment.

"Yo, Y/N! What's up?" Renjun asks.

"Nothing much. Just finished unpacking." You tell him. The guys scan your apartment and whistle in surprise.

"That's good." Chenle says. "Need any help?"

You shake your head. "I'm good. But thanks for offering."

"Alright, well we're going out. Wanna come with?" Mark asked.

"Where to?" You furrowed your eyebrows.

"To a club. There's a new one that opened downtown and the guys are dying to check it out." Yangyang muttered.

"Dude, it's like noon. Isn't it too early for that?" You questioned him.

"That's why I'm saying we should go during the day. Less people, less lines." He reasoned.

"Hey, if we're gonna party, we gotta get there early. Gotta scope out the place and see if it's worth our time." Hendery smirked.

"Whatever." You rolled your eyes. "I'm gonna pass."

"Boo. Y/N, don't be a killjoy." Jisung whined.

"Do you hear something? Is the wind blowing or is it a ghost?" You ask, pretending to be surprised.

"Oh, fuck you, Y/N." Jisung retorted.

You burst into laughter and the others joined in.

"I can't believe you fell for that." You say, wiping tears from your eyes.

"You're the worst." He says, giving you the stink eye.

"Fine, I'll go with you all but come back at like 5 pm. I'm not going out at noon." You scoffed.

"Fine. Fine." They all muttered as they turned to walk away.

"And invite Jaehyun!" You called out.

"Boo! You just want to eye-fuck him all the time." Jaemin scoffed.

"So what?" You smirked. "He's hot. Can't blame me for appreciating a piece of fine man."

"Fine. I'll invite him. But don't get all touchy-feely with him." Mark frowned.

"Why? He's single. I'm single. What's the harm in having a little fun?" You retort.

"You're a player, Y/N." Mark sighed.

"You know it." You laughed.

"Just keep it PG-13, ok?" He says.

"No promises." You grin mischievously.

"Ugh. See you later." He says in defeat as he walks away.

They leave and you close the door. You spent a few hours organizing and rearranging your furniture and making sure that everything was in its proper place. You didn't have much to unpack.

You go to the bathroom and start getting ready for the night. You take a long hot shower and then blow-dry your hair. You put on some mascara and a light coat of lip gloss. You put on a tight black dress that showed off your curves and some black heels.

You check yourself in the mirror and are satisfied with the results. You grab your purse and head downstairs. Your friends are already there and are waiting for you.

"Hey, Y/N! Ready to get wild tonight?" Renjun smirked.

You raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm always ready."

"Cool, let's go!" Chenle said.

The group heads downtown and walks a couple of blocks until they reach the club. The bouncer checks their IDs and lets them in.

The music is loud and the place is packed. The lights are flashing and the entire floor is moving. The place is dark except for the light over the DJ and the bar. Everyone is moving and jumping to the music. You see some kids from campus.

You take a moment to breathe in the atmosphere. The smell of sweat and alcohol hits your nose. The room is hot and humid and the sound of the music seems to vibrate through the floor. The bass is heavy and it pounds against your chest. You can feel the energy in the air and the tension. There's something different about being in a place full of strangers. You feel invigorated, alive. It's intoxicating.

"I'll get us some drinks." Yangyang said.

"Me too." Hendery said.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Renjun said.

"I'll come with." Jisung said.

"I'm gonna dance." Jaemin said.

"Me too." Chenle said.

"We'll find a table." Mark said. He grabbed your wrist. "Let's go."

The two of you push your way through the crowd and find an empty table near the back of the club.

"So, are you gonna try to hook up with Jaehyun tonight?" Mark asks.

"I might." You smirk. "Oh! Is that Ten over there?"

"You gonna try to hook up with Ten too?" Mark looks amused.

You shrug. "Maybe. Or Johnny. He's got some nice muscles, don't you think?"

"Y/N, you're unbelievable." Mark rolls his eyes.

"I'm a single girl with needs. Sue me." You laugh.

"I can't deal with you." Mark rolled his eyes.

You and Mark chat for a while, and then the others join you.

"Here, drinks." Yangyang hands out beers.

"Thanks." You grab a bottle and take a swig.

"Cheers!" Renjun says.

"To a fun night!" Hendery adds.

You all clink bottles and drink.

"Hey, I haven't seen Jeno around. Where is he?" You ask.

"He said that he's trying to drag someone out of hibernation." Jaemin rolled his eyes.

"Who?" Chenle quirked his brows.

"Haechan." Mark said, nursing a beer in his hand.

"Who?" You asked, confused.

"The guy who was with Jeno at the frat party. You remember him right?" He said, raising an eyebrow at you.

"I can't remember shit. I was wasted as fuck." You shrugged.

"Fair."

"So, where's Jaehyun?" You asked.

"Over there, talking to Ten." Yangyang pointed. "Hey! Where are you going?!"

The boys watched as you waved at them while you approached Ten and Jaehyun. They watched as Ten and Jaehyun gave you appreciative looks.

"She's unbelievable." Mark said, shaking his head.

"She's gonna hook up with both of them." Hendery stated, noticing the way Jaehyun snaked an arm around your waist.

"I bet she's gonna end up taking both of them home." Renjun scoffed.

"That's our Y/N. The best player in our group." Chenle sighed.

"What?" Jisung asked, confused.

"Nothing, Jisung. Let's just enjoy our night." Mark smiled.

Haechan didn't want to be here. He didn't like parties and he hated being surrounded by drunk people. He felt suffocated in the sea of writhing bodies that were all trying to bump and grind against each other. The music was too loud and there was an almost unbearable smell of sweat in the air. The lights were low and the whole atmosphere seemed oppressive. There were strobing lights flashing on and off that only seemed to disorient people further.

"Why did I let you drag me to this place?" Haechan muttered as he looked around the club.

"Come on, dude. Live a little." Jeno smiled. "Drink some booze. Relax."

"I'd rather stay home and read." Haechan replied.

"Dude, you need to get laid. When was the last time you got some pussy?" Jeno asked as he nudged his friend in the arm.

"A few weeks ago, remember? At that frat party? The one where I got too drunk and had a one-night stand with someone." Haechan rolled his eyes.

Jeno pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows, trying to recall the incident that Haechan spoke of. After a moment of silent thinking, Jeno looked at his friend. "Ah. Yeah, I remember. You were a mess that night."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Haechan muttered. "I can't believe you and the guys know her."

Haechan thought back to the night of that wild frat party. Jeno had dragged him along when Haechan tried to study at his apartment. They had arrived at the frat house and were immediately given red solo cups. They had joined the party, the sounds of hip-hop music pumping in the background. Jeno had chatted up the sorority girls and disappeared from Haechan's side. Haechan was left standing at the edge of the room, wondering what he was doing at the party.

He had gotten lost and had bumped into you. The alcohol in his system had loosened his lips and he told you the embarrassing story of how he was dragged to the party. You laughed at him and teased him a bit but soon, you began flirting with him. It didn't take long before the two of you had ended up back at your dorm room.

It was a drunken mistake. He remembered waking up with a pounding headache, a hangover that was more painful than anything he had experienced, and his clothes and underwear scattered on the floor. It had taken him a moment to realize that he was in your dorm, and another moment to remember why. The memories were blurred and faint but it didn't take a genius to realize that he had sex with you. And it had been a rough one judging by the bruises he found on his back.

"I can't believe you don't know her." Jeno laughed. "She's been friends with Mark and Hendery for a damn, long time before she met Jaemin, Yangyang, Renjun and me."

"And now she's friends with Chenle and Jisung?" Haechan wondered out loud.

"Yeah. She's cool, bro. You'll like her." Jeno winked.

"I doubt it." Haechan muttered. "She doesn't seem my type."

"How would you know? You didn't even know her name." Jeno cackled.

"Shut the fuck up." Haechan huffed. "It was one time."

"Come on. I'll introduce you." Jeno chuckled, walking off.

"Wait, no. Dude, come on." Haechan trailed after him.

"I won't tell the others that you two hooked up." Jeno laughed as he grabbed Haechan's wrist and dragged him over to the table where you and the guys were seated. "Yo, Y/N! Guys."

"Jenoooooo!" You called out. You were obviously tipsy and a little bit buzzed. 

Renjun tried to wrestle the bottle from you. "Give it up, Y/N. You're done."

"Oh, come on! Don't be such a party pooper!" You whined.

"Dude, stop hogging the bottle." Hendery muttered.

"Hey, Jeno. Hey Haechan." Mark greeted.

"Sup, Mark." Jeno fist bumped his friend.

"Hey." Haechan greeted, a little shyly.

"Glad you're out and about Haechan." Renjun smirked.

"Stop drinking." Mark sighed as he took the bottle from your hands.

"Noooooooo." You whined.

"Y/N, you're drunk." Mark stated, matter-of-factly.

"I'm fine. Just a little tipsy." You giggled.

"How much have you had to drink?" Jaemin asked, his tone stern and serious.

"I don't know. A lot." You confessed.

"Give me the fucking bottle." Jaemin said.

"Dude, you're cut off." Mark declared.

"That's what I told her." Renjun scoffed.

"Aww, you're no fun, Mark." You pouted.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Mark muttered. He turned to look at Haechan. "Thanks for showing up. You haven't met Y/N yet, right?"

Haechan gives you a quick glance before turning away, and pretends not to know you. He avoids meeting your gaze because the incident from the night of the frat party made him feel embarrassed. It was a spur of the moment thing and he hated losing control.

"Ohhhhhhh, so this is the guy you were trying to drag out of hibernation." You hugged Jeno but then you furrowed your brows. You leaned in to look at Haechan. "Wait...have we met before?"

"Uh, I don't think so." Haechan stammered.

"Are you sure?" You narrowed your eyes.

"Yeah." Haechan said a little bit too quickly.

"Huh, weird. I swear I've seen your face before." You peered at the handsome face and then it dawned on you. Those eyes, those lips, the moles on his face and neck, the shape of his nose. It all clicked. Your eyes widened and the liquor-infused brain of yours recalled what happened that night. How he had felt inside you, how he had begged for your pussy, and how he had given you a world-changing orgasm. It all came back to you.

"Oh my god." You muttered.

"What?" Jeno asked.

"We've fucked." You said out loud.

"I'm sorry, what?" Haechan gawked at you, shocked.

"You're the guy that I hooked up with a few weeks ago." You said, realization dawning on you.

"Dude, Y/N, shut the fuck up." Mark muttered in disbelief.

"What the fuck?" Hendery gawked at his friends, confused. "You two hooked up?"

"How do you know it's Haechan?" Renjun asked.

"Like I would forget that beautiful constellation of moles." You muttered. "It's him. No doubt about it."

"Dude." Mark gave Haechan a look.

"Dude." Jaemin also gave Haechan a look.

"Dude." Hendery also gave Haechan a look.

"Dude." Chenle and Jisung gave Haechan a look.

"What?" Haechan asked.

"When the fuck were you gonna tell us you hooked up with a chick from our group?" Yangyang questioned.

"You guys were never supposed to find out about that." Haechan deadpanned.

"Well we know now and we're all very interested to hear the story." Yangyang grinned.

"Not gonna happen." Haechan retorted.

"Boo. So uncooperative." Yangyang pouted.

"Hey, I was drunk. I don't remember anything from that night." Haechan defended himself. "Besides, I've never met her before until today. She's not part of our group. So why should I have told you?"

"Bro." Jeno looked at him.

"Bro." Mark also looked at him.

"Bro." Hendery also looked at him.

"Bro." Yangyang and Jaemin also looked at him.

"Guys, shut up. I don't want to talk about it." Haechan muttered as he tried to walk away.

"Wait." You grabbed his wrist.

"What?" Haechan paused.

"Can we talk? Preferably far away from these idiots." You said, glaring at your friends.

"Hey!" Everyone objected.

Haechan sighed, not having much of a choice. "Um, ok."

You get up and Haechan follows. You drag him outside and head over to a bench. Sitting down, you looked at the random people milling around the club. The vibe was completely different from a couple of hours ago and you welcomed the change.

"So..." You begin.

"So..." Haechan mutters, looking everywhere but at you.

"I didn't mean to put you in an awful position like that." You said, looking down at your lap. "When I start drinking, I tend to lose control and I don't know how to filter what comes out of my mouth."

"It's fine. Really." Haechan shrugged. "It's not your fault. Besides, it was a one-time thing."

"Yeah." You nodded. "We were both drunk. We didn't know what we were doing."

"Mhm." Haechan hummed.

There was an awkward silence.

"Hey, look." You began. "I don't want this to be a weird situation. We both have a past and it was just a one-night stand. What happened, happened and we can't change that. We hang out in the same social circles and sure, this is the first time I've officially met you but that doesn't change the fact that I have a connection with you, in a way."

"I guess." Haechan shrugged.

"I'd like to be your friend. Would that be ok with you?" You asked, nervously.

"Yeah, sure." Haechan nodded.

"Cool." You smiled.

"Cool." Haechan said, a hint of a smile on his face.

"Hey, um, would you like to go somewhere else and just chill? I kind of don't want to go back in there and hear the guys talk shit." You laughed nervously.

"I don't blame you." Haechan lets out a small laugh. "They're a weird ass bunch."

"You can say that again." You chuckled.

"Where do you want to go?" Haechan asked.

"Let's go to a coffee shop. I need to sober up a little." You replied.

"Coffee sounds good." Haechan nodded.

"Great." You stand up and start walking away. "Let's go."

"Uh, ok." Haechan gets up and follows you.

You two walked side-by-side and talked about random things.

"I have to ask." You began. "How are you a friend of Jeno and the rest? I've been friends with Mark and Hendery since we were kids and we became close to Jeno, Jaemin, Yangyang, and Renjun through college. I know Chenle and Jisung because they're sophomores and they hang out with Renjun and Yangyang. But how the hell do you fit in all of this? You don't really seem like the partying type."

"I'm not. Jeno dragged me to the club." Haechan said. "And as for why I'm friends with the guys, we met through a gaming app and then we met in real life and we just hit it off."

"Wow. I would've never expected you to be the gaming type." You chuckled.

"I'm a nerd." Haechan shrugged.

"Well, I don't think that's a bad thing." You replied.

"It's not?" He asked, surprised.

"Nope. I think nerds are super cool. And it's good that you have a passion. Even if it's gaming. And, I'm not saying that gamers are losers or anything. That's just my personal opinion." You clarified.

"Thanks." Haechan gave you a small smile. "I appreciate that."

"Anytime." You grinned.

The two of you continued walking, enjoying each other's company. After a few minutes, you arrived at the coffee shop.

"This is the place." You said as you opened the door.

"Cool." Haechan followed you inside.

You ordered your drinks and then found a table near the window. You're really glad you found this shop. It's cozy and warm, the smell of coffee is inviting, and the interior is very comfy, reminding you of an old coffee house in an old tv show.

"This place is nice." Haechan said as he looked around.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorite places to hang out." You replied.

You both sipped your coffee and made small talk. Haechan couldn't help but look at you every now and then.

"What?" You asked, catching him staring.

"Sorry." Haechan blushed. "It's just that, um, you're really pretty."

"Really?" You raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Haechan muttered and took a sip of his drink. "Sorry, was that too forward?"

"No, no, not at all." You said, blushing a bit. "I'm just not used to hearing that."

"Really? I've been seeing people checking you out at the club." Haechan blurted out.

"They were probably drunk and not thinking straight." You waved it off.

"Maybe. Or maybe they just have good taste." Haechan smiled.

"Maybe." You smiled back.

Haechan let out a small smile. "You're different from what I expected."

"Different how?" You asked.

"I didn't think someone as outgoing as you would be interested in someone like me." Haechan said.

"What do you mean by that?" You tilted your head.

"I don't know, I just figured you'd be more into the popular crowd. You know, the athletes and the rich kids. Not the nerds and the losers." Haechan muttered.

"I used to be a nerd too, you know." You laughed. "Way before I started partying and dating and all that. Back in middle school and high school, I was the definition of a nerd. I had braces, glasses, wore sweaters, and kept my hair in braids."

"Really?" Haechan couldn't believe it.

"Yes. But once I got to college, I wanted to reinvent myself and try new things. And so I did. But just because I like partying and going to clubs and bars, it doesn't mean I can't still be a nerd and have my own nerdy interests." You took a sip of your coffee. "Sure, folks see me as that wild girl or the one who gets around. But they don't see the whole picture. And besides, I like to think that everyone has layers to them and it's just a matter of finding those layers."

"That's true." Haechan said. "I never thought of it that way."

"What about you? You're the type of guy that I never thought would be friends with the guys. Jeno is a party boy and the rest are just wild." You mused.

"I know." Haechan chuckled. "But when you have something in common with someone, you just click."

"True." You agreed.

"They're good people though. Even though I want to stay in and play video games all day, they managed to drag me out of my shell." Haechan says, smiling softly. "They make me feel included and that I belong somewhere. I appreciate that."

"That's good." You said, smiling. "So I know Jeno dragged you to the frat party and all, but did you have fun at least?"

"Yeah, I guess. The food was good." Haechan jokes, laughing lightly.

"The food was the best." You agreed.

"I'll admit, I wasn't a fan of the loud music and the crowds." He shrugged.

"That's understandable." You nodded. "It was a frat party. They're all the same."

"True." Haechan laughed. "I don't think I would've stayed long if it weren't for the food and the alcohol."

"You're a lightweight." You teased.

"I am not." Haechan pouted.

"Sure, sure." You laughed.

You and Haechan continue to chat for a bit and eventually, you two have finished your coffee.

"So, are you ready to go back?" You asked.

"If you are." Haechan said.

"Not really, to be honest." You chuckled, making the boy smile. "I kind of wanna stay here and just be away from the guys. And talk to a cute boy. Or am I being too forward?"

"Uh." Haechan was shocked and blushed a little.

"I guess that was a bit too much, huh?" You felt embarrassed. "Let's just go back."

"Wait." Haechan took your wrist.

"Huh?" You were surprised by the sudden action.

"I wouldn't mind talking to you longer." Haechan admitted.

"Really?" You asked.

"Yes." Haechan blushed again and turned away, muttering.

"Ok, then." You were laughing and Haechan couldn't help but stare. The way your eyes lit up when you laughed. It was mesmerizing.

"Come on." You stood up. "Let's go. We have all the time in the world to talk."

Haechan's lips tugged upwards and he stood up too. He walked with you outside. You kept on looking at Haechan and then suddenly stopped and paused, biting your lip. Haechan caught your action and his breath hitched.

"Are you ok?" Haechan's breath was haggard.

"Maybe we should go back to the club..." You suggested.

"Are you going to drink?" Haechan tilted his head.

"Hell no. I'm done drinking for tonight." You shook your head.

"Good." Haechan smirked. "Because I have an idea."

"Oh?" You raised an eyebrow.

"You said you're a nerd. And I happen to be a nerd as well. Why don't we hang out and play some games?" Haechan suggests.

"I'd like that." You grin.

"Cool." Haechan smiled. "Come on. My place isn't too far."

You made your way to his place, noticing the familiar signs and landmarks. This all looked too familiar, and not just because you're drunk. This is the path you've walked on countless times before. In fact, it led straight to your own home.

"Hey, I didn't know you live in this complex." You pointed out.

"Oh, yeah." Haechan scratched the back of his neck.

"I live here too." You grinned.

"No way." Haechan was surprised.

"Yes, way." You laughed. "I just moved here a few days ago."

"I had no idea." Haechan remarked.

"I guess fate works in mysterious ways." You shrugged.

"That's for sure." Haechan agreed.

The two of you continue walking, enjoying the night breeze.

"I'll admit, I was nervous when Jeno dragged me to the club earlier." Haechan said. "But I'm glad he did. I never would've gotten to know you otherwise."

"Same." You smiled.

The two of you made your way to the elevator. Once the doors closed, you couldn't help but take notice of how close you were standing to each other. Your shoulders were brushing and you could feel the heat radiating off his body.

"It's weird how we live in the same building and we didn't know each other." You mumbled.

"Well, now we do." Haechan gave you a shy smile.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. You blinked a few times and stared at the hallway that you knew quite well.

"This is my floor." You muttered.

"Yeah, this is my floor too." Haechan said. He pointed to his door. "I'm down that way."

"No way! We're neighbors." You said with a surprised face. "I'm right next to you!"

"Are you serious?" Haechan laughed and shook his head in disbelief.

"Yeah! Now we really have no excuse to not be friends." You said, nudging his side.

You and Haechan looked at each other, both trying to hide the smiles on your faces.

"No wonder I've been hearing noises in the apartment next to mine." Haechan muttered. "It was you."

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. I've been moving a lot of things in and there's a lot of noise." You rubbed the back of your neck.

"It's fine. I'm used to loud noises." Haechan says, waving off your apology.

"I promise I won't disturb you too much." You assure him.

"No, no. It's fine." Haechan said, a smile tugging on his lips. "I actually don't mind."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

You smiled.

"So...would you like to come in?" Haechan asked.

"Sure." You said.

You and Haechan walked towards his door. You waited as he unlocked it.

"Welcome to my humble abode." He said.

"Thanks." You said as you entered his apartment.

The first thing you noticed was that it was very clean and organized. The second thing you noticed was the massive television screen that covered the entire wall.

"Wow." You said. "This is awesome."

"Thanks." Haechan smiled.

"You have a really cool set up." You said as you took in all the details.

"It's all I have. My life revolves around gaming, after all." Haechan said.

"Ok, what are we gonna play?" You asked.

"Why don't you pick something out?" Haechan gestured to his bookshelf. "There's a bunch of games over there."

"Really?" You walked over.

"Yeah, sure. Anything you like." Haechan said as he removed his jacket.

You went to his bookshelf and checked out the various titles. There were a lot of game titles you've seen before and even more that were unfamiliar to you.

"Hmm, how about this one?" You said as you pulled a case from the shelf.

"Oh, that's a good one." Haechan smiled.

You spent the night playing games and having fun. At one point, you were both so immersed in the game that you forgot how late it was.

"Oh my god, it's three in the morning." You gasped.

"Oh, wow." Haechan looked at his watch. "Time flies when you're having fun."

"Yeah, it does." You nodded.

"Do you want to crash here?" Haechan offered.

"Sure." You nodded. "Too tired to go to my place even though it's next door."

"Alright." Haechan laughed. He stood and made his way to his bedroom and returned with blankets and a pillow. He put them on the couch. "You can have the bed."

"No, no. I'll take the couch." You said, feeling guilty about taking his bed.

"Nuh-uh, I'll be fine on the couch."

"Haechan." You stood up, planting your hands on your hips. "I can't let you sleep on the couch in your own apartment."

"Why not?" Haechan shrugged.

"Just- It's not right." You didn't know how to explain without sounding stupid.

"I'll be fine." Haechan reassured you.

"Are you sure?" You asked, worrying.

"Positive." Haechan said.

Without a fight, you didn't argue any further. He led you to the bedroom. It's simple and cozy. Nothing super fancy, but the furniture is modern and stylish. It also smells of him. That familiar musk and sweet scent, which oddly relaxes you. He has a queen-size bed, a couple of posters hung up on the wall, and a desk and a chair.

"So, goodnight." Haechan says before he turns off the lights. "Sleep well."

"Night." You smiled.

Haechan turned off the lights and went to sleep. You stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. You were so excited and happy to finally have met Haechan. You were also curious about him and couldn't wait to learn more.

As you slowly drifted off to sleep, you smiled, thinking about your new neighbor.

And how the two of you will be spending a lot of time together from now on.

"So you ended up spending the night at his place?" Mark asked hours later as you met up with him and Hendery after your afternoon classes ended.

"Yeah." You nodded, unable to hide the exhaustion from your face.

"And you're saying you stayed up late playing games and not fucking?" Hendery asked, his eyebrows raised.

"We just played games." You shook your head.

"And nothing happened?" Mark tilted his head, questioning.

"Nothing." You shrugged.

"Damn, girl." Mark laughed. "Who are you and what happened to Y/N?"

"I don't know." You sighed.

"Did you like him?" Hendery asked as he opened his soda and chugged it down.

"Yes. But I'm not gonna do anything about it." You shrugged.

"Why not?" Mark asked.

"I'm not that kind of girl." You shrugged.

"You are." Mark and Hendery said in unison.

"Look, I'll admit that I have a reputation, but I'm not the kind of girl that goes for every guy she sees. And besides, Haechan and I had a really great time last night." You shrugged.

"Aww, look at our little Y/N being all mature and responsible." Mark said, pretending to cry.

"Shut up, Mark." You scoffed.

"You're growing up, Y/N." Hendery wiped away a fake tear.

"Just shut up. Both of you." You rolled your eyes, walking faster. Your friends just laughed and teased you even more.

Meanwhile, Haechan is spending the day trying not to think of you. But how can he when you're literally the only thing he's ever thought of?

Haechan knows it's stupid of him to believe you two were destined to meet. And yet, after one night of passion, the universe decided to play a trick on him and place you in the same building, mere inches away from each other.

Haechan didn't really expect anything the morning after, although he had a pretty nice time with you last night. But when he wakes up the morning after, the first thing he thinks of is how he wants to see you again, even though the two of you are not even dating and your one night of passion might be just that.

There's just something about you that draws him in and makes him want to be around you more. And the funny thing is, it wasn't just a physical attraction. No, Haechan wants to learn more about you. Wants to hear you talk about whatever you're passionate about. Even if that meant hearing you ramble on about something he barely understood or even didn't know.

However, being the shy nerd he is, Haechan has no idea how to act and what to say to you. He doesn't want to come off as needy or pushy, but at the same time, he wants to spend more time with you. He knows how you like it loud and wild and how much fun it is for you when people are around. But he's seen that side of you and you know the person behind those glasses. The real person who's a nerd, just like him.

He remembers the conversation you had with him the night before as clear as day. About you once being a nerd and how people didn't know about your gaming skills and interests. He can't help but find you more attractive when he's learning more about you. Your nerdy interests, the way you play video games, your humor. And he loved the fact that the two of you can bond over those things. It made him feel special, like it wasn't easy to come by. He's usually the first one to shy away from most people, but not with you.

A loud ring echoed through the air as Haechan snapped out of his thoughts and stared at his laptop.

"Sorry about that." Jeno quickly picks up his ringing phone, trying not to disturb his friends. "Hello?"

Haechan watches as Jeno walks away while on the phone. Jaemin, Renjun and Yangyang are too engrossed in their game, barely paying attention to him. Haechan decided that now was the best time for him to talk with them. "Guys, I need some advice."

"About what?" Renjun asks.

"Is it about Y/N?" Jaemin asks without missing a beat.

"What?" Haechan gasped. "How did you—"

"It's written all over your face." Jaemin deadpanned.

"Oh."

"Come on, just spit it out." Renjun nudged him. "Do you like Y/N? Because she has that effect on most of our male species, let alone on guys from other colleges."

"I mean...you guys like her, right?" Haechan hesitantly asked, his face heating up.

"Yeah. But it's not like we're gonna fuck or anything." Yangyang asked, clearly confused.

"She's a free spirit." Jaemin smirked. "She can do whatever and whoever she wants."

"I don't...look I just..." Haechan let out an exasperated breath.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just hear it." Jeno returned as soon as he hung up.

Haechan looks at each of his friend's faces, trying his best not to blush.

"Well," He says, fidgeting with his sleeves. "It's...it's just that Y/N is awesome." He stammers.

"No shit." Jeno chuckles.

"No, really!" Haechan exclaims. "And last night was so much fun with her."

"Did y'all fuck again? You were in such a good mood this morning, it wouldn't surprise me at all." Renjun says.

"No, we didn't!" Haechan shakes his head. "We spent the entire night playing games."

"Oh, I was about to tease you so hard, man." Renjun fake cries.

"Well, I liked hanging out with her and we played games all night, but there was nothing sexual or anything like that." Haechan said quietly.

"Oh." All of them speak in unison. They exchange confused glances and turn their attention back to the gamer before them.

"How can someone be that cute, man?" Haechan pouted.

The guys blinked.

"What?" Haechan furrows his brow.

"Haechan...you're okay, right? Like, mentally, are you okay? Physically?" Jaemin asked as he reached over to place his palm against the nerd's forehead. "Are you sick?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes. And yes, Jaemin, I'm fine. No, I'm not sick, thank you very much. No fever." Haechan slapped Jaemin's hand away.

"Seriously, man. We haven't seen you this cheerful and all smiles ever since...ever." Jeno furrowed his eyebrows at Haechan, confusion written all over his face.

"I have to make sure, dude. Because this isn't like you. You don't fall for people this easily. Especially after one night, mind you. And I've never seen you like this...ever." Jaemin shook his head at him.

"Come on." Renjun spoke for the first time. "Tell us everything and we can give you some feedback."

"Uh..."

"And be detailed." Jeno winks.

Haechan let out a long sigh before he explained everything that happened last night. How you both went to get coffee,  going back to his apartment, finding out that you were neighbors, playing and talking about video games, and crashing at his place. He even explained what happened this morning where the both of you said goodbye.

Once he finished explaining, his friends all stared at him in disbelief.

"Wow..." Jeno shook his head. "So, no sex, huh? Really?"

"Really. That's the first thing you ask?" Haechan asked incredulously. "Yes, really! For once, I wasn't the nerd that sat on his ass while playing games. For once, I had a good time! What, am I supposed to have sex every time I go out?"

"No, but—" Jeno starts.

"Listen. When Y/N and I were playing, I couldn't stop smiling. I had the time of my life with her and she made me feel great, and not because I got laid." Haechan looks at his hands and sighs. "What I'm trying to say is that I haven't felt that way in a long time. Just knowing that she's here, just an inch away and not at the club where there are a thousand other guys waiting for the same treatment. I couldn't have it any other way. Does that make sense?

Renjun smacks Jeno upside the head before anyone can respond to the question. "Dude, Haechan has a crush!"

"Ow. And finally. Took him long enough." Jeno grunted and rubbed the spot. "Now we can tease him even more."

Haechan blushed profusely. "I-I wouldn't call it a crush. Just because we had a good time. Like, yeah, she's hot, and a gamer and super chill, but—"

"Did you just call Y/N hot? Damn, you really are gone." Jaemin said.

Haechan slapped Jaemin's arm. "Shut up."

"But, like, have you ever considered that this could work?" Renjun asked.

"Have I...what?" Haechan started.

"Look." Yangyang says. "You guys fucked before. You guys are neighbors now. You guys clearly have the same interests. Kinda. And you are both available. Plus, you two seem to have this connection. So why not give it a shot?"

"Yeah." Jeno said as he took a sip of his coffee. "Besides, it'll keep you out of your bedroom."

"Or get you stuck inside a bedroom." Renjun snickered.

Haechan shoots him a death glare but doesn't say anything.

"What are you guys planning to do now? Just hang out? Play video games? Do the do?" Jaemin asked, smirking. "Just try to enjoy the rest of the semester and have fun with her. Who knows? It might even lead to more."

"Yeah." Renjun shrugged. "Besides, it doesn't hurt to get closer. You're both single. Might as well shoot your shot."

"Yeah, okay. Sounds fair." Haechan sighed. "Thanks for the advice, guys."

"Yo, that reminds me." Yangyang's face lights up as he opens his backpack and pulls out a pair of tickets. "Haechan, why don't you take Y/N to this?"

Haechan eyes the tickets suspiciously. "What is it?"

"It's a local convention. All these nerds are coming out. You know, for video games and comics and shit. If Y/N likes these things, then this is a perfect date." Yangyang smiles.

"I guess it's pretty interesting." Haechan picks up a ticket to examine the details. He tried not to smile at the thought of seeing you there. "Do you really think Y/N would enjoy going there?"

"Maybe, I don't know. What's stopping you from asking her though?" Yangyang asked as he raised his eyebrows.

Haechan looks down at the tickets and then to Yangyang's face, a slow smile spreads on his face. "Thanks, dude. You're right. It wouldn't hurt to invite her."

You let your gaze wander as you glanced at the crowd and wondered when was the last time you attended something like this. A comic convention filled to the brim with cosplayers and hardcore geeks and nerds. Some fans even had merch with their favorite characters, while others just came for the sake of it and maybe even for a date or two.

You caught a few people from your college as they had fun and watched a panel on some show or another, while some of them are doing some sort of art, reading a book or checking out the games that are in store. There is even a special guests section in one corner. You shook your head in disbelief, thinking how lucky you were that Haechan even let you tag along, seeing that it was usually impossible for you to buy tickets these days, seeing that the queue to get these is always filled and you are lucky enough to even have the chance.

Your gaze moves from the crowds around you to the person standing next to you, or rather the person you are currently leaning onto. You see that his eyes are also roaming around the crowds and that the people next to him are chatting, not paying attention to you.

"See? Didn't I say that it would be awesome to have you here with me? So far, we haven't even had any awkward conversation and we aren't bored, like my friends were yesterday. It's totally worth getting out of my apartment." Haechan exclaimed, a huge grin on his face.

You couldn't help but smile and give him a side eye, glancing at his side profile. Haechan is kind of adorable, with his big, thick, round, black glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. The way his eyes crinkle when he smiles and the dimples that are displayed every time he opens his mouth or when he speaks. It makes your heart skip a beat and butterflies erupt from the pit of your stomach. His pink, soft and full lips are also incredibly kissable and make him look very sweet and innocent.

"Totally, Haechan. We could stay here forever." You say with a laugh.

"You think?" His eyes sparkle with amusement.

"I know." You bump his shoulder playfully. "Maybe we should come here together the next time one of these comes by. What do you think?"

"Definitely." Haechan says eagerly, smiling widely.

"Cool. But since this is just the first time that we've come here together, what do you want to do now, Haechan? Go shopping or take pictures? Or maybe we can watch a couple of the shows in the main hall. I bet you are really looking forward to this." You ask while pointing to one of the posters in the convention area.

Haechan thought for a moment before replying, "To be honest, I would have loved to see some panels. But we can shop too. How about you? Are there any artists you are interested in?"

"Sure." You agreed, looking back at him with a smile on your face, "It's totally okay to want to go and have fun. As long as we don't get lost, let's shop for whatever. I'm cool with anything, Haechan."

"Alright," he agrees, letting you continue leading the way.

"Hmm...Should we go and see what this year has to offer?"

The two of you start walking around and look at all of the new books that have been published, including the special ones with artwork in them. Some of those are signed, which is a huge bonus to collectors or those who can afford it. After a while, the both of you decide on the comics that interest you the most and buy two copies of each to make it easier. You also pick up a few books for your respective shelves in your apartment, the ones that you are sure will be treasured.

You wandered to a booth that was selling some adult content and flipped through a few comics. You bit your bottom lip as you read a pretty steamy scene on the page that you flipped open and imagined you and Haechan doing the same positions as the characters on the page.

"Found a comic that caught your interest?" You look up to find a smiling Haechan standing next to you.

"What?" You raise one brow and look over at the comic before placing it back on the table and walking a short distance away. Haechan watches you walk away but grabs the same comic that you put back down and flips the pages. Once he lands on the page that caused you to bite your bottom lip, he understands why you put it back down.

He blushes deeply as his eyes scan the steamy artwork.

He shut the book closed. "Um...are you ready?" He calls out, holding the book tightly.

"I'm almost ready," you tell him as you approach him, placing a few comic books in your shopping basket, "I need to decide between the second one or the third one."

Haechan grabs the adult comic and tosses it in the basket without you noticing and leads you to the cashier to purchase it. You never noticed and you were never aware that it was in your basket. Haechan was so stealthy that he managed to pay for the whole basket before you even noticed.

After walking for a while, you needed to use the restroom and pulled Haechan with you. Luckily you found a restroom with no stalls and after pulling Haechan into the room, you locked the door behind the both of you. Once he realized that there were no stalls, he turned red with embarrassment.

"Did you drag me in here because of that adult comic?" He questioned, fidgeting his hands in front of him nervously, biting his lip.

"Maybe. I saw that you picked it up while I was grabbing my things. Thought you were sneaky, huh?" You smiled as you walked up to him and grabbed hold of his hand, pressing it against your stomach. "Haechan?" 

You looked into his brown eyes as you pushed his fingers down under the waistband of your skirt. He sucked in a breath.

"Do you...uh..want to try it out?" You asked while grabbing the belt loop on his jeans.

"Try it out..." he repeated slowly. "Like right now?"

"Well...I mean...we're here..."

He was silent for a minute before looking back up at you. "...yes" he nods.

You pushed him to sit on the closed toilet seat and drop to your knees in between his spread legs. You stare up at his innocent expression.

"Fuck, I can't believe we're doing this in a public restroom," Haechan said, watching you slowly unbuckle his pants. You smirked, knowing exactly what he was getting at.

"What? Are you shy?" You ask softly.

Haechan narrowed his eyes, and you unzipped his jeans, pulling them down, along with his boxers. Then you raised your eyes and gave his crotch a quick glance, noting the size, girth, shape, color. When he noticed the way you were admiring him, he tried to hide his reaction, but ended up covering his face with his left hand.

"Haechan...we've already done it." You point out.

"Not with the lights on and with both of us sober..." he muttered under his breath.

"Shh..." you cooed gently, reaching for his length and stroking gently.

"We could get caught," Haechan murmured, still peeking down at you from his hand.

"I locked the door, it's okay."

"I don't think..." he mumbled again as he began to squirm.

His penis was growing in your grip as it hardened. Haechan shuddered when your thumb rubbed along the tip.

"Still embarrassed?" You ask quietly, kissing the base of his penis. You hear him take a shaky breath as you kiss all along his length, feeling his thighs tense as he tries not to move too much. He's holding back. You liked that.

"Yes," he responds a little breathlessly, and you lick the slit at the top of his dick, "Oh fuck," he murmurs and you hear the sound of his head hitting the tile wall behind him. You take the head in your mouth and begin to suck, sliding down his length inch-by-inch until he's deep in the back of your throat. His hand slides around the back of your head. His breathing becomes irregular and he moans as you begin to bob up and down.

Haechan didn't moan, or whisper encouragement, or try to control your motions with his hand, like you've experienced with past sexual partners. He allowed you to set the pace and you sucked and licked at your own speed, while he made quiet moaning noises as if he was trying to stay quiet but couldn't help himself. That drove you to push yourself harder, try to make him lose control. You wanted him to cry out, to grab the back of your head and make you swallow his entire cock as he exploded down your throat. You were almost aching as you swallowed around his cock.

It wasn't until you moaned quietly with his penis filling up your mouth and his tip hitting the back of your throat that Haechan moaned louder and gripped onto the back of your head.

"Ugh, Y/N." He groaned your name, tightening his grip and making your head bounce a little faster than you were before.

"Don't stop, god, you're gonna make me..." his hips suddenly rocked up into your mouth as he held your head there and you felt his body tense and his cock began to throb as he came in the back of your throat.

Haechan held you there and released in several spurts, nearly hitting your gag reflex at the back of your throat, but not enough to cause it. When you felt his hold lessen and his penis beginning to soften, you finally swallowed his semen. Then, you let his penis slowly slide out from your mouth with an audible 'pop.'

Looking up at Haechan, his cheeks flushed pink and his eyes half lidded and staring into the space above your head, he looked blissful and happy. That caused butterflies to flutter in your stomach and the beginnings of arousal to settle in between your legs.

Pulling his boxers and his jeans up, Haechan sits up a bit and blinks and the world comes back into focus.

"That..." he said.

You grinned cheekily. "Good?"

Haechan leaned down and pecked you quickly before whispering, "Thank you."

Your heart skipped a beat at the sweetness of that action. He really is adorable, you thought.

"Let me return the favor in the car, okay?"

You could only nod, knowing your panties are already soaked and wanting to ride his cock already.

A week after attending the convention, the two of you are hanging out in your apartment. You and Haechan are seated side by side and are currently gaming, sitting with each other in your living room. You are watching the TV screen and pressing the buttons on the console's gamepad, immersed in the game. On the television, you are fighting a boss battle against an over-sized monster. You and Haechan sit silently as the fight plays out, neither one of you daring to talk as the game has become quite intense. After a few more minutes pass, the big, final boss is defeated and you let out an exhale, throwing your controller beside you with an exasperated grunt.

"Fuck." You say, with a mixture of happiness and frustration. The game was fun, but frustrating. Haechan nods in agreement as he removes his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Wonder what Mark and the others are doing right now?" You asked.

Haechan opened his phone and scrolled through the list of messages. "Looks like they're headed to another frat party. Wanna join?"

"Nope. Early lecture tomorrow." You mutter. "And I was kind of hoping to spend some time with a cute nerd," You said and placed a small kiss on Haechan's nose.

"Good, cause I was really hoping to get to know that cute girl better." He whispers, smiling. You felt butterflies flutter in your stomach at his confession and your lips couldn't help but tug up into a grin.

You settled in to watch a film, Haechan had chosen some B rated comedy that you'd already seen ten times.

Halfway through the movie you felt his arm circle your shoulders and instinctively moved into his body, curling your legs up, wrapping your arms around his waist. His warmth and scent, instantly comforting, reminding you how safe you felt when wrapped up in his embrace. You hadn't realized, as your focus drifted onto how good it felt having him near you, how comfortable it was just to sit with him like this, that the feeling was returned in kind. His body relaxed a little, allowing him to settle deeper into the sofa cushions, while his thumb gently stroked against your shoulder, soothing both of you in equal measure.

Losing all awareness of the movie and your mind switching off from any task that might ordinarily pull at your focus, you simply enjoy the feeling of his warmth. At least you thought, you were both lost to the moment, as it wasn't long before his fingers brushed against your throat and up over your jaw to capture your chin. Gently, he tilts your head towards his, and you notice how his breath has quickened just the smallest amount. You can't help but feel the fluttering in your belly from that, as well as his warmth and the softness of his eyes in the darkened room.

There are only a couple of inches separating your lips. He slowly closes the gap, waiting for you to pull away. When you don't and instead lean into the softest kiss imaginable, he hums softly into your mouth. It's slow, teasing and almost lazy. A total opposite from the eager, impassioned lust of your first encounter together. His tongue explores the corners of your lips and across your teeth while he nips, sucks and nibbles lightly at your full lower lip. He tastes of mint toothpaste, his breath, and something sweet and earthy. It sends your senses into overdrive. Your fingers comb gently into the soft strands at the back of his neck. You need this, you've never wanted anyone quite as much as you want him right now.

It's so unfair really; that no one could make you this hot by simply brushing his lips over yours and then along the edge of your ear. His tongue tracing across your sensitive skin just behind your earlobe. That a single kiss to your throat was all it took to have you gasping, tingling all over and so turned on. And yet, you wouldn't change a thing.

“Can I taste you?" He whispered hoarsely, in a deep husk and you couldn't hold back a shiver of anticipation. "Every inch of you?"

How could you say no? And more importantly why would you. You nod with a tiny gasp and are rewarded with another light brush of his lips to yours. 

Oh, god. You couldn't stop now even if your life depended on it. And maybe it did. You felt so desperately out of control, as his tongue played lazily with yours, his lips suckling and nibbling on yours until you could do nothing but melt into him.

“Haechan…” Your breath hitched, barely able to speak, your mind swirling and intoxicated. “Do you want to spend the night? There's no reason for you to go back to your apartment. We could, um...keep this going, if you want..."

“Okay..." Haechan said softly as you stood up and pulled him towards your bedroom. The bed was a mess as you pushed him down on his back.

Haechan reaches down to pull his t-shirt off, and you straddle his legs, fumbling to undo his zipper as quickly as possible. In no time, you were both fully nude. Your lips and tongue meet Haechan as you roll over. He was straddled over your hips and was staring down at your naked body, licking his lips slowly.

"You're beautiful." Haechan breathed softly, tracing his fingertips delicately over your neck, collar bones, and shoulders. Goosebumps appeared in the wake of his touch and you closed your eyes and whimpered a little, tipping your chin up.

He captured your lips softly and slowly in a hot kiss that quickly turned fierce.

He moves to kiss the side of your face, and down to the base of your earlobes. Slowly his hot breath trails lower, over your chest and stomach and even lower. When his head settled between your legs and your breathing picked up, and you got up onto your elbows to look at him. Haechan made eye contact, looking so sweet, cute, and totally irresistible as he was positioned down between your legs.

A few seconds of heavy breathing and you decided you wanted his face against you, immediately. So you fisted one hand in his hair and tugged, getting his attention. Haechan quickly learned how to give the most incredible tongue kisses; just slow enough to tease you and enough pressure that it made your back arch. He kept at it with alternating soft and firm licks; swirls of the tongue that alternated with broad flat-tongue swipes along your wet pussy.

Haechan paused, breath hot and mouth still so close.

"Does it feel good, when I lick you like that, baby? Let me hear it, too. I've been dying to taste your perfect pussy and make it gush," Haechan spoke gently.

"God, where'd you learn to talk like that??" You gasp.

"In your books." Haechan pointed towards the pile of adult comics on your dresser.

You swallow. "Well keep going, because it's really fucking working."

"Tell me what to do next," Haechan said and sucked hard, while rubbing slow circles over your clit with one finger.

"Fuck me with your tongue," You breathe, and Haechan happily complies. You're absolutely soaking as Haechan makes good use of his hands as he flattens his tongue over your clit, then flutters his tongue against it. When his fingers dive inside you, your grip tightens and you tug his hair.

"Yeah. Haechan...keep touching me. Just like that," You tell him, a little breathlessly. You try to keep eye contact as you rock into the movements of his hand. When his fingers curve to find that spot inside you, your breath catches in your throat and you can't help it as your eyelids flutter closed for a moment. Haechan responds by latching his lips around your swollen, throbbing clit and suckling a few times.

That action combined with the internal pressure of his fingers pushes you over the edge. Your hips thrust wildly against his mouth and a strangled sort of whine leaves you, followed by gasps, groans, and mewls of pleasure.

When Haechan's hands finally fall from your thighs and he looks up at your flushed face, he chuckles softly. Haechan crawls over you, and presses his face in your hair, placing soft kisses down to your shoulder. "Good girl," he purred.

"Haechan," You said breathlessly as he lifted his head up, grinning. He moved down the bed slightly, positioning his throbbing dick between your wet folds. The sensation had your spine arching, your inner walls contracting around the emptiness, desperately searching for the fullness of him inside you.

You gasped as Haechan moved forward and eased himself inside you, stretching and filling you until you felt that intoxicating fullness. You stared up at his features and he blinked slowly, keeping his gaze steady on you, watching and gauging your reaction. You chewed on your lower lip and clutched at his biceps, nails digging into flesh and dragging down his arms.

"Move," You whimpered. His soft chuckle caused an excited chill to run up your spine and a sweet moan to leave your lips.

Haechan leaned down to kiss the side of your neck as his hips moved with his thrusts, his penis burying itself inside you with short, swift strokes.

The friction was heavenly. Each time the tip of his length touched against the end of your slick pussy, and withdrew again, he caused more ripples of pleasure to shiver across the surface of your skin. You shivered against the sheets below you, your eyelashes fluttering, his name leaving your lips in soft cries.

You opened your legs wider and wrapped them around his waist to let his length push into you more easily. You raised your hips off the bed, grinding yourself up against him. This elicited a groan from him, and your thighs clenched around him more tightly. The tips of your breasts rubbed against his chest and tickled. It felt so, so good...

"Haechan...please..." Your moans continued as his hands gripped at your thighs, spreading them further apart as he slowly increased the speed of his thrusts. "Don't stop, baby...fuck..."

His breathing grew rougher and shorter. Your fingernails scratched down his sweat-slick chest. Every time he sank his cock deep inside you, you could feel his tip kissing up against a pleasurable spot and it caused sparks to explode inside you. You were panting, crying out. Haechan could feel your hips lifting off of the bed to match his every thrust as his grunts and moans grew deeper and more lustful. You were so incredibly close, and by the look of his handsome, strained face, he wasn't far from finishing either.

"Fuck. Yes, Y/N...that's it. Say my name," Haechan uttered, his gaze now burning right into yours, and his body shaking a little. "Don't fucking stop saying it...I wanna hear your sexy voice telling me how good it feels when I fuck you."

The pulsing between your legs intensified and before you knew it, the familiar shudders rushed up your torso and shook every part of your body. "Yes, Haechan, right there, fuck. You feel so good. Don't stop! Don't stop!"

You felt his hips start to lose their rhythm. You closed your eyes and drew a deep breath.

"Oh god, baby, Haechan...just like that," You spurred him on, clinging to his shoulders. He gave a few particularly fast, desperate thrusts before groaning and pulsing inside you. That feeling sent you over the edge and you called his name, nails raking down his back and fingers gripping the sheets so tightly you swore your knuckles were turning white. 

Haechan kept rocking slowly inside you and he brought his palm up to the center of your stomach and circled his fingertips over the surface, rubbing down into your lower abdomen. You shuddered pleasurably at the contact.

"Don't take it out, stay," You told him quietly, eyes sliding closed, and you breathed out heavily through your nostrils. He murmured incoherently and continued massaging your lower belly while keeping himself buried deeply inside you. 

After a short time, Haechan pulled out slowly, leaving his warm semen to slowly drip out of you.

He made his way up to you and brought you close, draping his arm over you to keep you by his side. "Hmmm, you're so pretty...But let me ask you something."

"What?" You yawned and shifted over to rest your head on his chest, nuzzling into his warmth.

"Can we keep doing this? Like regularly?" Haechan asked and combed a hand through your hair.

You sit up and open an eyelid. "As in...?"

"You...me..." Haechan waggled his fingers. "And us having sex, together."

You laughed softly. "Seriously Haechan?"

He gives an innocent look. "It's not the worst idea, is it? We have a great chemistry, obviously."

You turned on your stomach and faced him, smiling. You brushed some of his sweaty hair off of his forehead. "I love chemistry."

Haechan smiles back and shifts closer, pressing your noses together. "So...?"

Your response came out a soft whisper. "Yeah."

"So, you're basically gonna be my fuck buddy?" Haechan tilts his head, raising an eyebrow.

You roll your eyes. "How about your girlfriend? Hmm?"

"I'll take that option." He smirks and grabs you for a kiss. "So...shower first or sleep first?"

"Shower and then sleep sounds nice..." You trailed off and rested your hands over his around your chest.

He gave you a squeeze and a nudge to your rear to get you moving. With a grumble you threw off the sheets and followed him, making your way to the bathroom for the first of many wonderful nights together.

[cameronspecial]

Rafe and reader - enemies to lovers

Protective!rafe with innocent!reader

She asks her best friends brother for help when she’s in trouble!

Safe In The Arms Of The Enemy

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings: Fear of Being Followed and Walking Home Drunk Alone

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1.2K

Masterlist

Y/N and Sarah have been best friends for as long as she can remember. Even though Y/N is three years older, they met when she was nine and Sarah was six. The two of them just clicked and they have been thick as thieves ever since. This led to their families growing close together. The Camerons were always so nice to Y/N; everyone except for Rafe. For some reason, he has always been bothered by Y/N and she reciprocates that feeling because his hate provokes her.

The music in Sarah’s room blares through the speakers while Y/N stands in front of the mirror, singing along to “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots. She is sleeping over at the Camerons' house to keep Sarah company. Ward, Rose and Wheezie are on the mainland for Wheezie’s spelling bee and Rafe is who knows where. The girls had grown peckish, so Sarah offered to get some pizza, leaving behind her best friend at Tannyhill by herself. “Wish we could turn back time. To the good old days. When our mama sang us to sleep, But now we're stressed out.” Her right hand forms an o as she uses it as a microphone. Her focus is on her own reflection, so she doesn’t notice Rafe’s appearance behind her. He leans against the door frame with his arm above his head. “Wow, you would think with how rich your parents are that they would pay for singing lessons for you after hearing you screech like a banshee,” he teases. 

Her eyes roll in their socket and she turns to face him. She fires back, “Like I care about your opinion. I’ve seen your tastes and I’m glad that I’m not up to your standards.” “Whatever,” he grumbles. “Obviously you are blind because I have amazing tastes.” 

“Nah, I’m not the problem. You are,” she pushes to infuriate him. She steps forward and they are face to face. He crouches down so their eyes meet, “I wish I was the one with the problem because then I wouldn’t have to deal with you. I swear every time I see you at my house, which is all the time, I wonder when you are going to get the fuck out of my life because I hate that you are in it.” 

His words don’t meet his eyes, but she doesn’t notice. Instead, her mind takes the words to heart. A poke attacks her heart and it causes a tsunami of blood to come out. She can’t explain why she takes the word to heart; she returns the sentiment. Nevertheless, maybe she doesn’t feel as strongly as he does because as much as she loathes him, she couldn’t imagine her life without their quipful exchanges. He sees her tight lips and her silent demeanour; guilt flashes through him.

Before he can try to resolve the situation, Sarah passes behind him with a steaming pizza in her hand. “Ugh. Rafe, leave her alone. I would like to eat in peace,” she complains, setting the flat box on her desk. His hand runs over his lips as he thinks. “Fine, I don’t care. Later losers.” 

———

The ending of summer means Rafe and Y/N have to return back to UNC. When she found out he was going to the same university as her (she should’ve seen it coming because Ward is an alumnus), she hesitated to accept her position; however, she figured uni was a big place and the chances of running into him were slim. It has been true for the most part. They’ve only run into each other five times in the two years they have been at university.

She stumbles through the dark street with her head pounding. It wasn’t the best idea to be walking home alone while drunk, except she didn’t want to make her friends go home early. She lied to them and told them another friend was picking her up. Her feet catch on the pavement and a rock skips across the ground. A car passing beside her causes her to jump away from the road. Her inebriated state makes her more paranoid. She lets out a breath when the taillights fade into the distance. Laughter coming from behind her causes her to spin around. She spots men walking in her direction and even though they don’t appear to be looking at her, panic sets through her. She begins to walk faster as her breathing starts to get faster and she decides to run into an alley to hide. Her first thought is to call to help, so she pulls out her phone and dials the first number that comes to mind. “What do you want?” he grunts through the phone. “Rafe, I’m scared. I don’t know what to d-” She hears footsteps coming closer to her and hangs up. A trash can seems like the perfect cover, so she drops behind it against the wall. 

Rafe sits up straight from the couch and stares at the phone. The screen showing that the call has been ended makes him grow anxious. He begins to pace as he tries her phone again. His hand runs through his hair while he replays the fear in her mind. He is sent to voicemail and wants to through his phone against the wall. Another thought comes to mind and he decides against it. 

———

She doesn’t know how long she has been behind the garbage with her head pressed against her legs. She is honestly too scared to move in case those men are still around. It didn’t look like they were following her, but it is better safe than sorry. The alcohol in her system starts to affect her state of consciousness and she struggles to keep her eyes open. A hand on her back causes her to scream and jump back. Her head hits against the brick wall. She grimaces as she brings her hand up to rub the back of her head. “It’s okay, Sweetheart. It’s me, Rafe.” The familiar voice makes her look up to verify his identity. 

She sees his mop of dirty blonde hair and his stunning blue eyes stare back at her. She has never been so happy to see him. Her arms wrap around him to pull him against her, “I was so scared. Are they still out there?” She surveys the street once they separate. His hand cups her cheek to check her for injuries; he isn’t concerned about their surroundings. “Sweetheart, there is no one around. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did someone do something to you?” He frowns at the last part, following her search with a hard expression to find the person he has to defend her against. She doesn’t find anyone and her shoulder drops in his hold. Her head rests against his chest. Tears begin staining his shirt. His hand laces between the hair at the nape of her neck and he gently scratches her scalp. He knows it soothes her. He kisses her forehead, “I’ve got you. You are safe.” For the first time tonight, Y/N feels safe and she is in the arms of her enemy.

Taglist: @winterrrnight @loves0phelia @thelomlisrafecameron @wickedlovely121 @thepatriarchykeychain @drewsmusee @starkowswife @maybankslover @forstarkey @loving-and-dreaming @magicalyoura @rubixgsworld

[1d1195]

Dolcezza I

You know me and my need for love at first sight.

This is where I’ll keep her: Dolcezza

Warnings: mostly fluff, mentions of stalking

~5.5k words

Definitely multi-part. This part is mostly from the MC perspective. The very end peeks into Harry's brain and the second part will likely pick up more onto his POV.

Hope you enjoy!

“You really don’t need to trouble yourself,” she promised.

Harry turned pausing by the shelf pressed against the wall. “D’you really want me t’leave?” He asked with a frown. “M’sorry. I jus’... really want t’help you, kitten,” he explained. “S’like I need to. S’almost... compulsive... but I’ll leave if y’want me to.”

“No, I’m totally fine, thank you,” she said into her phone.

“Are you sure?” Eleanor asked. “I can send Louis over.”

“No, no, that’s so unnecessary, El. Really. I’ll be fine.”

She could hear her best friend sigh heavily into the speaker. Eleanor was nearly a thousand miles away. She got a new job and while the benefits and everything about it were great, and would make Eleanor wildly successful, she was sadly away from her platonic soulmate. It was extremely hard to let her go. Worse, Louis would be joining her just as soon as he nailed down a new job out there.

But Louis was around for now, which was a great relief for Eleanor. Her best friend was a lot of things, but aware of how scary her situation wasn’t one of them. Louis knew he was essentially filling as best friend for the time being and he was expected to drop everything to get to her aid if Eleanor said so.

But that would only last so long.

Eleanor didn’t want to think about that right now.

She was carrying a box from her car toward the building. Her shoulder pressing her phone to her ear as best she could. Beside the building was a small little alley where her entry way to her new place resided. As much as it killed her to pay for it, she got a whole moving company to bring her furniture in already so at the rest was pretty standard. Her family, God love them, didn’t even think that she might need some help. If anything, she would have had to bribe them into helping her. Even if it was just for the furniture. If Eleanor was in town she would have helped with the boxes and other stray things she had heaped in her car.

Even with Eleanor’s presence closer, she felt alone. Eleanor had Louis and she would never fault her for that. Louis was everything she would want in a best-friend-in-law. But there was always this element of not fully having Eleanor—not like when they were in college and sharing a dorm room. It was different now. Not bad, but different. Her family was great but a little self-centered at times. Part of the problem, she dropped everything to help them whenever they asked but they rarely returned the favor. She did it all, so why would she need help?

Fortunately, moving allowed her to downsize quite a bit so her mid-sized SUV was able to hold almost all of her boxes in one trip from her storage unit to the new place. Maybe, this even helped her explain away her family’s lack of help.

But her brother was either busy working at the college dispatch center most of the weekend or playing beer pong at a frat party. Her sister was so wrapped up in her high school love life or maybe just being the princess her mom and dad made her out to be by never making her do anything of importance. Her parents were probably waiting on her hand and foot without even realizing. If not, they were probably creating some sort of computer-virus havoc on their home computer that for some reason her sister wouldn’t be able to fix. Or maybe they finally started fixing the kitchen up as they said they would for the last year waiting for their oldest to come home and fix all the little things they broke in the process.

If she thought about it too long, she would get annoyed. Her brother and sister were more than capable of helping and they just didn’t. It drove her nuts. So, at the end of it, she couldn’t bother her family for help. Because it barely felt like they could help themselves.

She was lucky because the alleyway wasn’t creepy. Not even at night. The whole street was a dream come true really. Part of her thought that despite the circumstance, this was actually a much-needed move. It was almost lucky that she found such an amazing place. Her own parking space right out front of the building, a coffee shop—a mere stone’s throw from said parking space—almost everything she needed was within walking distance. It was perfect.

Of course, the best and most wonderful selling point of all was by far that her new apartment was right above an Italian restaurant. It smelled like fresh pasta, garlic, and just the most comforting of scents. It reminded her of Sunday’s making meatballs with her dad and watching sports with her brother and sister.

When her coworker Mitch told her about the place, she thought it was too good to be true. But Mitch knew someone who worked at the restaurant. The owner, Antonio, was looking for a tenant after he informed Mitch’s friend that he was outgrowing the space. It was a generous size. But it was meant for a place to stay and keep watch over the restaurant—max two people and that was pushing it. The little place could not support Antonio, his wife, their first born, and another little one on the way. Four people was too big for this place.

But it was perfect for a girl who loved garlic bread and spaghetti who needed a new place and wouldn’t mind the smell of olive oil all hours of the day.

“How did you find this place?” Eleanor asked, her third-degree questioning tone was present in her voice.

“A friend of a coworker,” Eleanor already knew this.

“Mitch?” She clarified.

“Yes, Mom, Mitch,” she rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know how you can be so blasé about all this. It’s serious!” She reminded her. “I’m not even there to protect you.”

She didn’t need to be protected. She had a restraining order. The police in the area were well aware of the situation and she was almost always at home or traveling one day a week to work. If she ran errands, it was always in public spaces. She only ever worked out at a public female-only gym. Plus, she had given Louis her location. All of it was nearly a non-issue. “I don’t even know how I got a stalker,” she muttered grumpily. The whole thing was an inconvenience. If it wasn’t for Eleanor, she probably wouldn’t have even gotten the restraining order.

“You’re too nice,” Eleanor reminded her.

She sighed, tired of the story. It had been almost a year since the creepy sensation of the guy following her had started. Eleanor had approached him on more than one occasion to get rid of him. But the whole thing seemed like a bigger deal than it needed to be. The guy was basically harmless; if not just a little bit more on the creepy side. He couldn’t take the hint that she wasn’t interested and had a hard time letting go. He kept a huge distance from her—she wasn’t even sure she knew the color of his eyes from how far away he followed her. If he was around, she hardly noticed. “Well, I’m moving to a whole new place now so it should be fine now.”

“You didn’t tell anyone else about your address change?”

“Nope, just HR,” she promised. “As far as everyone knows I’m still living in that crummy apartment.”

“Well, maybe this is a blessing that you’re out of there anyway,” Eleanor sighed, relief in her voice. “How do you like this place?”

She smiled dropping the box in the middle of the room before she closed the door and descended the staircase back to her car to grab more boxes. “El, it’s literally perfect. It’s like the apartment of my dreams.”

“How come no one at the restaurant wanted it?”

“When you come visit, we can go and ask all the questions—”

As she entered the alleyway from her apartment entrance she was pushed to the ground. The rattling of glass bottles clinked, clattered, and broke on the pavement. She already felt the bruise forming on her tailbone from landing so hard on the ground. In the process she dropped her phone, and she could hear Eleanor shouting from the speaker. “Ouch,” she muttered.

“Don’t move!” She turned to the sound of the guy in the alleyway with her—he was hurrying to his feet having also toppled to the cold, hard ground. He was wearing all black. Short sleeves even though it was a chillier fall day—showing off an array of tattoos that lined his muscular arms. His black pants had fingerprints and handprints of flour on them. There was something dark colored—probably tomato sauce—dried on the half apron around his hips. He clearly worked in the restaurant. The bag of bottles he was previously carrying ripped open and was broken on the ground. “M’so sorry, Principessa,” his voice was smooth and warm. “Antonio told me y’were moving in today. Should’ve been more careful,” he frowned grabbing her wrists without a thought and hauling her to her feet to get her off the cold ground and away from any broken glass. “M’so sorry,” he repeated making sure she was steadily on her feet. He turned her hands over inspecting them so delicately. Like she was the glass that had broken at their feet. “Are y’alright, Principessa?”

The silence coming from Eleanor on her phone was nearly deafening. She blinked a few times as she gazed at the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. His hair was the color of melted milk chocolate and looked like it had been sculpted of the very substance into the most unfairly beautiful curls any man should have been allowed to have. His cheeks were smooth except for the stubble lining his incredibly sharp jawline. His lower lip was chapped, and she realized how close she was to face to notice such a thing. Probably from the way he was biting it with the worry that he had hurt her. But they were still very rosy—like pink wine and much like the rest of him, very, very pretty.

He picked up her phone out of the debris. Wiping it on his apron then brought it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Oh, God,” she whispered to herself, trying to process the last two minutes. Eleanor was going to lose her mind.

“Uh... m’Harry... She’s fine—I think... Are y’okay, Principessa?” His gaze turned back to her.

It felt like her heart stopped as her eyes connected with the beautiful green ones looking back at her. It was unfair someone like Harry was that pretty.

She nodded, holding her hand out for her phone. He returned it to her immediately and she cleared her throat. “I’m fine, El. Promise.”

“Principessa?!” She gasped. “Oh. My. God.”

“I’ll call you later,” she whispered feeling her face warm as Harry inspected the mess.

“M’sorry, Principessa,” he repeated for a fourth time. If he called her Principessa again though, she might fall right back on her sore tailbone. “Wasn’t expecting you t’come out the door,” he frowned. “Did y’get cut at all?” He asked, scanning her quickly from head to toe. She was dressed for moving on a cool fall day. A chunky sweatshirt, a pair of joggers, and trainers. Her hair was pulled tight to keep out of her face.

She was the furthest thing from looking like the princess that he kept calling her. “Oh...no... I’m alright,” she promised. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”

“Don’t apologize, kitten, s’entirely my fault.”

She shook her head rapidly trying to get some neural networks firing. “Really, I’m okay,” she smiled gently. “I should have watched—”

“M’serious, s’my fault,” he interrupted again.

“Harry, what’s the hold—” Antonio entered the alleyway but stopped his train of thought looking at the pair of them. “Oh, hi, tesorino,” he had called her that a lot since he spoke and met with her. “See you’ve met Harry,” he looked at the broken bag and the glass. “Did he hurt you?” He asked.

“No!” Harry glared at him, a frown adorning his pretty lips and a matching pinch between his brows. Harry looked adorable when he was angry. “I didn’t Principessa, did I?” He turned back to her looking apologetic again.

“No, I’m sincerely fine,” she promised shoving her phone into the pocket of her joggers. “I should have watched where I was—”

“No, no, tesorino,” Antonio shook his head. “It’s Harry’s fault. M’sure.” What kind of reality was this? Antonio reminded her of Louis or a much older brother—maybe even a young dad, but not like her dad. She imagined Louis saying the same kind of taunting thing to Eleanor or even herself. It was surreal. A cute guy bumped into her when she was starting fresh. It was like fate—a new start and a new guy. “I’ll get you a broom, Harry. Make sure she’s alright.”

“Yes sir,” he nodded firmly. Antonio disappeared back to the restaurant to get the broom.

“I’m really fine,” she promised.

Harry was smiling now, he bent down to get the big pieces of glass that shattered and carefully placed them on the broken plastic bag. “M’glad, Principessa,” he hummed quietly.

“Uh...” she smiled awkwardly and stepped to the side. “I should get out of the way...” she trailed off and started for the street to gather more of her stuff.

“Here,” Antonio reappeared with a broom and a new bag, passing it off to Harry. “Tesorino, are you sure you’re alright?” Antonio had an Italian accent. It made her smile and even if she was hurt, she was sure that she wouldn’t—couldn’t feel any pain because it was so comfortable being around an Italian restaurant where people worried about her.

“I’m really, truly fine,” she promised.

Harry was quick to pick up all the glass and took a few steps around the area to catch any of the broken pieces. It seemed this wasn’t the first time this had happened. It was like she was glued to her spot watching Harry take the collected glass down the alleyway to one of the dumpsters. “Do you need help moving your stuff upstairs?” Antonio asked.

“Oh no, that’s alright, I’m fine—”

“Harry, help her with her stuff,” he ordered, ignoring her brush-off. “Her car is out front.”

Harry handed the broom back to his boss and hurried to the front of the building. “Hey!” She frowned and looked at Antonio. “I don’t need help—”

“Tesorino, please. S’no big deal. Harry would be happy to help.” Harry was already coming back with what she knew was a heavy box labeled ‘kitchen’ and heading for the stairs. Truthfully, she was dreading carrying that one, so she was grateful Harry was literally doing the heavy lifting for her but didn’t want him to feel like he had to. “He helped us move our stuff out already and into our new home,” he shrugged. “Come down for some lasagna for dinner,” he said heading back toward the front.

The entire interaction had left her so completely confused. Harry was beautiful and clearly a cook of some sort in the kitchen of the restaurant. Currently, he was up in her new apartment putting her box in the kitchen. Right as she came to the door to head after him, he bumped into her again, reappearing from the door so quickly, she almost fell right back to the ground. This time, Harry caught her around the waist. “M’sorry, Principessa. I don’t know why I keep getting in y’way,” he frowned.

He released her waist just as quickly as he caught her before heading back for her car. The warmth of his arm around her body lingered as she followed him. “You don’t have to help.”

“S’no problem, kitten,” he shrugged grabbing a box labeled ‘bedroom’ that she knew had an array of random things including an assortment of old CDs, a few pictures, and everything from her nightstand—including a box of condoms. Just the knowledge of knowing he was carrying them was enough to make her face warm. She frowned, hurrying to grab a box herself. “Y’don’t have any friends t’help you?” He asked over his shoulder as he made himself at home coming to stop in front of the second door in the little hall at the top of the steps. Beside her apartment was a second office for the restaurant. Antonio assured her that he was the only person who used it and at this point in time, it was mostly storage. Either way, she didn’t mind. The place was a steal and beyond helpful for her new start. Especially with Eleanor breathing down her neck worrying about her.

“I don’t like to bother people with something I can do myself,” she explained quietly while pushing the door out of the way for Harry to enter—but he waited for her to go first. A silent direction in his eyes as he stood still with the box in his hands. After an awkward pause, she went in first.

Unfortunately, she was compelled to fill the silence with more explanation. “My best friend got a new job—so she’s unavailable. She offered her boyfriend but he’s working. My other friends... no one wants to help move. You know?” She explained. But it was hard to hide the catch in her throat while she spoke. No one wanted to help her.

It was weird to have a conversation with Harry like that. It was a little personal, nothing crazy. But apparently, it divulged enough. “S’unfair, Principessa,” his voice was so gentle. “M’sure you’d help if they asked—or even if they didn’t ask.”

How on earth could some stranger possibly know that about her without so much as speaking for more than ten full minutes? There was a jolt of sadness that washed through her. But she pushed it aside and frowned at the stranger who seemed to read right through her without so much as a second glance. “They would help if I asked,” she murmured. But it felt like sand in her mouth as she said it because she knew it was a lie.

Harry didn’t harp on it though. He glanced around the empty space. “Are y’new to the city?” He asked.

“No... not really,” she shrugged. “I used to live just a couple towns over.”

“Ah,” he nodded. “D’you have a lot more?” He asked.

She shook her head. “No, not really. You... you grabbed the heavy kitchen one. So, it should be easy from here on out.”

“Great,” he smiled. “I’ll get Niall, we’ll be done in half an hour.” Harry left her breathless for more than one reason. He hurried back down and stopped outside of the restaurant. She was practically running to catch up.

Dolcezza was written in cursive script above the big window showcasing the beautiful restaurant. Most Italian restaurants always seemed so darkly lit. This one looked so warm and cozy and on the brighter side. It reminded her of her grandparents’ house.

Harry pulled the door open. “Niall!” He shouted. Without waiting for whoever Niall was, Harry turned to her car to grab the next box.

Niall was a little less than half a foot shorter than Harry. His eyes were the color of the sky in the middle of June, and he had an adorable smile. “What’re you doing?” He asked Harry as he walked by with a box. “Hey tesorino,” he winked at her.

“Grab a box,” Harry nodded his head toward the open car and continued for her apartment once more.

What the heck!?

She stumbled to get a box herself and hurried to follow the two guys moving her stuff into her new place. But she had to give credit where credit was due. Harry was right. Thirty minutes, and everything in her car was now in the apartment. Niall headed back to the restaurant without a word, but Harry stayed behind. “D’you need help with anything, kitten?” He asked sweetly.

She couldn’t possibly imagine him helping her more than he already had. “N-no, thank you. That was...really helpful. I can take it from here.”

“Jus’ come grab me from downstairs if y’do think of something, kitten. Antonio won’t mind,” he promised. He smiled at her once more and looked around. His gaze stopped on the tall bookshelf. He walked toward it and looked at each side. He pulled a little bag of screws that were taped to the side and put it in plain view. “Make sure y’anchor that bookshelf before putting books on it. Don’t want it falling on you,” he mentioned kindly. She frowned. In her old place, her bookshelf was recessed into the wall. Having built the new shelf so the movers could take it the other day, she truly hadn’t thought about it. She only taped the little bag to the inside of the shelf so she knew what it belonged to when she created a junk drawer in the kitchen.

“Er... right,” she nodded—unconfidently.

Harry looked her over again, sizing her up, as if he knew she didn’t know how to do that and was too proud to ask. “I’ll come back up before dinner t’do it. D’you have a screw gun and such?”

“I can Google how to do it if I need to,” she assured him knowing that if he didn’t say anything, she wouldn’t do it. “I doubt I can put holes in the wall like that.”

Harry snorted. “Don’t worry, Principessa, I’ll tell Antonio. He won’t argue.”

“It’s really—”

“M’offering myself, kitten. S’nothing t’worry ‘bout. M’happy t’help. S’no trouble at all.”

It was jarring. That was the only way to describe it. It was as if Harry could read her thoughts and see on her face that she didn’t want to trouble someone on her behalf. “Antonio s’not kidding ‘bout lasagna either, Principessa. He’ll want y’down between five-thirty and six. Come down t’eat or he’ll make me come up here t’get you.”

*

“Who was that?” Eleanor asked in greeting as she answered the phone.

“Hi Eleanor, the move has been going well. I’m about to start unpacking boxes and arranging everything. How has your day been?” She answered with an eye roll.

“Shut up, tell me about the guy, principessa,” her voice was nearly hysterical. Her tone was almost mocking with the nickname Harry had bestowed upon her. It made her stomach flip to hear even Eleanor say it.

Sighing, she put her head on the counter of her new kitchen. She eyed the heavy box Harry had put there on the floor. “His name is Harry. He works at the restaurant,” she explained. “Antonio had him help me with all the boxes and stuff, his friend Niall too.”

“I don’t care about that. What does he look like?!” The pause was telling. She knew it. “Wow,” Eleanor sighed. “He is so hot, you’re speechless.”

Rolling her eyes again, she was glad Eleanor couldn’t see her cheeks burning red at the correct assumption. “He’s cute,” she managed.

“Oh puh-lease,” she gasped. “What a cute little story you’ll be able to tell your grandchildren.”

“Can you relax? I talked to him for twenty minutes and mostly about moving.”

“Mostly?!”

“Sweet Jesus,” she sighed pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes trying to think of the fastest way to get rid of her friend from making her crazy. “He correctly identified that I have shitty friends who wouldn’t help me move even if I had asked. He also got his friend Niall to help with the boxes in my car. And when I came back from the storage unit with a second load, they ran out in the middle of a lunch rush to help anyway.”

“You could sell movie rights,” Eleanor sighed dreamily.

She rolled her eyes. “His boss made him help.”

“His boss made him call you principessa too?”

“He called me kitten too.”

“Oh, you’re so going to marry him.”

“I have to unpack my house now.”

“What does he smell like?”

“You are insane.”

There was a knock on her door.

“Wonder who that is,” Eleanor practically sang. She glanced at the stove clock. It wasn’t even five o’clock. Not time to head down for lasagna. After the crazy afternoon she had, she wanted to make sure she didn’t give a reason to the funny cooks and owner downstairs that were helping her a reason to waste their time with her. She truly planned to head down for lasagna as they asked. But part of her thought Harry was joking about the bookshelf.

With the phone still against her ear, she pulled the door out of the way and found Harry. He was not joking. There was a screw gun at his side. “Hi Principessa,” he grinned so brightly it made a dimple in both cheeks appear. “M’gonna anchor y’bookshelf and then take y’down t’get lasagna,” he maneuvered right by her without so much as an okay.

“You really don’t need to trouble yourself,” she promised.

Harry turned pausing by the shelf pressed against the wall. “D’you really want me t’leave?” He asked with a frown. “M’sorry. I jus’... really want t’help you, kitten,” he explained. “S’like I need to. S’almost... compulsive... but I’ll leave if y’want me to.”

“Don’t you dare let him leave,” Eleanor said to her ear, her voice was practically a sigh. She and Harry stood feet apart gazing at one another.

But it felt so bad getting help from Harry. “Well...er... if you’re really sure it’s not a bother,” she murmured.

“Not at all, Principessa,” he smiled. “Promise,” he nodded. “S’jus’ a couple minutes and then I’ll bring y’down.”

“Eleanor, I gotta go.”

“I can’t wait to give my maid of honor speech at your wedding.”

She hung up on her friend. Harry was quick. He was shifting the bookshelf away from the wall. He snagged the little package of screws taped to the side. “Can I help?” She asked tossing her phone on the couch.

“I think m’alright, principessa. Thank you,” he said kindly, like he wasn’t doing her a favor by doing this. It was quiet while he worked. At one point he did drop one of the little screws and she was quick to grab it and place it in his hand for him. “Thanks, kitten,” he hummed quietly. His expression was so concentrated as he fixed up the shelf.

It wasn’t much, honestly. She knew that. It was just a bookshelf. But it was somehow so much more. Her heart felt so out of place. Her throat felt tight with emotion bubbling to the surface. No one had ever done anything like this before. A near stranger at that. Probably because it was so much more. It was a worry about her safety which people nearly forgot—unless they were Eleanor and by extension Louis.

She turned away briefly and busied herself with pulling throw pillows from the box labeled living room. Harry hummed quietly to himself. It was soothing. For a moment she forgot about who she was and that she had moved because she had a stalker. If she was a little more vulnerable feeling, she might have cried. It wasn’t the time, but she felt like she had known Harry her whole life. But she had barely spoken more than a hundred and fifty words to him. It was feeling extremely domestic in her new place even though hardly anything was unpacked.

The whole place was one wide open room kitchen and living area. There was a little space she designated for a table for sitting at and along the front wall by the window she planned on putting her desk. There was so much she needed to do. There were three doors along the back wall of the apartment. A bathroom, a bedroom, and a little alcove where a washer and dryer resided. She was lucky the owner lived here previously as she was certain there wouldn’t be a washer and dryer otherwise and that may have deterred her from taking the place. The idea of lugging her laundry up and down the stairs to a laundromat was not something she wanted to do in her late twenties.

“Oh crap,” she frowned. Realizing her state of being at the thought of walking up and down the steps all day.

Harry paused and turned to her. “Y’okay, principessa?” He frowned as well. His eyes looked her over with worry.

“Yeah...no, I just... I have to change before I head down there,” she sighed.

Harry smiled and turned back to his task. He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Oh, y’could go like that, I think y’look beautiful,” he said sweetly.

Her heart rate took off rapidly. She could feel her cheeks warming but she knew her hair was pulled back and little pieces had frizzed and fallen from the elastic. She knew she was sweaty and there was simply no way she looked beautiful.

She snorted awkwardly. “Uh...thank you,” she cleared her throat. “But I would feel better if I changed.”

“I’ll wait outside, then,” he promised. “Jus’ finishing this last bit,” he murmured his attention focused on securing the screws perfectly.

“I’ll be quick,” she promised.

“Take y’time, principessa. M’in no rush,” he stood after finishing the final bit. He stepped back outside the apartment. God, he was nice. It had to be the fastest time she had ever gotten ready for anything. Changing out of comfy clothes and into jeans and a blouse that she would wear to her team meetings, so it didn’t look like she was wearing pajamas to work. She slipped on a pair of the first presentable ankle boots she could find a pair of in the box of shoes that was still unpacked. After she found a clip to pull her hair back in a more presentable fashion.

“Oh, wow,” Harry smiled dreamily as she stepped into the hall and locked her door. “Didn’t know y’could get any more beautiful. In less than five minutes too. M’gonna faint when y’have more than a minute,” he smiled and headed down the stairs as if he hadn’t just stolen her heart.

She was a little surprised he went down the stairs first, but she was grateful because maybe he wouldn’t be able to tell she was shaky and gripping the railing to keep her upright after Harry’s sweet compliment. But she realized it was merely so he could open the door carefully and make sure she wouldn’t bump into someone in the alleyway. Once he decided the alleyway was cleared, he gestured for her to exit first. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“For what, kitten?” He smiled as he closed the door behind him.

“Being helpful and nice. I... I’m not really used to that,” she admitted.

The grin on his face was kind. He shoved his freehand in his pocket and shrugged. “Happy t’help y’principessa,” he winked and headed for Dolcezza, surely to open the door for her first.

“Why did he name it Dolcezza?” She asked following behind him.

Harry smiled and glanced over his shoulder to wink at the pretty girl. “It means sweetness. Antonio met his wife when he was studying business, called her la mia dolcezza. He always wanted t’own a restaurant but never knew what t’name it. He knew the second he met her,” he shrugged. “S’a cute story.”

“Very sweet,” she smiled as she walked by Harry to enter the warm and homey restaurant. She was correct in her assumption that he would hold the door open for her. He chuckled at her joke.

There was something about the girl he literally bumped into and proceeded to fall for instantly physically and emotionally. He wasn’t lying when he said it was compulsive to help her. The warmth he felt inspecting her hands for injury and the worry he felt when she didn’t seem sure of anchoring her bookshelf. The thought that she was just above the restaurant that he nearly lived at more than his own place was comforting. A tug on his heart he didn’t know where it came from but couldn’t help it. Harry had never felt such an emotion like this for someone he had just met. It was like he had known her his whole life and he hadn’t spent more than an hour in total speaking to her. But he wanted to spend forever talking to her now that he had a glimpse of someone so beautiful and gentle.

It took every bit of inner strength for Harry to refrain from telling her he would name every child, every restaurant, anything he could name, he would dedicate to her.

--

general taglist: @justlemmeadoreyou @daydreamingofmatilda @sunshinemoonsposts @youdontcaredoyou @tiredinwinter @loving-hazz @likeapplejuicenpeach @straightontilmornin @freedomfireflies @littlenatilda @kathb59 @babegoals @angel-upon @lilfreakjez @mleestiles @ameliaalvarez06 @canyonmoondreams @summertime-pills @daphnesutton @l4rrysh0use @perfectywrong @foreverxholland @lolyouallsuck @buckybarnessimpp @stylesfever @harrysxcarolina @haarrrys @lovrave @st-ev-ie @pandeebearstyles

Dolcezza: @matildasatellite

I'm sorry if I missed anyone in the taglist. Please let me know if you'd like to join, if it didn't work, if you no longer want to be included, etc. :)

If you like this, check out my masterlist for more of my writing.

[ateez-himari]

[241031] DORM LIVE

● 여상 is live on POP now (11:29 PM)

● 92,390 active viewers

[While two of the roommates introduce the furnished living room, their maknae walks in wearing her boyfriend's boxers and a loose sweater suspiciously identical to the one her brother left on his studio chair, waving to the camera while holding a box of Pepero]

H; [Signing to Yunho] "Do you need me to make dinner ? I think we have enough for sundubu jjigae and jjapaguri"

YH; [Signing back very slowly] "Sangie and I ordered some from the place down the street, we got you your favorite. I think it'll be here in about 15 minutes"

[With a nod she takes a seat on the couch while the oldest dormmate sets up the game console, resting her head on Yeosang's shoulder to read the comments]

H; I'm glad you guys like the furniture...I had to drag them out to get some because it was just empty space, a massage chair and protein powder

YS; Maybe if you used some of that protein powder you would've been able to lift the boxes by yourself...just saying

[She stares at him blankly before biting him, causing the phone to fall]

[Yeosang flips the camera to his roommates as the vocalist sits in a rather strange position, legs kicked up against the back pillows of the couch and head hanging from the edge while watching the spiderman gameplay]

YS; What is even going on...are you a bat ? Are you trying to be Spiderman ?

[After registering that he was addressing her, Himari proceeds to make the character's hand gestures before gently throwing a pillow instead of a web, which unfortunately lands right on their friend's face]

YH; Can you turn off the camera for a second...I don't want Atiny to see this

[As Yeosang goes back to speaking with their fans, squeals can be heard in the background along with two pairs of feet running around the apartment]

YS; This is ATEEZ in their natural habitat...well actually it's a rare sight to see in this dorm, usually Hima would be working on something

[Yunho is too concentrated on the game to hear what is going on around him and Himari is laying against his thigh, legs resting on Yeosang's while texting. Seconds later her finger slips on the sound button and a loud voice message of Jungkook screaming 'fuck' plays before she hurriedly cuts it off]

H;[Imitating Dr. Strange's hand movement]...Ah Dormammu

YH; Do you think the staff is watching our live this late- ?

H; I mean they can't fire me either way...right ? Everyone, it was Jeon Jungkook, my mouth would never utter such mean dirty words, he's a delinquent

[Yunho clears his throat very loudly, leading to the maknae slapping his thigh only for him to drop his controller and begin tickling her as Yeosang turns the camera back to himself, posing cutely to distract viewers from the chaos in front of him]

YS; Hahaha...we love each other very much Atiny, ATEEZ is always peaceful these two just have no idol image

[Himari is on the phone with Hongjoong on speaker while she paints her nails and Yunho speaking to Atiny to let Yeosang braid her hair]

HJ; I'm gonna go out for dinner Himi, don't forget to do your rehabilitation exercises, I haven't seen you do them yet

H; Haha, you're stalking our live ? I'll do them in a bit, love you oppa, goodnight

HJ; Love you too, eat well alright ? I sent you some dessert

[Himari is finishing up her rehabilitation exercises while talking to the fans as her roommates set up the freshly delivered food, something catching Yeosang's attention as she moves around slightly]

YS; Are you wearing underwear (boxers) instead of sleeping shorts ? Where did those come from ?

H; I dunno...I can ask Mingi where he bought them if you want, the brand might be on the waistband actually, let me check

[As she starts to pull the hem of the sweater up in order to see the boxers clearly, the two members stop her in a panic]

H; Oh but when you guys strip on stage it's fine huh-

[After a rather filling dinner, the maknae lays down on Yunho's back as he scrolls on his phone, resting on his stomach and barely flinching at her weight]

YS; She's like a big cat, she can't be without physical touch for more than 10 seconds especially when she's tired. Apparently Yunho is subject to mattress testing today

[Letting out a loud yawn she turns towards him and points towards her ear void of a hearing aid in preparation for a sudden nap, a gesture understood by the man who quickly translated it through clumsy hand signs]

H; It's the advantage of having 8 other members...you never have to sleep on the ground, or even in your bed

YS; Or you can just fall asleep in your studio and have one of your 8 members come drive you home-

[After taking a little while to register what he said she lunges over to him, accidentally digging her foot into Yunho's backside in the process - both male members rushing to attack her with pillows]

[The vocalist opted to lay on the tallest dancer's back once more, practically mimicking his position before turning her head to Yeosang]

H; [Signing while talking] "Sangie oppa, do you know when we're going back to Italy ?"

YS; [S] "I'm not sure...I think some time around January, why ?"

H; [S] "Hyunjin oppa just sent me a picture of this really pretty paintbrush set but apparently he only found it in Milan, so I wanted to go buy it...I have to buy some new scrolls and ink too but Seonghwa oppa is coming shopping with me tomorrow"

YH; You guys have no idea how much money she makes from royalties alone, and she has over 200, but she only spends it on art stuff...you should see her car, you'd never guess she gets paid that much

H; Are you dissing my car ?? You're just mad because your long legs don't fit in it

YH; [S] "At least they're not so short that I have to power walk just to keep up with our members, or have to wait for breakfast because I can't reach the cereal"

[Yeosang slowly zooms in on her offended face before she smothers his face in a pillow, causing the two to start play fighting yet again - a true cat/dog duo]

H; So NOW you're fluent in sign language huh ??

YS; I'm sure they'll work it out...

[Yunho can be heard screaming in the background as Himari jumps on him]

YS; They love each other so much-

[Worn out from so much physical exercise after a work filled day, the maknae is fast asleep with her head on Yeosang's thigh, holding a plush previously taken from her room as ammunition. Surprisingly the dorm's oldest fell asleep quickly as well, head resting on the vocalist's side]

YS; Well Atiny that's it for today's live, I guess I should get some sleep too, bye bye

Translated by 9024subs

[httpvomitello]

Call of Distraction *⁠.⁠✧

Donnie / Raph / Leo

Mikey was lounging in the lair, flipping through a comic book, when April’s phone rang. She glanced down and grinned as she saw your name.

“Mikey, it’s (Y/N). You want me to put her on speaker?”

His eyes lit up instantly. “(Y/N)? Yes, please! Always makes my day,” he said, setting down his comic and bouncing over to April.

She hit the speaker button, and your voice came through with a dramatic groan. “April, I am this close to losing my mind. Please tell me you’re free to chat.”

“Whoa, sounds serious. What’s going on?” April asked, clearly entertained.

You let out a long, exasperated sigh. “I’m drowning in work and am about three minutes away from tossing my laptop out the window. Please distract me before I start plotting its demise.”

Mikey couldn’t resist jumping in. “Dude, don’t worry! Your sanity rescue squad is here!”

You let out a laugh, already sounding better. “Oh, thank God. Mikey, you’re a true hero.”

He grinned, puffing out his chest like a superhero. “That’s right! Dr. Delicate Touch (wink) at your service. You need a good laugh? An epic story? Maybe a… live concert?” he suggested, strumming the air like an electric guitar.

“Oh, yes, all of the above, please!” you replied, playing along. “Anything to get me out of work mode.”

Mikey grinned. “Alright, picture this: Mikey vs. the world’s most terrifying pizza monster. It’s me, an oven, and a pizza with a mind of its own. I had to karate chop it back into the box before it took over the whole kitchen.”

“Oh no, Mikey, what if it attacks again?” you replied, feigning horror. “Sounds like you need a backup plan. Got any special moves?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I got tons,” he replied, jumping up and doing a spin kick, clearly hamming it up for you. “I’d go full ninja mode on it! But hey, why don’t you come over and help me train? I could always use a new sparring partner!”

April raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “You sure you’re not just trying to show off for (Y/N)?”

Mikey’s eyes widened, cheeks turning pink. “What? No way! I mean… maybe a little,” he admitted, laughing it off.

You laughed, too, clearly charmed. “Sounds like a plan, then. But be warned, I’m a master of distraction. You might get your pizza stolen right out from under you!”

“Oh, I’d like to see you try!” he challenged, laughing. “But don’t be surprised if you lose. I don’t let anyone get between me and pizza.”

“Challenge accepted, Michelangelo,” you replied, your tone playful. “Guess we’ll see who’s the real ninja.”

The rest of the turtles, who had been listening in with smirks on their faces, finally couldn’t hold back. Raph nudged Donnie, whispering, “They’re like two kids on a playground. He’s totally crushing.”

Mikey, catching the teasing glances from his brothers, tried to play it cool. “What? I’m just making sure (Y/N) doesn’t lose her mind over some boring ol’ work stuff.”

“Yeah, sure, Mikey,” Raph said with a knowing grin. “And it has nothing to do with the fact that you’re completely smitten?”

Mikey groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Man, you guys are the worst,” he muttered, trying to fight back the blush creeping up his cheeks.

But he couldn’t stop smiling either, already planning how he’d one-up you the next time you called. After all, if cheering you up meant he got to spend more time talking to you, he was more than happy to be on “sanity rescue squad” duty whenever you needed.

[ghcstao3]

based on the addition of this because i think it’s silly

-

It didn’t look my different from the other tapes, and that’s about as far as Ghost’s defence goes.

Dated and labelled accordingly as is every other tape in the box Ghost had unearthed while digging through his old things, he hardly thinks to be deterred by something titled Tommy’s wedding—it sounds perfectly normal, a happy glimpse into a life Ghost misses dearly from time to time, and he doesn’t see why he shouldn’t show Soap what had been recorded of a great memory.

The tapes were the only way Soap would ever get to know the Riley family, and Ghost supposes the wedding would be the perfect captured moment.

Except, whoever penned the label on the VHS thought it’d be real funny to betray the organization system just to play some practical joke on whoever decided to put the tape into the player more than a decade down the line.

Normally, Ghost might blame Tommy—but once the incriminating footage begins to play, the fault is obviously on Beth, because no one else would have ever had the need to see this tape in particular.

Soap immediately curls back into Ghost’s side as he returns to the couch, content to watch as he had all the other tapes Ghost had decided to show—a gentle fondness is inscribed into his expression as grainy chatter fills the space, a soft smile on his lips as a camera is shakily—and stealthily—set up in one of Tommy’s old mate’s living rooms.

Ghost frowns. Because distantly he recognizes the scene as Tommy’s stag, and not at all the wedding.

Though, he supposes, to lend credit—the precursor, ceremony, and reception could very well all just be mashed onto one tape. It’s what Ghost presumes, anyway, until he hears playful jeering and the clunky click of someone pressing play on a CD player.

It happens too fast, and realization comes much too slow as Tommy and a younger Simon appear just off-centre of the screen, entirely unaware of the camera pointed at them. Simon hears the first notes of the song and scrambles for the remote—only to find that Soap is holding it out of his reach, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he seems to come to some sort of revelation, too.

Ghost narrows his eyes. Commands, voice low, “Pause it, Johnny.”

Soap grins. “Don’t think so.”

It’s too late, anyhow.

Ghost is well and truly fucked as the Spice Girls’ Wannabe filters through his TV’s speakers. He’s never been so mortified.

He wishes he could melt into the couch along with his shame, watching his brother and younger self dance to the song in the same way they’d choreographed when the thing first came out. As stupidly drunk as they were at the time of the video playing on screen, Ghost is surprised they remembered any of it at all.

Any being too much, of course.

Soap only pauses when the song comes to an end, looking to Ghost expectantly, biting his cheek to surely keep from bursting into laughter then and there.

Ghost refuses to look him in the eye.

“We were pissed,” Ghost grumbles. “Bachelor party.”

“You still remember the dance?” Soap goads.

Ghost turns to glare at him. “Johnny.”

“What?” Soap’s face twitches. “Just a question. Of which you didn’t answer.”

Ghost folds his arms petulantly across his chest. How he wishes Beth were still around so he could get revenge for this embarrassing incident. Beyond embarrassing, really.

“No, I don’t.” Yes, he does. “A word of this to anyone and you’re dead, Tav.”

“Aw.” Soap folds back into Ghost’s side, and Ghost could never deny the way he softens, even if just a bit. Soap trails a palm from Ghost’s bicep to his forearm, almost soothing if his only intention wasn’t to tease. “You don’t mean tha’.”

“I do,” Ghost insists, but really, he’s always been a bad liar.

Soap shakes his head. “Nah,” he sighs. “But… I won’t tell anyone, swear. So long as I get to see you do that dance—otherwise this tape is getting rewound and shipped to Gaz with the VCR.”

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“Mhm,” Soap hums. “But only out of love, see.”

Ghost rolls his eyes. He plucks the remote from Soap’s hand and presses stop, not wanting to risk any more condemning footage appear. Perhaps he’ll have to start going through these tapes by himself first, from now on.

“Well, out of love I’ll let you live. How’s that?”

Soap smiles up at him, reaching up an arm to pat Ghost’s cheek twice. “Might be able to convince me.”

Ghost huffs. Convince he must, then.

He knows Beth and Tommy would’ve found this hilarious, the pricks.

In another life, he supposes.

[cherry-holmes]

RIVER - Javier Peña x f!Reader

Glimpse of a life with Javier Peña

Chapter —

MASTERLIST

Summary: Javi took you to his favorite place on earth: heaven.

SERIES MASTERLIST

Pairing: Javier Peña x Female Reader

Word count: +3k

Warnings: Angst with happy ending (sad!Javi) Parent loss. | SMUT. Again, there's a lot of plot before the smut😅P in V sex. Unprotected sex. Rough-ish sex. Fingering. Sex in a public place -ish. Breeding kink. Praise kink. Pregnancy talk.

A/N: Hello, Hola! First of all I want to thank all of you for the support you gave me on my first work! Muchas gracias! I been writing for almost ten years now, but I haven't publish anything since my first fanfic on Wattpad in 2017😅

I hope you like this one as much as the first one!

I repeat, I'm not a native English speaker, but I'm a translator student so I hope I'm doing it well!

If you wanna send me a request, my box is open!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Several daily high temperature records were broken Tuesday in Texas, including at Houston Hobby Airport, Corpus Christi, Laredo and Del Rio. Laredo hit 115 degrees, marking its 10th consecutive day of record highs...

Indeed, as the reporter mentioned on the radio, those were incredibly hot summer days. The air was dry and the sun was burner, it drain all your energy.

You tried to be helpful at the Peña's Ranch during your work vacations, but the chores felt like torture. Javier and his father used to spend hours under the unforgiving sun, repairing fences, tending to horses, herding cattle, and dealing with clients looking for meat animals. The life of a ranch owner was undeniably tough but prosperous.

Sunday arrived with the thermometer hitting nearly 115 degrees. When you woke up that morning, you anticipated a challenging day ahead. However, Javier woke up with a plan in mind. He mentioned knowing about a river around 22 kilometers from the ranch were he used to spend all summer with his cousins when he was a child. You hadn't explored much of the city since you'd been living there for five months since your return from Colombia. So, you were excited about the idea of discovering your new home state, and most importantly, having a day off to immerse yourself in nature. He was delighted that you had agreed to the plan and suggested that you wear sportswear for hiking and a swimsuit.

You inquired him if his father would join, but he explained that Don Chucho would attend the morning mass and then spend the rest of the day at his brother's house.

"It's just you and me today, mi vida," he promised, his large hands squeezing your hips as he left soft kisses on your shoulders as you prepared containers with cubes of watermelon and mango seasoned with lemon and chile Tajín.

Javier placed a small cooler in the back of his '94 Dodge Ram and filled it with beers, water, the fruits you had prepared, and some tamales you had bought and had leftover from the night before.

You jumped into the passenger seat, and Javi turned on the radio as the truck roared to life. The sound of cumbias tejanas played softly as you admired the view of Laredo's countryside. The wind blew through your hair, and Javi drummed his fingers on the steering wheel syncing with the rhythm of Bobby Pulido's song. You felt his free hand touch yours, and when you looked at him, he took your knuckles and placed a kiss on them. He briefly took his eyes off the road to gaze into yours and said, "You look so beautiful today."

Your cheeks turned red as you laughed shyly, but you couldn't resist teasing him, "Only today?"

He grinned and replied, "You've always been a beauty, chiquita."

Thirty minutes later, Javier parked the truck in an improvised parking lot used by visitors to the river. You grabbed your backpack, which was packed with clean towels and dry underwear, while Javi carried the cooler and his own backpack. As you followed him through the lush vegetation and the cool water of the river, you welcomed the fresh air and the shade of the trees. Families and groups of young friends, some with dogs and others who appeared to have camped there overnight, were scattered about. But you notice that Javi didn't follow the same path as the rest of the visitors.

Curious, you asked Javi, "Where are we going?"

He grinned and replied, "It's a surprise."

You continued hiking uphill, leaving the main river trail further and further behind. However, you could still hear the gentle rush of the river. The air was filled with the fresh aroma of blooming flowers and damp earth. Butterflies fluttered everywhere, and you spotted squirrels and birds with vibrant-colored feathers.

After thirty minutes of hiking, you began to feel very sweaty and tired, especially in your knees due to the rocky path.

"Javi," you called to him, noticing he was climbing effortlessly. "Javi," you called again, a bit more concerned, "Are we lost?"

"Be patient," he responded, sounding a bit agitated but not as much as you were. "You hear that? We're almost there," he encouraged.

You focused on your surroundings, and you could perceive the sound of a waterfall nearby.

You followed him through the large rock formation, and before you knew it, a lagoon fed by a waterfall appeared in front of you. The sun reflected on the surface of the crystal-clear water, making it shimmer. The breeze from the waterfall caressed your face, a soft wind drying your sweat with a gentle, cooling touch, rustling the leaves around you.

The warmth of the sun on your skin and the cool breeze from the river created the perfect atmosphere. It felt like heaven on earth, like an Eden. And the fact that you were there with the person you loved the most made it all feel ethereal.

"You like it?" Javi asked gently in your ear, sending a shiver down your spine as he wrapped his broad arms around your waist and pulled you closer to him.

"Oh my God, Javi, it's so beautiful," you exclaimed, "I love it."

"Nobody will find us here, mi vida," he promised, "People follow the marked path, not all of them explore the surroundings," he explained. "As I told you, it's just you and me. Wanna take a swim?"

"Oh God, yes!" you exclaimed as you placed your backpack under a tree. You were wearing a black swimsuit under your shorts and oversize sports crop top, so you just had to take them off, and you jumped into the water.

The water was so clear that you could see the rocks at the bottom perfectly, and the shimmer of the sun on your skin. You swam to the center of the lagoon, and you heard the distant splash of another body jumping into the water. By the time you surfaced, Javier was already at your side, hugging your body and placing a peck on your lips as you wrapped his torso with your legs. You combed his hair disheveled by the water, running your fingers through his black hair. Then, you caressed his face, passing your thumbs on his mustache and bottom lip. He closed his eyes, absorbing your gentle petting. Your fingers wandered through the freckles painting his broad chest and shoulders. You cupped his face with your hands and kissed him with the perfect combination of tenderness and passion that you knew drove him completely dumb for you.

When he opened his big brown puppy eyes, he looked at you as if you were everything he had ever known.

"Te amo mucho, flaquita," he expressed tenderly.

"Yo también te amo, mi corazón," you promised.

"Are you hungry?" he asked after a couple of minutes of tender kisses and sweet nothings in the water.

"Very much," you laughed and started swimming to the shore.

Javi placed a towel on a rock near the water, and you both sat down to start eating and drinking what you brought. You even fed a squirrel with a piece of tamal, which made Javi laugh as he watched you melt in cuteness for the little animal.

"So, you used to come here with your cousins?" you asked him, eager to learn about his youth and his family. He nodded.

"We used to climb to the top of the mountain and swim in the river that everyone knows," he explained. But his expression shifted from a normal nostalgic sentiment to almost sadness in his eyes. He fell silent for a moment, and you regretted asking and potentially ruining the great moment you were having. However, he continued, "After my mom passed away, I was very angry with the whole world. I started being rude with my father and I started to smoke and get drunk with my friends." He let out a laugh, but it was empty. You knew little about how he lost his mother, since he didn't like to talk about it. He had told you that she was sick, that he was fifteen at the time, and that his father never married again. "One day I had a big argument with my dad. He was very angry because I failed all my exams, so I ran away and came here to the river. I was so angry and lost in thought that I didn't notice I had taken the wrong trail and got lost. So, I kept walking until I found this place."

He looked at the waterfall and the treetops, and you felt a shiver and a lump in your throat.

"I sat on this very rock and cried my eyes out, thinking about how much I missed my mom and that I was ashamed of my behavior towards my father," he added. "This place became my refuge. I used to come here every time I felt anxious, tired, or sad. I never told or brought anybody to this place, not even my father."

You couldn't help but wonder if he had ever brought Lorraine here. After all, she had been his first fiancée, and you wondered if he had considered sharing this secret place with her. However, you didn't dare to ask him, afraid of his response or of making him lie just to please you.

But he knew you so damn well, almost as if he could hear the unspoken question burning in your mind. He loved your low-key jealousy.

"Not even her," he clarified. His hand took yours and caressed your still-wet fingers, then he placed his big brown eyes on yours, so devoted to you. "The very first moment I saw you, I swear that you reminded me of this place. I don't know if it was the heat of the Colombian summer or the blue dress you wore that day, but seeing you seated at your desk brought me a peace I haven't felt in a long time."

You felt tears of happiness gathering in your eyes, butterflies in your stomach, and your cheeks turning cherry red. Javi moved closer to you, wrapping an arm around your waist, his intense gaze still on your bright eyes.

"In that moment, I told myself that I have to bring you here, as my wife. Today is the first time I came back in seven years since I left for Colombia. And you are the only person I've ever shown my most precious secret."

Your hands reached for his face, making him stay still as you kissed him deeply and passionately. His hands went to your back, pulling you closer and kissing you back. You tasted the saltiness of your tears in between the kiss, but so did Javi, so he wiped them away with his thumb.

"I promised to you to be worthy of you, baby, and I intend to make it last forever," he promised.

"You have my heart, Javi," you promised back. "You're everything I have."

He leaned in to kiss your lips again, and then he stood up, pulling you up too.

"Enough of crying, babygirl. Let's swim," he said as he stepped into the water, but you let go of his hand, making him frown.

"Wait," you said, looking around, "Are you sure nobody knows about this lagoon?"

"I'm damn sure, baby. What's the matter?" he said, a bit confused, until he saw you taking off your swimsuit. His eyes darkened as they roamed your completely naked body, and you noticed his Adam's apple moving up and down.

"Is it okay?" you asked him, a mix of innocence and naughtiness that made his cock throb inside his shorts.

"You're amazing," he said as he started taking off his own swimsuit and then pulled you to him and into the water.

He kissed your lips, your cheeks, your chest, and you felt his cock half-hardened against your lower belly. But he let you go, and instead of diving straight into sexual matters, you both swam all around the lagoon, drank all the beers, bathed under the stream of the waterfall, and explored the depths searching for weird-shaped rocks. Sex was an amazing experience in your relationship. You both enjoyed each other's bodies and could spend hours tangled in your shared bed, on the couch, or in any other intimate place. The two of you also knew that there were many ways to make love, and not all of them were about sex. This was one of the connections that Javier learned from being with you. He adored your naked body, and it turned him on. There were days when he just couldn't keep his hands off you. However, he also learned to appreciate it in a way that went beyond lustful desires, reaching a level of intimacy that felt almost divine. He saw you through your nakedness, connecting with your soul, and vice versa.

But when you do fuck, you mean it.

The sun was starting to dip lower in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over the lagoon. You felt his bare body behind you, his arms around your torso as he kissed your neck. You began to rub your buttcheeks against his cock, making him hiss.

Javi's hands disappeared under the water, looking for your core. His index and middle finger found your clit and began to traced gentle circles as he squeezed one of your breasts with his free hand.

You let out a couple of soft moans, trying to keep as quiet as possible, but Javi fastened his touch, making it so hard for you.

"Don't worry, nobody will hear us," he assured you, whispering to your ear, "C'mon, bonita, let me hear you begging for my cock."

"Javi...", you whimpered, feeling his dick slipping on your ass and his fingers between your folds.

"You're such a Goddess," he praised. Javier knew every detail about how to make love to you. He was proud of knowing every corner of your body, every angle, every freckle and every beauty mark over your body. He knew how to made you whimper and scream, and how to make you undone. Yet, he never get bored, not even after three years of relationship and the most wonderful four months of marriage. He would never had enough of every aspect of you.

"I... I need to... feel you inside," you whimpered.

He wanted to made you cum with his fingers and his mouth first, as he always do. But the scene was so kinky and erotic, making his cock throb so painfully.

"Fuck," he hiss, as he carried you, making you gasp, and took you back to the towel.

Javi laid down and you jumped on top of him. His cock was lying on his belly, so you started rubbing it between your wet folds, massaging your clit with his head. His hands captured your hips, so tight you think it would let bruises with the shape of his fingers. But you didn't care, it felt so good.

"I don't brought condoms, baby," he confessed.

"Are you telling me that you planned all this so I let you cum inside of me?", you teased, he shrugged playfully. "You're such a bad boy."

"What are you gonna do about it? Don't tell me that you don't want it too, feel your tight pussy filled with my cum," he whispered, making your core throb around his cock. He grinned, feeling you become even wetter. "I was thinking about starting to build that second bedroom I told you about. How does that sound?"

That was the signal. You and Javi lived in a house that he build years ago. It was at three kilometer from his father's ranch, and since he was not planning to get married at that time, the house only had one room. But now that the panorama had changed, the house was about to transform from a bachelor house to a family home. Starting for make a baby's room next to the the main room.

And just like that, Javi was asking you about starting to try. You answered with a nod and a shaking sigh, your body reacting to his words.

"C'mon, cowgirl, let's put a baby on you," he added, as you took his cock to your entrance. You moan hard as you felt his length stretching your walls, clenching around him. "Fuck, I love that pussy," he groaned.

He was also mesmerized by the view of you on top of him: your skin glowing at the sunlight, drops of water over your shoulders, your wet hair waving with soft air, your hands on his chests, your hardened nipples and your drop-shaped breasts. You looked gorgeous as always.

"You feel so deep, Javi," you moan, starting to moving back and forth, up and down with gentle movements. His pubic hair caressing your swollen clit, his hands over your hips and waist. "I want you to fill my pussy with your cum."

His cock felt different without a condom. You were a married couple, but you still had intercourse with protection, given that you didn't have plans to have a baby until now, and Javi wasn't selfish to make you take pills full of hormones and side effects. He always tried to have condoms on hand, and even though he had insisted that you didn't have to take morning-after pills, you both had sex without protection a couple of times. You always let him know how much you loved his bare cock inside of you and you knew how much he loved it too.

Your whimpers mixed with the sound of the waterfall was music for Javi's ears. He began to push his hips up at the same time as you went down, meeting each other halfway. The air was filled with filthy sounds of wet bodies and moans and whimpers. His name escaped your lips like a prayer, as he watch his cock disappeared inside your dripping cunt.

"I'm comin'... I'm... fuck...," you cried, as you felt a knot buildup on your lower belly.

"I know baby, I can feel your pussy clenching for me," he said. Javi took control of the situation, as you let him fuck you nice and deep, one thumb on your clit and his free arm around your waist to make you stay still. You placed your hands at both sides of his head, so he was able to capture your nipple with his mouth, making you cried and soaking wet.

"Don't you fuckin' stop, Javier! Just like that, me gusta cuando me coges así," you pleaded as he fastened his thrusts.

"Quiero verte corriéndote en mi verga," he commanded.

You reached your climax with a silent scream as the waves of pleasure washed over you, squirting over his cock. You pulled your hips up unconsciously, but he pulled you back down again, buried so deep into you. You felt him almost rubbing your cervix as his warm and thick load painted your walls.

He was also growling and letting out soft whimpers as he watched your pussy dripping a mix of his cum and your honey.

Javi pull out and placed your body beside him, kissing your collarbone and caressing the curves of your waist as you came down from your cloud of bliss.

"That was amazing," you murmured after a minute, your cheeks burning. You cupped his cheeks and kiss him on the lips again.

"I wanna swim again," he said, starting to stood up taking your hand to follow him.

But you pulled him closer, pressing his chest against your breasts as you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, your tongues entwining. "You're not going anywhere. I told you that you were a bad boy, and you must be punished for that behavior, mister."

He grinned devilishly as you placed your hands over his shoulders and pushed him down your body.

[llamaisllama777]

The Sun and Moon show au!

God!Sun or TheGoldenSun!

[A Sun rises. A Sun and Moon show fanfic]

Moon was messing around on his computer in the daycare. "Finalizing designs." The computer said over the speakers of the daycare. "How long till completion?" Moon asked, clearly looking antsy. "5 minutes." The computer replied.

"Too long long. Expedite it." Moon said with a sense of urgency. "Will do, sir." The computer began to expedite the process. The loading bar started to move faster. First 3% then 25%, 56%, 77%, 99%, till finally the computer lit up. A big download complete box appeared on the screen.

Moon smiled widely. "Yes! It's complete!" Moon pushed a button, and Moon watched as his newest invention sprung to life. Literally. The toys jumped up, striking a similar pose that Sun and Moon would do when children would first enter the daycare.

Moon and Sun action figures.

The toys' eyes lit up, glowing a fine baby blue color. Moon picked up the sun toy and pushed the button on the back of it. The toy began to move. Moon put the toy back on the desk and watched it jump,twirl,and roll around the desk.

"Hi there!" The toy spoke in a slightly higher pitched voice similar to Sun's. "I'm Sundrop, and this is my brother Moondrop." The toy motioned for its other half to do it's thing.

The Moon toy stood up and began to do similar spins,tricks, and flips like the Sun toy had done before landing perfectly and striking a pose.

"Well, hi there, kiddie. I'm Moondrop!" The toy said in a excitable tone that was very unlike regular Moon. Moon chuckled.

"Fully operational." Moon said as he picked up the toys and turned them off. The toys' eyes faded from blue to black and said, "Goodbye, kids" and "Good night, kids"

Moon smiled and dropped the toys into a box. "Just in time for Christmas." The computer said"

"Yep" Moon replied.

"The kids are gonna love this."

"Hey, computer, can you check on how Earth and Monty are?" Moon asked as he started to box up more of the Sun and Moon toys he had just built.

"Of course, sir. According to Earth's last internet post, she and Monty are visiting the Great Wall of China and are on their way to visit the Terracotta solider statues."

"Sounds nice." Moon replied. "Still can't believe Monty is our brother-in-law in now.... sister-in-law? Them-in-law?" Moon asked, confused on what to call Monty.

Sun then walked into the daycare. "Hey, Moon. Hey, Spaniard."

"Hey, brother." Moon said over his shoulder as he moved a box elsewhere.

"Hello, Sun." The computer replied.

"What'cha doing?" Sun asked as he saw the dozens of boxes. His face lit up as he saw what the boxes were full of.

"Ahhhhhh! You finished them!" Sun said as he darted towards a box full of the toys. He grabbed one and pressed the button on its back.

The toy did spins, flips, tricks, and even sang songs to Sun. "These are so cool, Moon. Thank you. The kids are gonna love these!" Sun said in awe at his brother's craftsmanship.

"Thanks, but I really should be thanking you." Moon said with a genuine smile.

Sun looked at Moon nervously and asked, "Y.. you should thank me? W..wh..why?"

Moon found Sun's reaction was a little odd, but he just brushed it off. "Well, you're the one who gave me the idea to make these more advanced toys of us. You said you "wished the kids could take us home with them so they always have a friend with them.""

"Oh, ya, I.. I did say that."

Moon placed a hand on Sun's shoulder. "Hey, bro, you okay?" Moon asked, concerned with how his brother was acting.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be okay?" Sun said as he brushed Moon's hand off his shoulder.

"You just sound... I don't know... nervous for some reason."

"Me? nervous? No." Sun said in a very obviously nervous voice. "I'm not nervous. Why would I be nervous?"

Sun grabbed one of the boxes and started to carry it to where Moon had placed the other boxes for pick up.

Moon could see through his brother's thinly veiled lie. He was nervous for some reason.

Suddenly, it all clicked for Moon.

"Oooh. I know why you're nervous." Moon said in a somewhat mocking tone.

Sun froze with fear. "Y... you did?"

"Yep. It all makes sense."

Sun started to panick internally. "Not again! Not again! Not again!" Was the only phrase that kept popping into Sun's mind. Did his brother really figure it out again?

"You..."

Sun could feel everything start to slow down. No. No. No. He couldn't do this again. Sun waited for his brother's next words with dread.

"Have a girlfriend!" Moon exclaimed.

Sun stared at his brother for a few seconds and laughed. A wave of calm washed over Sun.

"Bahahahahaahahaha! No, Moon, I do not have a girlfriend."

"Oh.... then why are you nervous?"

Sun froze again. He needed to think of a way out of this. He didn't want to lie to his brother, but he also couldn't tell him the truth. Thankfully, like clockwork, an employee walked into the daycare. "Hey, Sun. Hey, Moon."

The employee said as he waved to the two brotherly bots.

"Hey, Tim." Moon said as he returned the wave to the young employee. "Hi, Tim." Sun said as he placed the box on the floor. "What's up?"

"I got the trucks pulled. We're ready for the toys." The employee took a peak into one of the boxes.

"Yoo! These look really cool! Can I have one?" The human employee asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Moon said in reply.

"Go ahead. We're not gonna say no." Sun replied.

"Sick!" The young human employee said. "Thanks, boss!" The employee said as he pocketed two of toys and lifted the boxes onto a dolly and pushed them out the door.

"See ya, boss."

"See ya, kid." "Bye, Tim." the two brothers said as they waved goodbye to him.

"Nice kid, glad we hired him." Moon said as he walked back to his station.

"Ya. He's a good one."

Sun noticed that Tim's unexpected visit had actually saved him from having to lie to Moon and had made Moon forget their previous conversation. Sun was relieved. Sun decided to switch the topic of conversation even more.

"So, um, have you heard from Earth today?"

"Hmm? No, not yet she's been busy. Her and Monty are still on their whole exploring the world trip. From what I've heard, they're in China currently."

"Oh, nice." Sun replied.

"I'm happy for them. They've been working hard lately they deserve the vacation."

Moon nodded in agreement."We should take one soon."

"That's not a bad idea, but it'll have to wait till after the holidays." Sun said, loving the idea of taking a vacation with just his brother it would be like the old days back when it was just Sun and Moon.

"I can wait till after Christmas." Moon said as he began to tap away at his keyboard. "Where would you like to go?"

Sun thought about it. There were a lot of places he'd love to go, so it was hard to just choose one.

"I.. I don't know... Tokyo?"

Moon bounced the idea around in his head a bit but ended up rejecting it. "Nah. Germany?" Moon suggested.

Sun shook his head. "No, we went there with Freddy and Toy Chica once, remember?"

"Well, we can go again."

Sun just shook his head, no.

Moon rolled his eyes. "Vegas?"

Sun laughed at that suggestion. "What are we? Monty?"

Moon laughed at his own suggestion, too. "Ya, I can see it now, I'm cheating a blackjack while you're losing our entire business at the slots machines."

"Hey, I would not lose!"

"Suuuurrrree, buddy, sure." Moon said with one last chuckle.

Sun and Moon stayed in the daycare, talking about possible vacation locations until Spaniard spoke up. "Sirs, you got a message from Lunar."

"Play it." Moon said, not taking his attention off the computer keys.

A very loud scream was heard over the speakers. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Sun and Moon jumped with fear.

"Oh jeez!"

"Ah! What?!"

An evil little laugh was heard over the speakers.

"Sorry, guys, haha." Lunar laughed.

Moon sighed and shook his head while Sun held his chest, checking for a heart attack even though he didn't have a heart.... that he knew of.

"H..hey, Lunar." Sun said, still clutching his chest.

"Hey, guys! I'm coming over for dinner tonight. Do you want me to pick up anything?"

Sun thought about it for a minute. "Pizza, maybe? No! Spaghetti." Sun said.

Moon yelled up to the speakers. "Get me fettuccine!"

"Got it." Lunar said. "Oh by the way Monty's dad is with me. He says he's coming over too."

"Great." Sun said rather unenthusiastically. Ever since Monty and Earth tied the knot, Monty's pops had been coming around Sun and Moon's house a lot. They had no idea why. Moon's current theory is: Monty's dad is just bored and looking for some guy friends to hang out with.

"Tell him not to touch the dvr!" Moon yelled at the speaker. "I am not watching twelve hours of British soap operas with him again!"

"Got it." Lunar replied.

"When will you be home?" Sun asked.

"Umm... another ten... maybe nine minutes?"

"Okay, we'll see you then."

"Bye, Lunar."

"Bbbbyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeee!" Lunar said as the computer ended the call.

"Has his voice gotten louder?" Sun asked.

"Don't know, but it sure sounds like it."

Sun was about to make another comment on how their brother was till he heard the fimilar jingling of bells.

Moon and Sun turned their attention to the door to the daycare. The doors opened, and in stepped a brown skinned human girl with green emerald like eyes and two pigtails that had hair ties with bells wrapped around them.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed as she ran to Sun. "Dazzle!" Sun exclaimed.

Sun ran and picked up Dazzle and trapped her in a big hug. "Ooooh, Dazzle. What brings you here? You know Daddy's working."

"Better question: How did you get here?" Just as Moon asked that question, they heard a knock on the door. Solar was leaning against the door lightly knocking on it. "Sup?" Solar said.

"Hey, Cuz." Moon said still not taking his eyes off the computer.

"Solar? You brought Dazzle here?"

"Ya, the little tike called me and asked me to bring her here." Solar said as he removed his goggles.

"Dazzle, you know you aren't allowed to use the phone unless it's an emergency." Sun said very, very lightly, scolding Dazzle.

"But there was an e..emergency." Dazzle said.

"Oh? And what was the emergency?" Sun asked.

"I missed you."

Random aws was heard from somewhere. Sun looked around the room, confused, wondering where the aws were coming from. All eyes fell on Moon who was messing with his computer.

"Sorry, I was watching some cat video."

Moon pushed the play button and more "Aw"s were heard.

Sun just smiled and shook his head. "Welp, while you're here, you wanna see the new toys Uncle Moon made?"

Dazzle gasped. "Ya! Ya! Yaa!"

"Moon?"

"Sure. Here you go." Moon tossed Sun two of the toys, Sun caught them and handed them to Dazzle. Dazzle gasped when she saw them. "They look just like you guys!" She exclaimed.

"You think they're cool now? Just push that button right on their backs."

Dazzle flipped the toys over and pushed the button on their backs. The toys stood up and grabbed each other's hands, and did a tumbling routine. Dazzle laughed as they did.

"They're amazing!"

"I know, right?" Sun said, complementing his brother's work.

"You made those?" Solar asked as he examined the toys.

"Ummm... ya. I make toys." Moon replied.

"Since when?"

"Since forever." Moon said, kinda thinking Solar would know the answer.

"Oh, I didn't know. Neat." Solar said, complementing Moon on his toy-making skills.

"I could swore you knew." Moon was surprised, sure him and Solar weren't that close, but he figured he would at least know about his doll making hobby.

"W.. well, let's not swear." Sun said, trying to change the topic of their conversation.

"Hey, Dazzle, Your Uncle Lunar is coming for dinner."

Dazzle gasped again. "Yaaaaa! I like Uncle Lunar, he's small like me."

Sun laughed and patted Dazzle on head. "Yes, he is, and one day, you'll be taller than him."

Dazzle laughed and clapped for joy at the thought of being taller than her Uncle Lunar. Then she could pick him up like a plushie and carry him around.

Solar took a brief glance at his phone. "Hey, we should probably get going. Jack is in the car, and he's getting antsy being in there alone."

The whole room fell silent as Sun and Moon turned their gaze to Solar. Solar looked around the room, confused and slightly concerned.

"What?"

"You left Jack... in your car.... unattended?" Sun asked with a hint horror hidden in his voice.

"Umm... ya. How much trouble can he really cause? He's strapped in the backseat tighter than Fort knox."

Just then, Solar felt his phone vibrate. He looked down at it, and his calm, indifferent expression faded into one of shock, confusion, and concern.

"How did he manage to crash into a lightpost?! Was he actually backseat driving or something?"

Solar exclaimed.

Moon shrugged. "Hmh? You made him. You should know."

"Well, I don't."

Solar sighed and rubbed his eyelids.

"Alright, let's go check and see if Jack is okay and if the car is still in.... driveable condition, shall we?"

Moon nodded and followed behind his cousin.

"You coming, Sun?" Moon shouted from the next room. "Ya, in a minute!"

"Okay, Dazzle, you follow your Uncle Moon and Solar while daddy deals with some adult business."

"Okie-dokie." Dazzle said just before she sped off after her uncles.

Sun smiled and let out a content sigh. Sun's expression changed from one of contentment to one of seriousness. Sun sat down on the follow and closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Sun spent what must have been a few seconds like that till he opened his eyes and was in a completely different realm. The whole place looked like space. Stars and planets littered his view. He turned his view to a very fimilar figure in the distance. Sun got up and walked over to the figure.

The figure swirled his wine glass and took a sip of it as the figure hummed a song to himself. Sun stood behind the fimilar figure.

"I'm here." Sun said with a serious tone.

The figure smiled and finished his drink. The figure turned around, revealing himself to be a variant of Sun who wore a black and red tux vest. It was Dark Sun.

"So, you are." Dark Sun said with a villainous smile. "Tell me, my little wanna-be god, how are things on earth? I saw you almost slipped up back there."

"I don't want to do this anymore." Sun said plainly.

Dark Sun looked puzzled. "You'll have to be more specific. What exactly do you not want to do anymore?"

"Lying! I don't want to lie to Moon anymore or Solar or Earth or Lunar or anyone! I'm done lying!"

Sun said sternly. He had lied to his family for too long now and had done too many things he needed to get this off his chest. He could feel the weight of his guilt and secrets crushing him!

Dark Sun let out a small chuckle at Sun's words.

"Oh, you'll keep lying cause if you decide to blow the lid off this little secret of ours and go back on your word, I can't promise I won't go back on mine. "Dark Sun said sinisterly as his eyes began to glow a deep,dark blood red.

Sun stiffened up at his dark variant's threats.

"Y... you ww.. wouldn't dare." Sun manage to stutter out

"Oh, I dare." Dark Sun replied.

"We've done a lot of good for the world, Sun," Dark Sun said as he placed a hand on Sun's shoulder. "Why ruin it just cause you feel a little guilty to bumping off some old furry?"

"We didn't kill him."

"But he certainly isn't here anymore, is he?" Dark Sun said. Dark Sun could see his words had cut through Sun.

"Good boy. Now, run along and be with your family. Oh, and remember... no one must find out what we did. I don't want you spilling your guts out to anybody. Cause if you do, I can either erase their memories again like the last thirty times or maybe.... I'll come up with a more... "permanent solution" if you know what I mean?"

Sun's eyes widened in fear. "Don't you dare touch them!" Sun yelled as he raised his hand, and a golden light formed around his hand. A blast of air was sent flying at Dark Sun. The blast sent Dark Sun's wine glass flying, and invisible force began to choke Dark Sun. Dark Sun struggled to break free from Sun's magic grasp. Dark Sun watched as Sun's eyes began to glow a gold color. Dark Sun couldn't help but laugh.

Sun confused dropped Dark Sun. "Why are you laughing?" Dark Sun interrupted his own laughter."Cause you're starting to look so much like him."

Sun's became filled his regret, and his face reflected that. Dark Sun just chuckled.

"You're starting to remind me more and more of Nexus and Golden Freddy every day, ya know that?"

Sun couldn't even bring himself to look up at Dark Sun. He just looked down into the cosmos below him.

Dark Sun placed a firm but gentle hand on one Sun's shoulders. "It's alright. I get it you don't like lying to your family, BUT you know if you told them the truth what they would have, you do."

Sun nodded his head slowly in agreement.

"As much you or they hate it,Sun, we did a good thing. Probably the BEST thing for the universe. Because of us everyone is happy. You get a peaceful life with your family with no Fazbear or Creator, Monty gets his dad back and a happy and quiet life with Earth. Lunar doesn't have to deal with the stress or fear of the Astrals and his powers, and Moon doesn't have to face the repercussions of his actions and doesn't have to worry about accidentally creating another star or Eclipse or something. We did the right thing, Sun. It may not feel like it. Heck, it may NEVER feel like it, but we did do the right thing, I assure you of that."

Sun was just silent all of Dark Sun's speech. He wanted to argue with Dark Sun, but part of him didn't want to, believing that Dark Sun was correct and that they had done the right thing.

Dark Sun patted Sun on the shoulder. "Now, run along. Dazzle and the others are probably wondering where you are. Oh, and Sun.... don't do anything stupid." Dark Sun said as he returned to his work of watching over the universe and guarding it against all magical threats.

Sun began to walk away. He looked down at his still glowing hand. He had the power to be a god. He had the power to protect his family and keep them safe. He had the power for everything to go right for once.... but this wasn't HIS power. It was Golden's, and he stole it. Sun took one last look at Dark Sun and began to meditate again.

"It's tough to be a god, Sun. But it's tougher being mortal."

Sun couldn't disagree with Dark Sun's logic. It was better to be a god and deal with the dark secrets he had to keep than to be mortal and have to go back to the way things were.

When Sun opened his eyes, he was back in the daycare. He checked his phone. He had thankfully only been gone for a minute, but to him in that realm a minute felt like ten years. Sun picked himself back up, dusted his uniform, and put a big fake smile on for all to see and began to skip out the door after Dazzle saying,

"Dazzle, wait for me!"

Hope you enjoyed part 1 of The Golden Sun au. More to come.

[h-didanart]

Guys. Father’s Day

Yeah?

Ok. Father’s day in the Crescent household.

Yes? Let’s go

(KC uses he//she//they, SolarFlare uses they//them)

— — —

KC hadn’t exactly expected to have a shorter shift than usual, being content with the everyday twelve hours. Yet his coworkers had pushed him to leave earlier, and they had sounded very set on the decision.

And so, here she was, walking back home at three in the afternoon. She had to admit, the views were rather nice at this time of the day, something he didn’t always get to see but still appreciated.

Perhaps they should take the children on a nature walk that week? They didn’t need to drop by the Plex, and he didn’t have shifts on the weekend, it would all depend on Star and Queso’s tech management things. It did sound like a lovely idea however, he’ll have to make a note for that.

As it stands she was already at the current campsite, making their way to the RV when Flare walked out of it. They were both startled by the other, KC being the one to talk first after the shock.

“I am aware you were expecting me to arrive at a later time, however my coworkers decided that I would go back home earlier today,” he chuckled, “‘my Father’s Day gift’ they had called it”

Flare looked at her, processing the information. It took a bit but they seemed to understand soon enough, KC felt bad over messing up their schedule though and was about to apologize, but Flare quickly diverted his attention to a path nearby.

“We Should Go Walk,” they pointed at the trees, “There Isn’t A Lot To Do Here. You Might Like To See The Nearby River”

KC hummed. “I suppose we could, I would like to leave my things here first however”

Flare nodded, moving away from the RV’s entrance and letting KC enter. They set the box with food on the counter and were about to set their bag down before remembering something. She had picked up a curious looking rock for Queso, he knew he collected them, so she should probably get that to him before leaving.

He exited the RV making their way over to Eclipses’ workshop. Only for Flare to block his way. She looked up at the taller bot, confused. “Am I not allowed there?”

“No”

KC hummed, “Are your brothers out?”

Flare hesitated in their answer, “No”

“Then may I at least speak to them? I have something I believe Queso will like”

Flare stared at KC.

KC stared at Flare.

KC would’ve continued to stare at Flare were it not for the loud thump that came from the workshop. And alongside it a very lengthy swear, from Hunter’s voice.

Which meant all of her children were there.

Which meant they were avoiding him.

Which meant they were hiding something.

KC turned back to Flare once more.

“What is going on?”

Flare seemingly tensed up at the query. “Nothing”

“You aren’t one to lie to me,” KC stated calmly, “tell me what is wrong, it is the only way I’ll be able to help”

Flare stared at him still. The solar bot would not budge on this it seems.

KC sighed, quickly summoning a small set of movement runes. They moved Flare out of the way before the taller could even protest, and opened the door to her sons’ workspace.

Only… they were not expecting what they saw.

It wasn’t an absolute mess, there was no broken things or machinery even. Only his children, frozen in place staring straight at him.

Queso was sprawled out in front of the back counter, which held various colorful boxes of various different sizes. Hunter was mid-step, carrying a couple boxes, looking rather aloof. Harvest held one of those tools used for icing cakes, filled with mint green icing, over a bare cupcake that was surrounded by many more already-iced cupcakes.

It was silence all around, last comment that had been heard being Flare’s “I Am Afraid There Was An Unknown Variable In Our Plan”

Everyone remained in place.

The speakers crackled to life, Star’s weak voice coming through.

“W-we can s-see that Flare…”

Harvest had begun her hum of nervousness, Hunter opting for a diversion.

“Happy birthday?”

They were all incredibly nervous if their core rates were anything to go by.

“What is going on?” KC finally asked.

Hunter looked at Harvest, Harvest looked at Queso, Queso looked at Flare, Flare glanced at KC.

“Father’s Day Celebration Set Up”

KC looked back at her other children.

“This is just like Mother’s Day,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I didn’t set anything on fire,” Harvest said near instantly, “this is way better than aspired!”

“Y-yeah,” Stars piped up, “we all learned to not let y-you cook since then”

She turned to the closest camera, hissing, “Hey!”

KC sighed at their children’s antics, fully stepping into the workshop. “Do you need help with anything? I got off work earlier as you may see” they addressed Queso and Hunter. They both shook their head.

“You don’t get to help today!” Hunter exclaimed, “you get to do nothing!” He laughed, almost gesturing with his hands and dropping the boxes, all while still on only one foot.

KC approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder, “you are aware you can move now, yes?”

Hunter blinked. Then turned right around to what he had been doing before, moving boxes apparently.

The oldest turned around to the solar bot, small smile on his face. “Are you sure you don’t need any help?”

Queso nodded, giving KC the thumbs up and shooing them away from what was probably the gift table. He chuckled as he left the workshop, passing by an argumentative Harvest and tired Flare.

KC hadn’t exactly expected to have her children celebrate Father’s Day for him today, he would’ve been fine just having a normal family dinner. But knowing his children are putting effort on celebrating them today… it warmed her heart on ways he could’ve never dreamt.

[cameronspecial]

I Will Marry You, Rafe

Pairing: Frat!Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings:  N/A

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1.0K (Exactly, that's so satisfying to me).

Summary: Rafe has an important question to ask Y/N.

Masterlist

Rafe rarely gets nervous. The only time that he really does is when it comes to Y/N. She is his entire world and he would do anything to keep her in his life. And as he stares down at the small diamond ring, he can’t help but feel the layer of liquid that dampens his palms. He wipes it off on his pants as he listens to the MC announce the names of each student. He closes the box and puts it in his pockets when they get to Y/N’s section. “Y/N Y/L/N,” leaves the lips of the MC and travels through the room thanks to the speakers. Rafe is the first to stand out of her group of supporters, “That’s my girl! GO Y/N. I love you, Angel!” He hollers and claps as loud as he can, pumping his hand in the air. He is so proud of how hard she has worked to get her degree with honours. She has kept her grades up and now, she gets to start her master’s degree at her first-choice university. He sees her looking at him with a massive grin. He quickly gets his phone out to take a picture of her getting handed her degree, checking that her family videotaped her walk across the stage. They have prime seats, being right behind the students waiting to go on stage. Rafe’s money definitely shifted hands for him and the Y/L/N family to have such amazing seats. He follows her walk off of the stage, worrying that she won’t be happy with the question he has to ask. 

——

His jacket drapes over her shoulders, providing warmth against the cold night. They are walking up the steps of the house they have been renting since the semester ended. The house isn’t something permanent, just a placeholder until they find a place in Cambridge. Ward didn’t love the idea of Rafe moving out to Massachusetts, but he knows how serious Rafe is about Y/N so Ward agreed to let Rafe work remotely for the year that Y/N is doing the Master’s. Rafe would have to fly down every month for a Friday meeting, but they are going to make it work. 

Y/N cuddles closer to Rafe with his arm draped across her shoulder. “I can’t believe we are done with our undergraduate degree,” she thinks out loud, resting her head on his shoulder. His head darts to check the text on his phone and then looks at her. His lips meet her temple before he removes his hold from her, taking the keys out of his pocket. He unlocks the door and hesitates to push it open. His life is going to change after tonight and he is scared it might change for the worse. He also isn’t sure if he should’ve tasked his fraternity brothers with such an important thing. Sure, Sarah, Wheezie, and Daisy are leading them, but the now-graduated fratboys were never great at decorating or following orders. He knows if he doesn’t enter the house soon, Y/N will get suspicious. His thumb pushes down on the thumb latch and he pushes the door open. The usual darkness is cut with the light from the path made out of candles. She turns to him to see if he is just as confused as she is. All she finds is his small smile and things start to fall into place for her. 

“I will marry you, Rafe,” she utters softly, wrapping her arms around his neck to kiss him. He pulls away with a laugh, “I haven’t even asked you anything yet.” “I know, but I can see right through you. I’ve noticed how nervous you are and how you are always checking your phone for a text. That coupled with the house being mysteriously decorated makes it kinda obvious,” she grins, playing with the hair at the back of his neck. He groans, “Damn, my angel is so smart. You read me like a book. Will you at least let me take you inside and do what I had planned?” She nods and he drags her deeper into the house. 

In the living room, they find eight large characters, decorated with white feathers and fairy lights. Eight characters. Two words and a question mark. MARRY ME? Y/N’s hand finds her mouth. The beauty of the dim room amazes her. Candles and rose petals litter the room and the melody of “Say Yes To Heaven” plays without the lyrics, reminding her of that fateful night during spring break. She turns toward Rafe to find him kneeling on the ground on one knee. In his hand, he holds a small velvet box with a simple but elegant diamond ring inside of it. “When I first saw you at that party three years ago, I thought I was so intoxicated that I was seeing things. Because there was no way that a real-life angel could’ve been right in front of me and ever since that day you have been bringing a little slice of Heaven to me,” he recounts and she can see the tears in his eyes. “You have been my everything ever since that day. My supporter. My defender. My rock. And I want that for the rest of my life, so please say that you will be the angel to my devil for the rest of our lives?” She goes to sit on his thigh and he moves his arms to surround her. Her arms go around his neck and she rests her forehead on his. “Yes.”

He grins at her, kissing her as he puts the ring on her left ring finger. He feels so lucky that he gets to spend the rest of his life with the woman in front of him. People may think that they are too young to be getting married, but Rafe has never been so sure of something in his life.

Taglist: @winterrrnight @loves0phelia

[dandylovesturtles]

Splinter and Donnie: Treat!

Eeeeyaaaa Splinter and Donnie my beloveds ;; I will absolutely write a treat for them.

This one has a little angst in it but don't worry, they resolve it.

This is set in early S2, so Donnie is still 14 or maybe just turned 15 depending on how you're spacing things out.

---

Splinter could privately admit to himself that he hadn't always been the best father. His fear of confronting his family history, and his depression over what had happened to him, led him to cut off a lot of himself from his boys, and as a result he wasn't there for them like he should have been.

But then the Foot Clan and Draxum and the Shredder came along and forced everything out in the open. There are no more secrets (well, almost), and in an unexpected twist he and his sons were brought closer than they had been in years.

He was really feeling that, this Father's Day. Usually, the boys ran past him with a quick, "Love you, Dad!" and a hastily procured gift thrown in his lap on their way to do something more interesting. But this year they had made it an entire to-do; Orange made them a big dinner with cake for dessert, Blue and Red made a banner that said, "Happy Father" (with the "'s Day" squished into the corner), with Purple finishing the decorating. Instead of being tossed unceremoniously in his lap, his gifts were presented to him one by one, between dinner and dessert, and each boy seemed proud of their offering.

Orange had painted a lovely picture of the two of them together, that Splinter planned to frame as soon as he had the time. Red had found him a replacement of a life size Lou Jitsu cardboard cutout he used to have, that had been destroyed in a still unexplained incident. And Blue had gotten him a garish sign that said, "Warning: Beware of Rat," but he'd also slipped him an envelope with a gift card to his favorite burrito place so Splinter couldn't be mad about it.

Finally, the only one left to give him a gift was Purple, who smiled wide as he brought forward a very unassuming box. Somehow it was smaller than Splinter expected.

"You might want to get a hard hat for this one," Blue joked from where he was lounging on a bean bag.

"Scoff!" responded Purple immediately. "Just wait until you see what I've made! It's thoughtful and just what I think you, Dad, have been needing."

"I'm sure I will love it," he said, before opening the box. Out fell... "A TV remote?"

That's what it looked like, though there were extra buttons that he wasn't familiar with. It was purple, unsurprisingly, with that familiar blocky D embossed on the bottom, so Purple must have made it from scratch.

"Oh ho! This is not merely a TV remote." Purple pulled it away from him, holding it aloft. "This is the only remote you will ever need - my incredible GeniusBuilt Ultimate Universal Remote! Patent pending."

"Ooooh, a universal remote!" Splinter nodded excitedly. He'd always wanted one of those!

"It controls everything in here," Purple continued, still talking like a showman as he turned so his brothers could also get a look. "The projector and speakers, obviously, but also the lights!" He demonstrated this by flickering them with a push of a button. "And this button will start the popcorn maker and deliver it hot and fresh to you!" He demonstrated this, too, the sound of popping corn quickly filling the air.

"Oooooh! So fancy!" said Splinter with a clap of his hands.

"Eh, showoff," whispered Blue.

"That's just the beginning of all the features I've loaded this baby with," said Purple proudly, handing the remote back to Splinter. "I have a user manual around here, somewhere..."

While he was searching for it, Splinter took the remote and examined the buttons. One directional pad had a picture of his chair next to it.

"What does this button do?" he asked, before pressing the down arrow. Immediately, his chair responded by reclining back, with a soft mechanical whir that hadn't been there before.

"It controls my chair, too!?"

"Oh, yes!" Purple looked over from where he was searching. "I outfitted your chair with electronic parts, too, so it's entirely automatic."

"Hmmm! Very impressive, Purple one," said Splinter with glee. He pressed the left directional arrow, and his chair responded by swiveling to the left. "I feel so fancy!"

He released the button, but the chair... didn't stop moving. It kept moving to the left.

"Ah, Purple?" he called, as the chair began to pick up speed. "Is there a way to make it stop?"

"Huh? What do you- oh!" He caught glimpses of Purple's face as he spun around again and again, gripping onto the chair for dear life. "O-okay, um, just a bug, I can fix this, hang on!"

With a clatter the remote went flying, and Purple dove after it, desperately jamming on buttons. At least Splinter thought that was what he was doing, but it was hard to keep track - now the chair was spinning so fast it made him dizzy.

"I can fix this!" Purple was chanting. "I can fix this, I can fix this!"

"Pops, let go!" yelled Red. "We'll catch you!"

"Oh boy," he heard Blue say, which was not encouraging. But if he stayed on the chair any longer he'd lose his dinner, so he decided to let go.

They did not catch him, but it's not like he expected them to.

"Papa!" Purple shouted, and he blinked blearily as his son appeared overhead. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened! But I'll fix that right away, just give me a few minutes-"

"Thank you, Purple," said Splinter, sitting up and patting his hand (it took a few tries because there were three Purples for some reason). "But for now I think I will stick to my usual remote."

"Oh," said Purple softly. "Okay."

Then, clutching the universal remote in his hands, he turned and fled the room.

Splinter blinked after him as his vision steadied. Then he turned to look at the other three, who were all looking between Splinter and Purple's retreating back with uncertain expressions.

Splinter knew the answer before he opened his mouth. "Did I... say the wrong thing?"

"Ah, well," said Red hesitantly. "You know... Donnie is just... a little sensitive?"

"Oh, you crushed his heart," Orange immediately chimed in. "Like, completely mangled that sucker."

"Donnie's gifts always have kinks," said Blue slowly, like he was explaining how the world worked to a very stupid child. "But you don't just tell him you don't want it. Sheesh."

"I did not say I didn't want it!" Splinter protested, but the looks his other three sons were giving him were not particularly forgiving. And that was fair - he had made a mistake, he could own that.

He got to his feet, dusting himself off, and said, "I will talk to him." Then he made his way for Purple's lab.

At first the room appeared empty; he was not at his worktable like Splinter expected, and he wondered if he'd made a mistake, and Purple had gone to the arcade or the garage. But just as he was about to leave, his ears picked up on the telltale sound of a little turtle's sniffles.

Ah. So he was here.

Splinter followed the sound toward the back of a lab, until he finally found his son, crammed into the space between one of his big, incomprehensible machines and the wall, balled up with his face buried in his knees and his arms wrapped tight around his legs. The remote was laying in two pieces on the floor, like he'd thrown it down.

It made Splinter's heart ache to see Purple like this, and know he caused it. It wasn't even the first time they'd been here, because he couldn't seem to get it right.

"Donatello," he said softly. Purple didn't look up, just tensed a little more tightly into his scrunched up position. "I am sorry I made you upset. I really do like your gift."

Purple sniffed and raised his eyes up over the top of his arms. "No you don't," he accused. "Why would you? It doesn't even work."

"That's not true! It just has some..." What was the word Blue had used? Ah, right. "...some, uh, kinks! I'm sure those can be worked right out."

"What does it matter?" Donnie huffed. "You already have a remote."

"Yes, but it is not a universal remote!" He patted Purple's knee. "It was a very thoughtful gift, Purple."

"I didn't want it to be thoughtful, I wanted you to love it! So you would use it and..."

Purple ducked his head again, burying away where Splinter couldn't look at him. Splinter leaned in closer, perking up his ears so he could hear the mumbling.

"...So you would use it and think of me."

"Oh, Purple." Splinter reached in and carefully nudged his son until he finally showed his face, eyes red and miserable. It hurt Splinter's heart, and he reached out to cup the boy's face in his hands.

"I don't need a gift to think of you. I know I haven't always shown it, but you boys are always on my mind."

He lowered his hands, then scooped the pieces of the remote off the floor. On inspection, it seemed the back casing for the batteries had simply popped off; Purple had made it quite durable.

He slid the backing back on, then looked back at Purple, who was watching him closely. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to make you think I didn't like the gift. I like it very much."

Purple sniffed, but slowly started to uncurl from his ball. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

Splinter smiled warmly. "It's a gift that my precious Purple made just for me, how could I not love it?"

He held out his arms, and Donnie lurched forward into the hug, grabbing on tight even given the awkward position. Splinter gave him a strong squeeze, as best he could with the battleshell in the way; whatever he had to do to make Purple feel better.

Purple pulled back first, giving him a wobbly smile. "I should actually fix the issues before you use that, though. Just as a matter of safety."

"That's fine. I eagerly await its return when you are done." Splinter gestured toward the door. "But not right now! First we have cake to eat!"

"Mmm..." Purple took the remote into his own hands, turning it this way and that. "But I could get so much more done today if I start now..."

Splinter reached out and put his hand over Purple's, stilling them. When Purple looked up, Splinter gave his gravest look.

"Donatello," he said seriously, "I fear if you do not come back with me, your brothers will skin me alive."

Purple snorted, amused, and stood up, setting the remote aside.

"I guess a small slice of cake wouldn't hurt."

[bumblesimagines]

Midnight Beach

Part 3

Request: Yes or No

~~~

"My mom thinks that I did it even though there's no way I could've. I mean, how? It's always my fault, no matter what. She just- she just wants me to be this little robot that just checks her boxes. You know what I mean? SAT prep? Oh, check. Serving food at the shelter? Check. I mean, I literally do everything she wants, and I'm sick of it!" 

If (Y/N) had known he'd been invited to the Thornton household just to listen to Topper rant for half an hour about his mother and her distrust in him, he would've made a million excuses to avoid the hangout. But Sarah had made her wishes for him to get along with her friends clear and to please his girlfriend, he accepted the invitation. And now, he suffered the consequences of that decision with a dumbbell in hand and a random hip-hop song blaring from Kelce's speaker beside him.

"Well, we know who did it, right?" Rafe spoke up with a scrunched face, lifting and lowering the barbell in his hands. His green tank top clung to his sweat-covered body and he was forced to squeeze his eyes shut every few seconds when beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and toward his eyes.

"It was that little geek Pope," Kelce affirmed, setting his own barbell down and swinging a leg over the bench to face Topper.

Releasing a breathless chuckle, Topper nodded and clenched his jaw, eyes darting over to the Cameron. "Pope, right... Hey, Rafe, maybe if you wouldn't have jumped him on the golf course, I'd still have a boat." 

"You jumped Pope? Pope Heyward? The kid who can't even hurt a fly? Why the fuck would you do that?" Setting his phone and dumbbell aside, (Y/N) stood up from the bench and stared at the three with deep frowns. Rafe silently continued his reps though the way the corner of his lips twitched into a smirk made irritation roll over (Y/N). Topper turned his glare onto him and scoffed.

"Man, when the hell are you gonna be on my side? You think you're better than us?" He snarled, shoving past Kelce and nearly colliding his bare chest against's (Y/N)'s if it weren't for Kelce pushing his arm between the two and disapprovingly shaking his head. 

"Sometimes, like now. Last time I checked, Pope only comes here to deliver groceries and you jump him for doing his job?" (Y/N) scoffed. "That's pathetic, Topper."

"They put a fucking gun to my head, (Y/N)!" 

"That wasn't Pope! That was JJ!" (Y/N) snapped at him, raising his voice to match Topper's enraged one. "But you're not gonna go after JJ, no, of course not. JJ knows how to fight. You'll go after the one who doesn't like trouble because you-" (Y/N) jabbed a finger in Rafe's direction. "-know JJ can throw a mean punch." 

"You calling me weak?" 

"You know what, Topper? Yeah, I am-"

"Alright, alright!" Rafe called out, letting the barbell fall to the floor with a loud thud. He stepped over it and lifted his arms, wrapping them around the boys' shoulders and lightly shaking them. "Listen, we're all Kooks here, 'kay? We're brothers! Sometimes that means being honest with each other, even when we don't like it." Rafe said, lifting his brows at Topper. The younger teen huffed softly and childishly looked away from him. "But, it also means sticking up for each other, even when we're mad. Those Pogues disrespected all of us, not only Topper. They put a gun to his head and stole from Ward. And by sinking Top's boat, Pope proved he's just as bad as the others."

"Whatever beef you two got over Sarah, squash it now. The Pogues are the real enemy." Kelce piped in, resting his hand on Topper's shoulder and raising his brows at him. Topper stared at Kelce for a moment, jaw slowly unclenching and shoulders sagging. Exchanging a look, Kelce and Rafe released the two and stepped away, retrieving their bottles and heading upstairs to leave them alone. 

Inhaling deeply, Topper scratched his cheek. "Listen, man... I-I've liked Sarah for a while now and when I heard she wasn't dating Denny anymore... I thought it was my chance. And when she suddenly got with you..." Topper trailed off, pressing his lips together and dropping his gaze down to the ground. Sighing, he stuck out his hand and lifted his head. "Can we be good? For Sarah, at least?"

Part of him desperately wanted to say no, especially after hearing what they did to Pope Heyward. The war between Kooks and Pogues had gone on for too long and the ones who egged it on were always Kooks. But rejecting Topper Thornton could result in him being outcasted as they had done to Kiara. And the last person anyone could ever want to be the enemy of was Rafe. So, swallowing down his opinions and some of his morals, (Y/N) took Topper's hand and nodded.

"We're good." He muttered, dropping Topper's hand as quickly as he had taken it but it seemed to pass unnoticed by Topper. "And sorry to hear about your boat. I'd be fine putting some money in for a new one or somethin'." He added, watching a smile spread on Topper's face at his words.

Wordlessly, he stepped forward and swung his sweat-covered arms around (Y/N), pulling him into his equally sweaty chest. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, of course," (Y/N) crinkled his nose and grimaced. "Don't mention it, Top."

                    ✽        ✽       ✽       ✽       ✽       ✽

Pressing the power button on his phone and looking down at his lock screen, (Y/N) frowned at the lack of messages from Sarah. While Sarah could occasionally be forgetful, she always responded to texts, especially when she had nothing to do. With a soft sigh, he swiped on the screen, typing in his pin before sending Sarah another text. He stared at the message, waiting for it to be read but when it remained unseen, he shut off his phone and sighed again, noticing Kelce watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"You are so whipped, man." He whispered teasingly, snickering under his breath. 

"At least I have a girlfriend."

The smirk on Kelce's face immediately dropped and he whipped his head toward Topper when the teen cackled loudly. "Focus on the road!" He barked.

"We're already here!" Topper laughed, pulling into a parking spot and shutting off the engine. 

Opening the door, (Y/N) could hear an announcer over the speakers and the chatter of people as they gathered to watch the annual Summer Movie Series. He followed the boys toward the vendors, looking around for any sign of his bubbly girlfriend in the crowd. When he couldn't spot her in the crowds of people, he dug his wallet out of his pocket and approached one of them.

"Can I get a coke?" He fished out some money and slipped his wallet back into his pocket, taking another glance around and spotting a familiar brunette walking toward him. Kiara flashed him a smile and waved.

"Long time no see."

"How have you been, Kie?" (Y/N) asked, looking back at the vendor and exchanging the money for the coke before turning toward her. Kiara let out an awkward chuckle and pushed back a curl, shrugging her shoulders lightly as she looked back in the direction she had come from, likely searching for her posse. 

"Same old, same old." She answered. Before she could throw the question back at him, an arm slipped around his shoulders and he was roughly pulled into someone's side. He didn't have to look to see who had joined them as the irritated look on Kiara's features told him enough. 

"Kie! Good seeing you!" Rafe greeted with a toothy grin.

"Hmph." Kiara took a step to the side, attempting to walk around them but Rafe quickly stepped in front of her, dragging (Y/N) along with him and making him stumble slightly. Kiara clenched her jaw and lifted her head to meet Rafe's eyes, raising her brows in question.

Leaning in, Rafe whispered, "Tell your boy we know what he did."

"Sorry, what boy are you talking about?" 

"He'll know." 

"Alright, come on." (Y/N) muttered and wrapped his arm around Rafe's waist, dragging him away from the girl and toward Topper and Kelce. Upon reaching them, (Y/N) dropped his arm and opened his can, bringing it to his lips and drinking as Rafe pointed out Pope and JJ to Topper. When Kiara sat back down with them, the two boys whipped their heads around to look back at them with wide eyes. 

"We'll get them alone. Eventually." Rafe quietly said, grabbing (Y/N)'s can from his hand and bringing it to his lips. When (Y/N) reached for it, he tilted his head away from him and kept the can out of reach.

"How about we watch the movie and get back at them another day?" (Y/N) asked, digging his fingers into Rafe's side until he doubled over with a grunt and snatched his can back. But his words went in one ear and out the other. 

"Come on, let's grab some seats and wait. They'll have to use the bathroom eventually." Topper pointed out, keeping his gaze locked on the two Pogues. Kelce nodded in agreement and approached some unoccupied chairs, plopping down on one and watching the other three follow suit. (Y/N) sighed heavily and sunk back in his chair, hoping the Pogues were smart enough to remain in their seats until the movie ended.

But after a few hours, the Pogues proved to be less bright than (Y/N) had hoped for. The two stood up and attempted to scurry across unnoticed, heading toward a tree beside the screen. (Y/N) held his breath for a moment when the three Kooks remained seated but when Topper perked up, he released it and sunk deeper into his chair.

"They went off to the screen."

"You and Kelce go around that way," Rafe instructed, pointing to the other side of the screen. "(Y/N) and I will go the other way." He rose from the chair, grabbing (Y/N)'s arm and dragging him up from his seat. His quiet protesting went ignored by Rafe as he pulled him along with an iron grip that would surely leave bruises in the next hour. They reached the tree as the two friends went to return back to their seats. The two flinched and JJ remained in front of Rafe, blocking him from reaching his friend. Pope turned around and hurried over to the other side of the screen, stumbling and nearly falling when Topper and Kelce blocked his path.

"That was some nice work ya'll did on my boat." 

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Pope stammered, looking between the four of them whilst JJ looked between the four of them with clenched fists.

"Not so burly without a gun now, are you?" Rafe challenged the blonde, finally releasing his grip on (Y/N)'s arm and chuckling.

"Take one more step and I'll rip that prepubescent face off." JJ sneered in return and stepped toward Rafe, his eyes flickering over to Kelce and Topper in case they swung at Pope.

"Let's not do this here, guys. There are kids here trying to have a good time." (Y/N) attempted, stepping between JJ and Rafe and raising his brows at Rafe. The Cameron met his eyes and for a brief moment, (Y/N) swore he saw Rafe considering it. But Topper's voice filled the air with venom.

"Do you feel good about yourself, Pope? Is your mom proud of you? Is your dad-" Before Topper could finish, Pope leaned back and then suddenly lurched forward, headbutting Topper hard enough that he stumbled back. 

"Jesus, fuck my life." (Y/N) whispered with a wince, peeling himself away from Rafe and attempting to check in on Topper. "You good? Let me see, Top-"

"I'm fine!" Topper huffed, straightening himself up with a slowly bruising forehead as Kelce charged at JJ with Rafe. Pope swallowed and faced them, lifting his fists and swinging when Topper went at him. (Y/N) found himself in the middle of a pointless fight. Pope and Topper went at each other whilst Kelce restrained JJ so Rafe could repeatedly punch him in the gut and face. One Pogue very blatantly needed more help than the other.

"Rafe! That's enough!" (Y/N) called, glancing back at Kiara as she quickly got involved in the fight by swinging her backpack at Topper. Letting out an irritated groan, (Y/N) managed to grab a hold of Rafe's collar and pulled him off the beaten teen before shoving Kelce off and catching JJ as he stumbled forward. The blonde groaned in his arms and weakly pawed at him, smearing some blood on his shirt from his nose and bruised lip. Brushing back his messy hair, (Y/N) attempted to get a look at his beaten face. "Hey? You with me?"

"Who's side on you on?" 

"They're fucking outnumbered, Kelce! Why not make it even when John B is around and make it fair?!" (Y/N) shouted back at him, feeling JJ drop his head down on his shoulder and groan again. (Y/N) turned his attention onto the screen when it was suddenly covered in flames, causing Topper to release his chokehold on Pope and jump back. Kiara stepped back from the screen with a lighter in hand, her widened eyes turning to look at the damage done to her friends.

"Come on!" Rafe urged, pushing Topper forward with a laugh and looking back at Pope as he gasped and rubbed his neck.

"Shit, I'm sorry." (Y/N) breathed, grabbing JJ by the shoulders and pushing him back gently to steady him on his feet. When he felt assured JJ wouldn't fall over, (Y/N) released him and scooped his hat off the floor, handing it back to him and glancing at a coughing Pope. Kiara gave him a thankful nod and helped Pope to his feet. 

"Why did you help us?" Pope wheezed, lifting his arm and wrapping it around JJ's shoulder to keep him close.

"Same reason anyone else would." (Y/N) replied, looking back at the Kooks. The three made distance between themselves and the lit screen, glancing back at him every so often. Pursing his lips and letting out a heavy sigh, (Y/N) ran a hand over his face and turned back toward them, already hearing the tantrum Topper would definitely throw at him for helping the Pogues. "Don't do anything stupid again. Rafe isn't exactly someone who cares about putting you guys in the hospital."

"Thanks," JJ muttered, spitting out some blood and snickering when Kiara made a disgusted noise. 

"Don't make a habit of it." (Y/N) replied with a small smile and turned around, heading back towards their seats and getting his belongings. Turning on his phone, he noticed a text from Ward but none from Sarah.

'I've been trying to reach Sarah. Is she with you?'

(Y/N) felt his stomach twist and he dug his teeth into his bottom lip, fingers hovering over the keyboard. 

'Yeah. Her phone has low battery. I'll tell her to call you when it charges.'

With Ward's response, (Y/N) set off toward his neighborhood. The cool air felt nice against his warm skin still flushed from the fight. His thumb ran back and forth over the side of his phone, hoping to feel it vibrate with a message from Sarah telling him she was fine and safe. Bombarding her with texts wasn't his usual go-to, but something felt different. An uneasiness settled in his chest and he couldn't shake it off. A million thoughts raced through his mind, differing from worries about her well-being to suspicion. Infidelity wasn't new to Sarah Cameron. And that knowledge kept him on edge. He tried his best to shake it off and continued on home.

The next day, (Y/N) woke up fairly early into the afternoon to prepare for the annual Midsummer's party. Ward had gotten him a new suit for it and it'd been, in his words, a thank-you gift for keeping Sarah happy. It'd been more than his own parents had ever given him. The suit was a light olive color with a white shirt underneath and a beige bowtie to go along with it. But no matter how much he tried, just looking at the bowtie made his nose crinkle. So, he yanked it off and hoped Ward wouldn't notice. 

Checking his phone, he noticed the messages he'd sent Sarah the previous day had been seen but she'd given him no response. He pursed his lips and sighed, closing his eyes and trying to remember if he'd forgotten any special day or done anything that could warrant being given the silent treatment. Absolutely nothing came to mind. Their anniversary wouldn't come for another couple of months, any birthdays had been celebrated or hadn't arrived yet, and there'd been no holidays to remember. Everything... had been fine. 

"Whatever.." He sighed and tucked his phone away in his pocket, grabbing his keys and leaving the house. He got into his jeep and turned it on, reversing out of the driveway and driving down the street. Most cars on the road headed toward the golf resort where the party would take place, seeing as half of Figure Eight had been invited to watch the Camerons be crowned for another year in a row. The parties typically lasted well into the night and the punch ended up spiked by either Rafe or another mischievous teen. Boring stuff most of the time. He mainly went to please Sarah. Always for Sarah. 

By the time he arrived, the workers were finishing setting things up. Floral designs and decorations hung around showcasing primarily summer flowers. Music played through the speakers and workers invited guests in with their best smiles. (Y/N) took in a deep breath and walked inside the cool building. A few guests greeted him politely, asking about school and his well-being. Their sympathetic eyes only told him they spoke to him out of pity, to feel better about themselves when they treated him kindly to his face and gossiped behind his back. Ever since his parents had left the Outer Banks, everyone either viewed him as a deformity or glass that could shatter at any moment. 

"Hey, man!" Topper greeted him casually, clapping his shoulder and giving him a toothy grin. 

"Top-"

"No hard feelings for yesterday." He squeezed his shoulder. "We get it. You're like a pacifist or whatever, it's fine. It's cute, really." 

"Right. Good to hear." (Y/N) pushed out through gritted teeth, letting Topper guide him outside. The sun shone brightly on the land as it began setting, nearly blinding (Y/N) when he stepped outside. It took him a moment to properly see everything. Flowered vines had been wrapped around the pillars and decorated the small tables. The women all wore flowers on their heads, either through headbands or woven into their hair while the men wore plain suits. Same as every year. 

"There's your girl." Topper shook his shoulder and forced a chuckle. Turning his head, he watched the Cameron family walk through the doors with wide smiles plastered on their faces. Sarah walked alongside her parents, looking stunning in her long white dress. (Y/N) shrugged Topper's hand off and walked forward, catching Sarah's eye. She paused and inhaled deeply, glancing at her family before stepping away from them and approaching him. 

"Hey." She greeted, her smile looking far too fake for his liking. 

"I texted you yesterday-"

"I know. I saw." She raised her brows, a frown tugging at her lips. "It was a lot."

"I was worried, Sarah. If you'd just sent an emoji I would've let it be." (Y/N) replied. Sarah refused to look at him for long, crossing her arms over her chest and looking around the event. She looked upset, irritated even. Maybe he had done something. His shoulders sagged. Shit. "Are you mad at me or something?"

"Why would I be mad? Should I be?" Sarah's eyes flickered back to his. He stared at her and after a brief pause, she looked away from him and shuffled her feet. Her teeth caught her lip and she sighed heavily, taking his wrist and leading him through the crowd into an area more private. Anxiety clawed at his gut. 

"What happened, Sarah? Did I do-"

"We're done. It's over." Her words cut through him like a knife. Her lips pressed into a thin line and she shrugged her shoulders, hand lifting to toy with the ends of her hair. (Y/N) waited for a playful smile and a laugh. A sign that it'd been a cruel joke. Sarah only stared at him. She didn't even look sorry. She didn't even look sorry.

"Why?" A sense of deja vu washed over him. His mother had that same indifferent look in her eye the last time he'd seen her. The day she'd mentioned she'd be getting on a plane and wouldn't be returning for a while. She'd been so casual about it. So unbothered about what it'd do to him. 

"I don't want to be stuck anymore." Anymore. "I feel suffocated by everyone. I-I feel like I need to be with you, to stay with you. Ward and Rose keep talking about marriage and grandbabies a-and I haven't even finished high school yet. I don't want that. I don't want this life. I don't want to be sitting on a couch ten years from now raising babies I don't even like while drinking the rest of my days away. I want the freedom of doing whatever I want, you know? Being with whoever I want." 

"Who is it?"

"What?"

"Who caught your eye now?"

Sarah stared at him, her thin brows furrowing slightly. Her eyes flickered between his, having the audacity to look hurt. Pursing her lips, she looked down at her feet and lightly kicked up her dress. "John B. We... We were out together yesterday. We kissed." 

(Y/N) wanted to laugh. Or cry. He couldn't really tell. Cause of all people on the Outer Banks, she'd chosen John Booker Routledge. The same thief she'd been complaining about only days prior for smacking a bag of lettuce out of her hands and getting in her face. The same guy that ran from the cops on a near day-to-day basis and sat on his ass all day drinking. At least his friends worked. At least they had some moral code. He'd been off mooching a Kook while they got jumped. 

"Okay." He nodded and took in a deep breath. She'd chosen someone already. Fighting it wouldn't matter now. "I'll see you around."

"That's it?" She questioned, blinking in shock when he walked past her and kept walking. She said a few things after that, none that he heard once he slipped inside the building. There was no use searching for beer or wine. None of the workers would let him even walk near the available adult drinks. But he knew where to look.

He found Rafe pretty easily. The eldest sibling made no attempt to hide his flask when he drank from it, only turning his back to the guests when he wanted a sip. (Y/N) made a beeline for him and took the flask from his hands, taking a big gulp from it and wiping his lips as he handed it back. Rafe smirked at him and slung his arm around him, tucking the flask away and tilting his head. Topper and Kelce exchanged equally confused yet amused looks.

"What's the occasion?"

"Sarah broke up with me for John B." The three boys tensed and looked at each other with widened eyes. The oh-so beloved couple of Figure Eight. The high school sweethearts that were supposed to be together forever in some made-up fantasy. Rafe's grip on him softened, fingers starting to rub gentle strokes against his arm.

"Fuck..." Kelce drawled out and stepped forward, patting his back and giving him a tight-lipped frown. "Sorry to hear, man."

"For John B?" Topper repeated with a scoff, the tip of his ears and cheeks flushing. His hands curled into fists and he grumbled under his breath, looking more pissed than sympathetic. Go figure. (Y/N) blew a raspberry and leaned his head against Rafe's shoulder.

"Shit happens. Wouldn't be the first time I got dumped out of nowhere."

"At least Liv dumped you for a Kook chick. Sarah did it for a goddamn Pogue." Kelce cringed.

"Liv was nicer about it too." (Y/N) murmured, watching Rafe slip the flask out of his coat and offer it to him again. (Y/N) shook his head and pushed away Rafe's wrist with a grimace. Getting wasted at Midsummer was the last thing he needed. The last push for Figure Eight to look at him as an outsider. 

"We got you, brother. We're not gonna let this incident slide now, are we?" Rafe looked up at the two and raised his brows. Topper immediately shook his head, finger running over his bottom lip in thought. He muttered a quick excuse and stepped back, disappearing into the crowd. Grunting softly, (Y/N) peeled himself from Rafe's side and shook his head.

"No need for that-"

"On your right, Rafe. 2 o'clock," Kelce said and (Y/N) turned sideways, spotting him in the crowd with ease. JJ Maybank. Dressed up as a servant and slipping a note to Sarah. Rafe chuckled lowly and patted (Y/N)'s arm, tucking away the flask and grinning at him. 

"We got you, (Y/N). We'll show these Pogues who they're messing with."

"Rafe-"

"Dad, hey! (Y/N) needs to tell you something." Rafe called out to Ward and (Y/N) grunted, turning around to face the older man. Kelce and Rafe quickly slipped away, leaving (Y/N) to speak with Ward while glancing back at them. He winced when they blocked JJ's path and called over some other Kooks while backing him up to the building. JJ took his chance and darted into the building, prompting the rest of the guys to chase after him.

"What's up, (Y/N)? You need something-"

"Sarah and I broke up. It was mutual, don't worry. We just decided we'd be better off as friends and everything is okay between us. I have to go now." (Y/N) blurted out and flashed his best smile, but before he could go off to check on JJ and the others, Ward caught his arm and let out a small surprised laugh.

"Wait a minute, son. I... I'm sorry to hear that. I truly didn't see this comin'." Ward shook his head lightly and smoothed out the wrinkles in (Y/N)'s suit. He smiled warmly at him and sighed. "High school has a way of catchin' you off guard sometimes. I'm glad things between you and Sarah are fine. I just hope you know you can still come to me for anything. We're here for you, alright?"

"Thank you, Mr. Cameron."

"You can still call me Ward." 

"Thank you... Ward." (Y/N) returned the smile and slipped away from him, trying to keep his pace quick without drawing attention. Heading inside the restaurant part of the building, he spotted the rest of Rafe's friends slipping into the men's locker room down the hall. When they didn't step back out, (Y/N) quickly flagged down one of the security guards and told him about a fight in the room. The security guard gave him a thankful nod, speaking into his earpiece and heading down to the locker room. Relief flooded him when the security guard dragged JJ out of the bathroom, keeping a tight grip on him as he escorted him outside. 

Slumping down on an empty chair, (Y/N) ran a hand over his face and let out a heavy sigh. So much for having a good summer. 

[krystalskeleton]

1992.11.11 – RAW Magazine Interview with Izzy

Music

"Yeah, music is partially my saving grace. It's been part of my life every day of the week since I was a kid. It doesn't have to be a specific type of music, it can be any type because the whole of it takes you away from the mundane, every day sort of thing.

"Being on tour, I find it like a luxury item because when I'm on tour I don't have a big stereo, I have a Sony player that cost 50 bucks, it's mono and it has this tiny speaker. For the first couple of days I only had my walkman which is fine for airplanes, but otherwise they're a drag. I found myself looking in the window of these shops at these stereos and there was this one in Chicago which was four and a half feet long and three feet tall. It was this boom box with neon lights inside it. It was really freaky looking, but I ended up getting this small Sony because it would fit in my bag, it plays cassettes and it records so I can write songs on it too. I find that if I hear a stereo now, even if it's a PA at gigs and they're playing a tape, it's a luxury and I really enjoy it."

Food

"Indian food and pizza are my favourites. I stopped eating meat a few years ago. I don't eat red meat or chicken, but I eat fish. I stopped eating meat shortly after I stopped drinking and using drugs. I think it was a case of wanting to heal myself a little quicker rather than objecting to meat, plus there were some cases on the West Coast where people were dying after they'd eaten bad meat. I'm big on salads. Salads in America are just a couple of bits of dead lettuce, but over here people are a bit more conscientious.

But Indian food and pizza are my favourites and that's why Chicago is like heaven to me because you can get a pizza delivered at 5am and it's damn good pizza. There's a place there called Mama Mia and they deliver all night long. They've got pizzas that are two inches thick with like a cracker crust with fresh tomatoes on top. "

Drink

"I like mango lassi and sweet lassi from Indian restaurants. My second would be fresh squeezed orange juice. Those are the only things I drink. I gave up drinking because I just had enough of waking up in my own vomit and not remembering who I was hanging out with the night before, getting arrested and all that stuff. Waking up in jail, and that sort of thing became old for me and I finally realised that I had to stop this and figure it all out. It wasn't easy and it took a while. I feel a lot better for not doing it."

Hate

"It's destructive in nature. Sometimes you can get angry, but it usually doesn't help fix anything. If I hate something I just get hung up on it and dwell on it. I find it easier to try and dismiss it. Otherwise it's extra baggage to be carrying around. You see hatred every day on the TV and some other places and that's enough for me, I don't need to live with it anymore."

Rock 'N' Roll

"It's that life blood. You can't put your finger on it. For me it's that other thing that only people who listen to it or love it know what it is. To the rest of the world though it probably doesn't mean shit!(laughs)

" The funniest thing I ever heard in Guns N Roses was from this guy in Canada called Gabe. God, he was hilarious! He said he saw something on English TV once that said no matter how many records Elton John sold in 1976, there were still 40 billion Chinese people that don't give a fuck and that rang so true to me- this was back in '86 so I've always kept it in mind. It's true. If you look at the globe and spin it and put your finger wherever it lands there's people there who don't know what Rock 'N' Roll is. For people who do love it, though, it's their whole life. For me it's very special.

" We used to have Rock 'N' Roll bands come to play at our house when I was a real young kid. My dad used to have these parties and me and my brothers were beer runners. The bands were always downstairs and I always hung out with them. When you're a kid and these guys would show to play stuff on the drums, it was great. They'd play stuff like (Credence Clearwater Revival's) 'Proud Mary'. I was lucky 'cos I got to grow up with that. I've been hooked on that ever since."

Drugs

"It's up to each person. It doesn't do any good to tell people not to do it. If people want to do 'em then they're gonna do 'em. All I can say is for myself they stopped being a good thing. It became a complete pain in the ass. It was destroying me as a person and I got to the point where I decided to give up. It wasn't like I didn't know 'cos you go through a peroid where you know you're tearing yourself up. I knew I had to stop or everything was gonna go down the tubes."

Sex

"It's pretty important, but to a lot of people it's hard to understand that it doesn't mean much unless you care about the person you're with. I'm lucky, 'cos I do."

Love

"It's a great thing. Everybody needs it and wants it. Life can be pretty bleak without it. I've got a German shepherd and I've had him since he was a puppy, ya' know. I bought him when he was just a twerp. He's three years old, he's healthy, he's big and he can run 40 miles an hour and he's great. I love my dog!

"I've had a steady girl for a few years and it's a great thing. Love makes life a lot easier."

Work

" I worked in a car wash when I was 15. I worked where the cars come out and you have to dry the cars off. In the winter time with the wind chill it can be 10 or 20 below zero, and that was real work getting up at five or six in the morning. It was cold and you've got these towels that are freezing and you're washing these fuckers off. Music is more something that you love to do so it doesn't seem like work. The thought of having to get a real job is difficult. I was never that good at keeping a straight job and getting enough money to do what I wanted to do. At the same time I had to work as a kid. If you gotta do it you do it.

" I've had different jobs. I worked in pizzerias and I actually enjoyed that. That was one job that didn't feel like work unless there was a gig or concert that I wanted to go to. In that case I'd leave work early anyway. I actually liked cooking pizzas, flipping the dough and stuff was cool.

"If I had to get another real job I would probably work in a pizzeria, or I'd work in the car wash and I'd be on the front end. The front end is where the guys would pump gas and vacuum the cars, and these guys were always the envy of everyone else who had it rough. This was back in the '70s when people would drive around with big joints in their cars. They'd smoke half a joint and leave the rest so that when one guy pulls up with half a joint in his ashtray, what happens to the joint? It ends up in the pocket of the guys who are up front who'd smoke them! I think I'd rather work in a pizza place though where it's warm and there's music."

Photo © Paul Jendrasiak, 1993