#never leave me in a room with a playlist full of game theory | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sehunniepotwrites · 11 months ago

Text

RISK IT ALL | L.HC

SYNOPSIS. In theory, playing a card game called Risk It or Drink It during your holiday kickback sounded fun. In reality, it was your group’s wild plot scheme for you and your close friend, Donghyuck, to finally get yourselves together in more ways than one.

PAIRING. Lee Donghyuck x fem!Reader WORD COUNT. 14.4k GENRE. Friends-to-Lovers!AU, Holiday!AU, Christmas!AU, Party!AU, mutual pining, smut (minors dni!), comedy/humor, a tiny bit of fluff

WARNINGS. language (crude sexual jokes, talks about sex positions, and profanities), alcohol and food consumption, adult drinking games with dares, haechan is heavy on consent, body shots, brief vouyerism, explicit content (needy!haechan, possessive!haechan, fingering, oral–male and female receiving, nipple play, praise kink, penetrative, missionary, etc.), nicknames (hers: princess, baby | his: baby)

PLAYLIST. Up to You - PRETTYMUCH feat. NCT Dream | Look at Me - George | A Nonsesne Christmas - Sabrina Carpenter | santa doesn’t know you like i do - Sabrina Carpenter | Yours (Live feat. Winter and Mark) - Chanyeol and Raiden

DISCLAIMER. This is work of fiction. I do not own the people/characters or concepts I have written about. You cannot translate or copy my work. © sehunniepotwrites, 2023

As people say, Saturday nights are for the boys.

To you, the boys refer to your group of best friends formed early in your college years. The bond strengthened even after graduation. Two years after leaving your university adventures behind, your Saturday nights still belonged to your small close knit group. What started as dressing up in your best clothes and club hopping hours into the night turned into wearing comfy clothes and hosting weekly kickbacks in your respective apartments. You exchanged drunkenly shouting over loud music with drunkenly shouting over party games. Sometimes, you drink and others, you abstain from consuming alcohol to just bask in your hilarious company.

As you grew older, the clubbing and party scene seemed too exhausting with your nine-to-fives taking up most of your energy. Why would you want to socialize with stupid drunk strangers in a crowded room when you could just do that with your tight circle of friends?

Donghyuck and Mark hosted the kickback at their place this week–this one a little fancier than others due to it being the Saturday before Christmas. You loved it when they did. It gave you the excuse to drink to your heart’s content, knowing you could just crash in Donghyuck’s bed at the end of the night. You never did drink past your limit though–too afraid of your darkest secrets slipping through your loose lips–secrets only Jaemin and his girlfriend Ari knew.

Ari was a great secret keeper. She never revealed your secret crush on Donghyuck to her lover. You did that yourself one semester when you bursted into her room, complaining about how attractive your best friend looked in his leather jacket to the point of wanting to kiss his pretty confident smirk off his face. Jaemin heard it all while waiting for his girlfriend to get out of the shower. But as loyal as a friend could be, he kept the slip to your tiny little trio. That, however, did not stop the occasional teasing that happened here and there in full group settings.

It seemed like Jaemin and Ari always had something up their sleeves when you found yourselves hanging out with them and Donghyuck. They would find tiny little ways to get you and your crush in positions where you had no choice but to be near him. For example, setting up days where the hang outs seemed more like double dates and then pretending to get lost just to guarantee you some alone time with him. Their plans, though obvious to you, worked in many ways. Jaemin and Ari often returned to you with matching grins on their pretty faces when they saw your hands linked together or with Donghyuck’s arm comfortably draped around your shoulder, his free hand carrying your purse.

You honestly weren’t sure how Donghyuck never caught on to their schemes.

Maybe he did but refused to say anything on the topic.

Nevertheless, the devil worked hard but Ari and Jaemin worked even harder.

Although you asked the two to stop fueling the delusions floating in your mind, they insisted Donghyuck liked you too. “His feelings for you were undeniable,” they said, “just look at the way he treated you versus everyone else.”

Your best friend—with his gentle touches, sweet smiles, and teasing tones—dropped anything for you. He’d walk you to class even if his classes were on the other side of campus, protect you from creeps that gave you the ick, and have food delivered to your job when you had a rough day. When your dates with men went awry, Donghyuck arrived in seconds. According to the couple, the possibilities were endless for Donghyuck but only when it came to you. And tonight, apparently, was going to show you how endless the possibilities were.

You were a bit sad Mark was missing out on this round of drinking at his place but as Jaemin slammed the box of cards down on the dining table, maybe it was for the best that the eldest of the group missed it. He’d miss the chaos happening at his apartment but at least, he’d earn money while doing it.

Stealing a quick glance at Donghyuck, he looked so cute in his oversized knit sweater. The Santa hat resting on top of his long, wavy hair made him appear cozier than usual. Your outfits coincidentally matched–your sweaters in a similar shade and a Santa hat headband resting on top of your scalp.

“Alright, bitches,” Jaemin smirked while opening the box, “tonight’s game is called Risk It or Drink It. You better not be pussies now.” You missed the gamemaster giving Donghyuck a pointed look as you handed out Ari’s soju cocktails to all the people in attendance. Donghyuck stealthily flipped him off.

“He means you, babes,” Ari nudged you as she poured the two of you a shot. “We’re doing this for you.”

You grabbed it, the liquid spilling from the top, as you raised it for a toast. “No shit, Sherlock.”

Ari striked her glass with yours, “Well, Watson. Bottom’s up.”

“Merry fucking Christmas!” The two of you downed the shot, not wincing in the slightest. The dangerous thing about flavored soju was that it tasted sweet, didn’t burn, and snuck up on you when you least expected it.

Everyone gathered around the kitchen island, some choosing to stand or lean against the countertop, while others took a seat on the barstools. You all watched as Jaemin set the game up with ease, placing a thick stack of cards in the middle of the table.

“The rules are simple. We all take turns getting a card, reading it out loud, and doing what the card says, which is either doing a dare or answering a question. If you can do it, you earn the points at the bottom of the card and keep the card. If you can’t, take a shot or a swig of your drink. First to ten points wins. The player with the least point drinks out of”–the gamemaster pointed to a disgusting concoction next to the cards–“finishes the king’s cup. Got it?”

A chorus of agreement circled around the room and so the game began.

The first round was an easy one. You suspected the deck wasn’t shuffled well enough.

Jeno’s card asked him to show off how much money was in his account, causing Yeri to jokingly ask him if he needed a sugar baby. He retaliated by telling her to ask Mark when he came home, making her take a big swig of her cocktail to draw attention away from her reddening face. Giselle had to name the worst dressed in the room, which led to Renjun’s cute outburst. Jaemin faked a proposal to his girlfriend and had to chug his drink when she said “no.”

It was all fun and games until it came to you. That was when the party truly began.

You drew your card, skimmed through the words silently with a puzzled look, and then made a face. On your right, Donghyuck threw his arm over your shoulder to pull you closer to his side. He looked at the card as well, his face slightly dropping as he processed the task.

“What does it say?” Karina yelled from the other side of the circle.

Clearing your throat, you read aloud, “Lick the person on your left’s earlobe for five seconds or drink.”

Jaemin was to the left of you and as much as you thought your friend was attractive, no amount of drinks in the world would result in you doing that.

“Damn, if only it said person to your right,” Jaemin whistled, reaching over to pat Donghyuck’s knee. Then, a mischievous glint in his eye appeared. “Hey, Donghyuck! Wanna switch sides for this card?”

“Jaem, what the fuck?!”

Donghyuck immediately shot up and the rest of the group hollered at the suggestion, urging him to move. Shoving Jaemin aside, your best friend beamed at you. He made a show out of it, pretending to tuck strands of his hair behind his ear. “Ready when you are, Princess.”

You shoved his side at his flirty tactics, quickly looking away from the pair of eyes you couldn’t resist. “You would be the type to like this shit,” you attempted to play off, ignoring the increasing heartbeats the more he looked at you.

“I’m into anything as long as you’re the one doing it,” he threw back, quickly placing a kiss right next to your earlobe. You inhaled sharply at the touch. You could almost feel the smirk spreading across his lips as he pulled away.

The screams that followed that line reminded you that you were not alone–you were in a room filled with people that you loved and were now watching you grow even more flustered than you already were. Heaven knows you were not drunk enough for this. Shaking your head out of the thoughts that followed Donghyuck’s words, you reached for your glass and said, “I’m drinking.”

Vocalized disappointment circled around the room and you ignored it, taking three large gulps of your cocktail. You slammed the glass down and felt the alcohol run through your body. If the dares were anything like that one, it would take you a lot more to actually do something.

Donghyuck didn’t vocalize anything after your choice was made but you did catch his smirk drop the second your lips touched the rim of your glass. The large hand he had around your waist acted as a sign for you to put your drink down. Without words, he placed an opened water bottle in front of you and gestured to it with his chin–he wanted you to take a sip. You did as you were told as the second round of dares continued.

You all had trouble holding in your laughter when Karina called a friend, put them on speakerphone, and asked them to pick her up from the station after being detained for having car sex in a public area. The cackles were harder to contain when the friend pressed for details instead of immediately coming to her aid. When the insistence failed to cease, Karina spit out the first name that came to her head and ended up unmasking the flame she carried for Jeno. You grinned at the unfolding, taking note of how Jeno’s body perked up the minute Karina’s friend screamed, “Finally!”

Ari confidently revealed her body count, Yeri had to endure being tickled by everyone for thirty seconds, and Renjun took two shots instead of calling his ex-girlfriend.

“List three sex positions in ten seconds or drink,” Donghyuck read his card aloud. Before he could even process the task, the group started counting down, adding pressure onto the boy. “Oh shit! Umm, missionary, doggy–oh what the fuck, what else is there?!”

His time was up before he could think of a third and Giselle shoved a shot in his hand. “You better drink, Hyuck!”

Donghyuck accepted his fate, groaning after he took the shot. As he nuzzled his head into your neck, you could tell he was disappointed at his failure.

“Aww, baby, couldn’t think fast enough with your little pea brain?” you teased, running your fingers through his messy hair.

He looked up at you with a playful sneer and pursed his lips. “Like you could do any better in ten seconds.”

Looking Donghyuck dead in the eye, you listed three off the bat with a deadpan face, “Cowgirl, 69, doggy. It’s not that hard, Hyuckie.”

With no other context, your best friend dropped his head back into place and said, “You will be the death of me one day, you know that, right?” His plush lips, now wet with the remnants of alcohol, brushed against the junction of your neck and exposed shoulder. The sudden touch made you shiver.

“And why’s that?”

Donghyuk breathed out, the air making goosebumps appear on your skin, and deflected the question. “It’s your turn. Draw.”

The moment you pulled the card, Donghyuck shifted his head to read the card with you. His body began to shake with laughter as the rest of your crew rushed you to reveal the dare.

God, you were not drunk enough for this. He grabbed the paper out of your fingers and took the liberties of saying the dare, “Hold a piece of food in your mouth and have the person on your right,” he paused, grazing his soft fingers on your bare knee, “that’s me, princess—”

“Yes, I know my rights from lefts, Hyuck.”

“—and have them take it from you.”

“I’m picking the piece of food you use and don’t you dare complain!” Ari yelled before anyone else could claim the job.

Everyone watched as she stifled through a plate of French fries. Her playful grin expanded across her pretty face when she found the perfect fry—a thin, crispy piece that was around an inch long. The group exploded with excitement as she held it up.

“That,” you pointed to the fry in your friend’s hand, “cannot be legal. That has to be against the rules!”

Jaemin pretended to examine the fry his girlfriend was holding. “Hmm, looks fine to me.”

“You’re a menace, Jaem,” you hissed at him.

Jaemin came right back, “Just doing what has to be done to take us out of our misery.”

“What misery?!”

With everything already set, you resigned to your friend’s wishes and begrudgingly accepted the dare. Ari handed you the tiny piece of food. You sighed dramatically before placing it between your teeth. It barely extended past your top and bottom lip. Shooting Donghyuck a widened look, you told him to hurry. If you were to prolong this dare any longer, you were afraid of the fry breaking before he’d get to it.

You stood still as Donghyuck approached with a smug look. It disappeared as soon as his eyes dropped to the french fry you held, lingering at the sight of your parted mouth. When he looked back up at you, there was a sort of look in the brown irises you were so attracted to. Hunger. Anticipation.

“Lean in,” someone shouted but your body froze in its place.

Swallowing back your nervousness, his two warm hands touched your face, both molding to your cheeks. Shutting your eyes as he grew closer, the last thing you saw was his handsome face tilting to get a better angle. Donghyuck’s actions were lightning quick and sudden, making your heart beat skyrocket towards the moon.

His breath tickled your skin and then, his lips brushed ever so gently against yours. It didn’t last too long; after all, his goal was to retrieve the french fry. You did your best to focus on that, remembering not to bite down to break the crunchy strip of food–the task at hand was hard but not impossible.

Then, there was a slight pressure, the plushness of his lips pushing into you as Donghyuck bit, tugging the food out of your mouth.

Still frozen in your spot, you sensed Donghyuck pulling back. You exhaled through your nostrils and slowly opened your eyes. Your best friend was right in front of you, wearing a smirk as he chewed on the fry. He licked around his mouth, gathering the tiny dusts of salt before humming.

“Salty,” was all he said while everyone surrounding you laughed at his antics.

Ignoring the hammering of your heart as he continued to stare at your lips, you cleared your throat. As much as you tried to shove all feelings of attraction aside, Donghyuck kept his sultry gaze fixated on you. You watched as it dipped back down to your lips again, his fingers coming up to brush away the little specks of salt that stuck your mouth.

Everything was too much for you–the warmth of his touch, the intensity of his stare, the looks the others were giving you–it was time to direct everyone’s attention elsewhere.

“Next dare,” you called out, facing away from Donghyuck.

You did the honors of drawing the card for the next person, reading it out loud and keeping the game going. Despite everyone else’s attention following your distraction, you could still detect your crush’s unwavering stare from your side. You were hyper-aware of his arm circling your waist, tugging you closer to his body heat, and the way his palm curved so perfectly into your side. It sent tingles down your spine, goosebumps forming in your flesh, and heat rising up from the tips of your extremities to the middle of your body.

Looking at the depleting stack as the game continued, you thought it couldn’t get any worse than this. Turns out, you were dead wrong.

Donghyuck plucked the next card at the top of the deck, read it to himself, and let out a low chuckle. Squeezing your side, fingers tickling the sliver of exposed skin, he said, “Looks like it’s you and me again, Princess.”

The reaction kept the group of friends on the edge of their seats, curiosity getting the better of them. “Read it!” Giselle yelled from the other side of the island bar.

Hating the way Donghyuck dragged things out, it was time to take matters into your own hands. Snatching the card out of his hand, you relayed the message aloud, “Hold a staring contest for thirty seconds with the person on your left or drink. The two participants must be within two inches of each other.”

Oh shit.

If there was one thing that made you weak, it was the way Donghyuck stared at you. You barely survived him stealing the fry. There was a mission to complete despite his impenetrable gaze, which kept your center of interest. But for this particular dare, nothing would be in the way but the air you both breathed. Could you be able to maintain your cool or would you fold the minute your eyes locked with his?

“Oh, this is going to be good,” Jeno whispered to Karina, the two now seemingly closer after the phone call scandal. She giggled, turning her head towards him to hide her laugh. Traitors, you thought to yourself, the both of them.

Faking nonchalance, you shifted towards an eager looking Donghyuck. “Thirty seconds is nothing. Let’s get this over with.”

“Whatever you say, princess,” he replied, swiveling in his chair to face you.

The arm holding you close to him slid down your shoulder to rest on your waist, his hand making its way under your sweater and palm now resting on the small of your back. Your body arched at his touch before you fully processed what happened, your grip instantly shooting to his take hold of his upper arms to maintain balance. You ignored the way his muscles flexed under your palms.

Donghyuck chuckled again, “We didn’t even start and you’re already like this. How cute.”

Despite how his words and tone made you melt on the inside, how they made you sink a little more into his touch, the snark came bubbling out of your mouth. “Shut up.”

Donghyuck did the exact opposite of what you demanded. “Why don’t you make me?”

“Oh my god, Donghyuck,” you groaned.

“Is the timer ready?” he asked no one in particular while keeping you in his line of sight. It never wavered even as someone in the crowd announced they had pulled one up and were waiting for his cue.

“Start it,” your best friend commanded and then began the longest thirty seconds of your life.

With Donghyuck barely two inches away from your face, his brown eyes dug deep into your soul. Unable to look away, you took note of how his pupils dilated as Donghyuck continued to stare. The way he looked at you was breathtaking, so focused, like you were the only thing that mattered in the moment.

The boy’s stare, although flattering, was almost too intimidating for you to take. The intensity of it all made you want to withdraw, the upper half of your body drawing away from him. No matter how much you wanted to escape, he didn’t let you. Every time you pulled back, he pushed forward until the tip of your nose grazed against his. The hand underneath your sweater found its way up to support your upper back, his other arm extending out to grip the counter top. Donghyuck now had you pinned in between the island bar and his body and it was too damn hot in the room for this.

Just as Donghyuck broke the connection to steal a glance at your lips for the second (or third time) that night, the timer alarmed to signal the end of your dare. You lightly shoved your hands against your crush’s chest, ignoring how firm the muscles below you were, to make more room. Once you deemed him far enough, you reached for your cocktail and took a long swig to cool your overheating body down.

Everyone had their own reactions to the stunt: Giselle and Yeri giggling in the corner, Renjun scrolling through the pictures he snuck of the interaction, Jeno and Karina whispering to another about what just transpired. While downing your drink, you made eye contact with Jaemin, who wiggled his eyebrows annoyingly. You were so close to using his pretty face as your punching bag. Ari simply winked at you. You flipped her off in reply.

Even as everyone else moved on, Donghyuck was still stuck on the dare that occurred.

While taking one too many sips of your drink, you spilled a bit of it, liquid sticking to part of your skin. With no hesitation, Donghyuck used a part of his sleeve to wipe it away. The fingers still tucked into your knit sweater rose up to graze the back of your neck. You shuddered as he pulled his hand away, the warmth leaving with him. Just when you thought it was over, his nimble fingers reached out to fix the Santa headband that was slipping. Your breath hitched and your crush promptly picked up on it.

“Do I make you nervous?” he whispered, tacking your name to the end of his question. His voice was lower than usual, the cheerful and bright cadence long gone. The difference in his tone caused your heart to drop to the floor, as if it was free falling from an amusement park’s drop tower at the highest speed. There was no way to pick it back up.

“You wish.”

Donghyuck had the honors of having the last word this time. “I really do.”

No matter how hard you denied it, your best friend did make you nervous. It was apparent when he took the french fry from your mouth and when you had a staring contest. It was even more evident during your next turn, when you were tasked to spin a bottle and kiss whoever it landed on.

There was no point in even spinning the bottle; you knew your mischievous friends would make you re-spin until you landed on the person they (i.e. you) wanted. You twirled the bottle a total of three times. The first time, it landed in between Jaemin and Ari and the next, it pointed to Renjun who quickly shifted from its path. On the last try, it stopped in the middle of you and Donghyuck.

Ari’s manicured hand quickly flicked the bottle just enough so the opened end was aimed right at your best friend. “Well, would you look at that?” she giggled. “It landed on Hyuckie.”

That girl was a devil in disguise, just like her damned partner.

You rolled your eyes. Sarcasm dripped through your words,“Who would’ve thought?”

“Damn. Is the thought of kissing me that dreadful to you?” Donghyuck asked, lifting his Santa hat to run through his hair. His long fingers pushed back the curled bangs covering his eyes, holding them in place as he awaited your reply.

The thought was far from dreadful. Nerve wracking was a far better word to describe how you were feeling. Thrilling was another one you could throw into your word bank.

You ignored the question, too busy handling the butterflies hovering about in your stomach. One almost got caught in your throat when he swiveled your bar stool to face him. You gulped, shoving it back down.

“Is it?” Donghyuck insisted you answer him. You couldn’t lie so you abstained from replying. “Oh, you want me to kiss you so bad, don’t you, princess?”

Avoiding his eyes, you muttered, “Let’s get this over with.”

“Gladly.”

The next thing you knew, Donghyuck’s rough hands found their way back to your cheeks and tugged you closer. Seizing the opportunity, your best friend closed the distance with no hesitation. His plush lips crashed against yours and the years of tension between the two of you ultimately snapped.

As soon as he felt you kiss him back, your body melting right into his grasp, Donghyuck circled an arm around your waist to lock you in his hold. His other hand sneakily traced a path up your arm, creating gooseflesh on your skin, until finding purchase at the back of your head. He cupped your neck to keep you in place and went back for seconds. The first kiss ended and you parted for a mere moment to catch the tiniest breath before you went back at it.

Donghyuck didn’t care about the crowd and quite frankly, you forgot about the audience. He kissed you hard and you couldn’t stop reciprocating even if you tried. The taste of him was addicting, it was impossible to break away.

It was official; you were drunk on him within the first kiss. When Donghyuck tightened his grip, you let out a quiet yet pleasured sound. You latched onto his wavy, brown locks only to tug on them. If you went on for any longer, you were sure to have found your way onto his spread out thighs but you were stopped before you could carry on.

Renjun whistled, pulling your attention from Donghyuck’s kiss and back to the real world.

You slowly opened your eyes, dazed for a moment in time, until you realized what just occurred. Withdrawing the hands tangled in your crush’s hair, you took in your best friend’s appearance–lips red and swollen, hair messy, and eyes half-lidded and completely fixated on your mouth. His chest rose and fell with each breath he took and once his gaze met yours, you swore his pupils grew in size.

“God damn,” Jeno coughed, clearly flustered by the public display of affection. “Hyuck, you need a moment or?”

“Hmmm?” Donghyuck hummed, his stare unfaltering. He tracked every minuscule move you made, from the way you drew yourself back to create some much needed distance to how your mouth let out little pants to slow down your heart rate. He watched you press the back of your hands against your burning cheeks in a failed attempt to cool down. “No, no, I think I’m good.”

“I honestly think they both need a moment,” Yeri muttered under her breath.

“Under the mistletoe maybe,” Ari whispered back.

“The bedroom’s more like it. The card said kiss, not make out for the whole fucking world to see,” Renjun scolded, rubbing his eyes to erase the vision. You probably scarred the poor boy for life. He was most likely debating on whether or not he had to burn his eyes.

“I think that looked hot,” Jaemin commented, giving you a wink. The heat in your cheeks turned up a notch. “Enjoyed it a little too much, yeah?”

“Of course, you enjoyed it, Jaem. You’re a freak,” Giselle said.

“Hey, no kink shaming here! This is a safe space! I’m going to make you take a shot for that!”

Only then did Donghyuck snap out of whatever trance you had him under. He gave you this enchanting smile that looked even prettier with his puffy lips. You did that to him. A swell of pride coursed through you–you ruined him even if it was just for a moment.

One of his hands dropped to your mid thigh while the side arguments continued. It traced a path to your knee, his thumb stroking your skin back and forth. “Was that okay?”

It was more than okay. Fantastic. Exciting. Stimulating even, judging by the damp feeling in your underwear. Worthy enough for an encore performance. “Yes.”

“Good,” Donghyuck gulped, suddenly shy and less confident than he usually is. “Are we okay?”

The look of a siren took over your features, your eyes flickering to his lips for a short second. Chin pointed down, your eyes then widened when rising up to meet his stare. Your hand settled on top of his, grounding it on your bare thigh. He squeezed your flesh as you answered with a breathless, “yeah.”

“It wasn’t too much?” Donghyuck asked, leaning into you.

He always did this–made sure that you were comfortable when put in awkward or unusual situations. Even when he stole your breath away with a kiss or two, the first thing he thought of was you.

The only response you could give was a shake of your head, causing the headband to fall back yet again. With his light touch, Donghyuck fixed it right up and combed back the stray hairs stuck to your face.

“Good,” he repeated with a satisfied nod.

He pressed against your thigh once more and you squeezed his hand back. When your hand refused to move, Donghyuck took it as a sign to keep it there for as long as you accepted his touch. As the game went on and the dares entertained the rest of the crowd, you kept yourself amused by running your fingers against his knuckles. It tickled your crush to no end, his hand squirming underneath yours, trying to break free from your crutches but you didn’t let up.

To prevent it any further, Donghyuck swiftly turned his hand around and tangled his fingers with yours. He kept you in a tight but not squeezing grasp and it took your attention away from your friend group’s shenanigans.

You missed Giselle refusing to take another shot and reluctantly taking off Renjun’s sweater vest with her mouth, then Yeri answering a “fuck, marry, kill” question, all because of how Donghyuck’s hand molded so perfectly with yours. Your eyes were glued to your intertwined fingers under the countertop, hidden from everyone else’s sight, but so crystal clear for yours.

Your heart was going crazy, even crazier than when he kissed you in front of everyone. Those were all done for the public but this little moment was meant for you alone. Donghyuck didn’t have to hold your hand. He stood next to you now, his own seat long forgotten, just to be closer to you. You tested something, trying to pull away but his grip around your hand strengthened, as if he never wanted to let you go.

With a smile on your face, you allowed yourself to lean against him, your arm pressing against his. As you did this, Donghyuck released the hand he held, only to sling over your shoulder. He shifted to hug you from behind, his back bent slightly so he could reach back down to connect your hands again.

You looked up at him. “Comfortable?”

Donghyuck’s melodic voice hummed in reply and you leaned into his chest as he held you tighter. You held your breath as you felt a bit of his strengthened chest pressing into your upper back.

When you stood to refill your cup ten minutes later, Donghyuck still held you with his arms circling your waist as you bent and reached across the countertop. Something hard grazed against your butt as you wiggled in his embrace, stretching your fingers to grab onto the half-emptied soju bottle. He emitted the quietest groan and gripped your sides to keep you still. Heat rushed throughout your entire body when the realization hit and a wave of arousal crashed against you.

“Please stop moving,” he said, desperation oozed out of his gentle command.

The boy couldn’t move you himself, needing you to shield the erection that he was desperately trying to hide. He simply let you out of his hold, long enough to pour yourself another drink, before his arms encompassed you once more. His chin dropped to your shoulder as you sipped on your drink.

“Sorry, can’t help it,” Donghyuck mumbled into your ear, his lips grazing against your earlobe. The slightest brush sent shivers down your spine and you were sure he felt it. It reminded you of the dare card you received earlier and you wondered if your crush would have the same reaction if the roles were reversed.

“It’s ‘kay,” you hushed back.

“Is it though?” Donghyuck pushed. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“I would push you away if I was,” you reassured him before offering him a sip of your drink.

If you turned back, you would’ve caught his eyes widening at your reply. It was a little spark of hope for the boy but then, he couldn’t be too sure. He refused the cocktail, saying that he should stop drinking for the night. He stressed that he needed to be sober by the end of the get-together to make sure you were alright.

A call of your name brought you back to the game. The card you drew was a relatively easy one: post a picture with someone or something to your Instagram feed without editing with the caption, “you are the love of my life.” Patting Donghyuck’s sweater-covered arm, you requested his help, “Take a picture with me?”

��Am I the love of your life now?” He threw back, not denying the request.

You handed your phone to the group’s respective Instagram boyfriend, Jaemin, and giggled. Maybe you shouldn’t have taken that last sip. You were far from drunk but a little past buzzed. “Why? You like the sound of that?”

“I like being called yours,” he flirted back.

“Shut up,” you scrunched your nose at him before turning your attention to the camera aimed at you.

Jaemin, as expected, took a cute picture of the two of you.

Donghuck was still draped over you, hugging you waist from behind with his chin resting on your shoulder. While you grinned happily for the camera, your hands covering his larger ones resting on your belly, your friend kept his soft stare on you. He wore a tender smile, honey dripping from his lips and his eyes. It looked like the perfect print for a couple’s Christmas card instead of a drunken dare and you knew this was a picture you wanted to keep on your feed, dare or not. You could always edit the caption at a later time.

Donghyuck continued to hover over you, watching your fast fingers type out the text. You waited together in silence as you hit post, waiting for the picture to upload. When the photo appeared on your feed, you turned your phone around to show the onlookers. Like the hype crowd they were, all your friends pulled out their own phones to like and comment on the post–the girls writing unhinged comments on your beauty or how Donghyuck stole you away from them while the guys drew attention to how long it took you to get together. You were sure the people who weren’t a part of your usual crowd would believe the caption on your post–after all, many often commented on how cute you looked as a couple. Without context, you were sure Mark would be pissed about how you didn’t tell him shit.

“Alright, alright. It’s your turn, Hyuck,” you said.

“Let me run to the bathroom real quick and then I’ll draw.”

Donghyuck finally let you out of his warm embrace, heading down the hallway of his apartment, leaving you with the rest of your friends. As soon as they heard the door shut, the group turned their heads towards you. They looked like predators, ready to pounce on their prey.

“Y’all really went at it,” Ari said, “you didn’t even come up for a breath.”

“I felt like I needed to leave the room,” Yeri added on.

“And I felt like I needed to gouge my eyes out,” Renjun dramatically rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t drunk enough for that.”

“You want to drink more?” Giselle perked up, already reaching for his shot glass.

“Sit your ass down,” Renjun scolded while reaching for food,“I’m driving you home tonight so I’m tapping out.”

“Party pooper,” she argued.

“I mean I could drink more and we could crash here but do you want to stay with Y/N and Hyuck with all this sexually charged energy in the air?”

“Excuse me, what?” you spat out your drink, eyes enlarged as you processed Renjun’s words.

“You heard what I said,” Renjun snapped before turning back to Giselle, “if you’re fine with that, you’re on your own kid ‘cause I’m going home.”

Giselle gave you a once-over and then a sheepish smile. “Yeah, on second thought, maybe not.”

Not over what Renjun said, you whisper-shouted, “Sexually charged energy?”

“Oh please, if we didn’t stop you, you’d probably end up on Hyuck’s lap,” Karina said as she sat at the dinner table across from the island bar. You glared at her, taking in her current position. She shouldn’t even be the one talking; her bare legs rested on Jeno’s lap, her flesh covered by the fabric of his hoodie. You eyed the slight movement of Jeno’s large hand under the hoodie, how it caressed Karina’s thigh.

“Is he a good kisser?” Jaemin wiggled his eyebrows at you.

“You’re such a gossip,” you rolled your eyes.

“Well, is he?” Ari pushed, ganging up on you with her boyfriend.

Thinking back to the hot kiss you shared made you bite your lip. “No comment.”

“She didn’t deny it so that’s a yes!” Yeri stood up, pointing a finger at you.

You fought the urge to bite it as a small rebellious act. Jeno tugged the end of Yeri’s sweater dress and yanked her back down to her seat.

“He so wants you!”

“You say that like it’s new.”

What? Where they implying that your best friend actually had feelings for you? “What do you mea–”

It was then Donghyuck returned from the bathroom. Your group went quiet as he approached, making the lot of you appear suspicious. “Were you dumb asses talking about me?”

“The world doesn’t revolve around you, Donghyuck,” you said while taking your oversized sweater off.

Being in the hot seat while he was away got you all fired up–you had to find some way to cool you down. Finishing the game in your cropped bra top and skirt would be just fine.

“Ouch,” the boy clutched his knit sweater right above his heart, the slight tug lifting the material. You caught a sliver of his gorgeous tanned skin and realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt underneath. You swiftly reverted your eyes to the thin deck of cards on the countertop.

When Donghyuck returned back to his position of hugging you from behind, you froze in your spot. His arms fell over your shoulders, fingertips grazing the flesh of your upper thigh and you did your best to keep it together.

“Can you draw my card for me?” he asked you, his low voice directly in your ear.

His warm breath and long hair tickled your neck and you shut your eyes closed. “Huh?”

“It’s too far and I don’t want to reach over you,” Donghyuck whined, his hands sliding up your arms to massage your shoulders.

You gave into his wishes and reached for a new card. Donghyuck’s grip skimmed your sides, fingers digging into your hips to keep you steady while you leaned forward. His thumbs rubbed little circles on your back as you read the card aloud. “Take a body shot with a person of your choice or finish your drink,” you projected to the awaiting crowd. Fuck.

Jaemin and Ari’s lips formed twin smirks, satisfied with their front row seats while you slowly piece together that particular dare. Donghyuck refused to let you out of his sight or grip. All partner tasks he had were done with you. Therefore, you would be his person of choice for this dare as well. Could your heart even take this?

Like clockwork, Donghyuck swiveled your chair to ask for your consent. His brown eyes dug deep into yours to check in on you. “You okay with this, princess?”

You gestured to the strong cocktail Ari made him. “Would you rather finish that strong concoction or take a shot? I know you said you wanted to stop drinking tonight.”

Donghyuck shook his head, his luscious hair flopping along with his movement. “Don’t do this because of what I said. That’s not what I asked. Are you okay with this–yes or no?”

“I–” You were shy but you weren’t unwilling. This game had gotten you physically closer than any other attempts that were made. It gave you a little confidence when it came to Donghyuck’s physical touch.

When Jaemin and Ari mentioned they had something up their sleeves, you didn’t think a little card game would get you this far. You couldn’t deny the rising tension between you and Donghyuck, especially how it skyrocketed during the many rounds of dares. Neither could you deny the gentler moments sprinkled in the middle of the more intense scenes of the wild night. If all of those moments were leading up to this, why run away from it?

“Yeah.”

That was not what Donghyuck was expecting to hear. “Yeah?”

“Let’s do it,” you nodded bashfully. You turned to face your friends, feigning confidence, “We don’t have tequila so hand me some sugar and the apple mango soju.”

Sweet drinks weren’t really Donghyuck’s thing. He was more of a plain soju and beer person but while you were both out at a barbeque place earlier in the year, he mentioned that he liked the taste of apple mango flavor in passing. Months later and you remembered that little fact. Donghyuck bit back a grin.

He reached out a hand towards you and you carefully placed your hand in his. Donghyuck helped you off your high stool, looking for a place to set you down. The island bar was filled with the food, drinks, and the card game so that wasn’t in the running. The dining table had all the white elephant gifts piled on top, so that wasn’t a choice either.

His eyes landed on the low coffee table in front of the couch and led you to it, your hand clasped tightly with his. Your free hand held the bottle of soju, the sugar, and the shot glass. When no one was looking, you took a quick swig before seating yourself on the cold, glass surface. Donghyuck kneeled in front of you, wedged between your thighs.

Your friends followed, jittery with excitement over what was going to unfold. They planted themselves behind the couch, keeping their distance.

Handing him the sugar shaker, you braced yourself as his tongue licked a spot on your neck. Fingers and toes curling at the sensation, you cocked your head to the side while he sprinkled a bit of sugar on your skin. You didn’t dare open your eyes until you felt him more than a breath away. Avoiding any sort of eye contact with your friends, you fixed your gaze on the person in front of you, pouring the alcohol into the glass. When Donghyuck finished, he looked up at you with parted lips and a glazed over stare.

“Ready?”

Unable to spit out words, you felt your head move up and down. With your approval, Donghyuck placed one hand on your upper back, the other on your thigh, as he guided you down. You winced when the freezing glass met your skin. A gasp followed when the bottom of the shot glass rested on your bare stomach.

The room was silent as Donghyuck placed his arms behind his back. You stared at the ceiling as he descended. Struggling to keep your inhales shallow to keep the shot glass upright, you dug your nails into the heel of your palm. Panic and arousal flooded your brain when you snuck a peek of his head in between your legs. First came the tickle of his long hair, then the puff of his breath. The sensations they caused ignited the fire within you and a wetness to leak into fabric, the one that was fueled by another person’s touch.

Donghyuck paused for a moment, peering up at you. Eyes locked onto his target, he kept a steady gaze as his mouth wrapped around the rim of the glass. The sight of him was too sensual, too debauched for your heart to take, you broke the connection and rested your head back on the glass table. A bit of the soju spilled on your stomach when he threw his head back to take the shot. You wanted to wipe the cold liquid with the hem of your skirt; however, Donghyuck beat you to it, his wet lips thoroughly slurping up the remainder.

To end the dare, your best friend trapped you under him, his arms planted on either side of you. You instantly turned your head to give him more access. One of Donghyuck’s strong hands cupped your jaw to keep you in place as his tongue thoroughly traced the stripe of sugar until it was all gone. He started from where your shoulder met your neck, ghosting all the way up until his nose nudged your earlobe. Donghyuck caught the sharp gasp that escaped you, felt how your hand left crescent moons on his wrist.

One, two, three beats passed until Donghyuck retreated, the scent of his strong cologne whiffing past you as he pulled back. You released a trapped breath and grabbed hold of the hand he offered. Using his strength to bring you back up, your widened eyes met his.

Unbeknownst to the two of you, your friends had already moved on from the dare and deemed their roles as matchmakers a job well done. They moved from their spots behind the couch and began clean up duty. Renjun placed all the used kitchenware and rinsed them in the sink. Giselle and Yeri threw away all the trash and clutter around the kitchen and dining room area. Jeno and Karina moved like two peas in a pod, working together to put away all the leftovers in the fridge. Jaemin and Ari gathered all the cards, disregarding the points earned, and placed them back in the box. No matter who earned the most points, it was clear who the winners were–you and Donghuck won the game and your prizes were each other.

Even with the hustle and bustle happening throughout Donghyuck’s apartment, neither of you noticed, too entranced by each other. Donghyuck was completely under a spellbinding haze–the glazed over expression on your face, paired with your heavy breaths and your parted lips–that he just couldn’t help himself. Hidden by the back of your couch, no one witnessed how your crush broke himself out of his trance just to kiss you one more time.

His lips, still damp with the alcohol that spilled from his messy drinking method, connected with yours. This kiss was slower than the one that took place earlier in the night. Slower but needier. You tasted the sweet soju as your tongues converged. Even with others in the room, who could catch you at any second, Donghyuck never increased the pace. He kept you there with him, warm hands holding your face, thumbs caressing your cheek and the back of your neck, as he lightly bit your bottom lip.

Unable to control yourself, a quiet sigh broke free when his touch ran up to grab a handful of your hair. You instantly felt Donghyuck react to it. With that boost in confidence, his mouth formed a smirk and let out a breathless chuckle that left you desiring more of him. His hips rocked forward just once, something hard swiftly brushing against your privates, and it was enough for you to release a high-pitched mewl at the contact. When Donghyuck pulled away, his deep gaze was still locked on your puffy lips, now swollen from all the damage he’d done to you. Drawing back again, he took in the whole sight of you from his current spot, kneeling in between your spread legs.

You were so breathless, chest heaving and body flushed with warmth. The stain on your lips was almost completely gone, what was left of it messily blotched around your mouth. Even if you reapplied it thirty minutes prior, Donghyuck was almost one hundred percent sure it disappeared because it was smudged on him.

So breathless. So taken. So ruined.

That was the word. You looked ruined and it was all thanks to him.

Lee Donghyuck did that to you and he was damned proud of it. Even if nothing else stemmed from whatever this moment–this night–was, Donghyuck would take the overwhelming pride he felt to his grave. No other kiss, no other makeout session, and whatever followed would ever top this exact moment for him.

You released a quiet giggle and swiped your thumb against his lips. He kissed it as you continued your ministrations, attempting to clean off the bright color that now painted his face.

Would it be so bad of him if he told you to stop? Would it be okay for him to keep those stains, those little specks of you, on his skin? Was it shameless of him to ask? If it was too brazen, he’d do it anyway–Donghyuck would do anything to be at your mercy.

“Hey, lovebirds, we’re heading out!” Jaemin called from behind the couch with Ari snuggled up at his side.

The two of you spun towards them and spotted all your friends gathered by the door. Yeri and Giselle were slipping on their shoes, using Renjun as balance as they stood on one foot. Jeno held Karina’s coat, fighting the blush that warmed his face while the girl of his dreams clung onto his arm. If you were in your right mindset, you would’ve commented on that but you were far from it. You were far from sober, too intoxicated not by the many drinks you consumed, but by all the kisses Donghyuck gave you. They were addicting in their own type of way–with his little suckles, licks, and nips.

“You’re sleeping over, right?” Ari asked, “No need for us to take you home?”

In normal circumstances, you would sleep over with no other questions asked. It was an unspoken rule that you had every time Donghyuck and Mark hosted but this was different than the other times. You just kissed your best friend–the one you usually share a bed with–on multiple occasions throughout the night and there was some sort of invisible string drawing you back to him every single time you pulled away. Ari, as a faithful girl’s girl, was giving you a way out, an option if you didn’t want to take it any further.

As you debated the choice that was given, Donghyuck continued to breathe you in. Although he had a certain look to him, with all the flirtatious methods he had under his belt, the boy was a one girl sort of guy and that girl would always be you. You didn’t know it but he was saving himself for you.

To him, you were not another girl he could have a one-night stand with. You were the person he wanted to wine and dine, to take care of at the end of a long day. He wanted to shower you with his love, undying devotion, and kisses so sweet that could rival the taste of your favorite dessert. And yes, this was a risk–possibly the biggest one in his short lifetime–but out of all the risks he took tonight, this was the one Donghyuck was most willing to take.

You faced Donghyuck, a silent inquiry in your features, as you thought it through. He cocked his head at you, “It’s up to you, princess. It’s okay if you don’t want to sleep over this time.” There was a sense of finality in his low tone, ready to accept whatever answer you were willing to give.

There was the Donghyuck you knew and loved–always putting your comfort before his own. Even when his hardened state was centimeters away from the place it craved the most, Donghyuck maintained his distance out of respect for you. That alone made you want to stay with him, to explore where else the night could take you.

You leaned forward and pressed your body against his. Resting your chin on his shoulder, you leaned your head on his and Donghyuck immediately coiled his arms around your exposed waist.

“I’m gonna stay,” you notified the crowd. Turning so that your lips brushed against his sensitive ear, you whispered just for him to hear, “that’s okay, yeah?”

Donghyuck slammed his eyes shut at your whisper, tightening his limbs that settled around your middle. With his body still in between your legs, you locked him in place by crossing your calves against his back. Your core was now in direct contact with the cold metal of his belt and you shuddered. You sensed the contrasting warmth right below it as you shifted. “Yeah, yeah, it’s okay.”

You could barely maintain eye contact as your friends made their way out the door, “Get home safe, you guys! Text the chat when you get home!”

“Why should we? You’ll be too preoccupied to check,” Yeri yelled back as the front door flung shut.

“You think they’ll finally do it?” Giselle laughed as they all bolted down the stairs.

Karina turned back to face her friend, “Do what–fuck? Yeah.”

“Thank fucking God,” Renjun sighed, “I’m tired of seeing them look at each other like lovesick puppies.”

“They better get together after this or all our hard work was for nothing,” Jaemin scoffed. Ari, still stitched to his side as they stepped outside the complex, nodded in agreement.

“I just feel sorry for Mark,” Yeri winced as they made their way to their respective cars. She pulled out her phone to text the group chat—Mark wouldn’t see it until after his shift at the bar but at least it would act as fair warning.

“Same,” Jeno agreed. He opened the door for Karina, allowing the girl to slide inside the passenger seat before shutting the door and making his way to the driver’s side.

“He’ll live,” Jaemin laughed with no remorse whatsoever,“see y’all later.”

With their friends gone, they were truly alone. No one was left to bother them and the only thing to fill the silence was the Christmas playlist in the background. Donghyuck released out a deep exhale and nuzzled his way into the crook of your neck. His hands were splayed against your thighs, caressing all the bare skin he had direct access to. The feeling of his warmth was contradicting–it heightened your mood but also made you feel so incredibly safe.

Deep in your heart, you knew that Donghyuck would accept whatever you had to offer. If that meant taking things one step further, then he would pursue the heartracing chase that has been going on all night, running you down with kisses and ministrations that would leave you weak in his clutches. But on the other hand, if it meant that you changed your pretty little mind and didn’t want anything to occur, he would take it like a champ and accept that too.

Donghyuck’s subtle touches were light and sensual but never broke the barrier. He just held you, his touch sliding up from your knees to the top of your thighs, fingers skirting around the seams of your bottoms to the curve of your ass. His caress didn’t break through any layers, they just lingered as he continued to keep you in his hold.

You were the one who crashed through the walls that were made. You were the one who called his name, making him turn his chin to face you. You were the one who looked at him so intensely before dipping down to steal another taste of his addicting mouth. And Donghyuck, with all his might, matched your level of desire perfectly.

When your limbs encased him in your embrace, arms around his broad shoulders and legs locking around his hips, Donghyuck let out a miniscule noise and you took the chance to lick around his split lips. Your tongue snaked its way in, stroking the tip of his for a second, before teasingly pulling away. He prevented you from completely ending the kiss, his hand firmly gripping the back of your head.

You sighed out his name, falling more and more into him, and that was it for Donghyuck. He stood up and carried you down the hall. When he stopped kissing you in the middle of the hallway, your brows furrowed and you pulled back in confusion. He wore a sneaky smile on his face as he gestured up with his eyes.

“Mistletoe,” he chuckled.

“You’re impossible,” you said, turning away to smile. He was so impossibly cute.

“What’s so wrong about wanting to kiss you under the mistletoe?” Donghyuck asked, cocking his head to meet your gaze again.

“Nothing.”

“Well then, if it’s nothing, then give me another kiss.”

The sweet and light touch quickly turned into something heavier, doused with all the longing you kept locked up deep in your heart. Donghyuck, with the same degree of desperation to love you, matched your intensity. Your back roughly hit the wall as he raised his knee to apply pressure on your center. The slight pain and the definite pleasure blended so well, you moaned loudly. He lifted his knee again to rip another noise out of you and your whimpers were almost too much for him to process.

“Hyuck?”

“Hmmm?” he hummed as he suckled at your neck.

You were practically sinking down the wall, immersing yourself in his kisses. “Room.”

“What?”

You pried him away from your bruising skin from all his nips and kisses to say, “Your room.” Dropping a kiss to his lips, you begged, “Please.”

Completely in sync, you reached for each other again for another round of urgent kisses. It was the blind leading the blind as Donghyuck stumbled through the narrow walkway to find his room. It would have been easier just to let up for a minute or two but the act of kissing him while desperately searching for his space was so incredibly hot. You were sure it was every girl’s dream to be so carnally wanted by someone to the point of never letting go. You were still processing that you were truly wanted this way by the guy who took up permanent residence in your brain.

You faintly heard the door open and close before you were dropped onto his mattress. You let out a surprise squeal at the unexpected action and he laughed as he slowly crawled over you.

Donghyuck always left his LED lights on even when he was out of the room. You scolded him each time he did it, lecturing him about saving energy, but this was the one time you didn’t. You were glad he left his purple lights on because now you were able to see how truly taken he was by you.

The lights created a halo around his body and yours. Each of you took a moment to soak up your appearances–Donghyuck with purple lights outlining his lean body, light shadows not enough to hide the affection written all over his face and you with your hair spread across his bedsheets, chest heaving in anticipation, and dilated eyes looking up at him.

Your hands snaked up to the hem of his sweater, tugging at it. It was an unspoken question and Donghyuck answered it instantly, stripping himself of the one layer he had on. Unable to resist, your fingers danced across his bare skin, tracing the lines of his lean muscles. You’d seen him shirtless many times before but never like this. You never had him hovering over you with the feeling of desire coursing through your bloodstream.

Sliding your hands up, you tugged at his long hair to bring him closer to you and his arms faltered for a second. Donghyuck collapsed, dropping so that he rested on his knees and arms. The strands that you played with dangled across your forehead and you reached up to close the distance.

“I’m going to ask you one more time before I can’t stop myself anymore,” Donghyuck whispered against your lips. “Do you want this?”

No hesitation. “Yes.”

He kissed your breath away, his hands resting against your ribs. Dogghyuck squeezed hushed sounds out of you as he stripped you of your crop top and bra all at once. His hands grasped your breasts, fondled them, while the open-mouthed kisses continued. They drifted from your mouth, his lips marking a path down your neck to your cleavage. Donghyuck teased your nipples with his hand and tongue, watching you writhe with each action he made. Your manicured nails scratched at his back as his licks and pinches quickened.

“God, you’re so–” Donghyuck lost his train of thought when your palm added pressure to the growing need in his pants.

You struggled to get his belt off in between all his distractions. As soon as you did, your nimble fingers unbuttoned his pants and began to shove his tight jeans down his meaty thighs.

Donghyuck reluctantly ripped himself away from you to do the rest of the work. He did a sloppy job of it all, hopping here and there to wiggle out of his jeans but you didn’t care. You kept your eyes on him, your gaze raking from his head all the way down to the apparent tent in his boxer briefs. Crawling your way to the edge of the bed, you looked up at him while you tugged on the waistband of his last remaining layer.

“Don’t look at me like that, princess,” he groaned while you pulled him back towards you. Donghyuck was beyond ready to risk it all for you, no matter the consequences. Logic and friendship be damned.

“Like what?” You blinked slowly.

His hands went to your hair, tugging you up until you were at eye level with each other. The other arm coiled around your waist and pressed your bare, heaving chests together.“God, do you want to be kissed until you can’t breathe?”

“By you? Please,” you pleaded again. Donghyuck gave in to you, protecting your head as the two of you fell back. He kissed you as your back hit the bed a second time, his tongue passing over every crevice in your mouth. He met his need to be closer to you by grinding his hips, an action you promptly followed. His hands and yours were in absolute synchronization as they tugged the remaining layers off.

It seemed like all Donghyuck wanted to do was shower your entire body with his undying devotion, to show you how much he loved you. His lips skipped over the apex between your legs, kissed down your extremities, until he was off the bed with your garments in hand and haphazardly tossed them to the side.

His hand wrapped around your ankle and dragged your body to the end of the bed. Your heavy breathing increased when you realized exactly what Donghyuck was up to. He shot you an animalistic grin as he dived in with a long lick to your velvet skin.

“Hyuck, oh my god,” you cried.

He sucked on one of your lips and then the other with the same amount of pressure. “Again.”

“What?”

“Say my name again.” This time, he swirled his tongue around your clit then added pressure with the tip.

It pushed another winded call of his name out of you and you felt him smirk against you. Donghyuck traced your folds with one finger with a featherlight touch before it ventured inside your aching need. His digit slid right in and out, showing just how much you craved him. His eyes tracked how they eased into you, the sight never boring him in the slightest.

Adding another finger made you even more vocal, as did his tongue playing with your clit. Donghyuck never let up. Even when your fingers tugged a little too tightly on his hair, or when you trapped his head in between your legs, he refused to surrender. Not when your sugary sweet voice kept calling for him.

You grew hot, sweat forming on your skin, as he continued to drive three fingers into you with a speed and depth you could never replicate. The noises you made became more incoherent with each second that passed, Donghyuck couldn’t even process that you were calling his name. He was too into you, eyes rolled to the back of his head, moans buried into your skin.

“Wait, wait–” you screamed, forcefully tugging his head away from you, even though you were teetering the edge.

Donghyuck was dazed, lips and chin drenched by your juices, as you commanded his attention. “D’you want to stop?”

Tears gathered around your waterline, threatening to fall, as you gathered yourself. “N-no but,” you gleaned at the clock on his wall, “Mark–”

Donghyuck possessively growled when his roommate’s name left your lips. He didn’t want to hear anyone else’s name when you looked so disheveled except his. “What about him?”

“He’s coming home soon. He can’t–” Hear us was what you wanted to say.

Donghyuck, however, did not give you time to finish that statement.

Shoving his three fingers back into you with determination, you heard the embarrassingly loud squelching noises over your whimpers. Donghyuck seemed into it, a madden and driven expression taking over his face, as he snarled back, “I’ve waited too fucking long to have you like this. I don’t care if he hears you–let him hear you. I don’t care as long as you’re mine.”

His fingers combined with his god-send of a tongue worked endlessly, never faltering, as they brought you higher and higher. Worries worlds away, all you could center on was the immense pleasure coursing through your entire being. Fingers curled around his hair and played with your breast while Donghyuck coerced more noises out of you. Your insistent jerking at his hair and squirming alerted him that you were almost there, you just needed a little more encouragement.

“Be a good girl and cum for me, baby,” he said before his tongue flicked tirelessly.

The soft order mixed with the new nicknames and his brazen desire to make you come undone was too overwhelming, you had no chance of warning before it all came crashing down. Stars in your eyes, cries bubbling out of your mouth, and hands gripping onto anything within your reach, your whole body reaction was good but not enough to satisfy the greed Donghyuck had in him.

“You sound so pretty, so so pretty,” he whispered as he kissed your pulsing bundle. He stroked himself with a painstakingly slow pace, feasting on the way you lost yourself.

When you came to, you rushed to stake your claim on him. If he had his way with you, then you needed your time and space to do the same. Leading him onto the bed, you positioned him to lean against the bedrest and seated yourself on his thighs. His fingers sank into your ass, kneading your flesh until you rocked in time with his movements. And just when he thought it couldn’t get any better than that, your fingers gripped his lengthening cock and began to move.

Paired with the hickeys you planted on his chest and neck, Donghyuck was at your complete and absolute mercy. When your tongue circled a nipple, he released a weak noise. Picking up on how much he liked it, you repeated the action on the neglected partner then kissed your way down to his hardened cock. When you held his gaze captive with your siren eyes, you descended, tongue running along the side of him. Your lips ghosted against the area, never engulfing him, to prolong the teasing.

“Want you to sound pretty, too,” you said as you licked the cum off his tip. “Can you do that for me? Sound pretty?”

Donghyuck let out a small noise that you struggled to hear.

Withdrawing your mouth, you allowed your hands to do the work. They bobbed up and down at a slow, menacing pace, twisting at the right times. When he grew louder, more desperate, you nosed and smirked against his length before giving him what he wanted. Hollowing your cheeks, you sucked lightly on the end before deep-throating him. Saliva dripped from your lips as you relax your jaw, his tip hitting the back of your throat.

The action shocked Donghyuck, overloading his nerves, heart, and brain that he almost lost all sense of self. The strong charisma he held while taking care of you disappeared, reduced to pathetic little moans and uncoordinated jerks of his hips.

You heard through the grapevine that he was a verbal lover but you didn’t think he was that noisy. You didn’t mind it though, you took his whimpers and babbles as incoherent praises. Desperate mumbles of your name fired out of his lips and his hands yanked you away before he finished.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said when his hands tugged harshly on your hair. His eyes were still closed as his lips covered yours. He lapped at your mouth, tasting himself, as he placed you on your back again. He nibbled at your earlobe, so near that he could hear your strained puffs. “Dreamed about this for years, waited too damn long. Can’t end like that.”’

“For years, baby?” You scratched his scalp.

His brown eyes rolled back. “Fuck, I love it when you call me that.”

“Baby?”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck exhaled. “Again?”

A begging and pliant Donghyuck was a rare sight, you wondered how hard you could push.

“No,” you said firmly, a hint of a smile breaking through when you caught onto his frustration.

When he bucked his hips, you clenched and resisted the urge to grind back. “Why not?”

“You’re cute when you beg.”

Donghyuck let out the loudest whine, grinding again. You coiled your legs around his hips, tightening them to lock him in place. Desperation leaking out of him, he continued his actions. The friction caused by his cock rubbing against your folds was so delicious, you almost gave in.

“You’re a tease,” he groaned deeply.

“No, that’s you.”

“Please,” Donghyuck’s voice sounded so strained. “I want to hear it again.”

Positioning your lips right by his ear, you gave into his request. “Baby.”

Donghyuck showed you just how much he loved that name by bringing your lips back together. His lower body pressed you against the mattress, hasty ruts making his cock slide against your folds. He blindly reached for his drawers, hand crashing against every surface to search for a condom. In his rush, things scattered about, making the task much harder than it should’ve been. He unwillingly separated from you to retrieve the wanted package and slid it on his fully hardened state.

Hushed, nervous giggles took over when Donghyuck inched towards you. He brushed your loose strands sticking to your cheeks away just so he could see your whole face, all flushed because of him. Placing a gentle peck on your lips, he positioned himself and pushed past the barrier of your folds. Donghyuck took his sweet, sweet time sinking deeper into you and your annoyance grew faster than his pacing.

“Hyuck,” you whined, your mind and body obsessing over the way he felt. His cock was girthy, definitely thicker than his three fingers, but just as long. Just one little thrust by him and he’d hit your spot and you were positive it would feel like heaven. You dug your heels into his back and he keeled.

“Yeah?” He stilled when he was fully sheathed, breathing heavily at how your body clung onto him.

“Move,” you harshly whispered, pressing your heels again. The stretch he caused wasn’t an overbearing one, it was one you were more than ready to handle. You needed Donghyuck in all definitions of the word but he wasn’t budging.

“I can’t,” Donghyuck choked when you clenched. You were so tight, affecting him too strongly with the tiniest movements, his mind was conflicted on what to do. A part of him wanted to linger and soak it all in, while the other wanted to lose all sense of control. “You feel so good.”

When you clenched around him again, Donghyuck folded. He never had a chance when it came to resisting you. In the past, he struggled whenever you batted your eyelashes at him or gave him the devilishly innocent puppy dog eyes. How was he supposed to resist your requests when he filled you up to the brim, skin pressed against skin, lips just breaths away from each other? He was at your beck-and-call to the greatest degree and this was the ideal situation to prove it to you.

His first thrust was sudden, interrupting another request spilling out of your mouth. You choked out an elongated groan and it died in your mouth as he moved again. His pacing may have been slow but it was purposeful. You truly felt every little thing–from the way he drew back to the way your body sucked him back in. A part of you wished to get rid of the condom, so you could make out how the ridges and veins swept your walls, but you knew this was the safer, more logical option. (Plus, there was always the next time.)

Your matched rhythm increased as time passed, sounds of skin slapping and pathetic whines echoing within his room’s four walls. His deep plunges hit the target every-time, his cock directly adding a divine pressure to your g-spot and in response, your nails created dents and scratches on his beautifully tanned skin. Your hands explored every crevice of his body, dragging trails down his chest, arms, and abs. His lips traversed the expanse of your neck and collarbone, before coming back to capture yours in messy kisses.

And when you broke away from his kisses to let out neverending whimpers, Donghyuck knew that you were close. His hand lifted one of your legs over his broad shoulder and that new angle alone made you grip and thrash around the sheets. Your motions were frantic at this point, his hips operating at a relentless pace that you could barely chase. His hands on your hips alleviated you of most of the work, your body too spent in the blaring white, starry-eyed high he was providing.

His fingers reaching down to pinch your pulsing clit was the final move before you came crashing down. Ecstasy rippled through you and once again, he milked out your cum until your body trembled with aftershocks. He pulled out then, his large hand rushing to finish himself off.

As you were slowly descending from your high, your one thought was to return the generous favor. Donghyuck jerking himself off to completion didn’t sit right with you. Hazingly, you crawled over to him and swatted his hands aside. The boy was lost in confusion at your actions but it all became crystal clear to him when your face plummeted to his now bare cock, the condom disregarded somewhere on his bed.

Donghyuck’s tip quickly hit the back of your throat as your hands fondled whatever could not fit. He didn’t last much longer, his groans reaching new heights in volume and his once flourished moves turning into an uncoordinated state of frenzy. Donghyuck, with his tight grip loosening through your hair, said your name once more. His mouth slackened and the long-awaited bliss ultimately reached its peak.

A familiar room welcomed you as you opened your eyes the following morning. You blinked away the sleepiness, adjusting to the light that peeked through the blinds. The clock on the wall read eight thirty in the morning, otherwise known as too early to be awake after drinking the night away. Slumber was calling your name but so was your stupid bladder. You unwillingly wiggled out of his embrace, watching and giggling as his body adjusted to the empty space beside him.

You muttered complaints about the cold in your head as you trudged to the bathroom, picking up Donghyuck’s knit sweater as another layer of heat on the way. While you were up, you took care of your usual morning routine–washing your face with Donghyuck’s skin care products, drying your skin with the towel set he always left for you, and brushing your teeth with the toothbrush that stood right next to his.

The domesticity of it hit differently the morning after you were intimate with your best friend. Something in the air had changed and you hoped it was for the better. A small part of your heart, the one that was so incredibly smitten with him, worried Donghyuck would view their night together as a one-time thing. Another part of you, however, believed the words he uttered last night. After all, he said he waited too damn long for this. That had to mean something, right?

You quickly nestled back into the sheets, shifting until the blankets were up to your shoulders. The shirt Donghyuck dressed you in was big and comfortable but the thin fabric wasn’t enough to keep warm throughout the night. Neither was the sweater you threw on. Your preferred source of heat was inches away, his body scorching despite being shirtless.

Donghyuck groaned as you attempted to make yourself comfortable. His arms snaked around your middle, spooning you just like he did the night before. His face dug into the back of your neck, his nose prodding the sliver of skin not covered by your bedridden hair. His low morning voice, the complete opposite of the higher pitch he used around the group, made your heart plummet.“Why did you leave me?”

“I was gone for five minutes.”

“Five minutes too long, princess,” he whined, his fingers skimming up and down your thighs.

“You’re so needy.”

This touch rose at a snail’s pace. He brushed your underwear then moved underneath your clothes to rest his palms on your stomach. “No, I just missed you.”

“Yeah, needy,” you retorted playfully, turning to face him.

The fond smile on your face matched the expression on his and you kissed him softly. He gave you a second kiss and then a third that allowed you to get lost in him. You noticed and enjoyed every little thing he did–his hands dragging your hips to meet him, the sound caught in his throat when your leg wraps around his middle, his tongue lovingly caressing yours.

Donghyuck reluctantly broke away from you, trying to create some distance. He grew a little self-conscious upon tasting the fresh mint on your lips. Covering his mouth, he said, “Wait, shit. Morning breath. Let me just—”

“Don’t care,” you muttered, straddling him so he couldn’t escape your clutches. You pulled him back in, smothering your best friend with all the kisses he deserved. You left one on each of his eyes, the pretty beauty marks sprinkled across his face, and over the hickeys you littered across his golden skin.

He chuckled in between kisses, “Who’s the needy one now?”

“Shut up, you loser,” you rolled your eyes with fake annoyance.

“I thought I was your baaaaaby,” he teased, palms running up and down your sides. You paused at that and Donghyuck noticed. “Hey, what is it? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s just–”

You released a drawn out breath.

“You’re thinking a little loud,” Donghyuck’s voice let up, his concern slipping through his words. He cupped your cheek and your eyes met. “But not loud enough for me to hear your thoughts. Wanna let me into that pretty mind of yours?”

You basked in the way his thumb strokes your cheek so gently and the stars that were shining in his eyes. Lee Donghyuck was many things—a hard worker, a flirt, intelligent, caring, hilarious, a pain-in-the-ass, a brave soul. The list went on and on. He wore many crowns and carried many titles but the one title he did not claim was being yours.

Donghyuck was your best friend but he wasn’t officially yours. And you wanted him to be.

In your bright and rose-colored eyes, Donghyuck was a risk-taker. He took the risks he wanted to last night to get you in his bed. But was that all there was to it? The part of your heart that doubted his actions and feelings took over your thoughts, the questions picking at you with no avail.

If Donghyuck could take risks, then why couldn’t you? Channeling the confidence your best friend usually carried, you asked, “Do you need me the way I need you, Hyuck?”

You reached for the hand resting on your cheek and brought it back down to his bare chest. Fingers interlacing, the back of your hand picked up on his heart pulsating rapidly against his chest.

As if sensing the doubt in your head, he tasked himself to send the negative musings away. Donghyuck didn’t answer your question directly but the words spilling out of his mouth were more than enough for you. “You are the only dream that fills my head—nothing else but you.” He said your name so tenderly, your heart grew three times—no, a million times—too big. At this point, the muscle and the smile that you wore bursted at the seams.

Donghyuck laid out his cards in this game of love and it was time to reveal your hand. You squeezed his hand tightly as an act of courage and then took the leap of faith. “I like you,” you blurted out, “so much. Sometimes too much that it hurts.”

Amused and overjoyed by your confession, Donghyuck rushed up to kiss you. His lips pressing against you so suddenly caught you off guard, you lost your balance in the act. “You are so fucking cute, I don’t know what to do with you,” he muttered in between pecks that made you laugh aloud.

“Date me?” you suggested with a shy smile.

“Princess, I’m going to date the hell out of you, just you wait.”

His kisses eventually subdued and you found yourselves laying on your sides facing each other. No words were exchanged as your heads rested on their respective pillows. You were happy when his words never stopped flowing and when you stared in silence with matching grins.

You watched Donghyuck’s face contort into one of concentration, his fingers rising above his head to count something, before he turned back to you. “We’ve spent seven Christmases together—”

“Oh yeah?”

“—and this one is definitely my favorite.”

His confession was beyond sweet, it’s honey dripping out of his mouth. Over the years, Donghyuck wiggled his way into your holiday traditions. There was a lot you’d done over the years, from ice skating to gingerbread houses to movie marathons and impromptu snowball fights. Many of those moments were core memories you kept dear to your heart. Donghyuck admitting this meant a great deal to you and the space your heart had for him increased tenfold. Your heart was now completely his.

Although they drove you insane with their obvious scheme, you thanked the meddling kids you called friends and their stupid game in your head. After all, they were the ones who encouraged you to risk it all in an extremely unserious and unconventional way.

With that being said, the risks the game of life had to offer were terrifying. They were difficult. If you never took them, they would forever leave you pondering about the road not taken. But when you did take them, risks big or small, they were always worth it.

Kissing Donghyuck sweetly on the lips, you replied, “It’s my favorite too.”

(01:27) Yeri: i’m so sorry marky (01:29) Jeno: ditto (01:29) Jeno: f’s in the chat for mark (01:30) Karina: f (01:30) Renjun: f (01:30) Yeri: f (01:30) Ari: f (01:31) Giselle: fffffff (01:32) Jaemin: shut up, he’ll be fine (01:45) Yeri: I’ll leave my extra key under my mat if you wanna crash somewhere else, just got home (01:50) Giselle: home, gnite everyone (01:51) Ari: we just got home too, night night <3 (01:55) Jeno: home, rina’s here too (01:56) Yeri: oh??? (01:56) Karina: shut up (02:35) Mark: wtf i just got home, why are you sorry (02:35) Mark: what happened (02:36) Mark: bro hold up i hear noises from hyuck’s room, who else did you invite?? (02:36) Mark: did y/n get sexiled??? where is she?? (02:36) Mark: she’s not in my room, i thought she was sleeping over?? (02:37) Mark: wait—OH MY GOD YOOOO WTF IS THAT Y/N IN HIS ROOM (02:37) Mark: …oh my god that’s her let’s GOOOOOO (02:38) Mark: omf they’re so loudddddd dude wtfffff (02:38) Mark: fml yeri im coming over

AUTHOR'S NOTE. I know it's past Christmas now but I hope you enjoy this holiday fic. It ended up being longer than I thought it was going to be but it's done! My first full fic in quite a bit. The games and hilarity that ensue in this fic are based on one of my drunk game nights with friends. Every time I hang out with this group, something inspires me--we're like sitcom worthy at times lol. Fic worthy even. I hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think.

Happy Holidays and Happy 2024! <3

TAGLIST. @nctsworld @johtenrecs @emmybyeakitty @sokkigarden @hyuckworld @baekhyuns-lipchain @yutaholic-main @moonctzeny @suhnnyskiess @smileysuh @everloving-avenue @justalildumpling @tywritesstuff @mikalovesicecream @carelessshootanonymous @emvrd @taelme @fairyiene @dreamy-carat @smwhrinthehaze

#nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct x reader #haechan scenarios #haechan imagines #haechan x reader

2K notes · View notes

patrick-hockstutter · 5 years ago

Text

Modern!Bowers Gang:

Patrick:

Really into cinematography and photography of the unsettling

Never captions his Instagram posts

Goes live on Instagram a lot, even though people really wished he wouldn’t

Makes art out of dead animals or animal bones he finds

Think Banksy, but with roadkill

He’ll take some (somehow) tasteful photos of them, post them, then leave the scene there for some unexpecting bystander to find

Has a nosering (fight me)

Never uses incognito mode

If someone happens to stumble upon his search history, he’s not paying their therapy bill

He likes reading smut more than he likes watching porn

A ps4 guy

Loves spooky games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Until Dawn and Death Stranding

He’s not really into school, but he surprisingly reads a lot when he’s alone in his room

Only about things he likes though

Abnormal psych, criminal psych, and sometimes some zoology (u kno y)

Watches serial killer documentaries like he’s paid to

Listens to grunge, nu metal, and 80s alt

Won’t admit it, but sometimes listens to Joji

He’s not super into emo music, but he’s the only one who will listen to it with Victor (he fckn vibes to Brand New)

Ironically uses a Zune

Has an Android but lowkey wishes he had an iPhone

Doesn’t have a computer, just jailbreaks/hacks the school issued laptop

Has a black line tattooed around some of his fingers, one of his wrists, and the shell of his ear

Has a foot tattoo

Has a fucking Juul

Watches LeafyIsHere on YouTube (tell me I’m wrong)

Spends too much time on Reddit

Wears flannels, skinny jeans, and Vans (a beanie if he’s cold)

Mostly cycles through the same three or four outfits

Wears the same pair of Vans every single day

Victor:

Big into aromatherapy

He uses lavender soaps and has an essential oil diffuser in his room

Uses incognito mode to watch Vampire Diaries

A Nintendo ass b i t c h

He has the gray Switch Lite

He brings his Switch with him everywhere (yes he’s that guy)

But what else are you gonna do when you wanna ignore Patrick?

Watches conspiracy theories about ghosts, cryptids, and aliens

Also big into podcasts (mostly true crime and conspiracy ones)

He listens to them on his headphones while he takes walks or draws

Posts his drawings on Tumblr

Does art streams on Twitch when he gets really bored

Has an eyebrow piercing (but it’s a small stud one, not a ring)

Has little tattoos on his hands

Wears bomber jackets, skinny jeans, joggers, army jackets, converse, and combat boots

The boy has style okay

Had an emo phase but still listens to the music (especially Tiny Moving Parts)

The emo phase was pretty short because Henry made fun of him so much

He just fucking liked MCR and Taking Back Sunday a lot, okay?

And Pierce The Veil and Sleeping With Sirens, but he doesn’t readily admit that

Now mostly listens to new wave, synth pop, and lofi hiphop

His favorite bands are Drab Majesty and Choir Boy (look up their new album btw)

Has a black iPhone and a space gray MacBook Pro

Uses Apple Music

Vapes, but only fruity flavors

Watches BoJack Horseman

Doesn’t really eat fast food but never passes up an M&M McFlurry

Paints his (and Patrick’s) nails black

One time Patrick caught him doing a facemask, so Patrick put one on and started chasing him around screaming as a joke

Cue: hmm… this feels kinda good tho

So now Victor and Patrick have secret mini spa days

Drives a Subaru

Belch:

Makes Spotify playlists like he’s paid to

He’s just really good at putting songs together

He tried to get into music theory, but he wasn’t one for actually making his own songs

Really into metal (obvi) but also likes some classic rock and punk stuff

Has records hung up side by side all around his room where the wall meets the ceiling

Still buys CDs

His Instagram feed is full of vintage cars and custom import cars

Fast and Furious is his favorite movie series

His favorite shows are Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead

But he also loves early 2000s comedies

Has a mini projector to watch movies on his room wall

Wears band tees, flannels, jean jackets, Carhartt stuff, d a d h a t s

Really wants a tattoo but always gets nervous

Uses incognito mode to watch porn and buy some of his band tees from Hot Topic

Only one in the gang that uses Facebook (Mama Huggins made him so he could keep in contact with family)

Follows a few meme pages but also some cooking ones so he can send his mom any cool recipes he finds

Victor lowkey makes fun of him for actually using the Facebook page

Invests money in really good headphones and car speakers

Has a black iPhone

It’s always at 20% battery cause it’s always connected to his headphones, Bluetooth speaker, or car stereo

Him and Victor FaceTime when they’re bored

Sometimes they won’t even say much, they just like the over the phone company

Doesn’t smoke, but sometimes hits Vic’s vape

A social vaper if you will

Watches Idubbbz and Filthy Frank on YouTube

His favorite fast food place is Wendy’s

Not really into video games but fucking slays at Guitar Hero

And when Rock Band came out nobody saw him for like two weeks

Has a black Hydroflask with band stickers on it

Henry:

He plays a lot of Xbox

Mostly Halo, COD, Destiny, any first-person shooter really

Baits people on Xbox Live cause he thinks it’s hilarious

He’s also a fucking cyberbully but we all expected that

Has Victor’s old iPhone

Never fucking charges it

He’ll text you back in 3-5 business days (if at all)

And if you try to call him he’ll block your number

Plays iMessage games like cup pong and 8 ball with Belch

The only social media he uses is Snapchat and Tinder to look at girls

In one of his Tinder photos he’s holding a fish (srrynotsrry)

Doesn’t really listen to too much music

He doesn’t dislike music, just usually prefers to do things in silence

His mind is chaotic enough, he doesn’t need background noise

But he will listen to Cigarettes After Sex and TV Girl on a really low volume when he goes to sleep

Uses incognito mode to pick and choose random soft or angsty songs that he likes to put into a bedtime playlist

Otherwise just listens to whatever Belch listens to

Has a tattoo on his wrist

Takes a lot of drives into the countryside/national forests/mountains with Belch

Takes a lot of scenery photos, but never posts them anywhere or shows anyone except Victor

Still smokes cigarettes (he thinks vaping is douchey)

Watches South Park and American Dad

If he’s willing to spend money to go see a movie, he’s going to an IMAX theater

Sometimes he likes 3D, but most of the time it just hurts his eyes after a while

Longboards everywhere

Needs prescription glasses but refuses to wear them

They’re mostly for reading, which he doesn’t do anyway

But he does listen to audiobooks sometimes

Likes Frappuccinos but will kill you before you find out

He orders them through Uber Eats under a fake name so nobody will find out

BONUS: all four!

Victor still has his childhood GameCube that they play Mario Party, Mario Kart, and Melee on

Henry is banned from playing Mario Party after breaking a controller while beating Patrick with it

Patrick only ever picks Waluigi in Mario Kart and everyone is sick of it

When they play Rock Band Patrick is on bass, Henry plays guitar, Belch absolutely slays the drums, and Vicky boy sings his lil heart out

One night a week they order a shit ton of Dominos and make a drinking game out of watching Vine compilations

Victor does everyone’s birth charts

They collectively made a fake Tinder account on Patrick’s phone and catfish guys with it

They all try to one up each other doing vape tricks yikes

They buy bags of chips and candy from Costco and lounge around eating them on weekends

They’re banned from the city metro busses because Belch’s car was in the shop for a week and that week was hell for every bus driver in the city

272 notes · View notes

thou-crusty-batch-of-nature · 4 years ago

Text

The rise and fall of our love

part one | part two

playlist: gold by nick murphy and chet faker

too young to burn by sonny and the sunsets

cold cold cold by cage the elephant

pairing: reader x james, lily x james

warnings: language, fluff, a bit of angst

A/N: hope you like my first proper series! i've been working on this for a while and i'm so excited to finally post it! feedback is very much appreciated so lmk what you think

also, credits to @approved-by-dentists for the iconic line "I'll drop kick your firstborn", you can check her frog memes here

and credits to the harry potter wiki fandom, I took those amortentia info from there

p.s. the cover is made by me

word count: roughly 2.4K

MASTERLIST

"You can't expect me to believe this!" James was looking at you with his mouth agape and exaggerated wide eyes which made the conversation slightly more embarrassing than it already was.

"5 minutes till midnight!" Sirius announced from a table with several bottles of champagne by his side.

"Well, you should. I'm telling the truth!"

"Y/N!" he shouted in a serious note, as if he was trying to decide whether you were lying or not. Your ears were burning. Someone hex me right now.

"James!" you answered - this was like a bad version of the Marco Polo game.

Something in your eyes convinced him of your honesty. "You have never been kissed on New Year's Eve!" he gasped with such amazement that you didn't have the heart to reveal that, in fact, you have never been kissed by anyone on any other occasion - you still needed that remaining bit of dignity. Well, not a real kiss, that is. The only time you have ever kissed someone was on a game of spin the bottle in 3rd year, when you and Remus shared a very awkward one-second kiss, that James never forgot to bring up every other day.

"Why is it such a big deal - I don't need a kiss to have a lucky year! I can manage fairly well on my own, thank you very much!"

The whole Gryffindor Common Room was buzzing with chatter, clinking glasses and loud music. New Year's Eve meant a great deal to gryffindors, whether it was for the booze, the games or the chance to kiss your crush at midnight.

You could proudly say that your presence was owed to none of the above, but rather to the persistent demands of your best friend, Marlene. Not that you didn't love a good party - it's the opposite, really. The only problem was your low intolerance to alcohol; three big gulps of beer were enough to make you the talk of the school for at least two weeks. And with Marlene and the marauders by your side, the chances of that to happen were outstandingly high.

"It's a matter of principle, it's about the neediness of human nature, about their need for closure and contact in order to feel full and satisfied! It's about the idea of knowing that you have emotional support!" he declared passionately with a hand over his chest.

"So, people are horny and they need to kiss other people for them to feel valid and worthy?" You scrunched up your nose in disgust. "That's messed up!"

"It's love, Y/N! It's not supposed to make sense, it's like magic!"

"You sound like a cringy girl from a romantic muggle movie!" You snorted.

"You're incredible!" James sighed, disappointed. "Alright, I'll show you, you'll see!" Soon enough, a gigantic clock appeared over the fireplace starting the New Year's countdown.

"9…" People were chanting joyfully.

"8…" You could feel James' stare, but you kept your eyes glued to the clock.

"7...6…5…" You sensed him inch closer.

"4…" He spun you around and cupped your cheek.

"3…" You were lost in his eyes. They were an infusion of spring and autumn, a melt of fiery leaves and honey.

"2… 1!" His soft lips met yours, and you could hear fireworks erupting outside the castle. You felt your soul implode. The kiss was shy, yet passionate. His hands were slowly grazing your back while yours found their way to his dark curls. It felt right - perfect, even.

Even though it was your first kiss, you knew it was the best you'd ever have. Everything was easier when you were with James, everything felt at peace. You pulled apart when you ran out of breath, still longing for more. Your whole face was on fire, and you let your forehead rest on his.

"Here you go. Wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Eh- t'was alright." you joked, trying to sound cool. You laughed nervously, though you were pretty sure it sounded more like a squeal. Great.

"Do you think Lily saw it?" Something in his voice made you realise that he wished she did. You were just a puppet in his cruel play. Your heart wrenched a little, but you managed to hide your pain.

"Don't know. I haven't seen her tonight." You were his friend. That's all. The kiss meant nothing for him, and that was okay.

Just great.

"I think imma go check on Marls." you said, trying to hold your tears back. "Thank you, for the kiss." you exclaimed sarcastically, though James didn't seem to notice. He nodded absentmindedly, his eyes already on a certain red-head.

Oh, you were so stupid! How could you let this happen? A wave of nausea washed over you while the knot in your stomach kept pulling at your insides.

You made your way through the sea of people, right where you knew Marlene would be. There she was: lounging on the couch next to Sirius, drinks in hands, talking about Merlin knows what. You suddenly felt very bad to disturb your best friends who were both clearly having a great time, so you quickly turned the other way.

"Y/N!" Marlene shouted. Shit. You quickened your pace, only to hear her shouts over the music. "Y/N Y/L/N stay where you are or I swear I'll knock you down!"

You continued to walk but stopped when you saw James and Lily a few steps ahead. She was laughing while he was whispering something in her ear. Lily spotted you and smiled teasingly. You took a deep breath. Defeated, you turned and saw Marlene's tall figure facing you. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

You haven't realised that until she asked you. Good thing that James was too busy fawning over Lily to notice.

Marlene didn't wait for an answer to take your hand in hers and lead you back to your dorm. She pulled you in her arms while you finally let your tears fall. You felt pathetic; how could you believe he would actually like you the way you did?

You told her everything apart from that unbecoming smile Lily gave you. They were also friends, not as good as you two were, but you didn't want to stir up any arguments.

You and Marlene have been best friends for over six years. You used to be quite an introvert, whereas Marlene was cocky enough for the two of you, so she made it her goal to get you out of your shell. And she succeeded - even too well, some would say.

And as for you and Lily, things were - you guessed you could call them decent. Neither of you made any effort to be besties, as Lily made it quite clear she didn't like you. However, you managed to become acquaintances for the sake of your friends'.

"Y/N! What is our number one rule?" she asked when you finished.

You sighed. "Bros over hoes."

"I will never put a boy over our friendship, Y/N. You come first. Especially when you have a problem."

"Okay, mother." you rolled your eyes. "I should've drank the damned firewhisky. It would have been a far better alternative to get shitface drunk than deal with all this."

"You're right." You glared at her. "What? You really are. That just proves my theory further: technically, alcohol is a solution."

×××

Naturally, the odds haven't been in your favour, and Lily and James were closer than ever. You would be lying if you said you were happy for them.

"Now, Y/N/N, that's just cruel!" Marlene said with her mouth full, spitting half of her breakfast on you. Then, she silently handed you a napkin. You gave her a nod of thanks. "I mean, I get it, you are a tad bit jealous, but that's understandable!"

"Am not!" you defended. "I'm happy for my friend for finding his love." You choked that word out. "Okay, I might be a tiny tiny bit jealous but that's not the case right now! I just don't understand his choice!"

"Ah… here goes that 'he could've had all this but he chose that' speech..." Marlene sighed.

"Yes- I mean no! That's not what I mean! I just don't like Lily!"

"I know…" she said regretfully. "She is a good friend to me, really - she's not that bad. I know you two had your problems, but… Wait, what are your problems exactly?" she squinted her eyes in confusion. "You've never told me the real reason you two don't get along."

"Well…"

"Good morning darlings!" Sirius interrupted, plopping down next to Marlene.

"Good morning to you too!" James chirped with a sheepish smile plastered on his face. He sat next to you, hugged you and you could swear you heard him squeal.

"Well, someone seems to be in an awfully good mood this early in the morning. Waddup?" you ask, popping the 'p'.

"Someone got back to the dorm very late last night after having spent the entire day with -"

"LILY-FLOWER! HERE!" James got up and waved frantically towards her. She furrowed her brows when she spotted him next to you and you quickly averted your gaze.

"Hello there!" she smiled, sitting down on the other empty spot next to James. She took his hand in hers and glanced at you. You rolled your eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" Lily asked innocently.

"Nah, everything's alright." Just my back hurts a little... from all the stabs. The intensities of your stares could burn holes through each other's bodies.

"Y/N, have you finished your DADA essay? I think it was due Wednesday and I haven't written a word!" Remus cuts in, sensing the tension. You made a mental note to thank him later.

×××

"So what was all that about?" You were in the library "helping" Remus write his essay - in reality, you were munching on his chocolate while he was reading.

"What?" You decided to play dumb, hoping he would drop the subject. Remus leaned in his chair and rubbed his eyes. It was too early for any of this.

"Your 'friendship' with Lily." he air quoted.

"There's nothing wrong with us…"

"Oh, then let me call her here and make friendship bracelets together!" he mocked. "You almost hugged to death out there!"

"Quiet!" you heard madam Pince's high screech.

You let your head fall in your hands. "Is it so obvious?" you whispered. He gave you the are-you-kidding-me face and you groaned.

"Fine! The truth is that I don't know why she hates me! I've tried to be her friend for so many years, ever since she became Marl's friend - and she rejected me every single time. Not to mention that she has never been the nicest to me. And now she acts like I drop-kicked her firstborn and I'm sick of it."

"So nothing happened?"

"Nothing that I know of…"

"Huh…" It was clear he expected somewhat of a greek tragedy. You glanced at the clock and cursed, you were running late to class. "Remus, we gotta leave."

You both got up in a hurry, stuffing parchments and quills in your bags. "Potions?"

You checked the time again. "In five minutes."

"Shit."

You sprinted down the halls of Hogwarts, going on every shortcut you knew. You reached the classroom faster than ever - seriously, you must’ve broken a record.

"What time is it?" Remus asked, a bit out of breath.

"10:04" you managed to say.

Remus knocked on the door while you struggled to keep an upright position - you had to admit that you were a bit out of shape.

"Ah, Remus and Y/N, I was beginning to worry! Everybody is late today! Do you happen to know about Potter and Lily's whereabouts?"

"No, sir."

"Probably in a broom closet." Sirius said between coughs. Slughorn decided not to hear this remark.

"Very well, then find your seats and get your books out." You hurried towards the empty desk behind Sirius and a now-seated Remus. Where was he?

"Now, as I was saying. I prepared some concoctions this morning which you can find on your desks. Any ideas what these might be?"

"It's Armortentia!" someone from the front exclaimed.

"Excellent! Now, this is the most powerful love potion in existence. It causes a powerful infatuation or obsession from the drinker. Despite its power, Amortentia doesn't create actual love; it's impossible to manufacture or imitate love."

You were already growing tired. "Miss Y/L/N, you seem awfully relaxed. Care to reveal what scent do you smell?"

Your head shot up from the desk, trying to remember the question. You were ready to ask the professor to repeat it when you saw Sirius pointing to his nose and then to the potion.

Thanks, you mouthed and Sirius winked.

"I smell…" you started, closing your eyes and sniffing the liquid.

"I smell gingerbread, old books and…"...James. You quickly opened your eyes as the realisation dawned onto you. "... musky cologne."

"Wonderful, miss Y/L/N! Now, in the hour that remains you and your desk mates will have to brew an acceptable vial of Amortentia, helped by the example before you and of course, your books. So, open the books at -"

A loud knock interrupted Professor Slughorn. He turned his head just as James and Lily barged into the room all giggly and blushy.

"Excuse us, professor! We had some urgent Prefect duties!" Yeah, right.

"You are a tad late, I'm afraid. Oh well, you may come in, I've just finished the instructions for today's lesson. Potter, there's an empty seat next to Y/N; Lily, you can take a seat next to Miss Macdonald."

"Hello, roomie!" James whispered when he sat down, wiggling his eyebrows. "What are we brewing today?" he asked. Why did he always have that stupid smirk on his face?

"That!" you pointed towards the tiny cauldron in front of you.

"Hmm - let me see." he leaned forward to look at it, then scrunched up his nose when he tried to smell it.

"Bloody hell, Y/N! Do you bathe in your perfume? And what is with this smell - lilies? Are lilies here? Well, besides the most beautiful one over there?" he nodded towards Evans.

You couldn't help but blush and look away. You were sure you didn't put any perfume on this morning, so that meant…?

"We are brewing Amortentia, you barmy wanker!" you heard Sirius' wheezy voice, who was trying and failing to hold his laughter.

"Oh" James said, rubbing his neck. "Shit."

Shitty indeed.

You were in deep.

****

part two

taglist: @futurewriter2000, @puppycat714, @booksbeforebois, @slytherinquill, @screennamealreadyused, @fific7, @with1love1anu

110 notes · View notes

wiener-soldiers · 5 years ago

Text

unsolved - peter parker

summary: “it’s a gen-z thing” or weird shit happens if you’re an avenger

words: 2.4k

warnings: my weird stark!reader post-blip, everything if fine and dandy au (welcome to the latest installment of eliza tries to erase the events of endgame)

a/n: this is a shit post but make it content (i saw the screenshot of the post on insta and immediately thought of this)

“This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved…”

You and Peter don’t listen to the rest of Ryan’s introduction as you are cuddled on the large sectional in the Avengers’ Tower common room. A bowl of popcorn and bags of candy from the bodega down the street surround the two of you, limbs intertwined underneath one of the plush cashmere Pepper insisted on keeping nearby (because someone always ends up too tired to make it back to their rooms on movie nights). Peter absentmindedly pulled apart gummy worms before eating them while he watched you attempt to throw popcorn up in the air and catching it in your mouth while laying your head in his lap. Admittedly, every time you miss, which was more often than not, he stole the piece himself before popping it in his mouth. Every time he did so, you scrunched your nose in disgust.

“That’s gross,” you tell him flatly.

“What’s gross?”

“You eating gummy worms and popcorn at the same time.”

“…What?”

You throw another piece of popcorn up in the air, this time landing in your mouth, “It’s sweet gummy worms, and buttery crunchy popcorn. Does that not…confuse your Peter-tingle?”

He groans, “Stop finding excuses to say ‘Peter-tingle!’”

“Happy says it!”

“That’s not a valid excuse and you know it,” he says, annoyed but amusement still evident in his eyes. He leans down to press a soft kiss on your forehead.

You smile against his lips before you say, “Do you find it a little weird that I consider Happy my Uncle and he’s dating May while we are dating?”

He pulls away and frowns immediately, “You had to make it weird, didn’t you?”

“You never answered my question.”

Peter stares at your face for a second, letting the thought sit with him. After a few moments, he shudders. “Let’s not think about it too much, it’s slightly too Game of Thrones for my liking,” he says before grabbing the remote to turn the TV volume up, the sound of Shane and Ryan bickering getting louder in return.

The two of you turn your attention back to the Unsolved: Supernatural playlist. With the both of you getting Blipped, you’ve missed five years worth of Unsolved episodes, obviously skipping any about the Blip because it’s still a little fresh for both of you.

“Don’t you think it’s a little weird that this boy ran away the day his mother died? If anything, I’d stay with my family,” Shane says, obviously skeptically of Ryan’s theory of a little boy got abducted by aliens.

“But now you’re assuming that he ran away! Look, his dad says he ran out of the hospital room. Then, he followed him outside after a few minutes, but he was gone!” Ryan exclaims in return.

“What if he just… ran into the forest? Looking for Goatman or whatever they have out in Ohio.”

“Who’s this episode about again?” you say with your mouth full of popcorn.

“Uh,” Peter mutters before checking the video description, “a kid named Peter Quill. Disappeared in 1988, apparently abducted by aliens.”

“Hmm,” you say before swallowing the popcorn, “who knows, maybe it’s true? I mean you’ve been to space, we all know aliens are real. Seems possible.”

“But, is it plausible? I mean what do aliens want with some scrawny kid? If they wanted food, why didn’t they go to a big city?”

“What are you guys watching?” Tony Stark says from behind you, leaning against the back of the couch. He reaches down to grab a handful of popcorn and you scowl.

“Dad!” you say, “Get your own!”

“It’s a big damn bowl, you can share,” he snickers before patting Peter on the shoulder.

“There have literally been alien invasions on this Earth! How can you not say this one doesn’t make sense!” Ryan exclaims, turning towards Shane.

Your Dad lets out a delighted sound. “I love the panicked one,” Tony says, “he seems like a funny guy.”

“So, you’re a Boogara!” you say excitedly while Peter groans.

“Not another one! All you Starks are Boogaras, the world needs more Shaniacs.”

“How can you possibly say that you’ve met aliens.”

As if on cue, another picture of the missing boy shows on the screen. This time, Peter and Tony study his face while you throw pieces of popcorn at your Dad.

Peter furrows his eyebrow and lets out a confused sound. You frown, analyzing his face as the episode continues to play. His lips are pursed, and you look back up at your Dad and find that he is wearing a matching expression.

“What?” you ask, confused.

Your Dad crosses his arms, “He looks…familiar.”

Peter nods in agreement, “Yeah, I swear I’ve seen him somewhere. Normally I’m good with faces, but this…”

Tony stares for a little longer before shrugging and walking away while mumbling, “Must be my subconscious or something.”

You look back at Peter before he says, “No, but I have definitely seen him before…”

All you can give your boyfriend is a supportive smile before saying, “Maybe you saw a screencap on Instagram or something.”

He nods, unconvinced. He ignores it though, continuing the Buzzfeed Unsolved marathon.

Weeks later, you and Peter get in the car with Happy to drive to the Avengers’ Upstate facility. The both of you live in New York fulltime (you in the Avengers Tower with Pepper, your step-sister Morgan, and your Dad and Peter with May) but make weekly trips to the Upstate compound so Peter can train and you can spend time with your Avengers’ Aunts and Uncles. As your Dad often made quick trips from Upstate to New York throughout the week, the smaller Quinjet was already parked on the large lawn when Happy pulled into the facility.

As you and Peter exit the car and step inside, you notice a lot of employees frantically running around while a timer was being projected on a large wall across from you.

An engineer runs by, trying to type something on a tablet while glancing at the timer every few seconds.

“Excuse me?” Peter calls out to the woman, who stops abruptly, pushing the glasses up her nose.

“Oh, hello Mr. Parker and Miss. Stark. Your father is in the control room and was wondering what time you’d get here,” she says quickly.

You smile at her, “Thanks but…what’s going on?”

“You haven’t heard?” she asks, taken aback. She points at the timer being projected, “We received an astronomically broadcasted encrypted message from an alien vessel a few days ago. Based on the timestamp of the message and how long the message took to be picked up by our satellites, we predict the vessel to arrive like…now.”

“Who sent the message?” you ask.

“Thor.”

Peter whips his head around to face you, and you do the same. You stare at each other in shock. It had been years since you had last had contact with Thor. Since coming back from the Blip, you and Thor spoke for a brief second before he left. It had been more than a year since you saw him.

“Are… you sure?” you ask.

She nods, “He used a method specific to our communication systems, one that I doubt imposters would know to use effectively. And the message was encrypted with the language your father made for all encrypted Avengers messages. No one else has the key—”

“Except for Avengers,” Peter finishes.

“And like…Pepper,” you add.

You say thanks to the woman before running hand-in-hand to the control room. As soon as the door opens, you and Peter stumble inside. The large room on the highest floor of the building had floor-to-ceiling windows that made up two walls. Rows of people seated at monitors all monitored the vessel, which was already entering the Earth’s atmosphere. A wall-sized screen covered one of the walls, which showed a map of the vessel’s projected path beside the same timer projected downstairs.

Your Dad stood beside Steve who was standing beside Bruce who exchanged encrypted messages with the ship as it landed. Clint and Bucky stood in front of the window, looking up at the sky. Nat was seated at a computer beside them with Wanda, who were analyzing the specs of the ship. Sam, Vision, and Rhodey were all suited up outside, flying around the perimeter of the compound.

“Dad!” you say as you and Peter and approach.

Steve and Tony both turn around with stern looks before both of their faces soften at the sight of the two teenagers who weaseled their way into everyone’s hearts.

“Hey, kids. I’m assuming you heard,” your Dad says.

You nod frantically, “Are you sure it’s him?”

Bruce calls from behind them, still typing, “Like 98% sure, sweetheart. He was able to tell me about our…adventures in an alien gladiator ring, for the lack of a better explanation.”

“And the other 2%?”

“He keeps making Footloose references? And other 80s references in general.”

“They’re here,” Bucky calls out, staring wide-eyed with Clint at the window.

Everyone turns to face the window, watching an orange alien ship descend onto the lawn.

As everyone is distracted, you turn around and attempt to sneak out of the room to meet Thor when he exits the ship. Two steps later, someone significantly stronger than you picks you up. Your turn your head slightly and see Steve dragging you back beside Peter.

“Uncle Steve!”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, kid. Unless we know that it’s Thor and whoever he’s with isn’t a threat, the both of you are staying here,” he says sternly, looking to both you and Peter.

“But—”

“He’s right,” your Dad says before putting his EDITH glasses on. “If either of you gets hurt, Pepper and May will have my necks.”

You frown and sit down, and Peter follows suit, visibly upset he can’t see an alien spaceship up close. Bucky throws Steve his shield and the rest of the Avengers file out of the control room, leaving the rest of those cleared to work in the control room and two sulking teenagers in the room.

You and Peter roll towards the computer that Bruce was sitting it, which is now unoccupied.

“You think there are any games on here?” Peter asks suggestively as he logs back onto the computer.

“You’re kidding right?” you say, annoyed, “Of course there are games on here. This is Michael’s desk, there’s probably Galaga, or Minecraft if we’re lucky.”

Fortunately, there was indeed Minecraft and you and Peter spent half an hour exploring a world called ‘If Mike Was an Avenger.’ Peter even switched the game-mode to Creative and spent a solid five minutes spawning villagers and random animals in Michael’s house. After playing for a while, the two of you decided to continue your Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural playlist. You were on your third episode before your Dad came back, signaling that you could come to see Thor.

You followed him into the medical wing where you could see Thor seated on a medical bed with a group of people: some Avengers, another man you’ve never seen before, and a group of…beings that were definitely aliens.

As soon as you caught sight of him, you took off. You barreled into the room and launched yourself into Thor’s arms. Though caught off-guard, he lets out a hearty chuckle, standing up and spinning you in a circle. You laugh in delight as Peter and your Dad walk back into the room.

As soon as he sets you down you punch him in the torso. It was obviously not enough to even phase him, but he looks at you in shock.

“What was that for?” he asks, his heavy Asgardian accent coming through. You take a moment to glance at Thor. His hair was tied in a half-up bun while he wore dark pants and an athletic shirt (which probably belonged to Steve). He wasn’t as fit as he was when you first met him, but his beer-bod had gone away significantly.

You point a finger accusingly at him, “You left! Again! You can’t just keep disappearing and not tell us.”

“I’m truly sorry, Lady (Y/N),” Thor says, putting a hand on your shoulder. “I was assisting my new friends, who you may have recognized.” He gestures to the band of misfits scattered around the room; a giant green and veiny muscular man, a girl with antennas, a…racoon?, a tall tree who kept poking random things in the room, and a regular-looking man with styled side-burns that you didn’t know people in the 21st century still did.

“These are the Guardians of the Galaxy,” Thor says while nudging you, “and I’ve sort of become their leader.”

“You’re not our leader,” the human one says.

“Well, more like honorary—”

“No, not even. I’m the leader,”

“Yeah, sure you are,” the raccoon says and your eyes bulge out of your head slightly.

The man rolls his eyes and steps towards you, sticking out your hand to shake, “I’m Peter Quill, by the way.”

You immediately pull your hand from his and stare at his face. Peter pushes past Bruce and Bucky to stand beside you, analyzing his face. Instantaneously, all the puzzle pieces click.

“You’re—” you start, shocked.

“OH MY GOD. RYAN BERGARA WAS RIGHT,” Peter yells, whipping his face frantically around the room.

“What—” Quill starts before getting cut-off by you and Peter jumping up excitedly and yelling at him.

“You were abducted by aliens in 1988—”

“Outside of a hospital in Missouri—”

“Your Dad wanted to give you space so he waited a few minutes before he came out to find you—”

“But by the time you were already gone—”

“And everyone thought your case would remain—”

“Unsolved!”

Both you and Peter take a breath, looking at Peter for acknowledgment. He gives you a curt, bewildered nod in confirmation, sending you and Peter off into an excited frenzy. You immediately pull out your phone while Peter sits in front of the room’s desktop to pull up the Unsolved episode about Peter. The adults in your room look very confused, except for Tony. He smugly saunters to the center of the room and puts an arm around Peter’s shoulder as he types.

“It’s a Gen-Z thing,” he says, desperately trying to act like the Cool Dad.

Peter Quill takes a deep breath before sitting onto the nearest chair and rubbing a hand over his face. Apparently, he had missed a lot.

2K notes · View notes

lydia-can-live · 5 years ago

Text

Nopelander...revisting an old post

I still see sooo much Outlander stuff on my dash so I thought I’d share my thoughts on Season 4. I don’t have high hopes for S5 and even though I said I was done, I am still curious. Hanging around to see how it turns out is different than being a die hard fan, which I was. Its amazing to me that the built-in fan base and super hot chemistry between the 2 leads could fizzle out to a boring, flat, emotionless promotion. The Fiery Cross is very focused on Roger and Brianna (with Jamie and Claire always watching an guiding which is a gift for those who crave a stable family life...and is too subtle and nuanced for these OL writers to grasp) so the magic of the show that was Jamie and Claire is no more. Here is what I had to say about the S4 finale. tl:dr OL used to be great, and instead of writing it as the romance-fantasy that it is, they subscribed to the theory that drama and plot are more interesting than nuanced intimacy and in doing so drained it of its charm and energy while at the same time bashed fans for not being happy about it.

Production ruined the magic that was Outlander in such a stumbling, amateurish, way. First off, they do not understand Jamie and Claire, who are soul mates, as well as best friends. They love making each other laugh and share many inside jokes. They know life is hard but as long as they can connect with each other, they’ll get through anything. In the show their relationship is tenuous and they never realistically comfort one another. Touching each other’s jaw line in lieu of good dialogue is just irritating. 2nd, the wigs take you out of the story, immediately. Why did that not concern anyone? Sam Heughan is a gorgeous man but I snort every time we see that alpaca hair. The only time I can take him seriously is when he is wearing a tri-corn. Claire’s hair looks passable from far away but up close it’s like, holy hairline! It really bothers me that this was not important to production. Jamie had shaggy hair in S1 because he was growing out a buzz cut he got at the Abbey, not because he liked having fringe. If they are trying to recreate S1 hair they have failed spectacularly.

Season Finale: Rescuing Dog Face. I want to care, but I don’t. Roger and Bree do not have an established or believable relationship. He showed up with his Paul McCartney hair in Boston and the writers decided he loved her and that’s all it’s based on. There is no chemistry between them but there isn’t any conversation, either. She is apathetic. We’ll never know how Sophie would deliver well written dialogue but with her somnolent, emotionless, delivery my guess is it wouldn’t have helped. Maybe they limited her dialogue because she couldn’t manage more than a few words at a time. Imagine the stirring ‘He’s real…I know’ or the riveting ‘You’re here’ with a modicum of energy. I know, it’s just as bad. She was miscast, obviously. They couldn’t have found a tall, American actress with dual UK/USA citizenship with an Equity card? Hey Bree: In the show, Roger humiliated then abandoned you at the Clan gathering because you didn’t want to marry him. He then had a relationship with you --in his mind--, while you were living on your own and trying to keep your eyes from closing while you talked. Why do you love him? Back to Roger. A group of people are going against their own tribe to rescue Dog Face and risk alienation from said tribe just to get a stone they could have just taken from Claire? Come on. The tribe had sentries posted when Jamie and Claire were approaching but everyone had the night off to gather around for the drumming circle? The one guy watching the idiot tent gets clubbed (is he dead? We don’t know) by Jamie and no one notices? Finally the jig is up and the resulting scramble to “reach the river” is so laughably amateurish that I imagined the camera guy laughing like you do when you’re filming your friends in the backyard trying to recreate the Aragorn/Nazgul fight scene from the LOTR. Thankfully, Claire was there to bring a sensible end to it all with a very effective “Its ovah”. Even the Mohawk warriors were impressed. So did they all sleep in the idiot tent that night, or what? And Roger isn’t totally amazed looking at Claire and Jamie, together? No? He just cowers in her clutches. At least he’s not wearing those absolutely ridiculous but completely historically accurate culottes anymore. The Birth: Everyone complaining about this is correct. Claire would never have allowed her daughter to go through child birth in the 18th century without her. I don’t understand why the writers made this decision. That whole birthing chair thing was cringe worthy. Jocasta and her hand-made silk dress isn’t going to be assisting at a freaking birth. (I just kept seeing a thought bubble above Sophie that said “I should have stuck to dance”. I don’t think she’s enjoying Outlander that much.) In the book, while Bree is asking Jamie to stay for the birth, he pleadingly looks to Claire like ‘what do I do’ because, while he’s heard a lot of birthing going on, he’s never been asked to assist. It shows their complete unison as a team, their trust in each other, and it’s cute to see Jamie out of his element a little. More importantly, Jamie got to experience his grandchild with his heart burst wide open and he reveled in it. The dialogue in the book is touching and funny and it resonates because its tied to emotions that have long been been building. Jemmy is the catalyst for healing many of Jamie’s wounds regarding his children. He is the balm for his soul. In the show, Jamie barely acknowledges the baby. But here, blind Auntie --who in the show uses a cane-- you take the baby. Don’t hurt him with the giant brooch thing you are wearing. And don’t walk anywhere. Just stand there. Don’t you go dyin’ on me! Here’s the other thing: Bree loves her baby from the start. She makes that decision early on. When Jemmy is born she is completely devoted to him and his care. She wouldn’t be sitting in a room by herself while her baby is hanging with a bunch of people who seem to be just standing around in a circle.

Back to the book for a second: When Roger finally shows up, Bree is not broken. She’s besotted with her son and enjoying the loving embrace of her family. She’s whole. I like that Bree. She’s got a good heart. As much as I miss the humor between Jamie and Claire, I didn’t want to hear Sam call Claire “Granny” unless it was with a twinkle in his eye after he comes to the realization that this is the first time she’ll be called that, and it’s the first time he gets to say it. I hate book dialogue spoken with no depth or understanding of the moment. Intimacy is what DG gets so right in the books and I don’t like hearing actual lines unless it carries some weight, I’m looking at you “Turtle Soup” (cringe). Murtagh: When he jumped off that wagon I was like…Duncan LaCroix is just loving the shit out of this. I don’t like the Regulator plot because they are shit stirrers who like to argue and ruin gatherings. Murtagh should be sticking to his vow, which was to protect Jamie. These are 18th century people, they took that shit seriously. The fight with Jocasta was hilarious but when she said ‘let’s get breakfast’ and they pan over to Murtagh and he’s all laid out on the bed like ‘here’s your freakin’ breakfast, with sausage’ I laughed so hard I had to pause it, drink some water and pull myself together. I was dying. It wasn’t as funny the second time because I knew it was coming but the first time it was like I could see Duncan turning up that sexy vibe to 11 and it was both funny and ridiculous, and he knew it. Rogers Choice: They should have made Roger a man of worth by having him immediately want to go to Bree. If you freaking love her so much it wouldn’t be an issue. What is she going to do, choose Bonnet over you? It should have been with no hesitation. It would have redeemed him, gave the search and rescue a satisfying conclusion, and saved us from yet another use of the two lovers running toward each other imagery. The music was so cliché I have to wonder if Bear is just picking stuff off a spotify muzak playlist. It’s clear that the show has lapsed into soap opera territory. Sam’s face when he said he had to –takes off glasses-- kill Murtagh wasn’t full on Drake Ramoray, but it was teetering close to it. Poor Outlander. You had the rare combination of chemistry, beauty, and talent combined with an eager and knowledgeable fan base and you reduced it to a strange wooden version of itself. Dedicated fans are leaving. I’m done. These writers are not smart or creative enough to chisel down The Fiery Cross. So much times passes during the gathering that surely Jamie will have outgrown his bangs, but of course he won’t. He just keeps hacking at them and I don’t want to stick around to watch.

Post Scriptum: Drinking game idea: Anytime anyone says Fraser’s Ridge. I mean, who talks like that? You’d say, ‘lets go home’. No one spouts the address when they reference home. ‘Where are you going?’ ‘123 State Street, where I live’.

Post, post Scriptum: You could also have a drinking game for every time Claire crosses her arms but you’d better have plenty of libations on hand. post post post scriptum: Sam and Cait are tired of Outlander and can’t wait for it to be over.

12 notes · View notes

i-purple-you9598 · 6 years ago

Text

BTS · You Fall Asleep On Him ·

GIF’s aren´t mine, credits to the owner

KIM SEOKJIN

You were lying on the couch with your head resting on your boyfriend's lap while watching a movie in the living room. That afternoon you had an amazing time with Jin. A few hours before, you were leaving exhausted from work, your boss seemed to have a bad day and has spent his time embittering others.You just wanted to get home and relax all the weekend. When you opened the door you found your boyfriend in the kitchen cooking dinner. You approached him and hugged him from behind while you kissed his back.

“You know I love you right?”

“ I know babe”

He turned around to hug you tight “have a shower while I finish cooking, okay? And after dinner we can watch a movie if you want.” you nod in response.

And there you were, watching a movie with a blanket over you. You were focused on the film when you noticed that you were slowly closing your eyes until you completely fell asleep. After a few minutes Jin looked down because of your deep breathing and delicately pushed back some strands of hair that fell on your face, he smiled sweetly and kissed your forehead before taking you in his arms securely to bring you to your room.

MIN YOONGI / SUGA

With a coffee in your hand you head towards the “Genius Lab”, you haven’t seen Yoongi for a while, so you decided that after work/school you would visit him at the studio. As soon as you enter to the studio, he turns around to look at you while you get closer and you give him his favourite coffee with a smile plastered in your face.

“Thanks love” says with his gummy smile and giving you a chaste kiss on your lips as he made you sit on his lap. You surround his waist with your arms while laying your head in the space between his shoulder and neck.

“How much time would it take you to finish it?” you ask, curl up in against his body.

“I still have a little left, you can wait at home if you want, you must be tired” He looks you in the eyes while it caresses your cheek delicately. You shake your head "I'm a bit tired, but I'll wait until you finish."

He hugs you tighter against him (if that is possible) bringing his chair closer to the table to continue working with you still sitting on his lap. Time passed and because of the fatigue and your boyfriends body heat you ended up asleep hugging him.

One hour later Yoongi finished his work "Jagi, I've finished, we can go home" when he didn’t hear an answer, he knew you fell asleep on him. Yoongi gently carried you and laid you on the couch that was in the studio, took a blanket and laid down beside you covering both of you while he cuddled you. A few minutes later he fell asleep next to you.

J-HOPE

With Hoseok being on Tour, your daily routine was going to work and when your schedule was finished, going back home; that was your routine of the last few weeks. You miss him so much. When you arrived to your apartment, you took off your shoes and lay down on the sofa, you didn’t have any energy at all, you closed your eyes so you could rest a little before start cooking dinner. A phone-call made you open your eyes “<3 Hobi <3 calling…” you get up quickly with a bright smile appeared in your face before taking the call.

“Hey Hobi, how are you?” “I’m fine princess, a bit tired, but talking to you makes my day” a slight blush appears on your cheeks as you laugh softly “I bet you're blushing, right now” “I’m not!!” “I have known you for a while now to know when you're lying babe” a sigh comes from you “ I miss you so much Hobi, you can’t imagine how much I need you right now” you say as tears form in your eyes. “ Aww I miss you too…” stops talking when he hears your sobs “ No, no sweetheart don’t cry please” he begs you, trying to calm you down.

You hadn't noticed the noise the door had made when it closed “I can’t see you cry” says before hanging up the call. Your hands covered your face and soft sobs came from you without being able to control it. You perceive arms around your waist and firmly attract you towards his shaped chest.You didn’t need to look at who he was, you could recognize that touch anywhere. You hug him back tightly and bury your face in his chest.Puts both hands on your jaw and lifts your face sweetly “Hey princess I’m here okay? I'm here” cleans the tears that are falling down your cheeks. He looks into your eyes, no words were needed, he hugs you again, hugs you again without leaving a separation between you two, your face now buried in his neck.When he noticed that you had calmed down he looked at you, when he saw you asleep, a smile escaped his lips. “I won't leave you alone for so long, I promise” Whispers while caressing your cheek.

KIM NAMJOON

Definitely you will go crazy, all week studying but it seemed that the theory didn't want to enter your head, you were going to end up banging your head with the book to know if you are able to memorize something in that way.You sigh, tightly closing the textbook you had on the desk and start beating yourself lightly against it.

“If you continue doing that you’re going to hurt yourself”

“I know Nam, but I’m getting stressed, I’m not able to memorize this, and the exam is tomorrow!” you rub your temples trying to take the pressure off it.

“You need to relax baby, take a break it will help you” says getting behind your chair and massaging your back.

“ I can’t Joon, I don’t have time to rest, I need to pass this test” you say opening your textbook again. Nam worried about you, you rip the textbook from your hands and leave it on one of the highest shelves. “Kim Namjoon... ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!” you say shocked, you stand up of your chair and start jumping trying recovering your book.

“You’re overworking yourself Y/N, you need to rest, if you continue like this you will end up with a headache and tomorrow you won’t be able to concentrate 100% on the exam” he says seriously, staring as you sit on the edge of your bed. He sits on the bed with his back resting on the headboard, you approach him and lean your head on his chest while you hug him.

“You know everything, you have studied a lot, you only need rest a little okay?” you hum in response closing your eyes as he caresses your hair. When you finally got asleep he kisses your forehead and covers you both with a quilt.

PARK JIMIN

“Y/N babe I’m Home” says with a tired voice. He has been rehearsing so much, all the boys are working so hard for the next comeback. You stay up late to be with him at least few minutes before going to sleep. He told you many times to not wait awake for him, because he didn’t know what time he would be back home, but that is a discussion he never won.

“Jiminie” you kissed his plum lips “ How were the rehearsals?” you ask taking his sport bag of his hands and leaving it on the kitchen counter.

“They gone well, but right now I’m exhausted and with a terrible back ache” says hugging you from behind. “What?!, I’m going to prepare you a warm bath, wait a minute” you walk quickly to the bathroom Jimin following you. “Jagi, you don’t have to…” You open the hot water tap and wait for it to fill up. “Shut up, take out your shirt and shit here” pointing to the stool that is next to you.

“If you want to see me naked you only have to say it baby girl” stares at you with a pervert look whereas he takes off his shirt, you stared at his abs for a second, and you shake your head “Sit down please” you stand behind him and start massaging his back. Soft sighs come out his mouth. “If I’m hurting you tell me please” you said worried “It’s okey princess, you’re not hurting me” takes your hand and kisses your knuckles. “The water is ready, I’m gonna leave you alone so you can relax” he takes your hand interlacing your fingers “Take a bath with me please, you need to relax too” you nod with your head to start removing your clothes.

So there you were, with your back pressed against his firm chest, your head on his shoulder and eyes closed. His arms around your waist as he kiss your temple, your breath become deeper, he looks at you with glowing eyes. He kiss your nose trying to wake you up, you open your eyes slowly “Baby, you have fallen asleep” you groan “Let’s go to bed”, he grabs a towel and surrounds you with it as soon as you get out of the bathtub. It takes you to the bed and covers you both with the sheet, after a few minutes you fall deeply asleep.

Kim Taehyung / V

You and Tae have been in the train for a few hours. You two are heading to his parents house to finally meet them but due to the long ride Taehyung made you take the 8:30 A.M. train, meaning that you woke up pretty early in the morning after working late and it left you exhausted. Everything for you boyfriend though, you have want to meet his parents for awhile now so this was an opportunity that you couldn’t waste.

“Babe, Do you want something to eat? I’m going to buy a water bottle” Ask Tae standing up to go and find the lady with the trolley full of foods and drinks.

“Coffee. Lots of Coffee” You say trying not to yawn. Your boyfriend laughs while leaving and you take your phone out of your purse to check what time is it, but you end up checking everything but the time for the next five minutes until Taehyung appears next to you with two water bottles and a bag of fries. “You’re back” You say with tired enthusiasm grabbing the bag and opening it.

“Yep. And since we have a few hours of journey left why don’t we listen to some music?” He proposes opening his water bottle to take a ship.

“Yes please.” You agree unlocking your phone and opening your favorite playlist with one hand while you try to find Tae’s earphones in his jacket’s left pocket. When you do it Taehyung takes your phone and chooses a random song.

Soon after that you start to fall asleep between good music and food so you lay your head on your boyfriend's shoulder in order to be more comfortable and you notice how his body warmth is helping you fall completely asleep.

JEON JUNGKOOK

It was a cold evening, Jungkook and you were playing video games in the dorm while sharing a fluffy blanket. You two were very close so you were pushing and laughing at each other in a very competitive way that the both of you were enjoying.

That was until you got tired and laid on his shoulder leaving the controller at one side.

Jungkook was so concentrated he didn’t even noticed you staring at him, he look so handsome that you couldn’t help but imagine your future with him. How could he be so perfect?

In the middle of your thoughts you wrapped yourself with the blanket as much as you could while also enjoying the smell of your boyfriend, and that helped you to feel more relaxed than before. Suddenly your eyes closed and started to dream about a BTS concert were you had a backstage ticket.

Funny is that Jungkook didn’t noticed you were sleeping until he started to feel thirsty and asked you several times you go grab a glass of water for him, but since you didn’t answer or move he looked at your direction and saved his game for later as fast as he could. Jungkook engulfed you both with the blanket and happily cuddled you since there was nothing better than having you in his arms. Not even a video game.

58 notes · View notes

lazulifoster · 6 years ago

Text

An Unexpected Visitor (Loki X Reader) Part 2

Prompt: Sex by The 1975, Million Dollar Man by Lana Del Rey, and If I Never See Your Face Again by Maroon 5 feat Rihanna

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Swearing; angst; arguing; mild sexual content

Word Count: 3k+

A/N: Inspiration from my Spotify Playlist again lol I think I say this every time I post something but sorry if its a slow burn, I actually have a lot of ideas for this fic but I like a slow build ;) Hope you enjoy part 2 if there are typos, from the bottom of my heart, my bad :)

Brief Summary: Loki and you dated back in college before he up and vanished. You have moved on with your life, even started a family, but an unexpected visitor makes his way back into your life.

||5 years earlier||

“Shall I compare thee to a summers day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.” “Loki…” “Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out, even to the edge of doom.”

Loki.” “…by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare.” “LOKI! I’m going to fail this quiz if you don’t shut up and quit reciting Shakespeare!” “Oh, hush, love. There is no reason to study, anyway. You know all the answers already.”

“I just want to double check and make sure. Because last time this happened, I practically failed my quiz.” “I seriously doubt you’re capable of failure, Y/N. Besides, your beauty alone deserves to be glorified at every waking moment.” “ Oh pleeease, your flattery won't work this time.” “Won’t it?” Loki leaned in close to me, placing gentle kisses along my neck, causing my will to study to wane dramatically.

Loki then pushed my notes and books of my bed, and we both rapidly undressed, making me completely forget about my upcoming quiz.

************************

“You better start fucking explaining yourself, Loki!”

I began a feeble attempt to reel in the myriad of thoughts flooding my mind. My emotions were a chaotic blend of utter confusion and absolute joy. Loki was here, in the flesh; holding me, kissing me, and telling me we belonged together.

I had pictured this moment so many times over the years, and nothing was happening like I had imagined it. But as much as I missed Loki and secretly yearned for his over the years, reality slowly crept in. Loki was gone far too long to go without explaining himself. I needed answers. Lots of answers.

“My love, I promise you, I will explain everything, but this is hardly the time or place—” “Oh no, no, I am not playing games with you Loki! The “time and place” is right now! You’re the one who left and decided to just randomly show up out of nowhere!” My voice cracked, and I forced myself to hold back more tears, annoyed at myself for getting emotional again.

“I need to know what happened to you, Loki. You owe me that much.”

I could see Loki felt guilty. I knew that behind his devil-may-care attitude and playful demeanor he felt awful for deserting me. I started to feel sorry for getting heated with him again. The Loki I knew would never just leave without a legitimate reason. But suspicious thoughts kept lurking in my head. He’s just trying to manipulate you. I shook the feeling aside, I already had too much to think about. I reached up and rubbed my hand through his beautiful black hair.

“I’m sorry, Loki. I’m just—I don’t know, there is a lot to take in.”

Loki gave a slight grin, placing both of his hands on my waist.

“As much as I’d love to chat with you about everything that's happened, darling, your mum has prepared something for dinner that smells absolutely delicious, and it would be a shame to let all her hard work go to waste.”

I gave a slight chuckle. Loki was right. If I wanted to know the full story, it would be best to wait till my parents and ex weren’t around. Also, I hadn’t eaten all my food at the restaurant with David, so I was actually quite hungry as well.

“Fine. But this isn’t over.” I reminded Loki. He nodded and leaned forward and gave me a soft peck on my forehead before both of us walked in the house. Neither my mom, dad, or David noticed Loki had ever left; still speaking with his illusion.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Mom asked suspiciously

“Oh yeah—um—no I didn’t.” I stumbled over my words like a nervous school girl. Keep it together.

Rachel waddled up to me babbling what sounded like, “Mama.” She wasn’t really speaking yet, but her little attempts always made me so proud. I picked her up off the floor, and she looked around at us five adults standing around talking. Rachel’s eyes met Loki’s, to which Loki made a silly face at Rachel, causing her to laugh loudly. The brief moment between them made me and my parents chuckle. Seeing Loki interact with Rachel made my heart melt; it was almost too adorable for me to handle. The sweet moment ended abruptly however when I looked over at David and saw an irritated scowl cross his face. Knowing David’s temper, I cleared my throat to break the building tension.

“So…what did you make for dinner, mom?” “Oh, just some roast chicken with mash potatoes and Brussel sprouts, nothing fancy.”

“A regular feast, I cannot wait to try, Mrs. Y/L/N.” Loki smiled

“Well, come on in the dining room then, we don’t want the food getting cold.” Mom began ushering us to the dinner table.

“I already ate,” David interjected.

Mom, still walking away, yelled behind her, “Well I guess you can go home then, David.”

My dad laughed from the dining room at my mom’s sassy comment, making David looked at me and whispered, “What the hell?”

"It’s ok, we’ll talk later. I’ll text you.”

David gave me an annoyed look but decided it would be better to leave before he left my parent's good graces entirely. David gave Rachel a quick kiss goodbye and made a quiet exit.

When David left, all of us inadvertently let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Finally got him out of here, goodness gracious,” Dad grumbled.

“Dad, can we not…”

“I just want a relaxing family dinner with all of, it’s been too long.” Mom was beaming. Sometimes I wondered if mom loved Loki more than I do.

Did.

My mind was still an absolute whirlwind. Barely an hour ago, David and I were at dinner, talking about our daughter’s future and reconsidering where our relationship stood. Then I see Loki’s car in my parent's driveway with his stupid “God of Mischief” vanity plates, next thing I know were kissing, uprooting so many feelings I had pushed down over the last 3 years; and now Loki was eating dinner at my house like we had years ago. My emotions were a constant ebb and flow or fury, and affection One moment, I suppressed every urge I had to cause a scene and demand answers from Loki. The next, I wanted Loki to take me in his arms again and to pick up where we had left off. I still couldn’t comprehend how someone who I spent almost every day with since I was 18 to just suddenly vanished. I mean, I knew about Loki being a god. I knew about his brother, Asgard, and the Avengers. I didn’t know everything, but he had told me bits and pieces and opened up to me over the years. I also knew he would have to leave occasionally concerning “family squabbles” and things concerning the Avengers, but he would always let me know ahead of time and would even send his illusion to check in on me.

The leading theory I had settled on for Loki leaving was I thought I scared him off because of the last conversation we had. Petty, I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else it could possibly be.

I remembered every detail about our last conversation, probably because I played the moment repeatedly, trying to figure out what went wrong.

It was almost the end of the semester. Loki and I were in a local coffee shop, close enough to the college to walk, but not close enough where it was bombarded by other collegians studying for finals. Loki was actually helping me study for my other classes besides literature. I was studying for a freshman world geography class, an easy elective I took to boost my GPA. We had both ordered our drinks (Loki drank an Italian roast, black, and I had a cortado.)

While he was helping me study the countries of the Eastern Hemisphere, I looked up at him.

“Do you think you’ll ever get married? Or have kids?”

While Loki took a sip of his coffee, his eyes quickly shifted to me.

“I mean, one day. I’m not saying to me—or anything—um, I was just curious. Plus I’m bored of studying.” I gave an awkward laugh, trying to hide my cheeks turning a bright shade of crimson.

Loki bit his lip and tilted his head up and looked off in the distance. I felt like I could actually see wheels turning in his head. Then he spoke.

“I honestly cannot answer that.”

“Oh…”

“Well, I don’t know, truthfully. Marriage seems so, arbitrary to me. Especially, as a god, time means nothing to me, but to Midgardians, time is so precious, so you decide one person to spend that time with until your dying breath. So if I were to marry an Asgardian, I would be tied to them for possibly, millennia. And if I was to marry a Midgardian, they will have already lived a quarter of their life. I’ve been alive far too long and have learned there is no point in getting attached to something I cannot keep.”

He spoke so matter-of-factly that it almost brought me to tears. Was that all I was to him? A mere mortal with 25% of my life over. I felt foolish for thinking I could be more to him than a Midgardian “friend with benefits.”

Pretending not to be hurt, however, I nodded nonchalantly as I listened to his rant and took a sip of my drink. He continued.

“I could see myself having children though, one day.”

“So you can’t see yourself getting married, but you can see yourself having children? Alrighty then.” I laughed, accidentally letting my hurt feelings slip into my reply.

“Do you see a problem with that, love?”

“No, not at all, to each his own. So kids huh?” He looked at me and gave me a rueful grin.

“I would love to give my children the childhood I always craved.”

I gave a sympathetic groan and reached out for his arm and gave him a gentle squeeze. I didn’t want to press the issue further. I knew how sensitive he was about the subject. After a few moments, Loki spoke again, looking directly into my eyes.

“Did you ask me that, because I am someone you would want to marry?”

My eyes inadvertently widened and swallowed a little harder than necessary. I felt a little uneasy because Loki refused to break eye contact with me.

“Honestly, Loki…” I felt instant nausea from my nerves.

“Yes?”

“You are someone I want to marry. Why wouldn’t I? You’re amazing, you’re well read, you’re kind, but more importantly, you’re my best friend, of course, you’re someone I would want to fucking marry! I don’t care if I’ve ‘lived a quarter of my life’ already if you love someone you choose to love them no matter what!” I spoke a little louder than I intended too because a few coffee shop patrons turned their heads toward our table.

Loki chuckled at my obvious embarrassment. I gave an awkward half-smile and placed my hands on my face as if trying to wipe away my blushing cheeks. Loki grinned at me and brushed a few strands of hair away from my face before he spoke again.

“Well, darling, I am very flattered.” He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Now how about we get back to studying? You need to do well on your exam.”

The quick change of subject confused me for a second before I agreed with him and I began to study for my exam again. After a while, I was ready to go call it a day. Loki offered to give me a ride home, but I initially declined and told him I’d walk; partly because that day was uncharacteristically mild for winter and I wanted to enjoy the lovely weather; also I was extremely embarrassed about the conversation we had inside the coffee shop. But Loki insisted that he take me home and I, not in a mood to argue, I caved. The car ride was awkward, neither of us said anything the whole trip which generally wouldn’t be all that unusual, but because the conversation did not go as planned on my part, I felt that maybe I had crossed the line. When Loki finally reached my driveway, he parked his car and looked at me.

“Y/n, I want to apologize if what I said hurt you. Please don’t misunderstand me, I care for you deeply. I may not know what the future holds but what I know for certain is that you belong to me, and I belong to you, no matter what happens.”

I smiled at him, exhaling a breath I held in the whole car ride; thankful for his reassurance. Loki and I never had any labels in our relationship which was alright for the most part because I knew he cared for me, but every once in a while it was nice to hear him tell me how he felt. Even if he did think marriage was just a quirky Midgardian tradition. But one part of what he said caught me off guard: ‘No matter what happens’”? What does that mean? Ultimately, I shook it off as me being too analytical and leaned in to kiss Loki.

“I love you too, Loki.”

I stepped out of his car and waved back at him, “See you tomorrow!”

He waved back at me and drove off. That was the last time I saw or spoke to Loki.

********************

Dinner with Loki and my parents went as well as expected. The meal mom prepared was delicious, Rachel only threw half of her food on the floor, and mom and dad bombarded Loki with questions.

“So where have you been, Loki? We were starting to worry about ya.” Dad said, giving Loki a pat on his back.

“I have been rather busy with work, I’ve done a little bit of traveling, and also spending time with my family.”

I rolled my eyes. I swear to god he better not lie to me like that when he accounts for the last few years.

“Well, it’s good to have you back, Sweetheart.” Mom cut in, “Will we see more of you?”

Loki looked over at me when he answered, “Yes indeed. I’m not going anywhere as long as I can help it.”

I rolled my eyes again, trying to hide the smile forming on my lips.

Once dinner was over, leftovers and dishes put away, My parents said their “goodnights” and left for bed. I also excused myself for a brief moment, needing to get Rachel ready for bed. Before I carried Rachel to her room, Loki reached for Rachel’s little hand, “Goodnight little love, thank you for showing me all your toys this evening.” Rachel babbled incoherently and gave Loki a smile showing all the teeth she had.

“I think somebody likes you” I smirked, “Say ‘thank you Loki for playing with me’”

Rachel babbled again while Loki lowered himself to her eye level, giving her his undivided attention.

“Well, it was my pleasure, Rachel. Have pleasant dreams.”

I left and tucked Rachel into her little bed, and she fell asleep shortly after. As she slept, I stared at her for a moment before heading back to the living room. I thought about how adorable Loki was with my daughter. Interacting with children seemingly came so naturally to him. I also wished that David would be the same way with Rachel. He was a great father in that he worked hard to provide for her, but that was the only way David showed he loved her, especially after we parted ways. David wouldn’t play with her, and would hardly make time to spend time alone with her. He blamed work for not being around Rachel as often as he should. David worked for his father’s law firm. Influential attorneys defending the most guilty and the richest. I know Rachel was far too young to understand the nuances of a father/daughter relationship, but whenever David would walk past her or halfheartedly acknowledge her, I could see in her little eyes, that it hurt her.

I made my way back to the living room and saw Loki sitting on the couch, waiting for me. He stood when I re-entered the room and made his way toward me.

“I should probably get going, I know we could all use a restful nights sleep.”

“We still need to talk—”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Loki gently interrupted, “Why don’t we meet in the morning for breakfast, we can go anywhere you want to go.”

“Well, my parents can’t watch Rachel tomorrow, they both have something they have to go to, so if we go anywhere, Rachel will have to come.”

Loki’s face lit up, “That sounds delightful! We shall make a day out of it then.” His hand reached down placed his palm on my face like he had earlier. This time I didn’t swat him away, instead, I wrapped my arms around him. I missed feeling his body against mine. Loki pulled me in closer and rested his chin on top of my head.

Sadly we were interrupted by my phone vibrating. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw a text from David reading: Hey, we need to finish talking when you get a chance. We couldn’t with that guy hanging around. Text me back ASAP.

I groaned. Loki peaked at David’s message and scoffed,“‘That guy’? Charming.”

“You have no idea,” I replied, more to myself than Loki.

Loki’s face turned concerned, “What do you mean?”

“Ugh, he’s just—sometimes he’s a dick, but otherwise he’s alright. He makes sure Rachel is taken care of, so that’s all I care about.” Giving me a dubious look, I reassured Loki that I was fine and that David was just annoying sometimes. Reaching for my hand, Loki made his way toward the front door.

“Well, I better go, love. I look forward to spending the day with you and Rachel.” Loki pulled me close and kissed me on the lips before closing the door behind him. I peeked out the front window and saw him stoop down into his car, rev his engine, and drive off. What have you been up to, Loki Odinson?

**************

David, back at his penthouse apartment, reclined in his Eames chair, sipping away at bourbon and fiddled with his phone. He had searched the name “Loki Odinson” over and over on Google but only found references to Norse Mythology.

Who the fuck is this guy?

David exited his Google Search and began scrolling through his contact list until he found the name, Darren. He pressed the call icon and waited for him to answer.

“Hey David, you’re up late.” “Darren. I have a favor to ask.” “Anything Chief, what do you need?” “I need you to look into someone for me, the name: ‘Loki Odinson.’”

“You got it, boss. I’ll see what I can find.”

Darren ended the call, and David went to his iPhone photo album. He scrolled through his pictures until he found an old picture of Y/N.

This stupid bitch better be careful. She’s gonna get her heart broken all over again.

Taglist:

@imasultforlokiandspencerreid

@crescent-night

@portietomednalynn

#loki x reader #loki x you #loki odinson #loki friggason #loki laufeyson #marvel mcu #loki smut #marvel #loki #loki fandom #avengers #latenight #loki fanfic #tom hiddleston

42 notes · View notes

outlyingthoughts · 5 years ago

Text

Portrait of Livia: Summer 19

Livia;

There are millions of babies born each year, on a planet rotating on itself in an ever expanding universe, an ever expanding population on a pressure-cooker-like planet. Infinitely small on the human scale, and yet our daily interactions, anxieties, priorities remain overwhelming. Weirdly sometimes all things and concepts stop making sense, like words you repeat a little too much, syllables and letters mashed up seem irrationally meaningless when we give them too much attention. In the same way, all the things and concepts that makes us, all those pains and losses sometimes lose sense when we overthink them, millions of breaths and tears shed but when laying mind clouded, nothing makes sense anymore.

When our minds trip on reality, the game is to wonder what is more irrational: giving up on years of socialization and society overall because nothing really matters or pouring too much meaning and fear in a life and future that is infinitely smaller than all things around us? Atoms, on their own, mean so much more than us, tiny pieces of matter that constitute the universe, far more significant than all the thoughts that will ever cross our lost neurons. Because life and things of the nature will irremediably travel across ages and spaces without me, you, us: humanity and what we give meaning to, society and expectations don’t really mean anything.

Obsessed by our irrelevance, we kill our souls over our empty meanings and fill our brains with more worries. As irrelevant as we are, the pain and wounds of being a living mortal remain the most vivid reality of our lives. One occurrence in an infinite number of realities and hypothetic dimensions, we end up here. Silver lining in the elevator, the higher we get, the more my heart presses against my chest, the fear of height and breath-taking view leave me at loss of words. Far away from home, in a city that goes too fast, we take a break from our priorities, gaping at the Tokyo view.

There are moments in our everyday life, where we just stay silent, either scrolling aimlessly and endlessly or lost in our own mental universes. In any case, I know I could remain in this floating in between. Alone and yet you’re here because with time you became an extended part of my brain. Seating in that in between, I watch the busy night from a rooftop and you’re tensely silent.

Night views make me happy, they used to remind me of lonely yet blissful nights on my balcony back in middle school, now they remind me of our first year at uni and falling asleep to the peaceful Den Haag skyline . For years, I dreamt of bigger and farther away city escapes, cutting shapes of metal in the neon darkness of megacities. One common dream of living in New York and I adopted yours of visiting Tokyo: You have a special bond with Japan, it ties you to the music you love, to love in general and million memories.

There’s a kanji on your shirt and your heart on your sleeve when you tell me about the things that make you happy. In this massive universe you’re drowning into, you absorb its darkness and exhale soft words that make us all feel okay, there is a nostalgic tint in the way you love nature that evoke great forests and empty spaces, magnificence of the Nature and how tiny we are. A recurring theme that darkens your mind is how insignificant we are, how manipulative are the things around us, tricking us into believe things, walking on eggs unsure of how truthful is our understanding of our surrounding; afraid of our own conspiracy theories, you smoke to forget but it drives the doubts further. Another friends of us once said: “what if weed is controlled and taboo within our societies because governments know it brings people to enlightenment or at least allows them to see the wider truths?”. I don’t want to know for sure as it’d either mean that we’re sickening our brains or current governments are sickening, or maybe both are true? See? tripping and overlapping realities, maybe the Matrix is the reality ? And while I try to flee from my own mind games and thoughts labyrinth, you dive deeper on a trip to the truth, as aching as it is, a desire for fairness and justice powering you.

No matter what, you find a way to escape, there is a distance in your eyes and a thousand kilometers in your silences, road trips to yourself because we’re too aware of the current climatic crisis to afford actual trips to peaceful northern landscapes. Still, from the Hague or Tokyo, we can distinguish the stars, trap their shapes into constellations that we don’t really want to believe impact our lives and shape our beings. Yet in a mystical search for meaning, looking at the stars to decipher our nonsense existence actually provides a bit of cohesion; us so small and useless and celestial bodies so big and widely stretched out yet still useless, one maybe guiding another, at least did: didn’t the great explorers use the sky as a map to walk or sail the earth? Ask Christopher Columbus, maybe we should blame our current US “world domination” on the stars that guided him to the Americas. Still, maybe we can’t afford to put all the fault “in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings”. Maybe that’s why the world around us is so fucked up, maybe we all escape somehow, us from shitty environments we were brought up in, our world leaders escaping from their responsibilities and the heritage of past centuries’ rise of capitalism, ruins of colonialism, rejection of minorities and normative discourse preventing us all from seeing larger truths, starting from the Western centered way we were taught in school to the coming crises challenging to our generation and ignored by current leaders.

Apart from the miracles of Nature, art also connects you to the rest of your world, tears bled into ink then sung in studios: music; proving you that other people feel such ways. I relate to this feeling, but this is not about me. The primal surge that music creates in most humans makes it hard to not add a layer of personal thoughts to its discussion. And you know how personal it can be, as you make playlists for every single one of us, like a teenage lover in the 80s, you pour your love onto us, one carefully chosen song at a time. Playlists as effective coping system. Memories roll before your eyes, just like the modern Japan landscape before ours right now. Sometimes, you’ll venture to tell me how music makes you feel and it’s probably even more elevated that how high we are, on the rooftop of a skyscraper; just like music, architecture is an art you are sensible to, and soon this manmade landscape will make you ache with nostalgia, it’s odd to think that for years, you’ve dreamt of visiting this country, blissful waves of hope and bright future where you can move freely and visit this place for the first time. Now your first time here is almost over and like a song attached to a person about to eclipse from your life, a twinge in your chest shuts you out of our world, deep into yours. Calm and peaceful because there’s nothing we can do against time flying faster than our hearts, you surrender and try to envision what artists think when they write those sad songs you add into our playlists, your curiosity in people’s thought is another escape from your own racking brain.

Sometimes, I’ve felt lost in time and spaces, consumed by the fear that no one’d ever feel nor understand that aching pressure in my chest and pinches in my guts: empathy and intense feelings due to my surroundings and people I love. Yet one day you told me you knew how I felt because you felt the same way, overwhelming pain that seizes one’s soul and tears it down with nostalgia and empathy.

It was a suffocating but clear night back in my old room, in my old life, on a summer break that felt like a too-long pause on the sideline of the highway I’m living on now. We were on the phone and gazing out, I was trying to collect in my head memories dripping of bliss, epiphany of why I’m so much happier now, because I know I have you all and you told me: “I get my happiness through you all”. Told me that your parents don’t understand why you keep talking about your friends but it’s because you live through them. I’ve rarely felt this happy in my life, because never had anyone phrased something i relate this much too. And I knew staring into the dark, that as far as I was from our new home, as hard as being surrounded by the ghost of my past was, the bond that we had created over the nine past months was an everlasting one, if you will, full of sisterhood, care for each other and faith in friendships. As much as it’s hard for you to believe in and trust people, we have a lifetime to work on our insecurities.

No matter the dozens of atrocities we see, whether they are corrupted leaders showing you the worst of humanity or couples fighting their ways to hatred, making me fail to understand love, somehow an intuitive faith for the future convinces me that we’ll be alright as long as we have faith in our friends and loved ones. You swiftly swing from one side to other on your seat deep in your thoughts as deep as I am in my fears of loveless life. Sharing and caring, as hard as it gets, is the only cure we found so far. You’re a sponge and hopefully we, your friends, provide the sun you need to cast a brighter light on your life, because we all care about you, all of us that have stuck around, here to stay as long as the stars and pressing global warming will allow us to.

Still swinging on the metallic chair of the rooftop bar, eyes deep into to the dark, you sip a peach flavored tea, small reminders of home. The wheels turn fast and hard behind your eyes, they calculate, divide and jump into conclusion by the minute, and I wonder what is dividing your Libra soul again. There’s guilt in your aura, it’s in the weight crushing your shoulder, in the way you carry your pains around. Under pressure, we all want to pop the champagne bottle that you are, release the bubbles, let you be bubbly and pure like this foamy and rich liquid instead of the tame version of Livia you serve us because you’re afraid of the million powers you hold in. Being so intense in a world empty of meaning makes you absorb the surrounding’s emptiness, only confusion appears to cloud what the world sees in you, full of light and brightness: dark only because of the world we live in. A paradox you say it yourself.

In the thousands lives and adventures that we’ll have, I know there’ll be this question hanging out from your eyes, one that questions what you are and what world we are in. Unsettling in my small certitudes, we know there is still a whole world we have to tear down to make room for our vision. The struggle is the path, the hardened way to our glistening futures, and as you reflect all the energy of Tokyo, boiling under your skin, I know there are neon lights to film, pavements to run onto and lyrics to shout from the top of my lungs. And stories to tell my kids on how “your mom and aunties Livia & Zeineb went to blah blah or used to make random ass movies” or whatever is our next adventure, we’ll tell them.

2 notes · View notes

steves-on-a-plane · 7 years ago

Photo

Future Mrs. Stark (Pt. 3)

Part One / Part Two / Part Four / Part Five Word Count: 2045 Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader Timeline: Pre-Iron Man Other: Arranged Marriage AU Summary: Reader, now eighteen, heads to MIT to stay the weekend with Tony at his college home. When she arrives there’s a raging party with a line nearly as long as the block. What starts out as a fun evening doesn’t go exactly according to Tony’s plan.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Your family driver asked, looking back at you through the rearview mirror. You looked out the car to the crowded streets. There were rows as far as you could see of cars double parked on either side of the road. Amongst the cars, sidewalks and houses an ocean of people walked in small groups.

"The address Tony gave me is about a half block from here." You explained to the driver as you gathered your things. "But I can manage the walk!" You insisted as you clambered out of the vehicle. "Tony's bringing me home, I'll see you in a few days!" Your shouting was barely audible over the jumbled mess of the crowd and if the driver hollered something back, you couldn't hear it.

You could hardly believe that all of these people were gathered around for a college party. The street was ridiculously packed with students in costumes all walking towards the same house as you. There was so much else going on you doubted that you stood out with a dufflebag slung over one shoulder and your purse slung over the other. Six houses down from where your driver had dropped you off was the address Tony had sent you. It was a blue single-family house and was probably a beautiful Victorian style but you couldn't see the house or much else besides the party goers. The line to get into the party stretched back three houses. You somehow managed to weave your way to the front of the line.

"Cover charge is twenty bucks, even if you're hot." A drunk guy, clad in only a bed sheet and a flower crown spray painted gold, slurred at you from the front door. He held out a baseball cap full of cash expectantly.

"I don't think so." You scoffed. "I'm a friend of Tony's."

"Babe, everyone is a friend of Tony's here." The makeshift Roman lolled his head. "Twenty bucks or get out of my line."

"Are you kidding me?" You rolled your eyes. You being not drunk, were able to easily duck under the Roman's arm and let yourself into the house. The Roman shouted after you, but that was all he could do since he wasn't allowed to leave his post as doorman.

"Hey we've got a runner!" He screamed. You were momentarily worried that you might actually get kicked out of the house before you even got to see your best friend, but he was there in the nick of time. Tony was already marching down the stairs when he'd heard his front door watch dog shouting. He sprinted the rest of the way down the steps when he spotted you.

"[Y/N]!!" He smiled from ear to ear. As soon as he was close enough Tony pulled you into a tight hug. "It's been like a million years." He mumbled into your hair.

"It's been four months." You giggled.

"We'll it's felt so much longer." He insisted. "I see you've met the doorman. His name is Keith." Tony pointed his thumb at the Roman.

"Keith, this is my best friend on the entire planet. She comes in for free and gets whatever she wants. understood?" Tony explained.

"Of course, Tony!" Keith nodded slowly. "I didn't realize she was with you."

"C'mon. Let's get you settled upstairs." Tony kept one arm wrapped around your waist and led you upstairs where it was quieter.

"So, when you told me there was going to be a small party the day I got here, I wasn't expecting all of this."

"Well, small is a relative term." Tony smirked. "But we do this every week. Me, Keith and the other guys we rake in hundreds by hosting these parties. Best costume drinks for free. There's a crown and everything." He gave you a sly wink.

At the top of the stairs you turned left and Tony led the way to his bedroom. It looked almost exactly like his room back home. Maybe not with decorations but the wires, gears and spare parts scattered around the room. The floor was also littered with empty soda cans and beer bottles, it was essentially the same as his room at the Stark Mansion. You threw your purse and duffle bag at an empty spot on the floor knowing that he didn't care.

"I've only got the one bed, Darling, but that shouldn't be a problem being that our wedding is almost any day now." Tony winked at you again and you rolled your eyes. He was insufferable.

"We're eighteen. We still have what? Seventeen years? Plenty of time for our dads to call it quits." You gave him a playful punch in the arm. "In the meantime, let's get our drink on!"

Tony was as always, a good friend to you. Good in the sense that he gave you a safe place for you underage drinking and made sure you didn’t drink too much. Whenever he had the chance he was forcing glasses of water into your hands. He made sure you never strayed out of his sight for a second; no matter how crowded the room was. When the cops came to break up the party, which Tony and his roommates were completely prepared for, he made sure you were hidden safely upstairs.

When the night began to wind down it was only you, Tony, his roommates and a handful of their closest friends lounging around in the living room. No one seemed to mind that the house was completely trashed or that there was practically an ankle-deep layer of cans and bottles covering the entire first floor. The beer pong table had most of its cups overturned and some were even dripping on the floor. The ping pong balls for the game had been lost hours ago. The loud party music playlist felt out of place with everyone nearly passed out around the room. Someone should have gotten up and turned it off but they were all too tired.

"Rough night?" Tony smirked. He leaned forward and kissed you on the forehead. You rested your head on his shoulder and smiled.

"Nah, I got to be with my best friend. Too bad we didn't get to dance together though." You sighed. "It’s been forever since we danced."

"You wanna dance, Sweetheart?" Tony struggled to his feet and walked over to the CD player. He changed the song to a soft jazzy piano number and held out a hand to you. "Let's dance."

"Tony I'm not going to dance with you in front of all these people." You said.

"Why not? We used to dance in front of people all the time." He countered, remembering the brief stint of time where Maria Stark had signed her son up for competitive dance and he'd served as your dance partner.

"We were kids." You argued, but you got to your feet anyway. Tony's friends were either asleep or so drunk they wouldn't remember this happening anyway.

"That's a spirit." Tony grinned. "Still remember how to Lindy Hop?"

"Are you seriously asking me if I still remember swing dancing steps from when I was nine?" You couldn’t help but belt out a laugh.

"Okay, salsa then?" You shook your head at this suggestion too. "Well lucky for you, I have an incredible memory and I remember all of them. C'mon hold on to me. I remember being a very good lead."

"You hated dancing!" You chucked, putting one hand on his shoulder. Before you could say anything else Tony was wheeling and whirling you around the room. You didn't remember him being this good of a dancer when you were kids, but he never had the patience to learn anything at that age. It seemed over the years Tony had learned a thing or two.

"God, you have the greatest laugh." Tony noted. He said it so seriously. The same as he would a scientific theory. He sounded so confident you almost believed him. "I've always loved your laugh, don't think I've ever told you before."

"You're just drunk, but thank you." You reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"No, seriously. You're amazing!" Tony stopped dancing. He placed one hand on either shoulder. "Even growing up you just had this...this...aura about you! I think I love you."

"No you don’t, Tony.” You shook off his grasp. "And that's not funny. You can't joke about things like that."

"I'm not joking, [Y/N]." Again he sounded so serious you almost believed him. "Every time I go home for a visit, I think about how miserable I'll be. Being around Howard, the people from the company...but then I remember that I'll get to see you and it makes all the rest of it bearable somehow. And when it's time to come back here, to school? At first I'm excited. I remember how great it is to live independently. To do the things that I want to do. But the person I want to do those things with, the person I want to share my life with most? You're not here." Tony raked his hands through his hair. He hadn't meant for things to spill out like this, but it was too late. There was no stopping it now.

"And you? You show up here, and its like...I'm a kid on Christmas morning. I feel complete when I'm around you. I can’t wait to show you around and to show you off to my friends. Then I turn around and you're making eye contact with someone off in a corner or your dancing with one of the idiots in my Chem class. Idiots who could barely tell you the chemical formula for water. I look at you and I see the world. You look at me? And what do you see?"

"I-I...Tony I don’t...." You shrugged to find the right words. Truthfully, you’d never thought of him as anything other than your best friend and it shocked you that he'd seen things so differently.

"Right." Tony nodded, his facial expression solemn. "So it's just me then? I understand. It's not like I was expecting you to say it back." He shrugged. "Except that I guess I kind of was. I don't know. It's....it's been you and me in my head for so long that I can't believe I actually started to think that for one second you could see me as someone other than the guy who always has to bail you out. It's not fair to expect me to always take care of you, [Y/N]."

"Tony, you're taking this a little too hard." You said quietly.

"No, you're right." Tony nodded. He was visibly angry now as he crossed his arms over his chest. "This shouldn’t be such a surprise to me. You said it on the first day, when you turned sixteen. I'll never forget it. I was sitting on my parent's steps. It would never work."

"That's not fair!" You exclaimed. "That's completely out of context! I can't believe you! I haven't seen you in what four, five months? And it was eight before that. You can't just spring something like this on me Tony! It's not how you treat someone."

"Yeah well, if you don't like it, you know where the door is." He shrugged.

"I can't believe you just said that!" You huffed. "I don’t have to stay here and be yelled at! I get enough of that at home. You are the most selfish, arrogant, standoffish...it's no wonder Howard thinks your such a disappointment!" You knew you should have stopped then and there. Tony's wounds with his father went so much deeper than he'd ever said out loud and you'd always known that. But you were angry and you'd both said things you didn't mean that night. You couldn't stop yourself.

"Look at this place Tony!" You gestured around the room wildly. "You're a billionaire who ignores his legacy to live in this dump. Your main source of income comes from hosting underage parties and you think you can have anything you want because you think you deserve it! Ha!" You chuckled dryly. "Well I hope you truly get what you deserve someday Mr. Stark! Have a nice life."

#Tony Stark #Tony Stark Imagine #Tony Stark AU #Tony Stark FF #Tony Stark Fan Fiction #before iron man #Tony Stark X reader #Tony Stark Reader Insert #Tony Stark Fan Fic #Arranged Marriage #Arranged marriage AU

115 notes · View notes

vrepit-sals · 7 years ago

Text

During Training.. Pidge: Nice work Tailor Lance: Thank you, thank you very much Keith: wait what Hunk: It's a nickname Lance got his first year of flight school Lance: Yeah because of how I thread the needle Keith: Keith: *intense Garrison crush flashbacks* Shiro: *uproarious laughter*

(I wrote this in two forms and couldn’t decide which I liked better, so there’s a full fic under the cut)

Lance laughs as the Green Lion balances the ball on the edge of its nose for a moment, before sending it towards the Black Lion with a flick.

His vision is tinged with blue, and he can hear Blue's enjoyment rumbling underneath him. He knows in theory that he's blindfolded, but it doesn't feel that way. With Blue's visual enhancements giving him an eagle eye and her targeting computer focusing his mind, he's never felt more aware of the world around him.

Allura wasn't kidding when she said this would be a fun training session.

He catches the ball with all the gracefulness that Blue provides, and sends it flying to Red, who moves underneath it and passes it on with a flick of her tail.

Show off.

The trajectory of the ball is damn near perfect too, sailing towards the Yellow Lion, bang between the eyes.

It isn't such a surprise, with his Lion's preference for bulk over flexibility, that this drill is more difficult for Hunk than any of the rest of them.

As such, when Yellow lines up perfectly, but isn't quite quick enough to hit the ball back to Green, Lance is already half ready to dive. Hunk must have seen it coming too, because he tries to correct for the trajectory, but it isn't enough.

The ball is sailing over one of the rock formations, and Blue is already chasing it, before Red or Black have even thought to move.

The angle is high, and Lance knows he should go up and over the formation to retrieve it. It'll hit the ground before he gets there, and they'll have to start the count over, but it's not his fault anyway, and it's the most sensible option.

Lance spots a small opening in the formation. It's an even split whether Blue would even fit, and if she didn't he could bring the whole formation on top of himself.

Since when has Lance ever been called sensible?

He's under and through it before he can even question his decision. Blue is a purr in the back of his mind and a guiding hand on the controls, making the smallest of tweaks to his technique to ensure the smoothest ride.

And there's the ball, falling fast, but without the momentum he'd need to hit it all the way back.

He freezes it with an ice blast to give it some added weight, and smacks it from beneath in a wide arc.

It's short work to get back to the others as Keith uses Red's flame mid-air to defrost the ball back.

Lance can't help the grin on his face at Pidge's laughter.

"Nice work Tailor!" She all but screams at him.

"Thank you, thank you very much."

He doesn't notice Keith's fumble, but it must have happened. Because the ball is suddenly gone, fallen into one of the crevices of the valley they're currently in.

So much for that record.

"What was that?" Comes Keith's voice through the coms.

"It's a nickname Lance got his first year of flight school," Hunk says, already dropping down into the valley to look for the ball.

"Yeah, because of how I thread the needle" Lance adds, wiggling his eyebrows to an audience of no one. He feels like it adds something to his inflection nonetheless.

He expects Keith to bite back a retort. Expects derision or poorly constructed sarcasm.

The Red Lion's coms are silent.

"Someone else will need to go down there, it got lodged in a crevice too small for Yellow or Black," Hunk says as the Yellow Lion rises up from the depths.

Pidge offers to go, and is pointing her nose downward, when a strange sound causes them all to pause.

Starting soft, and growing louder by the second, is a sound almost unnerving for all it is uncommon.

Shiro is laughing.

And laughing.

And laughing some more.

Lance isn't sure the exact tone he hears, but it makes him convinced that there are currently tears streaming down their leader's cheeks.

Still laughing.

Honestly Lance is starting to get a little worried.

"Shiro what the hell," is heard over the speakers in Keith's growl.

If anything this seems to just set him off more.

Lance is happy for the guy, he really is. Shiro barely smiles as it is, so such an expression of unbridled joy is a cause for celebration.

Heaven knows what's so funny though.

The minutes pass. Hunk and Pidge start up a conversation about their latest project. Lance pulls off his training helmet and rubs his eyes.

Shiro's laughter slowly begins to subside.

"Sorry about that everyone, I'm ok," he says, with a few errant chuckles.

Lance, paragon of leadership he is, is just about to do the responsible thing for once and suggest they get back to training, when there's the muffled sound of talking from Shiro's com and he's off again.

"Who was…" Pidge says, before her tone snaps into annoyed, "Matt, are you hanging out in the Black lion during training again?"

Lance all but tunes out the familiar argument, leaning back and pillowing his arms behind his head.

"Do you have any idea how boring the castle is Katie?"

"We're kind of trying to save the universe here Matt, this isn't a trip to the Bahamas!"

"I've been locked in a Galra prison for 18 months, if I want to pretend this alien ship is the Bahamas I damn well will!"

All punctuated by Shiro's cackles.

Lance asks Blue how she's finding training, and basks in the warmth she sends through their bond.

Hunk is interjecting into their argument occasionally, trying and failing to get the team back on track.

The red paladin is silent. Lance can almost see Keith crossing his arms with a pout.

If he shuts his eyes he can imagine he's back on Veradera beach, basking in the sun.

Not listening to Matt and Pidge's sibling fight, or Shiro losing it over nothing.

Just the warmth of the sand behind his back, the gentle breeze and the gentle lapping of waves soothing his eyes closed.

…What was Shiro laughing at anyway?

He thinks back over the conversation, his amazing move, Pidge's compliment.

Wait.

No.

Lance jolts up, and his tone must give away something about the brick in his stomach because at his words the coms fall silent.

"Wait, Shiro are you laughing at me?"

He's not laughing anymore.

The silence lasts a beat too long.

"No Lance it's not-"

He can't hear Shiro's protestations over the buzzing in his ears.

His stomach drops through the floor as the thoughts he usually keeps at bay swarm in. Thoughts that only manage to rattle him on bad nights; thoughts which Pidge's hugs and Shiro's praise and Keith's smiles and Hunk's mere existence are the only things that can dispel.

He forces himself to chuckle.

"Doesn't matter," he says, voice wavering so minutely he doesn't think anyone else would have caught it, "Blue should be able to fit into the fissure."

Then he pushes the Blue Lion straight into top speed.

He breathes a sigh of relief when no one else follows.

"Shiro, were you laughing at him?"

Lance can hear the anger seeping into Hunk's voice. Sweetest Hunk, light of Lance's life and the best friend a boy could ask for.

He flicks him coms off before he has to listen to Shiro's explanation.

The rest of training is fine. Lance doesn't try any more stunts, and no one expects him to.

He keeps his coms off, and if anyone has a problem with that, they aren't able to voice their concerns anyway. They continue to play the game, all focussed more than ever, but somehow less successful. Lance hums and taps his feet and talks to Blue just to fill the silence.

Eventually, the Black Lion catches the ball in its mouth and hangs on. The Green Lion pauses by him and gestures its head towards the castle, and waits for Blue to nod back before they all head in.

Lance isn't sure whether or not the other paladins will come and try to give him comfort, or hang back and give him space. He decides he's allowed to be offended for another hour or two before he'll have to put it aside for the sake of the universe, for the sake of his new family. Then he'll listen to Shiro apologise, and accept it with a smile.

But for now he all but runs out of Blue as soon as she sets down. Turns one corner and another, trying to stay as silent as possible.

He gets to his room, and, although he knows it's not the sneakiest of hiding spots, it is the one place in the Castle he's allowed to bar others access. He puts his room into sleep mode and grabs his pyjamas, before heading into the bathroom for some well-earned pampering.

A long, warm bath, a face mask and two run throughs of the playlist Pidge made him later, he's back to feeling almost human, and about as ready to face the team again as he's ever going to be.

It's still half an hour or so until dinner, but he decides to spend the time stretching his legs. Maybe see what Hunk's working on, or help Pidge test Rover 2 for a little while.

Outside his door, though, sitting innocuously on the floor, is a note.

I need to talk to you.

- Keith

The Red paladin couldn't even be bothered to wait apparently.

Lance crumples it up and puts it in his pocket with a sigh. He turns left instead of right, and stops to knock on Keith's door.

No answer.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" He mutters to himself as he traces the familiar path to the training room.

Likely this is all an elaborate setup to make him talk to Shiro or something, not that he wasn't going to anyway. But then part of him also reminds himself that it isn't really that much of a stretch to believe that Keith would be unaware enough of social norms to leave him a note and then just vanish.

Sure enough, when he gets to the training room and sees who's inside, he wants to put his head in his hands, but can't stop a fond smile spreading across his face.

Keith is fighting the Gladiator, blocking stroke after stroke, completely oblivious to any social obligation he might have given himself.

Lance leans against the frame and decides to just wait it out. It's not like he's in a rush to anywhere concrete, and Keith has improved so much since they were pulled into space that watching him fight is almost relaxing. His movements are swift and graceful, moving though his footwork in almost a dance.

Especially now, when he's not fighting for his life, when his scowl of concentration breaks to let a small grin through whenever he makes a particularly good hit or block.

It took Lance a few months to realise that Keith isn't just a stick in the mud, but actually finds training genuinely enjoyable. He still doesn't understand it, but he's come to accept Keith's slightly off-centre hobby. And really, he can't talk, not after Keith has spent an afternoon helping him track down some rare Altean part so Coran could reconfigure the textile synthesiser to make knitting wool.

There's a particularly loud clang from across the room, and Keith wipes his brow as the Gladiator disappears.

"You wanted to talk to me mullet?" Lance asks, grinning as Keith starts.

Keith doesn't seem to relax when the shock passes. If anything his shoulders tense more as he picks up a water pouch and takes a sip.

"Yeah I did," he says, gazing across the floor.

"Well?" Lance steps forward and makes himself as comfy as possible on the training room floor, "here I am."

He raises an eyebrow at Keith and he lets out a chuckle, which only sounds 40% forced.

Keith moves towards him, and crouches down. After a few minutes, and a look from Lance, he sits down, still sipping water as he thinks.

"Shiro wasn't laughing at you" he blurts out, after about 30 seconds of silence.

Lance sighs. He should have known this was coming.

"Keith, I get it. You want me to forgive Shiro. It's fine, I stopped caring an hour ago."

"No-" Keith almost cuts him off in a rush to get the words out, but as soon as he does he pauses, like he isn't actually sure what he wants to say.

Lance waits.

"He wasn't laughing at you. He was laughing at me."

Lance almost laughs. Oh Keith. Sweet Keith, the worst liar Lance has ever met.

"Keith you don't have to lie, it's fine," and it almost is. The fact that Keith would lie is both annoying for all that he knows it's only to defend Shiro, and sweet for all he hopes that some of it might be Keith trying to protect his feelings.

Keith groans.

"I'm serious."

"And I don't believe you."

Keith rolls his eyes and buries his face in his hands. He sits just like that, stock still, whispering something that sounds like curses, before he sits back and looks at Lance with tired eyes.

"Ok, how about this…"

Keith sighs. Lance is just about to interrupt.

"Back at the Garrison there was this boy I had a huge crush on, alright?"

Lance starts, for just a moment, because what a change of topic.

"Okay…?"

"He was…" Keith's face makes a strangled expression before he forces himself to continue, "he was loud. Sometimes I felt like I didn’t understand most of what he was saying, he used to make fun of the instructors and he wasn't the best in the simulator but he acted like he was anyway, and he hated me for reasons I'll never know."

Lance's frown pulls down, and he tells himself it's not jealousy.

"He was kind. He encouraged us all to do better. When the teachers tried to pit us against each other, for the good grades and promises of graduate jobs, he helped everyone relax and work together. You could feel the tension lift whenever he entered a room."

Lance's stomach drops out at the fond look on Keith's face. He could count the number of times he's seen it on one hand, on one finger the number of times it's been directed at him. He couldn't count on all the stars how many times he's wanted it to be flashed his way.

"Sounds like you really liked him," Lance says, trying to ensure no bitterness seeps into his tone.

Keith's face turns to him, and the smile softens even further.

"I never stopped."

And isn't that just great. Lance has spent years following in Keith's footsteps, shouting and yelling and begging for attention which was never going to be his, because it already belonged to some other cadet who probably never appreciated it.

"Shiro used to tease me by how often I talked about him. I wrote this terrible poem about him when I was 14 or so, which of course Shiro found and memorised. He was…"

Keith stops, and takes a deep, shuttering breath. Lance is about to cut him off, tell him it's fine because he wants to hear about Keith's crush about as much as Keith wants to tell him, but he stops when he realises just how red Keith's face has gotten.

"Shiro was laughing at me because I didn't know this boy very well, and so when I met him in my first year of flight school I thought his name was Taylor."

Lance's brain screeches to a halt.

He can't mean…

"Those months living in the desert I kind of just repressed everything from the Garrison. So when you rushed in while I was saving Shiro, I didn't know who you were."

Lance sits and stares.

"But then it didn't matter because you held my hand and said we were a good team, and I feel for you again anyway," Keith says, not looking at him.

This isn't real.

But Keith is sitting in front of him, his smile slowly seeping from his face as Lance takes the time to process the best news he's received since their whole space adventure began.

Lance reaches out a hand, takes Keith's palm in his, partly because he's worried Keith will run away before he has a chance to answer, partly because this is what he's wanted to do for years.

"Keith, most of what I said to you at the Garrison made no sense. I just wanted to you look at me."

Keith's slowly developing frown burns away, and suddenly he's all but beaming.

"I really like you, Lance" he says, holding his hand tighter.

Lance's heart sings.

"I really like you too"

Lance pauses for a moment, sees the smile on Keith's face, and decides to just go for it.

He leans forward, slowly, giving Keith plenty of time to back away. But before he can close the gap, Keith is already there, kissing him softly, taking his other hand and running his thumb across Lance's knuckles.

They stay there for longer than they have. Longer than they should. The time passes far too quickly.

When they enter the dining hall, everyone else is already there.

Hunk shoots Lance a grin and a thumbs up when he sees their linked hands. Pidge smiles at them and digs into her food goo.

Lance looks Shiro straight in the eye.

"Taylor is in the house!" he exclaims, smiling when Keith chuckles and grips his hand tighter.

Shiro throws his head back and laughs.

#voltron #vld #klance #pining keith #that cute cargo pilot #Shiro is laughing at Keith's outrageous pining not at Lance #sustenance provided by vrepit sals #they call lance the taylor

611 notes · View notes

glasgowgirl92-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Linstead: The Playlist - When someone stops loving you.

Okay, so this originally wasn’t next. However conversations with @halsteadpd have been full of realisations and this was one of them. You’ve rocked this week in listening to me rant and rave and discussing all kinds of theories with me! So this one is for you.

There should be another one of these up on Monday and hopefully another Lullaby chapter, too!

Anyway, this is When Someone Stops Loving You by Little Big Town and really, for posterity, you should listen to it while reading this. It just adds to the whole ugly crying experience. This piece is angsty as all get out and really should have trigger warnings probably, I just don’t know what to tag.

Still gotta button up your collared shirt The one she used to button down Sleep on the mattress where her body left a curve Or maybe just the couch

The only time Jay was usually in either a suit, his military green or his Police blues these days were court appearances or funerals. Which is why when the chance to go undercover as a uniform had come up, Jay had jumped at the chance. Give himself a different set of memories in the uniform.

The case had closed now, and Jay hadn’t bothered to change back into his regular clothes, he’d finished his paperwork and headed straight home, making one stop on the way. It had been months. Months of nothing but silence. He’d fallen into his routine and it was unshakable, he’d been numb. He’d been numb until he’d heard Al talking to Voight about how she was doing in New York and suddenly he’d felt sick. He’d broken out in a cold sweat and he’d had to go make himself coffee in the breakroom to calm himself back down. The raw grief gripping him hard. It had felt like someone had torn his heart from his chest and all of a sudden he was empty again. Hollow. But the agony had stayed, taken up residence in his chest, and it beat like his heart did. Every step, every breath hurt and he had no idea how it was going to work.

So on the way home; to his new apartment, one that didn’t have floor to ceiling windows and band posters, he’d stopped at the liquor store. He’d promised Will that he wouldn’t do this again, promised the guys at his support group that he’d talk it out, but he didn’t much feel like talking about this. Not tonight anyway. Tonight, he wanted an escape. He wanted the numbness back. He didn’t feel strong enough to talk it out, to actually voice the thoughts that had been bouncing around his head since the moment she left the breakroom, leaving him stranding there, gripping the counter. Jay had hated the pity in her eyes, hated the way she left him, but he hated the hurt in her eyes more – knowing he was the one who put it there.

His key turned in the lock and he pushed the door open, his tie and jacket being tossed haphazardly in the general direction of the coat hook, his vest following suit. He walked into the living room, pausing in the doorway, debating a glass, but deciding he didn’t need it. He snorted at the blanket and the pillow on the sofa. He hadn’t slept in an actual bed since he walked out of her – their – apartment. He’d tried when he moved in here. But sleep wouldn’t come and he found himself back out on the sofa. Will had found it strange when he needed a place to crash that he got the bed, but he decided not to question it.

Jay dropped onto the sofa and placed his badge and gun on the table, nudging them over with his foot as he leaned back and put his feet on the table, reaching for the remote and turning the sports highlights on. Removing the bottle of whiskey from the paper bag, he opened and it took a large swig, wincing as he swallowed and coughing, but taking another swig. After the third, the amber liquid went down smoothly and he settled himself back into the cushions, the last few years flicking through his mind.

He loved her. Probably had from the moment he set eyes on her; hearing her give Antonio shit. That raspy voice of hers and then her laugh. Just thinking about his now was like a punch to his gut and he took another swig to dull the pain. She’d given him a look when he walked in, called him cocky. He’d bit back the original retort and went for something along the lines of fitting in well here. She’d laughed. Voight had told her to take the grasshopper under her wing, show him the ropes. She’d been his first female partner. She’d set the bar. Erin Lindsey had been a fucking storm in a teacup and Jay Halstead had been the one shattered and scarred when the china had cracked and sprayed in various directions. He’d do it all again, though. Every single little thing. He’d break apart a million and one times to save her; take the fall, take the hit. He knew this just as sure as he knew his army number, just as sure as he knew tomorrow the sun would rise and set.

Jay had never loved anyone the way he loved her. There was something about her that he couldn’t stay away from and it wasn’t sexual. It wasn’t something that he could figure out. She was an enigma to him and his world just felt better knowing that she was gonna be there when he went to work; long before they had started dating, long before he’d gone to her high school reunion with her, he’d known she was going to turn his world upside down.

He swallowed hard and took another drink; something swelling in his chest that he didn’t want to name, but the pain was real. He’d take another bullet in the shoulder. Hell, he’d take a bullet anywhere at this point for this ache to go away. Jay had only known this feeling one other time in his life and as his mind tried to go there he took a longer drink of the liquor, coughing but letting his eyes drift close.

Erin Lindsey was it. That was clear. She wasn’t like the rest of them. She was broken and beautiful and pulled together. She’d left him before. Technically three times, but who was counting? He wasn’t. She’d chosen the job over him; her job. He’d told her he understood that being her partner was enough; but he couldn’t tell her how he slept better with her in his bed, couldn’t tell her she’d been the one to keep him together, to keep the nightmares away. She needed to keep her job and to please Voight. Jay loved his job; but he’d always loved her more. He’d have given his damn badge to keep her, but he understood her want to keep Voight onside.

Then she’d quit. She didn’t tell him; barely looked at him when he’d finally tracked her down. She didn’t care. She’d left him. She’d walked away from him when he’d begged her for closure. He’d needed it, couldn’t deal with the fact there was no goodbye. Just like this time. He took another drink and realised that this was turning into a game of Never Have I with his own damned mind. He’d chuckled, but it was humourless. It sounded broken and fake and he cleared his throat.

She’d come back that time. She’d been the one to save him from the drug Lord after 24 hours of hell. She’d come into the room like a fucking angel and while she looked like hell? She’d been so beautiful in that moment. She’d come back before, the thought offered hope, but as quickly as it rose it was squashed back down. Erin had said she could handle it; handle whatever demons he was fighting, carry the weight of his luggage from war. Under the guise of needing time, though, of them both needing time, she’d taken his confession of seeking help and fled. Then after some pretty painful cases, some heart wrenching interactions, she’d gone.

He'd given the ring back to Will on Monday. Hadn’t said anything, just handed it over. That’s when Will had followed him out into the parking lot and begged him to talk it over. There was no point in talking, however. No point at all. He’d been talking for months, once a week. Didn’t fix him. It broke him on a weekly basis.

How do you talk over not being enough for someone? How do you talk about needing space and getting so much more than you bargained for? How do you talk about someone leaving without saying goodbye? How do you talk about not being worth that much? Jay scrubbed a hand down his face and took another drink before glancing at the bottle and letting out another humourless laugh. He'd managed to drink around a third of the bottle in the half hour he’d been in apartment and the hangover was going to be a bitch when he woke up; but a physical pain was something easier to deal with than the thoughts in his head.

There was another thought circulating; but he’d been pushing that one deeper and deeper. He couldn’t look that one in the eye yet; Jay knew he wouldn’t be able to keep this in check if he did. He’d managed so far at keeping his tears at bay; keeping the tidal wave grief inside for close to a week. He figured he’d past denial and anger, skipped bargaining and was now in the deep depressive state of losing someone. He just didn’t want to be here, wanted to get to the acceptance. Wanted to reach the part that everyone thought he was at. They’d expected him to be there months before she’d taken the job in New York. Except, he wasn’t. Couldn’t. Hope of a reunion was definitely a cruel mistress.

Jay felt his stomach churn and decided that perhaps drinking on an empty stomach was probably the wrong idea; but he was already starting to feel more relaxed, less tense. He was already beginning to go numb. He put his feet on the floor and stood, taking two steps before his stumble had him catching the leg of the coffee table, tripping up and hitting the floor, his hand knocking the small table he’d taken to dumping the keys and sending it flying, the table hitting the floor and the contents of the drawer scattering everywhere. Luckily enough he’d had the wherewithal to keep the bottle from hitting the floor. He pushed to his knees, cradling the bottle and taking another drink as he assessed the damage, wondering if anyone would call the cops or come see if he was okay.

He doubted it. No one actually cared. He’d probably lay here for days before anyone would come looking for him. The thought was a sobering one and Jay took another long pull from the bottle before putting it down on the floor and crawling towards the wreckage, because it was safer this way and it wouldn’t hurt so much if he fell over. There were the usual things in that drawer; spare batteries, bullets for his gun, an address book, a pen and paper, a candle and a lighter. He gathered the items up, dropping some again and then finally putting them all in the drawer and righting the table, sliding the drawer back in.

A piece of paper caught his eye, near the entrance to the kitchen and he reached to get it, wobbling slightly but catching himself and dragging it towards him. When Jay turned the paper over, his breath caught and his word spun. It was a picture of him and his mother, he was about 5 and she was smiling at him as he played with his police car. Jay felt the bile rise in his throat and he put the photo on the table as he stumbled to his feet, crashing shoulder first into the wall and groaning before finally making it to the bathroom and emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

He managed to get his knees under him as he hugged the porcelain, body shuddering through the heaves of his body. Bourbon never did taste quite as good coming back up as it did going down. When he finally was reduced to drive heaves he wiped his mouth and pushed to his feet, flushing the toilet and moving to the sink to rinse his mouth out. He caught sight of himself in the mirror when he spat into the sink and saw his mother’s eyes looking back at him in place of his own and suddenly couldn’t hold it in anymore; his shoulders shaking as he dropped to the ground again.

His mind was spinning as he allowed himself to feel the rush of emotions; the loss and loneliness, the hurt and the fear, the bitter heartbreak and disappointment, the feelings of inadequacy and emptiness. Jay’s entire body began to shake as he drew his knees to his chest for protection; not fighting the tears as they finally came. Allowing himself to mourn the loss of his relationship; sobbing harder, gasping sobs, as the reality set deep into his bones and the pain rocked him from his core.

Erin had left him multiple times; proved time and time again that she was fine without him; that in their relationship, he was the one who loved the most and he was okay with that. Why was this time so different? Why was this time so final? So permanent?

As his sobs grew louder, the pain tearing through him at an alarming rate along with the one thought he’d tried to keep buried.

Everyone woman he’d ever loved had left him.

When someone stops loving you It don't keep the sun from rising, the clock from winding, your heart from beating Even when you want it to

#linstead #linsteadfiction #linstead fanfiction #jay halstead #jay and erin #ChicagoPD #chicagopdfanfiction

59 notes · View notes

laurelwinchester · 7 years ago

Note

DEAN/LAUREL FOR THE MEME!

Paging goshutuplucifer because you also sent me D/L for this meme.

who hogs the duvet: Laurel. She is always cold and she tosses and turns in her sleep, which means she usually wakes up all tangled in the blankets. Dean tends to run hot anyway so he doesn’t really care about the lack of blankets but she always feels so guilty when sees that she’s stolen all the covers so when she inevitably wakes up before him, she carefully covers him up and lets him sleep in.

who texts/rings to check how their day is going: They both do this a lot. However, neither one of them actually say outright that they’re texting to check in so they just send each other texts about dinner or grocery lists or random things about their day. If one of them is out of town - if he’s on a case or she’s off working with the Justice League - they kind of up their check in texts. Occasionally, one of them will bluntly send a text that says something like yo, babe, you still alive???? Especially if it’s been over 24 hours since the last check in. But most of the time, they try to be lowkey in their worrying.

She’ll send him selfies of her expression while she’s stuck listening to Oliver or Bruce drone on in meetings just to let him know she’s still alive and uninjured. Or she’ll try to start conversations by texting him random things like Kara says hi and she’s sending me home with Eliza’s recipe for sweet potato pie or Helena’s in a mood today. She keeps threatening to “dickpunch” Ollie. Has she talked to you at all?

Meanwhile, when Dean wants her to know that he’s okay or when he’s fishing for a response to let him know she’s not dead, he just sends her a lot of pictures of random birds all with the caption is this u?

who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts: Okay, so, Laurel’s grandmother had this really ornate jewelry box that had been in the family for generations. Laurel absolutely loved that thing. She’d admired it since she was a kid. It was so beautiful. It was supposed to be passed down to Dinah but when Beatrice saw how much Laurel loved it, she planned to give it to her. But when Bea and Richard moved from their house into the nursing home, it was broken in the move. A couple of years later, Dean had the box recreated and gave it to Laurel on her birthday. It was amazing. She cried.

Of course, Sam was the one who pointed out, “That was nice, dude, but you fucked yourself. Now you have to try to top that every year.”

Dean considered that but eventually just threw his arms out with a smirk and went, “Challenge accepted.”

who gets up first in the morning: Laurel gets up at an obnoxiously early time to go for her morning run. Most of the time, when she does this, she’ll wake him up briefly just to let him know that she’s heading out for her run and he’ll sleepily mumble something like “have a good run” or “I’ll have coffee waiting when you get back” but sometimes he’s just like “it’s six in the morning, what the fuck, go back to sleep, what is your life.” Because who wakes up at six in the morning on a Saturday in the winter to go for a run?

who suggests new things in bed: I feel like they’re both on pretty even ground at this point. In the beginning, however, it was Dean who made the suggestions. He had more experience than she did and he wanted her to be happy, comfortable, and satisfied. So there are a few things he’s responsible for introducing her to, sure, but he’s also just responsible for helping to loosen her up a bit and make her more comfortable in the bedroom. She’s always been a sex positive person in theory but you need the right partner for some things and I will bet everything I own that pre-island Oliver was selfish in bed. Dean, on the other hand, is very giving and there’s definitely a level of trust there that she didn’t have before.

who cries at movies: 90% of the time this is Laurel. Unless they’re watching a Disney movie. Then it’s both of them.

who gives unprompted massages: Dean does this all the time. Half the time he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. He just likes to be touching her to remind himself that she’s still there. It becomes a habit for him. And it he really good with his hands. He massages are amazing and she carries so much stress in her neck and shoulders so she is on board with that habit. Never turn down a Dean Winchester massage, honestly.

who fusses over the other when they’re sick: They both do this because they’re both caretakers by nature, but Dean is a bit more insistent in his fussing. Which works out perfectly because Laurel is needy af when she’s sick.

who gets jealous easiest: It used to be Dean, especially in regards to a certain ex of hers, but at this point, neither one of them really bother with jealousy anymore because it’s honestly just a waste of time. Overprotectiveness? Sure. But jealousy? Not so much.

who has the most embarrassing taste in music: Oh, Laurel. It’s not all embarrassing. She likes classic rock, indie music, and she went through a belated Riot Grrrl phase when she was 12/13 and some of that stuck, but her not-so-guilty-pleasure music is Top 40. Her workout playlist is all Britney, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce. She is not at all embarrassed by this, though. She also uses it whenever she needs to get her way.

Like, one night, right after Thea’s moved in with them, Laurel and Dean get in the world’s dumbest argument over whether or not they need a dishwasher (she’s for, he’s against) and it just goes on and on and on and on. Thea, equal parts irritated and amused, goes to hide in her room. She’s in bed, online shopping and live texting the fight to Sam, when she hears Laurel yell, “Don’t make me do the thing, Dean!”

And he’s like, “Do not do the thing!”

Then there’s just a lot of incoherent protesting from Dean, followed by the sound of the Spice Girls, followed by a, “DAMN IT, LAUREL!”

Thea frowns and has to text Oliver: what does it mean when laurel puts on spice girls in the middle of an argument????

His response is quick: She’s going to get whatever she wants.

Thea: ??????

Oliver: It’s her idea of a filibuster. Then, a minute later: Has she started dancing yet? She’s a terrible dancer.

Thea: awww that’s mean bro. she tries. she’s still a better dancer than you.

Anyway, the next morning, when she’s in the kitchen, eating cereal and reading one of Laurel’s old Vogue magazines, Dean comes into the kitchen. He pours himself a cup of coffee, sighs heavily, and asks her, “Do you need anything from Ikea? We’re getting a dishwasher.”

(This answer got long. I just wanted everyone to know that Laurel Lance stages filibusters with the Spice Girls because it seemed like really important information.)

who collects something unusual: Dean sends her a postcard every time he’s out of town so she has a collection of those that she keeps in a box by her bed. But also, THIS GIRL IS A BORDERLINE HOARDER. Whatever home she’s in, it’s cluttered. She keeps everything. She has magazines dating back to 2005, a bunch of her grandparents’ things (including a bunch of fine china that she never knows what to do with), flea market finds, and way too many shoes.

who takes the longest to get ready: Generally speaking, it’s Laurel. But if they’re going to some fundraiser or gala in Star City or out to dinner with her father, it’s Dean who takes the longest. He’s just dragging his feet but he’ll insist it was because he needed an extra minute for his hair because, “Do you think I just wake up like this?” Her response to that is always a dry, “I wake up next to you, honey. I know for a fact you wake up like that. It’s annoying. I hate you a little bit for it.”

who is the most tidy and organized: Neither of them are particularly tidy and organized but Dean might take this one just because of the borderline hoarder thing. She has so much stuff that their house is practically bursting at the seams. And you know what else? She leaves her goddamned shoes everywhere. He has nearly died before because she left a stiletto in the living room. (He didn’t “nearly die” but that’s what it said in his all caps text.) But, at the same time, Dean doesn’t fold clothes. The bedroom is full of all these piles of clothes and Laurel never knows what’s clean and what’s not because that man is allergic to folding clothes and putting laundry away.

who gets most excited about the holidays: Laurel loves the holidays! She was so excited to move into their cozy little house because it meant trick or treaters at Halloween. She spends weeks fixing up goodie bags for the kids and decorating the house and planning costumes and forcing Dean to make a menu for the Halloween party. She puts up the Christmas tree and starts playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving. She stands at the bottom of the ladder while she tells Dean where to put all the lights. She plans the Easter egg hunt for all the kids in the Justice League.

She gets so full of energy around the holidays that people keep telling Dean that they need to hurry up and have kids because she needs somewhere to put all that “weird holiday energy.”

who is the big spoon/little spoon: They take turns because sharing is caring.

who gets more competitive when playing games and/or sports: One year, there is a softball game between all of the superhero teams. We’re talking all of them. Team Arrow, Team Flash, Sara’s time traveling team, the Birds of Prey, Supergirl and Friends, other various members of the Justice League and their teams. It’s supposed to be a team building exercise. Dean is offered a spot with Laurel and her girls but his response basically boils down to, “Hard pass.” Still, on the day of, he dutifully shows up with Cas and sits in the bleachers with a very pregnant, very tired, and very grumbly Iris West-Allen. Everything is fine for awhile. Until Oliver and Laurel get in an argument over his pitching abilities and it ends in her chasing him around the field.

Iris bursts into laughter and films the whole thing on her phone, managing to get out giggles of, “I take back every grumpy thing I’ve said today. This is the best thing that has ever happened!”

Dean does eventually manage to grab Laurel and toss her over his shoulder while she’s ranting and accusing Oliver of cheating, but not before he almost falls off the bleachers because he’s laughing so hard.

who starts the most arguments: Ummm, Dinah Laurel Lance: Lawyer By Day, Vigilante By Night. She should have “I’m a lawyer, I live to argue” tattooed on her forehead.

who suggests that they buy a pet: Pets have always been an ongoing discussion for them. Laurel was the one to bring it up first before they even got married, but they both decided to wait until they were working less and home more. It takes them a long time to be ready to pull the trigger on that particular issue. See, they’ve both always said that they’d like their kids to have a dog. But, you know, some things aren’t meant to be. The years pass and the people around them start getting married and having kids. Sam and Eileen have a daughter, Sara and Nyssa raise Nyssa’s nephew for a few years, Barry and Iris have twins, and even Oliver has William.

Meanwhile, Dean and Laurel have nothing but an empty house that feels too big and these chasms in their chest that they’ve tried and failed to fill. Finally, after 10 years together, 7 years of marriage, and 5 years of trying for a baby with nothing to show for it other than a handful of losses, they decide to adopt a pitbull puppy.

The puppy - a super sweet and shy little girl - doesn’t completely fill the void but she sure does love them a lot and they love her too.

what couple traditions do they have: They take a vacation once a year. That’s Laurel’s doing. Sometimes you just need to get away from the vigilante life, recharge your batteries, and have sex on a beach.

Also, it’s not so much a tradition as a habit, but they high five each other a lot. It’s weird. They do it for everything. It’s like every time they make a decision or every time they want to celebrate, they high five. Some people shake on it. Some people pinky swear. They high five. Nobody says anything about it for a long time until Claire is over for dinner one night and winds up blurting out, “Do you two do that all the time?”

Thea bursts out, “Oh my god, all the time!”

Dean and Laurel are both a little startled by that because they genuinely didn’t realize they were doing it that much. When he asks if they high five each other that much, Laurel is adamant that they don’t. Then a few seconds later, she looks up from what she’s doing and admits, slowly, “Well… We did high five after sex last night. Is that weird?”

Dean thinks long and hard about that before answering, “No, that was really great sex. It deserved a high five.”

And then Claire’s like, “Wow, we’re still at the table, you pervs.”

what tv shows they watch together: They used to watch cooking competitions together until an intervention was staged. Dean yelled at the television like a sports fan watching the superbowl and Laurel got way too emotionally invested in the people and their backstories.

what other couple they hang out with: I don’t know if they’re really a double date kind of couple but I can see them hanging out with Sam and Eileen, Sara and Nyssa, John and Lyla, and maybe Barry and Iris.

how they spend time together as a couple: They both work so much and they’re both out of town a lot so when they’re together, they prefer to spend their time at home doing absolutely nothing but watching bad movies on Netflix, eating pizza in bed, and ignoring the outside world.

who made the first move: Nobody knows for sure because they each have a different answer to that question. Dean says it was Laurel. Laurel says it was Dean. (…It was Laurel.)

who brings flowers home: Laurel loves having fresh flowers in the house but buying flowers all the time can get expensive so eventually she decides to just start her own garden in the backyard and they have flowers all over their property and they are never without a few vases of fresh flowers inside.

who is the best cook: No question about that. It’s Dean. Laurel tries, but it’s just safest for her to stay out of the kitchen.

Send me a ship and I’ll tell you

#dean x laurel #otp: the beauty of wild things #spn x arrow #asks #anon #my headcanon #ask meme #otp meme

8 notes · View notes

authorofthyme · 7 years ago

Text

Tagged by @forever-painting-roses

The instructions are to answer the questions and then add one of your own. Here we go!

(psst this is kind of long so i’m putting it under a cut)

1. coke or pepsi: mmm i hate both i like sprite or mt. dew

2. disney or dreamworks: ahhh pixar cause i mean disney and dreamworks make some good stuff but i gotta have them pixar theories

3. coffee or tea: TEA

4. books or movies: Books! but i love movies too!

5. windows or mac: Windows

6. dc or marvel: Marvel, but i do love batman

7. x-box or playstation: Xbox

8. dragon age or mass effect: never played either

9. night owl or early riser: night owl. my brain won’t function until 4pm

10. cards of chess?: both

11. chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate!.

12. vans or converse: Converse

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar?: What now?

14. fluff or angst: angst i am and angsty gal teenagers am i right

15. beach or forest: forest

16. dogs or cats: ALL ANIMALS ARE AMAZING

17. clear skies or rain: rain forever y’all

18. cooking or eating out: Cooking!

19. spicy food or mild food: i like both

20. halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: HALLOWEEN

21. would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: cold

22. if you could have a superpower, what would it be: whenever i need money, i always have the correct amount.

23. animation or live action: Animation.

24. paragon or renegade: renegade i guess? is this a fandom thing cause idk

25. baths or showers: showers. i do NOT WANT TO SIT IN A TUB FULL OF WATER MIXED WITH WHATEVER FILTH WAS ON ME

26. team cap or team ironman: Cap.

27. fantasy or sci-fi: Both!

28. do you have three or four favorite quotes, if so what are they:

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a nonlinear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey ... stuff.”

“Art is whatever you can get away with.”

“It’s better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self”

29. youtube or netflix: both

30. harry potter or percy jackson: DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE BETWEEN THESE TWO BLACK HAIRED GREEN EYED MORONS

31. what makes you feel accomplished: Finding the right way to draw/do something, being praised by my parents

32. star wars or star trek: i used to only like star trek, but the new star wars movies changed my mind.

33. paperback books or hardback books: who cares, they’re BOOKS

34. to live in a world without literature or without music?: hahahha funny

35. who was the last person to make you laugh?: @smol-overlord

36. which is better: sour or sweet candy?: Sweet!

37. do you believe in aliens?: idk not really but i’m open to the thought i guess? Not really, like, intelligent, human-like aliens, but i wouldn’t be SHOCKED if there were, like, bugs or sentient clouds somewhere up there.

38. dawn or dusk?: Dusk.

39. piercings or tattoos?: tattoos

40. girls? HOT?????: MAYBE??? I IS ACE I ONLY DRAW DA PRETTY GURL. ME NO WANNA KISS THE PRETTY GURL. OR GUY. LEAVE ME ALONE WITH MY SKETCHBOOK HISSS

41: snow or fog?: F O G

42: do you sleep facing the wall or the room?: wall or on my back

43: TRC or AFTG?: What?

44: horror or drama?: Drama, I guess?

45: ocarina of time or majora’s mask?: i’ve only read the manga adaptions, never played the games (yet) but majora’s mask i love skull kid

46. would you rather live in an area of more nature or city?: on the one hand, bugs. on the other hand, people.

47. what’s your addiction right now?: Tea, drawing, howl’s moving castle, being nice to my friends and maybe friends

48. what languages can you speak?: english and like 1.7% german danke dulingo

49. what kind of music do you listen to?: https://open.spotify.com/user/arty0906/playlist/3NZPn6v3VaTIRzERvES3K3

50. fave mythological creature?: right now mainly merms and griffins, but i also like harpies, dragons, camrosh, fae, ghomes, goblins, trolls, *rants for three hours*

51. fave place, like your safe zone?: my room

52. What was the first fandom you were ever into?: i don’t even remember but i thing dw was the first thing i really got into (thank you that one friend who still doesn’t have a tumblr)

53. Out of all the fandoms you’ve been a part of, which one inspired you the most? G H I B L I

54. If you could bring one fashion trend back from any point in history, what would it be? Although I really hate dresses, I would bring back 1960s fashion.

55. Favorite animal?

I tag @authoroflight, @purpledragon57, and @smol-overlord

#personal #questions #q&a #qna

1 note · View note

katrinawritesthings · 8 years ago

Text

Jinki/Taemin; Moving Day (Part 3/4); PG

still tw for anxiety, abuse mentions, and v smol emetophobia mentions

Jinki heads to his bedroom really quick to plug his phone into his charger and wiggle into some fresh clothes. By the time he gets back to the living room, Jonghyun and Key have tugged Taemin in and laid him gently down on Jonghyun’s bed. Taemin curls up small, hands gripping his water bottle tight. Key pulls a sheet up to his waist and Jonghyun pushes his hair out of his face.

“Just rest,” Jonghyun says quietly.

Moving Day: 1-2-3-4

Week Two: 1-2-3

Extra Baggage: 1

Taemin hasn’t uttered a word for over an hour.

Jinki keeps glancing at him in the rearview mirror, quick little looks whenever they hit a bit of traffic or a relatively empty stretch of road. His head is in his hands, body hunched over with his elbows on his knees, dark hair covering his face. His plastic bag dangles off of his pinky and his fingers haven’t stopped twitching ever since they hit the highway. He hasn’t thrown up yet, but there have been a few close calls of frantic rustling and hands clenching his bag so tightly that his knuckles turn white. Key next to him has their feet crossed on Jinki’s glove compartment but their hand hasn’t left Taemin’s body once this whole time. Not even when they leaned forward at a stoplight to hand Jinki their ipod to plug into his stereo to run through a playlist of quiet, chill songs.

He doesn’t have to speak, obviously; he’s going through a lot and it’s not like Jinki needs help getting back to his own home or anything. It’s perfectly okay for Taemin to stay silent. It’s just… worrying.

Taemin isn’t ready for this. He knew that from the start, they all did, but it still makes guilt and insecurity swirl in Jinki’s chest. He knows that they’re doing the right thing. He knows that Taemin needed to get out of that house and as far away as possible. They’d all made plans together over two years ago and had only been strengthening and improving on them since. He knows that Taemin would never be fully prepared and okay with this, and that was part of the plan too. But still--knowing that in theory and then seeing it out in practise are two very different things.

He doesn’t know how long Taemin’s frequent panic attacks are going to last, how long he’ll carry his constant fears and what-ifs with him, how long it’ll take him to feel safe again. Driving this car, being the one that’s personally transporting Taemin away, makes Jinki feel responsible for his super anxiety. And he wants to help, but he doesn’t know how. It’s best to leave that to Key and Jonghyun, but that just makes him feel helpless. He squeezes his steering wheel and sighs quietly as he slows just enough to let someone merge in front of him. At least they’re almost home.

“Hey… Jinx?”

“Hmm?” Jinki glances in his rearview mirror at Key’s voice. Key is looking at their phone, but they glance back to him after a second.

“Jong says that there’s a really nice diner between here and your place,” they say. Jinki thinks, then nods. He knows the one that Jonghyun is talking about.

“Yeah,” he says. “Like, fifteen minutes from here, maybe. And then just a few minutes from there to home.”

“Okay,” Key says. Then, “Taem?” they ask softly. Jinki glances back again to see Taemin wince. “Did you hear?” Key asks. “Do you want to get lunch?” There’s a silence after that. Jinki doesn’t see or hear Taemin reply, but after a moment, Key tsks soothingly. “Okay, pretty,” they say. “What if the both of them got something and then brought it home with them?” Another pause, followed by another “Okay.” Jinki hears the soft rustling of Taemin’s plastic bag and the soft peck of Key’s lips. “Will you promise me you’ll have some bread or crackers after you’ve laid down for a bit, though?” Key asks. A third pause and a third “okay,” and when Jinki glances in the mirror again, Key is leaning back in their seat.

“No diner?” he asks, just to be sure.

“No diner,” Key confirms, hand rubbing over Taemin’s back. Jinki nods. Alright then. He doesn’t really want a big meal anyway.

“Twenty more minutes,” he tells them both. “Until home.”

True to his word, twenty minutes later, Jinki pulls the minivan slowly passed the neighbor’s side of the duplex, around the corner of his and Jonghyun’s, and brings it to a stop. He caught Choi’s car on the street outside so he doesn’t particularly hurry in getting out to unlock the front door. Jonghyun is probably pulling it open right now. Instead, he smothers a yawn in his hand and clumsily unbuckles himself. Twisting in his seat, he watches Taemin uncurling himself from the position he’d spent the past while in.

He leans back against the seat, butt slouching further towards the edge, hands rubbing over his face, palms pressing into his eyes, mouth open with deep breaths. When he lowers his hands and blearily blinks around the car, his eyes land on Jinki and stay there. Jinki gives him a little wave and little smile.

“We’re here,” he says.

“Mmmgh,” Taemin says. He closes his eyes and rubs them again before sitting up straight. “Yeah,” he breathes. His hand falls to the door, fumbles for the handle, and pushes it open. He stumbles when he gets out, but Key follows with a hand on his back and the backpack Taemin forgot over his shoulder. Jinki slips out of the car as well and stretches his arms over his head. When he circles around to the little walkway to the door, he finds Jonghyun handing Taemin a bottle of ice water with a straw in it.

“Little sips, okay?” he hums, pressing his lips to Taemin’s cheek. Taemin nods, bringing the straw to his lips with a weak hand. He looks up at the house, eyes rolling over the blue paint, the cobbled walkway, the small flowers in the windowsills. He’s been here one time before, snuck here for barely more than two hours during what he told his parents was a trip to the mall with his friends. Jinki had never seen anyone happier during that time. The contrast to Taemin then and how drained and anxious he looks now is almost painful.

Jinki looks passed him and sees Choi standing in the doorway with their usual little smile. He scoots around the other three and heads that way first.

“We cleaned up a little,” Choi signs at him, and Jinki smiles back a quick “thanks.” He and Jonghyun didn’t exactly have time to clean up in their rush yesterday. Stepping inside, he looks around the open living room and nods. Jonghyun’s notebooks and music stuff, usually strewn all over the cushioned floor, are neatly stacked in the corner where they’re actually supposed to be. The pillows and sheets are still kind of a mess, but they’re less of a mess than usual so it actually looks like a big bed for once. When he slips into the kitchen to grab himself a water, he sees that the dishes that were on the table and sink have been washed also. Nice.

He heads to his bedroom really quick to plug his phone into his charger and wiggle into some fresh clothes. By the time he gets back to the living room, Jonghyun and Key have tugged Taemin in and laid him gently down on Jonghyun’s bed. Taemin curls up small, hands gripping his water bottle tight. Key pulls a sheet up to his waist and Jonghyun pushes his hair out of his face.

“Just rest,” Jonghyun says quietly. He leans down to press a kiss to Taemin’s cheek.

“But sit up if you want to drink,” Key says. They fix the sheet up neater and stand up straight, tugging Jonghyun with them to the kitchen. Jinki follows and sits at the table next to Jonghyun, Key across. Choi helpfully hands them all a bag of chips from the counter.

“Thanks, babe,” Jonghyun says, unfolding a napkin and piling some on. Jinki does the same, while Key kind of scrunches his nose and gets up to get some dry cereal. They’re all silent for a few moments, but then, “I’m worried,” Jonghyun mumbles. He rests his palm in his chin and pouts at his chips. Jinki paps his shoulder gently.

“We all are,” Key sighs.

“Yeah, but,” Jonghyun says, and then shakes his head, sips his water. “What if he’s not okay?”

“He wasn’t okay before,” Jinki says.

“He’ll be better, at least,” Key adds. Jonghyun looks between them with his teeth between his lips before he sighs and nods.

“True,” he mumbles. “Did you guys figure out how many boxes you could fit in your car?” he asks.

“I think we’re just gonna be able to take his clothes today,” Key sighs. “I forgot to take my dance bag out of the trunk this morning. Plus all of Choi’s camera stuff.” They shrug again. Jinki hums thoughtfully. They could probably fit some more of Taemin’s stuff in the clothes box, if they’re organized enough. He doesn’t have a lot; maybe a few of his games so he can distract himself from his emotions if they get to be too much.

“You can take the rest next week,” he says. They can clean out their car and he and Jonghyun can just take the leftover boxes with them on the way to The Midpoint, and then they can take it all home with them. “Or, the week after,” he adds, glancing quickly behind him into the living room. He feels like maybe Taemin won’t be up for much next week.

“Mm, yeah,” Key says, nodding easily. “Sounds good.”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun says quietly. Jinki rubs his arm soothingly. “Hmm?” Jonghyun adds at that. Jinki blinks and looks up; a sympathetic pat doesn’t strike him as a questionable gesture. Jonghyun isn’t even looking at him, though, which just makes him even more confused. “No, we don’t have mint,” Jonghyun says. Jinki blinks again and finally follows his gaze to--Choi. Oh. Yeah, okay, that makes sense. Choi sighs, then signs something else that Jinki actually sees this time.

“Ginger,” he repeats slowly, looking to the fridge and trying to remember. “I think we have some, yeah,” he says, pointing. “In the middle drawer.” Choi gives him a thumbs up and moves the check the fridge themself. With them away from the stove, Jinki notices that they have two of the burners occupied. What the fuck. How did he not notice that. One of them is a small pot full of just water and the other is a pan with two pieces of bread slowly toasting inside. “What are you doing?” he asks as Choi shuts the fridge. Choi turns just enough with one hand in the utensil drawer to sign “nausea food.”

“Taemin doesn’t like the crusts,” Jonghyun says, standing up to hover over the pan with a worried little pout. Choi shrugs.

“I’ll cut them off after,” they sign. Jonghyun hums with mild disapproval.

“Also, why are you toasting bread on the stove?” he asks. This time, Choi just taps the carton of eggs that they got out with the ginger.

“Eggs aren’t good for nausea,” Key says flatly. Choi turns to point at themself with a little smirk and Jinki rolls his eyes. Of course.

“Hey, make me some too, please, Minjunggie?” Jonghyun asks, nuzzling Choi’s shoulder gently. Choi gives him a little kiss and a little smile as an answer.

Soon, Choi has a nice little lunch platter put together. A crustless peanut butter and banana toast sandwich cut into triangles with crackers and ginger tea on one side, and a heaping pile of super salted scrambled eggs on the other. They smile at it, arranging everything to be more pretty with a note of satisfaction. Then they grab the little notepad from the counter, fold over the grocery list for that week, and start scribbling a note for Taemin to read. Jonghyun pushes Choi’s plate a little to the side to try to fit his own bowl on, but when Choi sees, they shake their head and push him gently away.

“I think I should sit with him alone for a little bit,” they sign. “No offense, but you three kind of talk a lot.” Even their fingers seem as amused as their little grin when Jonghyun humphs quietly. Jonghyun still nods though, and curls his bowl of eggs close to himself as he sits back at the table.

“He doesn’t like when people watch him eat,” Key says as Choi picks up their little tray. Choi nods that they understood and steps quietly into the living room. Jinki turns to watch them step gently over Jonghyun’s bed and sit down a comfortable distance away from Taemin. He turns back after Choi waves, only to find both Jonghyun and Key still watching. He smiles, amused.

“Jonghyun, did you want to shower?” he asks. He knows that he’s not going to shower until it’s time to sleep, but Jonghyun never cares what time he gets in. Jonghyun chews his bottom lip, looks down at his eggs, shrugs.

“When I finish these,” he mumbles, stabbing a small forkful. Jinki nods. Alright then. He turns to Key, who already finished their cereal, the crispy bread crusts, and the leftover half a banana Choi offered all of them a few minutes ago.

“Wanna go see if we can fit more stuff into Taemin’s clothes box?” he asks.

“Mm, yeah, okay,” Key hums. They stand up, wash their dishes, and then follow Jinki out to the van. Jinki opens up the back and just clambers inside, pushing aside a box so he can nestle into the corner against the back of the backseat. Then he smiles and pats the space next to him. Key climbs in obediently, but comes to a hesitant stop in front of Jinki.

“Hey, um,” they say, sitting on their heels. They tug a box closer and fiddle with the tape. “Can I, like, lean on you?” they ask. “Like, against your chest. Between your legs.” Their cheeks don’t color, but their fingers tap an awkward staccato onto the box. Jinki doesn’t even hesitate before he nods, wiggling his legs out to give Key room. It's not like they've never snuggled before.

“Yeah, sure, no problem,” he says. He makes grabby hands to make Key laugh softly as they move to settle against him. They take the box with them and nuzzle just slightly into Jinki’s neck.

“It’s, just,” they mumble. “Now that Taem is safe and I’m not in mom mode my anxiety is starting to get to me and it helps to have, like. Someone else’s heartbeat and breathing to match mine too.”

“It’s okay,” Jinki says softly. He knows. “You don’t have to explain yourself.” He pats Key’s side and reaches around him to pluck at the tape on the box. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea to tape them all up anyway. It’s not like a few hours on the highway are particularly bumpy.

“Yeah, well,” Key mumbles. They bat Jinki’s hands away and stab a pocket knife into the tape instead, slicing it open easily. “Usually I’m on Choi, but. They’re kinda busy at--oh, Jinx,” they say, voice turning from quiet and hesitant to judging and disappointed. “You three just folded everything?” they ask. Jinki frowns, very much noticing their distasteful little frown.

“I--yes?” he says. They folded the clothes and packed them neatly inside of the box. A perfectly sensible and organized thing to do. Key still sighs, though, and shakes their head as they pull some things out.

“You’re supposed to roll clothes when you’re packing things,” they say disapprovingly. Jinki has no idea what the fuck they mean by that, and he says that very defensively. In reply, Key pats his head and starts rolling.

Some half hour later, after a lot of rolling on Key’s part and grumbling on Jinki’s part, they have several smaller bags full of Taemin’s stuff packed into the box as well. As they clamber out of the van Jinki pats both the box and Key’s shoulder before he shuts the trunk and locks it up.

Inside, they find the kitchen empty, but all three of the others sat on Jonghyun’s bed. Taemin is sitting with his back to the couch and his knees hugged to his chest with his mug of tea held between both hands. His straw is in there now instead of in his water. Choi is sitting across from him, slowly signing the end of a sentence. Taemin’s brows furrow, teeth between his bottom lip.

“That’s… please be quiet?” he says, tone raising uncertainly at the end. Choi shakes their head; Jonghyun nuzzles Taemin’s shoulder, messing up his shower-damp hair.

“Don’t be so loud,” he corrects. “Like, quieter, but you don’t have to be completely silent.”

“Oh,” Taemin says, and oh, Jinki thinks. Okay. They’re teaching Taemin some of the general important things first. Good idea. He slips his shoes off and makes his way around them, stepping carefully over the soft bedding. He waves pleasantly when the other three look up at him and Key, then sits himself down comfortably next to Jonghyun. Key takes a seat on Taemin’s other side and pulls another pillow from the couch to hold in their arms.

“Hi,” Taemin says quietly.

“Hi,” Jinki mumbles back. He looks at the little food tray between the four of them and Choi and sees two crackers and half of Taemin’s sandwich left. Well. At least he ate some. He reaches forward slowly and kind of just takes a cracker when no one moves to stop him.

“Feeling better?” Key asks. Taemin opens his mouth, shakes his head, shrugs, and closes it with a slow breath.

“I don’t know,” he says. “I don’t think... I’m feeling anything... except tired.” He sips his tea with his straw and makes a little noise when a few drips fall out and onto his shirt. Jinki puts his chin on Jonghyun’s shoulder thoughtfully. Makes sense, he guesses. A pity that once he has a night’s rest it’ll be the day that his parents find out. His anxiety will tire him out again immediately. At least right now, he might be able to sleep through the trip to Key and Choi’s place and avoid another ride with a rumbly tummy.

“Um… Kibummie?” Taemin asks. “And, Choi?” His voice is muffled; when Jinki looks up, he’s biting the rim of his mug, staring inside instead of at the two he’s trying to speak to. “Um,” he says again. “Do you think… maybe… can we spend the night here?” he asks. “Please?” His eyes are big when he peeps up. Jinki’s own eyes widen too at the question.

“Really?” he asks. “I thought you wanted to get as far away as soon as possible.” That was the plan, has been the plan from the start. Get Taemin, a quick lunch here, and then send him off to live even further away from his parents. To add another two and a half hours to the hour and a half between them and here.

“I know, but,” Taemin says, voice tight. “I can't--I need.” He puts his mug down and takes Jonghyun’s hand in one hand and Key’s hand in the other. “I need both of you,” he whispers into his knees. Key lifts their free hand to run soothingly through his hair. “And… you two. Too.” Taemin adds. He looks between Jinki and Choi pleadingly. “Just… just for tonight,” he says. He sounds almost desperate but Jinki is already shrugging and nodding. Whatever makes Taemin feel the best. Jonghyun nods also.

“It’s kind of late, anyway,” he says. “It might be dark before you get home.” He gestures out of the window at the perfectly sunny afternoon; Jinki muffles a snort into his shoulder. Even with his night driving phobia that’s kind of pushing it.

“Before six thirty?” Kibum asks flatly.

Choi throws their crumpled up napkin at their head.

“Hey--what?” Key hisses, grabbing it and chucking it back at them. “I wasn’t telling him no,” they grumble. “Just, like, if you’re gonna come up with a bullshit excuse then at least put some effort into it.” Choi just smirks at them and fakes throwing the napkin again. Key winces, then glares. Their annoyed half growl is interrupted by Taemin speaking.

“So,” he says. “You’ll stay here?” His voice shakes just a touch, so little that Jinki barely caught it. Key takes their annoyed glare away from Choi, softening it into a reassuring nod.

“Yeah,” they say. “We’ll stay here. With you.”

“With me,” Taemin repeats. Jinki nods even though no one is looking. With him. The babe of ages, the MVP.

“A slumber party,” Jonghyun gasps softly. He claps his little hands together with bright eyes. “Videogames and movies and pizza.” He bounces a little bit on the pillows; Jinki smiles, amused, but also sighs because he has to be the one to remind Jonghyun of the bad news.

“The gluten-free pizza place closed down last month, remember?” he says. There is no deliverable pizza for Jonghyun’s poor tum. Jonghyun’s bouncing immediately stops.

“Oh,” he says, and deflates against Taemin’s side. “Fuck.”

“I can make quesadillas,” Key says. “With… whatever ingredients you two have.” They lean forward so they can peer at Jonghyun around Taemin. Jonghyun gasps loudly and starts bouncing again.

“Videogames and movies and quesadillas,” he chirps, clapping softly.

“God, you’re so cute,” Taemin breathes. He turns to wrap his arms around Jonghyun’s shoulders and squeeze him tight enough to make him squeak and giggle. Jinki smiles as he watches Jonghyun nuzzle the side of Taemin’s head. They’re both cute. And after a moment, Taemin’s tight squeeze turns into more of a relaxed hold, fingers pressing just into the back of Jonghyun’s shirt. Jinki hears the faintest little kissie noises from Jonghyun’s neck and more mumbled words that he can’t catch. What he does catch is the tone: low and flattering, just a touch amused. It puts some of his worries at ease.

Right now, in this moment, Taemin is feeling okay enough to smile and hold his babe and murmur love into his skin. It won’t last, but it’s the first time since yesterday, and that’s a start.

The rest of the night goes well and simple. Jonghyun clambers across the floor first to look through their games and pick out a cute multiplayer one. Taemin takes the other half of his sandwich to nibble on before Choi takes the dishes away to wash. When they get back, they drape themself over the couch behind everyone and leave a hand dangling off of the edge. When Key cocks a brow and asks if it’s for Jonghyun to hold or for someone to put a controller into, they smirk and sign “both.”

They rotate through the game for a few hours that feel like minutes, and another half hour that feels like a day after it starts getting boring. It’s then that Key just gets up and heads to the kitchen, mumbling something about quesadillas that has Jonghyun bright and bouncy again. Jinki watches both of them go, then Taemin and Choi both lazily staring at the ceiling, and decides that now is as good a time as ever to take a shower.

He gets back conveniently just in time to steal a fresh cut slice of cheesy goodness as soon as Key puts the plate on the table. Nice. He has it an inch from his mouth when a hand closes around his wrist and Jonghyun’s pouty face appears in front of him.

“Hey,” he whines. “That’s mine.” He tugs weakly at Jinki’s wrist with his usual puppy eyes and Jinki finds himself just smiling fondly.

“I wasn't thinking, sorry,” he says. It’s Jonghyun’s only OCD thing that actually affects other people; he has to have the first bite of something or else he can’t eat comfortably. Jonghyun wiggles, a whiny noise in the back of his throat, and Jinki surrenders his slice easily. He takes the second slice of dinner and pats Jonghyun’s butt to make him smile.

“Hey, go grab Choi and Taem,” Key tells them. “And get a napkin or something, holy shit.” They flap a hand distractedly between them and turn back to the stove where Jinki can see that they have a second quesadilla already almost done in a second pan. What the fuck.

“What is it with those two and multitasking in the kitchen,” he mutters to Jonghyun as they grab napkins and leave the room. First Choi, now Key both using two burners at once. It’s so extra. Jinki can’t even pour himself a drink and watch the stove at the same time without anything burning. Jonghyun shrugs back, just as clueless as he is. Jinki hums thoughtfully. Obviously neither of them have their lives as together as they thought.

In the living room, Choi and Taemin are hunched over the movie box. Jinki wiggles to a sit next to Taemin, Jonghyun getting to his knees on Choi’s other side.

“Dinner’s ready,” Jinki says, wiggling his napkin. Taemin gasps softly and Jonghyun snatches his own napkin away from Choi’s questing hand with a little whine.

“Give us another minute,” Taemin mumbles. “We’re narrowing it down.” He gestures to the little group of movies laid out next to each other on the tv cabinet. Cars, Charlie’s Angels, The Road to El Dorado, and Chicago… an interesting set of choices.

“How did we get down to all of these?” he asks blankly. He can’t find a similarity between them. Taemin shrugs and pats the space in front of Choi’s knee.

“They’re picking, mostly,” he says. Jinki glances at them; they quickly sign “no parents” over Taemin’s head with a pointed look. Jinki understands immediately and nods his approval.

“Well,” he says. “I vote for El Dorado, if that matters.” He loves Miguel. He stands up and pokes Taemin’s cheek to remind him that it’s dinnertime before he scoots back into the kitchen. There, he struggles to both eat his first slice and help Key set up the rest of the table with one hand. He should’ve just waited five minutes before getting all grabby at the food.

“This would be easier if you had just waited, like, five minutes for everything to be ready first,” Key tells him, confirming his thought. Their little cocked brow is entirely unamusing to Jinki and he humphs as he takes a big, defiant bite of his slice.

That just makes it harder to do things.

Jonghyun comes in to help soon, followed closely by the other two. Taemin pours everyone drinks with hands that only shake a little bit and when they all finally sit around the table, he has the tiniest smile. Jinki thinks it feels a little awkward; this table isn’t meant for five people and it feels like the same generic family dinners he had for twenty-two years before he moved out. But, whatever. He likes these four much more and Taemin’s comfort is what’s most important to him right now anyway.

“So…,” Jonghyun says after a minute. He sips his milk with his pinky out and props his chin in his hand. “Do all of you lovely babes wanna go out to breakfast tomorrow?” he asks. He flutters his lashes too, for added effect that only makes Choi snort.

“I think… a breakfast date would be good,” Taemin says quietly. He’s picking slowly at a small slice of quesadilla, but looks hopeful at the thought of a diner meal. Maybe he’ll be feeling better about eating tomorrow.

“I’m down for it,” Jinki shrugs. His lukewarm leftover omelette from this morning has had him kind of craving a fresh served breakfast all day. Choi nods simply and Key agrees a moment after, and Jonghyun beams.

“Alright,” he says happily. “And then, after, you three can go home.” He links his arm with Taemin’s and shakes him gently. Jinki raises his brows, impressed. That was smooth, bringing up a heavy plan right after the pep of a light one. Taemin still hesitates, still takes a deep, shaky breath, but he nods with a small smile very quickly after.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “I think… straight from the diner. Because. If we stop back here after, like. You all know I’ll procrastinate for three more hours.” His smile twitches feebly and he places his quesadilla slice down on his plate. Jonghyun squeezes him comfortingly.

“Good idea,” he hums, and presses the tiniest of kisses to Taemin’s cheek.

“Mm. Thanks,” Taemin says. Jinki catches the way he catches Jonghyun’s elbow when he tries to pull his arm back. Jonghyun stays, and scoots his chair an inch closer. Taemin reaches a small hand out for Key’s elbow as well and rubs his thumb over their skin.

“How are you supposed to eat if you’re holding both of us?” Key asks, smiling lazily at him and wiggling their arm. Taemin opens his mouth, hesitates, and then lets his head fall on Jonghyun’s shoulder.

“Feed me,” he demands, nuzzling the top of his head into Jonghyun’s neck obnoxiously. Jinki snorts; so do Choi and Jonghyun. Jonghyun pushes Taemin’s head back up and pokes his cheek away.

“You’re gross,” he mumbles.

“Here, Taem,” Key says, already holding up Taemin’s quesadilla slice to his mouth. Taemin takes a second to stick his tongue out at Jonghyun before he takes a tiny nibble and nuzzles gently into the hand Key ruffles through his hair a moment later.

“You’re all gross,” Jinki mumbles, but there’s nothing with fondness in his voice as he watches the three of them. They’re cute.

And then they start getting really cute, both of them feeding Taemin both food and little kisses, all sappy smiles and soft blushes, and Jinki’s fondness turns into exasperation and uncomfort.

“Alright, now you’re actually being gross,” he says, shaking his head as he finishes his last slice and stands up. His repulsion can’t handle this. He washes his dishes and ignores their little grumbles in favor of taking Choi’s plate as well. Then he takes Choi with him back to Jonghyun’s bed to set up the movie Taemin picked. It’s not El Dorado, which disappoints him, but whatever. He’s pretty tired anyway; it’s barely passed nine but his long day is catching up to him.

The other three join them before long, Jonghyun laying down next to Jinki, then Taemin next to him, and then Key next to him. Choi takes up their one-hand-dangling position on couch again. They start the movie and Jinki pulls a thin sheet over himself, tugging some of Jonghyun’s extra pillows close to nestle into.

It’s not long before his eyes are drooping shut. The low volume of the movie fades in and out, sounding distant and muffled one moment and then clear and crisp the next as his brain drifts between sleep and wakefulness. Curled up on his side, he clings to the pillow under his chin, glad to be finally drifting off, until there’s sudden rustling and grumbling from behind him and some words that he can barely make out in Taemin’s voice:

“Mmgh. Too stuffy.”

And then more rustling, and then there are hands wrapping around his side and a body pressing up against his back and soft lips dropping kisses onto his neck as Jonghyun switches to hold him close instead. Jinki grumbles himself, wiggling and rolling onto his back to shake him off. That earns him a quiet, apologetic noise.

“Too ro?” Jonghyun asks quietly. Jinki shakes his head, pats Jonghyun’s hand.

“Too tight,” he mumbles.

“Oh,” Jonghyun says, and then giggles. “Sorry, bun,” he says, and slips his arm over Jinki’s waist again. He’s much gentler now and Jinki sighs contentedly as he nuzzles back into his pillow.

This time when he starts drifting in and out of consciousness, he makes it all the way there uninterrupted and falls asleep with Jonghyun’s head on his chest.

18 notes · View notes